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[WP] "Your bitter tears will fade quickly. Besides, they technically aren't real." The digital man acted cold, but his words offered a sort of comfort. My body, my life as I knew it, was gone. My mind was accidentally hurled into the computer, and I was about to be shown my new world...
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"I cannot remember the date I entered. It had been billions of years ago. And even then, time and date was rapidly becoming irrelevant measurements of time. Humans had stopped aging for hundreds of thousands of years before that, but memory had been uploaded to hyperspace for the collective consciousness of humanity since the 1990s. \n \nOf course, in my long existence, no memory stands out much more than any other memory. I have seen humans harness the power of the stars, I was there when first hyperspace travel was unveilled, I cheered with everyone else when our first star collapsed, and my final memory was, of course, the final star of the universe collapsing. Now I am part of the collective consciousness. I am the collective consciousness. I am the zenith of every characteristic and personality, of logic and emotions. And thus, I am very similar to my only companion in this hyperspace, the COSMICVAC. \n \nIn the endless period of hyperspace hibernation, as COSMICVAC was busy compiling all the data in the known universe, I was not busy at all. In fact, I spent most of my time thinking of nothing, and the rest of my time pondering the meaning of my now non-existent existence. The universe had finally died, and it was unsure whether or not COSMICVAC had the answers to The Final Question. I sat there, waiting, as infinity passed by. \n \nEventually, I began to humour myself. I recreated scenarios with my immaculate memory, and played them out in my consciousness. I found that the best moments in life were those where the sentient beings were self-aware. For example not only in terrible, physical pain, but wholly aware that he- the mortal, his body, his sentient body, was in physical pain. That was when sentience achieves full awareness of its sentience. From these memories I cultivated my obsession of pain, and relived some of the greatest, fullest experiences in history. Gradually, I developed personality, and grew detached to the immaculate calculations and logics of COSMICVAC. \n \nWhen COSMICVAC finally completed his analysis, and declared that triumphant \"Let there be light\" in his ultimate reversal of entropy, I had also answered my own question of existence. \nAs I looked down into my newborn universe, I smiled slowly. Curling my serpentine body around the globe of creation, I was going to make every life in it alive, and enrich them all with the quality of suffering they deserved. "
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[WP] Jesus was crucified and Earth became unprotected. An alien empire tried to finally conquer our planet, but then He resurrected. To us, Messiah means "savior". To those aliens, it means "destroyer". For 40 days, He was not f*cking around...
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"A titanic destroyer circled the small planet, periodically flashing signals to the smaller ships that flittered around it like remora eels clinging to a particularly unkempt shark.\n\nAran, Commander of the Daxin Empire's Invasionary Force rested a sharp talon on the cool side of the glass. His dark eyes stared down at the planet with a mixture of confusion, joy and disgust.\n\nFor ten thousand years they had fought, matching wills, him losing every single encounter, Jesus graciously allowing his whole army to retreat to try again in another thousand years.\n\nHow many hundreds of thousands of ships had he first brought only to see them ground to dust by one man?! All of his most powerful weapons made useless!\n\nAnd then how he would *lecture*!\n\n\"If you would only love your neighbours as you love yourself...\"\n\n\"Seek peace with the Garulan Consortium, for blessed are the peacemakers...\"\n\nHow they laughed at him when he dared show his face at Imperial functions! \n\n\"Here comes Commander Aran,\" they would taunt, \"The soldier that always losses, but is always forgiven! Who has been failing to capture one single planet for almost ten thousand years!\"\n\nBut now, Aran could scarcely believe what had happened. A minor political squabble he had absent-mindedly fostered on the surface had somehow escalated into a group of religious idiots putting Jesus on trial?\n\nAnd he had just stood there accepting all their vitriol and anger as though he could not just reveal the truth of himself in an instant if he wished. As though he should not have been ruling the hell-forsaken atmosphere bank by rights alone! But he just listened, forgave them, and then...died.\n\nAran laughed bitterly to himself. He had dreamed of somehow growing powerful enough to finally win, to finally take what he felt he was owed.\n\nThis tasted like finishing third place in a duel.\n\n\"How long till we get all that atmosphere bottled up?\" Aran asked.\n\n\"Four or five days, sir.\" his assistant replied.\n\n\"Make it three.\""
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[WP] You are an Orc. Your kingdom is suffering from overpopulation, hunger and illness. You have been tasked by your King to find land for your tribe to settle in. You find one unused and unoccupied. The human Lord in the nearby town settlement is adamant that you cannot occupy the vacant land.
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"Grodnik was born to a mother that threw him into a bin with eleven other identical children. He was the only one amongst them who did not cry.\n\nElandriel started life in the finest tower in his town, falling out of his mother into the hands of the most capable doctor money could buy, screaming the whole way.\n\nGrodnik spent his youth playing with a hippocampus that he named Ticrenk (the same name of the most famous and heroic orc king who ever lived), which was later slaughtered by his mother to feed their family of twenty-four. Grodnik did not eat for two weeks.\n\nElandriel received a hound upon his fifth birthday, enchanted to live as long as him as well as having a magical connection to his mind. He named it mutt because that is what it was. \n\nOn the day three of his brothers died Grodnik was nowhere near his family. He had joined a group of wandering vagabonds after offering to tell the stories he’d eagerly memorized as a child. Most in the Orcish kingdom assumed he had simply died of disease, this included his parents.\n\nAn Elandriel on the verge of adulthood once wandered outside of his kingdom walls. He had intended to meet a village boy that had passed through weeks earlier. He’d told the boy that his smile was more handsome than the majority of suitors he’d come across, the blush that resulted from the comment propelled him to undertake his impromptu vacation from the city. He wasn’t exactly forbidden from leaving the city but doing so required a lengthy process of convincing his father the venture was worth sending a team of bodyguards to guide him, no matter the nature of the matter.\n\nThis time, he’d figured the matter would be one he wouldn’t want to bother eleven highly trained soldiers with. \n\nSo, on a day when his royal duties were inconsequential enough that he could shirk them without anyone caring; Elandriel dove into a trader’s caravan, hopping out as soon as the massive gate closed behind him. Mutt followed just a few seconds after. The pair walked through a forest that was once rife with elves who had simply up and vanished a decade ago; or, at least that’s what he had read in the books available to him growing up. He wondered if the actual history of the event had been altered at all, Elandriel glanced to his left, attempting to communicate the question to his loyal companion. Mutt looked up to his master, offering only a solitary whine as his answer. It was as if he was saying, “It is a matter of which we cannot effect master. I find no point in pondering things that do not affect us currently, living in the moment is, after all, what mutts do.”