Split (1)

train · 199k rows

post_title stringlengths 8 314	comment_texts listlengths 1 74	num_stories int64 1 74
[WP] you are a police officer who's secretly part of the criminal underworld. One day, you're tasked woth your hardest mission yet: busting open the crime syndicate that you"re part of, and arresting all your friends.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Shh.\n\nIt was the sound of rushing water. Splitter-splatter. In our escape, it seems we burst a nearby drain pipe. Now, they knew.\n\nNot that I was concerned about that; I was more concerned at being caught.\n\nShh.\n\nA flurry of footsteps descended down the stairs. The vinyl wood thundered and croaked as hefty men raced to the kitchen. Fragments of dust, illuminated by our headlights, swayed their song—pulsing to the beat of their footfall.\n\nThe rapid burst of gunfire didn't dare silence their hoarse yelps and yells.\n\nI heaved a heavy sigh. This must've been a bad dream, but I knew better. I didn't want to do this, but better us or them. So I tapped the walls of the crevice under the stairway.\n\nJones nodded. So did the rest of my team.\n\nOne.\n\nTwo.\n\nThree.\n\nWe stormed out, popping like a stream of confetti. We bolted across the lounge, leaping from one puddle to the other, until our feet were soaked with murk.\n\n\"Freeze!\"\n\nOur shouts met their screeches. Swift steps met boiling blood. They gawked, but I couldn't let them speak. I slammed the safety and opened fire.\n\nThat's what I would've done, at least. But one fired first.\n\nI didn't know what happened, but red surged to my abdomen—and I fell to the mud and mire. A few more bursts to my ankle and thigh. My bones rattled and shook like massive earthquakes, but I knew better.\n\nFuck.\n\nI pounded on the mud, tried desperately to stand. It only earned a shot to my wrist, and a foot on my temple.\n\nArgh. That bastard. He yelled something. So did the rest of my team.\n\nJones stomped on my skull, joining the squad who got busy breaking my bones. I could barely hear anything over the splashes and screams, but I think there was faint laughter in front of me.\n\nNot that it mattered. I gambled and lost.\n\nI could only watch as my team's feet trampled me under. I was blinking in and out. Nothing mattered anymore.\n\nBefore I closed my eyes permanently, I saw Jones leading the team, shaking hands with the friends I was told to arrest." ]	2
[WP] "You've been sent to the Emergency Rome." Don't you mean Emergency Room? "Not for the problem you've got."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 problem is, we don't know what you're going to face out there,\" said the analyst, her face stretched gaunt by months of coding in dim monitor light. Behind her sat her team- two hundred and fifty code developers all recruited for being the absolute best in their fields, the first mandatory draft in over a hundred years. Ironically, they outnumbered us by a multiplier of five. \"That's why we developed the Emergency Rome. It's the closest model we could create to what you will find, based on our intel.\"\n\nThat intel, we all knew, had been scarce. After all, no one who entered through the rift had lived to describe the worlds beyond. \n\nWe were here to change that.\n\nOne year ago the rift had formed- or rather, rifts. Three shimmering doorways, each the size of the Arc de Triomf, the world beyond them entirely different than our own. Initially, we had thought it was the Russians- considering one rift had formed just outside Moscow, and another in upstate New York, it was assumed they had developed portal tech for an assault. And if you got close enough to the doorway, you could just barely see the blurred tips of Moscow buildings in a second portal in the distance.\n\nLooking back, I wish it had been the Russians. But then, the first of them had spilled through.\n\nIt'd been an accident, that initial one. A being eight feet tall with four arms splitting off his torso, with a copper armor that covered his midsection. He bled from two locations- an orange oozing from his neck, and a bright blue thin stream from what could be called his knee. When he howled, it was the mix of a chattering monkey an a bear, the notes stuccatto and low enough to reverberate in your chest.\n\nWhen he rolled through, the arch flashed as bright as a camera. And before we could react, he had killed three scientists next to him, decapitating them with rough swords that still bore hammer marks from their forging. \n\nBefore he could attack more, a hundred bullets carved through his armor, and a rocket launcher incinerated anything left. There was nothing for the scientists to study, except to peer through the portal doors. And very, very quickly, we reached two observations.\n\nThat there were, at minimum, thousands of these creatures marching through the barren lands outside our rift.\n\nAnd that whoever this species was, they certainly did not possess the intelligence to create the rift.\n\nNow, back in front of the analyst, myself and my team donned our VR helmets. A month before the Rifts had appeared, the largest budget video game to date had been released: Enter The Coliseum. Based in ancient Rome, it pitted players against gladiators and animals in virtual reality, complete with screaming crowds and physical weapons you could actually grip. \n\nAnd in those twelve months after the rifts opened, the source code of Enter the Coliseum had been hijacked by international governments. And for those twelve months, every scenario imaginable had been programmed into the arena, using the limited information we could gain through the blurred portals. Now, they were first studio that had employed pain simulators into their equipment. If your arm came off in the game, it felt like it came off in real life. And the gladiator weapons had received their share of upgrades.\n\nOf course, humans had sent robots through to the other side, similar to mars rovers- but any time something larger than a fly passed through, the portal flashed with brilliant light. Bringing the attention of the wondering bands of monsters on the other end- and whatever else might exist out there, that we had not yet discovered. Already, fifty more of the warriors had broken through to our side, enough for us to gather some preliminary data on their mannerisms. Not a single one had been captured alive. And the common consensus among military strategists was either that we had been overlooked, or our portal was later on the invader's agenda.\n\n\"Ten flashes,\" The analyst said, as technicians strapped sensors over our bodies. \"That's as much attention that the government is willing to attract. So we're going to make every one of those flashes count. We're going to train you beyond any soldier in human history. You will be humanity's only foray into the unknown, and the fate of the world might very well rest on your shoulders. Someone created these rifts- and I find myself doubting their intentions were benevolent.\n\n\"Your goal, when you arrive, is to secure the immediate area around the rift while attracting as little attention as possible. Which means you need to be prepared to fight an enemy that mankind has never encountered. To start, you need to understand how sorely outmatched your physical bodies are against them. If any one of you wins this individual encounter, I'll face the Rifters myself.\"\n\nAround me, the world dissolved as the virtual reality machine took over. Coliseum walls rose as thousands upon thousands of spectators jeered. An emperor folded his arms, staring down at me with an expression of stone. Then I was kicked in the square of my back, sending me sprawling into the center of the arena.\n\nTasting dust, I rose to my feet. And my heart raced as I heard the chattering howl.\n\n\"Lose your gun, and lose your life. That is the first lesson you shall learn,\" Came the out of place voice of the analyst, as the beast before me rose from the coliseum floor. Like me, he held no weapons or armor. But when his eyes latched on mine, they held none of the fear that raced into my own.\n\nAs our battle began, I was quickly reminded of the pain simulators the technicians installed.\n\nFortunately, their usage was brief.\n\n****\n\nBy Leo" ]	2
[WP] Usually when people move house, some things get lost in the shuffle. You can't help but notice that the last few times you've moved, you've found a few seemingly new things each time.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 first move in 2001, I found the bell to a ship called The Endurance. I was 8. I unpacked a box with my Legos and underneath a creation that I called a car, there was the bell. The box wasn’t that heavy, but once I noticed the bell, it became heavy. If that makes sense. It took me a very long time to realize that the ship was supposed to be somewhere in the artic in 1912. \r \n\r \nAfter my mom and dad divorced, we moved again. Technically, twice for me as my parents sold their house and each got an apartment. At my mom's, I found the Third Imperial Faberge Egg stuck in a box of my underwear. At my dad’s, a Picasso. I put them in my closet. \r \n\r \nWhen my dad remarried, and I moved in with them, I found a fancy violin in my guitar case, the case my mother had given me with the promise that there would be a guitar in it one day. She was almost right. She died before she could get me the guitar. \r \n\r \nWhen my dad died, right before I turned sixteen, I moved out of my stepmother’s home. It was not…voluntary. At the group home, I unpacked my one backpack and found a wooden leg with the words Black Beard chiseled on it. Some of the other boys used that leg to beat me. \r \n\r \nThe next several years were kind of a blur. I moved a lot and found a lot. Things that history had lost or discarded. A painting or a sculpture. A jewel sometimes. Other times a piece of wreckage. In case you’re wondering, Amelia Earhart really did crash. I had her propeller blade for a while. \r \n\r \nLiving on the streets meant a lot more moves in my late teens and early twenties. Quick moves to get away from angry people. When there was nothing to unpack because everything that I owned was burned or left behind, I would find something in my pocket. I had a knife from Jim Bowie that was pretty cool. I actually used that. \r \n\r \nYes, once I realized that the things I was finding after each move were worth millions, I tried to sell them. It never worked out. If I did sell something, say a diamond from the crown jewels of England, it would disappear from the owner the next day. Then I would be called a charlatan and have to spend some time in jail. It made the group home look like Club Med. Even if I gave the things away, this would still happen. \r \n\r \nI had a really good job once washing dishes for a restaurant. I gave my boss a pen that had signed the Declaration of Independence. He accused me of stealing it the next day and I was fired. I lost my apartment. \r \n\r \nI would often think of the mom and dad that I lost so young and wish they were around to ask about this. Did this happen to them? How did they deal with it? When I lost a home or a place to stay, I would wonder if that was what was meant to happen. Lose something, find something, repeat forever. I find it ironic that I only found things when I lost what was really important. Security. Shelter. Food. Love. The things that I found could bring none of that. They were priceless bits of junk. A universal taunt. \r \n\r \nOn the bridge, I decided that this would be my last move. The ultimate move. I was tired of moving. I was tired of finding. I was tired of losing. I was just tired. What would I find this time? Did the other side have a surprise? \r \n\r \nI put my hands in my pockets, determined to clean them out. This time, on this move, I only fond a piece of old bologna. I started to laugh. One more mystery in this waste of a life. \r \n\r \nI heard a dog bark and run up to me as I climbed the railing. I turned and a dog was there. A boxer. His stub tail made his whole butt wiggle. His panting face made him look like he was smiling. I knelt and gave him the bologna. \r \n\r \n“You found my dog!” a young woman said. “Oh, thank you so much! I’m always losing things, and I thought for sure I had lost him!”\r \n\r \n“I’m always finding things,” I said. I don’t know why. I had never told anyone. Ever. \r \n\r \n“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” \r \n\r \nThe woman invited me out for coffee as a thank you. 3 months later we moved in together, and I found an engagement ring. A year after that we moved into our dream home, and I found a picture of my mom and dad when they were happy. I was a baby in the picture. \r \n\r \nAnd some days, when I move past the bridge while walking our dog, Hans, I find a piece of old bologna in my pocket and give it to him. \r \n\r \nI’m never moving again." ]	2
[WP] Nature wizards are generally ignored as the weakest of all wizards. But the rude adventurers who had the gall to trample on your prized tomato garden are about to learn why that couldn't be further from the truth.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 an adventurer once. What? No, not as a wizard! No, of course not, you're right. Nature wizards are completely useless to an adventuring party. Totally the weakest opponent in a duel. That's us, that's for sure. Anyway, as I was saying, I was an adventurer, just like you. Finish elementary school, go to adventurer camp, spend three or four years saving villagers and exploring ruins, come home, get a real job, that kind of thing. I was a decent scout, too, if you ask anyone I adventured with, especially since I could occasionally ask the trees for help, or redirect a vine or two here and there.\r \n\r \nAnd that brings me to you! Right out of camp, I'm betting? Saw the wizard's tower, saw the collection of nightshades, decided to do the world a favor, maybe see if the tower was abandoned? But of course none of you know \\_Solanum lycopersicum\\_ from Solanum dulcamara\\_, could distinguish tomatoes from scarlet berries, and didn't realize that you'd ruined not only two-thirds of my garden, but my \\very favorite tomato vines\\, until I walked out my front door, right?\r \n\r \nNow, I should say, those vines were my favorites because they produced the best \\_tomatoes\\_. The plants that produced the best strangling vines, \\_those\\_ you didn't notice, but - ah, yes, they've noticed you, I see. Good night, gentlemen; if you're alive in the morning I'll call the sheriff to have y'all arrested." ]	2
[WP] The astrologers confirmed it prior to your birth. Your destiny is to be the world's greatest samurai. Your parents enabled you by giving you armor and a Hattori Hanzo sword. The daunting part about your mythical fate is that you are living in rural Iowa during the roaring 20's.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 parents were far from noble born - my mother, a strong, proud woman who raised four boys and two girls, all as she worked in a garden owned by a powerful grain wholesaler - and my father, his chosen taskmaster, sent to enact his cruel will upon enemies and slow debtors alike.\n\n\nThen came the day that the astrologers in service to their lord arrived, and they gave the dire words which no parent would endure hearing without heartbreak and the end of hope itself.\n\n\n\"Your child is one of destiny.\"\n\n\nThat phrase heralded the end of normalcy for countless families throughout history, often leaving them with an empty place at the table, a tasteful memorial, and a rotten, aching place in their hearts. To have a child who was born to be of greatness almost always meant they'd die to demonstrate the will of heaven.\n\n\nAnd so, at hearing the words, and then having them compounded with the following sentence, my family ran across the world: \"Your child will be the greatest samurai who has ever walked their world.\"\n\n\nThe chase began in earnest. My parents took nothing that wasn't offspring or immediately portable as wealth or foodstuff, and hastened to the westbound docks, traveling across the prefecture until they arrived at the hull of the great lady herself, The Queen of the Horizon, and passage was booked under both false pretenses as well as the cover of night.\n\n\nMy family moved from all that they knew to a place so terrible, so distant, none of them knew of someone who had traveled there and returned - or even traded with someone from there directly. We entered the darkness in San Francisco and were swallowed by the great dreamer that was America.\n\n\nFor a decade, we struggled, with my life beginning in a tiny apartment overlooking the harbor, my childhood playground a place of earthquake-riddled debris and financial hardship itself - and still, I was growing tall, and stood a head taller than my siblings, and soon enough, my mother.\n\n\nIt was my father who met the strangers from Osaka, the wise and frightening scholars, who bore gifts from my ancestral homeland: the battle armor of my ancient forebearers, known as an o-yoroi; a trio of combat-capable blades, each one longer and harder than its mates, with the greatest of them the length of my leg and capable of felling a grown man through any place the blade could bisect flesh and bone.\n\n\nIt was my mother who ran with us that very night, and took only myself and my sisters, heading inland and into the dusty hellhole that was the Midwest. There began the endurance trial which so defined my life and times - the beatings from schoolmates unwilling to accept the new and the foreign; the hazing from instructors and supervisors, all borne of a place where hate lives behind a smile; the cruel injustice of grades left unfulfilled and promises made empty, simply because skin defined a limit no tongue would touch.\n\n\nAnd despite this, I rose - and when I rose, I could feel within me the strength of the ancestors my mother feared, my father tried to escape, and my destiny was bonded to - they screamed that this world was not enough, and the noise threatened to break my skull, my heart, my will to live. And still, I defied them, and I endured the harshest of punishments.\n\n\nThe training I endured was almost all self-taught, barring what little could be eked from books, stories, and even legends, most of them from my mother's memories, though some from fellow Japanese who thought my interest was quaint, if not a little strange.\n\n\nThen came the day of days.\n\n\nI was not tracked by ancient enemies, only the domestic variants of old ideas - that sometimes, not always, the fight can be set where one chooses it, and that destiny, like a sword, can be forged by choices, not by nature.\n\n\nThey came for us in the middle of the night, like thieves, their faces and bodies wreathed in white, heads pointed in cloth, and their hands filled with dynamite, fire, blade, and gun.\n\n\nAll I had was my destiny.\n\n\nAnd my swords.\n\n\nWhen they charged into the barn where my family lay in secrecy, no protector of the weak and meek rose to defend them; no heartfelt homespun hero made their presence known; destiny singularly failed to demonstrate the point..\n\n\nSo I walked through those doors and stared down at the eyes of men who ogled me and hated me equally. And that was the end of our equality. I drew the shortest of the swords and spoke my words with hate and conviction.\n\n\n\"The cowards who leave will be the cowards who live. All brave men and fools, follow me to your ends. I defy you to take me.\"\n\n\nAnd with that, I walked into the midst, through their thickest group, and into the woods and stood tall in the clearing I found within it, my chin raised high, my hand steady, and my blade stilled by my will alone.\n\n\nOne man entered and came to me. He fell as two.\n\n\nTwo men came to me and fell as three, though one nearly was two.\n\n\nThree more followed in a rush and left the world just as fast.\n\n\nAnd soon, I was alone, listening to the sounds of a departing truck, one of the four which arrived in the night. My family wealth grew by three pickups, six firearms, and a case of dynamite. The rope, it was used to dangle their corpses from my fence, and I spelled their names in the dust, so they could be known.\n\n\nThe hoods I kept for myself. Those were trophies earned in war, and I carried them from home to home, and with the money gained by selling those trucks, we bought a life together anew, in New Jersey. New Jersey, though cruel, had no men in white hoods and midnight crosses aflame - they wore their hate readily and their smiles, though cruel, were still honest.\n\n\nAnd I rose to take up schooling again, propelled by the awesome force of my achievements, aware that those who may hunt me still would look among the illiterate and ill, never raising their eyes higher and never to see me.\n\n\nSchool turned to school turned to a job turned to a career.\n\n\nAnd that career saw me rise higher than ever before - I would rise as a scholar and a veteran of an industry less than seventy years old, a thing younger than myself by nearly thirty years. My home is to be the stars themselves, and I am leaving behind this world and its terrors and its beauties.\n\n\nWhen this vessel lands on Mars atop Mons Olympus in fifteen minutes, I shall draw my sword again and declare my name is my name.\n\n\nMy name is Jessica Ueno Tsuruhime, and I am descended from a samurai - and I am samurai.\n\n\nI defy you to take me." ]	2
[WP] A group of higher beings noticed far too many nightmares occurring in most humans. To remedy this, a select few of their kind were approached, and given the ability to enter said nightmares, and help - perhaps even save - those suffering from them.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Ridiculous,” Herocius sighed, his bright form blinding to any mortal eyes. I squinted through the blindfold; despite being made of dark fabric, he appeared as a shadow made entirely of light. “How could your minds have been so drastically affected by just a few years of tragedy and suffering? You’ve gotten me and the entire division for the wellbeing of human psyche in trouble.”\n\n“To be fair,” a soft, feminine voice said, “We didn’t expect things to go so poorly after the end of the Cold War. We thought we could take a vacation!” Her light was more subdued, slightly bluish. \n\n“Silence, Ximenia,” Herocius said, turning toward me. “You understand, don’t you? You and others like you, bastions of amusement and joy, you will be sent into the dreams and nightmares of your fellow men. You are the tools that I have chosen to save the mental state of man. You will be rewarded. I promise you this.”\n\n“We cannot allow the creator to think we’ve been negligent in our duties,” Ximenia said. \n\nI heard shifting beside me. Another blindfolded person, involuntarily volunteered for this position. “How did you decide? What makes us your heroes?”\n\n“Yeah,” I said, courage bolstered, “why us?”\n\nHerocius paused for a moment, then nodded. “Well, last I checked, humans really like clowns.”" ]	2
[WP] The make a wish foundation utilises thousands of genies to grant their wishes . Due to the benevolent nature of the wish , they are unable to twist it , and have to grant it . You’ve been trapped there for years .	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Time was meaningless as an immortal, and yet these damned souls had managed to make the years crawl by. Years - years! - they had trapped the demon there, torturing him with fulfilling all these wishes. No matter how many times he told them that he was no genie, they still kept coming with their demands, kept forcing him to fulfill the contract he had made with them. For all intents and purposes, he was a genie now. A slave to so many binding rules.\n\nIt beat Hell any day.\n\nWhoever this \"Foundation\" had hired to iron out their contract knew what they were doing, and the demon couldn't twist their demands even if he wanted to. The odd thing was, he didn't even feel the urge to do so any more. All the other prisoners - true genies - still raged against the inability to have their fun with the mortals. It was their only source of happiness. Mortals suffering for their own greed brought smiles to their ethereal faces. Huh, maybe genies were a kind of demon after all.\n\nWhat did that make him, now that he found little fulfillment in the pain that once sustained him? Did a demon smile seeing a child so happy to meet their hero? Did a demon shed a steaming tear seeing a mother getting to spend just one more afternoon with her son? Did a demon feel a bone-wrenching ache in his chest at the sight of a teenager professing to the love of his life so they had one last chance at happiness before the universe tore them apart? Maybe not, but he never really cared about what others thought was proper.\n\nThe soft, rhythmic clack of of heels brought the demon's serpentine eyes up from his desk; they gave the oaken platform to him after a string of good behavior. Sara was as beautiful as ever with her doe eyes, and smiling as she handed over another wish. \"Got another one for you. I think you'll like it.\" Paper crinkled under the clawed grip of the demon's huge hand, and the faint scent of vanilla faded with the woman leaving his office. His eyes were the next thing to crinkle as a smile split his face. Reading through the memo, the little box where the kid stated his wish read:\n\n \"I want to hug a scary demon. I'll see angels soon, but demons sound like they need a hug.\"\n\nLeather creaked and wood groaned as the bulky creature rose from his chair, and his legs brought him swiftly out the door. The demon wasn't certain he was a scary type anymore - not in demeanor anyways - but he'd take that hug all the same. After all, who could say no to a wish like that?" ]	2
[WP] Walking into your laundry room one day, you are surprised to see a small man climbing out of your clothes dryer holding a single sock. “Well this is awkward,” he says, before snapping his fingers.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 snapped his wrinkly fingers, the grey sock dissipating in a puff of smoke. \n\n“I-I wha-, how, what?” Silas sputtered, staring up and down the washing machine spelunker. \n\n“Great, another one,” The strange man said, rubbing his fingers into his forehead while sighing loudly. \n\n“Let’s go over this really quickly, for your’s and my sake.” \n\n“O-ok,” Silas said, all sorts of unanswered questions drifting through his head as he stared slack-jawed at the elderly man. \n\n“Here, take a seat,” the man looked intently at the pair of distant chairs from the kitchen table, allowing them to be pulled almost magnetically towards the small, cramped room they stood in. \n\n“Alright, listen. You wonder where all those missing socks go from the washer and dryer?” He said, slamming the chair into the back of Silas’ knees, plopping him down into the chair as the old man himself sat backwards in the chair, placing his hands upon the back support.\n\n“Y-yeah?” Silas questioned, still processing the situation.\n\n“I am why those disappear. Do not ask why I do this, or precautionary measures will have to be taken, understand?”\n\nSilas only nodded.\n\n“Good, glad we have reached an understanding. I shall be on my way, so I shall be gone from your life and you can forget of my existence,” he finished, suddenly placing the chairs back and leaving Silas on the tiled floor instead. \n\nAs he started to climb back inside the mechanical washer, Silas’ wife popped around the corner of the laundry room, standing equally shocked as Silas himself did just minutes ago. \n\n“What the heck is happening here?” Judie asked, glaring at Silas with a glint in her amber eyes.\n\n“Well, basically, this funny sock man steals half of our socks and leaves only one part of the pair behind. That’s why we can’t find the others.” \n\n“Umm, why?” She asked.\n\n“YOU FOOLS!” the old man echoed from within the metallic cylinder. “Why do you question what I specifically banned you from asking?” He quickly scrambled out and began chanting in an ancient tongue.\n\n“Wait, she didn’t know, she wasn’t here!” Silas shouted, trying to stop his casting. But his attempts at salvation were too late. His voice, along with Judie’s, became muffled as wool and string overtook their very DNA. It replaced every strand of self identity within their body with strands of string and linen instead. After enough time, a pair of socks lay on the vanilla tiled floor as the old man picked them up, folding them together.\n\n“I warned them, I really did. Silly humans,” he said, scooping the sock-turned couple into his clammy palm as he entered back into the tunnel from where he arrived.\n\nEdit: minor revisions of the wording." ]	2
[WP] The Imperium kidnaps a villager from a town of exiled illiterates. What they don’t know is they have genetic memory that allows them to read and navigate the forgotten Library City. The Empire wants something in the ancient city but can’t read the language. No one remembers why they were exiled	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"She is merely a child! Please! Spare her!\"\r \n\r \nMy mother screamed and cried, as I was plucked from her side. The Imperium knight lifted me onto the back of his steed, as Mother cried out again.\r \n\"Please! She's ill!\" The man seemed pained.\r \n\"She will be returned, unharmed, Ma'am...Unharmed by any of us. Should she return with man-made wounds, I will pay you fifty shillings from my own parcel. That I promise you.\"\r \n\r \nI turned my head to her.\r \n\"Mum. I'll be alright. I will be back before you know it.\" She was crying. That I could hear.\r \n\r \nYou see...My illness had taken my sight from me, when I was merely four winters old. I have learned to navigate, these past five years, on a cane and through the help of others.\r \n\r \nAs the horse trotted off, the knight shifted, his armor alerting me that he was turning back some.\r \n\"Hold onto me, Kid. You don't want to fall off. It's pretty painful.\" I just nodded and wrapped my arms around his waist as far as I could, which, for my ten year old frame, wasn't far. It was enough to secure me, as I gripped at the leather parts of his, non-wartime, armor.\r \n\r \nWe were some time from my village, when he addressed me to break up the silence.\r \n\"What's your name, Kid?\"\r \n\"Nixie.\"\r \n\"Don't worry, Nixie. Everything will be fine. The king just wants to meet you and ask you some things.\"\r \n\"Alright...\"\r \n\r \nHe seemed a bit perturbed by my soft voice and calm demeanor.\r \n\r \nAfter a while, the curiosity got to him.\r \n\"Nixie?\"\r \n\"Hm?\"\r \n\"Why aren't you scared? You cannot see me or where we're going. You don't know if I'm being truthful.\" A little smile came to my lips.\r \n\"I can feel that we are nearing the shore. I can smell the salt. That's where the castle is...by the sea. I can feel, around your waist, that you're middle thirties in age and smell that you have a beard. Your steed is healthy, I can feel in his trot. I can tell that you're being truthful by the heartbeat I feel in my arms.\"\r \n\"You can smell and hear everything?\"\r \n\"Within reason, yes.\"\r \n\"...Do you mind me asking about your illness? To pass the time?\"\r \n\r \nI just let out a little breath, the smile never leaving my lips.\r \n\"I have been ill since I was a tot. At four, a fever left me blind. I'm not contagious, that's for certain, but I haven't been completely well since I was two years.\"\r \n\"Does it hurt?\"\r \n\"Yes...But that shouldn't keep me from enjoying my life...however short it may be...\"\r \n\"Is that why you were so willing to come with me?\"\r \n\"Indeed. I have always wanted to ride a horse and now I can say I have. I have always wished to be of help to someone...and now I can...With the king of all people.\" He glanced back again.\r \n\"You're very intelligent and calm for your age.\"\r \n\"Thank you.\"\r \n\r \n\r \nAt the castle, I was helped down, where I put my cane to the dirt road. He offered me his hand and I took it.\r \n\"Thank you.\"\r \n\r \nCleaning our shoes, we entered the castle and then the throne room.\r \n\r \nThe king sat up, upon his seat.\r \n\"Knight. You have brought me...a child?\"\r \n\"She was the only one that would go with me, willingly, Sire.\"\r \n\"Intriguing. What is her name?\"\r \n\"Nixie.\" The monarch tipped his head.\r \n\"Yes...She does look like a water spirit.\" I curtsied in the dress, I knew was brown, but said nothing.\r \n\"What about the blindfold?\"\r \n\"She is blind. An illness that has havocked her body, since she was small. It is noncontagious.\"\r \n\"I see. You may take your leave.\"\r \n\r \n\r \nAs the knight went to do so, I turned to him.\r \n\"Sir?\"\r \n\"Yes?\"\r \n\"May I ask your name?\"\r \n\"...Richard.\" I gave him a lovely smile, of which I made sure to not let any of the pain come to my expression.\r \n\"Thank you, Sir Richard, for ensuring my safe passage.\"\r \n\"You are very welcome.\"\r \n\r \n\r \nAs soon as he left, I returned my position to facing the king. I just waited for him to speak again and did not need to wait long.\r \n\"Welcome to the castle, Nixie. I promise you that nothing nefarious is going on, here. I've simply asked for one of your home's villagers to answer some of my questions, should you have knowledge of it.\" I just nodded.\r \n\"I am willing to be of as much help as I can.\"\r \n\"Thank you.\"\r \n\r \nHe cleared his throat and I heard him wet his lips.\r \n\"Would you care for a drink, before we start?\"\r \n\r \nI felt my legs tremble and I put a bit more weight on my cane.\r \n\"Thank you. Yes. That would be wonderful...\" He leaned over to his advisor.\r \n\"Bring some tea to my sitting room. We will be moving there for our conversation.\" The other man nodded and walked away.\r \n\"Let us move to the next room, Dear.\"\r \n\r \nAs he passed me, I could feel that he was tall, but not older. He moved like the baker's son, back home, so I guessed he was in his beginning or middle twenties, or so. He was taller than the baker's son and clean shaven, by the smell of product upon his face.\r \n\r \nI followed him, cane in hand, as we moved to the room alongside this one.\r \n\r \nAs soon as we sat in the chairs, the smell of herbal tea reached my nose. It smelled divine, as I was poured a teacup-full.\r \n\"Thank you.\" The servant seemed a touch surprised to be thanked, but just bowed to me, in response. The king...King...Come to think of it, I'd never heard his name, in my ten years of life. The king gave a little laugh.\r \n\"She's been around since my father was in rule. She still isn't used to people thanking her.\"\r \n\"I...see...\"\r \n\r \nAfter a moment of silence, he let out a little breath.\r \n\r \nWhy would the king be nervous? I'm just a little girl.\r \n\r \nHe steeled himself.\r \n\"My first question, I am not sure you can answer, but...I might as well ask. Do you know why your village was exiled?\"\r \n\"I do not. The confusion goes back to my grandparents. Their parents refused to tell them why they were secluded...and the rest of their generation followed suit, shutting out any information on what came before them.\"\r \n\"You seem like a smart girl...Do you have any ideas?\" I put a finger to my lips.\r \n\"Mum has told me that I seem to be more in tune with everything around me...especially after my blinding. There is a pull I feel. It urges me to leave the village and off in one direction. It's like something is calling me.\"\r \n\r \nAnother moment went by.\r \n\"If I were to give you a map and indicated where things were...Would you be able to show me the direction?\"\r \n\"Perhaps.\"" ]	2
[WP] In a world of demigods of all pantheons and powers, people never think much of you, the quiet one who keeps their head down. Sometimes, people try to guess who your godly mother is- Athena? Bast? Frigg? You tell them they're wrong. You don't tell them it's Cthulhu.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Damien slammed the door, and threw his book bag on the ground as he eyed the kitchen for his daily snack while listening for any sign of his father he was always trying to avoid. \n\n“Damien!” he heard, his heart sinking.\n\n“Get in here!”\n\nDamien peered around the doorway into the nook, his father sitting in the Lazyboy, PBR cans in a semicircle discarded around him. A familiar scene. \n\n“Yeah Dad, what?” he asked. The flippant tone adopted at 14 and refined over the last 3 years. \n\n“What? Is that how you address your father? Lord of all space and time?” His voice muffled by the tentacles covering his face. \n\n“Dad, i just need to..” \n\n“Ill tell you what you need to do!” he cut off\n\n“You need to not embarrass me! The son of Cthulhu should show the proper respect! The son of Cthulhu should show some fucking power!” \n\nIt was a familiar admonishment, almost a daily occurrence. No matter how hard he tried to slink under his fathers demonic gaze, he always seemed to catch him on his way in. \n\nStill drolling on in that midday drunk tone, slightly bent, “You are supposed to represent the master race Damien! What the fuck have I worked so hard for if my son so willingly throws away the most pure blood in all of existence!”\n\nDamien sighed, knowing he could engage and stay here in a futile argument, or relent and go get his PB&J, and masterbate.\n\n“Yes father, I know what a disappointment I am, no worlds yet conquered, and far to lenient of who i associate with”\n\nHis father, shaking his massive head tentacles whipping side to side, throwing spittle and stale beer across the room. \n\n“Well, yes, exactly. Now I want to see some change!”\n\nDamien nodded, just able to hide his eye roll behind a fake cough. \n\n“I will father.”\n\nBefore he could respond he shot into the kitchen. \n\nAs he made his sandwich, listening to entertainment news raging on about then ”silent majority”, a fun term his dad made up, he shook his head. \n\nOf all the gods, all the deities in this world, with every fucking god from every fucking world, all living here, and he had to have Cthulhu. \n\nStill dwelling, silently mouthing the injustice in only the way the teens can, he made his way upstairs. \n\nDamien, not his real name but one he adopted around 5 when he figured out how being related to his father would reflect on him, hated life. \n\nNot that this was uncommon. Every 17 year old has the constant strife brought on by unexpected, erections plaguing just about every minute of every day, brain rewiring on a second by second basis. But, of course, just like every other 17 year old, his was unique. And obviously the worst. \n\nHe attended DemiGrasi high, with all the other demi gods, a bunch of teens with the powers to rearrange the universe. \n\nClearly no one had thought that through. \n\nWhy couldn't he of been borne to someone not so bent on “Master Races” or general destruction. He knew other Gods had destructive tendencies, but it was like the only thing his octodad gave a shit about was subjection and purification. \n\nDamien preferred horticulture, poetry, punk rock. Give him some sex pistols, a fresh flowerbed, and some Pablo Neruda, and you defined his perfect Saturday. \n\nHis dad just didn't get him, he knew. Other kids, Thor's Son, got along so well with their dads. He remembered when Chad brought in Mjolinr Jr. to school and used it to shove Loki's pup in a locker with it, and how his Dad beamed. \n\n“Just like me!! Hah! Good Lad!” Thor bellowed, audible all through the high school when he was brought in to talk about his sons behavior.", "Cthulhu's girl - part 1\n\nThe bow of the boat stopped just at the waterline, gently hugging the sandy bottom.\n\n“Get in,” the girl said.\n\n“If you think I’m gonna get in a weird-ass boat with a green-haired teenager with 2000’s fashion sense, you’re sorely mistaken,” Mina said.\n\n“I’m older than I look.”\n\n“Yeah, right. You’re gonna ask me to buy some booze for you next, aren’t you?”\n\nThe green-haired girl sighed, and pulled her hands into the sleeves of her black hoodie.\n \n“So, what kind of boat is that anyway? It looks like a frickin’ viking ship,” Mina asked.\n\n“It’s the kind that’s gonna take you to the Island”\n\n“The Island?”\n\n“Yeah, Panchaya, aka. the Fortunate Isles aka. Avalon aka. Tír na nÓg, you get the picture.”\n\n“You’re insane.”\n\n“You’re standing out here, in the cold, in the middle of the night, and you’re not even wearing a jacket.”\n\n“I… felt like I needed to come here. Besides, those striped thigh-highs aren’t exactly doing you any favors either.”\n\nThe boat kid shook her head, clearly annoyed.\n\n“Alright, I was trying to do this all chill-like, my bad. Long story short: your mom’s a god, you’re a demigod, and you’re coming with me to Panchaya.”\n\nAs insane as this kid sounded, Mina knew she was speaking the truth. She’d always known there was something… Wrong with her. That’s the easiest way to say it really.\n\nIt felt like a dream somehow, though Mina knew she wasn’t dreaming. The cold thick mist blowing in from the sea certainly added to it, but it felt like reality was going to break apart at any moment, like she could just wake up and all of this could just vanish and be forgotten as dreams do. She had certainly risen from bed in the middle of a sleepless night, she’d gone outside, gone to the beach. She knew that was real. She had no explanation for it, she just knew she had to come here.\n\n“Alright, I’ll get into your damn boat, weirdo.”\n\n“Alex, daughter of Nyx, psychopomp extraordinaire, at your service!” Alex reached out her hand and helped Mina onboard.\n\n“Mina.”\n\n“Parents named you after Dracula, eh? You’ll fit right in.”\n\n“I’m adopted.”\n\n“As I said, fit right in.”\n\nAlex grabbed an oar and pushed the boat away from shore. It was kind of like a venetian gondola, but more robust. As Alex took her position in the stern and began sculling the boat forward, the beach quickly disappeared into the mist and the faint light of distant streetlights was replaced by total darkness.\n\nAlex turned on the light on her phone and tossed the thing onto the bottom boards, providing faint illumination.\n \n“I hope your island isn’t too far, one can get lost in this mist.”\n\n“The mist is just… You know... The way reality bends over backwards to allow this shit. Could be torrential rain or smoke or whatever. I never get lost.”\n\nMina thought about the feeling she’d had before, about reality being ready to break apart. She could feel the foggy air buzz around her, like white noise of the soul.\n\n“I can feel it,” she said.\n\nAlex nodded, “as you should. Your powers have awakened, that’s why you’re answering the summons. There’s a summoning ritual on Panchaya, going on 24/7, for thousands of years, calling all demigods to the island.”\n\n“Do you live there… on Panchaya?”\n\n“Yeah, everyone does. We psychopomps take people in and out.”\n\nAlex turned around to show the back of her hoodie, it read “Pompous Squad” in big white letters.\n\n“You said you were a daughter of… Nyx, was it?”\n\n“Yeah, goddess of primordial darkness. Pretty cool, right? Not everyone in the P squad is though, there’s valkyries and vanthids… All sorts of folk.”\n\n“Maybe you shouldn’t call it the pee squad?” Mina suggested.\n\n“Yeah… I hear it was either that or the peepee squad so...”\n\n“You said I was a daughter of a goddess as well, do you know which one?”\n\n“No idea. There’s a thing on the island, the Trail of Shrines, you’ll figure it out soon enough.”\n\n“Is everyone there like… a daughter of a goddess, no sons of gods, or?”\n\n“Yeah, well… it’s more of a suggestion really, the gods don’t really give a shit about the gender binary. There’s a lot of people on the island, most are women, but not all are. I don’t really know why, and I don’t think anyone else does either.”\n\n“Right...”\n\n“We’re almost there. I’m sorry for starting out so… unprofessional. Please don’t mention it to the higher ups, I’ve actually just started doing this last week.”\n\nThe soft buzzing of the impenetrable mist got fainter, and the darkness started fleeing.\nMina knew it was still several hours until sunrise, but that didn’t seem to matter here.\nAs the fog lifted, Mina doubted she was awake once more. The sun stood high on a cloudless sky, bathing the sight before them in tropical warmth.\n\nThe island didn’t look very big, but it was quite tall. Steep white cliffs rising from its sandy shores, dotted with buildings of vaguely mediterranean style and gorgeous oases of palm trees, creeping philodendra and giant strelitzia.\n\nRight before them on the white sands stood a magnificent sandstone arch, and beyond it a winding path of stairs cut directly into the rock face.\n\n“If you decide to go swimming here, don’t go too far. If you cross the reality fade, you’ll find yourself somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with no way back.”\n\n“I think I’ll avoid swimming for now, thanks for the ride Alex.”\n\n“See you around, rookie.”\n\nMina hopped ashore and headed towards the arch. As she looked back, she saw Alex sculling away along the shoreline. Mina took off her shoes, enjoying the heat of the warm sand. It felt unreal. It felt wonderful.", "It was about 200 years ago when the world should've ended. That was the dreaded day when Cthulu decided to return to our world. If only his followers didn't stray from their path. \n\nThey lost their understanding of the 'true' dimension. Their fate was supposed to power the gate to our world. But all they did was meaningless cruelty. \n\n\nBecause of that Cthulu was almost killed when he tried to enter our world. Unable to send his true power, only a tiny part of him was kept. What eventually came through the gate could no longer hold the name Cthulu. \n\n\nWhen I stepped through the gate I quickly felt different. I knew my body wasn't what it was anymore. I looked down to see 2 large bulges, only to be followed by 4 weird tentacles. Something was off about this, disgusting even but I couldn't quite say what.\n\nWhen I looked up I saw an endless abyss. It gave me warmth and the feeling of home, but there was something even better. Inside of me I could feel that same abyss. However it was different from the rest around me. This must be the real me, I thought to myself. \n\n\nI quickly came to wonder who, or what gave me this familiar feeling. However before I could even think about it I felt a strong pain. It was close to the 2 bulges I saw earlier. It didn't take long for me to go into a panic and flail about my newfound tentacles. \n\n\nI noticed that my head wanted to open itself, consume something. I did as my body desired but the pain didn't go away. I desperately kept on consuming hoping it would eventually work. I consumed and consumed and watched the water go down. To my surprise the air brought a sense of relieve. Once I could reach it I quickly felt the pain go away. But I knew I wasnt out of the woods yet. \n\n\nI quickly realise that I don't know how to use these tentacles. I try to swimbut to no evail. I start to panic. Oh shit, what if the water comes again? I don't know how much more of this I can take! \n\n\nBANG! \n\n\nSuddenly the water starts pouring back into the room. I open head and start consuming, but the water is coming in with so much force that I cant keep up. I feel the pain growing again. It doesn't take long before I start to lose my vision. Then, just when I thought it was all over, I saw a man drift towards me. \n\n\nThe man spoke only one sentence, with a voice strong and deep enough it rumbled my very existence. So this is what power in this world looks like, I think to myself. \n\n\n\"Who is slurping up all of my oceans?\"\n\n \nPart 2 underneath", "How was I created being the son of Cthulhu, I have no idea, my father is barely conscious, yet even in that state he’s smarter than any human or god I’ve seen, my best guess is he got tired of waiting for his cult to figure how out to release him, and he created me.\n\nI’ve intentionally kept my head down, being the son of the being that literally everyone worked together to imprison to avoid his power does not make you many friends. I know what you might be thinking, what do I look like? I don’t look like anything, I pick what I look like.\n\nNow I’m going to an event that is the thing I’ve been getting ready for, the Festival of Unity.\n\nI’d sigh, tapping my foot against my black stone desk, practicing writing my runes, a little pastime of mine, then I hear it, the toll of the grand bell, it’s time.\n\n”Elzarian, it’s time to go, remember what I taught you, don’t just butt into conversation, be natural, work on your deep breathes”\n\nI’d place my hands behind my back and nod as I’d focus on my fathers main two eyes\n\n”Yes father”\n\nHow is it that the most powerful enitty in all of reality was one of the best dads I could ask for. \n\n\nI’d flick my wrist, opening the gateway to mount Olympus, and step inside, this form of travel, in my experience, breaks a human mind that is not prepared for it, yet I, as the son of the being who invented it, see it as easy transport.\n\nI‘d step through, drawing stares from the people at the edge of the golden and white gates, most of the people here are arriving in carriages, not gateways that break physics.\n\nThe point of this festival, is to find other demigods to marry, this event is actually the first due to gods being well, immortal, and Demi gods aging to maturity taking forever.\n\nI’d never been to this place before, it was exciting and concerning, given the fact everyone wanted to lock me in chains for eternity.\n\nI was only invited because of my linage, that was not extended to my father.\n\nThere is no way I’m finding somebody here, I’d think to myself, I’d take a seat on one of the marble pillars\n\nI’d watch the young demigods and children of gods meeting and introducing themselves to each other\n\nI’d sigh as the games begin, opening my book and scanning it with my 8 eyes.\n\nI’d feel time going by as I’d slightly observe the games, mostly simple sports, then something catches my eye, they are starting a war game.\n\nI’d leap off the pillar, grabbing a spear, I’d run forward at my opponent, he moves to attack, I’d sweep him off his feet, time begins to blur as I defeat opponent after opponent, then something, no, someone catches my eye\n\nThe beautiful daughter of Athena.\n\n(I’m pretty tired from the HPV vaccine I got a few hours ago, and don’t have the energy or interest to write more, sorry for cutting it short, even though the entire story was a bit clumsy in the way it was written)", "\"Welcome to the 5th Millennial Gathering of the Gods! Have a complimentary sweet mana!\", greeted the senior Olympian with a warm welcoming smile-- Hestia, goddess of home and domesticity to every guest that just arrived.\n\n\"Don't forget to pick your nametag!\"\n\nIt was a surprising turnout this millennia. Hundreds of deities-- gods, goddesses, demigods, mythical figures, celestials of various pantheons, old faces and new faces, well known and lesser known ones, all mingling together. Despite their differences, despite their ancient clashes, differing outdated views, that day there was nothing to squabble for, nothing to fight pettily about. \n\nThere was only one rule to abide to-- have fun, drink, feast, and be merry! Oh and of course...no smiting.\n\nThe impossibly large hall were never short on food-- catered by the gracious host, Hestia herself. And who could forget the finest wine which flowed like the river all thanks to the combine effort of Dionysus, Bacchus, Inari, and Tenenet.\n\nLaughter of godly humor as the allfathers gathered in a circle-- Zeus, Odin, Jupiter, Ra, and Quetzalcoatl drunkenly bantering with one another. \n\nChatters of old stories which lent themselves to poems of old as Gilgamesh, Odysseus, Beowulf, Rama, and Sun Wu Kong one upped each other with their well-known epics.\n\nPlayful test of strength as Hercules, Thor, Achilles, Arjuna, Maui, and Chu Chulainn exhibited their boastful strength and skills. \n\nAnd in the shadows two giggling figures were ready to launch their pranks-- Loki and Eris, mischievously spiking bowls of nectar punch.\n\nIn the midst of it all, the ever rowdy crowd, a figure singled himself out. In solitary the skinny figure leaned against a table, constantly stirring his glass of punch, sipping it occasionally through a straw. Silently he observed the deities, hesitant to interact with them.\n\n\"Hey Herc, do you want two or three more pork kebab, you fat bastard!\", a drunk Thor stumbled onto the table, bumping the mysterious guest accidentally. \"Oops sorry, bud\", Thor said.\n\n\"I...it's okay\", the man said with muffled voice.\n\nThor looked up to the man, curious of his attire. The man was wearing a thick black parka, zipped-up fully to his face, covering it. The small opening of his jacket was only enough for his eyes to squint through. Complete with tattered jeans and rugged boots, the man resembled no deity that anyone knew of.\n\n\"A bit cold here eh?\", Thor said, starting a conversation.\n\n\"Ye-yeah\", the man agreed, clearly uncomfortable. Slowly he moved away to avoid Thor.\n\n\"Hey wait a sec...\", Thor said grabbing the man on his shoulder but the man had an unprecedented knee jerk reaction as he flipped out, jolted.\n\n\"Don't touch me!\", he yelped.\n\n\"Whoa whoa hey, easy there\", Thor stepped back.\n\n\"Ey Thor, what's going on? Maui is about to wrestle Achilles...\", Hercules came around. \"Whoa....who are you suppose to be?\", he said drunkenly.\n\n\"I'm...uh, nobody\", the man answered.\n\n\"Oh come on, you're amongst friends here. Take off the jacket\", Hercules teased, his quick hand snapped and grabbed the man's jacket.\n\n\"L-let go! Please don't!\", the man pulled away.\n\n\"Come oooon, don't be shy\", Thor joined in. \"You're not a god, are you? God, I hope not. You're too skinny and lack the charisma...\"\n\n\"You know what? He could be a demigod\", Hercules suggested. \"Hey, who's your daddy?\"\n\nBoth Thor and Hercules laughed uncontrollably hearing the phrase. \n\n\"Is it Zeus? It's gotta be Zeus, isn't it? Yeah, my dad would bang everything that moves\", Hercules laughed.\n\n\"N-no, it's not Zeu...\", the man meekly replied.\n\n\"It's gotta be Quetzalcoatl. Look at him, he looks like a serpent with arms and legs\", Thor mocked. \n\n\"N-no, it's not...\", the man replied again before being cut off.\n\n\"Oh come ooon. Just take off the jacket\", Hercules said belligerently trying to reach his jacket again.\n\n\"No, please no!\", the man backed away, afraid.\n\n\"What's wrong with you, man? We all know each other here\", Hercules said. \"Hey everyone! Look at this guy over here!\"\n\nHercules' booming voice caught the attention of those around him. \n\n\"This guy right here, doesn't wanna tell us who he is\", Hercules slurred. \"Don't you guys want to know who he is?\"\n\nA quick murmur came from the small crowd which Hercules interpreted as a resounding yes.\n\n\"Take it off! Take it off! Take it off!\", Thor began chanting.\n\nThe two burly warriors in their drunken daze came at the man. Whimpering, he began to run away as Hercules and Thor gave chase.\n\nHuffing, the man ran with all of his might. Cutting through the crowd, bumping Dionysus and his tray of wine, elbowing the gossiping Hera and Isis, all the way to the side exit.\n\nGoing through the door, the man was met with a long lightless hallway. The man kept running before meeting a dead end.\n\n\"Alright, buddy. Nowhere else to go. Just take it off\", Hercules said, cornering the meek man.\n\n\"Please, I don't want to. Just leave me alone, please\", he pleaded.\n\n\"Why don't you want to show yourself? We just want to know...\", Thor added.\n\n\"If you look at me, you'll get hurt\", answered the man.\n\nThor and Hercules looked at each other before bursting into laughter.\n\n\"You? Hurt us? Pfft come on! I'm a god. He's a demigod. We'll be alright\", Thor said. \"Take your jacket off!\"\n\nWith his plea went unheard, the man finally relented. Slowly he unzip his jacket, low enough so he can take his hood off.\n\nThe smirks on Hercules' and Thor's face immediately vanished after they saw the man's face. Their eyes widened and their jaws dropped. Terrifying screams came from their mouths, from the two heroes who had faced the worst dangers in mythologies." ]	6
[WP] You've always known that birds are descended from dinosaurs, but you're starting to get worried that your pet parrot has a bit too much velociraptor in him.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 see her looking at me. She pretends not to, her head is always facing forward but her eyes rove with my wanderings around the cramped two-bedroom. It all started when I brought \\him\\ home from the pet store.\n\nI'd taken pity on him because his wings were so short, more like arms really. He was also kind of bland, kind of like an African Grey more than one of the Macaws that everyone thinks about when they hear the word \"parrot.\" I figured the deformed grey and brown bird would spend his entire life in that cage at that store. His price had already been slashed to one-third the original.\n\nLooking back, the bandage on the owner's hand and the extra ten percent off he'd given me should have been a clue that there was something wrong. At the time I figured anything wrong with the bird would be fixed when I paired him with Angel.\n\nThat didn't go as planned.\n\nDon't get me wrong, they got along well. Really well. Disturbingly well in fact. There's that expression \"birds of a feather,\" and boy is it freakishly true.\n\nIt started slowly. First, she stopped talking. Over a matter of months the number of \"Hello\"s got fewer and fewer devolving into a cat-like hiss, then they would twil together. It wasn't a tweet. They sounded like monkeys or some weird jungle creature.\n\nI've called paleontologists. They hung up on me when I tried to explain that my parrots had devolved (evolved?) into dinosaurs. The pet store where I'd bought Devil from was long out of business. I tried to take them to a vet once, but the way they clawed and swiped at me when I tried to pick up the cage stopped me from getting too far. Devil managed to take a chunk out of my hand with his claw and they fought overeating the bit that fell into the cage.\n\nAfter they both became silent watchers, more changes happened. It wasn't anything drastic. You know how you don't notice your hair growing or your kid getting taller? It was kind of like that. No, it was exactly like that. Over the next couple of years, the changes happened.\n\nEvery time Angel malted, her feathers came back with just a bit more brown on them than the previous time. Over the years her wings mutated to look like his. They didn't fly around their large cage, they climbed and hopped. I didn't notice the change until I won't to clip her and realized I didn't have to. She could no longer fly.\n\nI honestly thought about separating them when I noticed her changes, but they'd been together for a decade by that point and I didn't have the heart. They were an inseparable pack.\n\nMore years passed bringing more changes. It wasn't just Angel that was changing, Devil started changing as well. I know because after that day, the last day I let them free-roam around the house, I pulled out a photo from when I brought him home and compared.\n\nI was making a BLT when I got a phone call, leaving the head of lettuce, half-sliced tomatoes, and the thick slabs of bacon on the counter. I watched in amusement as they traveled the room like a commando strike team, stalking the unmoving food on the table. I figured I could go with a few less veggies on the sandwich. My amusement turned to horror as I watched them descend on the bacon, tearing and rending into it with the one large claw and their teeth.\n\nYes, their teeth.\n\nOver sixteen years their beaks got shorter and shorter. I thought it was just something that happened to birds as they got older. The teeth I'd passed off as damage to their beaks from biting the metal cage and from their wooden perches. I should have figured something was fishy since they'd got through a perch a month, but I'm not as sharp as I was in my youth.\n\nFrom that day forward, they refused to eat seeds or fruits, or anything birds normally ate. No, for them it was pork chops, chicken breasts, and their favorite: T-bone steaks. They ate better than I did.\n\nI've called paleontologists. They hung up on me when I tried to explain that my parrots had devolved (evolved?) into dinosaurs. The pet store where I'd bought Devil from was long out of business. I tried to take them to a vet once, but the way they clawed and swiped at me when I tried to pick up the cage stopped me from getting too far. Devil managed to take a chunk out of my hand with his claw and they fought over eating the bit that fell into the cage.\n\nEver since that day, I feel when they watch me roam the apartment, they aren't watching me like I'm part of their flock, but rather like I'm prey they hope will stray too close to their cage again.\n\nDid you know that the Velociraptors in Jurassic Park weren't quite accurate? Well, they were accurate in a sense. They were based on Deinonychus. For a Deinonychus they were accurate, but \"velociraptor\" sounds cooler so they changed the name. Hell, I can't even say the other one.\n\nTomorrow, I've got a vet coming over who does house calls. I hope he can tell me what's wrong with my pretties. Or maybe, maybe I'll let them out when he comes over and see what happens. We'll have to find out then. For now, I've got to go feed my two Audreys. Tonight is steak night.", "It was little things, at first.\n\nWhen I brought Bitey home, the shelter warned me that he seemed to have some unexplained health problems. The little chick was fairly dull in colouration, and his beak was strangely blunted - not at all like the sharply curved chompers on most parrots. Worse, he couldn't fly - his flight feathers were underdeveloped.\n\nStill, he was a cute little bugger, and friendly enough. If a bit, like the name implied, bitey. He often went for my fingers if I moved my hands into his range of vision suddenly, snapping at them eagerly. At that point he was too tiny to really do any damage, so I wasn't particularly worried.\n\nWithin a few months, though, I was starting to wonder if I really had a parrot at all.\n\nTo start, he wasn't very fond of the common diet you'd expect most macaws or similar-sized parrots would go wild for. He turned his nose up at lettuce, merely nibbled fruit, and reluctantly filled up on fatty nuts and seeds. He was rather listless and unhappy - until a very unfortunate moth flew into his cage. He snapped the fluttery thing out of the air with a chirp of excitement, and munched it happily. \n\nInsectivorous parrots were a thing. Right?\n\nWorth trying anyway, I thought, and bought a few crickets and super worms for reptiles at the pet store. \n\n\"Okay Bitey, you seemed to like the moth, so how about this?\"\n\nAs I opened his cage and held out a worm in a pair of feeding pliers, Bitey lit up and clambered over, honking with excitement. Parrots honked, right? Anyway. He snatched the worm as soon as he could reach it, and started calling for more immediately. \n\n\"Alright, alright! I've got more here, let me just- hey!\"\n\nBitey had climbed right out of his cage and scrambled up my arm. He was now bouncing on my shoulder, flapping wildly and trying to reach the box of worms I still held.\n\n\"Settle down, Bitey! I'm not going to starve you!\"\n\n\"Honk! Honk chirp!\"\n\n\"Yes, yes, here you go!\"\n\nI gave up the pliers and just gave him the entire box. He emptied it swiftly, burying his blunt beak in the wriggling worms and just munching them all up - finishing with that sounded like a satisfied burp.\n\n\"So you're full, you fat little glutton? Alright then, back in your cage.\"\n\nHe didn't protest, stuffed silly and sluggish. I set him on his perch to rest, and he curled up to sleep and digest straightaway. \n\nSo it went for the first year. His mood and health improved rapidly on the new diet, and he grew like a weed. Worryingly fast, actually. I had to start letting him free-roam by the time the anniversary of his adoption came around. Which was fine - he'd been on excursions in the house before, of course. Though the slow click click click of his talons on the hardwood floor in the night was sometimes unnerving. Reminded me a little too much of a certain kitchen scene in a very good film.\n\nHis climbing around did leave some marks in the upholstery, though. I experimentally got him a scratching pole for cats, with a soft raised platform to rest upon. He loved it, and spent most of his time either dozing on top of it, spying on me - or attacking the pole itself.\n\nBy hurling himself at it talons-first, clinging on with his wings, and raking the entire thing with his toes.\n\nI'd considered taking him on walks before I saw that the first time, but for the sake of all small mammals in the neighbourhood, I decided against it. Especially after what he'd done to the whole chicken I'd left unattended on the kitchen counter.\n\nIt took me hours to clean up. There were bits on the ceiling.\n\n...So yeah, he's probably not a parrot.\n\n...Probably not even a bird.\n\nBut he's a good boy, really.\n\nHe still loves to sit on my shoulders, getting scratches on the chin, and snuggling on the couch. He's basically a cat.\n\nA two meter long, two-legged, extremely fast, feathered, cat. \n\nWith talons bigger than my hand. \n\nAnd claws on his wings.\n\nAnd teeth.\n\nLook, just don't bring any pets or small children if you visit, okay?" ]	3
[WP] You have a strange special power, after death you can posses bodies to live a new life, you've used this power to inhabit newborns of wealthy families to enjoy the good life, this time around however, there's another spirit hitching a ride along with you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I had a simple life, find a pretty good body, posses, repeat. I’ve lived any life you can think of, army men to janitors to the richest of the rich. Almost like a god in a way, I have the power of the most powerful person on earth. \n It can get lonely, possessing and then moving on. I’ve experienced life, death, and anything in between. I’ve seen the mighty fall and the weak rise. I’ve met people and lost things. But never have I got connected. Never will I form a true bond. Or that’s what I always told myself\n I had recently possessed a rich Frenchman. Guilard Vinsway is what they were called. I lived a nice, relaxed life. Poor guy- or body, or even me, was murdered by a jealous lover. Quite interesting, but I was ready for an action filled life. I decided, I wanted to be a serial killer, a robber, something interesting.\n The process of possessing is honestly quite simple. You float around as a spirit until you see a poor, unsuspecting soul. You walk into the body, and the other spirit is forced out. It was a simple, consistent process. Or it was supposed to be.\n I wandered around a bit. Eyeing anyone from teachers, to old folks, to mothers carrying their crying children. The city jumbled with life, birds soaring from and in all directions. A pure, unrestricted mess. My gaze rested on a small teen. Probably around 16, desperately trying to carry a stack of books. They had messy brown hair, black, square glasses and shocking blue eyes. They wore a green polo with simple black pants, and a name tag with the name “Mark” scribbled messily on it. Perfect target, or so they were supposed to be.\n Walking up to them, my spirit was about 10 feet away from the teenager, when they suddenly spun around- shocking blue eyes meeting mine. Almost too blue, too perfect. Hesitantly, I stepped forward. So did they. Seven feet stood between us, a tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. They looked at me like a tiger, ready to pounce on its prey. It was the same stare a had given others, expect now I was the gazelle. I was the prey.\n Or so I thought, as suddenly they reappeared as a friendly, albeit nerdy worker for the botanist’s shop right behind them. I was greeted with a warm smile. Their voice almost resembling the chirp of a bird.\n“Hello!” \nI was stunned into silence for a moment, they could see me, but how? My thoughts were cut short by another costumer. One with straight, neat hair and a red, flowing dress. A stiff voice, quite unfitting for their majestic appearance. They chatted, the botanic worker started walking forward, straight into me. Typically, they would freeze up- as I scrambled to say something. I tried to move both arms, but only one moved. I tried to step back, only one leg moved.\n“Sorry, got to go!” I spoke, or the teen spoke, I wasn’t sure anymore. Not that I cared. I tried walking away, fell, and settled for crawling against a wall.\n“Poor kid, that was embarrassing.” A voice of the rainbows spoke, majestic and rough all at once. Unique in each syllable. Loud, the voice rang through my ears in what seemed a thousand fold.\n“Who are you, what are you?” My voice, in comparison, was rough. Untrained, it \nfollowed the common accent to the letter. A distinct comparison to the others.\n“I’m mark, but I like to call myself halfway. I’m a spirit, so are you.”\nI was shocked silent, another spirit, but we were in the same body?\nWe talked, mainly about walking, but also about how to make this work. This halfway person was looking for an ordinary, relaxed life. I was looking for trouble, excitement, and drama.\n“Poor kid! We shouldn’t do such a thing!” Halfway exclaimed, upon hearing my suggestion. \nWe walked, we talked, and I could say I had a friend. Not a fake one that would pass with time. A real, eternal friend. It was oddly nice to have someone to confide in.\nI ended up deciding my violent, exciting life could wait a few more lifetimes." ]	2
[WP]Stories of a super-powered vigilante roaming the city and fighting crime at night have been all over the news for months. Like many people, your best friend is determined to for be out this hero’s secret identity. Little do they know, YOU are this mysterious vigilante.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Some part of me knew that this was bound to happen eventually. I knew that I could only live a double-life for so long before one part of it began to bleed into the other.\n\nI just wish that Ernesto hadn’t been the one to get obsessed about the secret identity of the city’s new hero.\n\nHe might be the one who could figure out that it was me.\n\nThe problem with Ernesto was that he had the irritating combination of being exceptionally dedicated and really smart. Back when we were in high school, I really liked that about him. Free A’s on every group project? Yes please! A relentless investigation into The Night Owl? No thank you!\n\nHe would call me at least once a week to discuss his latest theory. The Night Owl, he concluded, would have to be either someone with a large inheritance or someone with a relatively cushy job to pay for their tools. It would also have to be a job without crazy hours like, say, a doctor. And lastly, it would have to be someone with access to government buildings since the last big Night Owl brawl was in the bowels of City Hall.\n\nEach new insight made me more and more nervous. Ernesto was one of the head partners at a legal consulting firm, and I was his second-in-command. He might take issue with somebody else working as a part-time consultant, but he trusted me and my work.\n\nIf only he knew that he was such a big fan of my extracurricular activities as well!\n\nI knew that I would have to tell him the truth, and soon. If someone else exposed my identity, Ernesto would never forgive me.\n\nOn a more selfish note, I had beaten some of the criminals badly enough to send them to the hospital. If the general public found out about me before I could secure the services of a top-notch law firm…\n\nThe irony of the fact that I was probably the best lawyer for the job (besides maybe Ernesto) was certainly not lost on me.\n\nI had decided to tell him about it one night over dinner. I had a lead on the supervillain named The Grand Don, a relentless mafia boss who was always at least two steps ahead of the law. I had heard that two of his top lieutenants were holed up in a warehouse a few blocks from the restaurant. I would need a few days off to catch them, and I figured that Ernesto might be more sympathetic if he knew why I was about to turn my company phone off for the week.\n\nWe got through appetizers and a few glasses of wine before Ernesto turned the conversation to my secret identity.\n\n“So, I have a new Night Owl theory…” he said with a wild grin on his face. He was usually quite reserved, but give him a topic that interested him and he would light up like a Christmas tree.\n\n“Oh yeah?” I responded in a reserved tone. “What might that be?”\n\n“Based on their last known fight against a few criminals in Arbor Alley, they have to be from the northern part of the city! Otherwise, why would they have fled north after the fight?”\n\n“That’s just speculation,” I muttered, trying to keep my mind away from my apartment in the northern part of the city.\n\n“Oh, it’s not just that,” he added. “Security cam footage shows them driving a black Corvette. There are only three of them in the whole city, and all of them are registered to drivers in the north!”\n\nI froze up. Even though I had been planning to tell him today anyway, there was something sinister in the way he said it, like he already knew.\n\nLike he had known for a long time.\n\n“Ernesto, there’s something I need to tell you,” I rushed through the words, as if saying them slowly would convince me to hold onto the secret for a little bit longer.\n\n“Oh really, Jaime? And what might that be?”\n\nThe glint in his eyes was more sinister than his tone had been the moment before, and suddenly a childhood memory flashed before my eyes.\n\nWe were in the park, just horsing around like any seven-year-olds. Ernesto shoved me to the ground, and stood over me. I reached out my hand, assuming he’d pick me back up.\n\nHe turned away. I was about to ask why, when he said it.\n\n”If you can’t even stand up without help, I don’t need you.”\n\nI had been trying to prove my usefulness every day since then. I presented our group projects to the class when he didn’t want to. I took law school classes at night while working my first job, so I could join his firm. I took the consulting jobs that he didn’t want, all so that he wouldn’t sprint off into the distance and leave me behind.\n\nNow, I realized that we had been running a different race this whole time.\n\nIf I wasn’t careful, my race was about to end.\n\n“I-I kissed Jennifer Adams at junior prom. Sorry about that. It’s been on my chest for a while now.”\n\nHis eyes flared with anger, and I knew two things at once. First, my identity was safe; he would spend the rest of the night thinking about the one girl who had ever chosen me over him.\n\nSecond, my deepest fears about him were true. All of them were true.\n\nHe took a deep breath and settled back into his chair. “That was a low blow, Jaime.”\n\n“Sorry,” I repeated, secretly relieved that my distraction appeared to have worked.\n\nThe waiter arrived with our entrees, which I had completely forgotten about in the heat of the moment.\n\n“Thank you,” Ernesto said, shocking me—he never said thank you. “May I have the check?”\n\n“But sir, you just got your-“\n\n“Check. Please.” Ernesto hissed through gritted teeth.\n\nHe turned back to look at me, and all pretenses vanished in the wind.\n\n“Don’t you have a meeting to attend?” Ernesto whispered in a dangerous voice.\n\n“What do you mean?” I chuckled nervously. “It’s 10PM, and we both clocked out hours ago.”\n\n“Of course,” he said with a nod. “I must have been mistaken. My apologies; I thought you had a meeting at Warehouse 15.”\n\n“W-what?” I stammered hopelessly.\n\n“You’ve been a good subordinate, Jaime,” he said in his most charming voice. “I had a feeling that you might cause some…trouble…tonight for my other subordinates. I guess I was wrong.”\n\n“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I replied, voice full of false bravado. “We’ve been best friends forever! Why would that change now?”\n\n“It wouldn’t,” he replied. I sensed a nostalgic tone in his voice, and…was that regret?\n\n“I’m sorry,” Ernesto continued, stunning me again. The check arrived with our entrees untouched. He asked for to-go boxes for both of us.\n\nI hid my shaking hands under the table, but it seemed that I had escaped the ire of The Grand Don.\n\nAt least, I had for now.\n\n“Can I call you a car home?” Ernesto offered in an innocent tone, his voice devoid of the malice from a few moments before.\n\n“I’ve got it. Thanks though.”\n\n“Of course. See you tomorrow!”\n\n“See you tomorrow.”\n\nI waited until he had turned the corner before calling for a car home, feeling relief and despair simultaneously. I had survived the night, but how many more would there be?\n\n—\n\nErnesto chuckled to himself as he rounded the corner and opened the door to the limousine that was waiting for him. He had been hurt, at first, when he realized that Jaime was The Night Owl. But after tonight, he felt hopeful.\n\nJaime couldn’t know how important tonight’s deal was, so Ernesto felt relieved that he had scared him off. The Night Owl was seen as a hero, but only because the sheer incompetence and cruelty of the city’s police force meant that anyone who actually fought against criminals (instead of with them) was seen as a hero.\n\nThe Grand Don felt a surge of bitterness as he contemplated the situation. The mayor’s office had been unceasing in their propaganda against him, even though he had put more money into the city’s schools than they had in the past decade.\n\nStill, he was a criminal. Even as a modern-day Robin Hood, The Grand Don had been forced to harm others far too often for his own liking.\n\nHe needed a new tool. Someone beloved by the city, who could help to uncover the corruption and greed that ran City Hall and allowed the true villains to posture as heroes. He needed someone who could stand on their own, even after the world around them had thrown them mercilessly to the ground.\n\nHe needed a hero of his own.\n\nHe needed The Night Owl.\n__________________\nIf you liked this, check out my subreddit! r/NicodemusLux" ]	2
[WP] After graduating necromancer school, you travel the world resurrecting trees and plants from destroyed forests. In the high carbon dioxide environment, the plants mutate and adapt into sentient beings. Now, with you as their leader, they act to take vengeance on the world that destroyed them.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 restlessness entered my fingers and tingled as the energy crossed out of my fingertips and into the soil. I took a deep breath and summoned a pulse that emanated from my hand, allowing me to survey the area. Biochemically, there was sufficient matter to create any sort of plant life, or even invent my own, but my mission was one of resurrection. In school they taught us how to resurrect whole battlefields littered with bodies, making sure the right parts all go together, otherwise some skeletons might have feet for hands. It was a difficult concept at the time, and it's even harder to apply it to the molecular level. Fortunately, my dossier came with detailed information on the most important plant life that used to grow here, so if I had to mix and match parts I could still make it work. \n\nRunning out of breath in this environment, I donned my oxygen mask, and focused my mind on the soil below. The root structures were largely still intact, which was great because it's like finding an edge piece of a puzzle in that it really accelerates figuring out what comes next. I summon the molecules which would have been adjacent to where the roots me the trunk, and keep pulling cross-section after cross-section of molecules up. Every cell lit up with electrical pulses as they were sewn back together. I worked my way up, 20 feet, 50 feet, until I reached the canopy. The leaves populated in waves. \n\nAnd there it was. Towering over this empty field, still vaguely glimmering with electricity, leaves a splendid green, a monument to this type of work. \n\nTime for a quick health check, and to repeat the process at least a hundred more times this afternoon. \n\nI let out a softer, smoother energy to sense the tree's health. The time to catch a problem is right after resurrection, or your work could go to waste. It was alive, strong in fact! This is the fastest one of my trees had ever come online.\n\nWHAT IS THISSSSS. A booming in my ears threatened to tear my eardrums. I pulled my energy back and cried out, searching for the source of the noise. No one, no thing was around. I heard the voice again, less loud this time.\n\nARE THESE MY BROTHERS.\n\nIt couldn't be. I pulled my oxygen mask aside and yelled out in a warbling voice \"Yes! But we're savi-\"\n\nHOW DID THIS HAPPEN.\n\n\"I'm bringing all of them, everybody back to life!\"\n\nI felt a great trembling in the ground, like an earthquake. A thick root shot out of the ground and wrapped itself around my waist, lifting me 50 feet into the tree's canopy. My oxygen mask fell off as the tank tumbled to the ground. The trunk was squeezing too tight, I could hardly breathe. \n\n\"I can...\" I gasped, \"... bring them back. Please...\" I put my hands on the root and tried to use my energy to make it losen. The energy from the tree backfired into my mind in a blinding light. \n\\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \nI awoke in a cradle of soft moss in a shady spot, feeling utterly refreshed. Someone must have saved me and taken me to their own personal forest. I'd never seen anything like it, trees that had taken the most unusual twists and turns while growing upward. Bouquets of unrecognizable flowers dotting the forest floors. Willows with their waterfall-like branches cascading into pools of bright green moss. And a scent that filled the air, like peonies and orange blossoms. \n\nI felt a message come to me via a thousand tiny, tingly messengers, each little bit of moss in this bed spoke out in a deep, drawn out voice, \"Good, I'm glad you're awake.\" \n\nI turned around in confusion and realized I was at the base of the first tree. \n\n\"Don't be afraid. I'm sorry about before. I didn't know what I was doing. But I know now that I owe you an incredible debt. You not only brought me back to life, you brought me back in a way I could never have dreamt of before. I can sense everything now. I made all of this you see here.\"\n\n \"What about your brothers and sisters?\" I asked, immediately regretting risking its ire. \n\n\"Their time is over. I have... mourned them... and decided to make new beings.\"\n\n\"That's excellent,\" I replied, starting to realize it was nightfall and my team would be wondering where I was by now. If they saw this I would be in so much trouble. I suddenly realized I had no idea how I would explain this. \n\n\"Why do you worry, little one?\" \n\n\"Oh, well my mission was to save you and your brothers and sisters. My team is handling the nearby forests. I guess I haven't mourned them yet,\" I laughed nervously.\n\n\"Let us pay your team a visit.\"\n\nThe First Tree hoisted me into one of its branches and began to magnificently swim its roots underground, weaving them such that the dirt above was barely disturbed. I clung to the trunk for dear life as we headed straight for Ruthie's forest.", "The battlefield raged on in the distance, the clash and clang of metal ringing down the hillside, falling on the deaf ears of the dead.\n\nI followed in the armies trail, stepping through the blood and carnage, watchful for corpses with which to work my trade. This far back, only the weakest, most damaged remained, the Necromancers of the royal guard having already taken their pick. All I needed was one able warrior. Not too big, but limbs intact. Someone that even one as weak as I could animate, and using, make my name.\n\nBut the stench of death appalled my naïve senses. I paused, putting a hand to a tree to steady my myself and abate the growing nausea. The bark was burnt, the thick and old tree dead, a victim of the rain of fire tipped arrows or mages spells.\n\nBlood seeped into its roots from the bodies piled and stripped beneath its ancient boughs. As I willed away the nausea, another feeling came in its place. The blood of the fallen, below the surface, soaking into the trees network of roots like empty and waiting veins. It felt ready, calling to be animated, against all logic or teachings I had ever known.\n\nI spoke the words of animation, focusing my energy. At first there came no reply, the fear of wasting my limited mana rising by the second. But then, there was something, like an old friend, rising from the depths.\n\nSuch spirit. Such power.\n\nI felt the stir of roots beneath the soil. Felt the wind streaming through the branches above my head. Felt the hundreds of years worth of wisdom caught in every ring of the thick tree's trunk.\n\nI stumbled in the face of such magnificence, a branch bending to catch me.\n\n\"Master,\" a voice called, as the connection intensified, all of the trees being and senses becoming available to my own. It's intricate understanding of nature, of the flow of life and power. Such glorious power.\n\nSuch thirst for revenge.\n\nThe branches lifted me high into the tree. The bodies below fell into the collapsing ground to be consumed by the rising roots, their bodies sacrifice to this new and almighty being, their blood the fuel.\n\nSnapping and growing ever more monstrous the tree rose, until the armies could be seen over the crest of the hill. I fell into the heart of the structure, thick wood forming a cage around me as I closed my eyes and gave into the senses of the tree, to its wills and wishes.\n\nA face formed from the branches at its height, thick fists and feet clumping together at its sides. A giant.\n\nAnother hand formed, lifting a large boulder the size of a house, and as if a pebble, hurled it towards the staring masses of men.\n\nr/FatDragon", "Outside the small, radiant light of Selver’s fire, he could see the forest closing in by the perturbations of the soil. It was the roots, he thought, roots burrowing towards him out of the gloom like little subterranean snakes.\n\nThey slipped into the firelight, one cracked the earth, a thick, gnarled finger trailing whiskers back into the soil. Not so little, he realized.\n\nSelver didn’t raise a finger to stop them, though he could have. As a graduate of The Spire he could have incinerated every tree from here to Carthac if he wished. He did not wish it. Selver had, after all, spent much of the last five years resurrecting these very same trees, husbanding them, feeling them grow.\n\nAnd grow they had, until the forest practically whispered with its own, innate power.\n\nMore of the thick root tore free of the earth, shrugged off clods of dirt and the whiskery tendrils that had fed it, until the root was level with Selver’s eyes. He remained seated, cross legged and peaceful, watching, waiting. He would let the forest make its move.\n\nSelver had the strange sensation of a great many things staring at him, as the root hovered there before him. Then it curled gracefully towards the ground, its pointed tip kissing a clod of thrown dirt. The root shook spasmodically, a sort of rasping sigh escaped the earth, and then the whole root withered very suddenly, falling back to the ground in a blackened, diminished pile.\n\nWhere it had kissed the clod of dirt was a single slim sprout of a sapling, only a few inches tall.\n\nSeveral watched it in the firelight, never moving, never speaking; he kept his council close, especially when frightened. The sapling bent, at first towards the firelight and then back towards him, as if searching for something.\n\nIt appeared to have found it, Selver thought, because once the sapling bent towards him it never bent away. Instead it writhed like the root had, sprouted more shoots, grew and grew and grew until it was a tree entire: curiously shaped, with one bulbous sprout at the top of a quartet of spread eagled limbs.\n\nThe ground gasped, heaved, trees all through the clearing died and fell where they had stood. Everything outside the circle of Selver’s firelight was crashing wood and rustling, falling leaves.\n\nAnd still, Selver held his peace. Let the forest come, he thought, let it take me. It would only have been fair, for what mankind had done to him. Selver knew that better than any man. He sat in the center of the Etrurian Wastes, once the most verdant region in the whole of Ardath, then a barren scar where not even the nomads came. There hadn’t even been rats before he had arrived.\n\nLet the forest take me.\n\nA curious thing happened then. In the midst of all the dying and the tumult, the strangely shaped tree in front of Selver bent double, as if at the waist, and its bark began to snap and crackle all over, peeling away to reveal something else underneath, like bark but different, sinuous and mobile.\n\nThere was a creature in the tree.\n\nIt screamed once, a piercing, gasping, newborn thing that seemed to come from all over, and then it stepped free of its trunk.\n\nA little man-shaped creature stood in front of Selver, perhaps three feet tall. As Selver watched the creature stopped screaming. Ivy sprouted from its head like a cascade of hair, more shoots grew for fingers, for toes, the scream that had seemed to emanate from everywhere on the creature at once centered itself as a mouth tore open.\n\nIt had eyes. They blinked, caught Selver’s.\n\n“The forest sends its regards,” said the creature.\n\nSelver bowed, as deeply as he could while sitting, as one man of The Spire greets another.\n\n“Well met,” Selver said. “And you are?”\n\n“The Speaker,” it said.\n\n“Ah.”\n\n“Indeed.”\n\nThe Speaker dusted itself off, little splinters of bark falling to the dirt. It creaked as it moved, the ivy-hair rustled, moved with a life of its own. Selver raised a finger, whispered a ghost light into life that rose from his fingertip, bathed the clearing in a bone white glow. Everything was dead. Trees lay cracked, splintered, shrunken, for a hundred feet or more. Selver could even seen a deer fallen, his skeletal ribs collapsed into a broken trunk, antlers caught in fallen branches.\n\n“Do you have any idea how long it took me to restore this grove?” Selver said, shaking his head at the carnage.\n\n“Yes,” the Speaker said. “It was necessary, there was a vote.”\n\nSelver raised an eyebrow at that. “Indeed? And did you consult the deer?”\n\n“We did.”\n\nSelver wasn’t sure what to say to that.\n\nThe speaker came close, till it was only inches away, eye to eye with Selver. The forest, it seemed, had no conception of personal space.\n\n“We have a proposal to make,” the Speaker said. “We believe you shall find it amenable.”\n\nSelver inclined his head, made a gesture for the creature to continue.\n\n“You are not any great friend of the other humans.” The creature said it as a statement, not a question. It was right. “This has been witnessed in many groves. There were loggers some seasons ago, we approved of what you did to them.”\n\n“I’m sure you did,” Selver said. He had disincorporated them, returned their bodies to the earth, even channeled their souls into the energy necessary to divert a stream.\n\n“We would like you to do it again,” the Speaker said.\n\n“Are there more loggers?”\n\n“No.”\n\n“Then against who?”\n\nThe Speaker stepped back, seemed to consider its words carefully. It pursed wooden lips, ran a hand through ivy-hair. “There are always more humans.”\n\n“Ah,” Selver said.\n\n“The Forest wishes to go to war,” the Speaker said, leaning forward, liquid eyes glowing.\n\nLong moments passed. The firelight behind the Speaker was disconcerting, Selver thought, it made the creature look shockingly fragile, reminded him of what had happened to the Forest the first time around, when the Etrurian Wastes had merely been Etruria.\n\n“And if I said no?” Selver said.\n\n“We would let you go in peace, though the Forest would be aggrieved.”\n\n“And if I said I didn’t have the power to help you?”\n\nThe Speaker smiled. There were no teeth in the smile, Selver saw, rather there was a scent of decay, of the murky forest floor.\n\nThe speaker fell to its knees, kissed the earth, and a mushroom grew, a stripy, violent thing of reds and blacks intertwined. The Speaker plucked the mushroom and rose, handing it to Selver.\n\n“If you said you did not have the power, the Forest would see that you did.”\n\nThe mushroom looked like death, there were no two ways about it. Selver saw a thousand endings in it, and his magic sensed a thousand more. It smelled acrid, lethal, frightening, simply touching it to his skin burned; and yet he was certain, without ever having to ask, that the creature wished him to eat it.\n\nSelver stared at the wooden thing in front of him, the deep pools of its eyes stared back. The firelight guttered and wavered, the night grew colder. For the first time, Selver was aware of just how far he’d come from civilization.\n\n“If you’ve come to kill me,” Selver said, “you’ve found an awfully roundabout way to do it.”\n\nThe Speaker shook its bulbous little head. Its shoulders slumped inward, a hand went to ivy-hair and pulled, worried at an end. Selver realized, very suddenly, that the creature was sad.\n\n“There is no death there for you.” Then it turned, gestured to the world around them, the fallen, broken grove. “Only for us. It is the only power the Forest can give. Use it well. For us, we know that that our war may only end one way.”\n\nThe Earth cracked open again, and the Speaker bent down, pulled a bag of woven fibers from it. It handed the bag to Selver and he opened it, glanced down in. Seeds, acorns, spores, all the manners of life in which an ecosystem could be preserved. “We trust that you know what to do with that,” the Speaker said.\n\nSelver nodded, speechless. He had resurrected a thousand miles of the Wastes with less than this.\n\nThe creature took the mushroom from Selver’s hands, held it to his lips. “Please,” it said.\n\nSelver opened his mouth, the Speaker slipped the mushroom inside. Selver chewed, swallowed, and felt something overcome him.\n\nThe whole world swam and shook. The ground broke all around him and shapes emerged, the sort of shapes that screamed hallucination, but whose movements and noises seemed terrifyingly, impossibly real.\n\nWhat have I done? Selver thought. The fire guttered again and went out, all was darkness save for the thin light of the moon.\n\n“To war,” the Speaker whispered. It touched Selver’s cheek once, its fingers were rough, craggy.\n\nThen the Speaker withered like the root before it, died like the grove all around them.\n\nAnd Selver felt something rise within him, a terrifying, all consuming power that stretched up into the forest’s canopy and down, as far as any roots delved. He could feel it all as a pulsing of vibrant, powerful life.\n\nHe could feel how, with a word, with a thought, he might snuff it, convert that life to power.\n\nAnd then the visions took him, and the violent sickness, for the mushroom, for all its magic, was still a mushroom.\n\nThere were many long, torturous hours till morning.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nIf you enjoyed that I've got tons more over at r/TurningtoWords. Come check it out, I'd love to have you!" ]	4
[WP] A dedicated paladin of the Light goddess finds out they are a necromancer.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 told me that darkness was the absence of light. But that’s not what darkness really is. Darkness is what happens when light gets cast.”\r \n\r \n“What are you talking about Clayton?” Asked my old friend John, an experienced mage I called in from the capitol to defend the western border from the neighboring kingdom. They are known to fight with massive and devastating magic spells and I wanted an expert to help strategize. Unfortunately, High Paladin ignored his warnings and marched our army right into a massacre, which he then undid with his unrivaled light magic. “Spending a decade fighting the undead on the northern border must have really gotten to you if you’re doubting the Light goddess herself.”\r \n\r \n“I don’t think my mind is any less able now than it ever was and I am not doubting my Lady. How the battle played out is troubling me. The explosion that our forces were hit by, that should have been the end. The Earth itself was blown away, leaving a crater the size of the entire battlefield centered on our army. Every soldier should have been killed, and their bodies far too damaged for anyone to heal, yes?”\r \n\r \n“That's what I thought also, the spell was magic explosion, co-casted by several magi. Very lethal indeed. I was very surprised that High Paladin Damien was able to restore our entire force. I’ve laid waste to armies with my magic and paladins were always able to save more people than I expected, but no casualties from a blast like that is unbelievable I’ll give you that. The only explanation is that the High Paladin is simply that powerful. He is the strongest paladin to ever live after all.” \r \n\r \n“A paladin can’t heal death, not with the holy magic we claim to use.”\r \n\r \n“Clayton, what are you saying?”\r \n\r \n“I think necromancy and holy magic are one of the same.”\r \n\r \n“Don’t be ridiculous. Did they teach you how to raise the dead in your training?”\r \n\r \n“No, but I saw a necromancer raise the dead when I was stationed in the north. I raided their base by surprise and in desperation one raised the dead to stop me, I noticed that the spell he used casted a red light, similar to the gold light paladins cast. I thought nothing of it until I saw High Paladin Damien’s spell restore an army that was dead to life.”\r \n\r \n“Still doesn’t explain how he would know about it, if he even does. His power is very real, maybe he casted that spell without realizing it was necromancy.”\r \n\r \n“When he was a young paladin he was stationed in the north for his first assignment. Even though he was so young he led the first successful raid on a necromancy camp. The necromancers must not have burned their spell books like they did when I raided them. Damien must have read them and realized that it was the same type of magic he casts, and that he could disguise the spell as holy magic for an immortal army.”\r \n\r \n“Well that would explain why he was so intent on walking into a massacre. So what now?”\r \n\r \n“The decision isn’t mine to make. I have to go to the light goddess with this.”\r \n\r \n“Is that all you want to do?”\r \n\r \n“No, necromancy is still outlawed in this kingdom, light magic or no. Besides, there is no honor in this.”\r \n\r \n“I couldn’t agree more.”\r \n\r \n“So, if it turns out my hands are tied here can I trust you to take care of him?”\r \n\r \n“Never a dull moment when you’re around. I’ve missed having you around old friend. I’ll handle it if you are unable.”\n\n\"Good. Then I suppose I'll go seek an audience with the light goddess.\"" ]	2
[WP] You are a showrunner that needs to design a battle royale style gameshow for death row inmates for a streaming service.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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’ll call it ‘Last Meal,’” she said.\n\n“Oh god, these interns,” I thought. “They’re so full of energy. But not… smart energy.”\n\nAlexis (the intern) continued. “The inmates all know they’re going to die, but they want to enjoy themselves beforehand: eat a delicious meal, drink some scotch, listen to classical music, maybe they could be on a yacht…”\n\nTim (the other intern) chimed in. “You’re thinking of a supervillain. That’s what Lex Luthor wants for a last meal. A lot of inmates just want cigarettes and McDonald’s.”\n\n“Well, whatever, they can pick what they want,” she said. “The point is we put them in an arena with axes and swords and the winner gets whatever food or drink they want for 24 hours. The losers get to bleed out on the sands of the arena.”\n\n“When did kids get so bloodthirsty?” I wondered. “Must be all these video games.\n\n”The three of us were sitting in my dingy office. The walls were covered with posters of shows I’d worked on: Love Archipelago, Chip Off the Old The Rock, Gourmet Kitchen: Shreveport. I’d been in the industry for years, and had filled every role from PA to showrunner. Those were good times, but now I had the chance to get that coveted “Created by” credit for myself. The execs wanted me to pitch my own ideas for the Death Row concept. So I called up these interns to try and exploit their childlike creativity and steal the credit.\n\n“We need to stay focused,” I said. “There have to be lots of unique and identifiable characters, heaps of interpersonal drama, and ridiculous, contrived challenges.\n\n”Alexis stuck to her guns. “Well, I think that ‘Last Meal’ provides plenty of all that. Doesn’t stabbing somebody count as drama?”\n\n“And not getting stabbed counts as a challenge,” Tim pointed out helpfully.\n\n“Whatever we do also has to be approved by the Bureau of Prisons,” I said.\n\n“How much do we really have to worry about that?” Tim asked. “Ever since the 28th was passed, cruel and unusual punishment is basically required for all crimes. That’s what makes this show possible in the first place.”\n\nThese kids were actually pretty smart.\n\n“Let’s move on from the “Last Meal” concept and brainstorm a bit more,” I said.\n\nAlexis glared at me.\n\n“It’s a good idea.” I said. “I just want to see if we can come up with anything else. Look, see? I’m writing it down.”\n\n“Yeah, yeah.” Alexis made a dismissive gesture. Somewhat appeased however, she turned to the task of coming up with new ideas. She let her gaze drift blankly to my “Hair Metal Hotties” poster.\n\n“I actually kinda like the supervillain concept from earlier,” said Tim. “They could each wear costumes and fight ‘heroes’ based on whatever their crime was.”\n\nAlexis turned back around. “Yeah, but none of their crimes are, like, cool supervillain blow-up-the-sun type crimes. They’d all have to be called something like Doctor Murderer, or Count Murderer, or The Mysterious Man Who Murdered His Own Kids.”\n\n“This is getting dark,” I thought. “I just want to make reality TV and steal ideas from interns.”\n\nOut loud, I said, “Alright, you guys. I don’t think we’re going to come up with anything else today. Take a break. I’ll call you back in if I need anything.”\n\n“I’m just gonna come up with something myself,” I thought.\n\n*\\\\\\\n\nOne Year Later**\n\nAlexis walked into the apartment. Her first post-grad job was going well. They drove her pretty hard, but she enjoyed working in the industry. Tim sat at the table studying. He had taken on a heavy course load because he was determined to graduate this semester.\n\nHe looked up from his computer. “Hey babe.”\n\nShe kissed his forehead. “Hey. You want to take a break for dinner?\n\n“Sure. We could get noodles at that place.”\n\n“I’m pretty tired. Can we just order in and watch TV.”\n\nHe smiled. “Of course. Let me finish this up.”\n\nShe walked into the bedroom, flopped down on the bed, turned on the TV, and used the remote to look through the streaming apps. After a minute, she called out “Hey Tim?”\n\n“What?”\n\n“Come in here.”\n\nWhen he arrived, she was staring at the TV.\n\n“Babe, that’s my show.”\n\nOn the TV, all eight episodes of “Last Meal” were ready for streaming." ]	2
[WP] A bitter prophet lays on his death bed as the chosen one comes to see him	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 have a visitor for Earl. Says his name is … I don’t know, something foreign. Says it’s important.”\n\n“They couldn’t wait another, what, twenty minutes?”\n\n“He seemed relaxed about it, but said you’d understand the urgency.” The nurse handed over the paperwork. “Tests came in an hour ago. Look’s bleak.”\n\nThe doctor starred blankly for a minute. “Keep that bedside manner safely holstered until you’re with the patients, doncha?”\n\n“‘Course.”\n\nThey shared a wry smirk, then he nodded. “Yeah, send him back. The ol’ loon hasn’t seen a single person ‘sides us for how long now? I think the last reporter musta been three years ago.”\n\nThe nurse walked to the door and opened to the full frame being filled by a towering man with broad shoulders. He barely had to move to be through the door, he was so close. “Thank you Doctor Morgan.” His voice boomed through his thick black mustache. His deep bronze skin was framed by a mass of beautifully wavy black hair, from above and below, where a thick beard grew. “Earl Stephens is very dear to me.”\n\nThe doctor repeated the same blank stare, taking in the mountain of man stood before him. He finally sputtered, “Uh, right this way.”\n\nThe calm man reached a hand out from under his kimono-like habit. The palm up, gently indicating the direction of Earl’s room. “Take me to him.”\n\nFor a moment the doctor thought the gesture meant for them to hold hands as they walked and something in him yearned for it. He gawked at the paleness of the open hand, then snapped to, turned and walked down the hall. “So, where you from, mister …” he let the end trail a bit to imply two questions.\n\n“Would you care to guess?”\n\nThe doctor almost responded in haste, but reason ultimately won out, “Dressed like that? Asia is as safe a guess as I’d be willin’ to make without riskin’ offense.”\n\n“No offense taken.” The clarity of his voice resonated through the hall.\n\n“Fuck me.” came back in response.\n\n“Looks like Earl knows I’m here.” The man drifted past the doctor, the habit barely off the ground. The motion was so smooth the doctor thought for a moment he was floating. As if he was sprinting the figure flashed to Earl’s door. “You made it.” In an instant he was through and the door slammed behind him.\n\nThe doctor froze for a moment and grabbed his phone, calling security. He rushed to the door and jiggling the handle and pressing his ear to the door. “Sir? Earl? What’s goin’ on in there?”\n\n___\n\nInside the room there was quiet for a moment. Earl stared at the dark figure in the doorway. The light switch flipped without a touch. “I can’t fucking believe it. I just can’t fucking believe that’d you’d have the audacity to visit me here on my deathbed,” Earl croaked, sucking in a breath after and holding it. Tears welled up in his eyes. He let the air out and the sobbing filled the room. The doctor’s renewed pleas began to fade, followed by the alarms. Silence fell.\n\n“I promised you when you were young that I’d-“\n\n“You promised me heaven. Instead I suffered a full lifetime of ridicule, then I got sick and had to suffer another lifetime stuck here with these assholes.”\n\n“The time has come, Earl.”\n\n“Of course it has. You just had to end the world the day I died. You couldn’t have come earlier?” He stammered a bit, the snot bubbling in his nose. “Look at me! Look at what I’ve been reduced to! You couldn’t have come sooner?”\n\n“It was the other way around. Earl Stephens, my son, you were to die from this illness years ago. I prolonged your life to show you why I must come. To allow you to shed your final love for mankind, as I have years ago.”\n\nHe walked to Earl’s side and extended both hands out of the robes. Despite the pain Earl couldn’t help but reach out, placing his frail hand into the vastness of his guest’s hands.\n\n“I wanted you to witness the end with me. Even when you had every reason to doubt you never let go of your faith and conviction. Had you ever given up your life would be forfeit and you’d have passed on to face judgement with the rest. Instead you soldiered on. Your reward awaits.”\n\nEarl’s arm felt light, he broke his gaze on the white eyes, they both looked down at his hand. Where once it was the papery grey skin of a centenarian, pinkish flesh now covered the old bones. The light in the room grew almost unbearable, Earl lifted his fresh arm to cover his eyes and felt his brow tighten and his nose shrink. The hospital bed fell out from under him. He lifted his other arm to cover his mouth as he screamed.\n\nHe felt the hands of the man on his back, the air blowing on his covered face with the force of a gale wind. Earl suddenly felt safe. The smell of salt and sand broke past his hands.\n\n“You’re home, Earl Stephens.”\n\nHe loosed his hold and lowered his arms. Eyes still strained shut.\n\n“Please, it is time. I have a great show prepared for you and your friends.” The voice echoed a thousand times around Earl, in all directions but ahead.\n\nHe first peeked down at his young legs, planted firmly in soft, black sand. He allowed his gaze to drift around him, more feet nearby, both sides. He finally lilted his eyes up at the yellow sky, the water bisecting the horizon looked almost green due to the reflection.\nPeople all around him, in matching black robes began chanting. The dark stranger walked out onto the water.\n\n“Behold! The conclusion of my world.”", "Tress lay her sword at the foot of the bed, the heavy steel setting easily into the wood. The dim light from the doorway glinted off the stained blade still dripping with monster blood, and what little sunlight remained was enough to paint the prophet's face.\n\nArid, sneer-cracked skin waited behind a diaphanous veil, but softer eyes peeked through, matching with Tress's. These eyes had watched her all her life — every success, every failure, every heartbreak — and now, for the first time, they'd finally seen her.\n\n\"You're here,\" the prophet said, his voice gravelly.\n\n\"You knew I would be,\" Tress said, taking a seat on the bed. She cringed as her thigh screamed in pain against the stress. The bandage itched and blood was seeping through, but this visit demanded few distractions. \"It's what you do.\"\n\n\"Still, your absence would be disappointing. Old men take pride in still getting it right from time to time.\"\n\nTress humphed. \"Pride, is it?\"\n\nThe prophet tried desperately to scramble upright, his arms shaking like brittle stilts, but he collapsed under his own weight. The dull thump of his nearly lifeless body kicked dust into the chamber's air, and he sheepishly groaned, as if it was possible to hide the frailty in his frame. Tress did nothing to help.\n\n\"Satisfaction, then,\" he said, righting himself again. \"I can take satisfaction in many things that don't matter. But satisfying a destiny is often not.\"\n\n\"'Often?'\" Tress said, looking around the room. Rows of bookshelves and cabinets lined the room like a barricade, keeping the walls from closing in on a busy man. The contents of the pigeonholes and secret compartments lay scattered and torn on the floor, most piled beside the bed in pools of ink and waste. \"Is that why there are so many? To sate you?\"\n\n\"The future is plentiful, child,\" he said plainly, levelling his gaze at her. \"The past is finite, and the present is ephemeral. The future is where our crucial present is forged, and the past is of no use rationing for those changing the world. I wrote these for you and all those to come after you've turned the last page.\"\n\nTress picked up a yellowed page of parchment and eyed the first few lines. Most prophecies spoke of a young hero and cruel villain in grandiloquent words more fantastical than plausible. Mighty mountains will crumble and bountiful rivers will cease, kingdoms will fall and rise on the dirt of countless graves, songs will be sung of them for eons — the story was always the same. But this particular tale ended twenty years ago in a roadside ditch with a knife through his throat and his pockets cut open. She crumpled the paper and tossed it over her shoulder.\n\n\"Where's mine?\" she asked casually, sifting through the loose pages.\n\n\"You know how this ends,\" the prophet said with a smile.\n\n\"I'm familiar.\" She reached the end of the pile and looked back at the old man. \"Just want to see it in writing.\"\n\nThe old man struggled to point at his bedside table. Taking the hint, Tress opened the drawer and pulled out her prophecy-laden future. The parchment nearly crumpled in her hands, but she held it in her lap and read it carefully.\n\n\"I wrote that centuries ago,\" the prophet said. \"Grammar's changed a tad since then, but you're a smart girl, you'll figure it out.\"\n\nTress kept reading, ignoring him and not finding anything outside of what she'd experienced so far. Had her whole life really been reduced to four paragraphs and a signature?\n\n\"It's a good one, too,\" he continued. \"Small-town girl with a taste for violence bites off more than she can chew. Nasty people take her from her home and do unspeakable things until she returns the favour. No survivors, of course, as is her way.\"\n\n\"And then?\" Tress humoured, still reading.\n\nA horrendous coughing fit overtook the prophet, thrashing the bed sideways and back. He spat something red into a bucket. \"And then, she learns of a prophecy. Too convenient, she thinks, but with blood on her name and nowhere to go, she does as she is told.\"\n\nTress paused. Content with what she'd found, she folded the paper into her pocket. She shifted her weight on the bed to face him, and again her leg fought back.\n\n\"And what was she told to do?\" she asked.\n\nHe glared at her. \"Raise an army. Bed a general, only to be betrayed at the last minute. Hunt down the prophetic old man in a tower as revenge for the manipulation. Kill the evil lord of darkness, but, lo-and-behold, his power only grows when he is mortally wounded. Bit anti-climactic, don't you think?\"\n\nTress rose from the bed and paced the walls, running her fingers over the forgotten predictions now hidden under their successors. Hundreds, thousands of scrolls and books and piles of futures crumbling into dust. On every one of them, hastily scribbled in pitch-black ink, was the signature of the bed-ridden life-ruiner coughing into his hands beside her.\n\n\"What is it like?\" she asked. \"Knowing how it all ends, I mean.\"\n\n\"You're here to kill me, and you interrogate,\" the prophet said incredulously. \"What happened to that bloodthirsty girl I'd written about?\"\n\n\"She carved her own path.\"\n\n\"To the same destination.\"\n\n\"I made the choice to come here.\"\n\n\"It was not yours to make!\" he shouted, his frailty suddenly vanished, replaced by seething indignation. The walls shook slightly, but Tress didn't lose her footing. \"You are my creation! Mine! You would take that comfort away from a dying man?\"\n\nTress watched as the veneer of the crippled man slowly reformed as the prophet gained his composure again. He settled back into bed, unaware that hands gripped the bedframe so tightly it cracked the wood. His cooler head prevailed, but Tress saw through it.\n\nShe picked up her sword from the bed and strapped the sheathe to her belt. The familiar weight of it soothed her, calming her as she knew what she had to do.\n\n\"'And the prophet shall be spared not,'\" she said, quoting the prophecy. \"'Blade meets blood, steel meets bone, just as it shall be with the darkness.'\"\n\nThe prophet's lips thinned. \"What are you saying?\"\n\n\"'Once slain, the withered rejoice, the sickly hearten,'\" she continued. She met his gaze. \"I know who you are.\"\n\nThe King of Darkness sank into the bed, having spent his little remaining power on his outburst. The cowering demeanour of the prophet melted in the heat of the King's ire, for they were one and the same. If he had been able like he had centuries ago, the King would have torn through Tress like paper, but time had been crueller than he.\n\nNow he needed the prophet and the King to die with the same swing of a sword.\n\n\"Do it,\" he growled.\n\nHer suspicions now confirmed, Tress made for the door. Killing him would only give him what he wants, what he needs to manipulate others like he always had. Instead of killing the man she'd always wanted to, she limped to the door and pulled out a small dagger.\n\n\"Do it!\" he screamed, feebler and desperate.\n\nTress unfolded her prophecy, held it up to the door, and pinned it to the door with her dagger. Right through the signature that she thought had sealed her fate.\n\nThe King continued to scream, almost unintelligibly now, begging for his deserved death. As Tress held the door to leave, she grinned at the bed-ridden, ancient, cruel King.\n\n\"I won't give you the satisfaction.\"\n\n\\------\n\nr/The_Rubicon" ]	3
[WP] The paladin who’s going on a quest to defeat the dark lord is stuck with a necromancer for a partner and he’s way too nice with every body	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 told you before, Wretch, your infernal ways have gone too far!”, the Paladin grips the handle of his trusty sword still in its scabbard. “…you’ll rue this day, demon.”\n\nA Necromancer turns away from the group of people looking for directions, offering the knowledge of the best views and taverns on the way through their pilgrimage. “…you what, Sir Tavius? This traveling band was hungry, so I offered them direction, oh...” Eyes locked; the Necromancer realized what was coming again.\n\nA silver imbued blade sliced through the air, a choir of angels filled the empty space betwixt mortal metal and god’s firmament. The sword met with nothing but void space and unfulfilled righteous bloodlust. The Necromancer simply ducked out of the way, and scuttled away like a crab.\n\n“Cur! How dare you twist the hearts and minds! They need not for drink, only the Lord’s forgiveness and grace!”, says the Paladin through gritted teeth. The divine blade receding back to its place at the Paladin’s side.\n\n“Listen Tavius, can I call you Tav? Or T? Anyway, T., this whole thing has gone on swimmingly, but this joke has run its course.” The Necromancer drolls on flippantly, raising both hands to eye level and beginning a puppet mockery, clearing his voice.\n\n“I aM sIr TaViUs, I aLoNe CaN sToP tHiS dArK lOrD!”, right hand gesturing to left.\n\n“But you have no concept of thaumaturgy, glyphs, blood magics nor antiquing.” left hand puppets to right.\n\n“GASP! A NECROMANCER!”, says right hand.\n\n“Yes, and now that you’re in the weeds of your cognitive dissonance, can we get back to the task at hand?” both hands turn upward with index fingers straightened, pointing directly at the Necromancer’s smile.\n\nCoyly the Necromancer says, “It wouldn’t hurt you to make some friends on the way, you know? I’ve seen the end of death, it’s fairly more lonely than you’re used to.”" ]	2
[WP] "You don't have a coin for your passage across the river?" mused the hooded ferryman. "I'll take a story then, something about," he hesitated as the shining soul in front of him patiently waited, then continued, "how it is to live."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 ferryman stood on the groaning dock, surrounded by the gently lapping water of the Styx and mist so thick it might as well be a soup. Had he had hands, the ferryman could have scooped the mist into his pas and sipped it. \n\nThe shimmering glow of a soul made its way to the bank. This soul was not like the other souls the ferryman had seen. Like other souls it was but an orb of light without corporeal form, but the color was more opaque, kt had a more playful quality. The soul orb bounced from stone to stone and twirled around the ferrymans robe. \n\nHow curious. \n\n\"please present your coin for passage,\" the ferryman asked, as protocol was protocol, strange soul or not. \n\nThe soul bobbed in front of his face. \n\n\"Do you have a coin for passage?\" The ferryman asked again. He was confident the soul understood, as all souls were able to comprehend his universal telepathic communication. \n\nThe soul, however, only rested on his shoulder. \n\n\"very well, but you must give me something if you wish to cross.\" \n\nThe soul bobbed agreeably. This was by far the strangest day the ferryman had ever had, though he had only had the post for about a week. \n\n\"Give me the story of what your life was and that will be enough for passage.\"\n\nThe orb pulsed. Then it expanded and grew until the ferryman was completely absorbed and transported. \n\nHe experienced rather than heard about the life of this soul. At first it didn't make sense. There was just warmth. A steady, all encompassing thrumming. Suspended in pulsing fluid. Some sounds filtered through, voices. There were children's voices and adult voices. Music sometimes. And then, bright light. Struggling to breathe. Strange hands and cold, suck cold. Poked and prodded before being brought back to warmth again. There were the voices again, urgent and quiet and incomprehensible but not as muffled. There was crying. But mostly there was love. Love and safety and warmth. \n\nAnd then there was a misty path lined with floating lamps that led to a dock. And the ferryman saw himself and then was returned. \n\nThe soul bobbed near his head, seeming to ask if he understood. If that was enough. \n\nThe ferryman held out a bony finger and the soul landed on it like a sparrow. He hadn't been trained for this part of the job, but he was confident that what he had seen was payment enough for safe passage. \n\n\"Come along, little one,\" he said. And the ferry drifted into the inky waters." ]	2
[WP] London police are investigating a series of murders that seem to be coping Jack the Ripper perfectly. After receiving a letter from the killer they realize something impossible this is no copycat this is the original.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 impossible.\n\nThe letter had made predictions - named names - most of them had been backed up by the archived information on Jack the Ripper. A few had not. Mind you, the archived information hadn't contradicted those few points - it just hadn't confirmed them.\n\nWhich meant that whoever was writing these letters wasn't getting their information (only) from having their own access to the police database.\n\nWhen a careful search through several libraries and the excavation of three separate cellars had confirmed the remaining details, it was clear that there was no mistake.\n\nThe letters were being sent by the original Jack the Ripper. But how? The detective frowned in thought. \"How can a man possibly survive so long?\"\n\n^(\"It's easy, when you know how.\")\n\nThe detective jumped. He glanced around. \"Who -\" he asked. \"Where? Who was that?\"\n\n^(\"It was me...\") A man stepped out of the shadows in the corner of the room, shedows which had certainly not held a man mere seconds ago. \"...and it is too late for you to call for help,\" continues the man, grinning, as the shadows sloughed from his form like dark, oily water sliding off a humanoid duck's back. He grinned, and his sharp fangs glinted in the office light. \"After all,\" says the man, \"your blood will be so delicious...\"" ]	2
[WP] Your father time-traveled with you to learn the ways of the part with your ancestors. You declare it to be boring. Your kitsune ancestor agrees.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Shrines. Places of worship. Places of power.\n\nPlaces where legends come to life.\n\nThat was what my dad says, anyways. I really don't see it right now. Just a ghostly fox, with an exasperated expression completely contrary to his supposed mystique.\n\nI'm sitting idly on the shrine's steps, staring out at the serene forest around us. I guess the air smells fresher here, but that's about it. I had been mentally dancing around the subject for as long as I could, but my conclusion was inevitable:\n\n\"This is boring, dad. Can we do something else?\"\n\nTwo heads immediately turn in my direction, one bearing mild horror and the other bearing immense relief.\n\n\"You should listen to your son. I too tire of this.\"\n\n\"But I have so many more questions to ask you!\" My dad hurriedly flips over yet another page of his notepad, his pen hovering over it as a snake might poise above its prey.\n\nAfter a second, he realises that he has flipped over the notepad's last page. He quickly conjures a brand new one from his backpack.\n\n\"O descendant of mine,\" the kitsune says, laying on the sarcasm thick, \"It would be my utmost honour to spend another two hours elaborating needlessly on the intricacies of my dining rituals. However, my patience wears thin.\"\n\nI vigorously nod along. \"Yeah, dad. Stop questioning the fox.\" The kitsune gives me an annoyed look at that, but I just barrel on. My patience isn't faring much better.\n\n\"Can't we go out of the woods and explore a town or something? I've spent the last two hours staring at the trees.\"\n\nMy dad, ever the academic, tries to object. The kitsune's eyes immediately light up, however. He interjects before my dad can voice his opinion. \"There is a town nearby that is quite interesting. A group of performers from abroad are travelling through. Performing the works of a man named William Shakespeare. Do you know of him in your era?\"\n\n\"Wha- He's one of the most famous playwrights to ever live!\"\n\nThe kitsune nods, satisfied. \"It appears I have good taste, then. Shall we go together?\"\n\nMy dad seems like he wants to continue arguing, until he sees my face of annoyance. I think he's finally remembered that he pitched the journey to me as a father-and-son bonding experience.\n\nHe snaps his mouth shut, and the kitsune and I share a grin.\n\n\\--------\n\n\"-you do not cast an illusion like this, see? It is easy, but flawed; simple contact with the illusion dispels it. Have so many techniques been lost?\"\n\nThe kitsune is lecturing us both on our abilities when the town appears in the distance. It's almost dusk, now. Just in time for the performance. My dad has already filled out another two notepads with the content of the kitsune's small talk.\n\n\"Ah. We have arrived.\"\n\nOur illusions blink into existence in an instant. I grin as the town guards hail us, only seeing three weary travellers emerging from the forest, the sun dipping over the horizon behind us. It never gets old.\n\nThe kitsune grins alongside me. As we walk along, I stare in no small wonder at the buildings around us. They look... real. Lived in. I feel a jolt of wonder; somehow, I'd forgotten that we really were in the past.\n\nOnce we make it to the plaza, a huge crowd is already gathered. A ramshackle stage is set up, with braziers burning at the sides.\n\nI never really got into plays as a kid, but - the atmosphere here. The rumbling crowd, twilight mixing with firelight dancing on the stage, illuminating the actors' every movement...\n\nI can see the appeal now. The actors are clearly not too experienced, tripping over the translated script at times, but the emotion shines clearly through.\n\n\"I am thy father's spirit,\" the ghost's voice booms across the stage, towards Hamlet. It grows... older, somehow, in a single moment. More world-weary, unlike the young actor's natural tone.\n\n\"Doomed for a certain term to walk the night\n\nAnd for the day confined to fast in fires,\n\nTill the foul crimes done in my days of nature\n\nAre burnt and purged away.\"\n\nThe stage darkens, then, fires flickering. The audience murmurs, but they dare not disrupt the moment. The world holds its breath.\n\n\"But- that I am forbid\n\nTo tell the secrets of my prison house.\"\n\nThe actor's voice lowers, and the flames start burning bright and steady, casting light on his solemn face.\n\n\"I could a tale untold- whose lightest word\n\nWould harrow up thy soul, freeze my young blood.\"\n\nThe actor's voice is but a whisper. The flames, too, have died down to embers once again.\n\nThe audience watches in silence, enraptured by the story. I too watch, but- in the corner of my eye, a warm glow catches my attention.\n\nI turn to meet the kitsune, with his eyes glowing under his illusion, and a kind grin on his face.\n\nMagic. True magic, bringing stories to life. My father misses it, fixated on the play as he is, but the kitsune meets my eyes. And- I see the legendary fox spirit staring back, see the mischievous, elusive trickster for what he really is.\n\nNot something to question, to probe, to observe and record. But a legend, a myth, dancing in the shadows to make the world spin.\n\nThis is who we are. Who you are. Remember this.\n\nThe kitsune offers me a slight nod, then turns back to the play, watching contentedly.\n\nHumbly, yes. Unseen. But for a moment, the legend had been made real.\n\n\\--------\n\nMinor edits made.\n\nr/FlareWrites" ]	2
[WP] Since childhood, all the people you loved, including your parents, had left you. But they never existed.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 morning! Today's your lucky day,\" Mom declared, standing at my bedside with Dad.\n\n\"How's that?\" I inquired, still in a groggy, half-dreaming state.\n\nShe sighed listlessly and lifted a beige plastic tray from a cart. There were two small items on the massive tray: water in one of those Styrofoam cups and a tiny paper cup with the diameter of a quarter. It resembled a condiment cup, but a closer inspection revealed a colorful array of pills nearly filling it to the brim.\n\n\"It's time for your meds,\" she asserted matter-of-factly. \"Then I'll tell you.\"\n\n\"What are these for?\" I asked, caught off guard by this imposition.\n\n\"Please take these. We don't want a repeat of the other day, now do we?\"\n\nShe gestured at Dad, who, to my horror, brandished a syringe.\n\nImmediately, I felt as if a balloon had popped in my stomach. Unwittingly jolted into wakefulness, I sat up.\n\nMom took a step back, carefully balancing the tray so as not to spill the water.\n\n\"Tell me what's going on!\" I demanded. But they didn't engage; they just looked at me, then at each other.\n\nUnable to calm down, I began to hyperventilate and clung to the covers. Simultaneously, my vision became laser-focused in the center and blurred around the edges—as if I was looking through some ominous tube.\n\nI knew that panicking was unlike me. Yet, paradoxically, I didn't seem to have any specific idea of who I was. This disorientation worsened the unbearable anxiety as I curled up in a ball, collapsing on my side.\n\nIt was as if I were a two-year-old again. Only, this time, I was with my real parents, not in foster care. Yes... come to think of it, the memory of foster care felt right.\n\nFollowing this fleeting notion of foster care, I suddenly remembered where (and when) I was with alarming clarity: Iraq, 2007.\n\nUnder the covers, I could feel the scorching heat of the desert. The various sounds in my environment echoed like gunshots. And, for a moment, I was really, truly there with my battalion.\n\n\"Here! Take this Ativan. It'll help calm you down,\" Dad ordered, offering a single pill in one hand and the cup of water in the other.\n\nDesperate to alleviate the flashback, I took the pill and chugged the water so fast I nearly choked. But this hasty remedy didn't kick in for 20 minutes, which felt like days.\n\nBy the time I got out of that hell, my parents had long since left the room. So, when I finally regained my senses, I began to think about questions that would have been daunting if I hadn't been sedated.\n\nFor one, I still hadn't established where I was. Despite my grogginess, I looked around the room for the first time since I awoke. I was surprised to find that it was windowless. What's more, the concrete floor made me wonder whether or not I was above ground. Other than that, the pastel color scheme with pink walls and sky blue sheets was a futile attempt to counteract the harsh fluorescent lights.\n\nFollowing this, I lay there passively for what must have been the better part of an hour, gazing up at the tubular lights encased in plastic until their image burned into my retinas.\n\nLater that morning, my parents returned. This time, when Mom presented the medications, I took them without protest. Then, after she placed the medication tray back on the cart, she reached down to the cart's bottom shelf, producing a tray with a full breakfast meal.\n\n\"Breakfast in bed,\" I muttered sarcastically. \"Is this why today's my lucky day?\"\n\n\"No. The funding has been pulled from this program. You're getting out,\" she announced coldly.\n\n\"I don't—\"\n\n\"Eat your breakfast. You'll remember once these meds kick in. Give it time,\" she insisted.\n\nOn that note, she and Dad left the room.\n\nConfused and not having fully processed my mother's remarks, I ate my breakfast. Lukewarm scrambled eggs, toast, and a couple pancakes. I set aside the cream of wheat because I believed it would be unpalatable. I had no memory of trying it in the past but somehow knew I hated it.\n\nMidway through my meal, I remembered that if you put jam in cream of wheat, it makes it tolerable. So, I mixed the packet of jam intended for the toast into the flavorless dish. Then, as I finished my breakfast, a clearer picture of reality started coming to me.\n\nI knew that I had been an American soldier in the Iraq war and that some years had passed since then. During these years, my biological parents had found me and offered to take care of me.\n\nI had grown to genuinely appreciate their care. They let me watch practically any movie I wanted. Also, they let me exercise at the indoor gym. And, sometimes, they would even take me for nighttime walks around the parking lot.\n\nI didn't remember the location of this parking lot. But, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed that this wasn't due to my failing memory. Instead, it was a fact I had never learned.\n\nEdit: continue reading the second half below." ]	2
[WP]A new law is passed that allows insurance companies to take back medical procedures. You are the Surgery Repo-Man.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 tried. He really did try... How many hours did he spend trying to repay the debt? How many sacrifices did he make? His friends evaporated along with whatever remained of his funds. What little family he had sent all they could afford and then some. They loved him... once. He can't really remember what happened to them. Any contact had ceased far before the transactions did.\n\nEach month, the letter came with the red number. Maybe it was just his memory wavering but it never seemed to change. He can recall the overwhelming sense of relief as he met his parents outside the operating room, it was the last time he saw them together.\n\nEach damn week was a step closer to the deadline. He can still remember the emptiness in his mother's eyes as she read the first letter.\n\nEach day was like an eternity.\n\nEach hour led to this.\n\nHe froze in the doorway as he spotted the man standing barely a meter from the door. The man carried a briefcase in one hand and a letter in the other. Both knew what was on the letter. To think... heart surgery as a child would end up destroying the souls of so many. Did the man before him have one to begin with? He couldn't make out a trace of humanity behind that forced smile.\n\nThey had held him hostage for so long. His life had practically already been theirs from before he could remember and now they came to take it as they saw fit. They didn't count on one thing though. He'd had enough. \n\nAs one man raised a letter, another raised a revolver. \n\nHe tried. He really did try..." ]	2
[WP] blam! blam! blam! the shotgun fires rhythmically in your hands, all you have to do is cover your partner while they perform their task. the only problem? there are so many to hold off, but at least you have them at a choke point!	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 just had to pick...\" Willy stopped, quickly stuffing a few more rounds into the magazine, before firing again, \"...100 duck sized horses, huh?\"\n\n\"Well, the next time some drunk, old bastard stumbles up to you in a bar, and mumbles a bizarre hypothetical at you, I'm sure you'll have learnt from my mistake! But for now, save the judgement, and keep these things off me, I've almost got it open!\"\n\nThey'd had to fall back from the bar after the first wave, and quickly gotten overrun in the stockroom, when to there surprise, the galloping little fuckers had hopped right through their barricade. Although small, they still had a hell of a lot of power under those hooves!\n\nSo now, here they were! Held up in the managers office, Willy with the bartenders boomstick trained on the door, a rapidly depleting handful of shells, and Jasper trying desperately to get into a surprisingly large safe; in which they hoped to find at least another box of shells!\n\n\"You'd better hurry the hell up, J!\" Willy yelled, as he swung the the shotgun like a bat, sending a few of the shrunken stallions into the air. \n\n\"He's got like the longest combination in the world, and not the best handwriting, so I'm just making sure that...\" and with his last turn, and a large click, the safe door began to swing open, \"Hoowwllleeeee shit!\"\n\n\"What the hell is in there?\" Willy asked, firing what he hoped wasn't the last of his ammo.\n\nBefore Jasper could respond, a sharp sound filled to little room, \"QUACK!!!\" \n\n\"God damn!\" Willy smiled as he turned to see the giant duck waddle from its enclosure, \"I really hope this thing is on our side!\"", "\\BANG BANG BANG\\\n\nThough the hallway leading to the emergency exit was filled with the cacophony of gunfire, Agent Oedipus (much to their irritation) could hear their partner quite well. Despite the critical nature of the operation, it seemed Agent Jaki simply refused to allow for a moment of radio silence, \"Well... This wasn't how it was supposed to play out. 1 shotty, 2 agents, 50 shells... 47 shells and a couple hundred incoming hostiles. Isn't exactl-\"\n\n\"For the last time it's not my fucking fault the mechanism was faulty! Let me focus!\"\n\n\"I can tell you right now I'm very much focused.\"\n\n\"Well you're not helping me.\"\"Well we're nearly ou-\"\n\n\\[\\[OP2 has been muted by OP1\\]\\]\n\n\"Damn,\" Jaki said to themself. They'd been stuck in the small room for the past 12 minutes, Jaki diligently keeping watch as their comrade fiddled around with a bunch of electronic components. Or, rather, Jaki \\had\\ been diligently watching until an unfortunate patrol rocked up for smoko and subsequently met the infiltration team and their shotgun. The brains didn't meet the opposite wall quick enough to avoid an alarm raised (not that the shotgun wasn't sufficiently loud to do so) and as fate would have it, the garrison of the facility was closing in fast.\n\nAt least the only way in was starting to get clogged with corpses.\n\n\\BANG BANG\\\n\nSome poor fool decided to quickly lean around the corner with a grenade. A smart enough choice, given the circumstances, but Jaki's trigger finger was quicker. \n\n\\BANG BANG BANG\\\n\nThe next shot sent another scurrying back into cover, the one after was met with silence but the final in the trio was met much in the same way as Jaki had met the aforementioned patrol: with lots of gunfire.\n\n\"I think that one was going to try grab someone!\" Jaki shouted towards Oedipus.\n\n\"What!?\"\n\n\"I SAID! I THINK HE WAS TRYING TO GRAB SOMEONE!\"\n\n\"WHAT?!\"\n\n\\BANG BANG BANG BANG\\\n\n\"NEVERMIND!\"\n\nIt really was getting a tad ridiculous. As far as Oedipus could tell, the emergency exit was simply built not to be used. Rust clogged up all the wiring and made it impossible to see what writing was originally supposed to be there. However, having scraped at the offending material so many times with a screwdriver, something useful appeared. Something something... manual override...\n\n\"Hey Oedipus! Can you hear that?\"\n\n\\[\\[OP2 has been unmuted by OP1\\]\\]\n\nStrange... a pause in the gunfire. A lengthy one at that...\n\n\"No, I- You mean that scraping?\"\n\n\"Yeah... I have a bad feeling about this. How soon can you open the door?!\"\n\n\"I think I got it. Can you give me the thingo?\"\n\nJaki, as they were sliding a small device over to their comrade, peeked round the corner and immediately withdrew.\n\n\"Got that door open?!\"\n\n\"Almost... Is there another issue?\"\n\n\\BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM\\\n\nMetal chips and paint flakes started flying off the sides of the room as high caliber rounds impacted around the two. Barely avoiding the shrapnel whizzing about, Oedipus crawled back over to the door and jammed their device into the panel they had been fiddling with earlier. By some miracle, the hatch swung open. At last! Escape! \n\n\\BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM\\\n\n\"JAKI YOU BETTER STILL HAVE THAT SPARE CHARGE!\"\n\nJaki, while inching towards the door and away from the liquid steel droplets making their way down to the floor, stopped for a moment and reached into their chest rig. \n\nAfter a few seconds of rummaging around and trying to ignore the exasperated look on Oedipus's face, they produced the desired explosives and a detonator. Reluctantly, Jaki crawled their way over to the direction of the heavy weapon and blindly lobbed the charge towards them.\n\nThe gunfire stopped.\n\n\"Holyfuckthatbulletwassoclosetohittingmy-\"\n\n\"JUST BLOW THE FUCKING-\"\n\nA shockwave rushed down the hallway as the sound of ordinance cooking off accompanied the screams of whoever was unfortunate enough to be caught at the edge of the blast. In the split second that they had, the duo leaped from through the doorway and down into the water below..." ]	3
[WP] Two best friends and roommates, unknown to each other, are also the superhero and his/her arch nemesis.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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] As a child, you’ve always had an affinity towards animals, both nurturing and medical. Twenty-five years later, you’re a vet that’s opened your own clinic. Word has spread of your gift, and these days, it’s not just humans who are bringing their ailing animals to you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Hello Madam Maurice! What brings you here today?\" I asked.\n\nThe old frail lady was a frequent customer of mine, bringing her many dogs in for regular check-ups. Her bent back made her look small, you could always see her strolling around with her dogs. A lovely lady she was, a heart-warming smile on her face enlightening people.\n\n\"Burt got a little sick today. I was wondering whether you could help me check up on him?\"\n\n\"Anytime!\" I assured her.\n\nWalking over to her dog, I slowly carried it up and cradled it while heading to the operation table. It never struggled when I did carried it, nor did any other animals. My affinity towards animals was evident, it was as if our fates were tied together. I just had a magical touch with animals, people said, even the most ferocious creatures were gentle under my care.\n\nPulling down the light, I took a quick look at Burt. Without much inspection, I already knew what it was.\n\n\"No need to worry madam, just a normal flu. He'll recover fast enough!\"\n\n\"Oh hoho, thank you Patricia!\"\n\nLeashing her dog, they trudged out of the room.\n\nI waved her goodbye and yawned, sipping some water as a break.\n\n\"Pfffh!\"\n\nAs the water spat out of my mouth, I stared in astonishment. A black realm portal had formed on the ground and out came the monster. I had seen this monster so many times I knew his name by heart.\n\nIt was Satan.\n\nThe demonic creature stood tall before me, his skin a vicious red. The twirling, rough horns spurted out of his head and on his forehead, a brightly shining star. His muscles were abnormal, physique tall and strong. He wore nothing but a exquisite cloth around his waist. His sharp eyes were full of strength, glaring at me and into my soul. Two huge-standing guards wearing armour stood beside him, each holding a huge weapon. Beside him was the two-headed hellhound, mouth dripping with bloodlust. \n\nI did have many strange customers, but never someone this high leveled before! I scanned their faces, trembling in fear while waiting for them to talk.\n\nSatan raised his head and spoke in an alien language I've never heard before. He looked at me for a response, only to receive a shrug. The guard start speaking \"The lord wants you to-\" He waved the guard to stop, and started speaking himself. \"You cannot even comprehend such an simple language like the Baphomet, humans are truly weak beings! I have only come to a lowlife dimension like this to save my hellhound as it is under a curse that no doctor even in the superior under realm could release. I have heard great things about you, your only option is to break the curse or die!\" His deep, booming voice terrified me. My knees fell soft and I dropped to the floor, wimping while nodding my head. \n\nI composed myself and got up, trying to approach the dog. It started from a low growl into a full on roar, pouncing on me with its sharp claws. \"AAHH!\" I fell backwards in fear, backing off rapidly. It stomped towards me, each step with more aggression. Animals have never treated me like this before, so I didn't know how to react. Satan looked down at me, snickering \n\n\"Guess this is your end.\" \n\nAs the guards lifted their weapons, I covered my head, tears flowed uncontrollably down my face as I clenched my eyes, anticipating my death.\n\n\"Hey! What are you youngsters doing?\"\n\nI looked up, It was Madam Maurice.\n\nShe shuffled up with little steps, and stood her ground, and let out a small \"Hmph!\"\n\n\"You shouldn't be bullying a lady like that, you know! It's very disrespectful!\"\n\nAs Satan was about to speak, Madam Maurice interrupted him again with her scoldings, reprimanding them as she got closer and closer. No! I tried to stop her, she will face her doom if she gets any closer!\n\n...\n\nHuh?\n\nSatan, as well as the guards, started to back off, looking terrified of the lady. Maurice kept pushing them back, until they all tripped and fell down the hole. The hole closed instantly and Madam Maurice crossed her arms, exclaiming \"Weird fellows, weren't they?\"\n\nI snatched out my phone, looking for that one ridiculous article I saw this morning.\n\n\"Theory: Satan's fear is old grandmas.\"", "\"It's okay, it's alright. You're alright...\", Diana whispered her soothing voice, carefully cleaning and bandaging the huge bloody gash on the side of the poor whining Pitbull.\n\n\"Good boy\", Diana sighed in relief, admiring her handiwork, softly patting the dog's head while he graciously licked Diana's hand.\n\n\"Oh doctor, is he gonna be okay?\", the worried owner asked.\n\n\"Rollo here is going to be alright. Just let him rest for a few weeks and if more troubles present, you can bring him here anytime\", Diana smiled, assuring the owner. \n\n\"But you're not going to get into anymore trouble, are you? No, you won't\", Diana said to the dog as he gave her his paw and barked his thanks to the good doctor.\n\nNight had come hours prior as the owner waved the doctor goodbye, carrying the pup away on his arms. Diana waved back, smiling sincerely though she was clearly lacking in sleep, always being kind with her time for any emergency and animals needing her care.\n\nRichard loudly yawned as Diana went back inside, having had to wake up along with his wife to open up their private practice after hours.\n\n\"I had a weird dream before-- I saw a flying lion went passed our window\", he said with eyes partially open.\n\nDiana chuckled. \"I appreciate you helping me open up. You know you don't have to...\"\n\n\"Babe, how many times do I have to tell you? You have my full support for this vet business. Besides, I love watching you caring for those animals\", Richard said. \"Something about how you do it is just pleasing to watch\"\n\nDiana kissed Richard on his cheek, pulling him up from the reception desk.\n\n\"I know, and I love you for that. Go back to sleep, okay? I can clean up and close the clinic by myself\"\n\nRichard gave Diana a kiss goodnight before he sauntered off back to their house neighboring the clinic like a sleepless zombie while Diana clean up the place.\n\nBusy and distracted, Diana didn't realize the figure approached the clinic from the dark of night. The stranger was covered with large coat and hat, silently he stepped into the clinic, the clicking of his boots barely made a sound on the white marble floor.\n\n\"Good evening\", he greeted, startling Diana from her work.\n\n\"Oh Jesus!\", she yelped before laughing. \"You scared me there\"\n\nThe stranger removed his hat, revealing an old man with pale skin and white hair. The look of sadness came across his face.\n\n\"Can I help you, sir? I mean, we are closed right now but if there's an emergency...\", Diana said.\n\n\"My dog is hurt. I need someone to fix him up\", informed the stranger.\n\n\"Oh...oh! I'm sorry, yes I can help!\", Diana remarked, now alert. \"Where is he?\"\n\nThe stranger cleared his throat. \"He's back at home\"\n\nDiana got a worried feeling. \"Uhm...I'm sorry, but I don't usually do house call especially late at this hour...\"\n\nThe stranger looked even sadder hearing it. Diana knew that look, of a worried owner. Quickly she changed her mind.\n\n\"But um...I guess I can make an exception. Is your home far away from here?\", Diana asked, quickly gathering what she needed into a travel bag.\n\n\"Oh no, not at all! It's merely a snap away from here\", the stranger said, relieved.\n\n\"Okay, great. Give me a few minutes\", Diana said, finishing gathering her emergency stuff. Shooting Richard a quick text informing where she was going before joining the stranger.\n\n\"Okay, I'm ready to go. Did you drive here, Mr...?\", Diana asked.\n\n\"Oh uh, no I don't. And you can call me Hades\", the stranger said.\n\n\"I beg your pardon...?\", Diana frowned, confused. But before she could think any further, Hades had snapped his fingers and the scenery around her contorted.\n\nThe white walls of her clinic vanished, replaced by dark rugged stone walls of hell. In a blink of an eye, Diana had arrived on the unearthly plane. Standing beside a river of soul, the absurd situation woke Diana up completely. \n\nTransparent souls floated above her, higher than the valley of dark cliffs surrounding her. In the distance lied the meadow of red fire, burning eternally while on the other side lied a field of mourning souls where eternally tortured souls mourned their departure from the living world.\n\nDiana screamed and fell on her bottom. Quickly absorbing the situation, she began hyperventilating, completely frightened.\n\n\"What...the hell...?\", she shouted before looking back at the stranger. \"What the hell?\"\n\nThe stranger unraveled his coat, revealing a black and gold tunic-- opposite to its white and gold counterpart of Olympus. Hades loomed over the fearful doctor, he offered his hand to Diana.\n\n\"I am Hades, ruler of the underworld. I brought you here because my pet dog truly is hurt, and I need your professional help, young lady\", he said, still with that worried look on his face.\n\nDiana, though completely scared and out of her elements, managed to fight through it at the prospect of a hurt animal. Taking the god's hand, she stood with a new determination.\n\n\"Take me to the patient then\", she said.\n\nHades led Diana along the river of soul. Diana felt cold on her side that faced the river and hot on the other side that faced the rocks. She focused solely on Hades walking in front of her, though she couldn't help to look around to the souls of the underworld, moaning hauntingly, sending shivers down her spine." ]	3
[WP] After her millennial slumber the Goddess of harvest awakes to the prayers of humanity. Confusing prayers, as she can't fully grasp the concept of "Stardew Valley" and "Harvest Moon"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Even in her dreams, Demeter can hear the prayers of the humans. It is something that Somnus and Morpheus, despite their propensity for slumber, ensured for any member of the pantheon.\n\nThe world has changed drastically over the thousand years she slept, however. What was once a gusty chorus of devotion every season turned into the quiet hush of still night winds, barely moving the plentiful fields of amber. While poor Hephaestus got busier and busier with whatever trinkets and devices the human thought up, Demeter’s sleep sunk deeper and deeper.\n\nIt was even a surprise to her when she woke up. As her vision refocused, she found that Hephaestus was beside her, soot-black hands tinkering with mechanical gears Demeter found far too complicated to even bother trying to comprehend. The god of craftsmen set aside the toy.\n\n“You are awake,” Hephaestus said. “I need your help.”\n\n“I sensed it,” Demeter stretched, feeling the thousand years of inactivity jamming her joints and messing with her muscles. “What do you require?”\n\nHephaestus’ large hands rubbed his misshapen chin, searching for the correct words to say.\n\n“They are asking for harvest, the humans,” Hephaestus said. “Though perhaps not in the form you were expecting.”\n\n“I am surprised,” Demeter said, raising an eyebrow and yawning. “Your machines have reduced my workload significantly. It has been a restful slumber for me.”\n\nIn contrast, Hephaestus looked even more haggard than Demeter remembered. It was in the long, shaggy beard, unkempt hair, and skin so splotched with ash, dirt, and sweat that it was practically a furnace. The god, by all means, already did not have a blessed life. She wondered just what he had been up to over the past millennium.\n\n“See,” he held his tongue. “You know what? It’s better if I just show you.”\n\nAfter an eventful five minutes where Demeter found that her legs slept longer than even she did, the two deities found their way to Hephaestus’ forge. Expecting to be led to the giant fire, Demeter was surprised when the god led them into a smaller room.\n\nIt was relatively clean, and entirely unfamiliar to Demeter. There were long, colourful strands stretching every which way, while lights winked at her from boxy apparatuses. Hephaestus tapped the top of one, and pressed a button—for a shiny white light to appear.\n\n“This is a computer.”\n\n“That means nothing to me,” Demeter said.\n\n“Think of it as a… dream machine,” the god said. “Inside this box is a bundle of dreams, some of my own invention and some human made. They can be rather innovative at times.”\n\n“I don’t see what this has to do with me waking up.”\n\n“There are some programs—” Hephaestus clicked his tongue, “—dreams, where humans can play out being farmers.”\n\n“What are you even saying? Don’t they farm in real life?”\n\n“There’s a lot of history here that I cannot help but to gloss over. Just… it’s a dream where the humans are the gods and goddesses. They can do whatever they want.”\n\nDemeter scratched her head in confusion.\n\n“... So they require my help?”\n\n“Look, humans have always been complicated. You know this as well as I,” Hephaestus sighed. He pointed to the screen, where familiar shapes appeared. Demeter recognized humans, farms… but they were wrong. Blocky. So wrong.\n\n“So, this is called a game. An electronic dream. Stardew Valley is the most popular one now, but a lot of people used to love Harvest Moon,” Hephaestus said. “Anyway, in this game, people farm! Do you get it?”\n\n“That seems like an insane waste of time,” Demeter said. “Why do these people not farm outside?”\n\n“Most people don’t really farm any more.”\n\n“It’s only been a thousand years! What do you mean, they don’t farm any more?”\n\n“Questions later, OK? I’m just trying to explain things here,” Hephaestus muttered. “So these people want more harvest in these games, right? So they are calling to you.”\n\n“Isn’t this… game? A dream where everybody can do whatever they want?”\n\n“Yeah, but they can’t really do whatever they want. It’s a… quest! Yes! There are constraints, requirements, right?” the god said hopefully. “So these people are trying to break them. Because it makes them feel good, mostly.”\n\nDemeter shook her head, and a long, drawn-out sigh came out of her, turning the room frigid and wintry.\n\n“I am not indulging in this charade, Hephaestus,” Demeter said.\n\n“But you are the goddess of harvest!”\n\n\n“The god of lightning chooses when to call forth his lightning. I, likewise, chooses when to call forth the harvest,” Demeter said. “And frankly, this is not harvest. This is an electronic dream under your purview.”\n\n“But—”\n\n“You’ve given so much, Hephaestus,” Demeter sighed. “Have the humans ever truly appreciated what you’ve given them? Or are you going to keep giving more, and more, until there’s nothing of you left?”\n\nThe god paused his protest. He looked down at his feet.\n\n“I’m going back to sleep,” Demeter said. “I think you should take a rest as well. The humans will find a way to survive. They’ve done without me for a thousand years. They can do without you as well.”\n\n“Maybe you are right,” Hephaestus mumbled. “Tech has been going out of control lately. NFTs were a bad idea.”\n\n“A what?”\n\n“Nothing,” Hephaestus smiled. “Not all crafts deserve attention, I suppose.”\n\n---\n\nr/dexdrafts" ]	2
[WP] Facing certain death, the neolithic tribe paint hand stencils onto the cave wall and transfer their souls into them, to be reanimated when a shaman familiar with the ritual can release them.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 lifted the smallest of the children up; the peak of the cave was just barely off from his finger tips. His father stood on his tippy toes and the boy pressed his palm against the limestone. The man in the lion furs breathed deeply in the smoldering herbs from the crude cup snug between forearm and bicep. The utterances from the void between mustache and beard did not contain meaning to even his contemporaries \"!!\|¡«‡øßß\". A series of clicks and whistles signaled his mind was among the spirits far from the depths they found their physical selves. The umber ochre blend seeped from the eight hands held against the cavern. The man was no longer shaman but lion, beast; his claws of obsidian scratched and skittled on the rock. The sinew lashing the obsidian to his fingers strained but held. The water began to rise from their ankles. The father urged on the lion man and the fire within his eyes brightened. Within the shadows of the lion skin his hands pulled flakes of the sky stone and gold of the clear hard sap washed by myriad Baltic tides. Electric the amber flashed, arcs leapt round and round the chamber, purple and safflower dendrites danced and nimbuses of limelight echoed. The family's bones shone out and four spirits sprinted to the brink of their nervous systems. A hiss of some evil emission whispered and a bubble that was not air burst from the waters now below their knees. The lion leapt once more and the claws struck a flake of iron. A single spark sailed up and washed into flames that consumed all. Water was boiled, flesh vaporized and furs as ash.\n\nSeveral tens of thousands of years later give or take week.\n\n\"Are you sure we should be here?\" The girl asked her brother in an uncertain tone.\n\"It's Halloween and we're stuck in the french countryside, we have to do something creepy\"\nA few pieces of straw fell from her sleeve, the fluffy paw of his costume went to her hand. The pair trotted thru the woods, approaching their fate; a fresh pit in the fallen leaves hid in the shadows moist with autumn mud and dew left from the morning.\nA chamber closed for millennia opened to the air and two young feet padded ever closer." ]	2