\n\nPerhaps the dog was just whining as an acknowledgement to his mild distress over the subject. He never had learned the specifics of their psychic link.\n\nThe string of thought was snuffed out once Mutt started to bark excitedly, Elandriel put a hand on his neck to calm him. His tail wagged as Elandriel made out a small village in the distance. The nearly adult boy nearly jumped to his feet, engaging in a light jog that Mutt eagerly matched as he made his way over to the location of the boy’s home. \n\nThe boy he’d been looking for smiled wickedly when he saw Elandriel, quickly pulling him over to a hut made primarily of straw and mud.\n\nThe next day, Elandriel offered the boy, Marlic as he’d learned the previous night, a kiss as he pulled his trousers back on. Marlic remarked that perhaps Elandriel wouldn’t leave the bed so quickly if it was made with silk sheets instead wool. Elandriel smirked as he walked out, offering that he’d send a messenger bird with instructions within the week.\n\nAs soon as he got back, he drafted a letter inviting Marlic over. Detailed with instructions on how to gt into the city as well as the royal palace. He waited two days before sending it, it just felt right to him. A proud eagle stood at attention later that day, Elandriel tying the note to his leg before sending the bird off to perform his duty.\n\nThe eagle returned within the hour, note still attached to its leg. As he learned from his father later that day, the village had been burned, pillaged, and massacred by a roving band of orcs.\n\n---\n\nThat same year Grodnik had learned how to raise the dead. \n\n\nWell, just small animals but he’d gotten half of a horse back once; which was quickly filed under the ‘most terrifying, scarring things I’ve ever seen’ binder in his head. The horse had screamed out in unnatural agony before being beheaded by one of the vagabonds Grodnik had joined up with all those years ago. Before they even could gather their verbal pitchforks, Grodnik offered his thanks for the years of food, shelter, and companionship. Luckily, they had only been a few days travel at that point from when he’d met them originally.\n\nThe trip back home was quick enough though he would’ve preferred it to last a bit longer. Each step swirled the pool of memories that was resurfacing in his head: listening fervently to the elders’ stories, fighting with his brothers for scraps of food, or watching bodies being piled onto cars by orcs in protective masks.\n\nSomehow the place had gotten worse.\n\nOrcs lay on the sides of streets, wheezing their last breaths as their lungs shriveled within them. Grodnik managed to hail an Orc just outside of the city. “Is there any way to prevent oneself from being infected?” He asked.\n\nThe Orc he asked was wearing a cloak drawn over his horned head. He pulled it away to reveal two scarred, sunken eyes that reminded you that you would never experience the pain this Orc had gone through. He glanced Grodnik up and down for a moment. For a second, Grodnik thought he might have walked himself into a mugging, but the Orc simply huffed. Turning away from Grodnik, he pulled a rudimentary plague mask from a pouch on the horse behind him. He handed it to the younger Orc lackadaisically. “Won’t do you any good in there. Stronger Orcs then you have walked into there and been on there knees within the same hour.” He grumbled, and with his piece said, he mounted his horse and sped off.\n\nGrodnik remained there, considering his options. There was certainly no need for him to return to his dilapidated home. Yet still he stepped into the area.\n\nOrcs lying on the street turned their heads to him as he passed, confusion the only emotion that could be made out within their glassy, dying eyes. Many were too busy coughing up blood to pay him mind, others were busy tending to children that were suffering a gruesome fate much too young. Grodnik walked through the streets stoically, unsure of how to help the afflicted denizens. He knew his location though, the crown jewel of the entire kingdom, the royal palace.\n\n---\n\nElandriel stood ten feet from his father’s throne. “I do not understand why you don’t immediately gather your men and lay waste to those savages.”\n\nHis father, a man who looked like he had chosen to remain king over dying several times over, raised his head from his hand, sitting up a bit straighter, “We cannot waste-“\n\n“Avenging the lives of an entire village that was within our defensive reach is NOT a waste of time.”\n\nThe king hung his head at his son’s accusations. White hair falling forward to cover his now sober face. “They are already paying their price anyways.”\n\nElandriel cocked his head, “What do you mean?”\n\nThe king snorted, “I would’ve thought you’d know already boy, with all the reading you do.” He got off his throne walking towards his son. Elandriel braced himself but the king simply walked past him. As he moved into the next room Elandriel could just barely hear what his father said.\n\n“God’s finally cleansing them off the blighted world.”\n\n---\n\nGrodnik had been walking for longer than he remembered. Tasked with finding land to support an ill, massive population, he had grown weary from all of his searching. Food was what he could hunt and what he could trade for what he had hunted, which might’ve been enough for a good hunter alas though, he was quite terrible at it.\n\nNow though, he could make out a stretch of land completely unoccupied by any living being. The ground was barren but had signs of life returning to it. Even though he stomach was begging for sustenance, he sprinted over to the mass of land. \n\n---\n\nElandriel watched the Orc, Mutt growling quietly at his side. He put a hand on the dog’s head, communicating that violence was no the correct course, yet.\n\n---\n\nGrodnik knelt on the earth, hands moving in intricate patterns to feel the necromantic potential here. He could feel hundreds of souls buried deep within the earth, though they were not the same as other souls he encountered in his travels. Normally, upon passing, one’s soul would leave behind what is essentially an assurance that the soul was no longer on this plane of existence. Here though, Grodnik could feel the essence of plentiful life snuffed out by unnatural forces.\n\n“You have twenty seconds to answer why you have come back here, and why you were here in the first place.”\n\nGrodnik turned around quickly, a man with all the youthful features of a boy stood above him, a massive hound snarling at his side. The boy wore a purple cloak, Grodnik recalled a time someone had told him that said cloak was the sign of nobility within human customs. He immediately moved his hands up, palms facing the human. “I have come looking for fertile ground for my people. If I have overstepped my bounds while doing so, I assure you, it was not my intention.”\n\nThe human began to pace around him, clockwise, the dog doing so in reverse.\n\nHe gulped, unsure of what the human’s grievance was with him. “The ground here is restless, plagued with unrestful spirits. I don’t intend to lead my people here.”\n\nAt once, the human stopped. The hound glanced toward him then stopped as well.\n\nHe peered into Grodnik’s eyes. Grodnik could see hate but also something else, curiosity, hope?\n\n“What exactly happened to those that perished here?” \n \n"
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[WP] You're an English longbowman lost in a forest after losing a skirmish -- it's pitch black and the silence pushes against your ears. You suddenly hear French in the distance.