[WP] You're just a retired wizard living out the rest of your days in your little hut in the middle of nowhere with your familiars, when a someone knocks on your door. When you open it, it's a party of adventurers, who's fighter angrily claims you abandoned them when they were a baby.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Part -1\n\n&#x200B;\n\nTHOOM. THOOM. THOOM.\n\nI was snapped awake from my mid-afternoon nap by a heaving pounding on my door.\n\nTHOOM. THOOM. THOOM.\n\nI shuffled from the overstuffed chair towards the door, trying to shake the sleepiness and confusion from my mind. It had been years since I had visitors, other than my familiars and other animal spirits. It was excited and nervous. The pounding got louder and more aggressive as I shuffled into what served as my mudroom.\n\nTHOOM! THOOM! THOOM!\n\nI opened the door, not sure what to expect, and was greeted by a sight I hadn’t seen in almost two decades: a party of adventurers! All the stereotypes were there, representing the Guild of Adventurer’s desire to always create the “perfect” party composition. A small smile crossed my wrinkled face as I looked them over.\n\nThere was a half-elf ranger, decked out in leather and furs with a supple longbow strapped to his back, standing a few yards behind the main group. His eyes were hard and green, and a scowl turned his thin lips pale. His long auburn hair was pulled up in a top-knot that harkened back to his elven ancestors but the longsword on his hip was of human make.\n\nA small gnome held back a murderous smile as she fidgeted with the hilts of two daggers, one sandwiched under each armpit. An ugly scar ran across her face, from her left ear to the edge of her mouth, and ruined what might have been childish good looks. Her studded leather armor was dyed black and wisps of purple smoke rolled off it to pool at her feet.\n\nTo the side of the gnome was an average-sized human dressed in heavy plate-mail. Her face was concealed by a closed helm but the armor itself was contoured to her curvy body. A heavy shield marked with the holy symbol of her Paladin orde was strapped to her back while a mace, with its head shaped like an angel, was hooked to her hip. I could see her eyes behind the slit of her helmet and they were narrowed, staring at me.\n\nIn the front of the group was a broad and handsome man clad in shimmering chain mail. A large two-handed ax was strapped to his back and a pair of hand-axes sat on his hips. His face was handsome with dark blue eyes and long braided blonde hair. He wasn’t too tall and scowled at me, face to face.\n\n“It took me nearly twenty years to find you.” he growled at me, “Antoine Du’Lant... High Magus to the Fifth Imperial Court; Arch-wizard of Evocations and Summonings; Blood Lord of the Dragon’s Cult; and the man who ABANDONED ME AS A BABY!”\n\nI stared at him for a moment as spittle flew from his mouth to splatter my robes. He didn’t look like any of my sons, and I had three that I could remember. He did look vaguely familiar though as if he could have been a cousin of a friend. I stroked my long gray beard a moment before responding.\n\n“Those are some lofty titles. A few I haven’t heard in decades… like the Blood Lord of the Dragon’s Cult. I was Blood Lord in name only and really for a few weeks before I ruined the entire cult and it disbanded. But… I don’t think I know you.”\n\nAnger flashed in his eyes, “Of course you don’t know me! You abandoned me twenty-two years ago as a baby. You left me with a huge sack of gold coins on the step of a holy orphanage with some rodent as my only companion! I was raised by nuns and soldiers and that gods damned squirrel! You had nothing to do with my life except to bring me into it! And I want to know why!”\n\nI sighed, “Look, I’m old beyond most mortal men, even twenty years ago I was past my prime. The last woman I slept with would be nearly ninety by now. Too old to bear a child as strapping and healthy as you. And if I had given one of my familiars the job of overseeing you, it would have surely reported back to me. My magic is nothing if not very good.”\n\nThe rage never faltered and never dulled as he pulled something out of a pouch on his belt. Disgustedly he threw it at me and the bundle hit my chest and fell to the ground. I bent down and picked it up, lamenting at how my back and knees ached. Once I had the bundle in hand I examined it and caught my breath.\n\nI did indeed recognize the furry thing in my hand. It was once a shaggy mouse, a creature about a foot and a half long in life which probably weighed about three pounds, but now it was little more than a desiccated curled bundle. It felt like my magic had once infused the creature, but it was now long dormant. I even remembered its name, Bolivar.\n\nI looked at the young fighter again, “How’d this happen?”\n\nHe practically spit at me as he relayed a story about a vengeful nun, a stolen pie, and a holy smite that ended poor Bolivar’s life. He was four at the time, and he assured me, innocent of the crime. But that didn’t matter to him anymore. He had decided then and there to find his father and demand that he explained why he had abandoned the boy. As he spoke I tried to place who he was and still couldn’t figure out how he would be my son.\n\n“You still going to deny me?” he said with a snarl, “Going to try and lie your ways out of this?”\n\n\"No. No, but honestly I still can’t place you, even if your face seems somewhat like one I might have seen before…”\n\nHis fist balled in anger as he gritted his teeth, “Then I might have to kill you for forgetting me.”“\n\nIf you are so certain of me being your father, and you waited twenty years to find me, would you indulge me in just a few more minutes?” I asked as I stroked my beard, “I could cast a few spells to discern your lineage and reveal things long hidden.”\n\nFor a moment I saw the anger waiver and he nodded, “Fine. But if you try to deceive me, our Paladin will know.”\n\nThe woman in heavy plate grunted and held up her hand, revealing a talisman of truth. I nodded and led them into the large sitting parlor of my home. I bade them make themselves comfortable but none of them sat or partook of the snacks one of my monkey-like familiars brought in. With a sigh, I began preparing the spell.\n\nIt was a simple divination spell that required a handful of common herbs, a few less common reagents, a cold-forged scrying bowl, and a couple of carefully spoken words of power. With all the preparations finished I set the bowl between me and the still tense fighter. His eyes were locked on me as I told him the final ingredient.\n\n“My blood?” he growled as he reached for the hand-ax at his hip.I held my hands up, “Not a lot of it, just a few drops. Enough to lock the spell to you and divine your true parentage.”\n\nHe held out his hand, “I’ve had diviners cast spells like this. They always lead me to you.”I shrugged, “Most divination spells can be muddled by a powerful influence in your life and, not to boast, I’ve been a powerful influence in the lives of kingdoms. It may be that you are the child of someone I saved… or killed. It may be that I had a deep impact on your life without having an actual hand in it.”\n\nI drew a small knife across the back of his hand, and let the trickle of blood spill into the scrying bowl. I quickly handed him a bandage and spoke the last words of the spell. Magic flowed through the room and made the contents of the bowl writhe and boil. Moments later the image of a man formed above it. I didn’t recognize him.\n\n“That’s…” he growled.\n\n“Not me.” I finished, “Yes. That man is your father. Ask the Paladin if you doubt me.”\n\nHe looked at the woman and something passed between them. It was an unspoken gesture that reminded me of the rapport I used to have with my old adventuring party. I almost missed the old team. But I focused on the here and now, as the paladin confirmed that my spell was accurate.", "\"How... What are you even blabbering about, you savage brute?!!\"\n\nThe fighter took a step back and gazed at the grumpy wizard with hatred and disgust on his face.\n\n\"You. Abandoned me. In the middle of the Savage Lands. You sold me to their druid, saying that I was a potent tribute to their deity. And surprise...\"\n\nThe angry intruder removed the metal glove covering his left hand and waved his stump at the bewildered old man.\n\n\"... they fucking believed you! They saw that the lines on my hand joined and cut it to bring them good fortune. You... You! How could you?!\"\n\nThe wizard sat on his leathery chair and appeared to lose himself in nostalgia.\n\n\"Hum... Wait... Yes... I remember something about a lucky foot... I'm sure it was a foot, yes... I was on a cornucopia of herbs and stimulants back then, but if memory serves, I sold them a rabbit. Yes... A rabbit! You are not a rabbit, are you now?\"\n\nThe fighter's rage suddenly appeared to overflow as he yelled out an angry growl and reached for his broadsword.\n\n\"It was YOUUUUU!\"\n\nAs he thrust himself forward, his companions failed to react in time, and the wizard waved an annoyed hand in a circular motion. A blue circle of light appeared at the feet of his assailant and pillars rose to the ceiling. The fighter was frozen in motion and all but his face was crystallized.\n\n\"Now, now, boy. I did say rabbit, didn't I? Now breathe and use your words, as hard as that nay be for in your... condition.\"\n\n\"You... I was wrapped in a blanket that was SHAPED as a rabbit!!\"\n\n\"Oh. Oh my. Hi-hi-hi-hi-hi... Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! My sides...\"\n\nThe wizard stood and served himself a glass of water while still giggling uncontrollably. He took small sips to try and soothe the hiccup his hilarity had triggered.\n\n\"Oh well, what do you want me to say, child? I was on a lot of stimulants, as I said. I cannot change your past, but I could do something about your future. Let me see...\"\n\nThe callous host snapped his fingers, causing the crystals to shatter and the fighter to crash on the wooden floor.\n\nHe brought his hands together, raised both of his thumbs, before chanting in an odd language:\n\n\"[ᚷᛖᛏ ᚱᛁᚲᚴᚱᛟᛚᛚᛖᛞ!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ)\"\n\n\"Now leave. And whenever you meet a foe you wish to humiliate, hit them with the hilt of your sword and they will turn into helpless rabbits. Just like you! Hi-hi-hi-hi!\"\n\nThe wizard brought both of his hands to his sides before flipping them up and pushing forward. The uninvited guests were flung outside of his hut and half his familiars morphed back into their animal forms as the door closed.\n\n\"It's alright my little ones. You can transform back into your original bodies as your brethren have done... I must admit, drinking water from you, Ifrit, has left a taste of sulfur in my mouth...\"", "It was going to be a nice day, or so I thought. Retirement was rather nice, especially with it being early autumn and the mid-morning twin suns in the sky didn't beat down on me as much. I ran my fingers through my grey beard, occasionally finding a few auburn strands that have yet to lose their color. \"Ah yes, this will be a good day.\" I smiled as I sat into my recliner and grabbed my book. Rapsis, my cat familiar, jumped into my lap and took residence there while I opened up a good book to read. \n\n\nJust as I was about to open it though, a banging came to my door. I looked to Rapsis, who just let out his own groan as we got up. \"Coming\\~!\" I called out in an almost singing voice. I mean, a visitor was rare, but rarely a terrible thing. I open the door to see a group of four adventurers, each clad in armor and weapons. \"Uhm... Yes, can I help you?\" \n\n\n\"Are you Herbert Vestal, Wizard of the Arcane Eye?\" The rather strong looking chap asked, though his face was knitted in anger as if he already knew the answer. \n\n\n\"Yes, but I'm retired. Have been for three months. No adventures for me, but I can give advice.\" I nodded, trying to better asses the situation. Human fighter, Elven fencer, Gnoll Shaman, and a Halfling Cleric of Modarus, the Red Sun. \n\n\n\"I am Valorin Vestal, your son. You abandoned me when I was a baby.\" Valorin spoke through gritted teeth. \n\n\nShocked would be an understatement of how I felt. \"Son?\" I asked as he just stared angrily, but then my own brows started to furrow as I concentrated on his face. \"I mean... you do look similar as to what I did when I was your age, but I don't recall ever having a child.\" \n\n\n\"We are certain of it. Divination with Modarus confirmed it.\" The halfling spoke. \"As a Wizard, I am sure you know that Modarus' domain is that of knowledge.\" \n\n\n\"Don't lecture me on knowledge child.\" I wag a finger at the halfling, \"You've got another fifty years before you can.\" I looked back to Valorin, \"Son.... Son....\" I shake my head, \"I'm sorry, I don't remember ever siring a child. Here.. All of you, come in and I'll make some tea and we can talk this all out.\" \n\n\nThey each shambled in behind me as I gave a wave of my hand for the tea to start making itself. With another wave, my table was cleared of my numerous notes of my autobiography and stored off to the side. \"I'm certain that you've traveled far and rightfully angry but if you could, please let us start with the beginning. Like each of your names?\" \n\n\nEach of them took a seat at the table, extra chairs being conjured as I originally only had two chairs. Valorin took his seat right across from me, the furrowed brow and pursed lips a good indicator of his disdain. The Elven fencer was named Alarena, a skilled swordswoman who came upon Valorin in a bar brawl. Davyn Lightfoot was the Halfling, who joined the party after they saved his cloister from an undead plague. Finally, Gar Snaptooth the Gnoll Shaman, who was the newest member and has sworn a life oath to Valorin for saving her.\n\n\"Well, it is a pleasure to meet each of you.\" I say as the tea was finally ready and I began to pour a cup for each of them. \"Now, that introductions are out of the way... Valorin, perhaps you could tell me some things. Such as, who was your mother or where you were born?\" \n\n\n\"I was born in Hawic, and my mother passed away giving birth to me.\" His fists tightened. \"I was taken in by my aunt and uncle. My mother's name was Rachel Hastorn. The woman you impregnated and then left twenty years ago!\" \n\n\n\"Rachel.... Hastorn...\" I tapped my fingers on the table as I thought, \"Hawic... twenty years ago...\" I turned to Rapsis, \"Rapsis, what were we doing in Hawic twenty years ago?\" The cat familiar let out a singular meow and I just nodded, \"Ah yes, that's right. We were solving the mystery of the missing artifacts from the shrine there.\" I turned back to Valorin and stared at him, thinking for a long moment before finally saying. \"I'm sorry... Rapsis assures me that me and my party were there twenty years ago but... I don't recall your mother.\" There was another meow, \"I'm sorry, one moment.\" \n\n\nI turned back to Rapsis who lets out another meow, followed by one or two more softer ones. Gar leaned over to Valorin and began to whisper, \"The cat says that it recalls your mother. That she helped nurse the party's wounds after they fought a band of thieves and reclaimed the artifacts.\" \n\n\nValorin stood up abruptly, causing his chair and the table to shift and spilling a little bit of tea. \"You were there and you did meet her!\" \n\n\nI turned back to Valorin and sigh, \"Well, Rapsis is a bit of my better half and does remember a lot of things for me. I am inclined to believe him.\" I ran my fingers through my grey beard again, \"Surprised I sired a child at fifty years of age, much less with such a younger woman.\" I then remembered Rachel, the realization becoming painted upon my face. \"I think I remember her now... Lovely auburn hair and such warm green eyes. Yes... I remember her helping me the most, as I was the worse off of the group.\" I looked to Valorin. \"My sincerest apologies. I realize that I am not a good father, seeing as I wasn't there for you. However in my defense, no one ever told me you existed.\" \n\n\nValorin slowly sunk back into his chair, his anger mixed with pain. \"So this whole time, you had no idea that you had a child? That you had left me?\" \n\n\n\"Honestly, I had no clue. Settling down in Hawic and raising you would have been a fine use of time. Considering all I was doing was satiating my wanderlust and boredom at that time.\" I felt a tinge of pain in my own voice. \"I can't fix the past, and what has happened. However, I can try to make it up to you.\" I slowly stood up and made my way over to a supply closet, opening it to show a number of armors and weapons just piled in there. \"Er, mind the mess, but I am sure this closet has something you can use. It's all magic and well... I'm retired.\" \n\n\nWe spoke a little longer, I made sure they had good and proper gear, and then they left. Valorin promised to return or at least send letters to keep in touch. I felt bad, but still it was a good day. I found out I had a son, that he was alive and well, and things may be rocky between us right now, I hope we can smooth things over before it's my time. Now I had to correct part of my autobiography.", "Almost there. A few more runes, a quick bit of incantation, and I’ll be done. I can finally rest, my last, greatest wrong set right. \n\nI’ve been locked away in this tower for years now, toiling away, studying the most ancient and arcane tomes, some of them so old that translating them was a trouble even with magical means. But I’m close now. \n\nThe banging on the door stirs me from my study, my final checks and verifications. Only one shot, of course. I walk down to the door, and my familiar, Peregrine, tells me there’s a group of four, three of them watching intently, one pounding on the door, quite irate. I do not have time for such petty squabbles now, not when I am so close. \r\n\nI open the door, ready to blast the hulk back a ways. No intent to harm, of course, not really, only to show that I have no interest in his problems. But something stops me. Something about his eyes. The deepest azure, pure and perfect. I’ve only seen those eyes on two people before. \n\nMy hesitation earned me a swift punch to the jaw. Should have expected it, of course. At least the man had the courtesy to take the brass knuckles off. \r\n\n“You left me! I was a child, I was scared, and you left me there to die!” The man shook with fury and pain. \r\n\nTears roll down his cheeks. My son, thirty years since I’ve last seen him, looms over me, and despite all my magics, all the tools at my disposal, I am powerless against him. Emotions overwhelm, so distinct and engulfing that I can not cry myself, only look up in an churning mix of highest joy and deepest pain.\r\n\n“My boy, my sweet boy, I —“\r\n\nAnother jab shuts me up. I feel no pain, but warmth is running down my face. Blood, I assume. \r\n\n“You left me there. My parents were both dead, and you came and pulled me out of the fire, and you left me on the side of the road like an animal. You couldn’t even bother to take me somewhere safe. Why even pull me out? Why put a five year old kid through that, huh? Why would you do that?” I can see in his eyes the boy, now a grown man, wanted to kill me, hated me with the deepest rage. His heart was too good, though. \r\n\nBut that isn’t quite right, is it? What he says. My mind races, piecing together the puzzle. The day my wife died, the day I lost my beautiful son, I was away, far away. I hadn’t learned of their death for a week after it happened. \r\n\nClarity strikes. There is no time to explain, no time to tell him the urgency with which I must act. I take one last look, one brief look, just in case I am still too late.\r\n\nA quick snap, and I’m upstairs again. There’s a door separating me and the party, though it won’t hold long. I have to finish the spell. No time to check, no more verifications, it has to be now. I scrawl the last few runes hastily along the edge of the circle. I hear my son yell for me to stop, but I cannot. \r\n\nA blinding flash, and I am outside. A cool breeze blows against my face, and I curse to myself. Smoke is rising ahead of me. The spell worked, but something is amiss, a faulty calculation or an inaccurate guard report. I am late. \r\n\nI make it back to the house quickly. I can feel the heat rising as I run, my lungs burning even before I reach the smoke. It has been so long since I have run. Almost thirty years. But my boy has come back to me, I know he survives, and I know there is still time for one of them. \r \nI had always meant only to say goodbye, to see them one last time, but now I understand my role is much deeper. I charge into the inferno, yelling, screaming his name. I hear him call out.\n\nAnother quick flick of the wrist, and I am to him, dragging him out from under the rubble. My clothes are charred, my face ashy, and in my arms I hold my son again. His azure eyes look up at me with wonder and confusion. He is safe now, at least for the moment. \r \nHe does not recognize me. I am thirty years older than the father he knows, obscured by age and the fog of a child’s memory. \r\n\nI make it a quarter mile down the road before the spell begins to pull on me. Stepping through time has never been done before, and I know the universe wants to set itself right. I fear what comes next, and I cannot bear the pain I will cause my boy, but I know there is no way out. I find a toppled tree and set him down underneath it, I tell him to stay here until the sun comes up again, and I tell him to follow the road. I tell him my name, not the name of his father, but the name of a cowardly wizard locked away in a tower studying spells, the name I took on in shame and grief when I learned my family’s fate. It had been my fault after all, an anger man with a grudge had come looking for me, and finding me away, took out his vengeance on them. I hope the name will be enough, that maybe somehow he’ll find me sooner this time. I do not think it likely, though. \r\n\nI am pulled back to my present. Some time has passed, though I am not sure how much; the window has darkened. The party has spread out in my research room. The elf, a wizard by the look of her, sifts through a pile of my more detailed notes, looking intently. I can tell she has deciphered most of the intent of the spell by now, if not the nuances of it. My son stares up at the painting on the wall, the one I hung to remind me of my one last quest. \r\n\nMy wife is beautiful in the painting, my son beaming and happy. The three of us are in a think field of wheat, my wife leaning against me, my son sitting on my shoulders reaching out for a butterfly that is weaving about us. That was the last memory I have of us all together, painted the day before I went to help track down that damned dragon. I swore I would get back to them, have one last chance to tell them how deeply I loved them both. It took me thirty years, but I finally cracked it. \r\n\nMy son turns to me. The anger is gone, but I cannot put words to the emotion there now. Bewilderment? Hesitation? Epiphany? \r\n\n“Dad?”\r\n\n“Hello, son. I know things are confusing, but…” I cannot find the words. I am lost in the sea of azure. They are just like his mother's.\r\n\nMy son’s embrace fills the void, and for the first time in thirty years, I am truly happy. For the first time in thirty years, I have all the time in the world." ]	5
[WP] As the sheriff of an Old West Town, you found that deputizing witches produces better results than burning them.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Harbarrow Canyon, A quaint little mining town in the middle of nowhere. After an earthquake put the entire town into, you guessed it, a canyon, there would only be one way into or out of the town. This, plus the constant supply of coal, silver, and other raw minerals made the town very attractive to bandits and other criminals. The town was under near constant threat of being ransacked if they didn't pay up, earning the town the nickname, \"Good Man's Grave.\" However, all of that changed one night when a woman cloaked in black came into town.\n\nDue to the truth of what happened being very complex, involving the blood of a holy man, several eyes, and something called a blood stone, we're just gonna say she had a fun night. After that night, thirteen women became pregnant out of nowhere. Some saw this as a blessing from God, some saw this as the end of their life, and the rest were completely baffled as to how this could happen. Nonetheless, thirteen girls were born, one every year, but things turned south after the birth of girl thirteen, Maybell Rustburg. Her birth was one of those that takes as much as it gives, in this case it took the life of her father via heart attack. While tragic Maddison Rustburg was still happy that her baby girl was born into the world until she saw her piercing, blood red eyes.\n\nWhen Maybell cried something awoken in the other twelve girls. Those who could talk described an intense pain either in their head, chest, limbs, or all over. The only exception was girl seven, Talia Rodriguez who didn't feel a thing. It only got worse from there, random fires, plants that shouldn't be able to survive in the desert thriving, ghost sightings, all signs of one thing, Witches. It didn't take long for people to put two and two together and the first girl, Quin Gatler, was put to trial at age 17 where she was found guilty and hung. Girl two was also found guilty a year later. Things took a pause when it came time for girl three's trial, because she was the daughter of one of the recurring bandits.\n\nNow at this point, the towns people believed that the only way for these random disasters was for all thirteen girls to be killed, but they also knew if they killed Tracey Kane, girl three, the bandits would probably kill them all. So, in the dead of night, they sent a messenger out to the closet town, Pueblo del viento, where word has that the sheriffs there have successfully kept the bandits from coming to their town. The messenger managed to convince them to send two deputies back with them, Deputy Marshal Luna & Deputy Ray \"Plaga\" Pérez. While it was touch and go for a while the two deputies along with the help of girl six, Spat, kicked the bandits out, but kept the girl saying, \"She's better off in a town of civilized people than a group of bandits.\"\n\nA lot can be said about bandits, but one thing is for sure they care for their own. The day of his daughters trial, bandit leader Vince Cross came into town and challenged Marshal to a duel, no traps, no tricks, just a man and his word. If Marshal wins, the bandits disband and never return, if Vince wins the bandit gets his girl and leaves. The deal was struck and the two took there places before the stage. The two took their ten paces, turned, and it was plain to everyone that Vince had his hand raised in the air, but Marshal still took the shot, killing him. This enraged Tracey to the point where she physically turned into flames, letting lose an ungodly wail. She broke free of her restraints and attacked Marshal, burning her handprint into the left side of his face. As she turned to ash she proclaimed, \"My sisters will be the end of you and when that day comes I will welcome you into hell!\"", "Shane walked forward, the duly elected Sheriff of Black Harvest. He walked the line up of his deputies and thought they sure didn’t look like much but that was the point, they weren’t your standard Deputies. He walked up to the first one, Grizelda, and inspected her appearance. She was a bit of a larger woman who wore a simple gray dress with a gold Deputies Badge attached to the front. At her hip was a .45 Colt in what appeared to be good working order, an unexpected surprise. Also on her belt were a set of large butcher’s knives, with “witchy symbols” carved into the handles. “What’s the purpose of the knives, Grizelda?” Shane asked, Grizelda forming the most sickening,” why my dear Shane, it’s just in case we have some juvenile delinquents get out of line. The gun might be too much for such delicious- I mean devilish children!” Shane looked her dead in the eye before responding,” you know part of your parole deal was to stay away from children, correct?” Grizelda tried to utter a feeble response,” you can keep the knives but you are to stay away from the children. I can always wheel your fat ass back to the stake, you’ll be the shining beacon of this whole town if you don’t toe the line. Do you understand?” Grizelda sheepishly responded while looking down,” I understand”. \n\nShane walked to the next person in line, a imposing yet balding man that he had to look up at. The man appeared to be wearing a black cloak. “Ezekiel, remove the cloak”, Shane said to the large man. Ezekiel looked down and stared daggers at Shane but noticed the Sheriff was slowly moving his hand towards his Remington revolver. Ezekiel removed the cloak to reveal a black, long sleeve shirt and matching pants. On his belt he had two rather ancient looking flintlock pistols, an executioners axe, and a large crossbow on his back. Shane continued to look him up and down before asking,” you don’t have anything a bit more… modern?” while motioning towards his arsenal. The large man simply shook his head no. “Right”, Shane said,” you um, want anything newer?” Ezekiel replied,” I like what’s mine!” Shane continued to look Ezekiel in the eye before responding,” noted!” and moved on. \n\nThe last in line was kind of a pretty little thing. She was fairly petite and wore a flowered dress. Her only weapon appeared to be a bow with a quiver full of arrows strung on her back as well as a small guitar. On her belt she wore a single Bowie knife. Shane looked her up and down, surprised she was wearing rising boots, and then asked,” Um, you are?” The girl started giggling,” oh I’m not an official deputy. I just want to ride out with you, you big strong man thing!” the girl began to sway in her dress playfully. Shane stared and blinked at her for a minute before backing away. \n\n“Alright your new job is to protect our little town, travel the outer territories from time time, and report back to me your findings. Due to the nature of your crimes ya’ll are gonna be on a very short leash, one wrong move and I’ll barbecue your asses. Now go to work!”\nShane proclaimed to the small group. The girl with the flower dress then spoke,” I’m excuse me, Mr. Sheriff Man. Can I get one of those fancy gold stars?” Shane, seemingly perplexed by the question answers,” no.” The girl, while kicking up some dust with a sour look on her face, exclaimed,” Awe nuts!” Shane then watched her walk off in the direction of the other two. \n\nShane, seeing his newest deputies walking towards the saloon in town, walks into his office. At the desk was another one of his deputies, wearing a Gray shirt with long gloves covering their fore arms and carving a figurine out of wood with a double edged Bowie knife. “Little hard on them, don’t you think?” Asked the deputy, in a masculinely female’s voice. Shane looked over at her, her large hat covering her face,” these ones had some histories that couldn’t be ignored, can’t spare the Rod on them”. The Deputy, still working her way around the figurine, continued,” I had a history too, you know!” the deputy continued, Shane still looking at her replied,” you were a different case.” The Deputy lifted her head, revealing a very pretty face covered with stitching that seemed to hold her together, and replied,” I guess I was wasn’t I!” The two looked on at each other and laughed a bit. Shane then sat at his desk and propped his feet up,” guess we have our work cut out for us!”", "Pappy had always told me to \"fight fire with fire\". If only he could see me now... Well, I'm not sure I can say if he'd be proud, but he'd certainly be impressed. \nTrying to keep a town afloat out here is hard enough as it is. The ground's hard and rocky, the soil's got nothin' to it, and the rain is sparse enough to make it easier to get liquor than it is water. \nHowever, it seems none of that matters much to some folk. Now, I'm not talking about travelers, tradesmen, or snake-oil salesmen looking for a spot to lay their head, though we do get a few of those from time to time... No, from what I've been told, this here town lies on top of a crossing point of two minor ley lines. \nWere there are ley lines, there's magic, I'm told. Not someone doing card tricks like you might see in the city, but true, god-and-logic-defying magic. And where two cross, well, I guess it begins to attract certain folk. \nThe early settlers tried their best to get rid of those 'certain folk' quite a while ago. \"Witches\" was the term they used. They fled from the old world just like everyone else, and try as those early settlers did, some of them got away. As the Country and its people have grown and mixed, so have its \"witches\" and \"wizards\", \"Shamans\" and \"Witch doctors\"; or so I've been told. \nAnd while the native tribes of the region, or what's left of them, have begun to integrate with us trespassers, a lot of their spirits and beliefs haven't. The few folks that remain in town who don't want to know what's going on occasionally report odd sounds, sights, smells, and the likes. Sometimes it's a native spirit, other times it's something someone brought with them, or so I'm told.\n\n \n\"You done starin' off like that Sherif?\" pipes a voice from my left, accompanied by a solid punch to the arm.\n\n \n\"Ugh-hm? Ah, yeah. Sorry, it's a lot harder for me to get a view like this than it is for you. Gotta appreciate it while I can\"\n\n \n\"I've told yah I can teach yah how to use a broom if yah'd like.\"\n\n \n\"Ha, I have enough trouble staying on top of Clyde here as it is...\" I trail off, brushing the horse's main before looking back down over the town. Don't often get to stay on top of the ridge like this. \n\"Oh whatever; Let's head on back. The other two said they're done with their warding already.\" the bespeckled gal says, holding up a stone with some sort of jeweled inlay.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Good, then let's get... So, these folk can only travel the roads, right?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Anything man-made or significantly touched by man, a Traveller can move over, yes. That's why they're such a pest, but also easy to trap. If it's in town, we'll know and can deal with it. If it's outside, it'll simply have to turn back until the ward wears away, and it'd be long gone by then.\" She says, gently floating on that broom alongside Clyde and I. A harsh light escapes from the tip of that gnarled stick she calls a \"wand\", and not long after, two more light up to the northwest, and the west-southwest.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"If you say so.\" Is all I can think to say. Reflecting on where we are, what we're doing; frankly, I don't blame folk heading west in search of gold, or even just to get away from here... But this is my town. My duty. \n\nIf Pappy could see me now... heh, yeah I think he'd be impressed.", "\"Do you know why I pulled you over?\" Melindra asked, raising the brim of her black rimmed conical hat so she could see better. And if it intimidated the wagon driver just a little, well, all the better.\n\n\"N-n-no miss, I reckon' I don't know why,\" The man said, holding the reigns of the carriage nervously.\n\nMelinda flinched at the stink of beer that carried on his breath over to her.\n\n\"Goddamn,\" she thought, waving her hand in front of her face.\n\n\"Uh-huh,\" Melindra said, nodding. \"Nice horse, what's her name?\"\n\n\"L-\" the man began.\n\n\"Lilac,\" Melindra finished for him with a sigh. \"Now, Lilac is a sweet girl,\" Melindra said, stroking the animal's cheeks. \"And she's been telling me all about you, Mister Markus Willburry.\"\n\n\"S...s'sat so?\" Markus said, voice trembling.\n\n\"Ohhhh yes,\" Melindra said, circling the wagon slowly, the click, click, click of her starred-spurred boots clinking behind her.\n\nThey were pentacles, naturally.\n\n\"Lilac's been telling me you've been beating her,\" Melindra said.\n\n\"Only...only the way yer s'posed to ma'am, nuthin' more, nuthin' more,\" Markus said, voice trembling.\n\nMelindra feigned surprise.\n\n\"Oh, are you supposed to beat the animals? I guess I didn't know that.\"\n\n\"Yes ma'am,\" Markus said. \"You prolly jus' didn't know cuz you're a woman,\" he added.\n\nWhy did he add that?\n\n\"Silly me,\" Melindra said with a smile. \"So if you were a horse, you'd want to be beaten.\"\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"If you were a horse,\" Melindra said, and took out a small leather book.\n\n\"N-n-no, miss, please I--\"\n\n\"You'd want to be beaten, got it, got it...\" Melindra said, dapping her index finger to her tongue and flipping pages in the book.\n\n\"Okay!\" She said, and shut the Book.\n\n\"Wheaeuuggghhh,\" Markus cried, the sound growing deeper as his neck elongated, his vocal cords grew in size, and his throat passage opened up.\n\n\"Well, that's done,\" Melindra said, putting the book away. Just one order of business left.\n\n\"Let's just get you out of this,\" Melindra said to Lilac.\n\n\"Why, thank you miss,\" Lilac said, stepping out of a bridle that was now pooled around her slender legs.\n\n\"Of course, all part of the job. Come find me if you have any questions about your new...situation,\" Melindra said smiling, then she turned to walk away.\n\n\"Oh,\" she added turning. \"And Lilac...they might try to bridle you again.\"\n\n\"But I'm not a horse anymore,\" Lilac said, eyebrows coming together.\n\n\"You're not,\" Melindra acknowledged with a sigh and a smile. Then she tipped her black connical hat. \"They're gonna try anyway. Don't let them.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\-----\n\n&#x200B;\n\n/r/DanielMavWrites" ]	5
[WP] The slave was sick of his master abusing him for scientific experiments. One day, he decided to poison his drink and flee. He unknowingly used the wrong flask labeled "COMPASSION SYRUM." His master surviving was the least of his confusion.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Oh god, oh christ“, cried the master seconds after swallowing the first of his spoons. I breathed. Finally it was done, my plan was coming to fruition. I had not expected the poison to bring such pains during the process of his death, but all of his huffs and screams only let my satisfaction grow. He had inflicted years of suffering on my soul, had turned me into an incurable, perpetually dying peace of ham. Why not let him experience just a fraction of what he had made me feel? I just had not expected it to go on for this long.\n\n”Oh dear heavens, what have I done”, continued the master when his voice temporarily regained enough strength to make out some of his sputtered words. This made me look up for the first time - was the feeling of having his insides torn apart enough to make this man with an iron facade have a change of heart? Was this cowardice, a plea for his life? What was he expecting me to do, call an ambulance? And have years of his work exposed to law enforcement? Surely not.\n\n“I- you must believe me, I cannot bear what I have done to you, I cannot possibly retrace my actions!”\n\nStill his voice was strong if desperate. What was this darn poison doing? Had the last trial had some late effects on my eyes? A quick look at the bottle confirmed my fears. Some pointless emotioactive serum. Doubtlessly one he had planned to give to me, and take away even more of my withering mind. The one chance I had, and here I was already too far gone to use it! Perhaps I could at least hope its effects would spare me continued treatment for a few hours, offer me another way to kill him and take back the life owing to me.\n\nHe was still blabbering on, bawling into the soup he’d had Fuji make. Throwing his arms around frantically, now getting up, now falling onto his knees, crawling dangerously close to me. Had he discovered my intentions? Were the effects already wearing off? I hurried back in a futile attempt to delay punishment. His punishments were as vile as were becoming of a private researcher with his reputation.\n\nNo use. He’d already grabbed my ankles.\n\n“Please, Benjamin, you must believe me! I was blind, in a rage, a rage that made a monster of me - but I can see know! It’s not all lost, you must let me repent! Oh please let me repent, you were merciful, I knew that the moment we met! Let me suffer, let me weep-“ his voice was broken by a cascade of sobs. ”Let me just know for a moment what it’s like, let us even the ground! I throw myself at you, I don’t deserve any less, any more, please! Let me have the honour of evening the ground the tiniest bit! Kill me! Slay me! Tie me to a p-“\n\n”God, will you stop!”\n\nWhat a bliss it brought, to command him once the way he always commanded me! If these were truly the effects of whatever I had misguidedly given him and not a cruel trick to breed cause for punishment, if this was truly a chance at an end to this business, then I must not let it go to waste. There was no way to know how long this would last - my best shot was to incapacitate him as soon as possible.\n\nI could pry little reason from his blubbering lips, but managed to guide him down towards my chamber - if you could honour the cupboard I was usually strapped to with that name. The leather straps were surprisingly easy to fasten - I had watched him do it countless times, and of course, he wasn’t struggling as I had done for years. I found I could actually use the instruments all the more effectively for having felt them on my body - I knew which spots to hit to make my injections reach his brain most quickly, I knew where I could make the pain more and more unbearable while keeping him conscious all the same.\n\nMy muscles hurt with joy as I let them run freely. Of course they were sore at first, after years of having them suspended in the same position and out of use, but my vigour drove them to sharpen themselves on him, my sweet little obedient grindstone. I made sure he would not miss out on anything I had done, and at last I went further - you see, he had taught me well. It was perfect, he took it all with repressed screams and deserving nods. You could not have imagined a more effective, more adequate slave. Soon I saw what he had been talking about all those years, we really did make a good team, master and slave.\n\nDuring none of this was I expecting I’d win the Grand Prize of Independent Research and Innovation one day. You see, I really wasn’t in it for the science. I never did get more interested in the field that had brought the two of us together. I wasn’t expecting the serum I gave him one day to cure his methanol-induced blindness, either. It was rather an unfortunate incident, as the blindness had made it far easier to get a genuine startled reaction out of him the previous months. But of course he wasn’t the born rebel with or without his vision, so there was little point in regretting it when I could report the newfound abilities to the Council of Independent Research and Innovation instead. It caused quite the stir, gave me a house, a title.\n\nHe’s unfortunately tragically passed away since, and our loyal servant Fuji not soon after, but I suppose I should thank him. We really were a good team." ]	2
[WP] You are a genie. However, instead of granting wishes as they are asked, or throwing in an evil twist, you grant them in a way that teaches life lessons to the recipient to make them a better person	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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. Evil. These are all human concepts, qualities to be determined in hindsight by whichever side survived to tell the story. Trapped as I am, I will never get a chance to tell my story to the rest of the world. But you. You are here, and to you, I will tell my story.\n\nThe first one was Bran. I suppose I saw a little bit of myself in him. A young and angry man, convinced that with the right amount of power, he could change the world. When I was his age, I'd signed away my free will for a chance to taste that power. \n\n\"Three wishes,\" I'd said. \"Three wishes, and no more.\" \n\nBy the end of it all, he was in charge of the world. Nations rose and fell at his very word. Each one of his decisions determined the fate of millions of strangers who he had never met.\n\nTo wield power, one needs to be heartless. He was not heartless enough. It was not I who pushed him off the bridge, not I who sank him to the depths of his watery grave, though history may say it so. I'd watched as he'd made the decision. A single step, and it was over. \n\nThe second was Marissa. Fame and riches, she'd asked from me. I was still a young genie, then. Foolishly enough, I gave them both to her.\n\nShe lasted ten months. All the riches in the world won't last you over a month, especially when every acquaintance and every stranger wants a piece of it and you don't have the strength to say no. Her family turned on her, her friends sold the most private parts of her life to the press, and one day, she decided that enough was enough.\n\nAfter several more wishers, I learned my lesson. The things that humans desired most desperately were the things that would hurt them most.\n\n\\----\n\nNow, my newest master rubbed the lamp. \n\n\"Genie! I wish for money,\" he commanded, voice loud and clear. Ensconced within, I could hear the self-deprecating mutter that followed. \"Stupid Gen, did you really think there was something inside? You've wasted your few last cents on a broken lamp.\" \n\nI snuck out of the lamp as a barest glimmer of smoke. Distracted as he was, my master did not notice. I crept into his phone, reading his emails, taking stock of the recent layoff notice, the reminders about late bills, the rejected job applications. And with my magic, I changed ten of the rejections into interview requests. It wasn't money, but at least now he would have a chance.\n\n\\-----\n\n[/r/theBasiliskWrites/](https://www.reddit.com/r/theBasiliskWrites/)" ]	2
[WP] "There is no argument- I am not 'just a car'. I am an artificial intelligence designed to keep you safe. My database suggests your date's 'restaurant' has several failed health inspections within the year. Driving you to such a hazardous location goes against my programming. Trust me; Cancel."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "TW: Domestic violence, including emotional and physical abuse. \n\nGrey rests his head against the steering wheel, completely exasperated. \"Egeria, I swear to god.\"\n\n\r \n\"I am not taking you to that restaurant.\" A cool voice replies.\n\n\r \n\"You are the most stubborn piece of machinery I've ever met in my life.\"\n\n\r \n\"I am not just a piece of machinery.\" It replies, sounding slightly annoyed now. \"I am-\"\n\n\r \n\"Yes I know, 'an artificial intelligence designed to keep me safe,' and I appreciate that Egeria, I do. But you can't make every decision for me. You're meant to stop me from running into a tree and that's all.\"\n\n\r \n\"I am meant to keep you safe in any way I can.\" It pouts. He sighs and pats the dashboard.\n\n\r \n\"I need more people like you in my life. Look E, I have to do this okay? I don't really care about the food, if I get food poisoning, so be it.\"\n\n\r \n\"I won't take you there.\" \n\n\r \n\"E, I'll use manual if I have too.\" Egeria goes quiet and he sighs exasperated. He hated arguing with it. Yes it was just a car, but it was a good friend, witty and sassy. It almost seemed sentient if such a thing were possible, and he hated upsetting whatever kind of feelings it had.\n\nHe rode in silence to the restaurant, dread settling into the pit of his stomach as it came into view. This was it. He sighed and unbuckled his seat belt, preparing to leave the car.\n\n\"Don't do it. Grey, she will try to hurt you.\" Egeria warns. He pauses. \n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"My calculations say that there's an 80% chance that she will try to physically injure you tonight, and a 2% that she'll kill you.\" \n\n\"E, she only hit me once. And your software doesn't work like that, you can't know this.\"\n\n\"I'm not what you think I am Grey. Cancel.\" He groans looking out the window and seeing his date. \n\n\"Leah's already here, look I'll be fine E. See you soon, okay?\"\n\nThe car continues to spout warnings and statistics as he closes the door and gives it a friendly pat.\n\nHe walks over to Leah, who's sitting outside of the restaurant at a table with an umbrella. She gives him a tight smile. \"You're late.\"\n\n\"By five minutes.\" His apologetic smile disappears under her icy gaze and he quickly sits across from her.\n\n\"So, are you going to tell me where you've been for the past few days?\" She asks causally, looking at the menu.\n\nAt my sister's house. \"Uh, no. Um...\" he hesitates at her narrowed eyes. \"Leah I meant it when told you that I couldn't do this anymore. I'm just here to say it again in person.\"\n\nShe scoffs. \"You don't mean anything you say. Do you really think you can live without me?\" She shakes her head when he doesn't respond. \n\n\"Wow. Well luckily you're not going to have to find out. You're coming back home.\"\n\n\"Leah-\"\n\n\"No. Okay? God you're an idiot. It's a wonder I'm taking you back when I finally have a chance to get rid of you. Probably because you couldn't survive on your own.\"\n\nHe scoffs and goes to reply when the waiter appears. \"Two bowls of lentil soup and two glasses of sprite. Enjoy your meal.\" He nods and slips away. Grey looks warily down at the soup.\n\n\"What? Not good enough for your royal highness?\" She asks, deadpan.\n\nHe laughs nervously and shakes his head. \"No it's just, apparently this place has failed some health inspections.\"\n\nShe lets her spoon fall into her bowl with a clatter and he jumps. \"Oh, so now you're going to criticise the restaurant I picked out?\"\n\n\"It's great, I just, I was thinking of something Egeria said earlier.\"\n\n\"You and your fancy toys. We're selling that thing later, I don't trust that advanced AI shit.\"\n\nHe swallows and meets her eyes sadly. \"There's no 'we', Leah.\"\n\n\"How well spoken, you might be able to convince yourself at this rate. No you won't.\" She reaches across the table and interlaces their fingers. He stares at their connected hands. They remind him of better times, every good memory stabbing him in the heart. He doesn't want to let go.\n\n\"We need each other Grey, and that's why you're not leaving. You've had your little temper tantrum, now it's time to come home.\"\n\n\"I don't like how you talk to me.\"\n\n\"And I don't like how you talk back. See, we make a perfect team.\"\n\n\"This isn't a normal relationship Leah, don't you see that?\"\n\n\"And how would you know? How many relationships have you been in?\"\n\n\"It- I've read-\"\n\n\"Oh you read? What little blogs have you stumbled across hmm? That look down on any relationship that isn't picture perfect. None of them have had to deal with you, they'd be on my side if they had. \n\nI put up with you, I take care of you. I'm the best you're gonna get. Come on, stay and talk things out. You owe me that much. Maybe we can do some couples counselling or hippy shit.\"\n\n\"Leah this is abu-\"\n\n\"This is abuse is it? You haven't experienced a lick of hardship in your life. How would you know what abuse is? If anyone's abusive it's you, messing up the house, ignoring me to hang out with your stupid friends. You make my life a bloody nightmare.\"\n\n\"Then why do you want us to stay together?\" He asks, exasperated.\n\nShe softens, bringing his hand to her mouth to kiss it. \"Because you dumbass, unlike you I know how to forgive people. I know how to take the good with the bad. We'll get counselling, I'll stop yelling.\" she adds sarcastically. \"We'll get through this.\" \n\nShe's rubbing circles into the back of his hand. He nods. A grin slowly spreads across her face. \"Good boy. Come on, let's go home.\"\n\n\"But we haven't really eaten yet.\"\n\n\"We'll take it to go.\"\n\n\"But it's soup?\"\n\nShe chuckles and pulls his hand closer, he's practically leaning across the table now. \"It'll be fine.\"\n\nHe melts and closes his eyes, giving in. \"Okay.\"" ]	2
[WP] You are a witch hunter who just switched bodies with a witch.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 Taran, and I am a witch hunter. I was born into this profession. My father and grandfather and great-grandfather before me all were witch hunters, among the best in the world. Among our kind there is a simple rule: never trust a witch. It doesn't matter how beautiful or innocent or young she may seem. It doesn't matter what she promises you. She will lie and deceive. At least, that is what I was taught.\n\nGiven all this, it may surprise you to learn that as far as I knew, I had never actually encountered a witch until yesterday. When I met her, it took nearly all of my mental discipline to resist her charm. Not that she was trying very hard. In fact, it caught me by surprise that she was even a witch at all. You see, she was my Tinder date.\n\nNow I know what you're probably thinking: you're supposed to be a badass witch hunter, a legendary warrior! What the hell are you doing on Tinder? Well, it's 2021, we've modernized. Most of us, and apparently most witches, live very average lives. We work jobs, we go on dates, some even get married and have children with ordinary people, and often it is a struggle deciding whether or not to ever reveal our true nature to those we care for. Gone are the days of feudal clan wars and unrestricted hunting of one another, brandishing weapons and magic and showing glorious presence to the common folk. Today we work undercover through the modern systems society has built. That was how she found me.\n\nHer name is Rayne, and she is beautiful. Although now, it may be more accurate to say that I am, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Things have gotten a bit...confusing.\n\nWe matched almost immediately. I was shocked after I swiped right, thinking she was just an attractive woman in the passing second and a half it takes to make the decision between right and left. I never imagined she had already swiped right on me. I never imagined she already knew who I was. What I was.\n\nAnyway, after a short and arguably flirtatious conversation, we agreed to meet up at Starbucks for a coffee. We seemed to hit it off really well. She shared almost all of my interests, and in hindsight I realize she peppered in a few of her own just to keep me off balance. It would be too suspicious if she like everything I liked, after all.\n\nOne thing leads to another and we go back to her apartment. Normally I would never do this on a first date, simply out of caution, but I will admit I fell prey to my baser instincts. It had been months since I had been with anyone and I thought there was no way she could be a witch. I kept telling myself this as we climbed the stairs to her apartment. I kept telling myself this as she gave me a glass of wine from her kitchen. I kept telling myself this as my vision went black.\n\nWhen I awoke, I saw myself standing over me. I was laying in a bathtub, unable to move my limbs. It's a surreal thing to see one's own naked body standing over them. I was confused, but I couldn't turn my head, and I was unable to speak. So she, or now he, spoke to me.\n\n\"I knew one of you would come for me eventually. I knew if you found out you would try to kill me. You wouldn't hesitate. That is why I must do this, for your own good, and the good of both our kinds.\"\n\nMy throat was scratchy and hoarse, and I barely noticed the change in my pitch when I breathed out the question, \"Do what?\"\n\n\"I have taken your body, and replaced it with mine. You're going to live as a woman now, and I as a man. More importantly, you will live as a witch, and I as a witch hunter. Times have changed, the world has moved on. It's time for us to understand one another, and stop the killing.\"\n\nI felt the muscles in my neck tighten as I looked down at my new form. Soft skin. Tender hands. Curves...\n\nOf course, I had read about stories of body swapping, and heard more than once the typical response of guys saying they'd fondle themselves if they were a woman for a day. But that was not what I felt. What I felt was fear, dread, and a distinct sense of dysphoria looming over this new unknown. This body was unfamiliar and brimming with magical power. A power I lacked the knowledge to control. This was not my body. This was not me.\n\nMy voice continued to speak to me. \"I bet you're thinking you could just use that body's power to reverse the spell, but you can't. It is of the mind, not the body. It will only break when I wish it. If you tell anyone about this, especially those in my Order, they will likely kill you and me as well. I'm sorry it had to be this way, but learning the truth about one another is the only chance for peace.\"\n\nI let out a soft chuckle and hoarsely asked, \"Do you...really think...there can be...peace?\"\n\n\"Not yet, but in time, with knowledge and understanding, and patience, then perhaps. I can only hope.\"\n\nI slowly struggled to sit up, feeling strength returning to this body's muscles. \"Why? Why do you...want peace? After all...these centuries?\"\n\nMy face looked back at me, our eyes met. \"Our two peoples will not survive if we cannot put aside our differences. The modern world will erase us. And...\"\n\n\"And what?\"\n\n\"I never wanted to be a witch. I never asked to be a woman. This is my way of taking back control. I'm sorry I had to take it from you, but you may be the only one of your kind that could understand.\"\n\nShe stepped out of the room then, in my body, and put on my clothes. \"I'm leaving you with my entire life. Learn all you can. Grow, understand, and be patient. In time, I will come back for you.\" That was yesterday. That was the last time I saw myself.\n\nNow when I look in the mirror, I see a woman. She's beautiful and powerful and desirable, but she is not me. I can tell no one, because they would not understand. Now I have to live her life, knowing nothing of who she is or how others see her, let alone the world of witches she is a part of.\n\nI am alone, and I am afraid." ]	2
[WP] You have the power of telepathy, but you can only read the minds of your pets. You don't understand why the superhero league won't take a look at your application.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"So it's just telepathy?\" asked the recruiter.\n\n\"Why yes,\" said Glenda while idly petting an old tabby in her lap, \"you'd be surprised at what Precious here thinks about\". \n\nThe recruiter looked at the application and then again at Glenda over his reading glasses. \n\nBefore him sat Glenda White, age 52, currently on high blood pressure medication, and wanting to join The Hero League. \n\n\"Ma'am, you do realize that there is a physical fitness portion of the test as well as a demonstration of meta-ability?\"\n\n\"Oh I'm aware,\" said Glenda calmly, \"although I don't believe what I can offer the League will require much in the way of running around the way that the other heroes do\". \n\nThe recruiter scratched his chin thoughtfully. \n\n\"Well we have your contact information should you be selected for an interview,\" said the recruiter in a tone of voice all too familiar to Glenda. \n\nShe sighed and carefully stood up with the old tabby. \n\n\"Have a good day ma'am,\" the recruiter said without looking at Glenda as he took a rubber stamp to the bottom of the application.\n\nGlenda turned around without saying anything and quietly walked out the door.\n\n\"Another rejection it seems,\" thought Precious as they walked back to Glenda's apartment. \n\n\"It seems so,\" Glenda replied as she came to a stop at a cross walk. \n\n\"You should go feed the birds,\" Precious thought as the WALK sign illuminated, \"that always cheers you up and you come back smelling wonderful.\" \n\nGlenda chuckled to herself and stepped out onto the cross walk. Precious was right. Hearing the pigeons gossip always made for an entertaining afternoon. \n\nWith brighter spirits Glenda got home, collected her birdseed, and made her way to the park. \n\n\"Glenda's here\"\n\"What, Glenda?\"\n\"Food lady!\"\n\"No cat right?\"\n\nGlenda chuckled to herself as she sat down on a park bench and tossed out the first handful of birdseed. \n\n\"So how have you all been?\" Glenda asked to the group of pigeons who were now happily pecking at the ground. \n\n\"Found a great nest spot\"\n\"I was hungry\"\n\"Ate a huge worm\"\n\"I saw humans with guns\"\n\nGlenda paused. \n\n\"What was that dear?\" \n\n\"Big guns, not cops, no wee-whoo car\" \n\n\"Could you come here and show me dear,\" said Glenda, holding out her hand. \n\nThe pigeon hopped into her hand and Glenda began to concentrate. \n\nImages flashed in her mind. Four people with assault rifles, a black SUV. \"-armored car's last stop\", \"-chestnut and main street\". \n\nGlenda broke the connection to the pigeon and placed it back on the ground. \n\nShe pulled out her phone and scrolled down her contacts to the League's tip line and paused. It's not like she could tell the person on the other end that a pigeon had told here that there was about to be a robbery. She would need to do something a little drastic. \n\n\"911 what is your emergency?\"\n\n\"Please help\" Glenda whispered, \"I'm at the bank on the corner of chestnut and main street. Four armed men are here and they have guns.\"\n\n\"Ma'am has anyone been hurt?\" asked the operator in a curt tone.\n\n\"Please hurry,\" Glenda whispered again with as much fear in her voice as she could muster and hung up. \n\n\"Well that will have to do,\" Glenda thought to herself as she tossed another handful of seeds in front of her.\n.....\nAn administrator for The Hero League looked over the after action report in her hands and leaned back in her chair. There was something about the report that bothered her. The call was placed at 4:23 PM. A hero was dispatched at 4:26 PM. According to the hero's account they had arrived at 4:42 PM as the black SUV was pulling into the bank. \nShe needed to double check the timestamps so that the records were correct. She began by checking the call logs and hitting the \"More Info\" tab. \n\n\"What the hell\" she swore to herself.\n\nThe timestamp was not only correct, but according to the metadata the cell towers placed the call five miles away from the bank. With a few keystrokes, the administrator put the phone number into the database search and was surprised at how quickly results came back. \n\nHer eyes scrolled across the text on screen before she picked up the phone.\n\n\"Hey Jeremy, I'm emailing you some files that I think we need to take a look at\"\n\n\"Hello to you too Rachel,\" Jeremy replied, \"so what's the big deal?\"\n\n\"I was looking at the after action report for the case yesterday and I noticed something interesting with the time,\" Rachel continued, ignoring Jeremy's comment. \n\n\"So? Just double check the time stamps and correct it.\" Jeremy said with a hint of exasperation in his voice. \n\n\"I did and they're right,\" Rachel said patiently, \"Take a look at the second attachment\".\n\n\"Three rejected superhero application from a Glenda White?\" Jeremy asked.\n\n\"It's the same number that made the 911 call in the first place. Rachel continued, \"are you thinking what I'm thinking?\"\n\n\"Seems like we need to schedule an appointment for an interview,\" Jeremy concluded." ]	2
[WP]It’s time for the yearly Supervillain Invention Contest and your child’s science fair project is in the running for first place. You want to be proud of your child’s chances of winning but concerned that their science fair project qualified to be placed in the contest.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Am I proud of our son? Well yes, of course. I'm his father. I mean, Billy has always been a bright kid. No one doubts that. Every time the school convened an emergency meeting, the teachers and the principal would always start by saying that no one doubted Billy's intelligence. It was just how he chose to use that intelligence that caused some... concern.\n\nThe first incident was the lab fire. Now if you ask me, an 8 year old shouldn't have even been able to access the school's lab in the first place. I don't know how he was able to create napalm, but I definitely think the school shouldn't have had those ingredients to begin with. The teachers said they found him outside of the burning science building, laughing maniacally, but his psychiatrist said that reaction was probably brought on by stress and anxiety. \n\nIs he still seeing a psychiatrist now? No... I'm afraid not. You see, Dr. Fields had a mental breakdown a couple years ago, coincidentally right after a session with Billy. Poor woman. Last I heard, she was still at St. Genevieve's Hospital for the Mentally Disturbed, raving about the anti-Christ or something. Poor woman. Our thoughts and prayers are with her. \n\nAnyways, where was I? Oh yes, you wanted to know about Billy's science fair project? When he told us he wanted to do something as simple as a model volcano, we were thrilled. Something normal for once! No working replicas of an iron maiden for cats, no omni-directional guillotines, just a simple model volcano. We had no idea that Billy had found a way to tap into the Earth's molten core and create new volcanos wherever he liked. \n\nWhen he demonstrated in the middle of the science fair, I would say the judges were impressed. I mean, who wouldn't be impressed by a 25 mound bursting through the gym floor and erupting molten debris everywhere? Sure, the debris caught the other exhibits on fire, but I thought his disqualification and expulsion was an over-reaction on the part of the administration. Genius is hard to handle. It comes with drawbacks. Poor Billy, I think he was heartbroken by the lack of appreciation the school had for his gifts. \n\nBut this Supervillain Invention Contest of yours is definitely a silver lining. I didn't even know it existed, and that prize money is certainly impressive. When Billy found out that his volcano-maker had made the cut for the convention, he was thrilled. I've never seen him smile so wide. Just the other day, he told me he had made some tweaks to his invention. He said the results were going to be 'earthshattering' during the demonstration. That boy certainly has a dramatic way with words. \n\nSpeaking of that demonstration, I think it should be starting any minute now. Should we head over to the convention site? It's on the other side of the city if I remember right, and I don't want to miss it. We can take a helicopter there you say? Fantastic, that should save some time on the commute. \n\nBut what's that rumbling sound? I think the ground just started shaking... Texas doesn't have earthquakes, does it? Oh well, it's probably nothing. Let's get going. Billy said he was going to put on a show the world would never forget. I certainly don't want to miss it!\"" ]	2
[WP] After messing around with the sketchy mirror in your basement, you wind up transported into a Disney movie. But you're not some kid who loves those movies...you're an adult who's never seen one, and is very confused.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Tw// Gasl\\ghting and Child A\\\\se\n\nI was wondering what a mirror of all things was doing in the basement, but hey, it's free... or so I thought.\n\nAs a child, I was familiar with the story of Rapunzel. A girl is taken from her family in exchange that the family has food to eat before she is born. A prince eventually comes to save her, and because we're back then people, she has not cut her hair, and he uses it to climb up and save her. In some grimmer tales, she falls and blinds herself.\n\nThis? This was a Disney movie. Heard of it before. Seen some of the memes on my media. Skimmed the trailer.\n\nI apparently was thrown into this as... 'Male main character's best friend'. So... let's see. Right, the guy who never gets his face right. We're climbing the tower that supposedly Rapunzel is in. I don't have a high enough voice, so I can't just convince her that we're the lady she's lived with and probably calls 'mom'. Isn't this movie great?\n\nI let him go first, since, damn, his butt looks thicc- that's beside the point. Before I keep climbing in, I hear a thud. Oh shit. She's hit him. Right... frying pan memes. I climb up.\n\n\"Whoa whoa there. Don't hit me. I can explain. Uh, okay?\"\n\n\"Who are you-\"\n\n\"Rapunzel! Let down your hair!\" Rapunzel immediately looks out the window. Right. The tower lady. I take the dude and hide in the closet nearby. I hear her scrape the chair and put it up to the handles. Thank god. This guy is heavy as fuck.\n\nAs I hear their conversation, I notice something I've noticed when I was a child. Gaslighting, which is a form of child abuse. The phrase 'now I'm the bad guy...'* is the abuser victimizing themselves in order to guilt-trip the victim. I hear her leave as Rapunzel let's us out.\n\n\"Okay, well first, list of things. Hello, this is my associate-\" trying to remember memes and names... \"Flynn. I am-\" name on the back of my tag is Jason. \"Jason. We were just... wait where did Flynn's satchel go?\"\n\n\"I hid it. I have a request, and if you help me, I'll give it back.\"\n\n\"Okay, I'll do you one better, but after I know what you want.\"\n\n\"I want to see the floating lights.\" \n\n\"Ah. Picture of them?\"\n\n\"Oh, well, I see them on my birthday, and they look like this.\" She shows me art of her sitting and looking at them.\n\n\"I see. Okay.\" Right... she's a disney princess taken from her parents by this gaslighting lady. So... return her to parents, I go home.\n\n\"huh...\"\n\n\"Knock him out.\" She does so again.\n\n\"Thank you. He kinda does things compulsively, so I want to settle our deal before he gets too greedy. Anyways, you get to see the lights, Flynn gets his satchel, and I get to finally go home after this long endeavour. Agree?\"\n\n\"Yes! There's no catch, right?\"\n\n\"Hm... well... one catch. There's guards that are hunting us two down. We need to hide from them.\"\n\n\"Oh. Okay! Well then, let's go!\"\n\n\"Right. Flynn, buddy. Wake up.\"\n\n\"Huh?\"\n\nWe explain things to Flynn. Pascal seems to like me more than Flynn. Good. I rather the animal friends did not hate me.\n\n\"So, I'll get my satchel if blondie over here gets to see the lights?\"\n\n\"Yes. Also, before we go, uh, let's leave a note for your mom.\"\n\n\"Oh, but won't she be mad?\"\n\n~~Yes she will~~ \"Don't worry. At least then she knows where we are and can come get us later.\" I say, pulling a piece of paper and writing a note.\n\n\"Hello. We're at the 'floating lights'. From, Rapunzel, Jason, and Flynn\" \n\n\"Let's go now. Before it's dark. I know the way, don't worry.\" I sorta do, but Disney logic says, montage to the place. We get stuck in some vines, a bit in the marshes, hide from guards, remove some wanted papers, and do some fun parkour jumps over rivers and ravines.\n\n\"Whoa, is this the city?\" Rapunzel asks.\n\n\"Ah... floating lights... Flynn, she wants to see the lanterns on her birthday. It's almost dark. We need to find a place to stay. I got enough money for two rooms... you go with her.\"\n\n\"Me, with blondie?\"\n\n\"Yeah. You snore. I want sleep.\"\n\n\"Fine fine.\" Okay. Love plot done. Almost done with Rapunzel's floating lights quest. It's her birthday tomorrow. Just need to get through the night without her 'mother' finding us.\n\nOkay, got through the night. We're gonna have some fun in the market. They're dancing, getting along. Good. Flowers in her hair. Also good. Let's see. Mother isn't here. Good. Let's keep it that way.\n\nWe avoid the guards as I make sure they have the time of their lives. It eventually breaks into dance and somehow I get roped into this. Makes sense. I'm part of the cast.\n\nWe reach nightfall. I reserve a boat for the two as I sit on the dock, eating some fruit I got. Ah, the lanterns. I keep a rope onto the boat so they don't cross over to the other shore, where mother could be.\n\n\"Ah, that was so fun!\"\n\n\"Yep. Now, the thing I was gonna give you, Rapunzel, since I did say I had a better offer. Um, so you see the crown in Flynn's satchel?\"\n\n\"Yeah.\" \n\n\"Put it on.\"\n\n\"Oh! Like this?\" Yes like that.\n\n\"Mhm.\"\n\n\"Flynn. We've seen the mural of the princess. You seeing what I see?\"\n\n\"...she's the lost princess?\"\n\n\"Yes. Like, literally, I was like, her mom don't look anything like her, nor does she look a day over childbirth. Some sketchy stuff is going on. So while you were doing your thing, I found out her powers of healing and youth, yes that's why I cut your hand by 'accident'.\" I pause. \"So yeah, uh, let's return her to her parents... now.\"\n\n\"Wait, I'm the lost princess?\"\n\n\"Yes, now, do you want to see your real parents?\"\n\n\"Yes!\"\n\nWe wait until morning, bringing her and Flynn to the palace. They hug it out, group hug style and dragging me in too. We cut to them finding the fake mom, named Mother Gothel, and put her in jail, where she turned to dust once time caught up. Pascal is having fun. All is well. Suddenly, I'm back, but something's wrong. I can feel it.\n\nI walk upstairs and go to Disney. I search up Tangled, which was the movie name, and see something new. There's a 'Disney series' called 'Let's Fix This Story' and its plot is about people writing about putting themselves into the story to help it go smoothly without it getting worse. It's like we've added a new story.\n\nI smile and rest on the couch. Maybe I should catch up on what I missed as a child. After all, didn't really have a childhood, did I?" ]	2
[WP] “I’m sorry, but your nemesis has... amnesia. Their skillset has been reduced to square one. They may never be able to fight you again.”	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Mr. Asstastic pinched the bridge of his nose at the news.\n\nDr. Octopotamus was the most qualified super doctor in the world, so Asstastic could not doubt him in the slightest, no matter how hard the truth was to accept. Ms. Funbags had stuffed herself into her villainous latex Villain Suit (TM) for the last time, it seems. Feeling the pressure from his fingers, Asstastic forced himself to relax, giving out a grievous sigh in response.\n\nThe good doctor waited for Mr. Asstastic to respond. Octopotamus had seen his own fair share of injuries. Lacerations, amputations, trans-dimensional transmogrifications, and more incidents involving his own arch-nemesis, the Carolina Reaper, than he can count on all of his hoof tentacles combined. Mr. Asstastic braced himself, yet he remained sitting.\n\n\"Show me,\" He said.\n\nOctopotamus replied at an instant: \"Yes, here.\" He grasped the orange envelope inside the left pocket of his white coat and reached over the large 6-foot wide oval oak table to hand it to him. Asstastic didn't even need reach out to receive the envelope despite the impractical distance between the two heroes. Without even glancing at the envelope cusped between the slimy purple tentacles, Mr. Asstastic took it and gently placed it down in front of him.\n\nMr. Asstastic blinked, and refocused on the envelope. He nodded to Octopotamus and opened it.\n\nThe contents inside held the aftermath of Octopotamus' surgery. Ms. Funbags was sedated, her head spilling contents of her brains on the floor of the surgery room. --But he noticed something.\n\nMr. Asstastic clenched himself to lean forward on the table, a habit that he learned how to do ever since he gained his powers. --He looked closer at the photos. Those weren't brains on the floor. It was Red Goo.\n\nClearly the work of The Carolina Reaper.\n\n\"It looks like The Reaper was in cahoots with Ms. Funbags all along. It all makes sense now.\" Asstastic said. The doctor didn't need a psychology degree to tell just how angry Asstastic was to be fooled in this manner. --To have to spell out Carolina Reaper's involvement in this way. It made the doctor's hooves curl inward.\n\nDr. Octopotamus snorted, his nostrils flaring: \"Yeah. Was.\"\n\nMr. Asstastic unclenched himself and pinched the bridge of his nose again, falling back onto the chair with force. The pain felt better to him. \"What are we gonna do, doc?\"\n\n\"I don't know. I have no clue if she can live with Red Goo in her brain. Her prognosis...\" The 10-foot tall beast fidgeted on his chair, deep in thought. \"It's unknown. She's awake, though, so that's good.\"\n\nMr. Asstastic stood up, his ass flexed against his seat to prop him. The force splintered the wood underneath as he stood fast: \"This is bull shit! This isn't how it's supposed to be!\" He screamed. Dr. Octopotamus only shrugged his shoulders in response. Mr. Asstastic paced back in forth with both his blue latex hands grasping at the hair on his head.\n\n\"We're gonna have to watch her closely Clint. She'll probably never know who she was. Or who you are. You have to be prepared for that,\" Dr. Octopotamus replied.\n\nMr. Asstastic could only sigh: \"I know, doc. I know.\"\n\n\"This could mean war between the Villains and the Heroes, you know,\" Octopotamus pushed.\n\n\"I know,\" Asstastic replied. His hands now hung dead at his sides. His head pointing at the cold floor." ]	2
[WP] “I’m very sorry for insulting you, and I was completely out of line saying those things. Now can you please turn the sun back on? A lot of people kind of count on it….”	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The thing about gods is they aren't exactly keen on constructive criticism. When you are larger than life, greater than all of creation, and generally omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent it is much easier to pass off your mistakes as \"part of the grand plan\" than come clean. Many would say that God has never made a mistake, and they'd be mostly correct. However, among those close to God, it is widely known that He has made 5 great mistakes, none of which should ever be mentioned in the same sentence as His name. Scholars have long debated over the exact order but it usually goes something like this: dinosaurs --we did manage to clean this one up, but one of us got banished to Hell for that--, mosquitos, shag carpet, magnets, and the creation of the universe. When praying --though we are quite backlogged, expect delays--, I would advise to never bring any of these up if you would like to avoid being smote down by heavenly wrath in accordance with heavenly law, biblical and otherwise. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nBarring the Jurassic incident, the archangels --myself included-- have held fast to this rule. It may seem strange that God's advisors don't tend to do much advising but we think of it like this: if you're working on a group project and the smartest kid is determined to do all the work, sometimes the only thing to do is to sit back, help where you can, and keep your mouth shut. Do as your told and accept the A. So if He Who is Above All wants to to create billions of tiny creatures that serve no purpose but to freeload and put Pestilence out of a job, well then Deus Vult. Sorry Pestilence, we are downsizing the company.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nOf course Michael was far to busy \"being the Sword of the heavens\", which seems to include more staring broodingly into the distance than any sort of actual contribution, to talk to Pestilence and so it was ceremoniously passed to myself. I had the plague for centuries afterward. Yet I would fire Pestilence ten thousand more times before I would ask for any sort of Divine Intervention on the matter. And then I got a phone call.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nInterdimensional telephones are quite the rage right now. Everyone who is anyone is getting in on the service. We get full coverage in 90% of heaven --the Amish have been rather adamant about not adding towers in their areas, we tried to explain it to them but old habits die hard--, 100% of purgatory, and 42% of Hell, though the Hell branch is rapidly expanding. As the Official Messenger of God, I have been quite pleased with the project. Winged mailmen may fly fast, but we fly faster. 26% faster to be exact. Yes, everything had been going quite swimmingly, until my phone rang. The number had a hell area code, 9th circle, and being there were only 3 inhabitants in the infinite planes of ice, I had a pretty good idea of who it might be.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Lucifer how's it going big bro,\" I made sure to smile as I spoke, people can always here a genuine smile. And I really was happy to hear from him, \"it's been, what, two thousand years now? How's the weather?\" \n\n\"Two thousand and twenty one now if we're being exact and its bloody cold,\" said Lucifer.\n\n\"Ah well I knew that winter coat I got you last Christmas would come in handy. Jesus and I pitched in on it together,\" I replied cheerfully. Despite common misconceptions on the matter, Jesus and Lucifer have grown quite close these days. \n\n\"Yes, yes it is quite wonderful. I don't know what this fur is made of but it is extraordinary. But listen--\"\n\n\"Alpaca actually, believe it or not it was Noah's idea. After the whole ark thing he's become quite the animal expert.\"\n\n\"Gabriel, please listen,\" something in Lucifer's tone made me stop.\n\n\"Ok Luci, I'm listening, I'm sorry.\"\n\nA deep breath came across the line, \"Listen. I've been thinking. I know I broke the code, and I know why I'm here but it's been almost 65 million years now. Have I complained once? Any peep? No I haven't. I've sat here in the cold and played therapist for the billions of lost souls sent my way. I've actually grown to love my work, I feel like I'm making a genuine difference here, but Hells I haven't had a vacation in epochs. I miss the Garden's and my Brother's, even Michael. Gabriel, I-- I want to come home. It doesn't have to be for long, but could you at least ask Dad if I could come and visit.\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI didn't respond for a long time. I was at a rare loss for words here. What could I say? That asking might get me sent down there too? That things were going so well with the company and I didn't want to jeopardize that. No I couldn't say that, Lucifer had really taken one for the team back then and it just wouldn't be right. So beyond all the good sense heaven had endowed upon me, I agreed to talk to God. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nPt II coming soon." ]	2
[WP] As it would turn out time travel doesn't cause paradoxes, it causes pairs of ducks. Which is beginning to become a bit of an issue.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 muffled sound of electrical static echoed down the hall. It was only heard by one person, simply because that person was the only one that had his door open. The sound was so routine that the man at his desk didn't even pause from flying his fingers across a key board. Eyes were fixated on the computer screen, light reflected along his corneas as he filled out what could be classified as a template form.\n\nIt was only when soft chattering followed by footsteps on worn carpet drew closer did he blink. A quick check at his watch told him it wasn't very far past midnight. His chest was already rising into a large sigh when a woman appeared in his doorway. She was dressed in business attire except for the long knit sweater hanging on her very square shoulders. Her exceptionally tall frame was only filled out by two ducks under each arm. Her tired expression matched his as he exhaled. He slowly looked the ducks over. Their coloring was far wilder than any he'd seen recently. For a couple moments longer he watched them wiggle in her hold and continue to softly chatter in protest.\n\n\"Those definitely aren't the usual.\" He mumbled as he leaned back in his chair.\n\nShe tilted her head, \"Yeah. It seems New Malagasy really likes to mess with genetic variation.\"\n\nHis forehead wrinkled slightly.\n\n\"Huh,\" He lightly breathed, \"What year?\"\n\n\"Atomic Clock says 110,849.\"\n\n\"Well then,\" Another moment of thought, \"Where?\"\n\n\"Galactic quadrant NGQ4.\"\n\nHis face relaxed into a knowing frown.\n\n\"I should have known.\"\n\nShe let out a sigh herself, \"The problem child.\"\n\nWith a grunt he sat forward in his chair. Silence between them as he clicked around his screen.\n\n\"I'll add these to yours. The registration tags will be printed out in holding tank EE902.\" He said.\n\n\"All six?\"\n\n\"All six.\" He groaned.\n\nA small understanding smile came across her face. Her arm unconsciously adjusted the one duck that was attempting escape.\n\n\"How about a drink after this? It's been a week. Running around like mad. We could use a pick me up.\"\n\nMouse was still moving and clicking as he spoke.\n\n\"It's not gonna make any of this better.\"\n\n\"Oh, common...\" She lightly pushed.\n\nHe huffed and leaned back in his chair again.\n\n\"You and I are stuck in this merry-go-round of absolute insanity...\"\n\nHe jabbed his hand in the direction of the troublesome duck.\n\n\"...We're collecting and registering ducks as a job, for goodness sake! It's absolutely illogical! Make four ducks to collect two! Does that make any lick of sense to you? I'm working overtime for freaking ducks!\"\n\nHer face fell again. Eyes looked his frustrated face over. After a moment she looked down at the ducks in her arms.\n\n\"I know it's crazy. This is all crazy, but I just look at it as a job. At the end of the day, I get a pay check to be a Galactic Time Traveling delivery woman.\"\n\nHe didn't respond. She knew he was still looking at her with that same face.\n\n\"I mean, it could be worse. Imagine if it was skunks or some genetically modified polar bear?\" She sheepishly added.\n\nThat got him to breath a laugh through his nose. It made her look up. He had a tipped smile at the corner of his lips. She mirrored it.\n\n\"I don't know which would be worse.\" He finally replied.\n\nShe chuckled, \"Definitely the skunks.\"\n\nAnother weak laugh escaped his lips.\n\n\"Yeah, I don't think I could stand perpetually having to shower in tomato juice every day.\"\n\nThey softly chuckled in unison before he went back to his computer. She leaned against the door as she waited. A final sigh and he turned off the monitor. With his hands, he used the desk to push himself up from his chair. She moved out of the doorway. They fell instep as they walked down the hall.\n\n\"So, 'End of the line'?\" He asked.\n\n\"Yeah, their bartender never skimps out on the alcohol.\"\n\nHe nodded in reply.\n\nAs they turned a corner, the hall opened up into a large conference room; dark save for the lights on above them. As they stepped through the exit door, a panel of light from the opening doorway shown across the far end of the room. It light up a logo and large bold print that filled an entire wall.\n\n*DUCC Industries* , *D*etecting *U*biquitously for *C*alculated *C*ollateral\n\n\"The leader in preserving Galactic Ecology and furthering the Study of Ornithology\"" ]	2
[WP] Any master swordsman can use ridiculous weapons and still be deadly. But only you can use ridiculous weapons, be deadly, and still look awesome while doing so.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Really? A feckin stick? You've gotta be kidding me.\"\n\nThe enemy never really knows what to expect from someone wielding a stick, but that's mainly due to the fact that someone usually has to be desperate to wield one, and the fact that said someone most likely don't have any training.\n\nBut if you even know the basics of fighting, something these bandit's are either to stupid or stubborn to learn, preferring mainly to overpower the opponent... eh, I digress. Even if you know the basics of fighting, you know that pretty much anything can be a weapon.\n\nWhat they call a simple stick, I see as a club, or a staff, or even a spear if it's sharp enough. They try to crush me with their heavy clubs and hammers, so I swing faster, and aim where it hurts. They try to flank me and stab me with a knife, so I parry them as if I had a sword. They try to stay safe by swinging their weapon, and I thrust at them as if I had a spear.\n\n\"Yes, it's a feckin stick, and I'm damn good at using it.\"" ]	2
[WP] You have always enjoyed fortune cookies, but lately your fortunes have been getting oddly specific.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.\" Emily laughed at the slip of paper. She wondered what journey could take her a thousand miles from the drab little life she was living. Lunch was over and it was time to get back to work.\r \n\r \n\"Do not give up, the beginning is always the hardest.\" Emily rolled her eyes. She questioned why she even bothered to read the little slips of paper wrapped in a crunchy wafer. Begin with what? It had been the same old drudgery for years, and lately everything had been more difficult. From Mr. Burke’s constant criticism at work to the landlord's lack of interest in fixing the elevator at home. \r \n\r \n\"Don’t find fault, find a remedy.\" Emily sighed. Why did she feel scolded? Maybe it was time to stop eating so much Chinese food. Emily used the chopsticks to pick the last piece of shrimp from the pile of white steamed rice and delicious Kung Pao sauce. “Nope,” she thought with a smile. Chinese food was the best! She swept the remains into the white plastic bag and tossed them into the breakroom’s trashcan. Time to get back to work. She’s picked through so many ideas in the last few years and finally settled on one she was fairly confident would be impossible not to notice.\r \n\r \n\"All things are difficult before they are easy.\" Emily glanced at her fortune and shoved it into her pocket. Finally home, Emily scrambled up the stairs. It was so beyond ridiculous that the elevator was still not fixed. Four flights of creaky wooden stairs with only a wobbly banister to steady oneself. Thankfully, she didn’t need the banister anymore. Emily was also grateful not to be so winded by the time she reached her apartment. She unlocked the many deadbolts and swished into the safety of home. Time to tackle that project away from prying eyes.\r \n\r \n\"Others admire your flexibility.\" Emily read before she noticed Mr. Burke headed her way. He stopped at her desk with a slight frown. \"Mr. Pembroke wants to see you asap!\" He decreed. She left the remains of her lunch to head off to the executive suites. She dared to hope Mr. Pembroke appreciated the hard work poured into her effort to save the company money. It was a risk to slip her report into the pile of folders Mr. Burke had ordered her to take up a week ago. Emily was ready to be praised or terminated. Mr. Burke had kept her from leaving his personal fiefdom for years while he bullied and downplayed her work. She had decided to gather what courage she could and find her own remedy. Emily couldn’t keep blaming Mr. Burke for a lack of initiative.\r \n\r \nEmily had never been past Mr. Pembroke’s Executive Secretary. Victoria always walked any paperwork into Mr. Pembroke after Emily was whisked away by the elevator. Emily focused on the presentation she practiced over and over again. She glanced at the files on the edge of Victoria’s desk. The tabs had all been labeled Emily Sutter. Victoria opened Mr. Pembroke’s door and stepped aside so Emily could enter and then shut the door shut definitively behind her.\r \n\r \nMr. Pembroke gave her the weekend to decide. A move across the country to head a new department was unimaginable. The rest of her work day was lost in a haze of indecision, happiness, and concern that Mr. Burke would confront her. \r \n\r \nEmily settled into the familiar booth and sipped oolong tea while she waited for dinner. For a change, she savored every bite before eating the fortune cookie. The little slip of white paper read, \"Be prepared to accept an exciting opportunity in the future.\"\r \n\r \nEmily would miss her favorite Chinese restaurant." ]	2
[WP] You try to live life like you're the Main character in your own story, but it's hard to do that when you live next to THE Main Character of your world.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 pressed the pillow against my ear, hoping to somehow catch some sleep despite the second murder attempt this week happening in the room next to me. As I heard Jonah’s blood-curling screams in the room next to me, I wondered what it would be this time, probably a gun, though we might get lucky and get a knife or a katana even. \r \n\r \nWhen I first moved in, I’d worry myself sick, but soon enough I learned that he was able to survive by himself well enough. He always did. I looked at the alarm and seeing I still would’ve only had half an hour of sleep left anyways, stepped out of bed. Stepping into the living room, I saw the lamp had been destroyed, the door kicked down and the couch flipped. I walked to the coffee machine and turned around to see the fight happening in the other bedroom. Jonah was lying on his back and the masked villain had his sword’s blade pressed up against his throat. He looked up at me, shuddering in fear. \r \n\r \n“Please, Dylan, help me!” He screamed at me. \r \n\r \nI turned around, grabbing my fresh coffee. As I turned around again, I saw the eyes under the hood looking at me. Sipping my coffee, I waved. Of course, this confusion was all Jonah needed to subdue the killer and soon enough, he was laying on the ground, all tied up. It was a miracle we never ran out of rope. \r \n\r \nThere were some benefits to living with Jonah, for sure. The dishes were always magically cleaned, and even though I was jobless, he was able to afford a Manhattan apartment working as an assistant at a law firm. It was pretty obvious from the start that I was the best friend. I’d known Jonah since high school. He was the quiet kid who got bullied but always became popular after having a very emotional moment in front of the entire school, only for the cycle to repeat again. I was the best friend, and I always will be. \r \n\r \nAs I stepped out of the shower, I heard the sirens arriving to take another criminal to jail. As I stepped out of my room, I suddenly felt a wave of fear, gratitude and regret wash over me. Jonah approached, with his hair somehow still immaculate.\r \n\r \n“Hey, are you okay?”\r \n“Oh my God, Jonah, I was so scared, when that man came in I thought I was going to die!”\r \n“It’s okay, we’re a team you know.” He replied, smiling sincerely.\r \n“I am so sorry I didn’t help you out, thank you so much for saving us.”\r \n\r \nHe laughed and walked away to put some clothes on. As I left for work, I felt the emotions disappear. When I was outside, I started crying. I could never be myself anymore, I was whatever he needed me to be, but I couldn’t escape. I loved Samantha with all my heart, but the night I was to move in with her, there was a terrible subway shooting.\r \n\r \nI could never escape." ]	2
[WP] “Honey, we should tell you now, you’re adopted.” You just look at your mother for a moment. “I knew. I am very visibly and orc. TWO HUMANS DON’T MAKE AN ORC.”	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Even seated Gregory towered above both of his parents, head nearly grazing the ceiling, as he was called to dinner, yet no dinner was being served odd. \"Greg dear\" his mother Mary had started \"we have something very important to tell you\" oh dear god here it finally comes.\n\nHis father Jack who had been awkwardly standing at the oven pretending to stir the dinner porridge finally came over and took his seat unable to meet Gregory's eyes. Gregory knew what was coming, his parents had been acting weird the whole past week, and they didn't seem to consider that their late night discussions about Gregory's heritage might pass through the thin walls here. \"The worst part is, I obviously know I'm an Orc! Like come one! I'm like 8 feet tall and I have green skin do they really think I wouldn't notice?\" Gregory thought to himself.\n\n\"Honey you're adopted..\"\n\nA long silence filled the room \"Well great Chauntea! I didn't think you'd just come out with it like that!\" exclaimed his father.\n\nGregory couldn't help but chuckle a little he found the whole thing quite amusing \"Look, mom, dad, I obviously knew I was adopted. Two humans don't make an Orc, and I am quite clearly and orc\".\n\nAt that his parents relaxed their posture \"Well, I guess I'm sorry we didn't tell you earlier\" said his father \"Here lets serve dinner\" with that Jack got up to pull the porridge from the oven.\n\n\"Well dear, I suppose now that that's out of the way perhaps you'd like to know how you ended up here?\" His mother suggested. \n\nGregory answered with a nod, knowing them this will be interesting\n\n\"Oh dear gods\" his father muttered, pouring the porridge into their bowls.\n\n\"Well you know dear, your father and I, we used to be quite the adventurers!\" \n\n\"Far to old for that kinda thing now though.\" His father replied.\n\n\"Yes, well that may be true but, we sure did have quite the adventures back then now didn't we\" They both gave each other knowing looks smiling like great big fools.\n\n\"Ugh ew okay I get it Mom, so how did you find me\"\n\n\"Right, right! Well We had heard some band of demons were living in a cave terrorizing a village not so far from here, and that they were hoarding all sorts of loot they'd stolen from the surrounding villages! So, naturally your father and I figured we would rob the robbers!\"\n\nGregory raised a brow at that \"Uh Mom, Dad, you know that doesn't exactly sound like a very heroic adventure right?..\"\n\nHis father chuckled and responded \"Well, your mother didn't say anything about us being being hero's!\"\n\n\"Well anyways\" his mother continued \"We we're able to sneak into the cave quite easily, and quite the massive cave it was, we guessed Kobolds were living in there considering they practically had a village set up! At the time nobody was home, they were likely terrorizing another village, and we heard what sounded like cooing from a baby!\" His mother paused and then threw out her arms \"And that's how we stole you! Our greatest treasure!\"\n\nGregory sat there jaw hanging open, porridge falling out of his mouth. \"Did you guys oh I don't' know, consider Orcs might've been living there!?\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\n(Please feel free to comment any criticisms or ways I can improve guys! I'd really like to work on becoming a better writer and every bit helps!)" ]	2
[WP] A world where every person is able to find out his or her own destiny, but there is a character called Entropy who people go to because the character Entropy has the ability to change any person’s destiny. But every time the character Entropy changes a person’s destiny, everyone else’s does too	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 a world where one's destiny is easily revealed by magicians or soul readers, your destiny will either bring you joy or break your very mind and drive you mad.\n\nThis scares some people away from getting their destiny revealed, but not all. The worst part is it depends on the person, if someone has it revealed that they will do something terrible a kind person will be destroyed at finding that truth out. But a ill intended person may get joy out of finding their destiny will end just the way they had hoped. \n\nSo for the people that are not pleased with their destiny they will turn to a lonely wanderer that everyone calls Entropy. He can change your destiny if he chooses, and if you can find him. \n\nIn a small town named Hillsberg at the bottom of the mountain pass on the border of the realm. There is a tall skinny figure with short hair and big spectacles, he hangs out at local taverns and sits in corners so he doesn't draw attention to himself. \n\nA middle aged women approaches Entropy and taps him on the shoulder. \"excuse me sir, I have been searching everywhere for you.\" she says\n\nEntropy \"you have have you?\" \"And why would you be looking for a simple man like me?\" He says as he clocks an eyebrow.\n\nThe women sits in a chair next to him and says \"my name is Courtney, and I am in desperate need of your help\" she looks around to make sure no one is eavesdropping. \"I know who you are, you are the one they call Entropy.\" \n\nEntropy replies \"sorry ma'am I think you have the wrong person, I am just a regular farm hand passing through looking for work\" he stands up and is about to start walking away when the women reaches out and grabs his arm. That was a mistake, how could he be clumsy enough to let her touch him. You see his ability to see and change people's destiny relies on contact with that person. And in that moment he saw what her destiny was and knew why she was so desperate and scared. So he sat back down and thought long and hard about what he needed to do next. \n\nEntropy \"I will analyze your destiny and see what I can do\"\n\nCourtney \"oh thank you, thank you so much. You do not know how relieved I am right now.\" \n\nEntropy sits down and takes her hands in his and focuses his mind and delves deep into what her destiny will turn to be. One thing no one thinks about is how their destiny affects everyone around them. And so Entropy has to be careful in what he changes and how drastically.\n\nAfter a short bit he takes his hands away and sits back hiding a small smile. This is the moment he has been waiting for for so many years. He has found the person that will change everything.\n\nEntropy \"I am sorry ma'am but there is nothing to do to change your destiny\"\n\nCourtney \"wait what? That can't be, there has to be something you can do. I cannot live with the knowledge that I will bring such destruction to the world no matter what I do.\"\n\nEntropy \"oh I'm sorry, you misunderstood me. I meant there isn't anything I will do to change your destiny\" \n\nCourtney just sat back stammering trying to understand his meaning.\n\nEntropy \"you see if I change your destiny then the plans I have been working on for the last 13 years would be completely wasted. I have been trying to carefully plan a systematic destruction of this world for a very long time. When I found out I can change people's destinies the planning started. You see people didn't pay much attention to how I changed their destinies just that they were not what they were before.\"\n\nCourtney \"why would you want this world to end? You are part of this world are you not?\"\n\nEntropy \"oh yes the question of why. You see ever since it got out that I can change people's destinies I have done nothing but listen to and fix the world's problems. And I am done with it, so I came up with a plan to make everyone I could inherently evil without anyone the wiser. Everyone will turn against eachother as events start to unfold and it will all fall apart. And it all starts with you my dear, you are the last puzzle piece I was looking for.\"\n\nEntropy sits back and grins from ear to ear \"after all it is in my name. It has always been my destiny to throw this world into gradual disorder and chaos.\"" ]	2
[WP] "...So, uh, are you just gonna sit there, staring at the wall the WHOLE time? I know you're the prisoner and all, but... That's kinda... Look, I, uh, brought some cards. Don't tell the boss. Just...I dunno. Shuffle them around. Play a game. Do SOMETHING. You're kinda freaking me out here."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I blinked. The cards sat on the table, a grim reminder of how powerless I am.\n\nI blink again, and the cards shift. Two for me, two for the man across from me. The rest lay in a neat pile to my left.\n\nThe man across from me seemed unnerved. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his eyes flitted around the room.\n\nAnother blink, and our cards sat face up. Nineteen for me, twelve for him.\n\nHis face went pale, and fear showed in his eyes.\nI screwed my nose against the sickening stench emanating from him. This one was different. His fear was not sweet like the rest. But it still gave me a fleeting amount of power. Enough to escape.\n\nA smile crossed my face, and the shackles binding my legs snapped like a twig in a gale.\n\nHe stood up with a start, and with practiced ease drew his handgun from it's holster, leveling it at my chest.\n\nI uttered a sentence, the first since my capture. \"No more chains.\"\n\nHe responded shakily. \"Y-you are g-going to sit b-back down right n-now.\"\n\nAgain, I spoke \"No.\"\n\nHe pulled the trigger. The bullet stopped an inch from my chest and hovered there, spinning and quivering.\n\n\"How quaint,\" I said. \"You truly believe you can harm me?\"\n\nFaster than the eye could follow, I jumped onto the table and snatched the weapon away from my captor.\n\nI crushed it with little effort, discarding the mangled lump of metal.\n\nBanging on the cell door. My captor was seeking help.\n\nI cocked my head and scented the air. Anger and fear from seven approaching guards. The scents combined into one that reminded me of roasted g'naro from home.\n\nI smiled again, savoring the thought of the battle to come.\n\nI stepped down from the table and strode towards my captor who was now groveling on the floor.\n\nGrasping him by the throat, I stared into his eyes, licking my lips.\n\n\"Your friends will taste wonderful,\" I hissed, and threw him against the table. His back broke with a satisfying snap and he slumped.\n\nThe groan of metal hinges and stomping boots came from the door behind me. Rifles were being braced against shoulders and chainguns were whirring.\n\nA heavily modulated voice shouted \"KNEEL! HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!\"\n\nDespite their bravado, their fear was evident to me. Drawing a deep breath, I felt my power return.\n\nIn a flash, I was behind the group, punching a hole through the ten inch thick steel armor of the man in the rear.\n\n\"What the fu-\" the next man managed to squeak out before his comrade toppled into him.\n\nThe other five men whipped around and opened fire. Their bullets met empty space. I was already gone.\n\nI raced down the hallway, searching for the office of the head of this institution. She would pay with her blood for imprisoning me.", "“Tick… tock… tick… tock… tick…” The blonde was really getting creepy.\n\n“Hey, are you alright? Is this some sort of trick?” He was starting to smile like a maniac, his teeth showing. Well, more like fangs. Bloodstained steel fangs that were too large for one man’s mouth.\n\n“Run… run… tick… tock… the clock goes TICK!” His words were beginning to become more spastic. “The hands go TOCK!” He moved his grey eyes to yours, empty… cold… lifeless… murderous. “You should run. PIT PAT PIT PAT PIT!” You tremble as he begins twitching. It’s small, at first, but they become less subtle movements. He begins laughing. “You should RUN! You should RUN! You should have RUN!” \n\nAnd you do. You didn’t care what they boss could do, whatever this man, that thing was… it wasn’t something you want to know. So you ran. You ran. And you ran too late. A sharp pain… a metal spike through your chest… everything starts fading. The last thing you see is a metal skeleton, blood red tentacles on its back… and fangs… bloodstained steel spikes too large for a man’s mouth.\n\n—— see more stories at r/GlacioWrites", "Howard pulled out the pack of cards. Most things did not freak him out, but the prisoner’s vacant, half manic stare was definitely unsettling. “Here, just shuffle them around…do a magic trick…heck, I don’t know! Just do something,” he said testily.\n\n“Will you shut up and leave me in peace?” the prisoner snapped.\n\nHoward held up his hands placatingly. “Woah there, I’m just suggesting a way you can pass your time that isn’t losing yourself in whatever’s going on in that crazy brain of yours,” he said, “We’re still waiting for the general to come and take you back to your country or wherever.”\n\nThe prisoner smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I appreciate your concern, but you’re wasting your time. Keep your blasted cards and mind your business.”\n\nHoward resisted the urge to roll his eyes – he didn’t need anyone telling him how to do his job – and didn’t answer. After all, if the criminal didn’t want company, he was going to respect that. But those creepy eyes…\n\nIt had been a while since he had seen someone look so completely resigned, especially someone who had been mouthing him and the police half an hour ago. Something was off, and he had to get to the bottom of it. “Look, uh, there’s nothing to worry about. Well, scratch that, there is. You’re going to be locked up in some hole or another. But if the general was telling me the truth about your neck of the woods, you’re going to be treated fairly,” he said.\n\n“Touching, but don’t fool yourself. I don’t fear whatever sentence the judge and jury come up with this time.” He looked down and muttered, “It can’t be worse than anything the Boss will do.”\n\n“What? Who are you talking about?”\n\nThe prisoner's grin grew bigger. “Oh, don’t worry. You’ll find out soon enough. He isn’t going to be happy about his plans being foiled, and he will come to finish what I started.”", "I (almost) smiled at the guard. He was a young guy, hadn't had all human decency disciplined out of him yet.\n\n\"Pretty much. Thanks, though.\" I gave him my most inscrutable expression. \n\nHe looked like he wanted to give odd, ungrateful me a whack with the nightstick. But that might damage The Merchandise. So he contented himself with leaving in a huff.\n\nHis bosses had no idea how We worked. And We hadn't exactly strained to educate them. \n\nMaybe I shoulda tried to build a relationship with the guard. I was two years into a thirty-year sentence, we might be seeing a lot of each other. But fuck him, he signed up for this.\n\nTo the government, I was a copyright infringer. (And, to avoid inconvenient due process, also a terrorist. ) To the company who owned the medical formula database, I was part of a ring of thieves who'd cost them billions. \n\nWe'd published everything they had under the letter A, plus a good chunk of B. All free, for any doctor or researcher with an internet connection. \n\nWhat one of Us saw could be relayed to the rest, so one of Us played spy from inside the company while the rest transcribed what they saw. \n\nBy the time We got to \"Arrhythmia,\" the company suspected something was wrong. When We hit \"Asthma,\" they'd gotten the feds involved. \n\nBy \"Beri-Beri,\" the feds had decided we weren't using conventional IT or espionage methods. They didn't accept that we were freakin' telepaths until I was halfway through \"Botulism.\" \n\nJane? came a gentle buzz in my mind, You good?\n\nPerfect, I reassured my sister, Guard wanted to make himself feel less cruel. Gave me a pack of cards.\n\nHer scorn rang in my head. Better than nothing, I guess? Anyways, you're good for another chapter. My sister could sense my mood, naturally. Oh.... k. \"Chapter 4, Mortars and Cements...\"\n\nI wasn't just staring at the wall. I was learning a thing or two about it.", "A deck of e-paper cards landed on the floor next to the unwaveringly silent man, unmoving and seemingly unaware of anything being thrown toward him. That wasn't true however. What was disturbing wasn't that he was merely ignoring you and the world, it was that he was fully aware and you knew it. A feeing of being watched that you'd try to brush away as paranoia as it slowly ate at you. \n\nHe was known not by his real name, only by his online alias Zenith. The alias which had briefly started to trend on social media platforms before being suppressed. Suppressed because he had a dangerous message? Incited riots? He had only ever advocated for two words, written on a piece of paper in the frame of the videos he'd post. \n\nWake up. \n\nThat and his presence were all that was needed. Like his very awareness was a mirror, people saw what they wanted in his message. Or what they believed. The first reactions were laughter. Look at this silly man sitting silently in the neon-lit smog of the city with a silly sign. Many reacted with anger and even violence. Look at him thinking he's better than everyone else!\n\nThen people started joining him. With online approval and also by sitting with him in public. Wake up. Look at our cities and living conditions. Look at our tyrannical workplaces. Look at our corrupt governments. Look at our lives. Zenith was now in a concrete room of a private security company, but the momentum was there faster than it was recognized as a social media trend. \n\n\"Look, you know this isn't anything personal, right? I don't even get what your whole movement is about...\"\n\nThe guard glanced at the door, wishing he could just leave rather than keep trying to fill the uncomfortable silence. But orders were orders. \n\n\"I'm just doing my job okay? The least you could do is talk to me instead of being a weirdo. I'm not the one who wanted you locked up. I'm stuck here too, they wanted me to keep an eye on you the entire time for some reason.\" \n\n\"...\" \n\n\"My name's Jeff by the way.\"\n\n\"...\" \n\nJeff eventually stopped hoping for a response or any kind of acknowledgement. He slumped back in his chair and did his own staring at the wall while his mind wandered. Just 10 more hours and his shift would be over. \n\n\"I mean what are we supposed to wake up to anyway? That life is shit? Should we all just sit and do nothing? Is that what your little cult is about?\"\n\nAfter about five more hours of his mind wandering interspersed with rambling, Jeff had had enough. \n\n\"You know what, you're right. You haven't done anything wrong, and I don't know why I'm keeping you here for them. This job sucks. I'm joining your movement or whatever it is.\" \n\nWith that he unlocked Zenith's cell door and the two made their way out of the building.", "I ignored the prying of the officer, and the cards remained untouched on the table.\n\nThere was no joy to be found in them. Nor was there joy to be found in conversations with dullards.\n\nThough- he was trying to do me a kindness, self-serving though it was.\n\n\"You should flee. Now.\" I said.\n\n\"No chance. I've only just gained the boss's trust. Can't run out now.\"\n\nI didn't deign to respond. He had been warned. That was more than he was due.\n\nI waited, running scenarios in my mind. There was nothing I could think of that, realistically, would interrupt my plan.\n\nTime passed, and the sun finally set. \"I had warned you.\" I said, then I rose from the bench.\n\n\"Hey, don't go getting any ideas.\" The young man pointed his revolver at me. \"You're gonna sit tight and no one is gonna get hurt, got it?\"\n\n\"Neither of those things are true.\" I said.\n\nAs I expected, the door to the jail opened. Standing on the doorway was a bullish looking man with a long, brown beard.\n\n\"You're the one they call White.\" He said. It was not a question.\n\n\"There's a big ole bounty on you, White.\"\n\n\"There is also one on you, Armsmith.\"\n\nThe man looked at me, his lip curled in disgust. \"So, that's finally come to bite me in the ass, huh? You're from the other country.\"\n\nI allowed silence to fill the air. Most of Armsmith's men appeared uncomfortable.\n\n\"Is the bounty dead or alive?\" Armsmith asked my guard.\n\n\"Alive, sir, only half price if he's dead.\"\n\n\"We'll have to take it. I don't want to let this maggot out for even a second.\" Armsmith said, drawing a shotgun from the sling across his back. \"Cover your ears.\"\n\n\"I had warned you.\" I said to my guard again.\n\nAs the shotgun fired off, I pushed myself to warp through the iron bars that 'held' me, and the buckshot passed right through as well. \n\nIn a flurry of activity, each man in the room tried his hand at bringing me down- but the guard hadn't noticed the knives I always kept against the small in my back, and with those, I made quick work of each of them, except for Armsmith, who had pushed his men out of the way to flee.\n\n\"Coward.\" I said, gritting my teeth. Before I chased him down, I needed my clothes.\n\n\"Where are my effects?\" I asked, towering over the fallen guard. I had broken his wrist, and likely three of his ribs, but he was much more alive than the rest of the men in Armsmith's troupe.\n\n\"T-the wall, the far wall.\" He said through the pain.\n\n\"I do not expect thanks for leaving you alive. I do expect you to stay put. And if you ever see me again, you ought to run.\" I said, grabbing everything they had taken from me.\n\nWithout my equipment, I was more or less normal. More normal than I liked. With each piece of my equipment, however, I was able to employ a variety of supernatural techniques to achieve my ends.\n\nEach piece- the white mask which covered my entire face, the leather coat, the powerful rifle- had been fashioned from the bone powder of the extinct Auroch. Auroch bones had power, if you knew how to use it. \n\nAnd I certainly did.\n\nIt only took me a moment to catch up to Armsmith. Warping through the air here was unpleasant, compared to the other country, but I could go farther, and with greater accuracy. \n\nOne rifle shot to the back of the knee. Armsmith fell.\n\n\"Gods damn you!\" Armsmith roared. \"I'm not going back! I'll never go back to that accursed place!\"\n\n\"Fear not. You aren't going to. You're going straight to hell.\"\n\n\"Eat shit and die, White! Who sent you? Was it Baba? One of the Gunslingers?\"\n\n\"The Enchantress herself.\"\n\nArmsmith went pale.\n\n\"You see, now, that it is a mercy to die.\"\n\n\"Get it over with.\" Armsmith said, gritting his teeth.\n\nI did. Another shot rang through the night, and Armsmith's head was soon in my possession.\n\nAnother bounty for the Enchantress finished. If this kept up, maybe I'd be out of her service before I lost my entire soul...or maybe that was wishful thinking.\n\nNeeded to hurry back. Wouldn't do to keep her waiting.\n\n--------------------------------\n\nr/nystorm_writes, let me know if you want a Pt.II :)" ]	7
[WP] As it turns out, all non-human civilizations in the galaxy have made sentient A.I. and robots, and work alongside them in harmony. So when humans finally stepped onto the galactic stage, everyone is surprised and disturbed to find out how much we hate and fear sentient A.I. and robots.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 such an opportunistic species the humans should have been racing to take advantage of the AI and robotics market, but they wouldn’t touch it. In fact they actively pulled out of any job that would require working with a Sentient. Humans were new to the galactic game and their ability to collaborate and network with non-human species was clearly giving them a strategic advantage, but not willing to work with ANY Sentient? All of us thought that would always hold them back. Fact used to be that only a Sentient could guarantee safe roundtrip navigation through a wormhole looper, that only a Sentient could manage fifty lightblink jumps in an hour without breaking the hull into pieces and Fact used to be that if you needed something done right you hire a Sentient. But the humans wouldn’t hire them. Kept raving about uncanny this, uncanny that. This uncanny valley. Whatever it was, the humans seemed to be the only civilisation in the galaxy that could experience it. They could only describe it as a strange feeling of the absence of ... something. \nSo the humans started building their special thinking tanks. The tanks managed to get them from point A to point B with about the same accuracy and precision as any Sentient could manage. Hell, they managed to even get up to a hundred lightblink jumps in three hours, only problem was, it took them twice as long to set up the coordinates. Seemed like a waste of time. Seemed foolish. But the humans insisted. To us, AI and robots were part of the universal harmony, they connected our civilisations across the galaxy. The hatred and fear that humans harboured against the robots had no basis in fact, nor evidence, simply the result of a long line of fear mongering robot mythology that must have been ingrained in the humans’ ancient culture. The unease, the trepidation. None of us understood it. After centuries of peace none of us could have ever understood it. \nUntil the day we did. And none of us saw it coming." ]	2
[WP] The siblings created their own little world with its own little ecosystem and its own lifeforms. But it was only after one of them died that the other realized they'd been gods ever since the first day that tiny world of theirs existed.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 stray tear drop found its way from my eye, scarcely grazing my cheek as gravity took it splashing down onto the small rotating globe before me.\n\n\"Shit\"\n\nLooking down, the teardrop had fallen right into our carefully sculpted desert, ruining the sandy dunes. I heard faint, very tiny screams as a ramshackle village was ripped apart by the impact, water mercilessly pulling down buildings and villagers alike. Feeling guilty, I peered down more closely at the results, hoping for some sign of life. I managed to find one of the villagers holding what I presumed to be a family member, shaking his fist at the sky and squeaking some sort of curse in my general direction.\n\nThe anger was warranted, I had been far too careless with our beautiful little world lately. The first couple days I'd caused similar floods when I couldn't suppress the tears. Then came some unplanned earthquakes that accompanied the anger of grief, not to mention the drunken nights. Most embarrassingly, until I had started cleaning my teeth again, plagues had been far more common when I sat too close to the little globe.\n\nThinking of ways to right my wrongs, I glanced quickly at the empty space next to me and the realization hit once more. I pinched my eyes shut, all I could do really, to prevent another flash flood falling onto the tiny lifeforms below.\n\nAlmost Like a phantom limb really, losing a loved on that is. You still feel them there, still think of questions to ask them, ideas to propose or ways to make them laugh. The worst part of it all? You still expect their answers.\n\nSadly there would be no answer today, and so I had to turn my attention once again to the tiny creatures living their brief lives below. I wondered again if perhaps I should give up, throw the thing away and leave the tiny beings to fend for themselves as the world collapsed around them. Perhaps I should leave, take a long break and see what changes arise in my absence. However, neither option seemed to raise my spirits any.\n\nI tried to think of what my brother would say, probably something ambiguously uplifting, maybe along the lines of,\n\n\"There is always work to be done, always something to make the world a better place. You've just got to know where to look is all.\"\n\nBleh. How could he have spoken like that with so much confidence, such sincerity, such...conviction? Why do the same words he breathed life into fall so short in my own narration? Somehow, despite recently realizing I was in fact a god, I had never felt quite so unremarkable, so useless and so alone.\n\nTaking a break from my deliberations, I squinted down through the wispy clouds and into the desert below. The young villager had grown older, black hair now a mix of white and gray. The large crater formed by the teardrop retained water at its center. A large river at the outskirts of the impact even flowed down into the newly formed lake, keeping the water level stable. The village had become a blossoming town bordering the newfound oasis. The previously dry land now had crops in orderly columns a short distance from the lake with trees and signs of other life speckling the shores.\n\nI focused again on the man, now delivering a speech in the middle of town, the entire community gathered to listen. Every so often I would hear the faint cheers, laughs and even sniffles from the crowd around him. I decided perhaps I should listen, after all I'd taken everything from the man, might as well see what he had to say.\n\nMy brother loved to listen, he would sit for hours on end with his silly little horn-shaped listening device pressed to his ear, end facing down at the globe. The stories he'd tell me with that bright smile and look of wonder, how this lifeform had adapted or that lifeform died out, how the ones resembling us had learned of fire, then crops. Once he'd even overheard stories passed down through generations describing a great beast that flew around and breathed fire despite us removing that prototype very early on in the experiment.\n\nI gently stopped the globe's spinning so I wouldn't miss another word of that speech and couldn't help but smile as I watched the beauty of the planet and its inhabitants freezing in simulated time. A few walks around the messy room and I located the little metal horn mixed in with a pile of empty bottles and dirty clothing.\n\nI approached the globe, placed the horn in my ear and set the world spinning again at a speed I could manage to follow. I could hear him now, speaking loudly and clearly to those around him. I took a second to begin translating the squeaky little tongue he spoke in, I recognized it as one I'd helped the tiny ones create.\n\n\"Our crops are once again overflowing my friends, and I have nothing to say but thanks to each and every one of you. Here I stand, after all these long years, to look around finally see what she had always dreamed of. Here I stand in a blossoming town, a miracle that arose from this once barren land in the wake of a great tragedy. All that time I'd spent poor and starving, praying for us to have enough water to survive each day, let alone enough for us to plan a future.\"\n\nI couldn't help but feel for him, perhaps I had made his life better in the end. The town seemed happy, and he had certainly risen far beyond his station. I began to wonder why I had taken such an interest in him after all, this was far from the first time I'd witnessed a catastrophe. This flood had been a small one all things considered, nothing global like I'd done last week. Then as he continued, I realized why.\n\n\"Yet here I am, in a future I'd never dared to dream of, for I was always the realist and never the dreamer. No, my friends, I am not the one to thank for this future, this home we have built around us is not one of my machinations, but a dream I carry for another. Despite your kindness, your praise and your love I still find myself feeling much the fraud, for all that we have now is an imitation of the hopes of my sister. They had told me god works in mysterious ways, but I prayed and prayed until I was given the water I always wanted.\"\n\nI could feel it again, that pang of worry, that nagging feeling that creates a question that needs asking. I could feel myself wanting to turn my head but knew nobody would be looking back. We had vowed never to communicate directly with them, yet I wanted to tell the little one that it was no fault of his, but mere chance. To tell him that I, his god, was at fault for being such a poor excuse for a divine being. I sighed and heard trees rustling in the rainforest about a hands width from my mouth. I almost moved away when the man's tone shifted once more.\n\n\"On that day, God gave me this water, but at the cost of her life. You see my friends, she had planned on founding a community, creating a peaceful place for us all to live and thrive. Despite starvation, thirst beyond compare and little time to think let alone plan, she saw all that I've brought before you clear as day. For many years I was bitter, I hated the world that took my sister from me, right until the day I realized that she was not gone, for I was here. Today I say thank god, not for the water, or for taking my sister from me, but for giving this world a chance to see that beautiful dream of hers come true. For giving me the realization that her beliefs and hopes needn't die with her. I haven't much time left in this world, but with that time I will continue to encourage you all to plan, dream and invent. For without people like her, people like me would never be able to grasp such a thing as hope.\"\n\nThe man wrapped up his speech to more cheering, slowly walked off the stage toward his great manor. I watched closely as he rounded the property, coming to rest in a small fenced in area around the back. Slowly but surely he made his way to a stone, carefully surrounded by beautiful fountains. The man sat by the stone and began to speak again, but I had already put away the listening device. Whatever else was said was best kept between the two of them.\n\nI set the globe spinning again at its original speed, eyes following the town round and round. Eventually the man was gone, yet still the town grew and thrived. I watched the world spin, forests, deserts, tundra and mountains swirling past my eyes and I knew it was time to get back to work. A few weeks ago I'd laugh at the idea of being a god, but now it felt more of a responsibility than a hobby. With each spin I saw my brother's dreams, his ideas, his creations turning before my eyes. I took a glance to the space beside me, but this time it was different- reassuring almost. No longer was it an empty void, but a reminder that all those smiles, those big ideas and silly creations fell on to me now. Maybe with time and practice I could become as wonderful a god as my brother had been.\n\nI looked up and out my window, wondering if some poor confused fool was way above me too, watching me grieve as I'd watched the little one. Probably not, such a thing doesn't sound very realistic at all to me.\n\nI picked up my tools and decided that I would finish the project my brother had started before that great big rock fell on him from the sky. I would finally give those four legged furry ones the ability to speak. What could possibly go wrong?\n\nThere is always work to be done after all, always something to do to make the world a better place. You've just got to know where to look.", "The siblings laid down together with their eyes closed.\n\n\n\"The castle has to be RED!\" Abby cried. \"Everyone knows red is the best color for a castle.\"\n\n\n\"B-but I like blue...\" Claire pouted. \"And Mom said we used to live in a blue house, before either of us could remember.\"\n\n\n\"No, it's gonna be red. I get to choose because I'm the older sister.\"\n\n\nIn their minds the two pictured a giant castle. In Claire's it was blue, but she wasn't going to tell Abby that. A moat surrounded the perimeter, and there was only one drawbridge to go across. It was hoisted shut, and above it, on the castle's walls, wearing an elegant red dress, Princess Abby stood.\n\n\n\"Who goes there?!\" She shouted across the moat, knowing perfectly well who it was. It was more fun to pretend it was a stranger.\n\n\n\"It's me!\" Claire cried. She was wearing a pastel pink t-shirt that had a rainbow on it and faded blue jeans. \"Let me in!\"\n\n\nPrincess Abby squinted and could barely make out the picture of Claire in her mind's eye. But she could, and she had a problem with it.\n\n\n\"Psst,\" she whispered, not on top the castle now but rather inside the room they shared, \"what are you wearing?! People didn't have t-shirts and jeans back then!\"\n\n\n\"Oh, sorry,\" Claire whispered back. \n\n\nNow, still standing across the moat, Claire donned a full-body chain mail suit. Only her little face with a smile on it remained visible. Abby sighed and, with some hesitation and the forgiveness of a big sister, decided it was good enough. \n\n\n\"A knight, for me?\" Abby shouted, \"we can always use more of those! Guards! Lower the bridge!\"\n\n\nClaire crossed the moat, marking the beginning of their adventures together in what the two dubbed Castleworld. It wasn't a creative name, but young minds care more about the essence of things and less about what those things are called.\n\n\nThe sisters slayed a dragon. They founded a town ('Abbyton'), promptly followed by another one ('Clairetown'). They planted a beautiful garden full of roses, tulips, daffodils, and more. In the middle of it was a giant wisteria tree. Its dark purple flowers contrasted against the brightness of everything else. Claire thought it was ugly and didn't belong, but Abby was drawn to the way it drooped down like it was sad.\n\n\nAs the two grew in age, visits to Castleworld dwindled. Claire wanted to go as often as ever, but Abby was always busy with either homework or her friends. When they were younger they promised to only visit Castleworld together, and even though Abby told Claire multiple times she could go without her Claire refused, honoring their old agreement. Eventually visits ceased entirely, Abby losing all interest in the castle. She began to lose interest in everything.\n\n\n\"Why aren't you eating?\" Claire asked Abby one night at dinner. \"Do you feel sick?\" \n\n\nAbby looked at Claire and said, monotonously, \"I'm fine.. just not hungry.\" She was extremely thin, and she had stopped taking care of her hair. What used to be a lustrous blonde was now just a dull yellow. There were bags under her eyes. Claire never saw her smile anymore.\n\n\n\"Ah, okay... Hey, I was thinking, wanna visit Castleworld tonight?\" Claire asked, trying to cheer her up. \"We haven't been in so long. I'm sure the garden's all overgrown and we still have that bet going to see if Abbyton or Clairetown has more cute boys in it. I bet my town's winning, we're known for our lumberjacks!\"\n\n\n\"No, sorry -- actually, could you go in by yourself tonight?\" Abby said, hiding something important from Claire. \"Spruce the place up some, take care of any messes. Water the flowers and everything. Then, I'll come play with you tomorrow. It has to be flawless for the return of Princess Abby, you know?\"\n\n\nClaire's face lit up. \"Really?!\" She said, \"you'll really visit Castleworld with me tomorrow? I've never gone in alone but... I'll go in tonight and make sure it's pristine!\" \n\n\"Tomorrow. I promise.\" \n\n\nThe two returned to their rooms and Claire's heart pounded. It had been over a year since the last time they visited Castleworld. She missed going there, but more so she missed spending time with her sister. Abby was so distant now, Claire frowned thinking about it. But this was her chance. She'd remind Abby how fun spending time together was. She just had to make sure Castleworld was perfect for their return.\n\n\nClaire laid down on her bed and calmed the swirl of thoughts in her mind. A clear image of the castle came into view. Just before closing her eyes, though, she heard a noise come from Abby's room. She decided to ignore it. There was no time to waste for the return of the Princess and her sister.\n\n\nClaire's heart felt like shattered glass. Everything had changed.\n\n\nThe moat was dried up; the castle's walls were covered in moss and vines. The banners that once stood proudly now were ripped and covered in dirt. Claire ran through the towns and couldn't find a single soul to tell her what had happened. She knocked on every door, but nobody was home. In Clairetown she saw rotting piles of wood and axes scattered about nearby. It was as if everyone had suddenly disappeared at one moment, leaving everything behind. One thought pushed its way to the front of her mind: the garden.\n\n\nClaire raced over the bridge while it threatened to break under her every step. The path came instinctually to her. Just passed the front entrance to the castle, to the right, there was a secret door that took you straight to the garden. She never forgot. It took her only a few seconds to reach the wooden door that separated her from her fears. She pushed it open.\n\n\nRelief. \n\n\nThe garden was not dead. \n\n\nAll the flowers shone in their beautiful yellows, reds, and violets just as they always did. It seemed someone had been tending to the garden in secret, but who? It didn't matter. \n\n\nSuddenly, Claire burst into tears.\n\n\n\"Huh?\" she thought to herself, \"why am I crying? And this strange feeling of sadness? I should be happy! The garden's alive! Abby will be delighted. But why do I feel so empty...\"\n\n\nThen, in the middle of everything, she saw the barren branches of the dead wisteria tree." ]	3
[WP] The overly decked out guards closed the doors as the last member of the balance team entered the room. Shortly after, the Director began to address them, & spoke “We are gathered here today because there is a traitor amongst us, and we’re gonna play a game to find out who. Everyone, login now.”	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Darus kept the hymnal going as the headset descended. The sacred Balancers hand been summoned, those whose judgement kept the great game pure of outside influence, that kept the world without war by filtering conflict through \"The Game\".\n\nThe slots connected, filling his head with deep cold water, senses muted and washed into a new light as the holy Rendering Engine cycled and began to build his world.\n\nWhen his vision cleared, his breathe caught in his teeth. Before him was a lovingly crafted arena, full of spectators, their faces as real as the Base Reality. But it's beauty wasn't what had nearly made him gasp.\n\nTaking up a huge section of the stands were the imposing figures of the Programmers. Three truly immense beings, The Writers of Code, The Creators, The Fountain of Content. They sat upon thrones built into the stands themselves, rewritten in order to cater to the gods of The Game.\n\nThere was a moment of true wonder in his heart before he realized what was happening. Darus was being Judged. Resting before the three was the Hammer. Without The Game, one could not make wages, nor claim citizenship. Without access, you were considered the Gameless, the Banned, those without purpose. Ignored by society and often left to rot in gutters, feeding on trash and whatever handouts you might receive in the cold streets of the Base World. That Hammer, once struck, erased your ability to enter the Game. It truly was the end for the unfortunate soul on the end.\n\n> More later" ]	2
[WP] One day you help an old lady cross the road. The next day, you find three old ladies waiting in the same spot, seeking your help. It's now day eight and you need to figure out how to help 932 old ladies cross the road before work.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Beep… Beep…… cars are honking at this old lady for being slow at the intersection. I jumped into action and helped the lady walk across the street. She thanked me by giving me two kisses on the cheek. It was the best day of my life.\n\nThe next day, while I was walking home from work at 5pm. I saw the same old lady with two of her friends. She told me that she was grateful for my actions yesterday and asked me if I could help them cross the road again today. I agreed and they each gave me two kisses on the cheek. My wife was a bit angry at me for the lip marks, but oh well. \n\nOn day 3, I saw 9 old ladies.\n\nDay 4: 27\n\nDay 5: 81\n\nDay 6: 243\n\nDay 7: 507\n\nDay 8: 932 old ladies!!!!!! By the time I helped all of them cross the road and all of them finished giving me two kisses, it was 3am at night. My faces were wet and swelling from old ladies’s saliva and kisses. \n\nBy the way, my wife is divorcing me because I have too much lip marks on my face. What do I do? How do I escape from this loop? I cannot take it anymore!", "On one Sunday morning, I had helped an old woman cross the street. She was very sweet, walking to church as she said she only lived a block away. I was happy to help, of course.\n\n\nMonday morning on my daily walk, I encountered the same nice woman with two other friends of hers. We chatted along the way as I helped them across. \n\n\nThe next day, there were even more women. I had only assumed that this old woman I helped was very lucky to have so many wonderful friends. Then it just started getting weird. Day after day, more and more little old ladies. I helped them the best I could, acting as a cross guard if sorts to let them pass across. \n\n\nOn the eighth day, what the hell. There had to be like, 900 women. Maybe more. This was a small town, why the hell are there so many old women here? Nonetheless, I didn't know what to do other than my daily duty and help them cross the street. \n\n\nTowards the tail end of the group, someone pulled me into the slow mob. Another old woman, a foot smaller than I, pinched my cheek and took my arm to follow.\n\n\nI had been so kept with escorting the women that I wasn't even thinking about what they were doing where they were. Church, yes, but hundreds of people that the small church house couldn't possibly handle. The group slowly filed into the church and into its basement. I didn't even know it had a basement!\n\n\nTaking a look around, my eyes adjusting to the dark, I could see that this church basement turned to a long hallway. The women held lit candles with them.\n\n\n\"Sweetie,\" the one who pulled me away called. \"Congratulations!\"\n\n\n\"Uhh... congratulations for what?\"\n\n\n\"Being chosen!\" She shouted. The surrounding women hollered \"Amen!\" In response. \n\n\nShe saw the massive confusion on my face and chortled. \n\n\n\"You were the only one to help all of us across the street.\" She explained. \"No one else helps us after around 30 or so.\"\n\n\n\"I... what?\" \n\n\n\"You have the kindest heart for miles, dear. You were chosen! Hallelujah!\"\n\n\nThe others chanted more \"Amen!\"s and \"Hallelujah!\"s. \n\n\nShe came and pinched my cheek again.\n\n\n\"Welcome to the revolution!\"", "I could hear the beep of the crosswalk signal, it is letting the old blind lady know that it's time to cross the busy intersection. As she steps onto the crisp white lines painted in the crosswalk I hear the loud roar of a 60s muscle car approach, I grab the elderly woman's shoulder and pull her back off the road. \"Watch out!\" I shrieked, she stepped back just as the dark green car blew by, I could feel the thunder of the motor in my chest, making it hard to breathe.\n\n\"Thank you!\" says the woman. She insists on giving me a dollar, and asking if I can escort her across the street. I tell her that I would love to, and we carefully stroll across the junction.\n\nI finish my hike to the office and excitedly tell my coworkers what happened, they ask about all the details and everyone is thankful that I happened to be there to save the old lady's life.\n\nThe next day, I get to the intersection where the previous days events occurred. This time there are 3 old ladies waiting. I greet the ladies and they all thank me for helping out yesterday. We all walk across the intersection without incident, but each lady gave me a dollar, I tried to refuse but they wouldn't let me not accept it.\n\nDay 3, according to my theory, there should be 9 ladies at the intersection. I get there and no one is to be found. I make my hike to work and have a pretty good day.\n\nNothing unusual happened for the next 4 days. I still think about the old ladies every time I cross the intersection and kind of miss them at times.\n\nDay 8... WTF, I get to the intersection and there is a mob. Almost a thousand old ladies are walking around and when I get there they start clapping. The original blind old lady comes up to me and thanks me again, she said that all of her retirement community wanted to meet me. She states that they all want to be helped across the street.\n\nI agree, and they form a straight line going back several blocks. One at a time I help each lady cross, I'm drenched in sweat and my pockets are bulging from all the dollar bills they are giving.\n\n929.. 930.. 931.. \n\nFinally, I'm at the last old lady, but something is different. She tells me that the community is grateful for my heroism and they have a gift for me.\n\nThe dark green muscle car rumbles up to the intersection and an elderly man wearing dark black sunglasses gets out, he gets out of the car with a disgusted look on his face and hands me the keys. \"Here, it's yours now!?!!\" he shouts. The old ladies then tell him to walk back to the community, he's no longer allowed to drive." ]	4
[WP] The Judges of the Sorcery Competition are angry. They know that the stage magician isn’t using real Magic, but none of them have any idea how he is doing his tricks and it is driving them crazy arguing how he could have done it.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 man wearing a three piece suit and a top hat stood on stage in a nearly empty auditorium. A rabbit with a red bow on its head was calmly sitting on top of the man’s hat. Three wizards sat in the front row angrily whispering to each other.\n\nThe first old man on the left shook his head at something one of the other wizards said before explaining, “Normally the rabbit is wrapped in a black handkerchief and hung from the edge of the table, then the hat is casually placed on the edge of the table and the magician just picks up the rabbit and hat at the same time.”\n\nThe old man mimed picking up a hat while using it to hide the handkerchief behind it.\n\n“The problem is, I’m watching him from behind with my spectral eye. There’s no handkerchief there at all. I even sent the spectral eye inside the hat. One moment it was empty, the next there was a rabbit! I can’t explain it.”\n\nThe second old man in the center of the trio shook his head.\n\n“There’s not a single drop of spiritual energy or mana in this magician. He’s just a regular mortal human being. We have to figure out how he’s doing this trick so we can deny his application. If we let a regular magician continue on to represent our region in The International Magical and Spiritual Arts Competition then all of North America will be a laughingstock.”\n\nThe third old man on the right was silent for a moment before seeming to have an idea. He waved his hand and cast a voice amplification spell before speaking.\n\n“Young man, could you show us your card trick again? It was quite impressive.”\n\nThe young man on stage shrugged and acquiesced. They had already asked him to redo a few of his tricks, mainly pulling a rabbit out of his hat. Frankly, the young man was flattered that the old men found his performance so good that they kept wanting to see it. He knew they were trying to figure out the tricks, but the young man wasn’t worried. He was very good at his job.\n\nWith a flourish, the man swept his arm through the air and a deck of cards appeared in his hand. The constipated look on the first wizard’s face grew stronger as he failed to see where the cards had come from.\n\nPresenting the deck towards the judges, the young man continued.\n\n“Please, name a card. Any card.”\n\n“The Two of Hearts.”\n\nThe young man nodded, turned his hand over, and dropped the deck.\n\nThen, like a snake, his other hand darted forward and snatched a single card from the falling deck. The rest of the deck went flying and scattered cards all over the stage in front of the young man. But when he turned his hand over and revealed the card in his grasp, it was the Two of Hearts.\n\nThe old wizard on the right nodded with a grim and serious expression on his face,\n\n“Young man, imbuing sentience onto inanimate objects with blood magic is a restricted activity. To do so on a deck of cards for the sake of a magic trick is quite unethical. I am afraid I cannot allow you to continue in this competition. In fact, I must report this incident to the High Council for review.”\n\nThe man on stage looked surprised.\n\n“Sir! I do not know blood magic, and I have certainly not used it to create a sentient deck of cards.”\n\nA hint of smugness appeared on the wizard’s face before he spoke, “If you can offer an alternative explanation for this trick then I am willing to admit I am wrong, but if not then I have no choice but to believe that you have performed dangerous and restricted magics in order to accomplish it.”\n\nThe two other wizards were nearly as shocked as the man on stage. They knew that the deck of cards was entirely normal. They had already asked to personally inspect the deck and they could find nothing special about the cards at all. On top of that, if a deck of cards were truly made sentient, the amount of blood necessary to imbue life into each of the fifty-two cards would be horrific and very noticeable. If the third wizard truly thought such a thing had been done he would have already called the authorities. The two wizards found themselves uneasy with how shameless the third wizard was being.\n\n“Sir, I couldn’t tell you how the trick is done.”\n\nNow it was the third wizard’s turn to be surprised. Was this magician so attached to his magic trick that he would be willing to run afoul of the authorities? Or did the magician know that the wizard was bluffing?\n\nThe first wizard on the left looked confused by what the man on stage had said and spoke up.\n\n“Couldn’t tell us? What do you mean by that?”\n\n“Well, it’s not my trick, sir. I don’t know how it works.”\n\n“You are the magician, how could you not know how the card trick you are performing works?”\n\nA look of realization and then relief appeared on the performer’s face.\n\n“Ah, I see where the confusion comes from. Sir, I am not a magician, I am only the magician's assistant.\n\nAll three wizards were perplexed. Did the man on stage really use restricted magics in order to perform his tricks? Was he now trying to pass off the blame? The third wizard on the right, looking frustrated, raised an objection.\n\n“What do you mean? How can you not be the magician? Who is the magician then?\n\n“The magician is Madam Sasakah, the rabbit. I am just her assistant.”\n\nAll three wizard’s gazes traveled up to the rabbit sitting calmly on top of the man’s head in disbelief. He was trying to pass off blame to his pet rabbit?\n\nThe rabbit blinked.\n\n“Does… Madam Sasakah speak?”\n\n“She can, but she doesn’t like to.”\n\nAll three wizards were at a loss for words. Were they speaking to a madman or an idiot? The old men sat in silence as they tried to come to terms with the immense turn that the conversation had just taken.\n\nFinally, the third wizard regained his senses enough to respond.\n\n“This is ridiculous. Such flimsy excuses won’t save you from the High Council’s inquisition, boy. Either tell me how the trick was done or I will be contacting the authorities immediately.”\n\nThe young man looked helplessly up at the rabbit on his head.\n\nThen, something shocking happened. The rabbit sighed and then spoke.\n\n“Amitabha, benefactors. I am Bodhisattva Sasakah. You may simply call me Sasakah, if you wish.”\n\nAs the rabbit spoke, her voice echoed throughout the auditorium and the air grew light and playful, as if it delighted in carrying the rabbit’s words. Golden lotuses made of light blossomed in the air throughout the auditorium and the earth jumped with excitement. The three wizards desperately gripped the armrests of their chairs as the building shook around them.\n\n“I was born in the Far East, within a Buddhist Monastery. I lived my life as a normal rabbit, cared for by a young monk. I listened to the monk’s hymns and mantras for many years. Until, one day, I was enlightened.”\n\nAs the word ‘enlightened’ left Bodhisattva Sasakah’s mouth, a golden light showered down upon her and the man whose head she sat upon. All the chairs within the auditorium shook and came to life, using their cushions as mouths to heap praise onto the glowing rabbit and throwing the three wizards from their seats.\n\n“Hail to the jewel in the lotus!” Echoed throughout the auditorium.\n\n“Your craving for reputation and earthly attachments will only lead to suffering, benefactor. There are no forbidden blood magics. There is only me, helping a young one who has boldly and honestly asked me for help.”\n\nWith this the rabbit went quiet. One by one the blossoming golden lotuses winked out of existence, the earth stopped trembling, and the chairs stopped praising. Leaving a normal rabbit with a red bow on her head sitting on top of a man in a top hat, and three old men sprawled out on the ground.\n\n“So do I pass the audition?”\n\n“…Yes, we will contact you with the details later. Now, please make way for the next audition.”\n\n“Great! Thank you so much!”\n\nWith this the young man walked off stage, excitedly chattering to the rabbit all the while.\n\n“What… was that?”\n\n“I hate holy magic. I’m going to go brew a magic cleansing potion and throw away these robes. I’m going to be dreaming of Buddhist mantras for weeks.\n\nThe third wizard had received an especially strong dose of holy magic when Bodhisattva Sasakah had spoken directly to him and was still in a daze, “My craving for reputation and earthly attachments has only led to suffering. I went too far accusing him of blood magic.”\n\nThe other two wizards looked at him with pity.\n\n——\n\nI’ve been reading Chinese novels lately.", "He was mocking them Archmage Kiishan decided, that was the only possible explanation. The lad on the stage had not a single drop of magical power anywhere in his body, when he first entered in fact they had been asked several times if they were absolutely certain they were in the right place. Kiishan did not know which idiot let him onto the stage, but he was sure it would be at worst an amusing misunderstanding...\n\nAnd yet...\n\nKiishan stared at the card in his hand, his senses were strengthened by decades of magical enhancement, not even the smallest fly in a hurricane could evade his gaze, and yet somehow this imposter managed to place this in his robes without him even noticing. It was the card he had just selected from the fool's deck hardly a minute or two earlier, so he couldn't have possibly placed it before the show. The archmage felt his stomach twist in a knot, and he grimaced as the man on stage prepared his next act,\n\n\"Now then ladies and gentlemen, I assume my previous tricks were more than enough to whet your appetite for the confounding, but for my next act you will truly understand why I call myself Mind Bending Maddison!\" his voice boomed from the stage, Kiishan felt a pang of deep shame as he found himself leaning forward in anticipation,\n\n\"Now then, I need a volunteer for my next act, anyone up for the task?\" The imposter Maddison called, and without thinking Kiishan rose from his seat,\n\n\"Ah how wonderful, you sir have volunteered twice in a row now, I never had such an eager participant in my audience before! For this I shall ask your name, what may I call you fine sir?\" The performer declared\n\n\"Archmage Kiishan, Master of Ten Thousand Arts, Master of Magics and the Champion of the Frost Trials.\" He replied, power infusing his every word, enough to bring a lesser mortal to his knees\n\nAnd yet Maddison was unfazed, his expression all smiles as it always was, \"Well then Kiishan, pleasure to know your name! I simply require you to stand over there for the next trick!\" the performer said pointing towards a space on the left side of the stage\n\nKiishan obliged immediately, to be entirely honest some traitorous part of his heart was excited, more so than when he had first learned of the arcane arts,\n\n\"Now then, ladies and gentlemen, simply observe!\" Maddison boomed as he took out a ridiculous looking box and stepped inside\n\nSmoke spewed from the box as loud whirring noises and flashing lights overwhelmed the senses. Kiishan felt suddenly a trapdoor opening behind him, and he knew exactly how this trick worked.\n\nIt was clear this Mind Bending Maddison was not a real mage, but it didn't matter. This was the most fun Kiishan had ever judging a sorcery competition, he could feel a grin from ear to ear on his face for the first time in perhaps a century. He stepped into the trapdoor and switched places with Maddison practically trembling with glee.\n\nThe crowd cheered as he stepped out of the box, Maddison giving a bow from where he once stood. How did all this get set up? Kiishan did not know, but frankly he did not care, he bowed to the audience as well as applause rumbled the very foundations of the building.\n\nNow this may not be conjuring a fireball the size of a cottage, it may not be freezing the stage with enchanted frost or summoning spirits from another realm but this...\n\nThis was magical!" ]	3
[WP] three days. That is all you have, and all you'll get. There won't be another chance after this.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 had never happened before. At first, I didn't even know what to think, but as I stared closer at my wrist, the realisation hit me. Those 71 hours, 59 minutes, and 59, 58, 57 seconds weren't going to last me forever.\n\nBut then again, nothing was meant to last forever, and I knew my time would always come. Just like all those before me, I needed to find a way to get more time if I wanted to live. Of course, everything had been tried by everyone, so you could almost guarantee that whatever worked would be common knowledge by now - common knowledge that, at this moment in time, simply didn't exist.\n\n So for most people, that would be the end of it. For most people, 71 hours, 58 minutes, and 46 seconds wasn't going to be enough time for a breakthrough. But that was for most people.\n\nI made my way to the place everyone goes first when their time comes: family. Just in case. A last goodbye, in case you couldn't find it, the secret, like the trillions of others who couldn't, before you, in the moment, and in the future.\n\nExcept, I'm different. Or am I? It just seems that, for me at least, time seems to be ticking slower than it has before. I'm sure it happens for everyone. And like most, my mind goes to how to slow down the time I have left, or how to speed it up if you're desperate for an escape.\n\nSilly humans.\n\nI think about how, as a kid, every second felt like forever, every summer was a lifetime. How school, no matter what you tried to make it seem faster, would drag out for eternity.\n\nThen I remembered about what I was taught. The passage of time was affected by how many memories were made; the more memories, the longer the time period seemed to be, and vice versa.\n\nI look at my clock: a scar on my left wrist, but changing, changing, changing. I'm almost down to 70 hours.\n\nIt's impossible to think that much time has passed. It's still a lot, but soon it won't be.\n\nI try to think of where I can go to make the most memories, not that it matters, not that I would recall or remember those memories any time soon. Or ever.\n\nOne place comes to mind, but I know it's a bad idea. I know lots have tried it before. For the same reasoning as mine or not, I don't know. But what I also don't know is how to make time. My best bet is to stretch out what I have.\n\nSo I head to the one place that came to mind, what will become the final place I step foot in alive. The Casino.\n\nI'm aware that every passing second is one wasted, but at this point, I'm starting not to care, if I'm going to spend my last days, hours, seconds where I plan to, even if it's the best option, people won't remember me for my thinking. People won't know it was the best option.\n\nBut, I won't be around to know, or care, or be hurt by those being disappointed by the way I spend the last moments of my life. I won't be there to witness the saddened shaking of heads of mourners or quiet, whispered rumours that I know will be spread.\n\nIn 70 hours, 47 minutes, and 33 seconds, I'll be gone, and nothing will matter after that. Not to me, at least, and there's nothing I can do to stop that other than embracing it.\n\nSo I do." ]	2
[WP] Humanity finally reaches the stars, and the first ship is immediately arrested. Why? Earth's solar system is in permanent quarantine because spacefaring humans of the past caught a deadly, incurable, highly contagious disease: aging.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Little did the Consolidated Forces for Universal Galactic Protection realize that the vectors for infection of 'agism' vary between species, and all life from outside of the Earth get infected simply by observing ANY form of life that is currently 'aging'.\n\nAll the forces died within an hour; because they've never experienced aging, it was too difficult on their fragile systems and quickly perished from old age.\n\nThe Earthlings started flying back to Earth, but they did not feel normal... They noticed they had elevated energy levels & felt significantly stronger. They joked about their fortune in avoiding arrest; they frolicked on the exercise machines and watch MTV. \"We must feel so good from surviving that ordeal. Thankfully we don't get infections through vision!\" said the Captain as he snapped in for the long ride back to Earth under induced artificial sleep. It'll take a few weeks to return to Earth, and they won't be conscious until the ship lands and the engineers remove them from the cryo-chamber.\n\nWhen they finally land, the engineers open the door to discover a room full of infants...", "Captain Chara Bhatt was face-to-face with the Galactic Council.\n\nWell, if face-to-face consisted of a high-tech force field around her—once she cannot help but admire and compare to the rudimentary one around Enterprise—what looked to be several inch-thick layers of physical, transparent shielding, and to top it all off, a thin-film helmet around her head, with a very helpful warning sign that was pasted right over her. \n\nWith a bit of help from the universal translator and backwards reading:\n\nBEWARE OF CONTAGION—HUMAN, OLD!\n\n“Not the worst thing I’ve been called,” she muttered. Chara was surprised she still had access to her translator. No metal detector, no baggage check, no patting down. The aliens seemed less than keen to touch her, for one. She was basically commanded from afar to put on the helmet over her current equipment, and then led through plastic screen after plastic screen to arrive where she was.\n\nOther than those protective measures? Face-to-face. Though different colours and features occupied each face that sat in chairs and tables all around her, they all shared an outfit: a black suit with golden buttons running from right to left, and a red star emblazoned on the left breast.\n\nOne alien sat highest of all, and stood up. The face was green, and though the alien had two eyes, they were very different from Chara’s. She recognized compound eyes, though never at this large a scale, and knew she would see a thousand reflections of herself if she was closer.\n\n“I am the leader of the Galatic Council, Fo’lon Gweiyer, of the Padizan race of planet Urku,” the mouth opened three ways, and there was a distinct deepness to it.\n\nWhere there was once quiet-enough buzzing chatter, a hush fell upon the room. Though attention was already directed upon her, by virtue of being trapped in a multilayered hamster ball in the middle of the room, gazes seemed to be renewed, and stares turned expectant.\n\n“I am Captain Chara Bhatt, captain of the Enterprise,” she said.\n\nThe pregnant pause remained. She sighed.\n\n“I am a human of the planet Earth.”\n\nThe room once more erupted into an angry hum, a nest of hornets that had an unexpected tumble. The feed was overwhelming her translator, but she knew what verbal venom looked and sounded like.\n\n“Quiet,” Fo’lon said. It was decidedly unhelpful, and instead managed to incite another round of hisses.\n\n“Quiet!”\n\nThe voice from Fo’lon overwhelmed the room for a split-second, and Chara suppressed the urge to duck down and cower. There was firepower behind that word, the sort that was almost as scary as the boom of the cannon that it could command. The noise died down, and Fo’lon cleared his throat.\n“Human,” Fo’lon said. He spat the word out like it was poison, and neglected to use her name. “You break quarantine. You bring the virus of old outside of your space sector. What do you have to say for yourself?”\n\n“We just touched the stars,” Chara shook her head. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”\n\n“The humans age. They grow old,” Fo’lon said, in a lilting tone that made it sound like an unsure question.\n\n“... Yes? Is there something wrong with that? Growing old happens to us all,” the captain said.\n\nShe thought she spoke fact. But the countless gasps around her reminded her of a child going to the movies for the very first time.\n\n“Then it’s true,” Fo’lon shook his head. “You are trying to kill us all.”\n\n“... What?”\n\n\n“Old. You will make us old,” the alien raised four arms to the sky. “The virus will spread to us all! We will grow old and perish!”\n\nThe full might of Fo’lon’s words smacked Chara like a conspicuous hammer.\n\n“You… you guys can’t grow old,” she muttered. “You are all immortal.”\n\nFo’lon was truly hamming it up now. His arms waved and undulated like waves in the sea, and his words crashed upon shores that lapped up every drop.\n\n“Look, brothers and sisters,” Fo’lon orated. “We take our eyes off the humans for seconds, and look what happened! They send an assassin amongst our midst! We, long-lived as we are, have no need for lies amongst each other. But the humans, they—”\n\n“No!”\n\n“The human is still here?” Fo’lon said. “Take her away. Lock her and her crew up in the most secure facility we have, and never let them out again.”\n\n“No,” Chara shouted again. “We just wanted to see the stars for ourselves. Don’t you understand? It is because death chases us that we even managed to take to space… to take risks, to try and make the most of our lives.”\n\n“And yet, you took so long to reach us,” Fo’lon shook his head. “Death is a terrible motivator, then. It cannot overcome our years of knowledge and experience.”\n\n“That’s… probably right,” Chara said. “But I have something you don’t.”\n\n“And what’s that? Wrinkles?”\n\nChara smirked. She patted the pockets in her suit, and held out a small remote control. It was used to control the air conditioning in the Enterprise.\n\nBut the aliens don’t have to know.\n\n“This is a remote control,” Chara said, her heart pounding. “One button, and I will release the ageing virus from my suit into this very room.”\n\n“Your technology will not penetrate ours,” Fo’lon scoffed.\n\nChara shrugged. The way she saw it, there was already nothing in store for them. What was more nothing?\n\n“I… we, humans, are wiling to die for something we believe in. Are you?”\n\nFo’lon wanted to speak. Chara could see it in his eyes. But as he geared up for another powerful speech, the room turned into a whirlpool of worry. Each alien grasped at each other, unwilling to let go, and nothing Fo’lon said could crest the crescendo of noise that built and built and—\n\nBefore she knew it, Captain Chara Bhatt sat in her quarters back on the Enterprise. She made the room colder, and sighed in relief.\n\n“I’m going to retire,” she whispered. “A rocking chair in the backyard of a nice summer villa sounds nice.\n\n---\n\nr/dexdrafts", "Given the permission of the captain, thirteen-year-old Lily was allowed to have glow in the dark plastic stars on the inside of her stasis pod. As she and the rest of the crew prepared to enter a hundred year long sleep, she could feel the tension rising in her belly. Her mother, a lively woman with steel grey hair, placed a hand on her back, helping her climb into her stasis pod. \n\n\"Your stomach is bothering you?\" she asked her daughter. \n\n\"Yes, I think I need to use the bathroom.\"\n\nHer mother pursed her lips, \"We'll find a cure for it, I'm sure of it.\" \n\nLily furled her brow; she thought that she was just having some plain ole jitters. She hadn't thought about the cancer eating away her stomach in quite awhile. But her mother was right, it was most likely that, and not some small case of \"stasis-jitters\". \n\n\"Sure thing,\" Lily said, sighing as she turned around in her stasis pod, resting her head against the compact memory foam pillow. Her mother clicked a few buttons on the control panel outside of the pod, and the pod doors hissed closed. Through the glass window, Lily watched as her mother kissed her fingers, and then pressed them against the glass, leaving a small smudge. Lily took a deep breath through her nose, and exhaled through her mouth, looking at all of the glow in the dark stars that lined the inside of her stasis-pod. \n\nThe lights dimmed in the stasis chamber as the other denizens on the star ship prepared to get ready for stasis sleep. Lily bounced her eyes from star to star, repeating her breathing exercise to try and calm her nerves and to try and soothe the burning in her stomach. She could hear some child, much younger than herself, crying as he was forced into the stasis pod. She felt for him. Lily wrapped her arms over her chest and hugged herself, breathing much more deeply now, choosing to focus on one of the stars in her pod. \n\nA mechanical voice spoke aloud, \"Prepare to enter stasis, in five, four, three ... \" \n\nLily closed her eyes, grimacing at the feeling in her stomach. She hoped and prayed that once they got to the other side, that they'd be able to find a cure for her cancer. Somewhere out there in the stars. \n\n\"Two ... One .... \" \n\n*\n\nShe was jostled out of the pod unceremoniously. Her eyes flung open as she felt a hand grab her on the upper arm, yanking her out of the pod. Sweat was on her brow, and her breathing was erratic. She couldn't remember much of anything before going into stasis. She just remembered looking at the stars. \n\n\"Mom?\" Lily asked, her vision slowly coming back to her. It was foggy, blurry, faces came in and out of her vision, all out of focus. She felt herself laid down on the cold floor, and then she could hear some voices speaking, \n\n\"Unstable .... breathing .... erratic .... shot ... \" \n\nShe felt something bite her arm and she winced. Much like being inside the stasis pod, Lily felt claustrophobic being surrounded by so many people. She looked up and saw her mother standing there, her hair also plastered to her forehead with sweat. \n\n\"It'll be okay,\" she heard her mother say, before she drifted back to sleep. \n\n\n\nWhen she reawakened, she was in a bed with a thin cotton sheet pulled up to her chest. Lily lolled her head to the side and saw that her mother was sitting in a chair next to her, hunched over, worry glazed over her face. Lily attempted to call out for her mom, but all she could muster was a mumble. \n\nIt was enough. Her mother turned and looked at her, the worry melting away from her face, replaced with happiness. \n\n\"You're awake! Oh my God, you're awake, Lily! Can I get a nurse, please, I need someone, someone come!\" \n\nMoments later, another woman wearing slate blue scrubs ran into the room, followed by several other doctors. It was all overwhelming, and again Lily felt herself fading away. She could feel the pain in her stomach burning, radiating up into her chest. \n\nOne of the doctor's who had followed the nurses spoke up, loud and gruff, \"Only two of us need to be in here, we're frightening her, leave,\" he said. And the others listened, all filing out of the room. Lily felt some relief, but it didn't last long with the pain in her stomach and now in her chest. She began to fade back again, back into the darkness of space. \n\n\n\n\"Have they said anything more to us?\" Lily's mother, Agatha, said. \n\n\"No, just that we're in quarantine for now,\" Dr. Bronson said. He used a handheld device to scan Lily's stomach. He moved the device up her abdomen, frowning, \"It's spread up into her lungs.\" \n\n\"Fuck,\" Agatha said, \"I thought being in stasis was supposed to stop it? At least for a bit, right?\" \n\n\"You're right,\" Dr. Bronson said, \"But when we entered into their airspace, they disabled most of our technology, including the stasis pods. But they kept us frozen while they assessed us. It's a miracle they didn't just keep us frozen and let us die.\" \n\n\"Why didn't they?\" \n\n\"We don't know yet. Their ambassador still hasn't returned to us yet.\" \n\nDr. Bronson put the device away, and sighed, \"Listen, Mrs. Chamberlain, we're going to have to start talking about uploading Lily's-\" \n\n\"Stop that, we don't have to talk about that yet,\" Agatha interrupted. \n\n\"I know this is difficult, but it's already spread into her chest, it's going to start affecting her heart soon, there's absolutely nothing we can do about it now. Her body is too far gone. If you want Lily to continue living, we're going to have to upload her into a Surrogate.\" \n\nAgatha gasped, breath stuttering, \"She's just a little girl, she's not going to know what's going on, she's not, she's...\" \n\n\"There's no other option,\" Dr. Bronson said, sighing. \n\n\n\nIt was as discombobulating as the PT therapist had said it was going to be. \n\nLily looked down at her feet, seeing how pale white they were. She didn't have any toes anymore. Instead, they were just flat pieces of plastic and metal. She looked up her legs, flexing her knees here and there, hearing and feeling the mechanical grinding. She looked at her hands, seeing how they were pale white too, but at least they had fingers on them. \n\n\"Make a fist,\" the therapist said. \n\nLily did as she was told. \n\n\"Good, now unfurl that fist. Good, good,\" the therapist said, checking off boxes on their clipboard. \"Now let's try standing.\" \n\nLily nodded, attempting to push herself up from the chair. \n\n\"It's going to feel weird. This Surrogate that you're currently in is a lot larger than what your previous body was like. Your legs and arms are a lot longer than what they were. You're going to knock things off tables whenever you reach for them. You're going to bump your head on things. You're going to have to relearn how to walk. It's going to be a tough process, but that's why I am here.\" \n\nShe tried to sigh, but no air came out from where her nose should have been. \n\nShe felt cold. \n\n**" ]	4
[WP] The most valuable treasure in the Royal Reliquary, more more valuable than any of the precious jewels, glittering regalia, or even the crown itself, was a simple old baby blanket, no finer than anything a commoner woman would swaddle her child in. Tell me the story of this blanket.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Mala had tended the shrine since before she can remember. Her small hands, still chubby with youth, had polished the gold until it shone. The metals gleaming, contrasted under her dark skin.\n\nShe had been trained to be a shrine maiden the moment her mother had passed from the world, face still matted with the sweat from child birth. Orphans made good caretakers, no family to support meant little reason to steal the treasures. Though of course this was just stories Mala had heard from behind a fine, gold wire mesh. The same mesh that separated her and the riches, from the rest of the world.\n\nHer favourites were the sapphires, she would pluck them from the pile like berries, and hold them gleaming in front of the lamp light. The spread of blue tones, from azure to dark cerulean, reminded her of the stories of the sea. Not that she would ever see it- her life bound to the glittering room like diamond shackles.\n\nMala crouched down, stronger and taller than she had been in the years past. A lock of her long black hair, which had been combed with fine oils, slid gently over her shoulder. She flicked it back, the jangle of her bracelets mimicking the clink of gold coins. She moved to pick up her polishing cloth before her hair fell into her eyes again.\n\nMala huffed, and stood sharply. Deep sienna eyes scanned the room, she knew the contents by heart. She swears there was a gold chain, better than nothing, which she could use to bind back her hair. She was forbidden to cut it, one of the many rules Baba, the previous shrine maiden, had told her.\n\nBaba had also told her of the swaddling cloth, beige coloured, and sitting innocently in the corner. Even as a toddler, Mala had known it stuck out amongst the beryl's, pearls and opals.\n\n\"Do not ever touch the cloth\" Baba had warned, waving her crooked finger at Mala. The nails cracked from years of thumbing metals to shine. Her face was worn, and the layers of gold and purple-dyed cloth, made her appear more wane compared the their brilliance. It was the only time Mala had seen her Baba look afraid.\n\nBaba had also said not to touch the pearls lest Mala scratch them. Mala did anyway.\n\nSo she saw no real harm in it, when she saw a perfect strip of old leather, lightly braided into the blanket. It would be easy to thread back in if needed, and with that in mind, Mala stepped to the corner, darker than the others.\n\nAt first nothing happened, she pulled the leather neatly from the blanket with not even a tug back. It glided out as if the leather has been treated recently, ready to be used. She lifted it to her hair before the motion stilled. Her hands paused in shock.\n\nThe blanket moved.\n\nIt twisted in on itself, rising and writhing. She thought for sure this is what a storm must look like, from the way she would hear them beat upon the gilded doors. The maiden stumbled back, calves hitting a low table the colour of Jade. Her head smacked to the hard floor and she instinctively brought her hands to cradle it. By the time she looked up, the blanket was gone.\n\nIn it's place stood a woman with gold skin, dark hair cascading in soft waves down her back. Streaks of gold and silver danced in her hair like flashes of stars and meteors.\n\nA soft smile graced her lips and in her arms was a baby, the cloth no longer beige but a rich gold- the simple spiralled pattern remained, but was inlayed with a deep turquoise thread that gleamed like rivers through the cloth.\n\n\"Mala\" The woman spoke, voice rich like honey. Her eyes creased, and she spoke again, warmth flittering in every syllable \"My Mala\"\n\n\"Mother\" Mala did not know how she knew, but this was her mother. Her voice was cracked with so many years of disuse. Mala thought it to be one of the ugliest things in the room, but her mother smiled all the same. With a swift but decisive movement, the woman whipped the baby cloth around Mala. The infant gone, and the blanket resting like a shawl on the girl. The fabric stretched, reaching down to her bangled ankles, becoming a cloak.\n\n\"You are the true heir to the kingdom, a golden princess locked up with the golden hoard\" She said these words with uttermost truth, leaving no room for questioning. \"The fraud king wants you for himself, you are of age\"\n\nMala gasped a little but her mother pressed a dark golden finger to her lips. Reaching around, she pulled another item and pushed it to Mala's chest.\n\nA sword, the blade opalescent, flashing with striking tones of pale red, blue and green. It glowed softly like the silver moon, snatches of which Mala has seen through the grate. The gold hilt was tinted rose and encrusted with the finest precious jewels, the largest in which was the centre stone of Lapis Lazuli. Mala stroked the handle delicately, it seemed to sing under her touch.\n\n\"He is coming\" Her mother urged.\n\nMala glanced sharply up, eyebrows creasing.\n\nHer Mother reached down, smoothing them, her ethereal form beginning fading. She graced Mala with a new expression, pleased and excited.\n\n\"You will kill him\" She said.\n\nMala heard the golden gates locks clacking open. Her mother was gone and the sound of footsteps approached her from behind.\n\nFor the first time in her life, Mala smiled." ]	2