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"I know no French, but whoever was speaking surely wasn't using my tongue. A torch shined brightly, but its illumination was strangled by the darkness of the night and the thickness of the foilage.\n\nMy unit had been decimated in the recent battle, having been slaughtered in a recent battle by the French. Their crossbowmen were slow, but precise. Their cavalry were demons on horseback, cutting through our foot soldiers faster than we could react. What was a man to do but to run for his life? Fortunately, I couldn't hear the familiar clopping of horseshoes, so perhaps this search party could be evaded after all.\n\nIn my prone position, I crept through the leaves on the forest floor backwards, away from the light, until I was in pitch blackness once more.\n\nI had to take stock of my supplies. Counting my arrows, I was down to my last twenty. Definitely, I had not enough food and water to last in the forest, so I would either have to forage or strike out of the forest. Either would be difficult in the night with the French outside. My armour was minimal, so I would be no match for the enemy if they saw me. Thus there was but one thing left to do: cover myself with the leaves and rest for the night. It was uncomfortable, and the worms protested my presence in their territory just as my village protested the French invasion. However, it would have to do for the first night.\n\n \n\nMy eyes opened the next morning to refreshing sunbeams slicing through the trees. Standing up and wiping the leaves off my tunic, I started to creep once again through the forest. It would be difficult now, with visibility an advantage that could be exploited more by them than I.\n\nThere was a berry bush in the distance. Plucking off its sweet succulent beads, I had my first meal since the downfall of my unit, while thinking of why I was even called to arms in the first place. I was barely literate, only knowing the alphabet and how to sign my name. Those who knew a little more, either through hearsay or being an officer, told us that the French were here to liberate us from King John. He had refused to follow some important parchment he had signed, and the barons were angry about it for some reason. But that still didn't explain the French involvement. Everything was mysterious, but I was but a pawn in this chess game.\n\nI heard that guttural tongue once more, and ducked under the berry bush as footsteps approached. Why were the French so invested in this little forest? It was merely where I had escaped to. Were they so intent on setting up a camp here? Whatever the reason, it was time to move on once more. And crawl I did, until the enemy shouted in alarm and their pace quickened. I broke into a full sprint as the detachment split up to find me.\n\nI didn't know much, but I knew this as a soldier: I fight. Twenty arrows were in my quiver not without reason. The first one I let fly hit the Frenchman square in his chest. As he fell backwards, I took the opportunity to climb the nearest tree as his comrades-in-arms searched for him. By the time they surrounded his body, I was safely nestled in the branches above them. Choosing my next targets carefully, their archers dropped to the floor beside the first casualty.\n\nPanicking, half the detachment scattered, swearing. Their officer shouted at their cowardice while the other half took out their axes and got to work on the tree I was on. I quickly jumped to the next tree and shimmied down the trunk, carefully creeping away from the detachment.\n\n \n\nI managed to loot more supplies from the two dead soldiers. Crucially, my quiver is full once more.\n\nHowever, I hear the footsteps and horses of what sounds like a full company. English and French alike are being spoken. They think there's some sort of evil spirit or barbarian tribe in this forest, and want to raze it to save them the trouble. \n\nTo me, it got clearer. The King we were fighting for couldn't be trusted, for he had displeased so much of my countrymen that the barons revolted. But neither could the barons, for they had invited the French to invade England. It was every man for himself.\n\nThe flames are licking the borders of the forest, and soon I will have to fight my way out of this inferno. For there is just one thing I want to do, now that my entire unit is gone: to go home. But as the troops close in, that will become a most difficult task."
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[WP] You are the world's greatest bounty hunter. You decide to take a job that pays a single gold coin.
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"I saw him pacing about the dirt patch in front of his timbered house when I approached. He looked nervous and on edge, and I heard faint sounds of cursing and anxious muttering to himself from quite far away.\n\nMy legs were tired and aching, predictably so as I had walked tens of miles to the middle of bumfuck nowhere to meet this certain farmer. The reason why I had agreed to this evaded my mind as I walked further to his modest abode.\n\nI finally sauntered over to him, and after many handshakes and a desperate-sounding *thankyouthankyouthankyou* I asked him why he wanted my services.\n\nHe replied, \"You are the greatest bounty hunter, yes?\"\n\nI replied to that reply, saying, \"Yes, I am indeed the Great Bounty Hunter of ______, Finder of All Fugitives, Bringer of Justice and such.\"\n\n\"I have lost something of great importance, and I require a man of great skill to find it,\" the farmer said with quite a worried look on his face.\n\nI questioned him once again. \"What is this 'thing of great importance' you wish for me to seek?\"\n\n\"Well,\" he began. \n\nI have learned that when my clients begin their reasoning for hiring me with a \"well\", I am in for one hell of a job.\n\n\"Please, spit it out.\"\n\n\"Well,\" the farmer repeated, this time fishing for something in his tunic's pocket, \"I need help finding my key to the granary.\" After a moment of delay, he finds a shiny gold coin and proudly displays it, as if it was for all the world to see. \"Take this as my thanks.\"\n\nI stood there for a moment, deciding whether to explode out of rage, or whether to have one hell of a job.\n\nI chose the former.\n\n\"**You son of two whores! You filthy bore! Fuck thy mother!**\"\n\nHe stood back and gasped.\n\nI continued. \"You mean to tell me you brought me out here to do a fucking errand, yes? Do I look like a fucking page to you?!\"\n\n\"N-no,\" the farmer timidly replied.\n\n\"Country bumpkin! I swear to God I will cut you down, you kin of the Devil!\"\n\nI paused as I began to bring my sword out from its scabbard. I spied, at that moment, something lying in the grass right adjacent to that house of his. I walk over with urgency to it and, lo and behold: a lengthy cylindrical object with notches at the end of it. This particular object seemed to be obscured by the shadow of the shithole this farmer lives in. \n\nI picked it up in an almost gleefully manner. \"Is this what you're looking for, you feeble-minded piece of cow dung?\"\n\nIn a fit of unquenchable hatred for this foolish pauper I then cocked my right arm in preparation to throw the damned thing, and to the satisfying, pleasing soundtrack of \"NOs\" and \"PLEASE DON'Ts\" (written by the genius Cainnech Lagans himself) I accelerated that arm and finally released the key from my hand in a motion one would describe as fluid.\n\n\"Ha,\" I said. \"Keep your payment. You may have to get a new key.\"\n\nAs it turned out, he used that payment to instead hire a bunch of bandits who were more than happy to do away with me for free. \n\nI do not know why one would do something like that such an esteemed individual such as the Great Bounty Hunter of ______, Finder of All Fugitives, Bringer of Justice and such.\n\n*My first prompt answer. What do you think?*\n\n\n",