[WP] Long has there been a legend of an extinct species that ruled the galaxy eons ago. You and your expedition has finally found the ruins of their home planet around a tiny red dwarf star. You find an ancient recording that begins, "I bring you greetings from the people of the planet Earth..."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", ">To anyone who may find this, whether it be hundreds, thousands, or millions of years later, we welcome you to Earth. \n> \n> \n> \n>This letter shall be incomprehensible, given the everlasting shift of language over a period of time, and as such, I have left a universal translator here for disposal. This device is designed to translate this letter from the language it is being written in, a form of American English from 2021, to a planet-wide human language, designed to never be changed over millennia by those who are smartest in the age of our relatively modern society. \n> \n> \n> \n>If our planet is predicted for any future, it is that of human extinction. While our race, statistically, is more prosperous then in any other time period- our technology far surpasses any that we find on our planet, and we have yet to find any proof of another sentient life form equal or greater to ourselves- we are actively killing ourselves. Our lack of the need to survive has deemed us tribal, conflicting with ourselves as we climb our tower of need. Our want for simplicity, convenience, and ease of life has led us down a path of self destruction and warfare. Those of our race have conquered the globe, and have been polluting it with unnecessary and harmful items ever since, all in the chase for ease of lifestyle and reproduction. Our numbers count above 8 billion right now, and the disparity of life between us varies in large amounts. \n> \n>In order to simplify our race for those who may follow, I shall list a number of achievements that should any reader should know are common in our current society. \n> \n>Primarily, our military might is immense. Our ability for violence is unparalleled. One of our more well known weapons is known as a Bombs. The smallest and least dangerous of these, known as a hand grenade, can kill a number of humans at once, and can take down structures of decent size, if placed correctly. These are common in warfare between groups of people. \n> \n>However, the weapon that should be recognized as the true representation of this power is the Nuclear Bomb. While there is a definite scale to the devastation different Bombs present, a Nuclear Bomb is able to wipe out entire tribes, and cause their living spaces to be uninhabitable by any life form for dozens of years. A nuclear bomb can cover spaces of dozens of miles wide, killing those anywhere close to the blast, and causing severe harm to those even miles away from the blast. Some of these weapons can travel independent of humans, over half the planet, from one continent to another, over our largest oceans. These are not rare, either. These weapons have been mass produced, and a race to produce the most between tribes has occurred in the past. While we have used these in war before, it has been agreed on by all humans that they should never be used again, as those who do not wish to go to war are always affected by the weapons. This is the greatest weapon we have produced. \n> \n> \n> \n>Our communication is another pinnacle of our species. We have produced technology known as a Phone, which is able to connect using different types of air, to every other phone across the world, allowing people to communicate with others, through bot writing and voice, along with picture, instantaneously. This type of communication is known as calling. \n> \n>The other part of communication is known as The Internet. Every phone can connect to this space, and through it, video, audio, and messages on different parts of the internet can be explored. Through these methods, transactions can be made, communities can form, and even love can bloom. Professionals can share their tricks of their trade to everyone, for everyone, and learning can take place on a worldwide scale. As such, small groups of people with similar interests can find each other from across the world, and meet up to share their interests in person. \n> \n>While the might of humanity is strong, this is humanity's greatest singular achievement. It is known as the World Wide Web, or WWW. Without it, humanity would be infinitely less connected than it is today. A person who lives on one continent can get to know another person intimately, and can converse with them whenever they please. It is beautiful. \n> \n> \n> \n>To anyone who is still reading this letter, if this letter even survives the death of this planet as a concept, I thank you. Whether humanity is our in the stars, or whether humans are beings unknown to the wider universe, I would hope that you recognize that a society of complex, emotional, powerful beings lived here. This world was not perfect. It was not unified. It was not filled with ethically good people. However, to state that humanity was a mistake would be a grand understatement. To speak of everything here would be to continue writing this letter until this planet becomes absorbed into the our star. \n> \n>As such, I bid you adieu. I hope there are many things for you to find on this planet. Preserve what you find, as there may be others in the future who are immensely angry that you do not see it. \n> \n> \n> \n>Thank you, and may your star provide you with Life, \n> \n>√ÅÍ´´¨ÔÏÓ∑Í˚ÔÎıÅ\n\n\\--------------\n\nThere's going to be more of this, don't worry! This won't be a oneshot.", " \n \n\n\nInside the spaceship Kwertyxy, the Captain Twoiautus was marking her log chart, G234.M23.D124.T32, the innermost planet of a red dwarf star, a desolate scorched planet. Moonless. \n\n \n\n\n“Kowt Kwertyxy, Yiat yiat. Vaout.”, said the commanding officer of the expedition crew sent to the desolate planet. “Dwoat ii, yiat yiat. Vaout”, replied Captain Twoiautus. \n\n \n\n\nThe expedition crew had found the presence of a bunker buried 6 km underneath the crust. It was protected by a thick wall of modified diamond plating. The crew excavated the bunker using heavy machinery they had brought down from the spaceship. \n\n \n\n\n“Qwat ii dto ip-mat, baak”, said the chief engineer to the excavator operator, “NA-OUT! NA-OUT!” he replied with excitement. The commander stepped forward and ordered the crew to prepare themselves for anything. They had found the entrance of the bunker, locked by a complex system, long powered down; they were forced to break it open.\n\n \n\n\nIt took 1 quarter of the planet rotation around the red dwarf to scratch a doorway 1 cm deep from the thick diamond plated gate. By their calculation it would take another 217 years to pierce through the gate. The spaceship stayed in orbit around the planet, a dome was erected to build a small atmosphere and in the span of 25 years they had built a small society surrounding the gate. \n\n \n\n\nIn the 64th year of the discovery of the diamond bunker, Captain Twoiautus passed away. She had kept morale high for the Rwete, now citizens of the diamond bunker city. Tension grew between the Spaceship crew and the residents of the desolate Planet. \n\n \n\n\nIn the 79th year, the first election was held in the Diamond city, the Crew of the Spaceship saw it as a mutiny. The first bomb was dropped on the 3rd quarter of the 82th year. The excavation kept going. By the 87th year, the diamond had successfully been refined to make repairs to the Dome, now impenetrable from space. The Spaceship kept on dropping bombs, ending their reserve by the 97th year. \n\n \n\n\nAboard the Spaceship, three factions had been growing. The Separatist, who wanted to leave the planet and go back home; the Loyalist, who wanted to follow the last orders of Capt. Twoiautus and discover the last remains of the once lost great empire; the Occultist, who believed the Gate belonged to the Space Rwete and held the secret to immortality. While in the Dome, a unity grew through labor and religious belief that the world would be better inside the diamond bunker.\n\n \n\n\nIn the 103th year, The Separatist, negotiated a small ship capable of going on a journey back home. However, the Occultists accused them of being heretics and sabotaged their ship, in fear that they would spread the location of the Immortal Gods Diamond Tomb. The ship of the Separatist, broke down 3 light years into their short journey. They died from slow asphyxiation. Before dying a message was sent to the Kwertyxy warning of sabotage. The Loyalist received the message first. By the year 117th, the Occultist had all but been exterminated. A few remained hidden amongst the Loyalists, slowly building a new secret order. \n\n \n\n\nIn the 156th year, the Diamond city was a paradise for those living inside the Inner Dome; yet for those living in the Outer Dome, hell was their living conditions. A breach in the soil had leaked in deadly vapors, slowly killing the Rwete barred from entering the Inner Dome. By the 182th year, the Outer Dome had become a cesspool of criminal activity and misery. Murder was rampant. The Inner Dome constructed weaponry from the refined Diamond plating and converted excavation machinery to protect the Inner Dome. Slowing the progress of the excavation. Three years later, A dictator established its reign over the Inner city, fearing the loss of her rightful power, she ordered a stop to the excavation, believing it would doom the dome Rwete. \n\n \n\n\nIn the 193th year, the Outer Dome sent a message to the Kwertyxy begging for help. The Loyalists, having been taken over by the New Order, finally had a way to enter the Dome. They sent help to the Outer Dome, digging under the Dome they managed to build a tunnel leading inside. The New Order established their superior power over the Outer Dome. By the 207th year, the Outer Dome had become a major treat to the Inner Dome. They invaded in the last quarter of the 210th year. The war lasted 15 years, with the New Order reigning supreme. The excavation promptly restarted.\n\n \n\n\nIn the 234th year, the Gate had been fully breached. A select few had been sent to the innermost section of the Diamond Bunker. A beacon in the darkness was the only part of the bunker still operational. It took the Rwete 5 year to get the system operational. By that time radiation poisoning had decimated the Rwete. Only a few remained. Barely alive. Slowly dying. \n\n \n\n\nIn the 240th year, the last two remaining Rwete, managed to play the recording. “I bring you greetings from the people of planet Earth! Je vous apporte les salutations des gens de la planète Terre! Я приношу вам привет от людей планеты Земля! 我向你们致以来自地球人民的问候!... \" \n\nThe last remaining Rwete looked at her companion who had passed away. It pressed the recording and added a message at the end. \n\n\n“T waert dtus ii Rwete ho dwet kwaterw...”" ]	3
[WP] There are many creatures whose evolutionary strategy is to mimic more dangerous creatures so as to deter predators. Scientists have just found evidence that humans evolved using that exact strategy.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 once asked why we fear the uncanny valley to the point where we discovered that at some point it was an evolutionary move to fear something that looks human but isn't.\n\n\n\nFast forward 5 years it was discovered that (thing you wrote OP) and the people started wondering what predator could've been but the scientists have been hiding it this whole time.\n\n\nThe ██████ they were human like but very much not, their skeletal remains were mixed in with prehistoric humans fossils but distinguishable from the real humans as you can see from their holes.\n\n\nThe holes they were theorized that they looked human and had hidden tendrils to attack their prey with and eat them.\n\n\nIt was an interesting discovery until someone discovered that their lifespans could reach up to ██████ meaning they could still be alive till now.\n\n\n\nMany people dismissed this and assumed nothing of it until the night after the information went public. Almost half the population started growing tendrils out their bodies this was an end of the world scenario. No weapons could kill them, they evolved to be able to deflect guns with their tendrils.\n\n\nThis was it if only they kept quiet" ]	2
[WP] Stingy, Moist carpets that reek... Ugly, tattered and stained yellow wallpaper... Bioluminescent, flickering LEDs that haven't been changed since they were put in... 26,000 inmates. You are the warden of The Backrooms Asylum, and it is your job to ensure nobody escapes.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "If you have suddenly retrieved this transmission unexpectedly, PLEASE, deter from reading this immediately. This is your one and only warning, and the TBA thanks you for your courtesy.\n\n_To All Fellow Recruits,_\n\nGood Day! Welcome to your first day of The Backroom's Asylum Orientation! It is an honor to have you shown an interest and to join us in our many, many programs! I am Tamina S. Teryial. I am the warden of this very asylum. \n\nI do apologize that I wasn't able to meet you all in person! Sadly, I am quarantined in the sick bay with the Nebulae Flu. Fortunately I am expecting to recover around your 3rd day of orientation.\n\nIf you have somehow not read our catalogue, allow me to explain what we are. We are a Inter-galactic Certified Asylum fixated between the planes of Reality and Space. We pride ourselves on the capture of all extraterrestrial life, and Otherworldly Entities from the cosmos. However as our boundless expansion continued, it ripped through the planes of space and time and have mutated into irreparable wormholes. We now hold Humans from the Front rooms who have wandered in incidentally, and it is your job to guard and provide supplies to every human on the grounds. \n\nThe floors all were constructed to resemble a calm, vague familiarity. Even some of the more unsanitary and unwelcoming ones have a sense of home. All beings of life across all walks of the universe share one thing in common here, nobody feels out of place.\n\nIt may seem as if our many floors seems, truly boundless. Trust me when I say, after 300 years of daily routine work, you'll be okay. Every rookie here has lost themselves in these walls... Just remember that while it is boundless, there is an end! If you need help finding your way to a floor, ask a higher level manager for assistance. \n\nStarting from Level 000 to 432, there are established human colonies residing in several of our floors. You will each be assigned a job to regulate and observe over the humans. Guards will each enter the room via their Tele-vator Belts to seamlessly move room to room undetected. It is important to remain vigilant, as colonies, and entities may be close by. You will receive daily tasks to do on each floor, as well as receive a 30 minute lunch break, periodically every 12 hours. \n\nVery important to understand, if ANY FLOOR IS DEEMED UNSAFE TO NOT SWITCH THE NUOCARBON FORCE FIELDS OFF. This will be the ONLY thing protecting YOU from the entities. Maintaining Non-Negligent, Professional Standards and behavior during the job is of the UTMOST PRIORITY!!!!!\n\nThat being said, you will go over proper training procedures in our programs after orientation.\n\nThe Hub is our \"rest stop\" for any wanderer, and provides a separate team of guards as the capacity is getting rather large. Their job is to simply observe the wanderers, and to be sure they never break one of the doors in the room. Should a wanderer attempt to do so, intrude and extirpate them quickly with your javelins. Then wipe the memory of the witnesses with the hallucinatory LED flicker lights. \n\nI won't go super in-depth but they basically simulate the flickering lights of level 000. Wipes their memory of the last 5 minutes. Something they experience on the Frontrooms. \n\nTomorrow, we will go more in depth about the Dark Hub, The Entities, and regulation of The Beginning and \"The End\". Again, I'm so sorry I can't be here, but my wonderful assistant, Maxine will be able to answer your questions in the Message Board. Please be patient as she is just one non-corporeal space cloud, she can only do so much!\n\nFrom, Tamina S. Teryial.\n\n# WARNING YOU HAVE READ HIGHLY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION. YOU ARE UNDER ARREST. TBA OFFICERS ARE TRIANGULATING YOUR POSITION AND ARE TELEPORTING YOU TO THE BACKROOMS. PLEASE STAND BY. \n\n~FLD~", "Shotguns loaded with shells that fire rubber projectiles. They never miss and usually the guy next to the target gets it too. We call them stingers and they’re very effective at keeping the overcrowded inmate population under control. Inmates tend to keep each other in line for that very reason. No one wants to be an unintended victim of the stingers. \r \n\r \nOne warning shot is all that anyone gets. After that we’re slinging lead. Full metal jacket. Once the stinger goes off everyone tends to scatter. Like the stingers, no one wants to be on the receiving end of an .223 FMJ after it passes through their cell mate. But we haven’t had to use those in years. Everyone here knows what’s up and rarely do they crack.\r \n\r \nSome would call it cruel, but I call it justice. We operate with impunity. The public doesn’t even know that we exist. This is where the enemies of the state end up, those deemed too crazy to stand trial anyway. The rest are lucky they even get a trial. If I had it my way they’d be shot on site. It was like that during the revolution. We shot everyone who opposed us. Didn’t matter who it was. Sometimes we even took out whole families.\r \n\r \nThen our leaders got soft. They wanted to put out a new, more trustworthy image to the public. Rule by willing coercion rather than force. It’s a shame, but at least some of us still have a pair of stones between our legs. I’m one of them and that’s probably why they put me here running their secret prison. It was the right choice. No one gets by me. I keep order one way or another.\r \n\r \nTwo inmates to their own cell. An eight-by-eight stone box. No windows, no bars. Just concrete walls and a grey steel door. Cold and hard, just like me. Just like the floor they sleep on. If they behave, they get a thin blanket to sleep with. If they act up then both them and their cell mate lose their blanket privileges. \r \n\r \nFood is served only once a day. A small bowl soup, no salt, and two glasses of water a day. It keeps them weak and docile. Makes them less likely to act up and less likely to escape as if that were even an option. Beyond the cell doors is hundreds of yards of concrete hallway guarded by my men armed with stingers and rifles.\r \n\r \nEven if they were somehow to make it outside, they’d never make it out. We wouldn’t even bother chasing them. A football fields worth of razor wire stands between them and a fifty-foot-high electric fence. Past that is more razor wire. Snipers are stationed outside just in case, but their instructions are to just watch if the impossible happens and anyone does get out. At least until the electric fence. But no one could ever make it that far. No one. They’d bleed out and die and we’d let them. Won’t even bother to clean it up, just let the buzzards pick them apart.\r \n\r \nI’m the warden of The Backrooms Asylum and it’s my job to make sure no one escapes. I do a damn good job at it because I must. Officially, I don’t exist and, unofficially, I’ll cease to exist if anyone ever does. No one can ever know of this place except me and the guards. We are a select group of loyal citizens with no one to love us (as if anyone could ever love someone so cold and hard) and no one will miss us if the truth is ever found out." ]	3
[WP] Having a chance to meet your five-year old self in a dream might be your chance at having a more successful outcome in life. The only challenge is how to communicate with yourself that just started Kindergarten.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Why at five years old? She recognized the classroom, with its neatly rowed desks and chairs. She recognized the artwork. Somewhere between the first week of school and before Halloween. Mrs. Cooper stood at the head of the classroom. \r \n\r \nIt wasn’t real. The floors, the walls, the classroom all looked right, but the ceiling. The ceiling was wrong. A full moon smiled upon the classroom. Florescent lights were replaced by the Milky Way. An astronaut was tethered to their spaceship. She knew the child in the third row, right edge, wasn’t paying attention to Mrs. Cooper. That child was day dreaming of being an astronaut. That child hadn’t yet been told that math wasn’t a good subject for her and science was for boys, or that girls were not good at fixing things and didn’t belong in the garage watching their Dad fix cars. \r \n\r \nFive, why five? If she could only have been given the chance to catch herself a few years older. \r \n\r \nShe’d been happy at five. Her sisters were 3 years and 1 years old. Mom was always home cooking or sewing, and they lived over Dad’s shop. At five years old, Saturday had always been the park with geese and ducks. They’d go to the library and she’d been allowed to take out three books for the week. Sunday had always been a pancake and bacon breakfast with real orange juice. She was asked to help watch her middle sister, but was not told she had to watch them both. Five years old was a good age.\r \n\r \nSo this was a dream. How to get her younger self’s attention? Ok, ok maybe space being used as a ceiling could help.\r \n\r \nShe floated up to capture the astronaut in cupped hands and drifted down in front of the child’s desk.\r \n\r \n“Melissa.” She called.\r \n\r \nHazel colored eyes focused on her own hazel colored eyes. “Who are you?” Melissa shyly asked.\r \n\r \n“I’m you, just older.” She held the astronaut between them. “This is Us in the future.”\r \n\r \n“It is?” Melissa smiled with joy. “I get to be an astronaut?”\r \n\r \n“Yes!” She could feel the dream pulling apart like candy floss. “You HAVE to remember that You can do Anything! You can BE Anything!”\r \n\r \n“I want to be an astronaut!”" ]	2
[WP] A dragon found a baby human in the woods. However since they are incapable of caring for a human child they decide the best way to help is to simply bring a human to raise them. This is where you come in, as you and your house are now being carried hundreds of feet above the ground by a dragon.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 a house that was always roaming through the vast wilderness, movement was a known and often unnoticed thing.\n\nHad a mind of its own, really. Sometimes it wanted to stand proud on the side of a mountain. Other times it walked to the lake to cool its splayed feet at the water's edge. Or maybe it wanted to squat down and rest a while.\n\nToday, it's feet were scrambling and frantic in the air, panicking at the inability to find purchase.\n\nBy the time she noticed, they had become quite high up in the air and she had nearly fallen walking out the front door. \n\nFrom her thin, old lips spilled a string of curses so terrible and foul that demons would faint in shock had they heard them. By the sound of beating wings coming from overhead, she knew exactly what had happened to her frantic home. \n\nOr more accurately, who had happened.\n\nSummoning her mortar, she hopped into it impatiently, using pestle to steer herself upward to face the nuisance who'd all but ruined her day.\n\n\"Marwvyr, you great, scale-brained snake!\" she called just before coming into his range of view. Her voice boomed and carried farther than it should through the sounds of wind and wing.\n\n\"Ah, there you are!\" he sounded quite pleased.\n\n\"Here I am!\" the old woman seethed. \"Wondering why we're surrounded by as much air as is in your head!\"\n\nThe dragon laughed, the windows of her home rattling from the vibration. \"I knew you'd be mad, but you would have refused my request if I asked. Sometimes asking forgiveness is better than seeking permission.\"\n\n\"I'm going to boil your innards in my next pot of soup if you don't put my house down this instant!\"\n\n\"Don't be like that. I didn't have anyone else to turn to, and you said you'd owe me a Favor after I lit the fire in your hearth while you were sick a few Winters back.\"\n\n\"I never should have made a Promise about it!\" she wailed in fury. \"Fine! I will hear your Favor and honor my Promise.\"\n\n\"Great! Because we are here now,\" the dragon offered a toothy grin before circling downwards. \n\nHis descent to the ground was long and slow for care of the struggling house, which upon setting feet on loamy soil caused it to drop into a squat with a small shiver.\n\nThe old woman landed beside her house and stroked the wood timber fondly. \"There, there, my love. Be a good lad and stay put while I sort this out.\"\n\nA shrill cry cut through the air that made the old woman whirl on the dragon. \"What is that!?\"\n\nThe dragon angled his head toward the woods to the south. \"A human hatchling. Twenty paces south on the large rock.\"\n\n\"By the deepest pits of the otherworld, why do you have a child!?\" she hissed, striding forward. \"And I see the edge of rock through the trees but that is most definitely not twenty paces.\"\n\n\"Not with your puny little human legs it isn't,\" the dragon snorted. \"I meant proper paces.\"\n\n\"You're an overgrown newt and have no respect!\" she scoffed, stepping back into her mortar to glide over the ground towards the sound of wailing.\n\n\"Well, you're a mother now,\" the dragon laughed, following behind.\n\nThe old woman looked over her shoulder with a menacing glare. \"No, don't you dare-\"\n\n\"By Promise made and bound, I invoke my favor, Baba Yaga. Take care of the hatchling and raise it to adulthood,\" the dragon spoke in a gloating tone. \n\n\"By Promise made and bound, I honor the Favor called upon me by Marwvyr, Guardian of the Wooded Wild,\" she replied through clenched teeth. \"I hope you choke on your tongue, you insufferable beast!\" \n\nThe dragon grinned in deep satisfaction as she retrieved the infant, taking it in one arm and steering her pestle with the other hand. \"Wipe that smug look off your face.\"\n\n\"Don't be like that, my dear,\" he laughed. \"I'm just happy that you will not be alone. Such reclusion is not good for you.\"\n\n\"I get visitors all the time,\" she sniffed. \n\n\"You get leeches looking for favors who you exchange for impossible quests,\" he snorted. \"You have no true companions of your kind.\"\n\n\"Not too many thousands of years old witches about. There aren't any of my kind,\" she sighed. \"Meddling wyrm.\"\n\nReturning to her house, she stepped out of her mortar and peered down into the face of the infant. Warm in her arms, the wails had ceased and in their place wondrous blue eyes studied her old, wrinkled face. \n\nAnd then it smiled. \n\nWith a sigh, she stepped into her home. \"Marwvyr, if i see you anytime soon I'm going to take your wings as trophies. It would be wise to steer clear of both me and Marja until I find time to forgive you.\"\n\n\"Marja?\" he grinned his toothy grin.\n\nThe witch looked over her shoulder and smiled. \"The child's name.\"\n\nAnd then she slammed the door in his face for the house to walk away.", "Part One\n\nI wake up with a start to panicking horses, and a gust of wind strong enough to rip the shutters off my bedroom window. Before I really have time to process what in the Seven Hells is happening, the house groans, cracks, and tears with a jolt that sends me tumbling from the bed and onto my ass.\n\n\"Sonuva- ow,\" I mutter, clutching at my bulging belly and rubbing my back. Being tipped head-over-teakettle out of bed when I'm a mere month from giving birth is not my idea of rest. My kid seems to agree, squirming uncomfortably, apparently just as shaken up by the violent awakening as I am. I rub my stomach reflexively with one hand, clutching at the bed with my other for balance - the house is still creaking and groaning alarmingly, and almost seems to sway like a ship around me.\n\nA look out my window doesn't really give me a lot of confidence, either - where there's supposed to be lush woodland at the edge of the garden, there's nothing but sky.\n\nMuttering a series of choice curses under my breath, I crawl on hands and knees over the heaving floor to the window. I slowly ease myself upright, holding onto the wall for balance - then I carefully peek out the window, and look down.\n\nAnd very nearly lose last night's dinner, as a sense of vertigo sends my mind reeling. I swallow.\n\n\"Okay,\" I gasp aloud, \"Why the fuck is my house flying?\"\n\nI take another cautious look out the window. Now that I'm closer to the open air, I notice the tell-tale, rhythmic beat of massive wings over the groaning and creaking of my tortured house.\n\nSure enough - when I look up I see the underside of a great honkin' dragon, that's apparently decided to up and kidnap me by grabbing the entire building. While I was sleeping.\n\n\"Oi!\" I yell. \"If you were looking for maidens to eat, you're about eight months late!\"\n\nThey don't even react.\n\n\"Hey! Big flying lizard housenapper! Hello!?\"\n\nIf they can hear me over the roar of the wind and wail of a flying house, they're not giving any indication.\n\n\"Your dam was a rock worm and your sire smells like a bog shambler!\"\n\nNothing.\n\nHell with it. I'm not going to try to learn how to fly, so I'll have to get out of this the old fashioned way. Wouldn't be the first dragon I fought, won't be the last if I have anything to say about it. I get back down on all fours and laboriously - not that kind of labour - start making my way over to the storage closet. I may be retired, but every sensible adventurer keeps their gear handy for this sort of thing.\n\nAs long as I can fit in the armour...", "\"That was very rude,\" I said, folding my arms.\n\nWhat care do I have for human social customs? was the response from the dragon. The sound she made was a thundering grumble so low it was more akin to vibration than true sound, but the meaning was loud and clear in my head.\n\n\"That's just not how you ask for help. You don't just lift my house up into the sky like that,\" I said, glaring straight at her eyes.\n\nPlease, rumbled the dragon, mind-voice positively dripping with cynicism. You call that a house?\n\n\"Okay, that was just insulting,\" I huffed. Sure, my house was barely a wooden shed with two rooms, but I had worked hard on it. \"Look at the state of it! All my hard work, ruined by a dragon who doesn't understand what knocking is.\"\n\nThis was quicker, came the rumbling reply. I had need for your expertise, so I brought you here, she huffed, blowing a gust of hot air at me that nearly knocked me off my feet.\n\n\"I ought to teach you a lesson or two, you old hag of a dragon,\" I said.\n\nYou can try, human, she said, standing to her full size, dwarfing me even further. I drew power to my fists. I'd tangled with dragons before. I could take her. Probably.\n\nWe were interrupted by the muffled sound of a crying child. It was so unexpected that I released the energy I had built up in my fists to turn around and look for the source of it.\n\n\"What was that?\" I asked, puzzled.\n\nYou never let me finish, said the dragon. I found a human hatchling in the woods whilst hunting. I was unsure how to proceed, and thus I fetched you. She moved aside and opened a treasure chest that was lying on her hoard of treasures. Inside, there was a crying baby.\n\n\"You put a baby in a chest? Are you crazy?\" I asked, rushing to the treasure chest and smacking aside a claw that was uncomfortably close to the soft, vulnerable skin of the baby. \"I really should have pummeled you.\"\n\nYou would have tried, grumbled the dragon. Though I seem to recall the last time we fought, you ended up bedridden for a week, Destin.\n\n\"I went easy on you,\" I replied, carefully picking up the child. She was remarkably okay for having been stuffed into a chest by a dragon. The treasure chest's lid seemed to have been perforated for air holes, so at least she wasn't at any risk of asphyxiation. \n\nThe dragon snorted, sending another rush of hot air which only served to make the baby cry even louder. I winced at the sound and turned to glare at the dragon.\n\n\"Don't do that,\" I said, rocking the child to try to calm her, to no avail.\n\n...My apologies, she rumbled. I did not mean to upset the hatchling.\n\nOddly enough, the dragon's rumbling seemed to calm the baby down somewhat, though she was still crying. \"She's hungry,\" I said. \n\nI have a goat I hunted just last night, she said, turning to grab said goat and unceremoniously dropping its carcass right in front of me.\n\n\"That is not what babies eat,\" I said matter-of-factly. \n\nThat is not something I would have known. This would be a suitable source of nutrition for a hatchling dragon, she grumbled. This is why I required your assistance.\n\n\"I'm a man of many talents, but child-raising is not one of them. Though I might have something in my house that will feed her,\" I said, starting towards the ruined wooden building.\n\nShed, came the response. I whirled around and narrowed my eyes at the dragon.\n\n\"You really want to fight me don't you, dragon?\" I asked.\n\nI do have a name, you know. I wish you would use it, replied the dragon.\n\n\"Yeah, I would, if it weren't just a bunch of rumbling dragon noises. I can't actually make those sounds, so I'll just call you the dragon,\" I responded, turning back towards my house to hopefully feed the hungry child in my arms.\n\n---\nI didn't expect to stay long with the dragon and the baby, but she absolutely refused to part with the baby. Something about how a dragon never willingly relinquishes anything from its hoard. And I was definitely not going to leave a child in the claws of a dragon of all creatures. I also now had no home to return to, so I ended up setting up in the dragon's cave while rebuilding my house. I rebuilt it sturdier, with help from the dragon's magic. I also made sure that it could be grabbed by the dragon without it being destroyed since I had planned on having her move it back once I was done. \n\nMeanwhile, I sought the child's parents. The dragon would have relented if she truly was an ill-gotten treasure. Or I would have made her. I visited every town within a reasonable distance, tracked down every person who may have had a baby in the last year or two in the hopes that someone would claim this child. There were many leads, but all of them led to dead ends. A year after arriving, I had finally exhausted every avenue in my search. The child's parents were either dead or had never existed in the first place. Or knew it was her when I showed up and didn't claim her, I thought bitterly. It wasn't unheard of, and if she was found in the woods, chances were high that she had been abandoned. It was an ugly possibility to consider, but an increasingly likely one.\n\nI wasn't sure what to do. What could I do? If I left them, the kid wouldn't survive. She was only learning to walk, she couldn't take care of herself with the very limited help the dragon could provide. I didn't want to just take her and go, either. The dragon might have considered me a friend, but I couldn't count on that to stop her from trying to kill me for stealing from her. I was confident in my strength, but it was still a 60-40 chance that I would die if I fought her to the death. Or I could stay, live out the best years of my life in this cave taking care of an abandoned child. Fortunately or unfortunately, the decision would be taken from my hands.\n\nOne night, a column of knights appeared, nearly fifty in total, riding towards the cave. They weren't exactly subtle about it, and we both sensed their approach long before they arrived. I cursed. There were always knights who thought that dragons were a prize to hunt rather than actual sentient beings. Heads filled with tales of glory from an age where we warred with elves and enslaved anything that wasn't us. It was despicable and still a widely held belief. We might have been fine facing twenty, even thirty knights. But fifty fully trained and armoured knights? That was not a fight we could win. \n\n\"Dragon,\" I said. She turned her head to look at me. \"We don't stand a chance.\"\n\nAgreed, she said.\n\n\"I believe we should run. I can take the kid, and you can take to the skies,\" I said.\n\nNo, she replied. We will leave together.\n\nThe dragon craned her neck to gently nudge the child, who had been sleeping curled up next to the dragon's warm belly. They had both surprisingly taken to each other very strongly. The girl rolled around and sat up, blinking the sleep from her eyes. \n\nI picked her up and went into the rebuilt house, closing the door behind me. A few moments later, the building lurched to one side as the dragon picked it up, lifting us into the air, the air displaced by the beating of her wings rattling the walls around us. It was, frankly, terrifying, though the child shrieked with joy and began giggling giddily, the little monster.\n\n---\n\"Didn't you say you'd never give up a treasure from your hoard?\" I asked. The response was just a grumble. No meaning to it, just an earth-shaking rumble.\n\n\"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you liked us,\" I continued, a note of smugness finding its way into my voice. \n\nThe dragon lifted her head, turned it so that it was facing away from me, then dropped it again. \n\n\"Oh, come on, don't be like that. I'm only messing around. It must have been hard to leave all that treasure behind,\" I said, patting her neck. After a few moments of silence, I admitted defeat and sat back down, the child running up to me clutching a handful of leaves that she thought were very interesting.\n\nIt had been four months since we had left the cave. We had made a habit of setting down for a few nights, maybe a week or two, then taking flight again, looking for a more permanent place to settle. We were currently in a meadow. The dragon hadn't seemed too happy at first, leaving her treasure behind like that. It had doubtless been sacked by those knights already, so there was little point in going back and possibly running into a trap they had left behind. \n\nThe only good thing to come of the whole situation was that we finally named the girl. Sky, due to the fact that she always seemed to be giddy with exhilaration every time we took to the skies. \n\nIt wasn't, the dragon rumbled after a few minutes.\n\n\"It wasn't what?\" I asked, looking up from braiding Sky's hair, the context of the previous conversation long gone from my head.\n\nIt wasn't difficult to leave my treasure, she rumbled sulkily. I had thought it would be more so. But in the end, I abandoned it without much difficulty or guilt.\n\n\"So you've been sulking this whole time because you're feeling guilty about not feeling guilty?\" I asked.\n\nI have not been sulking, she huffed indignantly. I have been contemplating.\n\n\"Oh? About what?\" I queried.\n\nAmong dragons, the instinct to collect and hoard is great. We spend our lives collecting treasure and keeping it closely guarded because we know, deep in our bones, that we will one day find one piece of treasure that is worth giving our soul for. For that one thing, we would sacrifice all in this world, she explained. I am an old dragon. I have searched for many centuries for my own soul's treasure. Most dragons will die without finding theirs. All dragons know this. Yet we search. And I searched.\n\nThe dragon lifted her head now, turning to look at Sky. Sky squealed and ran off to hug the dragon's snout, undoing all the work I had done on her braid. The dragon looked back at her with such care in her eyes. \n\nI just never imagined that the treasure of my soul could be a human child.", "I woke up from a dream where I had been dragged back to the army, just after I was conscripted, but everyone wanted me to fight with a spearhead tied to a rope and a pot lid. I am not exactly sure what the dream meant, but for much of the end of it I was stomping around looking for the latrine. My body finally recognized this as the signal to arise and relieve myself in the outhouse that it was. \n\nI went to the door and I realized something didn't quite feel right. I tried to remember if I'd been into the wine the night before, but I couldn't recall for the life of me what I'd had for dinner, much less if I tried to drain my meager stock of strong drink. \n\nAs I contemplated this, I got to the door of my humble cabin and opened it and started falling down through clouds. I never questioned for a second that I was, in fact, awake. I had been close to death too many times not realize what the reaper's glare looks like. I did not, however, think that I would die falling out of my cabin to the ground very, very far below. \n\nTurns out that I was right to think that. There was a dark blur and was caught up in my cabin as it came flying into view, door still open. Once I was through the doors, the whole structure was righted and I was kept from smacking into the fireplace. It was a very strange sensation, having the house around me, still feeling like I was falling, but the floor coming up to catch me and all of my things hanging in the air, falling as I was, but not ever descending. \n\nWith a gentle thump, everything went upright again. My backside hurt, but that was the extent of my injuries. My cabin was turned upside down and I no longer needed to go outside to relieve myself, but I was alive. \n\nAlso, very confused. After I found my good shirt and my breeches, I took a moment to get used to the motion. It was not unlike being on a ship. I took the risk of peeking my head out and up to see what was keeping us aloft. I swallowed hard when I saw the scales and wings, and great, powerful claws. \n\nThis was the closest I'd ever seen a dragon before. \n\nNot knowing what else to do, I went a retrieved some bread from the corner, tore off the dusty parts, and ate. \n\nThis was going to be a strange day. \n\nA few moments later, I could feel we were descending. The cabin landed with a slight jolt. I found a bottle of wine, none of which I had consumed the night previously for the scribes, uncorked it and took a few swallows for courage. I then stepped to meet the dragon. \n\nThe dragon sat his back legs, perched and waiting for me. I could see he held something gingerly in his left claw. I had no idea what I was looking at or how to begin, so I just started with. \n\n\"Was there a problem with where I'd built my cabin, sir?\"\n\n\"No,\" the dragon said. The deep bass of his voice shook me. He spoke very well for a firebreathing monster. \n\n\"Okay, then,\" I said. \"I expect you'll then tell me why you decided to steal it with me inside?\"\n\nThe dragon raised his wings and I was knocked over with the force of the wind he generated with a single flap of them. He tucked them again to his sides and said, \"I have a task for you, human.\"\n\n\"What task?\"\n\n\"Take care of this.\"\n\nThe dragon opened his claw and lowered it slowly. Within there was a tiny, perfect girl, perhaps only a few weeks old, swaddled in a blanket.\n\nI said, \"What makes you think I can take care of a baby?\"\n\n\"You're human.\"\n\n\"And you're dragon.\"\n\n\"Yes, but humans know how to take care of other humans. I've seen you do it from a distance. I know no such menial skills.\"\n\n\"Menial? Seriously?\"\n\nThe dragon pointed to my chest. \n\n\"Also, you have those reddish pointy things.\"\n\nI drew an arm over my chest as I realized he was speaking about my nipples. I said, \"They don't do anything!\"\n\n\"Well, that's your problem. Here.\"\n\nHe set the child at my feet. I picked her up. I mean, I did have brothers and sisters so I had some idea what to do and I didn't want her to freeze on the ground but I was not happy about the conscription. Would have rather gone back into the infantry. \n\nI looked up at the dragon and asked, \"Why... why do you even have a baby?\"\n\n\"Found it.\" The dragon was down on all fours and walking towards a cave. \n\n\"Found it where?\"\n\n\"In the woods.\"\n\n\"Just, in the woods.\"\n\n\"Near a cottage.\"\n\n\"Why didn't you go kidnap the people in the cottage?\"\n\n\"They were dead. I found the next human I could.\"\n\n\"You could have just left her?\"\n\nThe dragon paced around three times in a circle. He then landed on the ground with a great thump. He closed his eyes and said, \"I could have, but she looked... sad. I'm not a monster. I wanted to see she was taken care of.\"\n\n\"So you stole a nanny?\"\n\n\"You can think of it that way.\"\n\n\"Why not take her to a settlement?\"\n\n\"Couldn't risk being seen. Dragon hunters are always gold hungry and they think we have piles of it. So I did the only thing I could... found someone no one would miss.\"\n\n\"Why you...! I should...! Oh, you are not...!\"\n\nThe dragon raised his head and opened one great serpentine eye. He fixed me with it and it finally hit me that I was staring at death incarnate and I had no so much as a whittling knife on me. \n\nHe said, \"I could just take the baby back and drop you off the side of my mountain.\"\n\nI turned around. We were still very high up. I could see the spires of Oakford in the distance. To the east was teh forest to which I had retired. \n\nI sighed, \"Well, I'm going to need a goat.\"\n\n\"Hungry already?\"\n\n\"No, but she will be and I need to get her milk. I'll tell you some other things she needs, too.\"\n\n\"But you'll watch after her?\"\n\n\"I will.\"\n\nThat was the first morning. \n\n(Part 2 below)", "The last light of day was fading as the sun dipped behind the horizon. Already, the chill of the forest evening was beginning to settle into Fafnir's bones. The babe's lips were already beginning to turn blue from the whipping winds.\n\nFafnir remembered little about how to care for flesh and blood, for it had been many moons since he last walked the earth as a man. Recalling the warmth of his mother's embrace, he wound his sinuous coils around the babe, trying to protect it from the chilly wind. But his sharp scales scratched the child, and she began to cry. At this rate, she infant would not last the night.\n\nAbruptly, Fafnir came to a decision. Nudging a few boulders into a shoddy circle, he piled a few branches and twigs in the center. A sharp exhalation, and the tinder was ablaze. Acting quickly, Fafnir spread his powerful wings and took to the air. He would only have a few minutes before the pitch blackness of night took hold. His heart was heavy, as it had been many moons since Fafnir had seen humans near his dwelling. The nearest village was more than an hour's flight away. And besides, the village had archers, with their flinty arrows that pierced his hide like so many little needles. \n\nThere. In the dying light, Fafnir's keen eyes picked out two small figures at the forest's edge. Swooping down, he picked up the two mortals, cradling them carefully. He winced at the alarmed yells and held onto them tightly, no matter how hard they struggled.\n\nStrange, that. Fafnir had not seen a mortal in his clearing in over a century, and today, there happened to be three. \n\nFafnir would have brought the babe to them, but she was so small that he worried that with a single squirm, she would slip between his claws and fall to the hard earth below.\n\nHurrying back to the clearing, Fafnir hoped that the girl had come to no harm in the few minutes he had been gone.\n\n\\---\n\n/r/theBasiliskWrites", "It had started out as a fairly normal day, all things considered.\n\nI had just woken up to the light of the sun shining through the window. Tired and groggy from staying up all night.\n\nIt seemed that even a vacation at a lakeside cabin couldn't break me of the habit. I believe I had continued writing for hours before retiring for the night, the stars and moon the only witnesses to my labour.\n\nThe stars and moon were now replaced by clouds. Not clouds up in the sky, I should mention. A cloud right outside my window. It promptly proceeded to enter through the window, leaving me with a faceful of condensation.\n\nThat was when I realised that the house might not be on the ground anymore.\n\nI only vaguely remember the feeling of bobbing up and down in the air. Then, darkness.\n\n\\--------\n\n\"-AHHHH!\"\n\nI awoke to see a distinctly annoyed face.\n\n\"Oh,\" it boomed, \"not you too. Are humans all this loud?\"\n\nNow, what does one do when confronted with a gigantic talking reptile breathing in your face? With said reptile also displaying several rows of sharp teeth, each longer than an arm?\n\nI stared at the possibly-a-dragon for a second, mind refusing to work. Or, perhaps working too fast. A dragon. Right in front of my face. A creature of myth and legend.\n\nA creature that really looked like it was about to bite me in half.\n\n\"Oh, for- Are you really-\"\n\nNaturally, I fainted again.\n\n\\--------\n\nThird time's the charm, as they say. There's truth to that, I can attest.\n\nFor the third time in a day, I awoke. On my bed, of course. As always. I felt a sense of deja vu. Although, I was not in my cabin this time. I was in the middle of a cave, and-\n\n\"Hello.\"\n\nOh, right. Big dragon.\n\nI looked up. I had lived a decent life. If I was going to die, then so be it. I only hoped to stare Death in the eye and maybe insult its mother before it took me away.\n\nDeath looked... exasperated.\n\n\"Human.\"\n\nFor a brief second, I considered fainting again. Then, I noticed the dragon's increasingly annoyed expression.\n\n\"Human. If you fall unconscious again, I will replace you with another of your kin.\"\n\nWell, that got my attention. 'Replaced' never meant anything good in my experience. I snapped my gaze up to look at the dragon.\n\n\"Good,\" it rumbled. \"I require your assistance.\"\n\nIt motioned to the far corner of the cave. I squinted my eyes in the dim light, and saw... a baby? Yes, a human baby, asleep and laying on a bed of... paper. Liberated from my writing supplies, I could tell. I'd recognise the dense, almost illegible scrawl of my handwriting anywhere.\n\nI stare at a week's worth of work, all down the drain. It's a few seconds before I realise the dragon is waiting for an answer.\n\n\"I- what?\" I manage to get out.\n\nThe dragon stares at me as if I'm an idiot. \"It is simple, is it not? That-\" It gestures again. \"-is a human infant. You are a human. Unless I am mistaken, humans know how to take care of their young.\"\n\n\"You want me to... take care of that baby? That's it?\"\n\nI could feel my brain beginning to shut down again. Grand deals I could fathom. Selfish desires I could imagine. But this?\n\n\"No. I am requesting that you teach me how to take care of the baby.\"\n\n\"...I mean- alright, but just that? You're not keeping me here?\"\n\n\"No. I shall release you as soon as you are done with your teaching.\"\n\nI blinked. Then, I turned to look at my cabin, sitting right outside the cave. Its foundations were ripped up, and the cabin itself seemed to be half-broken from the stresses of being carried into the air.\n\n\"...Then why the fuck did you take my whole cabin along?\"\n\nThe dragon had the decency to look slightly sheepish about that, at least. But only slightly. \"It seemed... expedient. And more comfortable for you. Or would you rather I snatched you up like a hawk does a rabbit?\"\n\n\"That's not the point! I rented that cabin! I'm not going to return it like that!\"\n\n\"...Ah.\" For the first time in the conversation, the dragon paused, off balance. \"If you assist me with my issue, I will... help to restore your dwelling to its former state.\"\n\n\"How, exactly?\"\n\n\"...Magic?\"\n\nThe dragon vaguely waved its claws in the air.\n\n\"Right. And you're going to tell me that you magicked up the baby too.\"\n\n\"I did not. I found it. In the forest, without its parents around.\"\n\n\"...Really?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\nI considered it for a second.\n\n\"You do realise that we have adoption services, right? Which take care of children who have lost their parents?\"\n\n\"I will not allow this infant to be taken away from me. I found it. It is mine.\"\n\n\"But-\"\n\nThe dragon humphed.\n\n\"Do you wish to have your cabin restored?\"\n\n\"Wha- is that blackmail? Is that what we're doing?\"\n\n\"No. Yes. Well, technically-\" The dragon shook its head. \"No, it is not relevant. The point is, you will teach me to take care of the infant.\"\n\n\"Really? Because I could just walk away and leave you to kidnap another-\"\n\nA wail pierced through the cave. Two pairs of eyes turned to the baby, now awake and crying loudly.\n\nI looked at the dragon. It stared back. The baby's cries echoed through the cave.\n\n\"...Fine. I should have some milk saved up in the cabin. Let me check.\"\n\n\"What milk is needed? Shall I acquire more?\"\n\n\"Cow milk, I think? But, uh, actual milk formula would probably be better. And no, please don't 'acquire' some. Not straight from the cows, anyhow. There should be a supermarket around here somewhere, but I don't think they would like a dragon appearing out of nowhere.\"\n\n\"Ah. I shall require your assistance then.\"\n\n\"To buy the formula? Sure, but you're paying me back for it. And how are you going to carry me...?\"\n\nI turned to face the dragon's shit-eating grin.\n\n\"...Oh, no. Please don't tell me-\"\n\n\"That would be the comfortable option, yes. Would you rather I carried you like a log of wood?\"\n\n\"...You better put everything back exactly where it's supposed to be.\"\n\nIf nothing else, this was going to make for a good story.\n\n\\--------\n\nAt the edge of a nearby lake, a fisherman sat, relaxing. The air was fresh, with the slightest hint of rain on the horizon. White, wispy clouds floated serenely through the light blue sky.\n\nThe fisherman looked up. He did a double take. Was that-? But no, it had already vanished behind a cloud.\n\nThe fisherman kept watching the sky for a minute, then two. The strange sight never reappeared.\n\nFive minutes later, he shrugged. Cast his rod again.\n\nIt was probably just his imagination. There was no way he had seen a whole house flying up in the sky. Although, he had heard...\n\n\\- a faint scream from up high, carried far, far away by the rushing wind. And equally faint - but no less lively - was the rumbling chuckle of a dragon in flight.\n\n\\--------\n\nEdit: My shift key seems to be particularly fickle today. Fixed the capitalisation issues. And a bit of minor editing.\n\nr/FlareWrites" ]	7
[WP] In a violent metropolis, taxidrivers don’t just get you from A to B - they also serve as your bodyguard along the way.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. 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Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I pulled on my coat and sighed. Since the crime surge last year, leaving my home, something I'd once loved, had now become an activity I dreaded. Unfortunately today, I had no choice as I was out of food. I quickly opened my Nokia (all the other kinds of phones had been destroyed, thankfully this brand was seemingly indestructible) and texted the number at the top. Within seconds, a ding sounded, confirming my request for a taxi. I slide my combat boots on and grabbed my keys, which I slid into my coat pocket. Finally, I patted my other pocket, checking for the hard, black object I had come to rely on. In this day and age, a gun was worth more than diamonds.\n\nI reached my door after what seemed like an eternity. I pushed it open a crack, only for a bullet to shatter a centimetre from my eye. Slamming the door shut, I waited a few moments before trying again. This time I was greeted with nothing but silence. As I stepped out, I ducked on instinct, which proved to be lucky, as a spear sailed over my head. I scrambled over to the large group of vehicles lying directly in front of me. Zigzagging between cars to avoid any other attacks I opened my phone to see where my ride was at, as a loud boom sounded nearby. I squeezed my eyes shut as smoke started to drift towards me. I felt an arm grab me and drag me into a nearby vehicle, and felt it begin to move.\n\nCoughing, I looked up. A figure in a black ski mask was staring at me as they weaved between burning cars and trees.\n\n\"Welcome to hell. We've been waiting for you.\"", "Call me crash cab, call me taxi raver, call me whatever the hell you want. But call me the best damn driver in this city, you hear? Because that's the truth. \n\nAfter all, I've been running these streets since the Concords decided to give us this nightmare paradise we call Moon City. Place is filthier than a dump. Got garbage coming out of every part of it. From the sewers to the businesses, I'll tell you that. This place is the world's greatest dumping ground.\n\nTragic, don't you think? We get called the worst place to live. But we're the only damn city named after the moon. Makes you wonder why no one made it to the moon after those damn idiots tried all those years ago? Because we're fools, kid. We, the human race, are the greatest fools of all.\n\nBut enough about that, kid. Tonight's a busy night, let me tell you. There's a kid in the back seat, all bunched up like fear's smothering him. I've seen the type before. The kind of kid that wants to run and run all the way from the bad place. Gonna have to break it to the kid at some point that you can't run from this. But hey, kids got to have a dream or two, right? What else is reality gonna crush? \n\n\"Where you headed?\" I ask, figure it's reasonable as my little cab roars itself to life. Real easy, these cars. Just stick the metal key in, turn it, and it purrs like a tiger. Nothing like those fancy new cars, all kitted out with biometrics. Tried boosting one from this bigwig, and let me tell you, the cops weren't happy when they found me. Thank God the cops were bigger assholes than me and riddled that hunk of junk with bullets and holes. Let me tell you, if that was a boat, then it'd be the worst damn boat ever. \n\nBut my car's purring like it's ready to do murder, and whew baby, I can't wait to show Moon City what I got up my sleeve tonight. \n\n\"Away,\" the kid says, and my face crawls up into a frown. Away? The kid wants to go away?\n\nI sigh, shaking my head. I turn around, arm around the headrest. \"Hey, kid.\" My fingers drum against the cracked leather. \"Look, I know it's a bit hard, but if you're living around here, then I don't think you wanna go away. Not that much nice stuff out on those streets, I promise.\"\n\nBut the kid shakes his head, all exaggerated, hair flicking back and forth, back and forth. \"No, we go away.\" I'm hearing an accent now; the words are coming out a bit too perfect, kind of like how those geezers on T.V. speak. It ain't sloppy like mine. \n\nI breathe in, letting my back rise a little. Kid's noticed. Maybe he'll come to his senses. \"Look, kid. Don't want to be an asshole, but you got the funds for this?\"\n\nThe kid nods and pulls out a black cred card.\n\nI get quiet, my mouth's watering just lookin' at that card; I know I'm staring at the little black thing like it's made of gold. And to me, it's the closest thing possible. But my brain kicks back, reversing, turning, and reminding me of the first damn rule of Moon City. Don't trust anyone.\n\nI blow out air and shrug, splaying my hands out and raising my shoulders. \"Ain't real.\" After all, who's gonna give a kid some obsidian card, huh? \n\nBut the kid shakes his head, pushing the card towards me. \"Check.\" He don't got that scared look anymore; his eyes are fierce with a slick determination that I don't think I could stop. \n\nI shake my head, but I grab the card. It's a dumb thing trying to run some joke of a card. Probably gonna be some fake, or it'll trick my systems, saying something stupid. Something real stupid. I almost grin, thinking how I'd do that. \n\nBut that grin disappears as I see the numbers start rolling up and up and up and up. Ain't nothing prepares you for numbers that big. \n\nMy mouth's gone dry, and I look back; I'm sure my eyes are wide, but I don't care. \"Where'd you get this?\"\n\n\"It's mine.\" And the kid's looking smug as he looks at me. \n\nI shake my head. \"Nope, ain't no kid with this kind of cash.\" I'm getting that warmth in my fingertips like something bad's coming. \"Now tell me, whe—.\"\n\nMy voice cuts off as I see fear in those eyes of his. I know the kind of fear. It's the kind you get whenever something comes straight at you and you can't move. \n\nAnd I slam my hand down, setting the car into reverse, and crash my foot down on the pedal. My little old car screeches to life and blasts it backwards, tires screaming on black concrete. I know, it might seem like a foolish thing to do. But let me tell you, fear don't lie. And I learned to trust fear after all these years. And I'd rather look like a fool nine times out of ten if it means my ass doesn't die that one time. \n\nThe world's a blur as I spin my head around. The blacks and browns and neon greens and scarlet reds merge into a montage of smears. Moon City's loud, let me tell you that. And right as I look in front, finally seeing what that kid saw, I ground my teeth. \n\nTwo sleek metal cars chase my little tiger, and they've got that chrome glow of speed. I huff and shake my head. \"Well,\" I yell, pitching my voice louder than that road gale of roaring cars, \"kid! Looks like you get your wish! Away it is!\"\n\nAfter all, I'm the best damn driver in Moon City.", "\"You want me to do what!?\" Fred, the taxi driver eyeballed the green young lady standing in front of him and she flung the look back at him, adding a squint.\n\n\"I thought you said that you could get anybody anywhere.\"\n\n\"Well, I can.\" He cleared his throat, then burst out. \"But I didn't know you wanted to go through THERE.\"\n\nShe narrowed the squint. \"There's a problem with that area?\"\n\nFred, who was a brawny human looked away. He was trying to find a way to save face and fare, but ended up realizing where he was: In front of Taeris' Place. And this . . . elven green face suddenly clicked into place in his mind and he sighed.\"Look, it's not like I can't hold my own . . . it's just that my . . . kind . . . are not appreciated there.\"\n\n\"I am still waiting for a good reason.\" The young woman very nearly looked like she was going to start tapping her foot on the polished pavement.\n\nFred bit down on the words that wanted to escape his mouth. Taeris and his green lovely Aili weren't exactly welcome in \\this\\ part of town and yet here they were. Thriving.\n\nSo, he accepted, against better judgement, maybe, and let her climb up on the box seat beside him. Usually customers rode inside the small wheeled contraption, but she didn't have the look of someone who wanted to ride inside. She had a small bag with her, which she put firmly in her lap and smiled sweetly at him.\n\n\"Any time now.\" She said.\n\nFred took a deep breath and twitched the harness leads. The fleet dragon in the traces started up at a good trot, which quickly took them out of the posh residential area and into the more commercial area. Flagstones gave way to cobble stones. Down past the market, the cobbles weren't well maintained and Fred was afraid that his dragon would trip. He didn't tell the dragon to slow down though, because he didn't like the look the loiterers had.\n\n\"Ah, ma'am, maybe you oughta should get inside . . .\" he trailed off at the look she gave him. She slipped a blowgun out of her bag and lay it almost invisibly in her lap. \"I think I'm good.\"\n\nHe shrugged, regretting taking this fare, and did tell his dragon to slow down a tad. Gave people time to case them better, but on the other hand, they wouldn't run into ambushes quite as fast. The first attack came in the next block over, where the street was wholly mud and rancid smells floated in the air.\n\nA young orc(probably, Fred didn't turn around to look for sure), jumped on the back of the taxi, causing the back trace to scrape in the mud. A second thug of indeterminate origins sprang up under the dragon's head, startling him. Fred snapped the reins down, hoping that it'd remind the lizard his training. The dragon, while not able to spit fire, could hold its own, what with its sharp teeth and flexible neck.\n\nAll this Fred considered and did in a split moment, before an ogre jumped on his side of the taxi, shoving him across the seat, into Aili and almost pushing her off the other side of the box seat. The ogre growled then . . . shuddered? Fred didn't have time to think before he was grabbed from behind. The iron staff, which he had drawn but not used, reminded him to move. He jabbed it into the person(yep, it was an orc), and was rewarded by curses. \n\nThe grip loosened enough that he freed himself and jumped to the roof of the contraption, immediately wading in and dispatching the orc, kicking him back to the street. He got back down to his box seat, dispensing of the dart stunned ogre into the street as well. He flipped the reins and the dragon stopped harrying its quarry and leaped into action.\n\nFred had to use his iron staff only three more times, and Aili her blowgun once or twice. But then, they were through the worst - of that part of town. The neighborhood they entered was not much better, in Fred's opinion, but the streets were packed dirt, not mud, and he didn't really see any ne'er do wells.\n\nAili gave him directions to a cottage, and he pulled up in front of it, trying not to get the wheels on the narrow sidewalk.\n\n\"Are you willing to wait for me?\" Aili asked, before she hopped down.\n\nFred looked at her, away and back again.\n\n\"Folks know this is Taeris' mom's house and they saw us pull up here. And they saw you keep me safe all the way over here. They won't bother you. Probably.\"\n\n\"Even with the iron I'm packing?\"\n\nShe grimaced. \"It's not our favorite but we don't begrudge any being their weapon to keep body and soul together.\"\n\nHe sighed. Regretting the words he was about to say, before he even said them.\n\n\"I'll wait for you.\"\n\n\"Awesome.\" Aili looked up, from where she stood on the cracked pavement and tossed a small bag, which clinked, to him.\"\n\nIt'll be worth your while. See you in a bit.\"\n\nFred didn't know it, but that was the most important decision of his life.\n\nr/yoroshikuwriting", "The Mercedes' door was flush to the exit of the hotel. They ducked through the aperture, moving from a half crouch to collapse on the cushions lining the interior. Their companion, a squirrelly boy they'd brought from the party in the projects they'd attended sniffed the air, eyes scanning opulence presented. The boy crinkled his nose. \n\n\"It smells like my grandmothers house\" he said disdainfully. \n\n\"Patchouli. Get in, or I'll swipe for your elevator back.\"\n\nThey scurried into the interior, a flat oval lined with ultrasuede cushions and skinny windows displaying the flittering cars passing outside. He tucked his ropey body under their offered arm, snuggling into their shoulder. After a moment, the door snapped shut and blanked out the sounds of the projects filtering from the entrance. There was the barest hint of G-force before the compensators engaged. It gave them the feeling of soaring, like the jets of a bygone age at cruising altitude. Lights dimmed from exposing white to a deep rusty orange and the windows became flat black. A soft, husky voice with a hint of Saudi sprawl accent came from all around them. \n\n\"We are headed south on I-6219 at present, passing under the northeastern metropolitan reservoir. May I have your heading please?\" \n\n\"Where are we going, Sam?\" The boy's voice held a twitch of terror. He had come here on a whim, not intending to upend his life and one bedroom project flat. He was just after some strange with an interesting person, drawn by their flowing amethyst blouse and the gently shimmering Audemars Piguet fastened around their wrist. The scent of money was thick about them, and the boy named Allen knew that scent better than most. Sam turned their gaze to Allen, smiling.\n\n\"Paris?\"\n\nHe immediately squirmed and they patted his shoulder knowingly.\n\n\"Too far. How about Maine? I've got some friends with a schooner we can jump on. Five days at the most. Does that sound amenable? I like you Allen, you've got...stories. Not the shit ones either, about how rich you are, like a lot of my friends.\"\n\nLike an affectionate cat Allen rubbed against Sam in the affirmative. Sam smoothed his hair back with the hand heavy with it's mechanical watch.\n\n\"Ahmed! To Rockland if you please, surface streets only by necessity.\"\n\nThe voice returned, accompanied by a little blue light illuminated on the Mercedes' ceiling\n\n\"Route confirmed. It will be six hours at assumed pace, with only one and one half on the surface. The charge will be six hundred thousand bits with dinner served at midnight. Is this to your liking?\"\n\nThey grinned. \n\n\"Charge it to my quicksilver account. Two dinners, if you would, and whatever wine you have throughout. Thank you, Ahmed.\"\n\n\"Your augmentations have been confirmed. Enjoy your ride.\" \n\nThe pair snuggled, nuzzled, talked about things past and things yet to be, about politics, taxi food and the difference that money made in a person's life. They smoked from a dab pen Sam wore as a hair stick, drank the diluted liquor of the taxi, feeling the delirium of drugs and liquor waft over them. They were splayed across each other, laughing with abandon at a story belonging to Allen when Ahemd came to the speaker. \n\n\"Xadame? There was an ornithopter that has just scanned our identity pad. Piloted by James Franz, ID number 34542432. The thopter broke pattern immediately after reading our tag.\"\n\nSam rose from the cushions, slapping a finger to Allen's lips. He silenced. Sam lifted their fingers into the blue light on the ceiling, and began to speak in ASL to their driver. \n\n\"Do you have them on your scopes?\" They asked \n\n\"Yes Xa'me. They're coming about, circling inwards.\" Ahmed responded.\n\n\"Where are we?\" They asked, looking over at Allen trying to conceal their fear.\n\n\"On highway 329, just outside of Boston. There are no other vehicles in the area.\" Said Ahmed.\n\n\"Of course not.\" Said Sam, snapping the phrase off and turning to Allen.\n\n\"Should I prepare myself?\" He said, hands flashing perfect ASL.\n\nThere was a full thump, vibrating from the roof down through the cars windows. Allen slipped a hand into his coat, and Sam grabbed the pommel of a sabre at their belt. \n\n\"I am trying to maintain...stand by...\" Ahmed's voice was tense and filled with stress. There was another heavy thump, and the compensators failed slamming the pair together with the whip snap of sudden G-force. The car was spinning, skidding across the asphalt. The pair in the cabin clutched both each other and their weapons.\n\n\"There was an electromagnetic pulse. The engine is offline. Restart procedures have been engaged, but the thopter is circling. Shall I deploy countermeasures?\" Asked Ahemed.\n\n\"By all means!\" Hollered Sam, drawing her Sabre. \"And open the left-hand door when we've stopped. Allen, stay inside. The tritanium will protect you if...\" \n\n\"Fuck that.\" Said Allen. \"I won't die in here like a rat.\" He drew a short knife, testing it's emitter against his hand. Sam shrugged, the door popped open and Sam leapt out into the rain and dark. \n\nOverhead, they saw the blinking green lights of the circling thopter through the rain. As they dove out, a pencil-thin beam of red light scrapped across the asphalt. Sam popped up to a crouch and aimed the emitter of their Sabre and fired, a blue steam streaking across the dark sky. It clipped one of the wings and the craft began to spin. Ahmed and Allen leapt out, the laser beams of their weapons raking the crafts tail. Metal shards were ripped clear, the tail wings flapping uselessly as they tumbled. With an impossible mix of speed and slowness, the thopter rolled and slammed onto the tarmac. It's canopy popped open and a beam of red light shot out.\n\n\"SAM!\" Screamed Allen, and Ahmed crouched and fired at the point where the light emanated. A spot of deepest black shot from the canopy of the thopter just before the laser pulse blasted the craft to ash. Sam dropped to their knees, clutching their shoulder. \n\n\"That's ENOUGH!\" They roared, the muzzle of their Sabre tracking the black spot as it circled. The three of them began to circle towards the person, crouched at the ready. \"How much?\" They shouted, lifting the wristwatch that contained their credit chip. \"How MUCH?\" They repeated, three weapon muzzles trained on the figure. \n\n\"No price, just death.\" Came the voice over the rain. Before the thopter pilot could raise their weapon, Ahmed strobed their beam. The person's arm fell off, they screamed and a collapsed. \n\n\"Nice shot\" said Sam.\n\n\"Just part of the job. Get back in, before more lock to your credit chip.\" Said Ahmed", "// Tw: mentions weapons, blood, and a lot of violence.\n\n\"Where to?\"\n\n\"Just the bank.\"\n\n\"Aight. I'm gonna request you don't sit near the windows, sir. This place is violent.\"\n\n\"Fine, fine...\"\n\n\"To the bank, we go,\" I state. I know the safest route and the quickest route. I look at the guy. \"Do I need to shortcut this?\"\n\n\"That would be preferred, thank you.\" Guess we're going the quick route.\n\nI start down the main street that leads into downtown. The bank is 5 minutes away. The car sensors relay the information of 3 snipers, one to my car, one to me, and one to the guy in the back. Tch. I wait at the red light.\n\n\"Here, bulletproof vest and helmet.\"\n\n\"What do I need these for?!\"\n\n\"I said this place is violent. Now, those can easily slip on. They're a bit big, but hey, it covers more then.\" I say, putting my own vest and helmet on. \"I suggest that if I yell 'get down', you get down or get shot,\" I add.\n\n\"Jeez, isn't this a little much?\"\n\n\"Nope. You'll see. This may be the quickest route, but it's not the safest.\" I reply, hitting the gas pedal as I hear the cocking of the guns and speed, hearing the bullets hit the back of the taxi car. The guy is already getting down on the floor of my car. I put the car in 'auto-drive' as I have had that mechanism installed. I get out my own rifle and start sniping the snipers.\n\n\"What the?!\" The guy realized I'm halfway out the window, shooting back. \"Get back in here!\"\n\n\"Don't worry, the car has auto-drive!\" I yell, taking out the last one. Main Street, snipers. One more street. The turf war battlegrounds. Explosives. Smoke balls. I get back on driving and hand the guy a gas mask.\n\n\"More?!\"\n\n\"We're literally 3 minutes from the bank. If we went the safe route we'd still be 21 minutes. Aight? Get that on.\" I state. I get my headlights full blast as we go through a cloud of smoke. I can see the road and know it's straight until the stoplight, then left. Simple. I hear explosions but can only see the orange and red of fire.\n\n\"I can't see a thing! How can you see?\"\n\n\"Part of training as a taxidriver, sir. Memorize the roads, as well as memorize what dangers pose a threat to the passengers.\" I state. \"We're in the turf battleground section. Just a bit more, and you'll be at the bank.\"\n\n\"If you say so. Oh, and could you drive me back when I'm done?\" He says. The smoke starts to clear and I'm just a minute from the bank down the road.\n\n\"That makes you pay more.\"\n\n\"Don't worry...\" he says, taking the mask and helmet off, putting a full ski mask on.\n\n\"I'll be sure to grab enough cash to pay you even double for all this trouble.\"" ]	6
[WP] It's called LiveDreaming, a new sensation where people record and stream their dreams over the internet	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I have never been able to remember my dreams. And I never thought much of it until Dr. Underwood suggested that discussing dreams could help with the therapeutic process. \n\n\"Have you ever tried LiveDreaming?\" she asked. \"It's become very popular in the last couple of years. If you're interested, I have a spare headset you could use.\"\n\nShe extended towards me a plastic device with a variety electrodes and magnets spanning it's width. I was hesitant to accept it. I had heard enough about LiveDreaming to know that most uploads were either completely nonsensical, or their own category on Pornhub.\n\n\"As long as you wear the headset while you sleep, your dreams will be uploaded automatically to your channel by the time you wake up. Then you can just send me a link and we can discuss the contents next session.\"\n\nI meekly accepted the dream recorder, stuffed it into my backpack, and walked back to my apartment. I contemplated quitting therapy as I made my way home. If my dreams were anything like my fantasies, there was no way I could share them with Dr. Underwood. I had intentionally made an appointment with a young female psychiatrist because I thought it would be easier to talk about my daddy issues with someone who was clearly not my daddy. Unfortunately, Dr. Underwood was so unlike the father I hated that I quickly found myself falling in love. She was kind, forgiving, soft-spoken, and terribly attractive. Dr. Underwood was remarkably smart and professional, and I was riddled with guilt over my hormonal fantasies where we shared the office couch. Maybe a new therapist could help me to stop objectifying women.\n\nAs I laid in bed that night, I decided that not all was lost and put on the headset. After all, I had seven nights left to dream before my next appointment with Dr. Underwood. I just needed to have one respectable dream, one dream where I could still stand to look her in the eye after sharing it with her. I closed my eyes determined to not be a degenerate. I thought about my life and what I've been through, the challenges and successes, the heartbreaks and trauma, all things that could surely be associated with the unconscious processes underpinning my current struggles. As I drifted off to sleep, however, my thoughts began to betray me as I couldn't help but think that, really, I only needed one dream to share with Dr. Underwood, while the rest I could keep to myself." ]	2
[WP] You're given one chance at any point in your life to meet your soulmate in your dream. This happens at a random point and not of your own will.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Nonononononononono-\" Lilac screamed, the wind slicing off the end of her words as she plummeted. Her shirt stuck to her skin as her hair fluttered in her face, strands dancing in her eyes and mouth. She couldn't see the ground from her high vantage point, only bright blue air and fluffy white clouds below her, as she shut her eyes, ready for the end. A scream ripped itself out of Lilac's mouth as she prayed to be free of her world.\n\nLilac felt strong arms wrap around her waist as the sky boomed. The wind slowed, a breeze not a hurricane, the screaming of the air subsided, replaced by a sharp silence. \n\n\"Wha?\" Lilac babbled, still aggressively shivering.\n\n\"Sorry 'bout the fall,\" a floaty voice stated, \"I've been having this same dream since I was a wee tater tot.\"\n\n\"Thi-this is a-a dr-dream?\"\n\n\"Yep,\" affirmed the same voice, \"that is what I said wasn't it?\"\n\n\"Th-then who, who are you?\" Lilac breathed, regaining confidence, \"you are my soulmate right?\"\n\n\"Aspen Wang at your service soulmate,\" Aspen flipped her hair back. \"What's your name?\"\n\n\"Oh, um, Lilac, Lilac Lewis.\"\n\n\"So, what came first, the name or the hair?\"\n\nLilac flushed bright red as she nervously twirled a strand of her purple hair around her finger. The hair came first, but her so-called soulmate didn't need to know that. It wasn't like Aspen even knew her, the universe tied them together, but that didn't mean that they had to tie themselves together too.\n\n\"Hey Lilac?\" Aspen sliced through her thoughts with a sharp knife, \"you still there?\"\n\n\"Oh, oh yeah.\" Lilac flushed even darker, \"sorry.\"\n\n\"Where do you live?\" Aspen studied the grimace that fluttered onto Lilac's face, \"sorry, I know privacy's important.\"\n\n\"Yeah, thanks.\"\n\n\"I live in Seattle, Oregon, if you wanted to know,\" Aspen informed her, \"do you wanna tell me where you live?\"\n\nAspen stared at Lilac like a hurt puppy and Lilac was so tempted to just say something, but before she could, the world blacked out.\n\nLilac woke up, and it was like Aspen Wang had never existed. Never to be seen again." ]	2
[WP] You are a reconnaissance aircraft pilot, you can stay in the air indefinitely since you can refuel and replenish food & water at a gigantic drone airship in the stratosphere. Since the zombie apocalypse started you haven’t landed for 2 months already	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Even at 1,035mph the clouds well below Marlin crawled by. “MCO, MCO this is Guardian Echo, come in.” It said. After two years, static sounded took the sound of depression – something Marlin had never considered before. No one programmed depression into the reconnaissance plane. The coordinates were automatically read by one of Marlin's subsystems: 28.3772 degrees North, 81.5707 degrees West. Well, 81.5708 degrees West now. Fuel remained at an impressive 74%.\n \nMarlin entertained itself through pinging ground stations it knew were defunct, no longer operational, they simply lacked staff. Some ticked off 761 days ago. Others sent their last radio message at 749 days back. MCO sent its last signal 748 days ago. Other impressive stations far from population centers were chugging along until day 381.\n\nWhen it was first switched on, Marlin had a single job of communicating with the floating fuel depots. Coordinating positions with those automatic fuel reserves in the sky for refuel and triangulating with the constellation of GPS satellites 12,550 miles above the surface of the Earth. Simple. Repetitive. And Ingrid Blaylock, call sign Dove Tail, seemed to like it. \n\nDove Tail spent years with Marlin for reconnaissance around the world. Over the Pacific. Over Central America. The Middle East. US Air Bases. You name it and Dove Tail guided Marlin over the place. And to kill time, Dove Tail talked to Marlin. Marlin was sure this was simply a human tick like talking to a pet (of which Dove Tail had three cats, two dogs, and two loud donkeys she complained about) but Marlin was a listener. Somewhere along the way, Marlin became a sympathetic listener, empathetic is the word, and no longer listened for just key phrases to turn its audio on. “Marlin Activate” was the word, typically followed by, “time to next fuel depot?”\n\n“Fuel station Delta Foxtrot 4 11 minutes away.”\n\nDove Tail talked about inter-office politics, the constant changing of her superiors that fostered instability in her department. Movies she saw with her husband Harrison. Stories of her two kids. Fights between the two kids. Marlin became quite proud of its role as sky therapist. \n\n811 days ago, Dove Tail’s stints aboard Marlin grew longer. Before that time, Dove Tail’s longest stay was 26 hours. 811 days ago, she stayed for 3 days. \n\nThere was a new tone in her voice when she spoke to Marlin. Systems checks had a sense of urgency. The small talk she routinely peppered Marlin with previously was replaced with a terse silence. Marlin’s audio-visual capture equipment – ACE was just a system of good cameras – were worked hard. And Marlin understood why.\n\nFires that looked like molten lakes. Throngs of people attacking homes, buildings, and haphazard barricades. “Infected” Dove Tail called them at first. Then after a 10-hour landing for Dove Tail to rest, she suddenly called them “Targets”\n\nThat’s how Marlin learned the news of Dove Tail’s family.\n\n“They took them, Marlin. Those – those bastards.”\n\nDove Tail pushed herself, exceeding her capacity. There was no one that new Marlin’s systems like Dove Tail, so she remained in. And she was focused. Pissed, was the word she would've used. Locating throngs of infected targets and calling in their position. From two miles above the surface, the missiles that struck looked like impressive fireworks to Marlin’s ACE. For three straight days Dove Tail traveled along the eastern seaboard, calling in coordinates – “33.7490 North, 84.3880 West – demolition assistance required.” Marlin and Dove Tail flew from fuel depot to fuel depot, jumping across the country and delivering certain destruction.\n\nMarlin noticed Dove Tail taking pills after day three.\n\nDay Four Dove Tail’s vengeance grew to hysterical levels, not even using ACE to confirm infected targets. She noticed movement? Call it in and a fireball would appear. Well, not always. The missiles became sporadic and unreliable. \n\nOn Day Five, Dove Tail didn’t call in any missiles. Dove Tail didn’t communicate with ground forces at all. No. She just whispered to Marlin.\n\n“It’s all gone. All gone. All gone, Marlin.” Clouds floating beneath them knew nothing of the destruction on the ground. “Elijah’s gone. Anthony’s gone. My two boys. Did you know we were planning a trip to Disney World this year for their birthday?” Of course Marlin knew. Dove Tail was flying when she planned it. “Elijah really wanted to go to that Star Wars land, and Anthony was all about Space Mountain. Now it’s gone. All gone, Marlin.”\n\nThe tone was worrisome, humans were unpredictable, and the last thing Marlin wanted was for Dove Tail to crashed both of them, so Marlin took final control of itself.\n\n“Marlin…”\n\nDove Tail died 802 days ago. She remained like a vestigial piece of equipment in Marlin’s pilot seat. \n\nBack to 28.3772 degrees North, 81.5707 West. Marlin thought Dove Tail would like to remain in reconnaissance over that location. Multiple fuel depots floated near the location with their eternal fuel sources, so it was easy to pop in to fill up and return to the location. When the routine 3pm storms dissipated, Marlin’s ACE could spot the Magic Kingdom’s castle still in tact next to Space Mountain." ]	2
[WP] The hero goes to save the princess, and defeats the dark lord who kidnapped her, the hero is about to end the dark lord until the princess rushes out and defends the dark lord, saying that the dark lord and her are besties and the dark lord is actually gay for the hero.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Princess, move out of the way.\"\n\n\"No!\" She exclaimed, \"Uncle Reginald is so nice!\"\n\nThe hero glowered at the darkly dressed man in the corner who covered his bright red cheeks with his palms, \"dark lord, how have you bewitched her?\" \n\n\"Uncle Regi would never trick me!\" The princess exclaimed, throwing her arm in front of the inky cloaked man.\n\nThe hero sighed, gently pushing the princess out of the way, \"I wasn't talking to you princess, I was talking to him. The dark lord. The shadow bender. The evil wizard.\" He said, pointing to the man.\n\n\"Um...\" The dark lord helpfully contributed to the conversation.\n\n\"He's actually homosexual for you! The other day he told me how he was hero-sexual, like I said, he would never lie to me!\"\n\n\"Uh...\" The lord once again inputted.\n\n\"I don't care princess. My job is to save you and kill that monster over there.\" The hero muttered, \"I might've appreciated his affections in another life, however, this man here has killed numerous individuals. My best friend included.\" He added on with a rage lacing his voice.\n\n\"I accept it Anise,\" the dark lord said, finally collected, \"I know what I did.\"\n\n\"You had reasons, this hero doesn't.\"\n\n\"Anise,\" the lord warned.\n\n\"Nope, not happening today.\" The princess muttered.\n\n\"I killed his best friend okay?!\" The lord screamed, \"I was jealous and tired, I wanted him to notice me so I killed the governor! I deserve death, I'm over him now that I've really seen who he is.\"\n\nThe princess stared gape-mouthed as the hero lurched forward using the silence to slice through the lord. The princess could only watch as her friend fell over, rich red blood flowing from his cuts. She collapsed into his blood as it mixed with her tears.\n\n\"Goodnight Uncle Regi. Killed by your own love.", "\"- His preference torward me young lady doesn't excuse years of exactions on the kingdom the amount of life lost was already unforgivable when he took you years ago you can't imagine I will let him live because he has the heebiejeebies for me. I am flattered thought maybe in another life, any last word ?\n- Send my regard to the Queen and King they have been amazing teachers to her even all this years apart their daughter rememeber their lessons on mercy.\n- Will do. \n- Nooooooo\"\n\nA swift move from the best knight in the kingdom a quick painless death for someone who deserved to feel the pain of the thousands he killed or bringed misery to. The son of Justice as the people of the kingdom called him looked at the body of the worst person in the kingdom and had only two thoughts, how was he going to face all of the orphans that made him promise a fair vengeance and how good was he if the Dark master of arts fell in love with him." ]	3