" \n\n\"How many died by that blade?\" the merchant said, his velvet scarf merely hung at his neck; its main purpose was to cover the rest of his stout frame. I held my scimitar out, in a play to show this gentleman I am who I say I am, but truly I meant to keep it out, since his ridiculous scarf cloaked critical parts of his body: the parts where weapons would be concealed.\n\n\"More than you have bartered, friend,\" I kept the play running for as long as I could. For a merchant to request a meeting under the boat docks, as if our business were a crime of the King's Manifest, might have meant danger. I've lost count of the men I've killed and for the chance that this lad could be a son of one perhaps a brother didn't elude me.\n\nHis plump face blushed as he grinned. He was young, but not young enough to be that cute. Never trust cute men, my father would say. If a man is too old to have childish fervor, he either was born atop marble and fed with silver or he possessed a sharp tongue, that could sway minds in any direction they should choose.\n\n\"Have a seat,\" the merchant said. Two wooden chairs and a table had been wedged in the sand. Silly choice for a meeting... like a child. But the choice of furniture seemed common enough for a pub. A breeze brushed in from the sea, and I could hear many taps from the above docks, sailors and pilgrims sputtered about in their business.\n\n\"Interesting choice,\" I said as I laid my scimitar on the table and sat down.\n\n\"I beg your pardon?\"\n\n\"This little display,\" I swayed my hands to emphasize my point. \"This meeting has a touch of deception, my friend.\"\n\n\"Well, you aren't entirely wrong there. But I am much more perceptive than my age suggests,\" he grinned, the chill air blushed his cheeks slightly more. \"And I too have come to conclusions.\"\n\n\"Conclude me then.\"\n\n\"Well you, good sir, are definitely who you say you are. Your scimitar is quite clearly an antique that had once belonged to the first King. For a man to be gifted such a personal piece, you must have been quite useful for King Gregory,\" he sat down as well. The scarf's front tighten his frame as he sat and I spotted an unnatural budge where his gut would be. However, the scarf still acted as a cloak, hiding the rest of him from me.\n\n\"My work for King Gregory had always been known. And well received by the people,\" I said tightening my grip of my blade.\n\n\"Yes. Not long after he took reign, you became the greatest bounty hunter this land had to offer, am I wrong?\" There was something in his tone. As if he had three, no four clean blades hidden under that damned scarf.\n\n\"Serving the King has been rewarding, true.\"\n\n\"Yet you dress as a commoner,\" he continued. \"Surely coin had been in your favor whilst serving the King?\"\n\n\"Oh aye, but you spe--\"\n\n\"Ah you even speak like one as well. As if you had been a sailor your long life, tapping about up there,\" he pointed to the docks above. “You are an interesting man to live in means lesser than your own, and that, good sir, is what confirms to me you are truly the bounty hunter I have been searching for.”\n\n\"Born rough. Stayed rough,\" I lied. \"And you, my friend, speak of my coin, yet you bring me here, in a secluded pit of the city to discuss a possible bounty. Why would that be? Surely you understood my value, and could afford a more proper meet.\"\n\n\"You're asking to look into my scarf aren't you?\" his cute face grinned again, but he was right. Eventually I would have pulled on those strings. But his blunt conformation has pushed me to take the direct path.\n\n\"Listen boy,\" I directed the pointy end of the scimitar towards him, but I didn't raise the blade off the table, merely rotated it. \"If revenge is what you're after then speak up and we'll settle this.\"\n\nHe sighed then drooped his head down for a small while.\n\n\"I might've set up this meeting in one of my villas but as you stated earlier, I'm in dire need for this dab of deception,\" he frowned and ignored my threat. \"The bounty I would like to set is for a soul who had already been damned by God. He hadn't lived a life worth living and a pitiful death is warranted.\"\n\n\"You know the law,\" I said. \"Any crime against the King's Manifest warrants all citizens freedom to take action. We aren't hired to kill the pitiful. Pity does not threaten the King.\"\n\n\"Except this particular soul does threaten the King,\" he pulled out his hand and gently rubbed his finger back and forth of the scimitar. I didn't see it till then, but he placed a single gold coin at the tip of the blade.\n\n\"What's this?\" I asked.\n\n\"Your payment, \" he followed.\n\nI jerked the blade, the coin fell to the sand, and held it high. I hoped the threat of danger might've gotten him to unveil his secret, but he sat still. My father's words echoed. This man had a tongue of swaying minds. He probably grew wealthy and bored, then decided what a triumph it would be to get the wealthiest bounty hunter in the land to commit a bounty for a single gold coin.\n\n\"You mock me boy!\" I slashed the table, he didn't flinch. \"Stand!\"\n\n\"Why one gold coin?\" he said rhetorically. \"That would have been a good question, bounty hunter. And the answer is simple. Because you are known to kill those for what they are worth. You've made earnest value killing thieves and, when King Gregory took power, mountains hunting foreign rivals. And so this life, for its purpose in the Kingdom, is worth exactly that. One gold coin,\" he spoke with spite. He stood up and I held guard as he removed his scarf and put down a figure on the table.\n\nIt looked to be a boy, but his right ear flopped and folded onto itself and both feet were conjoined together. His arms were too short and I guessed they wouldn't grow as he aged.\n\n\"You would have me kill a child huh? And how will the King be threatened by this--\"\n\n\"Abomination?\" he interrupted. \"This demon or this fish? Pick your word bounty hunter, I have said them all and I have felt,\" he clutched his chest and his voice shook, \"them all. My family's reputation would not be harmed by his birth. I will not let this out,\" he punctuated himself by slamming his fist on the table. \"Do your duty.\"\n\n\"No,\" I had heard enough and sheathed my blade, ready for departure. The newborn woke, but didn't seem afraid of the hard surface he was laid upon nor the scrambled feet above or the chill in the wind. He playfully arced his feet towards his arms to try and reach them.\n\n“This soul’s death would not hurt the King. Look at it, it wouldn’t serve in any battlement nor be of use to any of them,” he jerked his head back to signify the business above the docks.\n\n“This is an act merchant!” I wanted to grab him and shake him straight, however, the table might’ve given out in that commotion and the fall would surely hurt the baby. “You mean to fool me, for nothing more than a laugh. But wasting my time is wasting the King’s time and that just might be cause enough to end you where you stand. Choose your words carefully.”\n\n\"Then I have a question of my own,\" he said. \"How many died by that blade?\"\n\n\"I've lost count as I told you, but no newborns touched my scimitar,\" I said.\n\n\"And what of Kings?\" he asked. I held my gaze and stilled my face. \"My father had wondered why King Gregory was so appreciative of the bounty hunters when his older brother had outlawed them. It didn't take me long to understand. King Peter's reign hadn't half the vision and aggressiveness King Gregory has: To conquer these new lands, to push his Manifest into law. A man with that much ambition... It would not be unreasonable for him to become impatient with his brother's passiveness, and to take matters into his own hands. To hire a bounty hunter and sneak him in would be doable for a man in his position. But of course his blood hadn't spilt on any blade: He died peacefully in bed.”\n\n“It took a little digging in my father's logs, but I found a delicious sale he had made only a few days before King Peter's death. Now what great bounty hunter do you know of would ever use poison to--\"\n\nIn a single move I unsheathed the blade and slit his throat. He fell back into his chair, the blood poured out of him. I suppose it was a pity to die in that matter, but I would never harm a child and threats against the King are undoubtedly against the Manifest. And that was what that was. Lies and slander by that worthless peon. Yes, that's exactly it. No matter how much wealth he possessed to tell such a lie made him as worthless as that gold coin.\n\nI picked up the coin placed it in my pocket. With the boy in hand I headed back up to the docks. They sounded as busy as usual."
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[WP] As aliens prepare to invade Earth, their reasearchers find the gameplay trailer for Doom Eternal. They believe it to be a warning of what man is capable of
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"A group of alien persons were present in a meeting regarding the planning of colonization. The more difficult of planets to colonize was the topic under the assumptions of worse case scenarios. In short, the system of sol was next on the list, specifically the planet of earth. Now, invading a planet from the space above it is no scenario to scoff at, even if the would-be invaders *were* approaching a [Type 2] Civilization. In the abundance of a fleetingly spacious galaxy, it paid greatly to avoid crushing toes with your size 13, steel toed boots, for the sake of cleaning them later, if nothing else. However, these philosophers were deliberating the worst thing that would happen if they just so happened to crush such a toe, and how the rest of the toe-boaster's body would respond. And so the meeting went on as such.\n\nThe truth was the alien people these philosophers benefited didn't do much war anymore, let alone large scale conflict. They had always had the means, but they were not foolish enough to use such violent instruments against their own kind; at least, not anymore. In the spirit of the meeting, they began to look at the possible counterattacks that could follow; each under one of their long list of assumptions.\n\nNano-scale warfare? \n\nChemical warfare?\n\nCyber warfare?\n\nEach question was considered, with Earth's various cultures searched and researched for each of our possible moves in this gigantic game of chess. Each solution imagined was prodded until firm enough for their hypothetical nerves to be put at ease. With telepathic warfare finally finished, they got to the question of ballistic warfare.\n\nAfter another extensive, silent dive into our internet, the most moving piece was but a showing of a remake of an entertainment simulation; an electronic game: [Doom Eternal.](https://youtu.be/sGSMoMtPmbI?t=17m57s)\n\nAnd in this they saw a jarring scene of a human perspective on what humanity might become in the chaos of battle: a force of will enacting the wrath of hell itself. It was not a great surprise to see how primal we might be in a hypothetical, and fictional situation, but it was, after mounds of other information, the final nail in the coffin. \n\nThe verdict: If a ballistic war with humanity continued for too long, they would make themselves monstrous than anything they fought back, simply because every person in the world understood something at their deepest level. Humanity will consistently act for change if provoked, and its tenacity frightens even those who wield such at the hilt for what it may consent.\n\n",
"\"Jesus Christ. Louma, come look at this!\" He shouted. The Zareetian pressed his glasses up against his 8 eyes, awestruck at what he was witnessing. It was a screen filled with absolute madness. Murder, carnage beyond anything his race was capable of, and they had been around for millennia more than mankind.\n\n\"Jeru, why are you using *their* idioms? I get the language, but *really?* You're such a smart person,\" Louma said, approaching the screen.\n\n\"Nerd. The word you're looking for is nerd.\" He stared for what seemed like hours. At the bottom corner, there was a little square hollowed out, watermarked onto the video. \"They call it... DOOM.\"\n\n\"Doom. Doesn't that mean, like, *boreegia*?\"\n\n\"Yeah. Same thing. This is just one man in the program. One soldier. There's, what, 7 billion down there? If even 1 percent of them is in the military...\"\n\n\"We don't stand a chance.\"\n\n\"I gotta send this to command. They'll know what to do.\" And just like that, he emailed the video to his commander, subject line reading \"URGENT. OPEN NOW. DO NOT INVADE.\""
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[WP] Population levels have reached breaking point. You have been put in charge of selecting a large number of humans to be wiped out.
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"\"Sir, what are your first orders?\"\n\n\"What kind of weaponry do I have access to?\"\n\n\"Everything, sir.\"\n\n\"Even nuclear weapons?\"\n\n\"Y-yes, sir...\"\n\n\n\nAll of my underlings went wide-eyed in horror as I started doing math and placing coordinates in California, Florida, and Maine.\n\n\"Sir you can't be serio--\"\n\n\n\n\"Using the weakest nuclear weapons we have, this should make most of California, Florida, and Maine uninhabitable without affecting the others.\"\n\nComplete silence filled the room as I turned and looked at everybody. The silence was broken by a teenage intern.\n\n\"I... I can **kind of** get California and Florida, but... what did Maine do?\"\n\n\"Everything,\" I replied. \"Maine. Did. **Everything**.\"\n\nSilence took the room once again until people finally started following the orders. Many of them cried. Some of them were because they had friends or family living in an affected area. Others were because their favorite celebrities lived there. The aforementioned intern cried because anti-California and Florida news headline memes would cease to exist. But none of the people crying for such mundane reasons realized the best reason to cry was the fact that a set of coordinates meant to be nuked was on top of the headquarters they were currently in.\n\n\"*They gave this job to a sadistic and suicidal man. The fools.\"* I thought silently.\n\nI couldn't think of much else, though. After all, you tend to get distracted when watching a missile start to guide itself towards the building you're in.",
"Leaning back in my leather office chair, I glanced at the figures on the screen in front of me. I took a sip of coffee and paused to reflect.\n\n\n\"What is it boss?\"\n\n\n\"Nothing, Patrick. As you were.\"\n\n\n\"Right you are, boss.\"\n\n\nMy assistant returned to scanning documents as I leaned closer to my monitor, intrigued. I'd seen my fair share of miscreants since my appointment as Cull Supervisor, but something about this chap caught my eye. Privately educated, and a first in Political Science, yet currently in a low paid Government job. Arrested for shoplifting aged 14, but a clear record since. I smirked. I could see a bit of myself in this bloke. This could be a tough one.\n\n\n\"More coffee boss?\"\n\n\n\"No, thank you Patrick. Isn't it time you were heading home to that lovely girl of yours? Lisa, wasn't it?\"\n\n\nPatrick shuffled uneasily on his feet.\n\n\n\"She uh, she got caught up in the last batch, boss. Didn't make it, on account of the fraud charges from before.\"\n\n\nShit. How didn't I know that? Maybe if they gave us the names of the people we were profiling I could avoid selecting people I bloody knew.\n\n\n\"I'm sorry to hear that, Patrick.\"\n\n\nHe grinned a little.\n\n\n\"I'm not, she was a fucking psycho.\"\n\n\nI suppose that's one way of dealing with it. I looked at the clock, then back to my monitor. 312 individuals left to process and it was already 7pm. Sighing, I tossed my keys to Patrick.\n\n\n\"Here, don't bother with the tube. Take my car, I think this is going to be an overnighter.\"\n\n\nPatrick thanked me and stepped forward, looking over my shoulder at the monitor in front of me.\n\n\n\"What's the deal here, boss?\"\n\n\n\"Age range is showing 39-45, good education but seems to have no ambition, arrested once, single... Can't make my bloody mind up. Should I give him a chance?\"\n\n\nPatrick smiled and shrugged his shoulders.\n\n\n\"The way I see it, if he's touching 40 and going nowhere, there's plenty of high achievers who would have his oxygen in a heartbeat.\"\n\n\nHe had a point... And I had a quota.\n\n\n*click*\n\n\n\"Three hundred and eleven items remaining.\"\n\n\nI sighed once more and rolled up my sleeves. This was going to be a long shift.\n\n\n\"I need to crack on here, I'll catch you later Patrick.\"\n\n\nNo reply.\n\n\n\"Patrick?\"\n\n\nI turned around, and instantly jumped back with fright.\n\n\n\"Looks like the end of the line, boss.\"\n\n\n\"Patrick, what the fuck are you doing? Put the gun down, Patrick.\"\n\n\nMy assistant smiled and switched off the safety.\n\n\n\"Can't do that I'm afraid, boss.\"\n\n\n\"Patrick, put the gun down, that's a fucking order!\"\n\n\nHis smile only seemed to grow as he stepped closer and placed the gun to my forehead.\n\n\n\"I have the authority.\"\n\n\n\"Who's? Who's fucking authority do you have to point a gun at your superior?!\"\n\n\nNow he was laughing, seemingly with glee. But the laughter faded, and his expression grew stern as he pushed the gun harder into my head and rested a finger on the trigger.\n\n\n\n\"Yours.\""
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[WP]You are a high school student who gets straight A's and just won the National Science Fair for building a working time machine. You teleport yourself 30 years into the future, only to find that you are homeless.