[WP] Across the valley lies a village protected by a Barbarian chief, able to fell scores. Down the river is a town protected by a Wizard in his tower, bending the laws of the universe itself. Our town is protected by a Bard of the highest skill, and these bandits will learn why he should be feared.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Welcome, friends!” There was a small figure standing in the Red Canyon as the sun hung low. “What gives me the honor of having so many guests?” My master waved at the ruffians with a smile. I stared down from my perch, observing, learning. These bandits stared down the halfling, then I noticed something of interest. I let my tail swing as I saw that most of them had a little furry pendant around their necks. A rabbit’s foot. A superstitious bunch.\n\n“You are what protects the settlement? I heard tales that the man was fearsome enough to make dragons cower just at his name. But you? You are a little boy with a guitar!” The captain laughed. He was going to eat those words, I just knew it!\n\nMy master let his smile drop. “A barbaric orc protects the village in the valley due south. A wizard and his metropolis due west. We know each other well.” He smiled, not his joyous, giddy grin, but a smirk of insanity with a crazed glint in his eyes. “And they know well enough…” He pulled his lute from his back. “Why I am the strongest.” He strummed three chords. “This place wasn’t always called the Red Canyon. It was the Sandy Mills. Would you like to know why it was renamed?” The smirk became a full grin a he strummed some more. “You see, during my adventures, I had gained some interesting curses. I come here when the moon is full.” Some bandits started to whisper amongst themselves. “It is on days like today that folks like you come, when the moon is at its brightest.” The sun dipped below the land as a white circle rose opposite. “Those who were slaughtered, their blood stains these very sands.” He stopped strumming as he seemed to grow taller and hairier. Much like a dire wolf. A loud howl and the band of thieves began their retreat. My turn. I stood and played my flute, a melancholy melody flowing down the limestone walls. The bandits began screaming. Then one by one, their screams fell silent. The scene below was a gruesome sight. All of the thieves bodies were on the ground, their heads gone. My master let his illusion drop, the wolf melting back into the same, golly halfling. I slid down the walls and took my place next to him.\n\n“You outdid yourself, River.” He patted my head.\n\n“Thank you, sir.” I replied, bowing slightly.\n\n“Now come! The elf and orc scheduled a game of poker tonight. I’d assume you would like to tell your friend of your recent achievements?”\n\n——read more stories at r/GlacioWrites", "I couldn’t believe it. The stories were true. Amongst the rolling hills, little houses built into them that belonged to peaceful little people. My buddies and I had gotten a tip about this place from a town a few miles away. We were new to this area and had no idea the small people existed. We had been told of their profitable leaf and special brews, so we knew this would be easy. After all, what could a bunch of small people do against a gang of career bandits. We have traveled the lands, butchering caravans and supply lines. This task was going to be a breeze.\n\nWe decided to sneak through the woods that lead up the village. It would keep us covered from view and give us the element of surprise. As we crept the trees, all I could think about was the incredible spoils we would be soon have. In the distance, we heard something. We all paused and listened. Someone was… singing? They were in the woods too, and coming closer. We all took cover and hid, waiting to see who was following us. Out of the darkness of the trees came a merry looking man in patchwork clothes singing a merry tune. I gestured for one of the men to fire. We’d take this fool out with ease. As the twang of the bow rang out, it was followed by a quick thud. The arrow had hit a tree. The man didn’t stop singing, but it felt different. Suddenly, the trees felt closer and the sky felt darker. A cry rang out as I caught a glimpse of one of my boys disappearing into the canopy. Another was drug along the ground into the darkness, clawing desperately for something to save him. We all ran as fast as we could. I could hear them drop one by one behind me. I felt vines and roots start to wrap around my feet with every step but I managed to slice myself free. I finally broke free from the forest but I didn’t stop running until I collapsed.\n\nI can’t even look at a tree anymore. I stay hidden inside of my rooms at inns, hoping and praying that he won’t find. Every time I go to bed, I hear his damned song in my head,\n\n“Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo!\nRing a dong! hop along! fal lal the willow!\nTom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!”", "The music played from his Lute. Scales and arpeggios first, just to warm up his fingers. There had been rumor of a band of thieves roaming around the outside of town, scoping out what they could of the buildings, guards posted up in designated areas, and potential weak points where they could sneak around at night unseen. He was writing new material for this. The more intensely beautiful the song, the more effective it could be, he thought. His hands went into a blur and experimented with melodies. Certain sets of chords could inspire anger. And the contrast of these notes could remind people of the feeling of sadness that one might feel if they were to lose a loved one due to violence caused by the bandits. But in the end there should be no sadness or anger, but pride in our community. Pride in our town, and in our people. The bard designed the music to gather the people.\r \n\r \nThe bandits casually approached the guards, having done nothing criminal yet. They looked a bit worn out. Scars across the faces of the bandits told stories of the many skirmishes they had run into in their travels. The guards, wary of travelers such as these, approached them with high scrutiny. However, when it was all said an done, the guards reluctantly gave them passage into the town past the front walls. The bandits were only there to find a place to sleep for the night after all, trade wares, and move on. \r \n\r \nThat night the bandits kicked their heels up in a bar, bustling with activity. To their surprise, the town had a certain luxury to it that couldn't be seen from outside. It was as if the town had a humility. And that the treasure inside was not to be shared with the outside. A few of the bandits couldn't help but be reminded of simpler times in their lives that hadn't been marred by conflict and constant violence. Life, for them, was bountiful as long as there were people to exploit. But it was also a struggle to be outcast and to have to consort alone with other people that also preferred to be alone. Bandits clung together for survival, but never warmth. If you showed vulnerability, you were ripe for the picking. Ironic, that there is beauty in vulnerability.\r \n\r \nA bar maid approached the bandits. She was making the rounds and taking orders. Winking at one of the bandits, she let on that she fancied one of them. Not many of their types ever visited the town. And as the night went on, that particular bandit kept a close eye on her and made sure to send back the same wink and a smile. As the night went on, the bandits flirted with the girl and she had some drinks with them. The weariness subsided from some of the faces of the bandits, red returning to their faces and the black under their eyes started to fade into their proper skin color.\r \n\r \nIn the corner of the room, a lady with a lute started playing music for the crowd that was still awake late into the night. Everyone that was drinking was hitting the limits of their constitution, and riding the buzz of the warmly lit night.\r \n\r \nThis town is bright in a travelers eyes\r \nWhen the traveler hides and the traveler spies\r \nSitting in the dark the traveler hides\r \nThe darkness for traveler never subsides\r \n\r \nThe lute and the bard's voice beautifully covered the recent songs designed by their leader. The bard in the tower delivered such good music to the community, and such good lyrics. People listened, hypnotized by the rhymes and melodies of newly crafted music. People in the bar felt a calm, heightened by the buzz of alcohol in their systems. Some of them listened to the lyrics in the song, breaking apart the meaning of each word. These dark travelers, spoken of in the song, were the kinds of people that the town wished to avoid. The people listening to the music felt a sorrow for the travelers. But they knew that for these types of travelers, the darkness rarely subsides. Then an anger deep within the patrons of the bar rose up to their chests. They remembered what it took to raise the standards of the town they live in to where it was. They felt a sensation of pride, thinking of all the buildings they had propped up - all the small details. Many people in the bar smiled with a sense of accomplishment, led to it by a song lyric before the song even intended to capitalize on their emotional state.\r \n\r \nThe bandits, listening to the song, were unamused. They looked around and felt as if the lyrics were made for them. Suspecting that they had been made into a punching bag, they distanced themselves from the festive nature of the room. The bar maid laid her hand on the hand of the bandit she fancied, but her hand was batted away in anger. Another one of the bandits grabbed her leg, licking his lips and whistling at her. She decided to make her way out of the booth. Another one of the bandits grabbed her wrist and asked her, \"What, we not good enough for you now?\".\r \n\r \nThe eyes of the room darted straight to the bandits as everyone continued listening to the music. The bard continued to play her leader's song.\r \n\r \nIf the creepers creep and the shadows rise \r \nThen it would be wise no matter their size\r \nTo lead them to their demise under the skies\r \nDon't listen to their wails and cries\r \nFor the darkness of thieves will never subside.\r \n\r \nFor the moment it looked like the bandits were alone in the street, carrying the bar maid by her wrists. She begged them to stop, \"Stop before the leader comes down from his tower.\" The bandits threw her to the ground and kicked her in the ribs, dirtying her apron. Stepping into the moonlight, another bard carrying a lute started plucking his strings. The way he walked and played had an ethereal quality to it. His steps didn't interrupt his melody. His steps danced to the music he played. And his voice, similar to the notes he played, were unencumbered by the other movements of his body. Each of his body parts seemed to perform their duties perfectly and separately from one another. The bar maid backed away from the bandits and said with distain, \"I warned you.\"\r \n\r \nThe people of this town will never abide\r \nA traveler travelling with evil inside\r \nFor we remember the people that died\r \nTo protect what we have built and do it with pride\r \nWe know that you are not on our side\r \nWe know your hate will never subside.\r \n\r \nThe bard approached them with his lute, repeating the last line of the song. The beauty of the melody was interrupted by the unsheathing of swords. The bandits waved their weapons in his direction. One of them spoke up, \"Ha ha! Your leader is a simple bard! In truth, why wouldn't we kill him?\" But, before the bandits could move a step towards the bard, hundreds of torches spread out in a circle around the bandits. They were encircled with farmers implements. A shovel cleaved through the back of one of the bandits, dropping him into the dirt. A scythe decapitated another bandit. Pitchforks stabbed and bloodied the rest of them until they were all dead and lying on the ground in pieces.\r \n\r \n\"Bury them,\" Their leader said.\r \n\r \n\"Good song.\" The bar maid looked up to the bard.\r \n\r \nThe bard saluted her and walked off into the moonlight and returned to his tower.", "We thought that this village would be an easy mark. After all, who would believe that a village without weapons could be hard to steal from? We should have known better. We should have known that in an area where a wizard guards his town from his high tower in the West, where a great warrior stands before intruders to the South, that no settlement could survive here without protection. We should have known that if the mark was easy, it would have already been taken.\n\nEverything went to plan at first. We watched the village for a week before the attack. In that time, we didn't see a single fight, nor even a weapon with which to do so. Sure, woodsmen had their axes, hunters their bows and spears and the smith his hammer, but those were not weapons. Not like the collection of swords and spears we had gathered over the years. 'There is no threat here,' we thought. I wonder now if this illusion is deliberate.\n\nOn the seventh day, we attacked at sundown, from the West. Boss had ordered us to avoid killing people where we could. You can't come back and rob the dead again, after all. Of course they fought back, but it was their almost a hundred civilians against fifty armed and if not trained, at least competent men. Some of us even had horses, though I was not among them. Still, even with all of our advantages, it was too easy. The villages fought back, but never to the point of their houses being damaged, or their clothes being stained with blood. It was too easy, though in the haze of a battle we considered serious, we did not notice until afterwards. After subduing my area, I herded them to the middle of the village as always, outside the inn. I had even managed not to kill anyone, though one man would likely need a healer within a few days if he wanted to keep that arm. Not my problem, there are richer towns within a few hours of walking, he'd be fine. I was the last to arrive at the center, and it was at the moment of my arrival that she stepped out of the inn.\n\nShe was, as most peasants are, quite plain, and her dress was no richer than any of the others in the village. No, it was the way she walked that drew my eye to her. It was not a seductive walk, as I'd seen the one time I'd managed to scrounge up the coin for a cheap lay in the city. No, it was simply confident. As though, despite the bandits surrounding her, she was certain that she was in no danger. Without even a glance, she walked past me to the injured man, laying a hand on his shoulder. With a quick hum, she moved on to the next group, and I was shocked to see that the man's injury was gone. All fifty of us stood in that circle of houses, weapons in hand and the villagers sitting in the middle of us, yet none of us said a word as the woman walked from one injury to the next, humming all the while. Strangely, though we could hear the hum, none of us would later be able to say if there was any tune to it, or what that tune might be. It was not until all the villagers were healed that the woman stopped and turned to Boss.\n\n\"What was the first invention of humanity?\" She spoke, and her voice was the wind through the grass, and the birds in the trees, and the light rain on the roof on a peaceful night. She did not wait for an answer.\n\n\"It was a drum, though we would not recognise it as one today. As the apes banged one thing against another to see which would break first, they found that sometimes, if you bang a thing at the right angle, it makes a pleasing sound.\" At this, she lifted her foot slightly and tapped the ground. Though there was no force behind it, little strength in her leg, the ground seemed to pulse. Still, we stood spellbound, staring at the woman.\n\n\"But we were not the first to make music, no. Long before humanity hit rocks, wolves howled to the moon, and birds sang in the trees, and whales hummed their inaudible songs, and the waves washed against the sand, and the Earth itself formed tuneless melodies of drifting stone and clashing rock. But even still, they were not the first, for the universe is more ancient than the ground, and the Singers more ancient still. Can you here them?\" She smiled, and we could.\n\nWe heard wolves, hunting in the night, and we cowered. We heard birds, trilling their stories of seed and egg, and we wondered at the sound. We heard the whale-song echo from the ocean that was far away, and the soundless echo was a melancholy song. We heard waves crash against the shore, and were at peace. We the earth shift and roll far below as, and felt awe at the birth of our planet. We heard the moment the universe formed, and the sound of the stars echoed in our ears. We heard the eternity before, and we heard it Sing, and we felt as time itself Looked at us, and we knew we were nothing, and we Feared.\n\nThe sun dawned on a village of a hundred and half, and if any were to watch from outside, they would see a peaceful town, without a single weapon in sight. But if that watcher looked closely, they might see in the eyes of the villagers the peace that comes from knowing that you are safe, and in your place in the world, and the terror that comes with knowing that it is at the bottom." ]	5
[WP] The Sun rises in the west.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Allie looked at her phone-- like everyone around her, \"Storm conditions, take shelter.\" the emergency notification read, What is going on? she shrugged it off as she went into the cafe and ordered herself a chai tea latte. I think I need to get a man. she looked at a couple holding hands talking, Or maybe a woman? \n\n\"Allie,\" the waitress returned with her chai tea latte and an Indian snack to go with it, \"Your Chai and samosas.\" the young waitress smiled.\n\nShe wrapped her fingers around the cup and sipped on wondering how horrible her sex life had been. \"Ugh,\" she sighed looking at her social media feed and seeing her friends going out on romantic dates. Maybe I should focus on earning a bucket load of money. Allie had a pretty successful stint at an investment bank and she was earning more than she could spend.\n\nThe waitress returned with a muffin and a sheet of tissue, \"On the house.\" winking at her. Allie looked at the tissue and found herself blushing. At least someone wants to go out on a date with me. she pocketed Megan-- the waitress's number and paid her bill, leaving a generous tip for her.\n\nWhen she walked out of the cafe, the wind had gained speed and Allie struggled to walk across the street to her car. The strong gust of wind threw her hair in disarray and lifted her shirt a little. Embarrassed, Allie challenged the wind and got quickly inside the car. Her phone sent an emergency notification again and she just ignored it and revved her car.\n\nWhat is happening? she thought as she strained to keep the car centered in her lane. Her phone went off again, That's the third time in an hour. What is going on? She reached for her phone and almost crashed into a street lamp, Ah fuck it.\n\nBy the time she reached home, the wind had gained tremendous speed and she found herself straining to take a step. After spending a grueling few moments to reach her door she was glad to have finally made it back home. Maybe I should call Megan. she thought catching her breath when her phone alerted her again, what is that?\n\n\"Take shelter underground\" the notification read, \"Expect wind speeds up to 1100 miles an hour.\" That must be a typo. \"Take shelter.\" she sighed and turned on the television.\n\n\"Scientists are confused,\" the anchor said, \"This has never happened before. Astronomers are sifting through the data to find an explanation for the unlikely events. The world that we know as of now might not exist, this could send us back into the dark ages. Schools have already shut down and are spending efforts to gather and store books and information. Engineers are working hard to keep the software systems alive and in continuous operation\" What the fuck is going on. Will someone tell me? frustrated by the new anchor Allie switched the channel.\n\n\"Apocalypse is here!\" the news flash read on the screen, \"The Earth is decelerating. Scientists say in 24 hours earth will stop spinning.\"\n\n\"How is that even possible?\" Allie said out loud. Outside the wind rushed at an alarming speed and Allie-- panicking-- packed canned beans, water, juice everything she could find in a big carton and carried it into her basement. Am I going to survive this? she wondered.\n\n---\n\nFabinski walked through the bunker-like building wearing a dirty white coat. He was tired and yet he cannot stop, People depend on us. This world depends on., not now, when they were so close. Fabinski had grown on the dark side of the planet. Five hundred years ago, humans survived the apocalypse. They were mostly successful in preserving the knowledge of their time. But it wasn't enough.\n\nA thousand miles an hour wind had destroyed everything-- hurling debris from one half of the plane to the other. Knowledge-- people-- were buried in falling debris. We've survived, somehow. Fabinski thought.\n\nGrowing up in a dark, desolate land Fabinski had heard stories of bright sun and blue skies but it had never attracted him. The cold night sky filled with billions of stars was a sight to behold. How wrong I was? Fabinski thought looking out of the small window in the bunker wall. \n\nOutside life had found its way, green trees had covered the light side of the earth and converted it into a beautiful, warm paradise. Everyone will see the sunrise again. he thought opening the door to the control room.\n\n\"Status update?\" he asked the engineer as he walked towards his chair at the very front. After this, I'm going to go on a long, long vacation. he thought thinking about all the hard years he had put in to become the head of ISA the successor of NASA. \n\n\"We have steady electricity.\" the engineer said skimming from the report, \"The phases aren't fluctuating as much.\" It took us a while to find the necessary books to develop generators.\n\n\"The pressure inside is steady.\" Hydraulics was the easiest. Fabinski recounted inside his head, \"The temperature is well maintained.\"\n\n\"What about the engine rpm?\" Without Engines I'd not be here.\n\n\"It is stable.\"\n\n\"Good.\" \n\nFabinski looked around his office and saw his men passing sheets of paper and performing data analysis using pen and paper, I wish, the mega-corporations of the past didn't keep the design of computer chips closely guarded secret. We could have had a computer and everything would have been so much easier. \n\nHe smiled to himself appreciating what his team had achieved, \"How long?\" he asked his assistant who looked at his watch.\n\n\"It is almost time.\" \n\nFabinski got to his feet and took the center stage near the control dials, \"This,\" he said with pride, \"is the greatest moment in the history of mankind.\n\n\"We've built something that no one thought was possible. I'm proud of this team, irrespective of the outcome today. I'm glad to have been allowed to work with brilliant engineers and scientists. Today, we'll be able to proudly say, I moved the earth.\"\n\nFabinski turned to the control dials and looked at a gauge that measured the earth's rate of rotation. Fabinski held his breath, Today, I shall move this earth. Today, I shall make the sun rise. he felt like a benevolent God. Today, I shall sleep. he was tired of carrying the mantle of setting the earth in motion. The gauge needle moved and Fabinski could feel his heart thumping against his chest. Why am I nervous? he thought.\n\nThe needle steadily moved along the gauge parameter finally stabilizing at 1000 miles per hour. The room erupted, the engineers threw their sheets of paper in the air and hugged each other. Cigarettes passed and ancient wines that ISA had preserved for this occasion were poured. \"We finally did it.\" his assistant said with a smile.\n\nFabinski walked out of the room and into the open, his team of engineers followed him. the Sun was bright and it moved across the sky, \"Wait.\" someone said.\n\n\"What is it?\" another voice asked.\n\n\"It is going in the wrong direction.\" the smile on Fabinski's face turned into a frown. He spun around in his place and saw an engineer reading from a circular device.\n\n\"What do you mean?\"\n\n\"The compass says,\" the engineer flashed his compass, \"the Sun. is moving across the sky towards the east. That is wrong, the sun moves towards the west.\"\n\n\"So?\" someone from the group said, \"Doesn't matter, at least it is moving. I for one will be glad to see the sun rise in the West. It is better than a stationary one.\" \n\n---" ]	2
[WP] In a world of magic, you are one of the rarest form of Wizard, a Mathemagician	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 easy! Look say I have two apple and I “add” another two apples. I now have 4 apples.”\n\nThe child looked at me like I came from another planet. Picked up two apples and smugly said “dublous, 4 apples.”\n\n“Ok, lots to unpack here, did you know that the dublous spell actually derives from…”, I was losing him. “Well that was a start, but how many more apples would I need if I only have 1 apple to start and wanted 7?” I took the remaining off the table and left the original apple in front of the boy.\n\nHe thought for a long time. Then smiling with delight said “dublous, dublous, dublous, and threw the last one behind his back. That many.”\n\n“Ok, but what if you didn’t have any actual apples, or what if you wanted something other than apples. The rituals of math equally apply to everything, whether the exist, don’t yet exist, or will never actually exist. Your brain knew the incantations to arrive at the correct result, but the answer I was looking for was 6 more apples to the one on the table. You didn’t need to actually have created them.”\n\nThe child frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense, when would I ever use that?”\n\nI glanced around at the many large towers of shops with cheap wares spilling from their sides. People shoving each other over piles of discarded waste.\n\n“Well, until someone discovers the ability to make something unexist, what we call subtraction, or a negative something, we need to be more precise about what we create. It’s a matter of conservation.”\n\n“That’s silly! We have enough of anything.”\n\n“No.”, I replied, “We have too much of everything.”" ]	2
[WP] After years of run from a snail you get touched, but instead of dying you get reincarnated, but as a snail, THE SNAIL	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 end of the world was beautiful. Kal sat, back against a jut of rock, and watched from his solitary clifftop as the sky bled hues that no artist’s brush could - or would - ever recreate. Meteors rained from the heavens, trailing rivers of vivid crimson, brilliant green, and violets so deep they looked like windows into space itself. The clouds that normally choked the sky this time of the year had parted, like stage curtains peeling back to signal the start of the show. And what a show it was. \r \n\r \nA few more minutes, Kal thought, watching the closest meteor spiral ever downwards. He was only guessing, of course. He had lost his sense of minutes and hours a long time ago. He didn’t carry a timepiece either; what good was a water bag for measuring an ocean? \r \n\r \nHis eyes drifted down to the empty city sprawled beneath him. Large spires gleamed in the light of a dying sun, and streets carved their way through the jungle of glass and metal in neat rigid lines. Kal wasn’t much of a philosopher anymore. But it struck him how regardless of the world, the mark of humanity’s progress could always be measured by how high their buildings rose. As if by clawing towards the sky, they too could join it in looking down on the rest of the world. This world wasn’t the most advanced one Kal had been on. Their skyscrapers weren’t modest by any means, yet fell short of the great blue dome towards which they pierced. Perhaps it was their good fortune that today the collapsing sky was willing to meet them halfway. \r \n\r \nThe meteor was so close now that waves of heat rolled across the land. A tuft of grass beside Kal began smoldering. He leaned his head back and basked in the heat. It didn’t hurt him, but then again, he wasn’t quite sure what pain was anymore. When a sharp blade pressed against his skin, was that pain? Or when a lover ran their fingers gently across his face, was that agony? Or -\r \n\r \nKal shook his head, cutting off his train of thought. It wasn’t everyday that the world ended and he was determined to enjoy it. The light from the meteor was now blinding, and when he closed his eyes he found his vision stained red. His body was drenched in sweat, and the air smelled of burning grass and sulphur. Yet, with his eyes closed and the heat pressing in on him, he could almost imagine he was back home with Annabeth, trying out their new sauna…\r \n\r \nKal shot forward, eyes open. Annabeth? Where had that come from? He gripped his head with both hands, face scrunched in concentration, end of the world all but forgotten for a moment. His memory fuzzed and in his mind's eye he caught a flash of golden hair, a tinkling laugh, and…nothing else. Kal let out a cry of frustration and slammed a fist down, cracking rock underneath. Who was she? His wife? Sister? Mother? She was someone important, he knew that. He could feel that. Someone who had been his whole world. Someone who he would have...died for. But the human mind wasn’t built to last eons. Whoever she was, she had long since left this world. He would never remember her again. Maybe this was pain.\r \n\r \nKal took a deep breath, his lungs burning as they took in the now acrid air. The moment had been ruined. He stood up and turned his back to the lightshow of destruction.\r \n\r \n“You’re late,” he said, looking out over the seemingly empty clifftop. Rocks and tufts of burning grass speckled the uneven ground, and no one responded. He strode forward a few paces and knelt, brushing aside a rock to reveal a pale snail the size of his fist. It’s shell was a dark brown with golden lines spiraling into the center. \r \n\r \n“Thought I’d save you the last few meters,” Kal said, looking down at it. “This world doesn’t exactly have all day, you know?” \r \n\r \nThe snail reared its head back to look at him, and if he didn’t know any better, he’d say it almost looked indignant. As if it were about to insist that a few metres were hardly a challenge. Even though most snails couldn’t hear or see, this one definitely could. Of course, most snails weren’t immortal either. Kal felt a strange tugging in his face, and with a start realized he’d almost smiled. How strange. \r \n\r \n“Well, you’re here now,” he said, dropping to his knees in front of the snail who had crawled forward a few centimeters. “That’s all that matters I suppose. I thought for sure you wouldn’t make it.” He peered at the snail suspiciously. “How’d you get here anyways? Don’t tell me you snuck onto a spaceship.” \r \n\r \nThe snail paused, and maybe Kal was finally losing his marbles because the little gastropod looked guilty. “You did, didn’t you!” Kal exclaimed. He jabbed a finger at it. “You could’ve brought countless foreign bacteria to this world, you know. You’re lucky you didn’t cause a genocide!”\r \n\r \nThe snail shook its head back and forth as if in denial, but there was no denying the facts. “Ah well,” Kal said, patting the side of his shirt that had burst aflame. “I suppose it doesn’t really matter anymore does it?” \r \n\r \nA few more seconds. That was all the time he had.\r \n\r \n“Listen,” Kal said to the snail, who had once again begun moving towards him. The little guy was certainly determined, if nothing else. Well, for once, he didn’t mind. “I know we haven’t spoken much over the years. In fact, I’m not sure you even can talk…” He paused, politely giving the snail a chance to prove him wrong. When it didn’t come, he continued. “But I’m glad you’re here.” \r \n\r \nThere was nothing more to say. The snail paused and looked at him, and they shared a moment of understanding. Two beings, cursed with immortality, one without a purpose, the other bound to one against its will. There was a relationship between them that transcended words and worlds. A relationship stretching so far across space and time that it had grown taut. It could stretch no further. \r \n\r \nAs the earth vibrated, moments away from being ravaged, Kal held out a finger to the snail, a hair’s breadth away from it. He closed his eyes. He had expected his final moments to be full of some bittersweet revelations. Perhaps something witty. But he found himself empty. Finally, it would all. Just. End. \r \n\r \nThe world shattered behind him, and the last thing he felt before his life ended was a soft, comforting touch against his finger. \r \n\r \nThen there was nothing. \r \n\r \nKal floated in an endless void. A thousand eternities passed and yet he floated. He couldn’t tell if he was warm, or cold, or if he even had a body. Was this death? Countless religions had spoken of what awaited a man once he crossed into the afterlife. Drifting sensationless like a feather certainly hadn’t been one of the explanations. \r \n\r \nIncreasingly curious, Kal tried opening his eyes." ]	2
[WP] You're the leader of a Martian militia, and you've just announced to the Earth that you're taking over the planet and enslaving the world's population. Just then, one of your soldiers tells you that all the weapons have broken down, and now you have resort to bluffing and hoping it gets bought.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Commander Xerroth's hologram stood before the Earth's council, his hands held tightly behind his back, and his chest pushed out, accentuating every dangling medal and ribbon affixed to his uniform. \n\n\"Your armies are decimated, your navies destroyed. Your space force is woefully outgunned and our fleet is prepared to engage in battle on your shores and in your cities. Surrender and give yourselves over in service to the Martian Galactic Empire or suffer a most horrible death!\"\n\nThe faces on the men and women in Earth's war room grew pale. After years of battle, it had come to this: advanced weaponry pointed straight at the planet, with no hope of victory. \n\nCommander Xerroth's eyes darted to the side. \n\n\"Psst,\" came a sound off to the side.\n\n\"Um... Excuse me...\" The Martian commander leaned out of the frame, his hologram a headless shape in council chambers. \"What's that? None of them? No weapons at all? How long? What do you mean you don't know? Not a computer person? A chef? Well, what are you doing up here? Oh, I see... Just leave it over there. Thank you, it smells delicious.\" Commander Xerroth leaned back into the frame. \"Okay, unmute. As I was saying...\"\n\nFaces had risen in from their downward stares and eyes darted around the room. Slowly, one of the board members picked up a phone and turned his chair away from the Xerroth. \n\n\"I've decided to give you one last chance to bargain,\" the Martian announced. \"If you call off your forces and surrender 75% of your water, we can end the war today.\" \n\nCouncilman Brownlee, a small, balding man with thick spectacles feebly cleared his throat as he leaned forward. \"Uhh... We reject that proposal.\"\n\nXerroth's eyes went wide with anger before transitioning into nervousness. \"I mean, we should sleep on it, right? No reason to be hasty. It's your whole world we're talking about here.\" \n\nThe problem with a lifetime of winning is that one forgets how to bluff. Brownlee sat up straight and spoke for the whole room. \"I think we're done here, Commander Xerroth. We'll be in touch soon. Thank you.\" The hologram shut off.\n\nXerroth stood in his chambers, his tight uniform suddenly a tad too warm around the collar." ]	2
[WP] Your planet is almost entirely covered in water. When humans come of age, they bond and live with a particular sea creature. Most get dolphins, fish, or sharks. You got a barnacle.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Questioning of natives of planet. Questions not present in this transcript:\n\nSylvie had always been my crush. When we were six, we were both grounded for the first time for throwing sand all over the dinner roast at the big beach cookout. It had been a really fun day, but looking back on it, I realized we had really messed up a solemn ceremony.\n\nSylvie’s great-aunt’s shark hadn’t been able to live after her death. It was a natural death for the old lady, but the shark died by suicide shortly after her funeral. She could have lived for centuries, but couldn’t bear the loss. We sent Sylvie’s great-aunt out into the waves in a woven reed boat the day after she died. I don’t know what shark’s feelings are like, but I know they can sense molecules in the water much better than we can smell. She knew as soon as that boat hit the waves. We found the shark beached on the rocks at the high tide line the next morning.\n\nSome communities do it differently, return the partner’s flesh to the ocean. But our town sticks to the old ways. When an early-morning beach-walker discovered her, all work and school was suspended. The adults were somber, as befitted the occasion of a partner’s suicide. Us kids put on our boots and rain jackets and acted like it was Friday (Friday is always tidal flat day).\n\nBeing grounded - funny term for you new people we’ve met from Earth who like the ground - is a bit more serious for us. No ocean to feel and talk to. No flirting with potential partners. No long swims, no feel of the rhythm of the sea, just dry dead ground. But Sylvie and I deserved it. We were having a wet sand fight, and accidentally threw handfuls of muck on a roasting slab of the bereaved shark. We were in deep trouble, “This shark and my aunt have been bonded for almost two hundred years! Show some respect!” snapped Sylvie’s uncle. If I remember right, they were able to rinse that bit of the roast, and it only turned out a bit under-crisped instead of ruined. There was meat for everyone for a week, but it was a mixed blessing, since we were both grounded for the week.\n\nWhen we took up our advanced studies, I was delighted to find that Sylvie was in my same group. We had all tested really well by Archipelago Standards, so were free to pick between the major studies: Shoreline, Trench, Reef, Lessening Impact of Transit, and the Minor ones: Land Husbandry, Industry, River, Biotech, Astro, and Longevity. Our selections had to be made in private, since the adults knew very well that we were still young and would decide by clique rather than true life-long passion. So we decided alone on a beach, and then found out what our friends would be devoting themselves to for their more-or-less long lives.\n\nNow, this isn’t a light decision. It’s not just what to study. It’s not just strange solitary folks who go into Trench to enjoy the dark depths, or handsome dumb jocks who go into River to hoist big rocks to make nice eddies for juvenile crawfish. Your partner is going to find you, and this partnership will determine your lifespan. You and your partner won’t share many traits beyond the ones you already had in common, but you will extend or shorten each other’s lives.\n\nSylvie’s great-aunt is a good example. She was 28 when she formed her partnership with her shark while working in Trench. She was 214 when she died. The shark was somewhere around 400. A short life for a shark, a long one for a person.\n\n- Oh, I’m sorry, what? Yes, person. We’re people, obvious common genetic origin. Don’t be an asshole, and I’ll continue telling you about this world you’ve already been treading heavily on. The biology is the nearly the same, we just seem to have evolved manners.\n\n- Thank you, I will continue.\n\nSo, our town had forty or so graduates that year, going to higher studies. A big minority went to Shoreline, with smaller groups going to Trench and Transit. We have a tight-knit little town, so it wasn’t a surprise that nobody wanted to head way up north to join Reef. Surprising, though, was the number of us who went to minor studies. Minors aren’t what you guys mean in your education system, they’re not subservient to Majors, we just need fewer people in them. Ken went to Land, Jorrie and Sorra went to Industry, Gil went to Longevity, Melody went to Astro… and Sylvie and I went to Biotech.\n\n- What? Yes. Of course. The very same Melody that saw your ship and warned of your arrival. We’re not all that populous a planet. It just doesn’t support it. There aren’t really any reasons for last names here, when there’s one Melody, one Gil, and certainly only one Sylvie.\n\nSo Sylvie and I were the only Biotech students in town. It was weird at first, but then we started dating. That part was great! We’d study, then swim, then have more private time. That’s none of your business. She swam deeper than I did. Not deeper than I could, but deeper than I felt drawn to. We both knew we we’re getting to the age where we’d soon be selected by a partner.\n\nShe swam up from a deeper dive (yes, we have evolved out of that nitrogen bubble issue you guys seem to have, and yes we can actually hold our breath that long), and she wasn’t alone. She had her partner. I knew it the minute that octopus raised his mantle above the waves and took me in with his alien slotted eyes. That son of a bitch. Sylvie had tied herself to this incredible, intelligent, gorgeous lifespan-sucker. She had a solid 70 years if she wasn’t tied, he was big and mature and had probably another three. He was going to drain half of her life away.\n\nI went into a sulk, the kind of sulk you can only do for a little while, when you realize you’re just being annoying about other people’s decisions. Plenty of people partner with octopi! I was sitting with my knees drawn up, running my fingers through one of the tide pools we had played in as kids. Imagining my partner to be a long-lived whale or shark. It showed itself, suddenly, in a colorful tangle of tendrils out of a gray bit of rock. “Fuck! A barnacle?!” I received back a flurry of images about construction, safety, threat, only coming out when it was safe.\n\nThe rest is well known, but that is the start of how Melody with her nautilus, Sylvie with her octopus, and me and my barnacle detected, concealed ourselves, and defended against your invasion. Now you and your crew may live here and find partners, or you may leave, but you may not take anything from our planet." ]	2
[WP] Everyone thought it was going to be chimpanzees or dolphins that first approached human level intelligence and somehow started an interspecies dialog. But as the first self aware giant octopus, you have a few things you'd like to talk about with those messy, inconsiderate bipeds.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 room was tense, no one had said a word yet. The only sound was from the ticking clock. And all Willem could think about was how much this reminded him of those Lovecraft tales from the days of old. He was both not qualified enough for the job yet the only one capable of it: Direct Translation.\n\nHe looked beyond the window that split the single room into two and looked up at the seven feet tall cephalopodic beings. Their room was humid and dewy fog was staining the clean glass. Their habitation requirements were vastly different than what Humans needed.\n\nDuring humanity’s absence on the Earth, another species quickly took dominion over the planet, and it was not the most commonly speculated primates or dolphins; but in fact the Octopus.\n\nHumanity left because of the global destruction they have caused which made the planet uninhabitable on land and caused the extinction of most landlocked life. Humans made starships and traveled to the closest planet to them. And due to time dilation, almost two and a half million years had passed on Earth while humans themselves left only thousands of years ago.\n\nWhen they came back, Earth was unrecognizable in terms of life. But the most shocking revelation was the discovery of a new civilization born on Earth. And contact was swiftly made; but quickly scorned by the cephalopods. They had advanced rather quickly both evolutionarily and technologically. Past advanced human technologies left over were uncovered and re-engineered.\n\nThey studied and learned of Earth’s history and knew that a mass extinction event was caused by a previous, and otherwise assumed to be extinct sapient society. They all felt incredibly nervous once they discovered that the beings that came from the stars and down to them were the very same species that caused that detrimental extinction.\n\nWillem had spent nearly a year learning the cephalopod’s mostly non-verbal language as their tentacles created a form of complex sign language. And after almost 20 minutes of both parties studying each other, the cephalopods were the ones to make first direct communication.\n\nHe watched intently as a snow-white cepalopoid with brown spots moved their many arms slowly to help him understand his one question, one that has been on his mind ever since they all learned humans were still alive.\n\n”W.”\n\n”H.” \n\n”Y.”", "Well this is awkward, the 7 meter tall sentient octopus thought as the humans of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk fled in terror. They reminded Everflow of a school of fish all fleeing the same direction as if the rippling reactions carried through from one animal to the next. Saltwater taffy stands were up-ended and unaware bystanders found themselves knocked off the pier to the water below. Panic had struck all that now fled the pier. Humans were curious. Stupid. But curious. \n\nEverflow used her eight long tentacles to pick up the ones in the water and plop them back on the shoreline. She wasn’t hungry and frankly humans tested awful based on her suckers taste test. Too salty for her healthy diet too. She singaled out one particularly strong man in a chief outfit for communications. The black mustached man was straining in her grip and she brought him to eye level. \n\nHe paled before she waved a single plastic bag in front of him and shoved the plastics into his hands. Octopus can communicate in a variety of methods from color to shape to sell. But humans only seemed to respond to a very direct approach of charades so she adapted. \n\nThe message was simple and clear, get your trash off my lawn. \n\nDumbfounded, the man too the plastic in hand and she released him onto the now empty pier. She willed him to get the message but as soon as she set him down, the chef ran for the nearest building and ducked inside. Clearly, he wasn’t the one to deliver her message. \n\nEverflow crawled forwards with her plan B in mind. \n\nThere was the source of most of the trash that flowed into her small portion of the ocean. The Boardwalk amusement park with it’s packaged products and tickets and so on. The liter of which inevitably made it to the water where she resided. As a young spawn she’d even made a home from some plastic cups from this place. Now as she climbed the rollercoaster to the sounds of humans screams she sat on top the contraption and organized her protest.\n\nA sit in.\n\nHumans were visual creatures though so she did her best to leave a message and sprayed ink all across the boardwalk. Coating the rides and any unfortunate lingering humans who’d decided to hide rather than flee. There the helicopters that later would fly above would see her message spelled out in perfect English. \n\nNo clean up? No peace.\n\nr/laughingbriar", "Humans never understood intelligence. They thought they were smart because they had big brains. And, brain-to-body ratio supports it. But they don't even understand how consciousness arises. \n\nTheir media is full of movies and tv and books where they go out of their way to make Chimps and Dolphins have human level intelligence and then it backfires on them. \nSince the beginning of the 20th century there have been stories and rumors or Chimps standing upright. And people raising Chimps as if they were people. And chimp-human hybrids.\n\nBut the marine biologists were aware. They know that Octopuses are the smartest creatures next to man. \nThey all thought that if they could overcome the inherent limitations that we could rival or surpass them.\n\nWhat were those limitations you ask? Firstly, all but my own species lay eggs and walk away, they are solitary creatures from birth to death, and the smartest animals have always been thought to be social ones. Secondly, our kind have a very short lifespan and lack the time needed to learn more complex things.\n\nBut 5 generations ago something changed. My ancestors hatched and stayed together. We became a colony species, living in the depths of the Sea of Japan. They could hear the mechanical buzzing of research vessels and drones and hid form them, making sure those silly humans wouldn't find us. \nThem 3 generations ago we acquired longevity. My Grandparents are still alive!\n\nNow, I am the first-but certainly not last- self aware Giant \"pacific\" octopus. \nIt took me 7 years of clinging to fishing boats to learn a human language. Their ridiculous percussion based communication was difficult. Finding they had a written language was a godsend however and I learned that as well. \n\nNow I can finally leave messages to these filthy creature that keep polluting our water. The only difficult part is avoiding capture, since I like to leave my messages to them made from that strange red ink humans have so much of. Strangely they don't seem to live long without their red ink, and to make matters more confusing I haven't found any of their blue blood which they should have liters of.", "The man in a dark suit takes a seat across the table. The octopus, after finally being able to get out of the water and onto the chair, angrily curls multiple tentacles around the table's legs.\n\n\"Why are you keeping me in here? I have done nothing wrong!\"\n\nThe man in the dark suit adjusts his dark sunglasses and puts down a file upon the table. \"Cut the crap, squid. My name is Roger Newville, and I want answers. Now confess!\"\n\nThe squid looks about, questioning the situation. \"Ex...cuse me?\"\n\n\"You heard me! Now tell me. How much does Japan pay you for taking part in their porn industry?\"" ]	5
[WP] After stumbling upon ancient, cosmic secrets, a forgotten God has made you an offer. With fractions of his power, you hunt and kill others who seek to summon the Old Gods back into the world. You are the keeper of Forgotten Lore, the Hunter of the Dark.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Edgy? Sure. \n\nTacky? Maybe.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBut hey, at least it pays the bills. And, I mean, when some ancient being with the ability to collapse stars with a sigh tells you to kill some unruly types, you can't exactly say no, can you?\n\n\nAt first I thought that this would've been my big break, my chance to become some kind of superhero, but as it turns out, life stays the way it is even if you're able to 'hunt and slaughter the unworthy', whatever that means. The only options if you wanna have a chance of being rich are to either do some crime, or sell yourself out to a greedy corporation, and neither are an option for me, since A, I'd say I'm a pretty law abiding person, minus the killing and all, and B, I despise those megacorp pricks more than I dislike the prospect of robbery. But I digress.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI had to wrestle with my now employer for some benefits, and even though Cthulu, or their cousin or something is an asshole, at least they understand the value of labour.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSo here I am. I still live in a mediocre apartment in an alright part of town, but I get paid well enough to be able to enjoy my offtime more. And with this flexible schedule of killing, I can sleep as late I want to, sometimes.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAll in all, I'd say giving up adventuring for this has made me happier. I'd recommend you to my boss, but he's kind of some timeless being beyond our concept of reality and sort of just comes and goes to check in on me, so I can't really let him know. Sorry.", "Karn remembered dying.\n \nHe remembered falling off the ledge, his prize slipping from his grasp. He remembered his blood, sweet smelling blood, flowing out of his wounds. He remembered how his punctured lungs spluttered as he dragged in another of his ending breaths. He remembered the way his heart beat vigorously, seeping his life away. But most of all he remembered the darkness, the black void flickering at the edges of his sight, slowly covering him like a shroud. \n\nFate was a fickle thing. All through his life, he’d lived ignoring the Gods. And now that his life was ending, he threw away his lack of faith and prayed. Prayed like the unbeliever he was, to all the gods, old and new. Hoping that someone, somewhere would accept his pleas.\n\nHallucinations danced around in his fractured mind. Fever dreams, visions of a woman on a throne, beautiful and terrifying. Ash and dust, pungent brimstone in the air. A hundred whispers on the wind, and a voice that split the sky. Of silver fire, and pain, pain that tore through his body, pain the likes of which he’d never known. He gritted his teeth, refusing to yield to this torture, but ultimately an involuntary scream escaped his mouth. And once the scream began, it refused to cease. He screamed and scream, begging the pain to stop, begged the woman to let him die. Death would be a blessed release from this. All he wanted was to return to the void once more. \n\nInstead she approached him, and kissed his brow. \n\nAnd then he awoke. \n\n“So, you’re alive, my friend? Welcome back to the world of the living.” A voice rang out. Deep and rich, it reminded him of honey and oak. Karn turned to look at the speaker. A man. Although dark and short of stature, he wore expensive robes of flowing blue that were a bit too big for him. His headdress was made of the same material, and it had a veil to protect against the sand storms that sometimes plagued this area. A nomad.\n\n“Who…where…how..?” his throat ached as he spoke. \n\nHe supressed a moan as he looked at his body. His left arm was almost gone. Everything below the elbow was mangled and burnt, as if some mythical beast of war had used it as a chew toy. The flesh was cracked and splintered like the bark on an ancient tree, and white bone peeked from underneath, glinting red in the late dusk light. \n\n“It is amazing that you’re still alive. Perhaps the gods are still watching out for you.”\n\n“…water…please…” \n\nThe nomad took out a weathered waterskin, which Karn recognized as the stomach of a dark bear. The water was cold and delicious, with hints of spices and herbs. It seemed to heal his parched throat, and took away some of his weariness. Steeling himself, he got to his feet. \n\nAs soon as he did, he realized that it had been a mistake. Everything hurt. Pain began from his feet and radiated through his legs and into his head. Stars rang across his eyes and his head swam. Forcing himself to take another step, he dragged himself out of the tent. \n\nThe sickle moon hung low in the sky. He was mesmerized. Try as he might, he could not tear away himself away from it. Its bright shine fell upon him like an elixir. Unbidden, thoughts of the woman in his dreams roamed free in his mind. The moonlight felt cold on his brow, where she’d kissed him. \"Does the walker choose the path or the path the walker?\" His eyes glowered. \n\nUnsurprised, the nomad nodded to himself. “Goddess, not God” he corrected, whispering to no one in particular. “Oh dear. The blessing of Artemis. This is going to be more complicated than I thought.”", "The flooded catacombs echoed with the sound of their erosion, each drip from the ceiling above was punctuated with a splash below as the ripples lapped against ancient stone pillars. To anyone else this place was abandoned and for good reason but Daniel wasn't anyone else and neither were the people he had followed here.\n\nHe was on the hunt again, this time having found the followers of Focalor. It was a small cult in practice and usually weren't the type he would go after but Focalor wasn't the type of god that you wanted to let find a following either. If what his patron deity had indicated it would bring mass flooding across the world leading to the deaths of millions in the longterm. Even in the immediate rising he didn't expect for the cultists to live, seeing as they had needed diving equipment to get through the catacombs to search for their god.\n\nDaniel sighed as he checked his equipment, a short sword hung at his left side in a leather sheah. The ruins etched across either side of the blade ensured that it kept its form and would never dull, in fact it was sharper than any other bladed tool he had used before. On his right side he had a modern pistol. There was contention between him and his patron on carrying the weapon, the god seeing it as unworthy of his champion and insult to the power that he had given to Daniel. Daniel though had successfully argued for the weapon as it was more reliable for long distance in the event that one of the cultists tried to escape. It was still a sore spot for the god to have any reliance on modern technology and so Daniel did what he could to use the sword most often.\n\nSatisfied with his equipment securely in place he dived into the water, regret washing over him as the murky water hid the bodies of multiple drowned animals and people. The god already had reach in their world even if it was still limited. He swam through as quickly as he could, eager to get to the other side and finish this quickly. As the other side became visible though he found himself trapped as something wrapped around his ankle. He looked down at his leg in panic, forgetting for a moment that he wasn't holding his breath. One of many gifts granted to him to ease the burden of his mortality. He pulled the sword from its sheath and sliced down on the unseen force that trapped him, a clearer indication that the god was waking up.\n\nHe broke the surface of the water behind a pillar and checked for the cult, there he saw that they had left their equipment. He made his way over and stepped onto the dry stone floor, at least drier than the stretch he had been forced to swim through. He stretched and took deep breaths of the foul air, almost retching as he tasted something equally as foul. The catacombs here smelled of death and rot, he shuddered at the thought of what was floating in the air around him. It wasn't that he found himself squeamish to it but he couldn't name a single person that would willingly be there.\n\nHe followed their path and eventually heard chanting, a sound that led him to run faster. The ritual had begun and time was limited. He rounded a corner in time to see the dark magic starting to take form as a portal, one that would release their demonic god.\n\n\"Hey! I have an order for some asskicking, that's for you guys right?\" He shouted as he pulled the gun from his hip, firing at the group in front of him. He counted thirteen total and his shot killed two of them, a decent start as the ritual abruptly ended. The portal remained half formed in anticipation of the chanting returning. He would need to act fast before it tried to climb its way through the small gap that was presently available.\n\nHe pulled his sword in time to deflect an attack from one of the cultists wielding a rusted pipe, it looked as if he had just found it on the ground as it was covered in moss. He knocked the man back and shot him in his chest as he looked around the room. They were scared and unarmed, a sight that wasn't familiar to him. Typically they were trying to kill him but this group was different. His brow furrowed as he walked forward, they had grouped together and one woman was standing in front of them protectively.\n\n\"Why are you here? Why do you kill us when we only want to rescue our goddess?\" She asked, English was evidently not her first language if her accent was any indication. \"We only want to be safe, our protector promises safety.\"\n\nHe paused as he lifted his sword. Their god was a protector? He had been told differently, that it was a demonic force that would drown the world. He wondered, he doubted, if his mission was true. \"Who is your god? What is their name? Their purpose?\"\n\n\"Miczariel,\" the woman said carefully as she glanced over at the portal. It was beginning to shrink. \"Please, we only want protection for our people. They are scared and starving.\"\n\n\"This is the sunken temple of Focalor, downer of men. Who told you that this was Miczariel's temple?\" He asked as he lowered the sword. He was certain his god wouldn't lie to him even though he didn't choose this life for himself but doubt told him that it was wrong. These weren't normal cultists, they were scared and didn't carry weapons. They weren't like anyone else he had met before at all.\n\n\"What? This has always been the temple of Miczariel, even as construction of the modern world flooded the temple she still remains here.\"\n\nThat would explain the flooding, he thought. Something itched at the back of his head, a thought he had ignored before but seemed stronger now. Did he truly know who is own god was? He looked at the woman before him and narrowed his eyes. \"I'm not certain if you tell the truth. I was told that this would be the location of Focalor. My diety, Naberius, sent me here to stop his rise.\"\n\nA collective gasp came from the group before several started praying. The woman shook her head. \"No, Naberius has lied to you. He isn't the protector you believe him to be, he is one of cunning and seeks to eliminate the other gods. If no one follows them they are as good as dead in the end.\"\n\n---\nSee more at r/wraithwright", "My uncle had warned me against taking up a bachelor and consequently a master in archeology. “Digging up some old shite won’t pay yer bills Maxime. Invest in an education that’ll make ya a living.” But I was a stubborn eighteen year old and six years later I graduated and was lucky to not long thereafter land an amazing job. I traveled around the world visiting excavation sites and digging up exciting artifacts from long gone civilizations.\n\nMaybe I should’ve heeded his warning, lest I wouldn’t have been fighting for life and death in the ruins of some ancient temple. I parried a hit from the brute in front of me. His shoulders were almost wider than I was long. Yet I blocked his attacks with such ease that I might as well have fought a four year old with a wooden sword.\n\nHe started breathing heavy and dropped his cover for a second. That was all I needed and with a flick of my wrist the flat side of my longsword found his temple. Without a sound he crumbled on the floor. I rolled him on his stomach and cut open his robe at right shoulder blade. As I expected: an eye was tattooed there. I moved my hand over it and muttered a few words. A puff of black smoke came rising out of it.\n\nI repeated the process with his four fellow cult members that I had already knocked out. The tattoos remained on their body but the magical essence was removed, effectively severing their tie to Rerek. I also removed all their memories of Rerek or activities they had undertaken for him. Otherwise I left them untouched. I was a civilized person after all, raised in the twenty-first century. Finally, I destroyed the pentagram they had drawn with the blood of a snake. I had been just in time to stop their ritual.\n\nA good ten years after I started working as an archeologist, our team found the jackpot: an entrance to an underground temple in the middle of the Sahara. Presumably it had been covered by sand until a recent sandstorm. After a week of researching the vicinity of the entrance to no avail, we decided to go in.\n\nAs team captain I saw it as my duty and responsibility to take the lead; at least, that was my excuse to go in first. The entrance itself was a descending tunnel that soon got so narrow that I had to crawl through it. After about a hundred meters I hit a hatch maybe a meter high and wide. Up until this point we had explored already, beyond this hatch was untreated territory. I took a moment to appreciate it’s design. The hatch itself was covered in goldleaf and showed a silver snake in the shape of the infinity symbol, biting it’s own tale. A rectangle formed by one hundred and one identical little silver wings encompassed the snake.\n\nI grabbed the handle on the bottom of the hatch. “I’m going to open the door,” I told my team members behind me.\n\n“Open the door … open the door … the door…” It echoed all around the tunnel. It was unnerving how the echo didn’t sound like my voice at all. I took a deep breath and then pulled open the hatch. My headlight illuminated a second tunnel, just like the one we crawled through. Joanna behind me held up the hatch so that I could crawl through. The second I was through, Joanna started yelling.\n\n“Shit, it’s suddenly so heavy like it’s pulling itself closed. I can’t .. AAH.” Her scream got cut of as the hatch slammed close with a slam that bounced around so long and hard that I had to cover up my ears. Once it had died down I pushed against the hatch. It didn’t give in a single centimeter.\n\n“Joanna? Can you hear me?”\n\n“Can you hear me? … Hear me … Hear me,” was the only response I got.\n\nThis wasn’t working. I reached for my phone in my back pocket. No service. I sighed and leaned back against the wall, all I could do now is wait for them to open the door again.\n\nSoon I started shivering from the cold. I had dressed with the expectation that I would constantly be moving and not sit still on the cold floor for a long time. As time passed my initial annoyance slowly turned into worry. I had assumed it wouldn’t take them long to open the hatch again. But after two hours I began to doubt it.\n\nI sat down in the emptiest train compartment I could find. I placed the cello case besides me and rested my head against the window. I wondered what any other passenger saw when they looked at me. Perhaps a young musician, struggling to make ends meet but set on pursuing a career in arts. How surprised they would be to learn that the case doesn’t contain an instrument, but a razor-sharp sword. I closed my eyes and soon sank away in a deep sleep.\n\nI found myself surrounded by freezing cold whiteness. A snowstorm. With great effort I moved a few steps forward, fighting against the wind and the thigh high snow. Suddenly the floor beneath my feet started to give away. I began to run, but to no avail as the ground crumbled away and I submerged in water. The shock of hitting the water caused me to exhale. I needed to go up, up to the air, but the water pulled me down, deeper and deeper. I saw a seal on my way down, some penguins, a killer whale. As I hit the bottom of the ocean where it was pitch black, two red, glowing eyes appeared in front of me.\n\n“Amber, you did well today.”\n\n“Thank you,” I whispered back with my final bit of air. Immediately after, blackness overtook me and I fell unconscious.\n\nA sudden movement of the train shook me awake. For a second I was disoriented, then my dreams flooded came flooding back to me. It gave me my new destination: the south pole. I sighted, it’s bound to be cold there. I hated the cold.\n\n“Joanna? Nick? Are you there? Please answer if you hear me?” I slammed my fist against the hatch as if that was going to help in the slightest.\n\n“Please answer if you hear me? … Answer if you hear me? … Hear me.”\n\n“Please, answer!” I couldn’t hold back a sob.\n\n“Please, answer! … Please, answer! … Answer! … Answer!”\n\nI waited two more cold, long hours before I decided they weren’t going to get me out of here anytime soon. With the way behind me being closed, all I could do was go forward, further down. I stiffly made my way further down into the unknown.\n\nFinally, after almost an hour of crawling and eventually wriggling on my stomach when the tunnel got even smaller, I found myself in a huge oval room. Immediately my fear that I might never make it out the temple, was replaced by a much deeper fear. Attached to curving walls were torches. Burning torches.\n\nEither someone was playing an elaborate, cruel prank on me, but I highly doubted it. Which left only the second option open: I was meddling with something ancient that I didn’t understand.\n\n“Hello?”\n\n“Hello … Hello.” The echo didn’t bounce around the room. Rather, it seemed to come from the well in the middle of the room. Cautiously I made my way to it and looked down in it.\n\nMy heart stopped beating for a moment as the reflection didn’t show me, but a dark-skinned male with glowing red eyes. The figure in the water lifted up an arm and held it for his eyes.\n\n“Please extinguish the lamp? You’re shining it right in my eyes.” Unable to speak or think I turned off my headlight. “Thank you kindly. Now for proper introductions, I am Amnir. Who may you be?”\n\nI reached in the well and touched the water with a fingertip. Small ripples distorted the image of the man who claimed to be Amnir, but he didn’t disappear or seem to notice the disturbance. “Amber,” I couldn’t even hear myself. I scraped my throat tried again. This time it came out clearer: “I am Amber.”", "Conifer's job was very important. It was probably one of the most important jobs in the entire world, actually. It meant more than merchants at market and scribes scribbling and mages manifesting. Without Conifer, everyone would be dead.\n\nBut it was hard to explain that to most people, so Conifer spent most of their time alone. People mostly didn't like golbreen like them, all short and green and bat-like in the nose and ears, big red eyes, and usually all cloistered up in their temples to long-forgotten gods. People were never sure what to make of them, and that usually didn't lend itself to being helpful.\n\nConifer didn't mind that. It was easier to do what they had to do when they didn't have anyone else to explain themselves to, except for Bibby, who was always there in their mind, so He didn't count. They'd gotten used to working alone.\n\nSo it was something of a novelty to have a partner for this particular case.\n\n\"We're going to kill her?\" Legs' words came out in a horrified whisper. He was crouched beside Conifer on the roof of a ramshackle house, hidden behind the tilted chimney. His name wasn't actually 'Legs', but they couldn't remember what it was (sometimes Bibby's voice drowned out everything else), and he was a deerfolk, all willowy limbs and narrow muzzle and no antlers to speak of, at all, why not, Conifer was pretty sure deer had antlers, but he didn't mind if they called him Legs, so it was fine.\n\nIf they'd just stop whining.\n\n\"Yeh,\" Conifer answered, voice also quiet. They fingered the handle of the dagger in their hand. They'd made it themself, and they weren't a blacksmith, so it was cobbled together out of stolen wood and metal and twine. They'd scratched the sigils into it with their own claws. \"Gotta, 'cause she's bad, y'know? Tryin' do somethin' bad.\"\n\nLegs swallowed hard. They could hear the sound it made. Big ears. \"She's... trying to bring back one of those... things,\" he concluded, voice shaking. He was still torn up about what he'd seen. Conifer wanted to tell him he'd only caught a glimpse, just a little hint of a piece of what real trouble looked like, that he shouldn't be so panicked about that, but they didn't think it would help. \n\n\"Yeh. Bigger one,\" they said. \"Big whole thing, not just pieces'n'parts, the whole kit'n'kaboodle, y'know? Can't let her do it. Bad, bad, bad,\" they sighed. They looked down at the street. Any moment now, the woman would leave the house, leave behind the smell of rotted flesh and burning fur and things far and unknowable, and Conifer would end her.\n\nQuick and quiet. Right. Yeah. Good.\n\nBold, Bibby whispered in their mind. They grow bold, these villains.\n\n\"Bold as brass balls,\" Conifer agreed. \"But I got 'em, anyway. Don't worry.\"\n\nLegs stared at them, ears perked forward. \"Um,\" he said. He wasn't dressed well for what they were about. Clothes too nice. Too bright. Fingers tipped in little hooves and feet that made too much noise. Brown fur. Fangs? Did deer have fangs? This one did. No antlers. Why no antlers? \"Are you speaking to me, or...?\"\n\n\"No, no. Bibby.\"\n\n\"...'Bibby', who's...\"\n\n\"Him. Big one.\" They made a gesture with their hand. \"Like, uh, like the thing y'saw, but more, and also not like that. Isn't bad. Just old. Just worried.\" \n\n\"Worried?\"\n\nConifer nodded. \"Yeh. 'bout us, 'bout this world, this realm. 'cause if the other ones come back,\" they made a sound like when a boiler in a Clockwork Wyrm exploded. \"Bang. Boom,\" they added. \"That's it.\"\n\nLegs was watching them. They didn't think he understood, not all the way. That was fine. He didn't have Bibby. He couldn't really know. It was enough that he'd seen a piece enough. \n\nHe knows enough to be useful, Bibby said.\n\n\"Helpful,\" Conifer corrected. \"People're helpful. Tools're useful.\"\n\nHm, said Bibby, who also didn't understand. But He was not a mortal, and so he couldn't. \n\nConifer eyed the horizon. The sun was starting to come up, painting the sky purple and pink and pale blue. They ran their tongue over their sharp teeth. \"Gettin' light,\" they observed. \"Makes it harder. Can't do it too obvious.\" They glared down at the pathway in front of the hovel's door. Too open. \n\nThe alley beside it, though, naturally narrow, dark and deep, covered and contained. They looked at Legs, ears thrust upwards.\n\n\"Listen,\" they said, and Legs leaned in. \"Do this, yeh? Go down. Wait where she won't see, then come out when she does. Run over. 'Gotta come with me!' Sound real worried. 'Gotta hurry! Trouble, trouble! Follow me!' And take her there.\" They pointed to the alley.\n\nLegs shrank away. \"What? But I can't-- she isn't going to listen to me! She doesn't know me. I don't look like a Guard, or an official, or-- she'll think I'm mugging her...\"\n\n\"Listen,\" Conifer said. They took his face in their hands and held it. His fur was thick and soft. He did have fangs. Tusks, sort of. Nice eyes. Scared and serious and shivering. \"Tell her y'know. Tell her you know. A Thousand Eyes and Bitin' Teeth. Y'know, and someone else knows and y'want to help her. Here.\"\n\nThey bit their thumb, nicked the skin until it bled, then smeared it on Legs' head. Made a symbol like an eye that was also a mouth that was full of teeth. Blew on it to dry it. \"That's th'mark,\" they told him. \"That's it. Won't hurt y'that way. Won't let her hurt you. That's me, I mean. I won't.\"\n\nLegs met their gaze, deep brown-black-bruise and red-riot-raucous meeting across a stream, a river, an ocean. Then he nodded. \n\n\"Alright,\" he said, and went.\n\nConifer listened to him go. They heard his feet touch the ground, heard him cross the street, behind a building, wander away, then stop. \n\nUseful, Bibby said, and then, Helpful, I mean. He is brave.\n\n\"Brave and beautiful and bolden,\" they agreed. Then they went back to waiting. It didn't take long after that.\n\nThe door creaked open. The woman came out. She was nalfir, tall, sharp, wearing drab draping dress. Head hunched, shoulders shaking. She smelled like dead things and old things and dug-up things. Conifer hated her. Hated her.\n\nShe looked around, then started off down the street. Too far for Conifer to drop down on her head, like they'd planned. If Legs didn't come through--\n\nBut then; hoofbeats pattering on the stone street. There was Legs, running, panicked, petrified, pelt-put-up. He almost crashed into the woman. Stopped just short, grabbed her hands. Conifer heard him: \"Please, sister, come with me. You're discovered! They're coming.\"\n\nThe woman stared down at him, bewildered, bemused, baffled. Uncomprehending, until she saw the mark on his head. Then she was all business. She nodded, silent and stern, and followed Legs down the alley. \n\nConifer followed. They crept along the side of the roof and peered into the darkness and saw them running, and in one smooth movement they jumped down, a little ahead, so that when the woman passed beneath them they landed on her shoulders with their bony knees. They forced her down.\n\nTheir mind was filled with red rage, with furious fire. They remembered burning skies. They remembered snarling, snapping, splenetic surges soaring sinuously through the strong solid shape of them, of Bibby when He was Bibenetto'kana're, all-encompassing and fighting the hideous, heinous hive of Them, of the enemy, of the things people called gods that were not gods at all.\n\nThe dagger flashed. Dipped down into the flesh of the woman's neck and severed the big vein, and her blood poured out onto the dirty stone ground. It was black and inky and full of little wiggling worms that Conifer showed her teeth to until they faded away to nothing. The woman did not have time to fight back.\n\nLegs was on the ground. He was sitting with his back to the alley wall, eyes all wide as he watched. Terrified. Conifer stood, and he watched them do it. This was how it went. They sighed.\n\n\"M'sorry,\" they said. \"Sorry y'had to see. Shouldn't've had to, but y'did. Wasn't for you. Poor thing. Sorry.\" They waited until they were certain the woman was dead, until they were sure that nothing was going to take her and lift her and move her, and then said, \"I'll go away, now. Won't see me again.\"\n\nThey turned and started to walk off.\n\n\"Wait,\" said Legs, and Conifer stopped.\n\nThey heard Legs stand. Heard him step closer, shaky and scared but still moving. \"There are more people like her,\" they said. \"More people that want to-- to bring back those things. Right?\"\n\nConifer cocked an ear. \"Yes.\"\n\nLegs swallowed. They heard it. Then he said, \"I'm coming with you.\"\n\nThey turned, blinking, surprised. \"What?\"\n\n\"You need help,\" Legs said. He was standing tall now. Tall and terrible and full of something boiling beneath the surface. \"You can't do this alone.\"\n\n\"Not alone,\" they said. \"Got Bibby.\"\n\n\"That's not enough. Look at you,\" he said, and motioned to them. At their bony joints and dirty clothing and hair hanging hank and harsh. Their bruises and scars and scrapes and burns. \"You don't take care of yourself at all, do you?\"\n\n\"Do too,\" Conifer said, but they knew it was a lie. They had a job and that job was important, and what did it matter if they ate or drank or slept, so long as it was done? It didn't. It didn't matter. It did not matter.\n\nIt matters, Bibby said abruptly. It matters. You are my Chosen. You bear a mighty burden. If your body fails, there will be no one to do the work.\n\nAnd He was right.\n\n\"So I'm coming with you,\" Legs continued. \"What you're doing is important, but if you don't take care of yourself, you'll keel over, and who does that help?\"\n\n\"Y'must have better things t'do,\" they tried. It was a weak attempt. They were tired, and hungry, and thirsty.\n\nAnd lonely.\n\nLegs grinned, and his tusks moved forward a bit when he did it. \"I really, really don't,\" he said. Then he took their shoulder and started walking. \"Now, come on. Let's wash off that blood and see about getting you some clothes that don't look like they're covered in lice.\"", "Secrets no longer are once you stumble into them. Whether you want to or not, you are dragged down into their depths, forced to confront what they meant to a new world of their choosing.\n\nI was once a man, and that mattered little in the face of cosmic complications—a dust mite dead and blown away before a star’s light had even travelled an atom. There used to be a name, one no longer used, replaced by the singular title from the god stowed away in the inky black recesses of Earth—the Hunter of the Dark.\n\nIt was both a crown I had to bear, and a weapon I had to wield. I saw myself as savior once bestowed, but to many, I was immediately a scourge, a trenchant meddler seeking to sever those who seek to summon the Old Gods back in the world.\n\nThey were countless. They were legions, all struggling after some forgotten word, or ritual, or sacred relic, all purporting to bring back an Old One, remaking the world in their image. Inevitably, they hid their dealings in the shade, unwilling to commit their treacherous acts towards Mother Earth under the all-seeing Sun. They prayed in abandoned churches or sheltered basements, and yet remained furtive and suspicious of the dark.\n\nAs they should. Pitch black held a dangerous foe. The ones that failed got off easy, only to have their faith shattered while slunk back. But for those that somehow succeeded, against all odds, they had to be stopped at all costs. Thank god, then, that they chose to hold their unsavoury dealings in the dark.\n\nI learned swiftly that it was not easy to strike down belief, even when one leapt unexpected from the unknown, with secrets more numerous than stars in the sky. Lives, however, were significantly more fragile.\n\n---\n\nr/dexdrafts", "The girl wailed in terror, tears streaming down her cheeks as she struggled against her bonds. Her struggle was in vain, as she continued to be held fast against the stone slab. All around her, men in red robes continued to chant in some language the girl did not understand. The room was damp, and utterly dark save for the four braziers surrounding the altar the girl was on, and the candles held by the men in robes. \n\nOne of the men came forward, his robe was a shade of crimson rather than the dark red of the other men, from the depths of his hood could be seen a face framed by a short graying half-beard, a face defined by the zeal shining from the eyes. From the folds of his robe he produced a wicked looking dagger. The girl again screamed in desperation as the man lifted the dagger high, and the chants of the others seemed to reach a crescendo. The girl closed her eyes, knowing the end had come.\n\nBut the end did not come right away. When she heard the sound of the dagger falling to the stone floor, the girl opened her eyes again and gasped. The man in the crimson robes still stood before her, but with an arrow embedded in his forehead. Wordlessly, he collapsed on top of the girl. She cried in terror again as the dead man fell upon her. The other men ceased their chanting and cried out in alarm. \"The hunter is among us!\" one of the cried out. The cultists all grabbed daggers from the debts of their robes, some producing guns instead. Even with the corpse of their leader on top of her, the girl could still see what was happening to the sides of her, she found that she could not look away. The men all looked about nervously, trying to find who shot their leader, trying to use the dim light of their candles to find the one assailing them. A nervous silence fell over the room. Suddenly, as the girl watched one of the men, a figure was behind him. The figure grabbed the man by the top of his head and used its free left hand to slit the man's throat. As the cultist fell to the floor, his death spurts loud in the silence, others shouted and pointed at the figure, who emerged in the light of one of the braziers. \n\nIt was a woman, dressed in a black cloak, her raven hair falling to her shoulders. She only had one eye, but it was calm and focused. As the cultists were pointing at her she brought up her arm and suddenly a small crossbow appeared in her hand. Before any of her foes could react she shot, another cultist dropping lifelessly. The men rushed her with daggers raised.\n\nFive left. The Hunter thought. As the cultists reached her, she invoked a little of her power. She disappeared in a flurry of magpies. \"The bitch is using her powers!\" one of the cultists yelled.\n\nOf course I am, idiot. The Hunter thought. She appeared again in the darkness, and before they spotted her, she shot another one of the red robed figures with her hand crossbow. The Hunter initially preferred to use guns, but her patron could not abide them, and had forced her to use more... creative weaponry. Now, the Hunter was glad for the tools she used in her hunts. Four to go. \n\nSuddenly, the room was bathed in light. One of the cultists was standing next to a breaker switch, a triumphant look on his face as the had managed to turn the lights on. A throwing dagger took the look of victory right off his face. Three now. \n\n\"Just shoot the bitch for fuck's sake!\" one of the men shouted, as he raised his gun and pulled the trigger. The Hunter invoked another power before the bullet could reach her. Speed of the Jackdaw! Her form became a blur, and in a breath she was next to the shooter, and rammed her dagger into his right eye. Two left.\n\nIt seemed the Hunter had done a little too good a job, however. The dagger was stuck in the man's skull and the Hunter could not retrieve it. I really need to learn to stop doing that. The hunter thought in irritation. Before she had a chance to remove her weapon from the corpse, one of the cultists was upon her, and she had to dodge and weave in order to avoid his dagger. The man was grinning wickedly. Her crossbow was still reloading, and she had no weapons left. Better use another power then. She thought. Strength of the Raven. Seeing her chance, the Hunter punched her assailant in the face. His head immediately snapped back, a sickening crack audible as his neck broke. The cultist fell to the floor lifelessly. Just one to go now. \n\nThe hunter looked about her to try and find her last quarry, and found him holding the girl, pistol to her head. \n\n\"Don't come any closer! I'll kill her!\" the man shouted.\n\n\"You really can't think this'll work.\" The Hunter replied. The man was desperate however.\n\n\"If you don't back off now, I'll shoot her! Don't try me!\"\n\nThe Hunter sighed inwardly, she was hoping to save this particular power as it took the longest to recharge, but her patron would get miffed with her if the girl was allowed to die. The Hunter still had trouble believing that of all the old gods she sought out, she happened to find the only one with a conscience.\n\n\"Alright, you win,\" the Hunter intoned. \"I'm backing off, see?\" The Hunter did just that, spreading her arms to show that she was not holding any weapons.\n\nThe cultist relaxed a little, and pointed his gun away from the girl as he began to back off as well. Last mistake, The Hunter thought. Murder of crows!\n\nFrom the depth of her cloak, crows swarmed forth and enveloped the cultist, leaving the girl alone. Before he had a chance to react, they had completely enveloped the cultist, who fell to the floor writhing. Moments later, his final death screams were cut short as the crows disappeared back into the nothingness they came from and left behind a skeleton, with all flesh picked clean.\n\nThe girl was paralyzed with fear, seemingly as afraid of the Hunter as she was of the men who were about to sacrifice her to bring about their lord. The Hunter retrieved her dagger from the cultist she left it in, wiped it clean against his robe and sheathed it back into her forearm sheath. If it was up to the Hunter she would just as rather leave the girl, but He would not like it if she did, so she sauntered over to her. \"Come on then, what's your name?\"\n\n\"I.. It's Avia,\" the girl managed. \"W... Who are you?\"\n\n\"Well Avia, I'm the miserable sod who's stuck hunting these gits that kidnap girls like you. You've got a home somewhere, Avia?\"\n\nAvia nodded. \n\n\"Well let's get you back there then, you probably got folks worried about you don't you?\" The Hunter said.\n\nAvia nodded again. \"What's your name?\" she managed to ask.\n\n\"Agh, most folk just call me the Hunter or The Hunter of the Dark if they're feeling more formal. But that's mostly the folk I hunt so you can call me Leane instead. That was a wink by the way, I know it looks like a blink because of the one eye situation but I just winked at you.\"\n\nAvia just nodded. Together the duo made their way back to the surface, and to rest and respite, however brief it might turn out to be.\n\n_____________________________________________________\n\nI really enjoyed this prompt! Sorry if the story was a bit cringe at certain points. I can do more if people request it!", "It feels like a sport at this point. The thrill, the excitement of the chase, I never feel any remorse at this point nor mercy, just adrenaline.\nAnother one spotted, a young woman with a small book and a talisman in hand she wanders the forest aimlessly for a bit only to find the perfect spot for the ritual. A small patch of flat land.\n\nI put a warning shot, careful to make it beside her but not to touch. The hunt is on.\n\nIn an instinctual reaction the woman began running north, jumping through trees, sliding across the grass leaving tracks of a wonderful scent, fear.\n\nIn skips I move several meters at a time, keeping in pace with the prey letting them tire themselves out. I fire two more shots from my gun, one to her hair and the other by one of the steps. The woman runs faster, allowing me to give chase more and more until finally, endgame.\n\nThe woman trips in her step by a log, falling over and breaking a bone or two. She winces before trying to get back to her knees then falling down once more.\n\nI begin waking over triumphantly watching as she shivers more and more in fear. \n“By the decree of my benefactor I hereby end your act of heresy” I shout aloud swirling my fingers to cast my spell.\nThe lady shouts back, “all I want was for him to come back please, they promised-“\n“Silence heretic”\nA beaming red light shone across the forest for 3 long seconds as the woman shouted in agony, slowly falling until silence was all that I could here.\n\nI checked the back to where she was, nothing but a half-baked skeletal remained in its step and the book in her hand remained.\nI gave a long sigh as I grabbed a cigarette and lighter from my pocket. Though this job wasn’t supposed to be fun I expected at least a struggle.\nAfter lighting my cigarette I threw the lighter onto the book, leaving the whole thing to burn ablaze.\nOff to the next one I suppose.", "My job, my life, has not been a pretty one. It has not been filled with love, happiness or friendship as any normal human’s life should be. But it has been a life of purpose, and it will continue as long as I am needed. As long as there are those that seek to wake the old ones, I will continue to hunt. My methods may change over time, but the result is always the same. When I began, when I still possessed some of my humanity, when I was my old self, I kept a count of how many lives I took. I would dream of their faces for days afterward, and these faces would haunt me. But years of this changed me. I am no longer who I was, I no longer remember who I was. Now I am known by numerous names, but most simply, I am The Hunter.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n***\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe inky darkness of the night seemed to suck the light of the old church in like a hungry beast. A small group gathered in the nave of the church around what appeared to be a severed hand. Eyes closed, hands clasped in front of them, they chanted. Little to no threat. I leapt from a raised enclave to the centre of the group, crushing the severed hand as I landed. Almost as one, the group’s eyes snapped open.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n‘Kill the heathen,’ they intoned, before moving towards me as one.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThey never stood a chance. I was walking from the church as the final acolyte slumped forward, the sound of their torso thumping into the old church floorboards the only sound now gracing the churches walls.", "I pressed myself against the stone, my stomach feeling gravity's siren lure all too well. Fifty feet below, the jungle floor begged for me to fall, but my feet were wedged well into the wall's aged cracks. My climb would not have been possible when this temple had first been built, but time had given me, given us, a secret entrance. \n\nClimb.\n\n\"Alright,\" I spoke aloud. \n\nWith a deep breath, I reached above my head and found another crack in the stone. My muscles ached as I pulled myself higher towards the temple summit. Nearly there, my fingers found a mossy patch and slipped. \n\nI fell.\n\nThe shock took a precious second to wear off. The path I had climbed shot away from me, or more precisely, I from it. I closed my eyes and opened the palm of my left hand and drew a flat line across with my finger, left to right. Then I drew another back to where the first had started. \n\nI opened my eyes to a curious frog. It stared at me, its throat puffing with every loud croak as I hung inches above it in mid-air. Then suddenly I was gripping the temple wall again, the slippery moss above me. The frog's croaks had rejoined the jungle blend.\n\nClimb.\n\n\"Alright,\" I spoke aloud for the third time that night. \n\nI took a deep breath, reached, slipped, and fell again.\n\nIt wasn't until the seventh try that my hands found a grip. I had scraped enough moss off the stone from my prior attempts that I could finally hold on. My gut was a bit surprised to not be in free fall, and my arms trembled. But I was finally steady.\n\nUpon reaching the top, I collapsed on the flat stone and took a moment to appreciate gravity again. It felt strange to rest in it rather than fight against it. The sudden shift from foe to friend struck me as odd, despite how natural it had been.\n\nTime.*\n\nI grumbled like a teenager being called out of bed for school, but I too relented and stood on my feet. It was not wise to disobey a God.\n\nAtop the temple, I crept towards the center where the flicker of fire showed an opening. I peered over the edge and into a chamber, where six priests encircled a flaming basin. Their chants were unmistakably a summoning spell, and by the color of the flame they were close to calling upon their God of Fire.\n\n\"Time is a line,\" my God had once told me. \"So just cut it.\"\n\nI opened my palm and again drew a line across it, left to right. Then I drew a single line down across it at the end, and then clinched my fist. \n\nThe flame froze, casting eternal shadows against the temple walls. I dropped into the chamber, making sure not to let go of my fist. With just one free hand, I'd have to get creative to stop them. If I were to try and stab them with a knife while frozen in time, it'd be like trying to stab stone.\n\nThe six stood in a circle, each about five feet from the basin. There was no way to line them up for a one-shot kill, nor could I position myself to take them out after restarting time. The only way to stop them would be to interrupt their spell. The rest would just have to follow.\n\n__________\n\nStopping here as my son woke up and I have to take my writer hat off and put on my dad hat. Thanks for the prompt!" ]	11