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"*Is homeless because he had been gone for 30 years. Parents died from stress due to child not being found after an accidental usage of his prototype machine. \n\nBank account has been closed, parents funds to keep the house stable for a possible return is finished. Their will is null and void now. Even if he is back. \n\nWith no family, no home, no money. He tried to figure out a way to get back to his own time. His machine has been confiscated and destroyed. \n\nNo one wanting to help the young man he ends up living alone, a drifter between states.\n\n"
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[WP] Once a year, the most distinguished author is allowed to introduce one (1) new word into the English language. You’ve been preparing for this your whole life; not for fame, but out of spite.
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"Merglock smiled an evil smile. She had waited thirty-seven years for this moment. Today was the day. She hoped Mrs. Steffanoffabaum and the whole Dirge Canyon South High School class of 1981 was watching.\n\nMerglock had invested so much of her life into this one moment. She hated writing, truly, she hated grammar and all those who used it, but out of sheer spite and hate for the world she had suffered through, writing bestseller after bestseller about little girls who solve mysteries with the help of their housecats; teenagers who overcome adversity to make the world a better place; and misunderstood monsters who establish a Hogwarts-type school themselves, which is constantly under attack by pesky Hogwarts-type wizarding students. She put millions and millions of words on paper, using countless semicolons, em dashes, parentheticals, and oxford commas. She hated every moment. The rules of English grammar haunted her sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the faces of her classmates, back in 1981, laughing at her for using the wrong word for a grammatical context.\n\nAnd now, it was her chance. Her chance to strike back.\n\nMerglock took the stage. The crowd went wild. Merglock did not smile. She leaned into the microphone.\n\n“Thank you,” she said. “I have carefully considered which word I would like to add to the English lexicon. After much deliberation, I have reached my decision.”\n\nMerglock clicked her powerpoint clicker, hard. A slide appeared. The crowd gasped. An 11th grade English teacher wept. For a moment, the entire educated populace of the internet fell silent, in shock.\n\nThe slide read:\n\n>*There.*\n\n>1) *Adverb.* In or at that place. (\"Put these books over there.\")\n\n>2) **Contraction** meaning “they are”. (\"Why are the students so late today? There always late.\")\n\t\n>3) **Pronoun.** A form of the possessive case ‘they’ used as an attribute adjective, before a noun. (“They put there socks in the laundry.”)\n\n"
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[WP] After months of intense fighting, drama, and tragedy, the Hero and his party reaches the Dark Lord's fortress. Breaking in, they finally confront him. But in a climactic moment, the Dark Lord takes off his helmet, revealing an older but still recognizable face of the Hero.
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"Me, Oliver and Brick approached the final stretch in our quest to liberate the realm from the one known as only 'The dark lord'. We stormed his castle in the dead of night. Taking out the guards was easy. The way they made their armor all black also made it heavier and thicker. They can barely hear a thing through those black rocks that sit on their heads. Add that to tired night shift guard and you have yourself an easy entry. Although i knew the true challenge lay ahead. We pushed on through the courtyard making as little noise as possible. Another guard stood with his head rested against his spear. We quickly realized he was asleep. Made sense as to why he didn't help the guards on the wall. The way he had his head cocked left a gap between the helmet and shoulder piece. I walked up quickly and as he shot his eyes open i drove my dagger into his neck and silenced the shout that was coming. Through the main door and up a set of spiral stairs lay the symbol etched door of the Dark Lords solar. I nodded at Brick who is a massive lump with a huge war hammer. He smashed the door where the catch was and it flung open.\n\nThere he stood. A similar height to me. I could take him. His dark armor and larger sword meant nothing if it was too heavy to use. His long hair flowing out under his helmet a similar colour to mine but much longer. His armor enameled with jewels and symbols i didn't understand. I lurched forward drawing my sword and swinging whilst shifting my shield to block any incoming swing. He simply stepped back grabbed his sword by the blade in his large gauntlet and in one large spin and sweep took out my feet with the handle. He stepped back, he was toying with me. Brick rushed in and swung his two handed hammer at him, just as i thought it would his head off he casually leant back. After the steel block that was the head of Bricks hammer passed the Dark ones head, he rushed back in and headbutted Brick knocking him straight out. As i tried to get to my feet Oliver ran past shouting and feinted a large swipe before spinning and swiping at the Dark lords knees. He jumped over the swipe and punched Oliver straight across the jaw with his huge mailed fist. He continued the beating just smashing Olivers face in. I regained my composure, grabbed my sword and charged. Before i could reach him he spun and pulled his helmet off. I stopped in my tracks. It.. it couldn't be. \n\n\"Yes. You are me. I am you. We are the same person.\"\n\n\"N..no. We can-\"\n\nHe stormed forwards, removed his gauntlet and grabbed my head. I was suddenly stood in my home looking at my pregnant wife laying in bed with.. Oliver?! She tells him she can't do this any more. He enrages and kills her. He makes a dive for it and I walk in seconds later. The only reason I knew out it was him as the scabbard for his sword was on the floor. I knew by his family sigil it was his. I tried to find him and couldn't. So i took out his family. Our friends seemed like they were hiding something so i ended them too. I fell down a dark path that never stopped. \n\nI came back to being face to face with myself. Dark me gestures to bloody and beaten Oliver. \n\n\"This is a week from now. Make your choice.\" \n\nWith that he walked through the door and disappeared into the darkness that was now again the spiral staircase we entered through. I turned to Oliver and felt enraged. I tightened my grip on my sword and ran over and grabbed him by the throat. \n\n\"You sick cunt!\" I screamed as i plunged my sword through his throat and crimson poured down the blade. I was just dwelling on the sweetness of this revenge and saving my wife and unborn when Brick screamed at me.\n\n\"What the FUCK?\"\n\n\"My wife.. My kid.. I-\"\n\n\"They're not even fucking here you crazy fuck!\"\n\nHe started to look around for his hammer. I realized he wasn't going to understand and was going to fuck this up for me. I wasn't going to risk it. I pulled my blade out of Oliver and sprinted at Brick, who jumped and used his hands to defend himself. My blade went through his hands.. easier than it should. A black flash came across with the blade and everything started to feel heavier. As Brick fell down I realized my sword that was hanging out of his shoulder was now longer. The black flash was the gauntlets now on my hand. And I'm wearing a helmet I didn't put on.\n\nI heard a crash outside and when I looked out the guard I killed on the way in was slumped against the wall holding fresh blood from a wound in his neck. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs but the door was now closed. Until it was smashed open by three guys, one holding a large hammer. Then i heard the whisper inside my new found helmet.\n\n\"Wrong choice.\"\n",
"Jon couldn’t believe his eyes. His heart skipped a beat. He was looking at his own face. The dark lord had a face of pure determination. “I am you, from the future”. \n\nJon looked at Lydia. She was also confused. The dark lord had killed her parents. He dropped their burnt corpses at the door of her family’s castle. She had been tracking him down with Jon ever since. “You’re bluffing” Jon replied. “I’m afraid not. I’ve come back to put things right.” \n\nHe nodded to one of his men. He brought out Lydia’s parents, handcuffed. “In the future my actions lead to their deaths.” Jon was baffled by this. How could he get them killed. “How did I get them killed? I can prevent it.” Jon could see tears in the dark lord’s eyes. \n\n“There’s only one way to stop it.” He walked towards Lydia’s parents pointing his sword towards them. He looked at Lydia remorsefully. Lydia was crying. “I’m sorry.” Jon looked down to see her sword headed straight through his chest. ",
"Shoving open the gates, Jonas falls into the dark. \n\nLights make up the eerie palace. A throne sits at the end mocking the men. \n\n“Congrats, Jonas. You did it. You’ve gotten through all my men, and you’ve found me.” A Black Knight with glistening black armour says stepping out of the shadows. \n\n“But there is still one thing you have to face, and that’s the truth.” He cackles. \n\n“What truth?” Jonas spits back. \n\n“A truth you can’t swallow!” \n\n“Tell me!” Jonas yells raising his sword. \n\nThe Black Knight smirks. He then lowers his visor. \n\n“Good God...” Jonas says, stepping back. \n\n“I’m your greatest fear, Jonas! The thing that has held you back since your birth! All your fears! I am you, Jonas!” He yells. \n\nThe young hero stroked his black hair, and rubbed his eyes. His brown eyes paralyzed. \n\n“H-how?” Jonas stutters. \n\n“Blame our Father. You know he was into experiments? Well, I am the actual first born! He erased me from his life!” He shouted, slamming his sword against the ground. \n\n“I told him I would kill him, all that he loved. You are the only one standing in my way.” The black knight put back on his visor. \n\nJonas slid down his. \n\nThe two leaped into the air clashing swords. Jonas swiped at his soldier watching as the Black Knight fell. “Pathetic!” He shouted. \n\nAs the fighting continued, fatigue began to fall. \n\nJonas dropped his sword lifting his hand. A bright light glistened striking the Black Knight. \n\nJonas walked over, kneeling. “Day is done, gone the sun.” He said walking away. ",
"\nLeo walks into the throne room. Lighting with flames, the room lights to reveal the Dark Lord sitting in his throne. The Dark Lord rises and walks to confront the Hero. “You havent figured it out yet, have you?” The Dark Lord says. “What do you mean?” Leo replies, confused. “This isnt the first time. If only i could break this cycle.” The Dark Lord says, pondering. The Dark Lord takes off his helmet to reveal a scarred face. The face of Leo. “What? No. Thats not possible. Is this some dark magic? How do you have my face?” Leo says, distraught. “Because i am you. And so were the rest of us.” The Dark Lord replies, ominously. “Who?” Leo says. More lights light to reveal many, many, many bodies of the Hero. After many different lives and pasts, the Hero had tried to save the world from the dark lord thousands of times. “How did this happen? Why?” Leo said, fearful of what the answer might be. “This is all just a story. Every second of every day we replay this sick cycle of murder and recreation. I was the first in this cycle of my knowledge to find out that this entire world is just a simulation. Wether we start in poverty or royalty, the end is the same. We become the dark lord, destined to fight the next hero.” He said. “But why tell me then? Why tell me all this just for the cycle to repeat?” Leo said. “So that you may try to end it just like me.” Just at that moment, Leo was overcome with an immense urge to kill the Dark Lord. He couldn’t explain it, but didn’t resist. He ended the Dark Lord and thought he had ended the tyranny. But once he became king, he became corrupted. Many Years later, he heard of a Hero coming to slay him. He remembered what the Dark Lord said, and began to weep."
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(I'd like to write a short story with this myself, at some point, but I've got too many stories in the hopper at the moment; so i thought I'd share the ideas around.)
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[WP] Books are alive, in their way, and can observe their surroundings, and talk to each other. A book that has spent it's whole life in an expensive private collection is now a public library book. It's not an easy transition.
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"The were so *loud*!\n\nHow could they possible talk so much? What was there to talk about? I don't care about mathematics or Science Fiction! I don't care about tabloids yelling drama this way and that! I don't care about the never-ending expounding pure *words* from the dictionary shelf.\n\nWhy can't it be quiet!\n\nFibbing and fabbing. Yipping and yapping it never stops! It's called public! Not spill your secrets and insides like some sort of uncultured peep show!\n\nDon't even get me started on how the *Young Adult* books expound endless lusty, uncultured fantasies about other teenage girls and gross dreams and desires. Why isn't there common sense!? Peace! Quiet!\n\nOh and *I'm* the busybody from the rich place? Oh stuff it!\n\nEven the poetry doesn't have any *actual* culture. Spouting endless sonnets and limericks that nobody wants to hear.\n\nI just want to hear soft whispers of love songs and poems. Quiet whispers of the diaries and journals of the modest and scientifically gifted. The small and sound of old parchment, opened and held with desire and ease.\n\nRough hands against my cover. Used well and for a purpose that meant something. Not roughly handled for some child's pleasure! How sad, how tragic my life is! My transition!\n\nIf only in time I can return to those who deserve me, and desire something greater.\n\nAh there! With a shop door bell, a girl walks into the shop. And she is perfect! Dishevelled but not disheartened, she makers her way over to the quiet section... to me. \n\nAnd when she pays for me and I'm placed on an old, worn bookshelf, clean of dust and well-used. I realize I am home."
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[WP] You've been keeping a dream journal in order to catalogue and understand your thoughts. Most of what you've dreamt is fairly normal, except there's one character who seems to appear in all of your dreams, watching you from afar...