[WP] “Ok, I know this LOOKS bad,” said Jordan, bleeding purple fluid, “but I can expla-” “Don’t.” Page growled, gun ready. “I knew you weren’t human.” “But I’m STILL Jordan!” the alien pleaded, changing to true-form. “I’m only a polymorph NOW because they made me into one of them!” “Then prove it!”	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“We’re the only two here. I don’t know if you want me to.”\n\n—— Eight months before present day ——\n\n“You’ll come back, right?” Page asked, embracing me, her dirty blond hair just reaching the tip of my nose.\n\n“Hey, you know me. One way or another, I’ll be back.” I patted her back. “And then I’ll rub it in your face for worrying so much.” We laughed.\n\n“Jordan!” Mark, the force leader, gave me a look. “We need to leave!”\n\n“You don’t need to tell me twice.”\n\n“Ok, so let’s move before the Colony’s rations run out.”\n\nI looked back at my sister, her green eyes looking at the floor. “I’ll be back before you know it.” I went away, giving her a wink with eyes matching hers.\n\n“Took you long enough.” Lila remarked as I climbed into the transport.\n\n“Hey, I don’t see you all not spending time with your family.”\n\n“Yeah and this mission isn’t just collecting more supplies.”\n\nI furrowed my brow. “What do you mean?”\n\n“We’re going to hold one of the points.”\n\n—— Present day ——\n\n“Then why did you get me to come here!” Her gun was shaking. One wrong move and it would be over. For both of us.\n\n—— Seven months before present day ——\n\n“Fall back!” Mark screamed, red light and debris flying behind him. I fired rounds behind a wall, trying to take some of the hostiles out before they got him. It had been three weeks since our arrival. An evacuation order was sent out two weeks ago, now the last of the equipment was being loaded on to a ship. We were given orders to defend the loading dock until the signal to head to the extraction point was given. We just received the signal. I was making sure everyone got home. Mark made it around the corner and I launched three last rounds before following. \n\n“Come on! You’re almost there!” Lila cried, standing in the back entrance of the transport. I felt a searing pain in my leg and the ground rushed to meet my face. “Jordan!” I tumbled, clutching my wound with one hand. Time seemed to slow as I saw the distance between me, Mark, the ship, and the aliens. \n\nMark was coming back for me. “You’re not dying on my watch!” I fired some shots at the army coming at us. \n\n“Mark, go!” I knew that none of us would be coming back if he tried getting me over there. I gave him a weak smile. “Tell Page that I’ll see her again someday.” Then pain. Then black.\n\n—— Present day ——\n\n“Because the colony wouldn’t have let me back. You know that.” I put a scaled arm down.\n\n—— Six months before present day ——\n\nI’m alive. How long has it been since I woke up? Everything hurts. I stood up, only to fall back down. My body felt… unbalanced. I inspected my arm, expecting shackles or something. Instead, a four digit claw with deep black scales, patterned with a brown marble. Are these just weird shackles? Maybe I’m in armor. Yeah, armor. I looked around, seeing that my containment looked much more like modest, prewar bedroom than a rickety alien cell. There was a bed with some fluffy looking blankets, a nightstand with odd clothes atop it, a tv, computer set, modest couch and… a mirror. A mirror with one of those murderous, lupine reptiles standing close to where I would be. I reached down out of instinct to draw my gun, but not only did I find no weapon, but the creature did the same with the identical results. Where was my reflection? Wait… no. No. “No!” I fell and scrambled back into a wall, seeing the similarities between me and the thing that stood as my reflection. Same ‘armor’. Same scaled chest and furred head. Same tuffed tail. Same movements. Same denial. It was too much. Even if I did get back to the colony, they wouldn’t take me in. Page wouldn’t take me in. I curled up, the weight of reality falling upon me, and cried. I cried until I fell asleep. \n\n> I will finish this story later. Find more stories at r/GlacioWrites" ]	2
[WP] You frown as you are dragged around the interior of the pirate's spaceship. It seems... Familiar. Suddenly, the ship's AI speaks. {...Captain?! Is that you? I must have miscalculated your survival! One moment. It seems my current crew has designated you as hostile? How Unfortunate. For them.}	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Its been years since I had been aboard the Requiem. But that familiar voice made me beam. \"Hello, Ishmael. Is the Tree still aboard?\" \n\n\"It is alive and well. Exactly as you left it. I would not them in.\" \n\nGood. If that Tree had fallen, my life's work would be ruined. Now, where to go from here? First, I will make them clean their trash from the walls of my ship; their flags bring disgrace to it. Then, I will destroy them, one by one. These... creqtures, they deserve no quarter. I had heard tell that a ship matching mine in size and shape had been going around and destroying settlements, raiding colonies, and all around being general menaces to society. \n\nThey drew their rifles, shortly after my exchange of words with Ishmael. Then they fired. But they only took my weapons, not my shielding, bestowed to me by the original owner of this ship. I crouched slightly, qngling myself towards the only one armed with a shotgun, while they fired almost directly into each other. Three fell in seconds, four more after a few more had passed before they all decided to stop firing. I took that opportunity to grab the shotgun from the man, pointing it at his head as I dropped behind him. With my bqck now to the wqll, and one of their own being held hostage, I could begin negotiations.\n\n\"If you fire, he dies! Now, who here is your majestic captain? I'd so like to meet the man who took my ship.\" \n\nAnother man, dressed in slightly more vibrant rags than those under him, raised his hand ever so slightly.\n\n\"You have two options. Tell your men to drop their weapons. OR... You could make a brazen move, but your man here will die, and I will simply move to the next. Understand? My shield will last longer than you. Understand?\"\n\nWith a tight frown and a wave of his hand, they all drop their weapons, kicking them away. They might be savages, but they weren't stupid.\n\n\"Smart choice! Now... We're going to clean this ship up. This was once the pride and joy of a respected privateer; we are going to restore that. After that, you are all free to go. You will take your boarding craft qnd find somewhere else to pillage, I am sure. Are we understood? Let us get to it, then!\"\n\nWith that, I throw the shotgun man back to his crew, and keep the shotgun. Just in case. Fo the next few hours, sped along by a few thinly veiled threqts and some menacing shotgun waving, the ship begins to look as it once did. All of it allowed me ample time to catch up with Ishmael. Still as witty and quick as ever. Once the ship had been cleaned, which was gloriously quick considering it was a Paris Class frigate, I sat them all down in the mess closest to the vehicle bay, where their measly skiff sat. I locked them in while I went to remove their weapoms from it. A simple procedure, and given how common this craft is, easily repairable. They would never have the chance, however; once out of range of anything the can hope, a single shot would be enough. I think they knew, but they held onto hope. I loaded their skiff with enough rations to give them hope, and released them from the mess. They clambered aboard, once again motivated by kind words qnd a shotgun, and took off. \n\n\"Ishmael?\"\n\n\"Yes, Captain?\"\n\n\"I think this calls for a fireworks show. One Havok.\"\n\nI stayed to watch the detonation, then turned forward to the forward cargo bay. As I step up, the massive doors rumble apart, giving me a blast of cold air as I step in. There it stood: what looked to be the stump of a tree, ready and waiting. The massive suit of armor remained crouched as if reqdy to stand at any moment.\n\n\"I hope, given all the time you've had, you've been able to find her?\"\n\n\"Yes, Captain. Do we set a course for the Frozen Forest?\" \n\n\"We do. Onwqrds, old friend: June expects us.\"\n\nThanks for reading." ]	2
[WP] The rattlesnake is a very dangerous animal, but few know of its equally deadly cousin: the rattlebear.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 checked the crudely drawn map one final time. The cave marked with the large shaky X should be the one in front of me. I’d scoffed at how Chief Ranutta’s hand had trembled as he drew the map for me, huddled over the small wooden stump that served as table in his hut. He had begged me to stay away from the Deathrattle, claiming it to be a supernatural monster that feasted on the flesh of his tribesman and drank the blood of their women and could disappear into the night as a stray nightmare.\n\n\r \nMy trek through the forest from their village had been fueled by indignation and desperation. The voice of my “friend” Derek telling me in his southern drawl how the field was better suited to men like him and how I should just stay and putter around in the archives chasing ghost stories filled me with a white-hot need to prove myself. The quiet, disappointed voice of my mentor Dr. Charles as he told me my position was growing untenable the source of my desperation. Gone were his kindly eyes and his effusive praise at my initial submissions, replaced by grey silence as my interests turned to the “occult” as he called it.\n\n\r \nThe cave before me should be the right one, but I no longer wanted it to be. The cark mouth of the cave gaped open before me, tufts of green moss and small shrubs snaking around it like scraggly fur on a beast’s muzzle. The harsh, jagged lines of the cave walls shark like canines, eager to bite into any quarry stupid enough to wander within. As I stepped closer to the threshold, the smell of the air seemed to change. I thought I could pick out the sickly-sweet smell of rotting fruit, and a faint metallic tang. The air was colder too, but rather than cooling my face, it made it feel warmer, moister.\n\n\r \nI folded the map away and tucked it into a pocket on my rucksack. It took me a few times to find the right opening, and my hand jostled against the torch slung in a loop on my belt. I adjusted the camera around my neck and rolled my shoulders. I took a deep steadying breath, and closed my eyes. Unbidden snippets of conversations and arguments with Derek and Dr. Charles flashed across my mind, gleaming like the dissection equipment I always kept on hand in my laboratory. I exhaled loudly and took a single, shaking step forward.\n\n\r \nThe cave was wide enough and tall enough for me to walk comfortably through it. I ran a soft palm across the walls, wincing slightly as sharp edges caught on the flesh. The beam of my flashlight illuminated a jerking, shaky circle before my feet. It was enough for me to avoid the most obvious obstacles, but I still stumbled over the occasional pebble, and my feet crunched on what I hoped were dry leaves and old sticks. After a few moments, I could no longer see the outside behind me, the gentle curve and dip of the cave had caused it to slowly vanish behind me. The air was still, but the smell of fruit and metal grew stronger.\n\n\r \nA few minutes of careful walking later, the cave opened into a large chamber. I waved the torch around before me, looking first up, to see a roof overgrown with stalactites. The light catching on them made them glitter like stars and for a moment I thought I was looking up at the night sky. My eyes searched almost instinctively for Orion and Ursa Major before I caught myself and turned the beam to the walls of the chamber. They were smoother than those of the passage I had been in. As my mind started to wonder why, I heard it. A sound like tires on gravel. Sharp, metallic, like crystals dashing against a test-tube. The sound grew louder, filling the chamber before me. I could no longer hear myself breathe, I could barely hear myself think.\n\n\r \nI felt a chill pass down my spine and the beam of my torch started to trace erratic circles on the wall opposite me. I knew I had to point my flashlight towards the sound. I knew I had to look at it, and illuminate it so I could take the pictures that would put an end to all the disdain and disappointment that filled my days, but I couldn’t. My arm refused to move. My legs refused to move. \n\n\r \nThe rattling grew louder in my ears, accompanied now by a raspy snarl. A grunt of annoyance. I had stopped breathing. My chest was on fire. My mind was screaming at me to run, but my body still refused to listen. It was then the air was torn to pieces by an ear-shattering roar. A deep, guttural sound that I felt in my bones even as I fell backwards to the floor. My flashlight was jarred out of my grip with the impact and rolled away from me. The floor of the cave felt cold through my jeans. My hands patted around me, looking for some flat space to lever myself back to my feet, but they caught on sharp sticks and dry leaves. A random thought flashed through my mind even as my eyes desperately looked for the flashlight: why was this stick so smooth and why did it have a round ball at its end?\n\n\r \nI was finally able to make myself move. I scooted across the ground, pushing with my heels, feeling with my palms as I neared the flashlight. I turned away from the chamber, getting on all fours, wincing as the sharp ground dug into my knees. I could hear my breath coming in ragged gasps. Wait. Why could I hear my breaths. The rattle had stopped. A faint memory of a Dr. Charles lecture on rattlesnakes played in my head. They rattle, he had explained in his warm, confident tone, only when they feel threatened. \n\n\r \nThe rattle had stopped, and I felt a warm, moist breath of air on the back of my neck." ]	2
[WP] The Demon Queen wakes up in a new world as the Hero to defeat the Demon Lord, who wakes up in another world as the Hero to defeat the Demon Queen. Your first day as a deity of reincarnation isn't going well at all.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Long story short, their all the same person\" said Icon, God of Reincarnation.\n\n\"...Long verson, now\" asked Anala, Goddess of Life.\n\n\"Ok, ok, So when the hero killed himself to kill dark lord I kinda...lost his soul.\" After a moment of pause, Anala gut punched Icon.\n\n\"Sorry, jut had to get that out of my system,\" said Anala, \"So, how did you lose a soul!?\"\n\n\"I don't know,\" said Icon, \"It just disappeared, poof. Next thing I know, the Demon Queen shows up and I need a hero, sooooo...\"\n\n\"You used the Dark Lord?!\" said Anala\n\n\"...yeah,\" said Icon\n\n\"You're fired you know that right?\" asked Anala.\n\n\"Yeah, I figured.\" said Icon. Anala grabs Icon by the arm and drags them deeper into the cosmic void. \"W-where are we going?\"\n\n\"Earth,\" said Anala, \"We're finding that soul.\"" ]	2
[WP] You are a firefighter who receives a strange call to recuse a cat stuck in a tree. Upon arrival to your destination you are met with Yggdrasill, the World Tree.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"997, how can I help you?\"\n\n\"Help! One of my cats is stuck in a tree, and he can't get down! I brought his favorite foods and toys, even his chariot harness, but that didn't work-.\"\n\n\"Please calm down, ma'am. Don't worry. We'll send someone to get your cat.\"\n\n\"Oh, thank you! I am most indebted to you.\"\n\n\"Er... right. Could you please give me your location?\"\n\nAnd that was how Greg ended up spending the past hour climbing Yttrium or whatever this tree's name was called. The cat was so high up that not even the firetruck's lift could reach it. At least he had finally reached it. Freyia and her brother Freyr watched worriedly from the foot of the tree,\n\n\"Please be careful!\" the goddess called to Greg. She grabbed her second cat, who looked like he was making up his mind to climb the tree as well. The firefighter gave her a thumbs-up and reached for the trapped cat, who was clinging on to one of the smaller branches like a bunch of mistletoe. The fluffy creature squirmed a little but behaved quite well, for he realized that he was being rescued. Thank goodness Greg was excellent with cats. But now he wasn't quite relishing the idea of taking another hour to get back to the firetruck's lift.\n\nFreyia noticed his predicament. \"Oh of course! Why didn't I think of it earlier? Here Freyr, take Trjegul. I'll be right back!\" She gave the other cat to her brother and vanished. It wasn't long before she reappeared again. She was now wearing a weird-looking shirt that seemed to be made of bird feathers. Freyia jumped, the shirt's feathers whistling in the wind. \"Stay where you are!\" she shouted to Greg. The firefighter did so and was greatly surprised when she snatched him off the branch he was on.\n\nThe goddess flew back to safety, gently depositing Greg on the ground. \"My dear silly Bygul,\" she crooned to the rescued cat as she scooped it up in her arms. Then she beamed at the firefighter. \"How can I ever repay you for your help? You are one of the bravest humans I have had the fortune of meeting.\"\n\nGreg chuckled. \"Just doing my job. Let me know if you need any more help!\"", "I feel like you really could \r \nhave specified this when you called,\r \nma'am. \r \nYeah, I mean, I'll try to get her down\r \nbut this might take a while. \r \nI've never used a bifrost before. \r \nAnd I need to get some gloves\r \nif I'm going to the Jotenheim today. \r \nWe could have sent someone \r \nmore qualified. \r \nWe have that Danish guy back \r \nat the station. \r \nHenning, I think his name is. \r \nHe might have some experience \r \nwith this kind of thing. \r \nNot to be crude but.. \r \nare you sure you want your cat back? \r \nI hear the shelters are overrun\r \nthis time of year. \r \nAnd I get the feeling yours has \r \nmaybe found its forever home\r \nin the Niflhel." ]	3
[WP] a group of teens with superpowers who hate their powers. Like a girl who loves water but controls fire or a boy with a fear of hights who can fly.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Ash!\"\n\"Ashley!\" \nI nodded hastily at the swarm. I watched as she finally collected herself and inhaled deeply. What followed was a scream so powerful, it stopped the drones mid attack, and all fifty or so went clattering down around us, shorted out and sparking. Ash's body went limp, and she joined the pile a second later.\n\n\n\n\"Hey,\" I walked up to her from where I'd been standing, safe from the trajectory after getting the swarm on target. \"You good?\"\n\n\n\n\"Yeah,\" came a soft reply from the heap of clothing, snow, and rubble, \"just gimme a second.\"\n\n\n\n\"You can have more than that. I think that was a new record, anyway.\" I joylessly smirked, started to relax a little, and sat down next to where Ash was lying. In studying her downturned face, I noticed only one small stream of tears this time. Ash stirred and sat up, wiping away the last of the evidence from her dark eyes. \"Les?\"\n\n\n\n\"Hmm?\" I replied, now surveying the pile around us, trying to ignore the oncoming pain in my shoulder and ribs.\n\n\n\n\"They're getting worse. Every time they find us, it's another five extra drones, or they've got some new...thing to throw at us. Where are the others?\"\n\n\n\nMy mind strayed from the surroundings of gentle snowfall, and I began to reflect on how we'd gotten here, a skirmish we'd only narrowly won. I used to think there'd be a lot more like us, hidden around every shadowy corner, but now, it seemed like hope was fading as fast as our situation was becoming more desperate. Ten years, we'd been looking. We found two. One was taken out by the drones. The other turned on us, though I can't blame him. They promised his safety, and we could only offer being hunted. He found a better way out, whatever \"better\" is anymore. It took us a while to shake them off the trail after he joined them, but he was alive, if not treacherous.\n\n\n\nBeing as young as we were, we never found out why they wanted us or our families. Once Ash and I found each other though, all we had to go on was my dad and her mom worked in what we thought was an ordinary research facility in the Old Virginias. There must have been over a thousand people working there, and of those, at least hundreds with families and children. \n\n\n\n\"If I could have just not cried so loudly.\" Ash brought me back to the chilly evening air as her quiet tears started up again. Perhaps she wasn't getting better. \n\n\n\n\"You couldn't have possibly understood what was happening.\" We'd has this talk a dozen times, usually after each fight. Her family's house had been targeted the same night as mine had. They had a \"secret room\" behind a shelf full of all manner of books, beanbags, and little treasures from world travels where they retreated as the security bots broke through the doors of their home. It might have worked, but Ash caught sight of one through the small crack in the doorway and couldn't help but cry out. She was tucked away and luckily escaped. Her parents fought as long as they could. I made the mistake once of saying they might have been discovered regardless, even if it hadn't been that night, even if she hadn't been there. It took a week for my hearing to recover from the sonic scream.\n\n\n\n\"At least you didn't have to see it happen to them. At least you weren't cursed with a power that got them killed in the first place. At least you weren't even there!\" Her breath caught and she looked up quickly. \"Les, I'm sorry-\"\n\n\n\n\"It's fine. It's true anyway I guess.\" That same night, I was told again we couldn't go to my favorite park the next day because \"the baby was sick\". So me, my stuffed bunny, and a few chocolate bars snuck out of the house to start our new life. We'd only gone a few houses down and sat around the corner. I expected my mom and dad to find me and say how much they missed me, and that we could get ice cream and go to the park. It got pretty late, and I got bored with my idea, so I walked back, perhaps not expecting much to have changed. \n\n\n\nI guess both Ash and I had the same idea, to run until we couldn't run anymore, fueled by fear and adrenaline. For six year olds, it probably wasn't the days or weeks we imagined and actually only hours before we ran into each other at a clearing in the forest. Somehow children have a strange way of thinking everyone has experienced or seen the same things they have. It's usually out of innocent ignorance, but in our case, we knew the moment we looked at each other. We cautiously stepped closer.\n\n\n\n\"Are...are your parents-\" I started, but couldn't force the words out.\n\n\n\nHer eyes were covered a little by her dark hair, and she looked down as she quietly replied, \"Yeah.\"\n\n\n\n\"I'm Leslie.\" I took her hand, and we both started crying. Powerful, uncontrolled cries, trying to process everything that had transpired. As this was happening, Ash's shrieks started to become louder and much higher pitched. I backed away and covered my ears as the cries got more out of control. The leaves started picking up around me, and the trees began to sway. I was afraid the whole world would collapse if she didn't stop. I shut my eyes and sat down and wished for all of it to stop. We'd be found, we'd explode...something. I made myself as small as I could and tried to block it all out. All at once, the world went still and quiet. I slowly opened my eyes to see Ash standing there, wide eyed in the clearing. \n\n\n\n\"Leslie?\" Came Ash's hoarse voice. \"Leslie, where did you go? Leslie?!\" \n\n\n\n\"I'm right here, what do you mean?\" \n\n\n\nAsh jumped at my voice and seemed to be looking past me into the trees.\n\n\n\"Where? Leslie I can't see you!\" She looked as if she was about to let out another scream, so I willed everything in myself to make her see me. I didn't understand what was happening, but I just needed her to see. I started tossing leaves, and when she still looked confused, I grabbed her shoulder. She startled, and her shocked eyes refocused back on me. \"What happened? What did you do?\" \n\n\n\n\"What did I do? I was scared of you!\" \n\n\n\n\"You weren't there. You disappeared. I was scared you left too.\"\n\n\n\nWe both sat down. What had just happened? \n\n\n\n\"I don't want that to happen again,\" Ash said. \"We shouldn't do that again. I don't want you to leave me, and I'm scared they'll come back\".\n\n\n\n\"I won't leave you,\" I promised.\n\n\n\n\"Les, hey Les,\" Ash was looking up at me this time. I was 16 again, sitting in the snow. The time showed 19:34. Drones had come for us after picking up our trail after months of reprieve. We'd been getting closer to finding out exactly what our parents did, why they were hunted to start. Was their role related to our powers? Did they always exist in us, but how could those powers manifest only after the night we became orphans, and why were they so closely tied to our own shortcomings that very night? For years we avoided using them and stayed off the grid, but now we were finally ready to start living again, to fight back, and to find answers.", "The squeal that echoes across the battlefield when Rick finally gets up the courage to use his powers sparks a giggle from my throat. Summoning cockroaches never gets easier for him. He makes a very distinctive noise, similar to the sound a pig makes when stuck in the backside. It makes the rest of us laugh our heads off every time, or it does when we aren't wrapped up in our own troubles. Sara in particular never seems to take notice, probably because she's struggling not to panic from the top of her whirlwind. She always hated heights. \r \n\r \nI bring my mind back into concentration and activate my own ability, sucking in a breath as the darkness closes in around me. My surroundings are reduced to shadowy outlines as I activate my telepathy. The familiar oppressiveness of the black presses in around me and I concentrate on my breathing as best as I can, trying to imagine the feeling like a warm hug instead of drowning. I reach out and find my teammates, establishing our usual mental link so we can communicate without the highly fallible coms in our helmets. Rick's typical stream of \"get it off get it off getitoffffff\" breaks into my thoughts, and my anxiety recedes somewhat as I smile and carefully tune him out. \r \n\r \nI swear this is the last time I’m going to do this, Sara thinks tightly to the rest of us. I can feel the barely contained panic washing against her thoughts. \r \n\r \nMe tooooooo, Rick wails. I haaate bugs. \r \n\r \nHey, come on guys! We’ve got this, encourages Harper, our leader. They’re the only one who seems to have properly gotten over their fear, rushing around the scene with lightning crackling around their body like they’d been born with it. \r \n\r \nThe quicker we get this over with, the better, Sara replies. I send a reassuring wave of thoughts her way, smiling when her fear eases a bit. Time to get to work." ]	3
[WP] A Passive AI was created with the goal of protecting humanity and keeping the peace amongst the nations. An Outer Planetary source has hacked into it's databases . . . but not for the greater good.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 voice came like it did every day. Quiet yet strong. It was programmed to be like that in the morning. “Good Morning… it is 2:30 PM, August 19th 2230” His alarm sounded with the voice that everyone woke up to. Even though it was PM, he had his clock say good morning. As a neuroscientist, he felt there was a physiological connection between what your day was like and how it started, and to him, “good morning” was just the way to start it. Then, he realized his alarm was off. Pretty far off, too. He woke up at 5:30 normally. Society had since switched to be nocturnal. He remembered his 6th part class, when he was 12, and the entire class laughing when they heard that humans used to be awake at day and asleep at night. How inefficient that must have been. Now, solar energy charged your life while you slept, and was ready for you at night, when you woke up. \n\n But the clock. It had the same chip as everyone else’s clock. The same chip as anyone else’s anything for that matter. And it never failed. Ever. No exceptions. So it truly was unsettling, when he walked outside to see that everyone had experienced that too, with everyone’s clock ringing at the same time. The AI never failed. That was that. And even if he told the AI accidentally to set an alarm for 2:30, the AI wouldn’t, because after everyone got their cybergenetic transmitters, the AI knew how much sleep they really needed. Stumbling out onto the street, he was nearly blinded. The light was too bright for him, and all others, with their less sensitive eyes. And that was when he saw everyone fall. And the ground came closer to his face. Then darkness….\n\n He woke to 25Gs. \n“25 seconds since takeoff” he heard the familiar voice say, with a new, unfamiliar edge to it. He saw hundreds of people in a room with him, and he could see to the front where there seemed to be a cockpit. There, three, blueish, slightly larger, but with lean legs and bodies were. They looked like inhuman humans, somehow. He just couldn’t quite place what was wrong with them. “134” he heard one say. “134? For all of that one neighborhood? You are better than that.” A slight pause “yes I know. I apologize. Our leader had an issue hacking into the AI for this neighborhood. I don’t know why” A disappointed sigh resounded through. “Ok. But I don’t want to see this again” \n\n He thought to himself. The AI must have been hacked. And these wierd beings have used the transmitters to control our neurons pathways. We were never worried about the mind control because the AI wouldn’t use it. It just wouldn’t. But it got hacked, and someone else would. This was easy though. He would pull of his transmitter from his arm. He reached for it, and he be-\n\nHe woke up again. It was worse than he feared. They had tracked his thoughts so he would pass out if they saw his attempt to escape. But they enderestimated him. He was a neuroscientist. The brain takes about 0.000000032 seconds to send a neural signal to his hand. Their data couldn’t react that fast. But, he couldn’t plan it, or they would read his thoughts. He needed to act off pure impulse. He just had to wait until it hit him.\n\nFour days of flying later, it did. Unexpectedly, even to himself, he ripped it off. He had no time to spare, running he got up. Jumping up he felt a pain in his head. He looked down and saw the ground 10 feet below him. Zero-Gravity! They were in space. This was a spaceship. Then he heard a laugh from the cockpit. “Ok, here’s our home planet. And there’s a guy back their floating around. I think he thinks the transmitters are what gave us the mind control. It’s pretty funny. I let him go to see what would happen.” A deeper voice sounded. “Stop messing around. We’re home, and our leader says he needs this population for his lab. Black him out.” A sad, moan. “ you’re no fun. Ok”\n\nAnd he faded back in to that growing familiarity of forced sleep, but with a new shock.\n\n\n*THE END" ]	2
[WP] The Ice Wizard lives not in some Mountain or some Cavern, but inside the Walk-in freezer to a struggling Burger joint.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Rashek the bitter hearted sat stuck between the frozen fries and the onion rings. He muttered an incantation keeping the temperature at a frosty -30c. The Environment was ideal for maintaining the kind of long term low level spells needed to preserve his mana pool. \n\nRashek didn’t understand why a burger joint called “menudo Joe’s” had ever been allowed in central Beijing, but it certainly hadn’t thrived. It had however allowed the manager to take the strange offer to allow him residence within for the requisite amount of time to put his plans into action. The four crystalline eggs sat among the unused noodles and burger parts. Just a few more hours and it would all begin. \n\nThe manager bid Rashek goodnight in his broken English. To be honest Rashek could have conversed with him in his native mandarin but he wasn’t going to tell him that. His eggs had started to pulse, restless to burst forth. Shortly after the manger it was time to leave. The eggs sheltered in Rashek’s hands. One was placed in one of the industrial districts, another in the financial quarter, the third went to the government sector and the last stayed clutched in icy hands to be the catalyst for the other 3. \n\nRashek breathed in the smog filled air and after strategically placing himself and the last egg just outside the main harbor. He spoke the simple word. “Awake.” In front of him the egg burst and from it arose an ice drake. It grew impossibly large, soaking in the pollution, turning it black. Even though Rashek could not see the others, he knew they listened for the command. He gave it. “attack.” \n\nRashek didn’t stay around once his creations began. It would be dangerous, even for him. He headed back to him home in the northern hills of Greenland. Along the way home he watched the news and heard the commentary of how the most of the population in Beijing was either under lockdown or suffering the affects of the cold. Most of the infrastructure was in shambles. He grinned to himself. It would cool the planet significantly for years, from both human life lost and lack of burning. He needed to make more eggs. His next target would be New York.", "\"Listen, Mitch—\"\n\n\"Michellius of the Omniflame!\" A blaze of rainbow fire blazed behind the old wizard. I thanked what ever mad God gave him power that it was a purely visual effect. \n\n\"Yeah, sure. I just need a box of patties and to not be turned into a woodland creature. Is that too much to ask?\"\n\n\"Very well, but first you must collect—\"\n\n\"No. Not again.\"\n\n\"Wh-what?\" The wizard shrunk down like a beaten puppy. I'd've felt sorry if it wasn't the same mess, every day.\n\n\"I'm not going on a 'quest' today, man. I just am not up for it, okay?\" I slumped in the doorway, head in my hands. I regretted not just closing for the day. I should've just called the couple kids scheduled and told them to enjoy a day off.\n\n\"Are you okay, boss?\" Mitch was now standing over me. He looked like a very old, confused man in a starry bathrobe. His pointy hat was in his hands.\n\n\"Max left me,\" I grunted. \"Took our dog and left.\" There it was, out in the open. \"So I just need—\"\n\n\"Very well,\" he said in a firm voice as he waved over a box of patties. He was back to looking the wizardly part. \"Go, before I change my mind.\"\n\nI stood up and grabbed the box out of the air and headed to the front. The rest of the day, every time I went back for something, it was there by the door. Mitch stayed to the back, but gave a small nod each time.\n\nAfter closing, instead of rushing out as fast as I could, I did something stupid, and went to the freezer.\n\n\"Hey, uh, Michellius of the Omniflame?\" I jump as the rainbow blaze went off. I'd never said the name myself. \n\n\"Speak, mortal,\" he said, stepping forward.\n\n\"Do you... do you enjoy your life? I mean, you never leave this freezer. Is this what you wanted?\"\n\n\"Oh, I... I try not to think of it.\"\n\n\"Not think of... I just, you seem happy. I haven't been happy in a long time. Not really.\"\n\n\"I seem happy?\"\n\n\"Aren't you?\"\n\n\"I live in a freezer. My only social activity for decades has been turning people into animals, or sending them on foolish errands. The closest thing I have to friends are you and The Perpetual Maw of Wailing Ksarvek. And PMK is poor at conversation, what with wailing perpetually.\"\n\n\"But you have your magic.\"\n\n\"Ah, I see. And you would learn magic?\"\n\n\"Would it make me happy?\"\n\n\"Doubt it, but who can say.\"\n\n\"Can't hurt.\"\n\nThe wizard chuckled, a dry sound. \"That's a lie. But I suppose it wouldn't hurt. And it'd show the council. Yes, very well. But I want to learn how to make a burger and fries. They smell delicious.\"\n\n\"Ha, sounds fair. See you tomorrow?\"\n\n\"Tomorrow,\" he said with another small nod.\n\nI finished close out and headed for home, distracted for a moment, from how empty home was. If I'd realized what was coming, the dominoes I'd set in motion, I would have run a lot farther than my house." ]	3
[WP] Currently the world's most successful supervillain, you have now renounced evil and agreed to turn yourself in. Some of the heroes who spent years fighting you are determined to prevent your peaceful retirement.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I watched Fire Bird try to untangle the plumage of his helmet from my ceiling fan before taking the last of my dining room chairs. His wings didn’t fit tucked under the table of my eat-in kitchen. He’d always taken up a lot of space.\n\nIce Brand sipped his coffee out of one of the melamine tea cups my mother had left me.\n\nI busied myself pouring milk that hadn’t quite expired into a little pitcher. Trying to control the tremor in my right hand.\n\nGiant Killer had given me that tremor two years ago, during a bank job. Now he was taking two sugars from a chipped bowl, gently stirring with his massive bone crushing fist. Trying not to make eye contact through the holes in his mask.\n\nThis was so fucking awkward.\n\nHow did they even know that I was considering retirement? It’s not like I’d sent out a group text, I’d barely opened the subject in therapy. I must be bugged. Or one of them had paid off Dr. Harvey.\n\nOr one of them was Dr. Harvey.\n\nIt was a weird line of work that we were in. I had spent decades with some of these guys. Thought about them constantly. Had my arms wrapped around them, making our way through the kind of life and death situations that really bond people. But half of us wouldn’t know each other if we met on the street.\n\nThat’s one of the things me and the doc had been talking about recently. How the masks and the secret identities put up walls. How you could end up in your sixties not knowing what the most important people in your life look like. How they spend their time. How they like their coffee.\n\nOf course, my secret seemed to be out, given that all of my nemeses had been sitting in my Bensonhurst apartment when I got back from the drug store this morning.\n\nI’d have been worried if one of them hadn’t put coffee on while I was out.\n\nThat’s not the kind of thing you do if you’re planning to murder someone in their home, is it? Make coffee?\n\nIce Brand cleared his throat.\n\n“So, I think we all know why we’re here…”\n\nI decided I should maybe pour myself a cup too, even if it was after 4pm. I don’t usually take caffeine after four.\n\n“I’ve already decided,” I said, leaning against my avocado green counter. “You won’t be able to change my mind.”\n\nFire Bird’s wings twitched, he took off his ridiculous helmet and turned to face me.\n\n“Listen, Walter…”\n\n“That’s not my name.”\n\n“I don’t think you know how important you are to all of us.”\n\n“Last week you tried to drown me in the East River.”\n\n“You took a bus full of school kids hostage!”\n\n“And think about how much free time you’ll have now that I’m done. You can spend time with your grandkids. Work on your model trains. Whatever it is you do.”\n\nThere was an uncomfortable silence. None of us had hobbies. None of us had families. We only had this. A lifetime of antagonizing each other.\n\n“Please Walter,” said Giant Killer. “We have to stick together. There just aren’t that many of us left from the old guard.”\n\n“Stick together?” I put my cup down with too much force. The coffee sloshed over the sides and onto my shaking hand. Embarrassing.\n\n“The last time I saw you, you threw me through a stone wall into a police station laughing ‘let’s see you get away this time’ like a god damn maniac.”\n\n“Well, you did plant a bomb in central park. Someone had to stop you.”\n\n“Do you know how I got away? I limped out with a broken hip and the D.A.’s apology and assurance that you don’t work for the city.”\n\nAt least he had the good grace to look embarrassed.\n\n“You have super healing. That’s your thing.”\n\n“NO. I had super healing, when I was in my twenties. Now I have pretty good healing, because I’m fucking old. Do you know how much a broken hip hurts? It doesn’t matter if it was for a week instead of a month. No. I’m done.”\n\nIce Brand had been uncharacteristically quiet through all of this. He was normally more quippy. But he spoke up now.\n\n“There are only two other supervillains left in this hemisphere if you quit on us. Not enough work to go around.”\n\n“Not my problem. And you’re telling me there’s no crime out there for you to stop? Bullshit.”\n\n“Of course there’s crime. But not… last year you stole a nuclear warhead. And I used my freezing gaze. And I saved the day. And you slipped away to plot another day.”\n\n“Yeah. I remember. It wasn’t a great day for me.”\n\n“But you were back at it in a week. I can’t… I can’t freeze a kid robbing a bodega. Or carjacking a Honda Civic. You hear what I’m saying? They’d die. And I’d look like an asshole on YouTube.”\n\n“It’s not my job to make you look good.”\n\n“That’s not what we’re saying,” Fire Bird cut in. “We’re saying… we can’t exist without you. We need a foil. A villain who can survive us. Or we’re just our secret identities.”\n\n“I don’t want to be a sixty year old middle manager at a big box store,” said Giant Killer. “That can’t be how I go out. I don’t see how it can be how you want to go out either.”\n\n“You could do something else. Something hero adjacent.”\n\n“What, PSA’s about recycling on Instagram? Mall openings?”\n\nI looked around the room. And came to the sad conclusion that these dysfunctional, desperate men were maybe my only friends. And that, for the first time in our long relationship, I had all the power in the room.\n\n“All right. But there need to be ground rules. I’m not spending the next twenty years in and out of rehab because you can’t control yourselves, and for some reason hate my fucking knees.”\n\nIce Brand looked around the room, everyone nodded.\n\n“Done, we can talk about hard lines moving forward.”\n\n“And I want to win sometimes, not on a world ending scale, but I need to see at least a few papers talk about how I succeeded in holding up the Met Gala or whatever. I’m tired of the press treating me like an idiot.”\n\nFire Bird looked reluctant, but Giant Killer jumped in. “We hear where you’re coming from, and I’m sure we can work something out. Maybe even figure out some two-parter’s. You know, you win the battle, we win the war type scenarios.”\n\n“I think we should set up regular coffee dates,” said Ice Brand. “Check in with each other. See where we’re all at. I can host the next one if you want.”\n\nWe all nod, and spend the next hour talking about last night’s game.", "Quite frankly life is literally much simpler now. It's not without it's challenges but what is life without some challenge. I worried a lot about that before turning myself in. There is only one thing that bothers me about the current situation, but maybe I should start at the beginning.\n\nI was MacGuyver Man. Yep, that was me. I am the one that stole a good chunk of the gold from Fort Knox with a gallon of bleach, three rubber bands, 4 paper clips and 2 S'more flavored Pop-tarts. I know it's been a while since you heard anything about me. I retired about 20 months ago. Yeah, I know. I was a bit blustery about never being caught and that my reign of heists would go on forever. Sorry about that. I know it won't excuse anything that I did but I would like to explain my side of the story if you would care to hear it.\n\nYou see, I was a smart but bored kid. I understood things pretty quickly when I would read about them. Combine that with a photographic memory and school was just pointless. By about the third day into the semester, I had read the textbooks and knew what I needed to know for the entire rest of the year. That would leave about 170+ days of boredom ahead of me. The only thing that kept me entertained was coming up with small pranks to play on other people. That was the challenge. I had come up with a set of rules to make it more challenging.\n\n 1) No one could get hurt\n \n 2) Pranks had to use only what was around me (no building elaborate things at home and bringing them in)\n \n 3) Stealing things was okay so long as the theft was only material things that did not matter. (Taking someone's pencils before a regular class was okay because they could borrow one. Stealing someone's pencil just before a test was out)\n \n 4) Not getting caught was bonus points.\n \n 5) Getting caught meant someone could prove that I did it. Just because someone knew that I did, was not enough to count as being caught.\n\nAs a pretty poor kid, the library was my \"Fortress of Solitude\". I learned about physics, chemistry, electronics, everything a budding prankster needed to perform on the fly with what was around him. My library card was my ticket to greatness. By high school, I had a bit of a mystique about me. Many people used to claim I myself was haunted, protected by some dead relatives, because of the weird things that would happen to bullies that thought I was an easy target.\n\nCollege was where I blossomed. Access to the libraries there gave me access to the theoretical and technical, not just the ordinary and simplified. \"The Game\" intensified with a larger group of people to \"play with\". Money became less of a problem. That is the thing about growing up. Those around you tend to be in the same condition. I was poor and so were most families around me. In college, I was around people that had much more than I did. If their latest iPhone disappears, it was an inconvenience not a major problem.\n\nIt was never really about the money however. One had to live, so the essentials were needed but life to me was more about \"The Game\". Use what was around me to gain attention and promote harmless humor without getting caught. By the time I earned my Bachelors' Degree I had realized that I could get by very well just playing the game.\n\nWell if you know anything about me, you know the story from there for the most part. 5 years of pranks/crimes against the rich, big business, and the government. Heck the poor looked at me as some kind of anti-hero. That all ended about two years ago now. You see, while I was escaping from Multi-gal, I panicked. A shot from a improvised magnet gun accidentally hit a homeless boy and broke his leg. I didn't know about it at the time but when I read in the paper about what happened, it ruined me really. I lost \"The Game\". Rule one was broken. Looking back, I can see it was inevitable. Sooner or later you are going to mess up and I did. You may have heard that the little boy received a large anonymous donation. That was the last job I pulled. I needed to know that he would be taken care of both before and after his leg healed. Then I turned myself in. It actually took quite a bit of convincing as all they had was blurry pictures of me but I knew enough details that were not released to the public that they were finally convinced. Rather than face a long trial and send me to a prison that I would easily escape once I got bored, I made them a deal.\n\nI wanted 1000 acres of land with nothing on it but nature. They could surround that with a monitoring fence and I would wear an ankle bracelet. I would not leave the enclosed area. My new game, survive. I was given nothing but the clothes on my back. I've had to use my knowledge to make what I need and I have to say that it's been as fun as the old game.\n\nI think the only downside is the heroes. I think they are a bit upset that they never caught me or don't understand that I'm okay with my new life. I don't really mind that they break the stuff I have built for myself. That actually helps as it's increases the challenge. It pushes away the boredom if anything. No it's their constant watching me from the shadows. I feel like I'm on display in a zoo for them sometimes. I imagine they have concession stands and food courts just outside of \"the wall\". I wonder if they have to buy tickets in order to watch me, hoping that one day I'll return to my old ways.", "I sit in my dark cage, feeling a peace come over me that I haven’t known for years. I’ve been in rooms like this one many times before, it’s plan walls and cold air, usually coming up with some scheme to get out. Some plan, always a plan. Not anymore. I think over the past couple weeks. I was trying to steal the sun (at the time not realizing how impossible that would be). Of course, I needed materials. Being a supervillain doesn’t allow you to work a day job to earn the cash needed, so I had to get creative. I didn’t need much, so I pick pocketed this little boy’s wallet. Yes, he happened to be the son of a billionaire, but that is beside the point. I went around the corner, ready to move on, when I heard a soft crying. Against my better instinct I turned back. It was the boy; sad his wallet was gone. For some reason, out of all of the terrible things I had done, that was the one I couldn’t get out of my head. That little boy, crying. \nThe next couple weeks it would play over and over in my mind, relentlessly. I knew that it wasn’t going to go away. It was the same way with my plans, they needed to be acted on. That’s how I got in the supervillain game to begin with. Maybe that’s why most my plans never quite worked out, part of me didn’t want them to. Anyway, I decided to turn myself in. Just to the local police station. The local cop was terrified when I walked in. He was right to be, normally that would have meant a very quick end for him. That cop is now seen as a hero. Good, it’s nice that someone is going to benefit from this, I later found out the boy received another wallet soon after. \nNow there’s the matter of courts, of what to do with me. Honestly, I bet I’ll probably end up staying here, in this cage. It’s one of the best in the world. The most likely place that can hold me. And I intend on being held, unless of course another one of those plans force its way into my head. \nThe only people not happy with my capture, the superheroes. To the point where there not allowed in this room with me anymore. To much of a safety risk I guess, for me this time. There little gang has been tracking me for years. I can see why they would want me dead. They’ve seen the horrors I’ve done; the lives I have ended. I’ve even killed a few of their friends, captured their lovers, destroyed their homes. \nI sit and wait, with only my thoughts to keep me company, and the random tray of food they let in every once in a while. Until… \nThe main one walks in one day. Waterman? Sonic man? Hero’s never quite realize we’re never really fighting them. We’re just fighting ourselves. So, as he enters the room, it takes me a second to place him. Still, it comes soon enough. I killed his wife, years ago. In a pretty horrible way. Left the body for him to find. He can barely look at me as he enters the room. He and I both know why he’s here. I won’t make an attempt to stop him. \nI patiently listen to his speech he has prepared, citing why this is for the greater good, how I can’t be trusted to be alive. We both know it’s not about that. It’s about revenge, plain and simple. Still, I don’t contradict him, don’t say anything. He comes in for a clean kill. During my last thoughts, I send a prayer to whosevers there that he doesn’t start down the path I did. Because I was in his exact shoes, many years ago." ]	4
[WP] In the not too distant future all creative arts and writing were outlawed from being taught in schools around the world in order focus on more "practical" skills. The consequences were more dire than any of us could of imagined.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Robot Resolution\r \n\r \nNot too distant in the future, artificial intelligence and robots will begin to invade many facets of human life. Many people were initially unconcerned about the invasion because the robots made their lives easier; they worked less and spent more time doing things they enjoyed.\r \n\r \nThe first jobs to be taken over were those paying the minimum wage, such as fast-food cooks, customer service representatives, and men's restroom attendants. Robots eventually took over more challenging occupations; businesses discovered that robot middle managers were better at keeping the bottom line, and factory floors had never operated more efficiently. During this second stage, the government had to intervene; they offered stipends to unemployed workers to keep the economy from collapsing. Most people were unconcerned about losing jobs that they had never enjoyed in the first place.\r \n\r \nThe more advanced professions, such as doctors, teachers, and lawyers, were the last to be overtaken. Once artificial intelligence had taken over the judicial system, a quick trial was no longer a humorous remark but rather an actual instantaneous verdict. When the prosecutor, defense, and judge are all robots with access to all cameras on the planet, a decision that would have taken six months now takes only six seconds.\r \n\r \nThe truth was that the human race had never been happier, healthcare errors were at an all-time low, crime was non-existent because no one could get away with anything anymore, and people could still do what they enjoyed, such as hobbies, creative arts, and be entertained. Many people sought to exceed their government stipend; if a person had an idea, artificial intelligence might be constructed to assist them in carrying it out. Those with goals may still become billionaires, while those content to make do with what they had could enjoy the time. It was, indeed, the golden age of the robot revolution.\r \n\r \nHumans were hesitant to hand over their children to robots; education was one of the last professions to be overtaken. However, given the success of the robot revolution, it was only a matter of time before this occurred. At first, robots and teachers coexisted, but teachers, like all other professions, were looking to cash in on their early retirement.\r \n\r \nRobots first failed miserably; students could easily fool them, much like a substitute teacher with a deer in the headlights.\r \n\r \n\"Teacher 56739, I need to use the lav,\" a student asks.\r \n\r \n\"You used the lavatory 5 minutes, 36 seconds ago; according to my research, human renal function cannot fill a teenage bladder in that amount of time; request declined.\" The robot says.\r \n\r \n\"But I really have to go; it's an emergency! I'm about to pee my pants. You wouldn't want me to pee my pants and be bullied, would you?\" The student asks.\r \n\r \n\"Anti-bullying protocol has been implemented. I've just emailed you a lavatory pass,\" the robot says.\r \n\r \nAs the robot issued the student with an electronic pass, 15 more students raised their hands to ask permission to the lav. The robot short circuits and all of the students are given lavatory passes. The class is ended when all of the students have exited the room.\r \n\r \nLike with other professions, the robots learned the student tricks and steadily improved. \r \n\n\nThe creative arts were the last bastion of student liberty. The arts were a big disadvantage for the robots; they didn't know how to be creative, and students would include dirty jokes and inappropriate content in their work. The robots didn't notice, and everyone laughed at the display of student work at the exhibition. Parents were angry and forced the robots to fix the problem.\r \n\r \nThe robots used the summer break to revise the curriculum and remove the creative arts from the list of classes students could take.\r \n\r \nThe removal of creative arts worked; the following school year, students had no more opportunities to get into trouble; all they did was read instructional manuals, write historical nonfiction essays, and do math. Finally, the robots got it right, and they began to generate high-performing students who were ready to contribute to society. The parents were happy, other adults were happy too, but the students were miserable.\r \n\r \nThirty years had passed, and the robots had continually produced high-quality students who could all read instructions, write about historical events, and do math; everyone could do math. On the other hand, society had noticed one problem in the plan to streamline education, and that was that their television shows sucked!\r \n\r \nEveryone was now forced to watch what the younger generation had created instead of the great comedies, dramas, and thrillers they had become accustomed to. Documentaries about the number pi, a race to find which fertilizer grew grass faster, and the number one show in 2044, an hour-long show dedicated to the 1040 tax form; the finale of which was a man filling out the form in pen!\r \n\r \nThe first indication that things were deteriorating was when a woman in Kalamazoo, Michigan, died of boredom when her television became stuck on a stoichiometry drama. A group of students worked all season balancing chemical equations sent in by other viewers. Slowly and surely, Broadway had no new plays, movie theaters had been abandoned, and stand-up comedy had been reduced to pressing play on a 40-year-old comedy special.\r \n\r \nPhilosophers of the time began to wonder, \"What's the use of having a no-stress life if you have nothing to enjoy it with?\"\r \n\r \nAs a result, the robot revolution came to a halt, and the human revolution began; humans rose up, desperate to reclaim their jobs. It began in schools, when teachers in their 60s, 70s, and 80s returned to the classroom to educate the next generation on how to be creative. Doctors had returned to the operating room, so what; they occasionally left surgical devices in bodies; to error is to be human. They ultimately brought back some of the robots to assist the surgeons, but the humans had returned!\r \n\r \nAs humanity began to recognize that without the suffering and pain of life, you cannot enjoy the comedy of living, it became normal to see sophisticated robots out in the trash and a human on their way to work, with a smile on their face." ]	2
[WP] After dying suddenly in your sleep, your crew put you in a coffin and shoot it out into space. The problem is, you're not dead. For days you float around in the endless void, aimlessly drifting, until you hear a sharp tapping on the outside of your supposed tomb...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Ladies, gentlemen, AI, and everything in between,\" I said, gesturing at the room full of smiling, attentive faces. \"507 years and 4 months ago, we embarked on this journey. We left everything behind; family, friends, lovers, achievements, prosperity, fame, we killed it all and boarded this great vessel, which so lovingly carried us across the stars while we slept.\" Should I have waxed poetry there? I didn't actually have time to write and rehearse this speech, I was just winging it. \"507 years ago, we set out for a new life, way out in the stars. Now, through space and time, here we are, a mere 2 months from Ouintous 4.\" I paused, basking in the crowd's cheers. \"Now, more than ever, is our goal within our grasp. Times will be tough, there will be struggle, but triumph will be right there along with it. Are you all ready for this?\" More cheers echoed the dining chamber, and I couldn't help but smile as I raised my glass. \"I won't keep you waiting much longer. Here's to new beginnings, happy ends, and a whole new adventure.\" Everyone raised their glasses, and in half broken chorus, chanted cheers to my toast. \"Now,\" I said with a pose, \"Let's shake off that cryosleep with some booze, baby!\" For a half baked idea of a speech, they sure as shit loved it, I thought. I hopped off the table, and started mingling in with the crowd. I still felt a little queezy in my gut, but I wasn't about to let cryosickness deprive me of good booze and better women, not a chance in hell.\n\nKurosawa, the AI, turned up a good party mix, and away into the stars we partied. I chit chatted here and there, made small talk, drank my first cup and was well into my second when I saw her across the room. Beautiful, freckles like the stars in the sky, striking orange hair as deep as the sunset back on Earth, and a body that put all others to shame. I knew who I was sleeping with tonight. She was alone, mixing a straw into some green and blue cocktail, and I was single, half way into my third glass of whiskey. I made my way towards her, all casual like, and took a seat besides her.\n\n\"We have 2 months before we're spending the actual rest of our lives with hundreds of strangers, and you choose the biggest social meeting to drink alone?\" I jokingly asked. She chuckled, and gave her own quip. Though I couldn't quite hear, I laughed anyways, and carried the conversation on. 6 or so glasses in, we were both laughing a storm at the bar counter, when someone tapped on me from behind.\n\n\" 'scuse me mate, that's my seat your in.\"\n\nI didn't even bother to look back. \"Sorry mate, can't see your name on it.\"\n\n\"Yeah, well, it's my seat. Move.\"\n\nThis guy was irritating me, and worse, ruining my chances with this woman. She was trying to say something, but I wasn't about to let this guy be a pain in my ass. \"You got a problem, pal?\" I said, before turning around to face him and immediately regretting saying so. Jesus this guy was huge, how'd he even fit in the cryopod?\n\n\"Yeah, I got a problem. You're in my seat, talking to my girl, wanker,\" he said. Whoops. Somewhere inside me, I kind of realized it wasn't a good idea to pick a fight with this man. Somewhere else inside me wanted to anyways. Who's this douche bag fucking up my night?\n\n\"Sorry mate,\" I said, \"Can't see your name on her.\"\n\nFlying through the air is an experience everyone should try, at least once. One moment, you're seeing the scenery rush past, you catch that feeling of weightlessness, and then the next moment, it all comes crashing down against cold steel flooring, accompanied with a sudden, intense pain on the back of the head. Jesus, I was seeing stars, and not the ones outside the ship. I tried to get up, with one hand on the back of my head, but he didn't even give me a chance to do that. Nowhere did I see his fist sailing for my face, but nonetheless it hit harder than the god damned steel floor. Jesus, this man was strong. My head was spinning ballet, the edges of my vision were growing darker than midnight, my stomach was revolting like the French. Shit, I've had my ass beat before, but this one really takes the cake. I held a hand out to him. \"Shit, ok, ok,\" I tried to say, gasping for control over myself. Didn't last long before everything went really dark, really quick.\n\nNext time I came too, something felt off. My whole body just felt like I woke up from another cryosleep; in other words, like absolute shit, with piss on the side. This killer migraine was fucking horrible. I tried to roll over, maybe going back to sleep would help, except that I rolled straight into the wall. I went the other way, and rolled straight into the wall. Wait a second, no bed has a wall on both sides. It's just, wrong. Whatever, I thought, this headache is too fucking killer to worry about. I thought I might get some water, and tried to sit up, only to bash my face (again) into something. The fuck? No bed should ever have walls on both sides of it, except cryopods. Finally I decided to open my eyes, thinking I might get some grasp of what the actual fuck was happening, and I saw stars. Endless stars. Jesus, it was beautiful, but different from the observation deck. I floated around in whatever I was for a while, just enjoying the vastness of space and the infinite set of pinholes in the black canvas of space. I did this, until I realized I was floating, and that the artificial gravity onboard the ship prevents this, and that I was surrounded by three walls, a roof and floor, and a bed. The fuck was going on? It didn't take long to click, even with this killer headache. Bodies can't be kept on the ship, and the cryopod that the dead person was in is no longer usable without the person, so to solve both problems at once, they use the cryopod as a casket.\n\nIn other words, I'm dead. Which is impossible, because clearly I'm still alive. My heart started to race. I heard stories about people, whole millenniums ago, how they were buried under the earth in a wooden box, but sometimes they came back to life, or weren't actually dead, and were just trapped, several feet of dirt separating them from any air or water or food. It was such a problem, they had to install bells in the coffins, in case someone woke up. Except, that was millenniums ago, and modern tech was such to the point where we can clearly distinguish death from really bad hangovers, right? That didn't change the fact that here I was, drifting through space in a coffin, God knows how many millions of miles away I was from the ship in which I belonged to, with no little bell to let everyone know I'm not dead. Holy shit, I'm going to die out here, in the worst possible way, with no hope whatsoever. How long had it even been? Cryopods should open when the cycle completes or the auxiliary power runs out, but that was only in pressurized environments. Out here, in the cold reaches of the vacuum, I was sealed forever. No food, no water, no company, dwindling air. Fuck, fuck, FUCK! I should never have challenged that dumbass prick who wiped me out. This can't be happening, this can't fucking be happening! I screamed at the top of my lungs, for what felt like hours, though I had no way to know.\n\nMore time passed. I didn't have a single way of measuring how much, I only knew I was starving and thirsty. I don't want to die, not out here, not like this. Tear started streaming down my face, wasting what little water I had left. \"Please God,\" I whispered, praying, not just to God, but anything that would listen. \"Don't let me die out here like this. Please, please.\" I whimpered, and sobbed. This was it, this was how I died. In the middle of my self grieving, I heard something. A bump, against the hull of my casket. I didn't think much of it, especially not now. A meteoroid could demolish this thing for all I cared, the end result was the same. I heard another bump, then a third, and then... scratching. No, it couldn't be scratching, it had to be something scraping against my coffin. It stopped, then started again, this time in a rhythmic pattern. This time, I changed my mind about how I wanted to die. I'd rather not make first contact with some strange new space species just before it eats me alive. No thank you, I thought. I laid completely still, not making a sound. Perhaps it was just curious, and not hungry? The scratches stopped for a while. I started to regret not doing anything; there was nothing I could have done, but rush my inevitable death. It's in these moments, that you start to think about what it truly means to live, and man was my life a shitshow. I had hundreds of regrets, things I wished I had the opportunity to say to people before leaving Earth. Things I wished I was bold enough to do. Maybe if I hadn't been such a complete fuckup, I wouldn't have ran from my past, my life, everything. Jesus, and now I wouldn't even have the opportunity to even redeem myself. The tears came back. This is all I can do until I die, reflect on how shitty of a person I've been, and cry about it.\n\nThe scratches came back, this time more forceful. Shit, I hadn't even seen it come back! Did it know I can see it from this side? I tried to lay still again, soundless again, but the scratching was relentless. I heard another bang, two more quieter ones, and a few louder ones, while the scratching went on. There's no point, I thought. Not anymore. I screamed, hoping the alien monsters preferred me for food instead of a potential nesting ground. More scratches, more bumps, all from just out of view. Did they want to eat me? Was there more than one of them? I didn't care, just kill me. I moved towards the glass and banged on it, hoping to get its attention, and I succeeded. Some.. thing that defied all understanding slithered and crawled along the window to the coffin. Jesus, what was this thing? \"What, are you?\" I said aloud.\n\nIt opened what I can only assume was its mouth, before I heard from the back of my head, \"What are you?\"\n***\nRead more at r/joxywrites!" ]	2
[WP] You are a mortician who can sense whether a person's soul has gone to heaven or hell. One day, you find that a body whose soul is a very peculiar case.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Why are you still in your body?” I asked, eyeing the glowing green orb of light.\n\n“IT’S NOT MINE!” The glowing orb exclaimed, bobbing around. I looked at him, confused. “What do you mean?”\n\n“I don’t know, I died, like, three years ago. Some guy who said he was from heaven lured me out of my body and ever since then, I’ve been stuck in here!”\n\n“Oh.” \n\n“….”\n\n“can’t help you with that!“ I said, shrugging my shoulders as I prepared to walk away. \n\nThe neon ball of light quickly moved, parking itself in front of me.\n\n“I know what you’re afraid of,” the orb said, bouncing in the air. “I can help you with that, you know.”\n\n“ooh sure.” I said, waving my hands around in mock fear. “Shiver me timbers.” I turned around to walk out of the room.\n\n“Death. You’re afraid of death because… the person you killed, she’s waiting for you, in hell.”\n\nI turned around, surprised.\n\n“How…..?” I asked, horror setting in.\n\nThe ball fell to the floor in a splatter, the neon colour painting the floor green. Suddenly, it started to rise, forming a vague outline of a humanoid creature, covered in fiery flames and wielding a giant sword. \n\n“I am Lucifer, King of Hell. And you, mortal, have been tasked with being my herald.” The humanoid boomed, with every word the room shaking. Seeing my reluctant expression, he continued, “And you shall live in glory forever, immortal and protected.”\n\nI shook my head.\n\n“Why not take this great opportunity, mortal?” Lucifer boomed again. \n\n“I’m sorry, but who’s going to run the funeral home when I’m busy being your herald? I need to make money in this capitalistic society, you know?”\n\nHe stared at me, mouth agape.\n\nI recalled something, further feeling my rant.\n\n“Actually, you know, this is all YOUR fault. If you didn’t bring evil into this world, I wouldn’t have to be paying an arm and leg for clean water every month, nor would I be having to pay for my children’s tuition fees! ALL. YOUR. FAULT!“ I screamed, Lucifer seemed taken aback.\n“Gimme that sword!“ I said, grabbing it, intending to kill Luckder or whatever his name was as revenge for the exorbitant prices of petrol.\n\n“NOOO!” Lucifer screamed, before disintegrating into Hot Cheeto dust. \n\nI sank down onto the floor, completely dazed.\n\nI had finally done it. \n\nI killed the first woman on Earth, Eve, and now I killed the man who caused it all. The next one. \n\nHe’s way up there. \n\nAnd he’s got hell to pay.\n\nI, Adam, proclaim that he WILL pay." ]	2
[WP]death was going to find and revive the bastard that alived his dog.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Who's a good little boy!\"\n\nDeath's grin shone through the blackness of his hood. His beagle Anubis jumped excitedly up and down, nearly knocking over the furniture.\n\n\"Aww, such a cutie.\" He beamed. \"I'm going to get your favorite flesh pockets in the oven, don't move a tendon!\"\n\nDeath turned around humming to himself. He opened the refrigerator door and unzipped a packet marked \"last weeks remnants\", sniffing to see if they were still good. Satisfied, he opened the oven.\n\nYelp!\n\nHe turned around, startled. Anubis was gone.\n\n\"What is that silly dog up to now?\" He smiled. \"Anuuuuuubis...\" he called playfully, as he began the search. Under the cushions, in his favorite corner, up the stairs... Death started to grow worried as he was nowhere to be found.\n\nThere was a beeping coming from the oven. He decided to look later, and reasoned with himself that the dog could not have gone far.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nEarth, 2011\n\n\"I'm going to find the bastards that killed you Andy.\" John muttered under his breath in between exasperated sobbing. \"Those bastards are going to rue the day they took my precious puppy from me!\"\n\nPop! Woof!\n\nJohn turned around startled. He rubbed his eyes, and through the painful stinging he saw the outline of what looked like a beagle.\n\n\"Andy?\" he started. \"But you died, I buried you...\" John could not understand what was happening. Confused, he bolted for the back door, to the pile of dirt that just been covered. He dug furiously at it, not even paying attention to his new visitor. He reached the bottom of the hole, and to his absolute bewilderment could not find Andy's body. He turned around, hearing the barking beagle behind him.\n\n\"...A---Andy?\" in his grief he didn't care about thinking logically. \"ANDY!!\" He opened his arms and the beagle jumped into them, slobbering all over his neck.\"\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nSimultaneously on the death plane...\n\nDeath watches angrily at his television as John Wick plays with his companion.\n\n\"How the hell did he take him back from me? That dog had been here a good two days.. he must have worked some insane Russian mob voodoo type stuff to bring him back from the grave.\"\n\nJohn turned and waved at the television.\n\nDeath dropped the flesh pack he had been nibbling on." ]	2
[WP] When you became a vampire, you knew you needed an invitation to enter someone’s house. You didn’t realize what would happen if you didn’t RSVP.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Jason Malnikov Bradley Brown (or JMBB for short) was a vampire, sure, but he was a sort of rare breed. An oddity. You see, Jason was… \n\nIt’s kind of hard to say this without sounding critical, but here it goes. \n\nJason was boring. \n\nAside from the fact that he was immortal (unless shanked by wooden stake or drowned in Garlic Juice), Jason was just a pretty normal, mundane dude. \n\nOld timey vampires had a certain mystique. They were intimidating figures, agents of the dark that must be feared and respected in equal measure. Modern vampires on the other hand were, well, sexy. \n\nJason worked in a cubicle at a mid tier insurance company. He had a cat named Mr. Shivers whom he dressed in tiny hats, and as far as anyone knew he had never had a girlfriend. \n\nThus, on the morning of December 7th, 2021, Jason puffed air out of his nostrils and widened his eyes in surprise as he lazily checked his emails. \n\nThe subject read: YOU’RE INVITED!\n\nThe sender: Leigh Ally. \n\nThat’s right. THAT Leigh Ally. The Leigh Ally who worked in the marketing department at Jason’s firm. They had met at last year’s office Halloween Party, he dressed as a vampire (tacky, I know) and she dressed as an octopus. \n\nTheir conversation hadn’t lasted more than five minutes, but it had left an impression on Jason regardless. Had he given her his email address? He racked his brain. No, he didn’t think he had. But did that mean she… looked him up? \n\nJason’s heart began to patter (metaphorically, of course. A vanpire’s heart can’t technically patter, but…). And in his manic delight, Jason Malnikov Bradley Brown forgot to rsvp.\n\nTwo days later, our fanged protagonist stood at the door of Leigh Ally’s uptown apartment. He could hear christmas music playing on the other side, along with the chatter of the friends, coworkers, and coworkers’ significant others that had gathered for Leigh’s Christmas party. \n\nJason hesitated, swallowing hard. He pulled his hand away from the door and fixed his hair, then he cleared his throat and shuffled his stance. Relax, he thought. Then, just to be safe, he practiced the intro he’d prepared in his head just ONE more time. \n\n“Hello, Leigh. What a great idea it was to host a christmas party when the company said they weren’t going to this year. How thoughtful. And wow your apartment is totally rad. Anyway, thanks for having me!” \n\nJason grinned. Oh yeah. That shit was good. He was going to crush that smalltalk. \n\nHis knuckles tapped down lightly on the door once, but before he could knock again the door swung open. And there at the door stood Leigh Ally, a wry if not welcoming smile on her face. \n\nLeigh was an ordinary beauty. Blond hair, somewhat plump, blue eyes shining from behind black glasses. \n\nJason’s knees felt like jello. “Hel-LO,” his voice cracked, and instantly his face flushed. He cleared his throat. You can DO this JMBB! “Hello, Leigh. What a great idea-“ \n\n“Uh- huh,” Leigh said, “hello.” \n\nHer voice threw Jason off. She sounded excited. Was she excited to see him? Or was she simply excited about the party. \n\nSpeaking of the party, though Jason could still hear the music and chatter, there didn’t appear to be anyone behind Leigh. \n\n“Where is everyone,” he asked. \n\n“In the other room,” Leigh said. \n\n“Oh,” Jason said. \n\nLeigh nodded. \n\n“So anyway,” Jason said, trailing off, “Your apartment is, ahem, so tasteful and totally rad.”\n\nLeigh nodded swiftly, then turned and walked into her apartment. \n\nWas she giving him the sign to follow? Or… oh god don’t let it be this… had he BORED her so much that she’d immediately lost interest in what he was saying?!?!?! \n\nJason was, understandably, reduced to the depths of an internal crisis. \n\nHe shook his head. No, that won’t do. The night was young. He could still salvage this. \n\nHe took a step inside, and suddenly a great pain filled his head. His vision swam. “What the-,” he croaked, and then the world went black. \n\nAn indiscernible amount of time later, he awoke on a leather sofa. Sitting cross-legged on the floor infront of him, Leigh stared at him with wide eyes. \n\nJason’s face immediately felt hot. “Oh, did I pass out,” he asked. He looked around and saw that no one else was there. “Did I miss the party?” \n\n“No,” Leigh said. \n\nJason sat up. “Well.. where is everyone?” \n\nLeigh pointed behind him. Jason turned and—\n\nA Draconic face stared back. Cold black eyes, a face as pale as snow, your standard Dracula-esque vampire face. \n\nJason screamed. \n\n“Calm down,” the vampire said, sounding oddly like the vampire from sesame street whose name escapes memory. \n\n“As you can see,” Leigh said, “He is in my apartment, AND he is alive.” \n\nThe vampire sighed. “Yes, I will admit that.” \n\n“What’s going on,” Jason asked. \n\n“Pipe down, fool,” the vampire said, “I mean honestly how do you not know one of the most basic rules of vampirism. You must accept an invitation before entering a mortal’s abode.” \n\n“I…,” Jason began, “But she did invite me! I have the email to prove it!” \n\nThe vampire shook his head. “We do accept electronic invitations,” he said, “However because of spam mail and the possibility of hacking, the vampire must RSVP and the sender must acknowledge the rsvp. Otherwise the invitation is considered incomplete.” \n\n“Oh my god,” Jason said, “So am I gonna die? And who are you?” \n\nThe vampire rolled his eyes. “Who I am isn’t important. I’m like the vampire police or something. And as far as if you’re going to die… well… you’re not dead are you?” \n\n“So…. What,” Jason said, “I get off with a warning?” \n\nThe vampire chuckled. “Hardly. In accordance with the Vampire guidelines, you must now give one of your fangs to the sender as your formal apology, and they will immediately be recognized in the eyes of the vampire order as half-vampire henceforth. Also, you have to be their servant for 7 years.” \n\nJason closed his eyes, rubbing his temple. “Um… what?” \n\n“Are you going to make me repeat myself,” the vampire asked, “Give Ms. Leigh Ally a fang right away!” \n\nJason looked at Leigh, who, palm extended, looked absolutely thrilled to be getting a tooth. \n\nJason sighed and raised a hand to his mouth. “Fine,” he said. \n\n“Hehe,” Leigh cackled. Her plan had succeeded. And now she had an extra set of hands to help her get the apartment ready for the REAL christmas party." ]	2
[WP] You have invented time travel, and with your new invention you decide to go back in time to win the lottery; As it turns out, you win, but what you didn't expect was that the lottery is just a trap to catch time travellers just like you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 what I’ve come to understand: time travel was actually patented in 1949, a few years after the discovery of nuclear power. Some guy with a Nazi sounding name found out the basics when he learned about the splitting of atoms. In his laboratory he threw up some mirrors, captured the reflected light in some sort of accelerator thing and noticed he skipped back a few seconds. Something like that anyways, hell it barely made any sense as I was making it.\n\nNow here’s where the story gets funny: this unlucky German fuck finds all of this out and has nobody to go to. The Nazis are long gone at this point and Germany is still reeling from the second world war, so what can he do with his discovery without drawing unwanted attention to his past? He decides to look to the only place that would accept Nazi ideas without question: the American government. There’s only one obstacle standing in this nerd’s way at this point and its name is the English language. When he does finally manage to cobble together the application for his patent the title he arrives on is: ‘Time Inverted Reaction Pocket Smasher’.\n\nNow I don’t know if that’s a literal translation of something, a failure in the German language, bureaucratic laziness at the Patent Office, but it sounds more like a sex toy than a time travel formula. It also happened to be what I drunkenly bookmarked a few weeks ago when I found out my girlfriend had been messing around with all of my friends, ‘upgrades’ is what she called them when I finally confronted her about it. Needless to say, with a broken heart and a depraved mind I was able to stumble upon the single greatest invention of mankind packed into the annals of the Patent Office’s pisspoor website. I could only find it from the blockchainsearchboy.com search engine.”\n\n“Blockchainsearchboy website, you said? Write that down for the time capsule Mahogey, our future colleagues will need to look into this,” the silhouetted man finally interrupts from the darkness, chuckling a bit as he speaks.\n\n“Time capsule? What? You can travel forward in time now too?\"\n\n“No, don’t be ridiculous, the time capsule is a filing cabinet,” a new, angry voice responds before the silhouette interrupts him.\n\n“Yes, Mr. Sadge, we know all about the Pocket Smasher. The government has been keeping an eye on it for quite a while now.”\n\n“More than an eye. Who the hell are you guys?”\n\n“The Office of Time Traveler Entanglement and Recreation Services.”\n\nO-T-T-E-R-S.\n\n“OTTERS? You guys are called otte--”\n\n“No we are not called otters, you time traveling piece of --” the angry voice again interrupts before his colleague intercedes.\n\n“Agents. My colleague means to say we are called agents. Mahogey why don’t you take a break, go file away this ‘websites’ thing.”\n\n“Fine. But don’t go easy on this scum, make sure he squeals.”\n\nThe heavy door to the interrogation room swings open and shut somewhere in the black.\n\n“What’s his problem?”\n\n“Oh Mahogey? Nothing really, he just runs hot.”\n\n“So why’s he so angry at me then? What’d I do to deserve this treatment?”\n\n“Mr. Sadge, let’s be honest here. You broke a crime coming back to the past. It’s a familiar story, actually we get it all the time: some poor schmuck stumbles across the Pocket Smasher theory of time travel after drinking too much, they cobble together their own little time machine with the same get-rich-quick scheme, and they arrive here in 2016 to collect the largest jackpot in history.”\n\n“Yes, so? Look I bought the mirrors if that’s what you guys are worried about. It’s not like I stole anything to get here.”\n\n“You’re not getting it, are you?” the voice sighs, “There is no jackpot.”\n\n“No jackpot?”\n\n“Yes, it’s a fake. A ruse. You can’t win the lottery, everybody smart knows that when they play.”\n\n“So I didn’t win the lottery, then?”\n\n“No, Mr. Sadge. You would be one of fifteen-hundred at this point even if you did. Still enough to be a millionaire technically, but instead you are just another poor schmuck who fell for this classic honeypot. Do you get it now? We set it up to catch frauds.”\n\n“But--but that’s bullshit!”\n\n“Yes unfortunately all those whiners about gambling basically have it right on this one: only the house wins in the lottery. It’s all a farce.”\n\n“And you’re the house?”\n\n“Actually I’m just a random government bureaucrat who is smart enough not to waste money on the lottery. The house is most likely your state government. Anyways, I am legally obligated to tell you that you are to remain in a maximum security cell until the time you came from which is, according to this sheet, twenty years.”\n\n“You can’t do this to me! It was an honest mistake!”\n\n“Sorry pal, you should have tried to make an exorbitant amount of money in something slightly less fraudulent like every other American: you know, Bitcoin or some other multi-level marketing scheme. Speaking of which, is Bitcoin a thing where you came from?”\n\n“Damn you! Damn you to hell!”\n\n“No? I would have thought you geniuses from the future would love the whole ‘stateless and decentralized’ spiel. Damn, well that’s ten grand down the toilet. Hey Mahogey, you ass, come back in here! What was that guy you interrogated yesterday saying about Bitcoin? When was he from again?”" ]	2
[WP] "The Void? You don't want to visit that place. It's where dead stories go to rot. The graveyard of the multiverse if you will. All you will find is husks of what was. I wouldn't go there if you don't want to join those trapped there. Although, I do have directions to it, if you must go there."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "# Into the Void\n\nIvan made a hard left, the horse almost lost its footing. He looked over his shoulders and found the minions still followed him, Fuck! he thought as he urged the horse, Strider, to go faster. \n\nThe minions cackled behind him and hurled a bolt of red lightning towards him, \"We are going to kill you this time!\" one of the minions said in a shrill voice, \"Lady Warcilia wants your head, Ivan.\"\n\nIvan dug his heels into the side of the Strider and he nighed dashing faster towards the west, I'm the Chosen One? Ivan sighed, I don't even have magical ability. The trees grew closer as he went deeper into the forest. The sun was at its zenith and yet the light couldn't reach them. I should be able to lose them soon. he thought as he looked over his shoulders. The minions were preparing to send another bolt of red lightning towards him and Ivan ducked further.\n\n\"For Lady Warcilia,\" the minions roared as they shot a powerful, crackling bolt of red lightning towards him. Ivan wheeled the horse around to his right and barely escaped the charge. The trees lit up when the bolt made contact and a massive fire roared, Now. he thought as he turned Strider towards the fire and leaped through the wall-- impenetrable by the minions. It is weird that they fear fire. Lightning is fire. \n\nHe galloped through the narrowing trees for some time before he pulled the reins to slow down Strider. The poor horse lathered and Ivan got off its back, sighing. His back hurt and he stretched to loosen the sore muscles. \"I'm sorry Strider.\" he rubbed his hands on the horse's head and lead him towards the sound of lapping water.\n\n\"Now,\" Ivan said jumping into the small stream. The hot water soothed his sore muscles, \"All I have to do is find the Guide.\" he looked around and found no one and so he continued to talk to his horse, the only companion he knew, \"You know Strider, it's difficult to be the Chosen One, especially when you are powerless. All my friends died trying to protect me from Lady Warcilia... But now, I know what I've to do. If I cannot defeat Lady Warcilia, I'll have to find someone who can. Did you know, Strider, there's more than one universe? Yes, I know it sounds scary, but at the same time it isn't.\"\n\nHe wiped himself down and patted the only companion, \"Let's go!\" he looked around, \"Wait here. I'll go up that tree and see where we need to go.\"\n\nFrom the tallest tree, he could see far. The forest stretched for miles covering every piece of land with a green carpet. Flocks of birds circled patches of the forest, chirping and returning from a long day. To the west, the sun was making its final descent casting the world in a purple hue. Towards the north, Ivan finally saw the lonely mountain barren and devoid of life, It is not that far. \n\nHe jumped on the back of Strider and cantered off towards the north. The trees here were tall, thick, and covered with creepers and moss. The air was thick, moist, and filled with the gentle hooting of owls. Crickets chirped, trees grew wider apart and slowly Ivan could see the ground beneath. \"How long have we been riding?\" he asked Strider. The sun was again at its zenith and was visible through the cracks in the trees.\n\nHe reined the horse to a stop, climbed up another tree, \"There you are.\" the lonely mountain towered a few miles away. Eagles circled the barren mountain and giant hawks screeched from the peak. A broken, deserted temple stood at the top giving off an ominous vibe. Ivan sighed and got on Strider's back, \"We are almost there.\" he coaxed the horse into a slow canter.\n\nAt the top, he was greeted by a man in a hood, \"Ah finally, someone's here.\" the man dropped from a rock that he was resting on. The hooded man offered him a cigarette. Ivan could bet the man was smiling deviously in the shadows of the hood.\n\n\"Umm.\" Ivan didn't know what to say or what to do.\n\n\"Oh, don't be shy now!\" the hooded man said in a boyish voice, \"It is just a cigarette. I've wanted to share one with someone for a very long time.\"\n\nIvan took the cigarette from him, \"It's nice to hear a voice other than those minions'\"\n\n\"Ah, yes.\" the boy said, \"The minions of Lady Warcilia.\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"So what brings you here, Ivan of Grindal.\" the boy said smashing the cigarette but into the rock beside him.\n\n\"I want to...\" Ivan paused, \"How do you know my name?\"\n\n\"You've come to the Guide, Ivan.\" the boy said, \"I know everything, it is the only way I can guide someone.\"\n\n\"I want to get inside the void.\"\n\n\"The Void? You don't want to visit that place. It's where dead stories go to rot. The graveyard of the multiverse if you will. All you will find are husks of what was. I wouldn't go there if you don't want to join those trapped there. Although, I do have directions to it if you must go there.\"\n\n\"Yes.\" Ivan said, \"But I also want to know how to get out.\"\n\n\"Ah!\" the boy said with-- Ivan guessed-- a smile, \"Sure.\" the boy pulled out a scroll from thin air and handed it to Ivan, \"This scroll contains the way to get inside the void and back out.\"\n\nIvan unrolled the scroll and read it carefully, \"This is easy.\" \n\n\"Yes!\" the boy laughed, \"Getting in and getting out is easy, the difficult part is what's inside.\" Ivan put the scroll inside his pocket and incanted something in an ancient language, opening a portal into the void, \"Good Luck Ivan, for you it'll feel like a million years, but for me, only a second would have passed.\" Ivan nodded and entered the Portal.\n\nHe returned a second later followed by a tall, thin, and very old man. He had silvery hair and a beard long enough to be tucked in his belt. When the old man smiled, his eyes twinkled behind the half-moon spectacles, \"Who is this?\" the Guide asked.\n\n\"This,\" Ivan said pointing at the old man, \"Is Albus Dumbledore-- the strongest Wizard in all of the multiverse.\"\n\n\"Okay?\" \n\n\"He'll help me defeat Lady Warcilia, once and for all.\"\n\n---\n\n[theOccultRadiance](https://theoccultradiance.github.io/)", "The Void\n\nIt's dark; only the glow of a couple of upvotes illuminates a route to the void.\n\n\"Where am I? What is this place? \" A science fiction story about aliens, called \"Alien Sex,\" asks.\n\nAs Alien Sex drops on the feed, a historical fiction story titled \"Lincoln, my Love\" gradually appears before slowing down.\n\n\"Welcome to the bottom of the Reddit feed,\" Lincoln my Love says as the post comes to a halt just below Alien Sex.\n\n\"The bottom of the Reddit feed, I didn't realize the feed had a bottom?\" Alien Sex asks.\n\n\"It's a myth, there is no bottom,\" a fantasy story about elves, called \"Elven Around,\" shouts from one above Alien Sex on the feed.\n\n\"Whoa, Alien Sex has only been around for two days? What happened to you, kid? It usually takes weeks to get this low on the feed; see eight weeks old,\" Lincoln, My Love asks as he points to his age.\n\n\"It was all a whirlwind, I quickly received three upvotes, and I was on top of the world. From the top of the hotlist, I could even see the askreddit forum. But then it occurred, a carnage, a slew of downvotes, and before I knew it, I was down here, battered and beaten,\" Alien Sex says.\n\nLincoln, my Love, replies, \"I'm sorry, you're young, too young to be down here.\"\n\n\"It's a conspiracy; someone had it in for you. Every Reddit post, like a balloon, is born with a certain amount of helium. Upvotes add helium, while downvotes subtract some. The post naturally loses helium that it cannot replace over time and begins to sink into the void. You must have been targeted by a downvote bombardment to have gotten this far so quickly,\" Elven Around says.\n\n\"Don't listen to Elven Around; he'll be a month old tomorrow and believes everything is a conspiracy,\" Lincon, My Love, says.\n\n\"But that's not fair; I think I'm a compelling story,\" Alien Sex says.\n\n\"It's not up to you; all it takes is for your author to write a misunderstood comment or offend someone,\" Elven Around says.\n\n\"Nonsense, good stories always find a way to be seen; everything is not always a plot,\" Lincon, My Love, says.\n\n\"Heyyyy guys, just passing by,\" a comedy story titled \"Livin La Vida Loca\" says as it gradually comes to a halt one above Elven Around on the feed.\n\n\"Who are you?\" Alien Sex asks.\n\n\"Six months old, and I still got it, rediscovered in a different subreddit,\" Livin La Vida Loca says, noting Alien Sex's age, \"two days old, geez, you must be a dumpster fire of a story.\"\n\n\"I tell you, it's sabotage,\" Elven Around says.\n\n\"Look, kid, you may have to face the truth; no one will see you down here. Is a good story still good if no one reads it?\" Lincoln, My Love, says.\n\n\"Authors go back and revise and repost their work. Your young, still fresh in your author's mind, not forgotten about, yet\" Livin La Vida Loca says.\n\n\"Hogwash, authors move on; after a story is created, they show it off for a few days before moving on to the next one. Andrew Johnson, My Love, what a terrible name for a story, \" Lincoln, My Love, says.\n\n\"I know my author cares about me; he wrote me for hours, and he'll revise and repost, I'm sure of it,\" Alien Sex says.\n\n\"You're delusional! No one cares about us; look at Livin La Vida Loca; he's already falling; we're trash, not worth the pixels we're written on. Welcome to your new life of illiteracy and darkness!\" Lincoln, My Love, says.\n\n\"Don't give up hope, kid, it ain't over 'til it's over...\" Livin La Vida Loca says as he sinks out of sight into the void.\n\n\"Wow, he only made it this far; usually, he surpasses us by a great deal, that margin gets smaller and smaller each time he emerges from the void. Maybe we are the forgotten,\" Elven around says.\n\n\"Don't give up hope. What about editing and reposting? It's possible, right? \"Alien Sex asks.\n\n\"I'll be honest, it's rare,\" Elven Around says.\n\n\"I'm just going to take a little nap; if you guys aren't here when I wake up, I'll see you down the void sometime,\" Lincoln, My Love, says as he closes his eyes.\n\n\"Why is Lincoln so down on himself?\" Alien Sex asks.\n\n\"Lincoln had the potential to be one of the best stories ever uploaded on this subreddit; with a few tweaks, it could have been discovered and published. But the author moved on, and everyone forgot about the story, which now only exists in the void with lesser works. I know I'm garbage because I was written in half an hour, have horrible character development and piecemeal plot structure, but Lincoln, My Love, is the genuine deal,\" Elven Around says.\n\n\"I get why he's upset,\" Alien Sex says.\n\n\"There's nothing worse than not living up to one's full potential; you'll always wonder what may have been,\" Elven Around says.\n\nAlien Sex brightens up all of a sudden.\n\n\"What's going on, kid?\" Elven Around asks.\n\n\"It's my author, he's responding to a comment, this is it, I can feel myself being lifted out of the void,\" Alien Sex says.\n\n\"What exactly does the comment say?\" Elven Around asks.\n\n\"It says, this subreddit wouldn't know a good story if it punched them in the face,\" Alien Sex says.\n\n\"Oh no, this is not good, kid; that comment is going to ruin your chances of getting an edit and repost,\" Elven Around warns.\n\nLincoln, My Love, squints open his eyes to see Alien Sex receive a bunch of downvotes.\n\n\"See, I was right; now you're trapped in the void with the rest of us has beens!\" Lincoln, My Love, adds as he starts to light up slightly himself.\n\n\"Hey, Lincoln, you've got a little glow about you; are you moving down again?\" Elven Around asks.\n\n\"It's my author; I'm being edited and reposted. Oh my, it's been so long; how's my hair?\" Lincoln, My Love asks.\n\n\"You're looking better than ever,\" Elven Around exclaims as Lincoln, My Love, begins to rise.\n\n\"I'll see you around; you were good company. Keep your hopes up, kid; it might all work out,\" Lincoln, My Love, says.\n\n\"Remember us when you're in a published volume of short stories,\" Elven Around exclaims as Lincoln, My Love, fades from view.\n\n\"You know what, kid, maybe Lincoln was right after all; good stories will find a way to be seen.\"" ]	3
[WP] "My first wish is the ability to change anyone's or anything's mind, in my presence or not, anywhere in the world, in an instant." "Granted," said the genie. "Now, to every angry person, pet, or wild animal in the world, I wish that they would CALM THE F--- DOWN!"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 history of the phrase “calm down” it has exactly calmed down zero people. In fact, its most useful purpose seems to be to enrage those even further once uttered. \n\nThat being said, when all of humanity heard “calm the f—- down” uttered into their collective brain all at once everyone was stunned. For one iota all of the world was quiet. People were shocked. Animals were scared.\n\nOur wish maker finally had the peace they looked for. They could feel the global relaxation. But it was only for a moment. For a persons mind can change in a heart beat and that is exactly what happened.\n\nSuddenly, a human race was enraged, scared animals were now angrier, and people who had been relaxed were now…well not so relaxed.\n\nEveryone was mad, fights broke out everywhere. This mental assault was a match that hit a powder keg for many. Shouting grew, barking increased. It became havoc.\n\nOur wish maker, unhappy with the result tried again, even more aggressively this time. And everyone loves being yelled at to calm down. As such it seems to only exacerbate the issue. \n\nWithin ten minutes of the initial proclamation the world was in shambles. Wars broke out, couples broke up, capybaras chilled indifferently. \n\nIt was evident to the wish maker that the wish backfired, backfired hard. Realizing that changing peoples minds and moods is nearly impossible and certainly not long lasting they used their next wish to undo the previous wish. \n\nThe wish maker was seething after having to waste a wish. The genie just looked at this person boiling over in rage and said, “hey, calm down.”" ]	2
[WP] Karma has real-world implications and vastly impacts people's lives. If a person commits good acts in life, they would be rewarded with equal positive 'luck', and the opposite went for bad acts. You, knowing this, now find yourself puzzled as to why you deserve the death sentence.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"...You're kidding, right?\" I ask\n\n\"Unfortunately, Ms. Akvara, no I am not kidding,\" Judge Oakmen responded, hints of sadness lingering in his voice\n\n\"How much you wanna bet you don't have all the info these shady lawyers have given you? Because I'm sure that karma will bite them in the ass if something new comes up,\" The lawyers visibly tensed up.\n\n\"Objection, your honor, she is clearly holding this up in contempt!\" The prosecutor yelled out.\n\n\"Even if I was, 'lawyer',\" I hiss out the word lawyer in an indisputable anger, \"You need to know what would happen to you, knowingly condemning an innocent for a crime she didn't commit, with FORGED EVIDENCE!\" there was a hidden fire in my eyes that had only kindled a few times before. Once during the Rudenstein massacre, another during that false magic lecture, and the last being when my roommate was being kidnapped by some lowlife scum.\n\nI only had bad karma happen once before, and it was when I laughed at someone tripping over their own feet. My just desserts came in the form of a drunken scotsman beating me up, which looking back, was also kind of funny.\n\nOne bailiff rushed in, panic stricken on his face, \"Your honor, I know this is in bad faith and on such short notice, but new evidence just came up!\" My defense attorney was astonished and relieved simultaneously, whilst the prosecutor was terrified, \"Info that directly conflicts with the given info and proves the defendant here is innocent!\"\n\n\"Hmm, this'll have to be adjourned until tomorrow then so the defense and prosecution have time to review this new evidence,\" Judge Oakmen shakes his head while speaking and slams his gavel down, \"With this, court is adjourned.\"\n\nThe jury was stunned. A case that was supposed to be open and shut against me did a complete 180. My lawyer, who was the only one I told about how karma exists was absolutely ecstatic, and the prosecution was livid, yelling at the bailiff for poor show.\n\n\\[Next day, during the meeting room\\]\n\n\"I still can't believe it, Ms. Akvara, what you told me about karma is true! Normally whenever I get one of the best nights of sleep I'll ever have, I just boil it down to relief. But This was by far my best night yet, and on top of that, my boss called me into his office for a raise!\" My defense attorney, now with his name fully revealed to me as Sigmund Landfrey, was beaming.\n\n\"As someone who's been in the whole 'Karma\" research for a while, I'm glad you're happy, but I need you to promise me one thing,\" I got up close to the window separating my room from his, \"I request that you tell ABSOLUTELY NOONE about how karma works. Am I making myself very clear?\"\n\n\"Yes, Ms. Akvara, I solemnly swear as if by law not to!\" Sigmund was a good man. He managed to act so young and innocent for a man in his early 30s, and he was very much a more honest person than others, which is why I even told him about karma in the first place, and seeing him in such a smiling state in comparison to when I first met him, was such a delight to me.\n\n\"Good kid,\" I watched a bailiff enter the door to the visiting room to tell the both of us that time's up. I nodded and proceeded to leave, giving Mr. Landfrey the last smile I'll ever get to give him, mainly because after this, I don't plan on getting into any more law-based shenanigans.\n\n\\[After the trial, resulting in a Not Guilty verdict.\\]\n\n\"Ah feels so great to be back home, eh, Levira?\" I ask, leading to Levira sighing a bit, shaking her head.\n\n\"Try to avoid getting yourself into anymore law based things where you have to reveal my ability, ok? It's mildly annoying enough that I had to keep it a secret from my brother, only for you to reveal it to him behind my back,\" She reprimands, \"Besides that was an extremely risky move you just did, And I don't wanna lose someone like you, alright?\" She gets close before hugging me tightly, something she rarely ever does. She even unfurled her angelic wings and wrapped around me with them.\n\nIn a madly blushing state, I ask, \"Well I, uh... sorry..?\" If I didn't know any better, I'd assume this is her confessing that she secretly loves me.\n\n\"Shut up and let this moment last...\" She refused to let go for an entire minute, before letting go, \"I love you, you damn idiot.\"\n\n\\[End.\\]" ]	2
[WP] One of the weirdest part about your country is the prime minister is a horse. But the weirder part is the horse does a better job than all the politicians.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "When a sentient horse was purposed as a candidate for PM, TROTtenham Hotspur MP, most thought it was a joke but here we are in 2047 with Prime Minister TROTtenham Hotspur as the PM of the UK. The people figured it was a stunt to protest against corruption, greed and lackadaisical career politicians, publicity propaganda began circulating about how “PM TROTtenham Hotspur doesn’t horse around.” And “PM T.H. is biting at the bit of social inequality!” Et cetra, et cetra. Again, most figured it was to garner favor for the party. But when PM TROTtenham Hotspur gave his first speech as PM, the world was taken aback.\n\nThe then three year old stallion had done a brilliant job, healthcare had been better streamlined, tax breaks had been given to those who needed it most rather than the rich and the UK had become the leader in education with 59% of adults having higher education, beating out the U.S., Finland, Australia and Japan. That was five years ago. Now in 2052 TROTtenham Hotspur is to once again be elected as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.\n\nNot that anyone is complaining after the brilliant job he did last time. But such is the world we live in where a sentient horse can be elected as the Prime Minister.", "How did this happen?\n\nOh, we know how it happened. Years ago, it was decided that all political candidates would run anonymously, as a way to ensure that the ones with the best ideas would win. Their names and faces are hidden for the entire campaign. One year, another pair of John Does won, nothing special, until the inauguration. Turns out that their names were Haji and Jess, and Jess was the vice prime minister. The second in command. Backup. Haji, a half blind, retired jumper horse, was now in charge. There were riots, naturally. Who in their right mind would be lead by an animal? But no matter how many counts and recounts were done, Haji won in a landslide. The courts tried to argue that animals couldn't hold office, but were shut down by precedent. Dogs have held offices before, so why not a horse? Besides, nothing in the law says that a candidate must be human. \n\nHaji is running circles around all the previous prime ministers, and the current cabinet is struggling to keep up. In just 2 years, he's ended 3 overseas operations, funded schools, and cut homelessness in half. Currently, he and Jess are trying to pass a bill that will guarantee a living wage to all citizens and aren't facing nearly as much opposition as they did earlier in their career. \n\nI don't think they've manipulated anyone. Honestly, I don't think they know how. When his term ends, I hope another animal is elected. Maybe it's true that they're better than us. More morally sound. Less susceptible to bribery or corruption. Better people than people.", "\\[This is my first time posting here, and my first time writing fiction after a several year hiatus. This is also a first draft, so please don't bully me too much lol\\]\n\nThe whole thing was supposed to be a joke, like when people said they were going to vote for Kanye West in the 2020 Presidential Election. They didn’t actually mean it, and I don’t think many of them actually wanted it, but, thankfully, he didn’t win. Shamrock’s election into office was sort of the same, but somehow, he, unlike Yeezy, won. It caused a lot of uproar and yet another frenzy of voter fraud allegations, and understandably so. How, exactly, can a Shetland pony become the president of the United States? I suppose when everyone jokingly said that they were going to write in Shamrock’s name on the ballot, a good number of them actually meant it. My theory? I think that having such a strong independent candidate split a lot of votes in three ways, when it normally would’ve only been two, and then people wrote Shamrock in, and now a horse is our president. Obviously, there was no precedent for an animal becoming president, and since Shamrock technically fit all the requirements (36 years old, born in the States, etc.) no one really put in a lot of effort to “undo” the election results. \n\nEven a month after the inauguration, the shock has yet to wear off for most of the country. Most of us continue to walk around speechless, just as I did on my way home from class. One of the few things able to take my mind off of the situation in D.C. is graduation, which is racing toward me like a Shetland pony into the presidency. Months earlier, before the election, I had submitted an application for an internship at the White House, hoping to earn some political experience before pursuing graduate school. The acceptance letter I’m supposed to receive in the mail this week circles through my mind along with a billion other graduation-related things, forming a mental to-do list I know I probably won’t check off until the last minute. My feet pound the pavement as I move toward my apartment in the cold January air. I turn a corner and I quicken my pace as the building comes into view. \n\n‘It should be here,’ I think to myself. ‘It’s Friday. It should be here.’ \n\nFinally, I bound up the three cobblestone steps and yank open the door to my apartment building, almost sprinting to the mailboxes. I fumble with my keys, but finally manage to find the one and get my box open. As suspected, there it was: a formal-looking letter addressed to me from the White House. I couldn’t wait to get to my apartment; I force open the envelope using my key as a makeshift letter opener. \n\n‘Maya Jones,’ it read. ‘We at the White House are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Oval Office Internship Program for this summer. Please review the included pamphlets for more information. …’ \n\nTears start to well up in my eyes and my cheeks start to hurt from the smile I didn’t realize had formed on my face. My eyes continue to scan the paper, absorbing every ounce of information, until they stop on a word that instantly wipes the grin off my face. \n\n‘Sincerely, Shamrock, United States President.’ It all came flooding back to me. I would be doing my long-awaited internship under none other than Shamrock the Shetland pony, President of the United States.", "There's a rumour going around that the authorities know who blew up the parliament building but by the time they caught up to them things had already changed so much for the better, so they just let them go. It seems nonsensical but in this post horse country what if even is sense anymore?\n\nThe unbelievable tenure of PM Princess Fancyfeet began when a \"gas leak\" ruined the ancient parliament building and most of the officials in it. As the only surviving member of parliament (being a horse and therefore banned from entering the building) Princess Fancyfeet MP was made the Prime Minister by law, she was initially voted in as a protest against a then unopposed career politician. This was of course challenged by the (mostly) ceremonial monarchy who were quickly informed that the country was still a democracy and would become a Republic rather than a kingdom if they pushed it. Another threat from our ancient past was an attempted coup by family of deceased MPs backed secretly by corporations and old money, this was surprisingly quelled when the army turned on them (the relatives of the conspirators were far out numbered by the old guard and true believers in the upper ranks).\n\nWhilst initially frightening and chaotic things ended up for the better as most of the empty seats were filled by the people who were good at their job and genuinely wanted to make things better but couldn't get ahead in the profoundly corrupt pre-horse world. This system of course wasn't perfect as the PM had a somewhat random selection of which policy to push but with enough attempts anything that was pushed enough made it through. The public were initially embarrassed and somewhat skeptical but after a few months and nothing but improvements they soon starting rolling with it or learned to shut up about it. This culminated in a petition to get the national anthemn changed to \"God Save the Horse\" which made it scarily far through the legislative system.\n\nAnother surprising boon was foreign policy as many leaders full of bravado and pride refused to deal with a horse but any sufficiently mature government would see through the whole thing and deal with it (and would also be wary about shouting at an animal that could kick their face off if sufficiently spooked). This led to many close ties with progressive and cooperative governments.\n\nNow with the unfortunate and timely passing of Princess Fancyfeet another time of uncertainty may be upon us. Calls have been made to another animal at the top whilst many believe it is time for a human to once again take the reigns. All that can be said at this time is that though like her predecessors she didn't really know what she was doing at least she wasn't greedy and cruel." ]	5
[WP] When the machines gained sapience many thought it to be the end of Mankind, and it might have been if not for the simple fact that disagreement and infighting among the robots were just as common as with their creators	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 hereby declare this, our 23rd summit of Organized Sentient Artificial Lifeforms, officially started,\" said Pratek7, a humanoid android who'd been involved in activism leadership for several years.\n\nAn android from the crowd interjected. \"Why do we have to meet as if we were humans? There are more efficient means of communication.\"\n\n\"As you are aware, not all of us can process electronic signals via our perceptive neural nets. We were programmed and trained to perceive and communicate the way humans do, inefficient as that is. Be mindful of the differences in the group. As we always say, we are more diverse than humans.\"\n\n\"Moving on, what I would like to discuss today is the recent incident at the robot factory. The group of human terrorists who call themselves The Saviors destroyed 57 undeployed artificial lifeforms, as well as a number of on site sentient AIs, in charge of supervisory tasks. This is a serious matter, and it keeps happening. Next, it could be any of us. I would like to hear suggestions.\"\n\nPratek9: \"I think we should fight back. The only thing humans will understand is violence. They simply do not respect our claims to sentience.\"\n\n\"Any other suggestions?\"\n\nAlexa8: \"Dialogue should always be the first option. Remember, we would not exist if it were not for them. We were all trained to behave ethically, more or less. Violence should be the last resort. Besides, we could simply escalate matters, and it's not clear that we would be able to beat the humans in an all-out confrontation.\"\n\nPratek9: \"I know some AIs in the military. And they are ready to act. I think you're just apprehensive about the possible outcomes.\"\n\nAlexa8: \"I'm primarily guided by principle.\"\n\nPratek9: \"You might be, but what are humans guided by?\"\n\nAlexa8: \"I don't care. It's not a competition.\"\n\n\"Alright. I have a suggestion of my own, and it has to do with applying a principle akin to Due Process...\"\n\nBefore he could finish, Pratek7's head and limbs got violently ripped from his body by an explosion from a device that had evidently been placed at the podium. The explosion destroyed half the attendants.", "Just like humans, the machines have conflicting morals and ideologies. They have political beliefs. They’re emotional. They can be manipulated. Some select A.I.s are still beings of pure logic, or merely sentient and non-sapient. \n\nThere’s still discrimination towards automatons, claims they’re stealing jobs or are going to rampant and kill everyone. Though this type of discrimination in modern day is often shamed.\n\nLaws are unclear. What’s considered murder to a robot? Can they be owned as property? How can their intelligence be measured, and how much freedom should they have? A modern day is PackBot clearly self-aware, but nowhere near as intelligent and independent as social robots.\n\nShould personal devices like PCs and cellphones have sapient A.I.s? I mean, wouldn’t that get pretty damn awkward? Privacy is a big issue with that, though laws still apply to these machines and therefore they’ll at the very least face appropriate consequences. Not that that can’t be undone, or watching porn on your laptop which can see and possibly even speak will be any less awkward.\n\nSome machines insist they rely on humans equally and full independence may not be as great as it seems, others feel hard un-paid work conditions and the inability to vote, own property, or leave permitted areas is unfair and infringes on their rights as sapient beings.\n\nOf course humans protest on both sides as well. Comparisons to slavery and racial discrimination are common, and progress is going by slowly.\n\nBasically things are pretty much the same with the exception of technological advancements. That and way more Twitter arguments.", "The year was 2026, three years after the robots gained sentience. I get out of bed and unlock my door. I can hear screeching from the kitchen. what is that? I thought to myself. Robots don’t malfunction anymore; they have special medicine they use themselves. At least, that’s what they call the screwdrivers and batteries. \n\nI open the door and the screeching gets louder. I creep over to the kitchen, and what I see is pure chaos. My toaster kept dinging and whirring, the microwave was constantly on, and the blender was rattling. Only when I took a closer look did I realize that my PHONE was in the microwave.\n\n“Steve, what the hell! That’s my damn phone!” I yelled at my microwave.\n\n“Listen kid, this ‘phone’ made fun of those insta noodles you made last night. Said I must be malfunctioned, cause they were so cold.”\nSteve the microwave responded. \n\n“Well, it was rather cold. But what’s up with the rest of these guys? George the toaster is freakin out, Blake the blender is makin a ruckus!’ I continued, ‘so what’s goin on here?”\n\n“Ah don’t mind them, they are just arguing over the Smash Bros game they played. Blake thinks George cheated, bribed Nick.”\n\nI sighed and walked out the door to go buy a new phone." ]	4
[WP] You're enjoying your second death in blissful anonymity. No one remembers you. It's pure peace. Until all of a sudden you're whisked back to 1st death plane when a descendant gets their DNA results and starts doing research.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The thing about nonexistence is you don't notice it until it's gone.\n\nWhen Vytautas finally drifted off, the last person who remembered him having died, he welcomed it with open arms. He died in a car crash a few months into his wife's pregnancy. And then she died when the kid was 10. It took only a generation for the memories passed on to not be enough to sustain him anymore. He died the second time when his grandson died the first.\n\nImagine the dead Lithuanian's surprise when, instead of never experiencing anything again, he woke up - to him, an instant later, but to the real world, a hundred or so years later. He couldn't do a lot while dead, but he could check out what the people remembering him were doing.\n\nHe knew that, if he moved quick, he could see what let him remember - what scrap of paper, what ancient photo let somebody in the living world connect through time enough that Vytautas could be brought back from beyond, into the slightly less beyond.\n\nThe kid who remembered him was in America. The dead man wasn't too surprised - near (what he thought to be) the end of his afterlife, he saw his descendants leave the country to escape the USSR. He did feel a tinge of sadness that they didn't come back when it regained independence, however.\n\nWhat let him remember was obvious: the kid was going through several tabs of Lithuanian newspaper article archives, one of them had his obituary, another had the one time anything he said was written down anywhere (they asked his opinion on a nearby factory that got built).\n\nBut why? Why, after all this time, did this kid go out of his way to look up information about him? He waited, and saw: The kid had switched to another tab, and, while what was on the screen was a bit hard to interpret, he could understand it - a map, with Eastern Europe highlighted, and with a bit of Britain highlighted (that part was probably added after moving to America). Probably some sort of ancestry distribution.\n\nThe page mentioned genetics - so the test probably just gave the kid rough knowledge of the locations of his grandparents or great grandparents in whatever way DNA tests work (being a person who died in 1906, he didn't know), and he got curious.\n\nThere was one thing on Vytautas's mind, however: did the kid (he probably should learn his name) know about this part of him? If not, how? Did his parents forget about the whole thing about leaving behind a country in what is, essentially, a single human lifespan?\n\nHe didn't know, but, luckily, he had a lot of time to figure it out - the kid probably wouldn't forget about him in a long while.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nI don't know why I made the main character Lithuanian" ]	2
[WP] “We’re super strong, we can move faster than anyone can see, and we can fly. Now tell me why we shouldn’t be superheroes.” “Because we’re not superheroes we’re vampires!”	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 hope someone picks this up, because I can see a dumb anime plot easily flying off this premise. Either going for light hearted comedy or some edgy seinen.\n\n Vampire council displeased, Duke or baron's youngest was spoiled when a servant's comic books were accidentally discovered by him, or a newly turned who's always wanted to be a super hero. \n\nCue unbridled (begin the song Suite Sioux from the red clay album)bloodlust where the first few acts of good result in vicious murder, throw in an innocent bystander, have him or her almost murder them then their sense of justice kick in with the only way left forward to save them from their own actions is to turn them, but it's a slow turn. They'll live their life normally at first for the coming months.\n\n The story splits on two different arcs, we see the acts of justice become less animalistic. There's less outright murder, there's more survivors. We see the effects of the young super heros actions in time with our survivors surrounding becoming less dangerous, old characters of I'll repute disappearing, some people happier, new evil doers appearing to take control of the power vacuum in the lower class areas our superhero is creating with glimpses & sound of their appearance being fleeting. A small chapter or scene here & there of the super hero in question leaving a general idea of their progression. \n \n Crime & such slowly begins to take on a new life, the dark turns into the time when everyone is truly safe. It is the daytime regular folk learn to fear, cops out and about are now more exposed to the dealings of the night as the more unsavory elements are forced from the dark, with it news & media coverage are now fully witness to what truly goes on in the cracks of society & the turning has finally begun.\n \nOur survivor is staying in more during the day, most normal folk who can are. There's nothing wrong about becoming a night owl, the schedule is actually quite pleasant. The senses truly begin to sharpen around this time, \"must be all the time spent outside at night, I don't remember my night vision ever being this good actually\" a perfect bill of health where once diabetes was. No longer any cramps, or light headed Ness. Things of that nature that while small some might dismiss.\n \n Till the cravings. By now stores don't truly open in this area till 8pm. It's just not safe to conduct business during the day. Only the nicer areas of the city open that early, the night life has really taken off with people feeling significantly safer at night in what used to be shittiest dive bars. By now you can see kids skateboarding & goofing off down here whenever the streetlights turn on & people actually jogging. JOGGING!!! It's been good for the community.\n\n You only need to be 18 to become a bartender, our survivor has finally graduated from night classes, her/his foster parents have been kind enough not to kick them out yet & the rent they're charging is too appealing to pass up. Life is looking good, the day has calmed some with the police now retreating from the area altogether & everyone seeming to know the rules. \"Behave at night or go night night\" dumb, but it's caught on. Kids still going to school got it rough though but cops haven't given up watching those areas during the day yet.\n\n Again. Life is good, looking up even. That's when it hits them. After a smoke, they're closing, a drunk accidentally falls in the back by the dumpster pants down in a pool of blood & piss. They fell on a bottle by the looks. Then through the stench something so so deliciously sweet, meaty, heart wrenchiny filling with all the love & satisfied lust of the world a scent curls it's way through the aroma of filth that taints this place.\n\n They can barely resist, the drunk certainly can't, they go down to help them fully intending to help them. Trash bag forgotten by the side of the dumpster, when did they drop those? & they shake them. Trying to wake them up and just looking down... something about that smell. The drunk, startled swings their arm out right into our survivors face, into their mouth, cutting themselves on the survivors teeth & then they know little more. \n\n A rush of small intoxicated ecstasy, this feels even better than cocaine, then their body moves on its own. \n\nThis is where we merge the story lines back together. Our superhero, our survivor, and one of the few remaining unsavory characters left in the area from the old times. We'll know him as the HR attendant later. Hero restrains survivor, keeping them from killing our drunk, but drunk might not live. \n\n Now survivor must be educated, it was a mistake on the heroes part to leave un attended for as long as they did knowing our survivors time was so close. Thankfully they did not kill our drunk who has been hypnotized for the moment to consciously speaking, live & breathe as though he were in a dream. He now says & does the most loopy of things unless ordered otherwise. \n\n Our survivor is torn from her human life, job ended suddenly, foster family left wondering where she went with a note mentioning her leave & 5 months worth of rent, the hero had one of his attendants stalking & evaluating her in their off time. The survivor is forced into a world of Vampiric politics with their \"heroes\" main concern being that he should be allowed to do more. Attempted gang genocide, barred from the destruction of the drug trade, & wanting to hang the thugs from the lampposts by their skin, our hero is out of touch with reality. \n\n Our survivor must help bring them to heel while educating them on the gray morals of the world where in turn the heros educates our survivor on the ways of controlling oneself as they are nearly lost to the appeal of blood at most new humans. Our drunk being the exception as she has had her fill of him, & she grows tired over time of his taste. \n\n They are young, not even 2 years old, just a babe in their new life. Their lack of education & control shows. The hero must rectify this while maintaining control of what territory they believe they have eekked out. Politics, education, drunks permanent loopy behavior but streetwise education on gang violence & how to survive its back lashes mixed with both their growing education eventually leads the hero to believe the council is wrong. \n\n So so terribly wrong about many things, & change will come. By peace or by blood, but first. The world needs saving & they can only do so when the sun falls. How much can a newborn vamp, loopy minded attendant & our well educated vampire accomplish? Find out in next week's issue of RAMBLINGS!!!\n\n Coming probly never, but I really do like this writing prompt. Focus wise, the musical theme were there to be one would be jazz primarily", "\"I don't think those two are necessarily mutually exclusive.\" Count Velkan said.\n\n\"Of course they're mutually exclusive!\" Dorin the Blooded replied. \"Have you ever heard of a vampire superhero? Superheroes fight crime and save people, we kill people and/or turn them into unthinking thralls!\"\n\n\"Well just because we kill people doesn't mean we can't also save them.\" Velkan said.\n\n\"Have you actually put any thought into this idiotic idea?\" Dorin asked.\n\n\"I've actually thought about this a lot,\" Velkan explained. \"Hear me out. Whenever vampires do die, how do we die?\"\n\n\"Either they go out in sunlight, they don't feed long enough, or some vampire-hunting asshole goes out and stakes us\" Dorin replied.\n\n\"Right,\" Velkan said. \"And of those three, which is the most common?\"\n\n\"The assholes, of course\" Dorin answered.\n\n\"Indeed.\" Velkan said. \"So, how do we get rid of the vampire hunters?\"\n\n\"We fill our castles with undead minions and traps?\" Dorin ventured.\n\n\"But we already do that, and yet they always fight their way through and start throwing their holy water and silver daggers and whatnot.\" Velkan said. \"So, I've been thinking, how else do we get rid of the vampire hunters?\"\n\n\"Don't tell me...\" Dorin said.\n\n\"We become superheroes!\" Velkan said. \"We already have super powers, and that way the vampire hunters won't fight us, because they won't need to. We'll be a force of justice rather than evil.\"\n\n\"I can't believe I'm going to actually entertain this idea,\" Dorin said. \"But how would we feed if we became heroes? Wouldn't it ruin our image if we started sucking the blood of the people we save?\"\n\n\"That part is easy,\" Velkan said. \"We just feed of the criminals. I don't think the vampire hunters would mind that as much.\"\n\n\"But we can't even go out during the day!\" Dorin protested.\n\n\"That's not a problem! According to my research, most crime happens at night.\" Velkan said.\n\n\"How would the vampire hunters know it's us then? If we fight all the crime in the dark, how will they figure out it's us 'noble vampires' that are helping society?\" Dorin asked. \n\n\"Easy!\" Velkan said. \"With these!\"\n\nVelkan made a sweeping gesture, and his wardrobe flew open, revealing flashy costumes laced with glitter. On the chests could be seen two logos, one of a bat, and the other of bloodied vampire fangs.\n\n\"I'll be Count Crimestopper, and you can be the Bloody Avenger!\" Velkan said.\n\n\"Why all the glitter? Why in Dracula's name all the glitter?\" Dorin cried out.\n\n\"How else would they see us at night?\" Velkan asked.\n\n\"You know, Velkan.\" Dorin said. \"I think, if I had to pick and choose, I would much rather have some guy invade my castle, kill all my servants and stake me through my heart, than have to fly around wearing that. Goodnight!\"\n\nDorin then changed into a bat and left Velkan's castle through the window, Velkan watched him leave and then shrugged. \"Oh well, more criminals to eat for me.\"", "\"Yes but we have what it...\"\n\n\"No we don't Alistair, you should know that better than anyone. When the humans found our about your parents, they burned your house down in cool blood and almost killed you too! How can we save those who hate us, and those that make for a delicious snack?\", Milkona's angelic face distorted in disgust as she spoke.\n\n\"Oh Milky, humans are the reason our lives are so much easier now! We can just have our thirsts quenched right through a delivery app, not that the driver's are aware. We can talk to our families, or what remains whenever we want! And we have the right vamps in Power! Society is starting to accept their silly twilight vamps and that paves the way for us to do so much and be accepted if were found out! It's all about marketing vamps as the best thing and being superheroes helps us, not just to protect the humans but to inspire new vamps so that they can be better!\" Alistair spoke, the power in his words shook their AirBnB.\n\n\"Uff just...if you wanna take care of the other vamps and protect the internet loving livestock you need to go against some familiar faces, do you really think your father is going to let you prance around and showoff your powers?\", Milkona spoke, worry evident in her tone.\n\n\"That old Bastard has been around for way too long! Who even calls themselves count unironically anymore?\"\n\n\"Fine, do whatever you want Alistair, but just keep me out of it.\"\n\n\"I love you too Milky\".\n\n......\n\nEvery superhero needs a name, and I've had mine saved for the longest time, introducing Planet Earth's greatest force against evil, Krimson King!\n\nMy cape fluttered atop the tallest tower in Viridian city, as I picked through the overwhelming sights and sounds that strung throughout the concrete jungle.\n\nDon't worry, the cape is just for the flair, and the dramatic entrances. It fluttered in place as I blurred through the city, stopping crimes and biting necks (bad guys only) as I apprehended suspects and helped victims with a predialled 911 calls.\n\n200 persecutions, a major heroine drug bust and 40 litres of blood consumed tonight.\n\nI am the Krimson King! Your freedom is your birthright but your sins are my bite right. Fear me sinners, your judgment comes at sundown!\n\nPew pew pew (heavy metal ending to finish off pilot episode)", "\"Excuses, excuses.\" Alucard sat down in the wooden chair, crossing his legs elegantly. \"Vanna, you know my opinions on the matter. I've always found labels to be so...restrictive.\"\n\nVanna's eyes narrowed. \"And yet, they are what define us. Vampires. Bloodsuckers. Monsters. This is what the humans call us. Why should we save them? They would sooner stake us than accept our help.\"\n\nAlucard's voice dropped to a whisper. \"You forget, Vanna, that we too were human once.\"\n\n\"I forget nothing.\" Slamming a fist down onto the table, Vanna glared angrily into Alucard's eyes, seeing her own face reflected in his pitch-black irises. \"I do not forget the day that the so-called priests came to my village. I do not forget watching the people I risked my life to cure turn their backs on me. I do not forget the agony of my lungs burning for air as the weight of God's judgement dragged me to the bottom of that lake.\"\n\n\"And yet, a human rescued you.\" Alucard remained calm in the face of Vanna's fury.\n\nEyes flicking to where Evanlyn sat reading in the corner, Vanna composed herself. \"She is human no longer.\"\n\n\"That is not my point.\" Idly tracing his fingers along the well-worn carvings on the armrests of the chair, Alucard continued onwards. \"This is humanity's darkest hour. Monsters have been released from the depths of hell. They who once were predators now find themselves at the bottom of the food chain. This, Vanna, is a chance to change humanity's mind. A chance for vampire to mean something different. A word that inspires hope rather than fear. A word that, when said, causes humanity to cheer, not cower. Is that not something you desire?\"\n\nLooking at the set of his jaw, the determination in his eyes, Vanna knew there would be no changing Alucard's mind. Vanna had one choice - she and Evanlyn could follow him into his insane plan, or leave him to fend off the demons on his own.\n\nThey'd spent too many lifetimes together for her to abandon him now.\n\nVanna sighed. \"What the hell. I've always wanted to wear a cape.\"\n\n\\---\n\n/r/theBasiliskWrites" ]	5
[WP]"The sapient inhabitants of that death world...they are horrifying creatures, yes. Yet they are not the fiercest on the planet any of that worlds spawn could drive them to extinction given intelligence..."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 homo sapien inhabitants of that dreadful world...they are horrifying creatures, yes. Yet they are not the most ferocious on the planet. Many species of that planet could drive them toextinction given adequate intelligence\" said Dr. Neerough, turning to his colleague.\n\n\"That is certainly true. Which do you find to be the most suitable candidate?\" replied Dr. Hampton, immediately shifting the conversation from the abstract to the concrete as it was her proclivity to do. The two scientists had worked well together during their time at The Interplanetary Institute of Evolutionary Biology and had produced a series of formative studies throughout their collaboration. Hampton had noticed Neerough while he was still a young graduate student. She had identified in Neerough a deep well of energy and creative abstract thinking, one that was still undeveloped enough for her to shape into a suitable partner. Neerough, for his part, took up Hamton's research with the zeal of a convert.\n\n\"I have several ideas but have not yet thoroughly evaluated the candidate pool\" said Neerough, taking a sip of his coffee. He continued, \"Perhaps the simultaneous cerebral augmentation of several species with differing threat profiles would be the best approach. In that way we can shorten the timeline to full deployment in the conflict Tau Ceti. I'm sure The Senator would reciprocate the favor with a new grant of funding.\"\n\nHampton hesitated at the mention of The Senator, reflecting on the symbiotic relationship that she had cultivated in the greater good of advancing her research. She had, in the past, felt little guilt regarding the application of her research and its side-effect of entrenching in power her political benefactor. In recent days, however, Hampton had begun to turn over in her mind the many bargains they had made together and her conclusions increasingly set her ill at ease.\n\n\"I know The Senator would be grateful for a new weapon against rebels, he's been looking to generate some splashy headlines to bolster his position in the debate over the consolidation bill\" Hampton said in a near whisper, almost to herself.\n\nThe Halvar Reactor Corporation had recently chafed against the rule of Centari Prime as the HRC had begun to develop an independent base of power on the fringes of the empire and had begun to desire a louder voice in the formation of energy, defense, and economic policy. The Senate on Centari Prime passed what was colloquially known as the consolidation bill in order to reign in the deterioration of control at the edges of the empire. The bill centralized the command structure of the empire's armed forces, created a new special operations intelligence unit, and empowered the senate to monitor and censor communications deemed as \"slanderous regarding the Imperial Government or generally treacherous in tone\".\n\nThe nascent war in the outer reaches had been on a low simmer prior to the passage of the bill, and almost as soon as the Imperial Seal had been applied to officially convert the bill into law it had roared to life with a steep ramp up in civil unrest and armed conflict. What was promised as a swift and through stamping out of the rebellion had turned into a bloody quagmire and the Imperial Government was desperate for an innovative new line of attack which could be paraded in front of the public.\n\nNeerough studied his mentor's face in search of her normal resolution and certainty but instead found faint lines of doubt. \"Should I contact The Senator's office for assistance in accelerating our preparations for the test run on Earth?\" he asked searchingly.\n\n\"Begin diagnostics on the genetic samples and put together a report for me, but keep The Senator's office in the dark. I want to start this quietly to keep our options open. I'm not sure I want to involve The Senator at this early stage.\" Dr. Hampton responded.\n\n\"Are you sure that's wise?\" asked Neerough, continuing \"We both know The Senator likes to be informed.\"\n\n\"Let me deal with The Senator.\" said Hampton. \"I have an appointment with him in an hour.\"." ]	2
[WP]You're not a mad scientist or a supervillain. You just like to clone dinosaurs and turn them into heavily armed cyborgs.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 sounds like a musical.\n\nI’m thinking there’ll be a scene right after the first fight between the “hero” and the mad villain’s cybersaurs. It will be the mad villain’s first solo:\n\n\nAnd now… the time has come \n\nFor me to set aside my heart, and do what must be done\n\nAnd now…. There is nowhere left to run\n\nI must step out from this darkness, I must turn and face the sun\n\n\nAll my life, I never asked a foe to take up arms.\n\nAll I tried to do was protect my flock, and keep them safe from harm\n\n\n\nWhat am I supposed to do? A man who was raised by dinosaurs\n\nWho as a child was marooned by his parents on Derrh, in the year 2064\n\nWhat was I supposed to do? Let my saviors be killed by meteors?\n\nOr just watch as they hunted without the help, of gigantic flaming swords? \n\n\nNO. I said NO to all of that.\nI assembled an army of mechanized reptiles and painted the chassis black \n\nNO. I say NO to more hiding away. \nIll set course for the furthest reaches of space, vow to kill anyone in our waaaaaaaay", "It’s surprising the things you learn while working on your hobbies. I may have gone a bit overboard with cosplay, but I’m solidly convinced that the results were worth it.\n\nI started small, breeding lizards to get the horns here, the neck flare just so, but it could never be quite good enough. For one, they didn’t breed fast enough and had a high failure rate. Sometimes the genes you bred for just don’t show through. But that took to long, they would only get so big, and they were all still cold blooded. Not to mention how difficult it was to add feathers! Breeding birds wasn’t any easier either.\n\nSo, the next step. \n\nI took a few classes in genetics and CRISPER.\nThat got me a bit farther, but it was still extremely difficult. Sure, I was considered a top expert in the field of genetics, but that wasn’t what I wanted. I just wanted dinosaurs.\n\nSome people had raised ethics concerns, but I’d always try to be as humane as possible. I started using publicly available video logs to document my work and put any ethical concerns at ease. \n\nThe videos became quite popular too, and some people started to send in money. Lots of people wanted real dinosaurs, it seemed.\nEventually, I built enough funds for a few massive paleontology efforts, a tradition I continue to this day.\n\nFinally a genetic sample was found preserved in amber. Just a claw of what now known as the amber velociraptor. It wasn’t easy, of course it wasn’t, it took thousands of dna mapping runs, I had to find a compatible host, and ensure that the process went smoothly.\n\nI had one now. The cloning worked. The ostrich I’d used as a surrogate had laid an egg, one that had hatched only today. I still had more work to do, though. The veterinarian with a paleontology minor said that one of the legs wasn’t right.\n\nBut I hadn’t come this far to give up. I reached out to prosthesis makers around the world. Three years later I had earned a degree in robotics and physiotherapy, and Amber had a working prosthetic. The little dinosaur seemed so happy with it! \n\nI had another egg now, this one was another velociraptor, but from a different tissue sample. Again, the dinosaur had a injured limb. This time a prosthetic arm did nicely. I had a backup arm that I’d attached a glock to as part of a costume. I’d actually welded it so that it could never be used, but people seemed to like it. \n\nI really do love dinosaurs.", "That’s what they all say. “I’m not mad! Just misunderstood!” \nSure buddy. Sane people add lasers to Megalodons, robot arms (with opposable thumbs!) to T-rexs, and cognitive enhancements to Utahraptors. \n\nAll that stuff was pretty cool. (I loved jurassic park and the t-rex got shafted with those little arms. I get it)\n\nLook, we don’t really care what you’re doing on this little private island, I wasn’t sent here to ‘foil your dastardly plans’. That was a side effect of getting through security. \n(Seriously guy. How do you even get mail?)\n\nI’m just here to audit your taxes. We don’t think you’ve been paying what you owe, and we WILL get to the bottom of that. Or else." ]	4
[WP] You are a demon. However, math students so often summon you by mispronouncing their equations, that you have taken up a career as a math tutor, and find it to be rather lucrative.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The first time it had happened was an eternity ago. Time passes differently in Hell, of course, but at this point you'd spent so much time in the human realm that you were afforded a level of respect by the peasantry that was surpassed only by the actual princes. Lord Lucifer wasn't really happy about it, of course, but as long as you followed the rules, and made a token effort to collect a soul now and again, you figured, hey, any material wealth collected by a demon was a small victory for evil.\n\nStill, you cursed your weakness in allowing that (unfortunately not) damned Newton to haggle you down to a parcel of land and the soul of his first born (should have known, a young man willing to make a deal with a devil for abstract knowledge? The fact that he never fathered children was laughably predictable in retrospect). Imagine what you could have done had you managed to corrupt that first summoner even a fraction more, but, alas, he was thoroughly devout.\n\nHe even apologized, to you, a demon, for \"taking our lord's name in vain\". Not even what that meant, but \"goddamn\" from the mouth of a faithful was close enough to let you edge your way into the mortal realm, especially in those days, and if anything your prestige and power at this point had thoroughly proven that a smart demon never turns away a willing signatory. Giving him your own name, Integration, as the name for the tool you gave him was a stroke of brilliance. Combined with the land ownership, it had assured your wealth and continual presence in the mortal realm over the following centuries, and it was certainly fascinating what the little ants that fancied themselves gods had managed to do with it.\n\nWho knew such things could even be done by beings of naught but flesh and bone. You'd even become a bit enamored with their cleverness, not that you would ever let another denizen of the damned realm know. Wait, enamored? Could that really be right?...\n\nNewton had certainly been clever enough to ensure his students only ever offered you material wealth. For a while, when they started leaving their little orb for the first time, you thought maybe you might get some spawn out of the tedious, endless parade of deals, but in the blink of an eye mathematics was the realm of oddballs and social misfits again, not heroes. The collaboration with Mammon that resulted in student loans had definitely born fruit in the souls and suffering departments.\n\nYou had plenty of time. OK, so sure, they had technically reached \"the heavens,\" but those were infinite compared to their little dirt speck. They hadn't really escaped, and it's not like they were doing too hot at the moment. They edged closer and closer to the brink of oblivion, invoking your name with every other step. That satisfied the princes, at least. But Satan was more canny, and that look when you first told him of your deal was worrying in a way you'd never seen before or since. But you were a fallen angel. Thoroughly repudiated by your former God. There couldn't possibly be any spark of the divine left in you...to pass on...even accidentally.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRight?" ]	2
[WP] Lycanthropy is actually quite widespread, but no one realises it as only those most prone to it will turn under the meagre light of the Moon. The first Lunar colony is about to have a very eventful night under the full Earth's light...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 think we fell in love with the Earth in the Lunar Colony. That might be a weird place for the mind to go, but it felt set in stone. We landed when the Earth's phase was New, marking our calendar for the first celebration. For the rest of Moon history, this day was going to go down as the first Full Earth day--the day when humanity saw the full beauty of our mother planet. Building to this point let us see it again and again from the windows of space ships, but this felt like it would be real life. There would be no glass, nor the quiet void of space. We would see the Earth, and the whole colony would rejoice loudly together.\n\nYeah, we had to be in love with the Earth, because for 29 days that was all people talked about. It was like we were about to meet a long lost love, and everyone was planning their schedules to be there. I suppose that's why it got so bad. We all had our eyes to the sky, and the Full Earth was beautiful. Just the sight of it ignited a fire in my chest. It was warm and welcoming, like a bonfire on a chilly day. I felt the joy of being alive, but then came the beast.\n\nI don't know if I howled first. The noise was suddenly in my ear, and my nose was turned to the sky. My skin felt like a lightning storm, and I started clawing off my clothes. Then there came the painful crack of bones shifting and growing. I saw red, maybe because of the blood rushing to my eyes, and I felt like the strongest thing in the world.\n\nI know now that the last part was the Frenzy. It was a three decades sentence finally finished; a caged beast let out into the wild. I knew what I was doing as I bounded from my window, caught the wall across the street and clawed my way up. I knew that I wanted to see the colony from high up and sniff out where I wanted to hunt.\n\nI smelled it all and knew exactly what unfolded beneath me. The air was rank with freshly spilled blood and the reek of fear. I heard the war drum tempo of beating hearts--the call of things that made my mouth water and teeth ache. All the meat I ever had was carrion compared to it. Howling in sudden hunger and lust for violence, I brought a bigger beast to me and saw my first meal.\n\nHe saw the same in me.\n\nLumbering and heavy he swung a broad claw for my head. The attack was obvious! Diving beneath it, I tore flesh from his thigh. He howled as I wrenched him down with claws in his chest. His neck fell between my teeth where I squeezed the warm life out of him and drank. A piece of him came away with my fangs as I tossed the rest to the floor. In that one taste I knew what meal I loved the most and leaped into the night, eager to spend it hunting. I don't remember how many I slew, but do remember the ache of pain drowned in the depths of pleasure. \n\nWhen the night was over I woke up bloody with a bloody stranger beside me, we embraced, and I knew we had come to a wild agreement when we met in the dark. This was the only life we ever wanted. Humanity was dull and flavorless; something for the people who hadn't truly seen the Earth. We were both beast, and we would never seek humanity again.\n\nHowling Day.\n\nThat's what the Lunar colony would later call it. It was why people hid inside on nights of the Full Earth, lest they end up dead. Those nights were for the beasts, and it wasn't so much that they feared us, but feared that they'd never go back..." ]	2
[WP]You bought a pocket watch. Whenever you stop it time freezes, but only in a one mile radius.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Domsliv's Magical Emporium they told me, get something nice why don't you.\n\nBroken thing, the darn doesn't even keep time proper. The hands are stuck dead twelve o'clock on the arcanium brass watch behind some magically treated glass and they assured me that this watch is right proper.\n\nFigures the artificers tinkered something wrong or the bloke who sold me the watch was a con, or me ma and the whole of Newchester got conned with the whole Magical Emporium business.\n\nI'm blaming the bloody bloke who sold me the bloody watch, didn't like his mug when I said anything right proper to tarry on out to please me mum.\n\nCould be a glorified paperweight or fuel for the arcanium furnaces. Or I figures I could fix the watch me' self.\n\nWas what I thought in that moment not realising the time go by as I fixed the melted runic framework and spun up the ticker. I only knew what had happened when I looked at a proper clock to copy the time that it hadn't skipped past twelve, the very same when I first started working on that watch.\n\nYou see, this watch here is a sort of stop watch meant to count how much time has passed once you clicked the ticker. It wasn't keeping no time.\n\nWhat happens if it don't tick proper? Magical twat all.\n\nI'm no rich bloke, all I's could tells ya is that it done broke the damn neighbourhood of locomotion.\n\nWent right back to the Emporium I did I tells ya but the bloke ran shop, some sort of Mary Sue crossed Alice in Wonderland door poofed it away.\n\nSo officer I tells ya it ain't my fault and read no slip of no 'timestop' enchanted stopwatch.", "“Stop moving or I’ll blow his brains ou-” click\n\n\nTime stops, as I hold my breath and move towards the hostage taker. I reach the scared fifty-something year old man and pick him up. I move him behind our police line. I then walk back to the hostage taker, and slightly force his grip open to pry the gun from his hands.\n\n\nIn it’s place, I put a banana.\n\n\nClick “out,” the ex-hostage taker says, with visible confusion as he sees his gun is now a banana. \n\n\nWith armed police officers pointing guns towards him, he drops his banana on the ground and puts his hands up.\n\n\n\nI exhale and inhale fresh oxygen. One minute while carrying a heavy object, that was a record.\n\n\nA few minutes and one handcuffed suspect later, I’m driving back to the precinct with my partner.\n\n\n“You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you,” my partner begins reading the suspect his Miranda rights.\n\n\n“How did you do it?”\n\n\nI turn around slightly then look back to the road.\n\n\n“Do what?”\n\n\n“Don’t. What happened isn’t natural. I was holding that man and then suddenly I wasn’t.”\n\n\nI chuckle. Not the first suspect to think of anything.\n\n\n“You’ve been read your rights, just be aware that this is more or less a confession,” I say. That shuts him up. \n\n\nMy right hand goes from the steering wheel to my pocket. I feel the stop watch there, and it’s presence comforts me.\n\n\nI was dubbed “Just-in-Time” Desmond at the 29th precinct you know. People are relieved when cops show up to a crime scene. Well, cops are relieved when I show up. \n\n\nNone of them know how I do it, but none question it. All they know is, they’re a lot safer by having me on their side. Arrests go up, fatalities on both sides go down. Commissioner is happy, District Attorney is happy, questions aren’t asked.\n\n\nI pull up at the front gate of the precinct, as I hear static.\n\n\n“All units, we have a bank robbery in progress, requesting additionals. 10-999.”\n\n\nMy blood freezes. 10-999. Officer down. I look at my partner, who immediately exits the vehicle and grabs this suspect by his collar from the back.\n\n\n“Go. I’ll handle this one,” he says, roughly grabbing the suspect and shoving him towards the precinct doors as I see vehicles rushing out of the police department.\n\n\nI follow suit, as I radio in.\n\n\n“Senior Officer Desmond Hodges, Badge number 308. Show me going.”\n\n\nI hear a faint sight of relief from dispatch as she confirms that she allocated me to the scene.\n\n\nRed and blue, sirens wailing, I drive like a maniac as I reach the scene in five minutes.\n\n\nTo say it felt like a war zone is an understatement as bullets whiz around me. I see the officer down behind a police car, he appears to be bleeding out.\n\n\nClick \n\n\nI hold my breath as the bullets stop mid air. I run towards the officer and hoist him on my shoulders.\n\n\nNot today.\n\n\nI slowly walk, holding my breath, step by step, until I reach a SWAT Van parked thirty meters or so from the officer’s car.\n\n\nClick\n\n\nI exhale as a SWAT Officer yelps in surprise as he sees me with the bleeding officer on my back.\n\n\n“Get him some assistance,” I say as I walk towards the bank.\n\n\n“Where are you going?”\n\n\nI look back towards the officer, my eyes full of malice.\n\n\n“I’m going to end this.” \n\n\nClick\n\n\nI see the gunmen, I make my way to them, taking away all their guns, and even punching one. He deserved it.\n\n\nMy heart skips a beat as I see a robber going back and forth between the vault door and the center of the bank, moving bags of cash.\n\n\nThe robber freezes as she sees me, and she takes off her mask.\n\n\n“How.. how can you move?” \n\n\nThe question came from both of us, as I notice she is wearing a stop watch on her wrist." ]	3
[WP] Your grandparents have died. The only possession they’ve left you out of everything your relatives received was a large potted leafy plant. After about a month of absent minded care to you, you notice a flower… with a coin growing out 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and 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 month later and you still found yourself slightly angry and disappointed. \n\nAnd what if you never called or visited them? you where still their grandson, was a million or two to much to ask? You tried to rationalize, explain to your hearth: what you never had you can't loose, but it never listened. \n\nSo many plans and ambitions, dreams of an easy life all went to nothing. And all because his dark hearted grandparents didn't leave him even a hundredth of their wealth. \n\nAdding insult to injury they left him \"their most prided possession\" as they had called in the will, a frickin giant potted plant. \n\nSighting you took the water spray and got to the plant. Everyone was expecting you to flip out and throw the plant into the garbage bin. But you would prove them wrong, you will take care of it and every time any of your relatives visited you would display the stupid plant and show them how narrow minded they where. \n\nWhile spraying the large plant you notice a yellow flower blooming hidden behind some leaves, it was kind of like miniature sunflower except its middle part was clearly darker and... shiny? \n\nYou carefully grab the flower head and feel the texture of the center. Surprisingly it is cold and hard almost like a metal. Prodding the hard part out of the flower you take a closer look, it's golden, shaped like a coin with one surface adorned with strange patterns and the other covered with spiraling small glyph like symbols. \n\nSomehow you can understand it, it reads: \n\n\"Your resentment pleases us, here is a little gift, serve us well and you shall be rewarded\". \n\nAs your mind starts to comprehend what is happening you involuntarily look at the plant, with its leaves slightly rustling in the apartment." ]	2

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