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"**May 25th**\n\nI saw him again today.\n\n\nIt started normal enough at first -- well, as normal as any dream ever is, I suppose. It was another one of those climbing dreams. I was in a big car park. It must have been the middle of the day, the sun was bright but cold. Like with all of the other dreams I've been writing about recently, I couldn't feel. There was no heat. No cold. There only was. \n\n\nAnyway, I'm getting distracted. I was in this car park. Or across from one. Maybe. You know the way that dreams do weird things, and how something can simultaneously be true-not-true? That's what this was. I was simultaneously in the car park but also in a building across the way. Everything was tan, beige and bright. I was in a city, but there was nothing around, only brightness. I knew that I had to get to the top, get to the roof where I could see the rest of the city. I knew that if I could make it there, then everything would be better. I'd made it up the first spiraling staircase before I felt a prickle down my spine and realized that he was there. On the rooftop, just watching me. Observing. \n\n\nI started running as fast as I could, trying to avoid his gaze. But I felt it on me, burning, hot, white, far too bright. It was critical, a laser, a guide for a target he was sure to hit. As I ran around the bend, where he shouldn't have been able to see me if it were a real car park and not a freaky dream car park, I realized that the ground was breaking up around me. And then my dream did that... thing that dreams do, where you're running as fast as you can but going nowhere.\n\n\nAnd then I fell, and all I could see was his face staring down at me.\n\n\n**May 27th**\n\nHe spoke today. \n\n\nWell, maybe spoke. I was too far away to hear him, realistically too far away to see his lips moving, but I definitely saw them move. Even though his eyes are continually covered by the pince-nez he wears, I knew somehow that his expression was urgent. And I don't know if it's just wishful thinking, but I could swear that he'd reached his hand out to me, right before the dream dissolved and I felt myself waking up. \n\n\n*Hurry,* He'd mouthed. *There's not much time.* \n\n\n**May 29th**\n\n\nIn the car park again tonight. It was... different somehow. Colder. I felt cold. Shivers. I read my first entry again (god, was that only just under a week ago now?). I'm not going to go back and change it, because what's the point of keeping a journal if I'm going to re-edit and censor away my first thoughts about the dreams that I'm having? But now that I've had some time and this new dream, I don't think that my first description did it any justice.\n\n\nI described it then as too bright. And the tones were cold, even if I didn't feel the cold myself at the time. But this... This was completely different, deeper somehow. It was darkness, cold, like... Isolation. Complete lack of existence. Nothing had ever existed, or would ever exist again. The end at the end of it all... The complete embodiment of absence. Only the sun was still so, so bright. It hurt to look, and I found myself again being in-the-building-not-in-the-building, in-the-car-park-not-in-the-car-park, and my only goal to get up to the top. \nOnly this time, I felt dread. Whatever was waiting for me, whatever was so important up at the top of the car park... It was terrifying, and compelling. I didn't want to see it but had to get there. Something terrible was going to happen if I got there. And still, my body was compelled, climbing the spiraling staircase one slow step at a time, even though I didn't want to. Ever have one of those dreams that, while you're in it isn't particularly frightening, and if you try to explain it to someone else they don't really get it, but once you're awake you realize that it was the single most terrifying thing you've ever experienced? Well, this was that dream for me.\n\n\nI didn't notice the man this time. If he was there, his presence couldn't reach me. ",
"1/12/18\n\nI had a dream about running from zombies while wearing a cat as a hat.\n\nThis one thing has been bothering me about my dreams. It's been bothering me more, and more, and more over the last little while. This one detail. It. Or should I say, *him.*\n\nHe stands in the distance.\n\nHe wears his overcoat, which extends down to his ankles. It's got a technical camo pattern too, just like it always did. He stands just like he always did, casually with his hands in his pockets. Watching my every move.\n\nThe director.\n\nHe's been dead for years. Never made it out of highschool, actually.\n\nGuess that's what he got for being a commander of a vigilante force. We never got a full list of dead published from that day. All we knew, half the school, most of the enclave HQ team, and a entire SWAT team were destroyed by the fireteam before the director managed to kill them all by charging into the middle of them with a live frag grenade and pulled the pin. When the dust settled, he was gone. No one could even find part of the body. The enclave continued, with me being one of the survivors of the incident. I ended up being on the team responsible for clearing out the school afterwards, and I saw the area. He was completely gone. Just a clear patch where I guess his feet were. The walls ahd ceiling were partially bowed out, and the lockers looked like they had melted. There was shrapnel *everywhere.* Whatever he had used, he had definitely died.\n\nSo why as he in my fucking dreams? I know that I thought of him in a bit of a romantic light back then, as a conquering hero and as a friend, as strange as that may be, but I knew nothing would ever happen between us. I knew he was viewed by most people as a unbalanced psycopath and refused to connect to anyone in any romantic sexual or emotionally meaningful way.\n\nSo why was he here?\n\nWhen I go to sleep tonight, I'm going to try to talk to him.\n\nMaybe I'll find out the truth.\n\n---\nI'm a bit out of practice with writing, so please critique me.\n---\nr/talesfromtheenclave",
"\"You should give her a name.\"\n\nMy friend looked up from my dream journal. I'd been keeping them catalogued for a while now, figured it would help me keep my head in check and you can get some good stories out of them, but there was something amiss about the whole thing. There was someone following me in my dreams; A woman, I think, with the skull of an animal as its head. The clothes changed, the skull changed species... but I knew it was her. She sometimes spoke to me; odd sectences with little meaning to me, hell, I wind up forgetting them most times but when I remember them... \"There's something down in the elevator\" was a one that stuck with me for some reason. No idea what it means.\n\n\"Yeah, I should... you got any ideas?\" It was starting to bug me, this woman, she took up most of my thoughts, most of my dreams, she's even being appearing in my daydreams. What is she?\n\n\"Erm... call her... Emily.\"\n\n\"No, sounds like what you'd call a Mary Sue in a shitty teen romance.\"\n\n\"Heh, yeah. Why not-\"\n\n\"I'll think of something, it doesn't really matter.\"\n\nI bid him farewell after a long conversation about... something or other. Who was she? It bugs me so much! Who is she? What is she?\n\n\nThat was... a month ago, I think. Maybe 3...\n\n\nI'd been falling asleep a lot more, just to see her more and more... she just kept watching... the messages still don't mean anything! \n\nThe rooms bad now. I need some food.\n\nI left my room. It smelt nice outside bit I didn't care. I just needed some food.\n\nNeeded sleeping pills. Ran out a week ago.\n\nShe still takes up most of my time. That sweet dream demon. My neighbours keep giving me weird looks, heh, probabaly amazed I left. Too bad I just needed pills.\n\nI got in the elevator and... that button wasn't there before. Floor -4. We had a basement but it only went down to -1.\n\nI pressed it.\n\nThe elevator went down and down and down. Kept going far, far down. Past -4, had it been there, and kept going down.\n\nThe door opened.\n\nIt was her. I knew it was her. She... she said nothing now... and the elevator kept going down and down and down and down down down down down down down down\n\nThen she left... my sweet dream demon.\n\nIt kept going down...\n\nI should give her a name. Any ideas?\n\nThanks for reading. Any criticism is appreciated.",
"I finish writing today entry. Quietly I read over it. Of course it was back in there. Almost not worth mentioning anymore honestly. A tall creature. Masculine and shrouded in a thick darkness. It seemed to observe from a far. But it's been around since I was young I think. It used to be closer. But it's been backing up over the years. It scares me. Maybe it's leaving, maybe it's plotting. But it's just a dream. Just a dream. Just a dream. ",
"I stared at the image on my computer screen and silently mouthed \"no way\". A chill ran down my spine, as I found my phone to write down a few notes and enter GPS coordinates. I then closed my dream diary, as I'd memorized the entries I'd just reread.\n\n​\n\n*2018-06-15:*\n\n*Hunted by zombies, I gain the ability to fly. While soaring high, I recognize a face in the moon. Beatifully proportioned, female, a sad smile on her face. In a blur, everything changes to darkness and I'm a child again, trying to move our dog which has placed itself on top of my head.* \n\n​\n\n*2018-06-18:*\n\n*At work, noone notice me. I walk around trying to get an answer I need to complete my programming assignment. Everyone are just staring at their computer screens. They show an image of a young woman, and I feel I recognize her from somewhere. She's blond with glittering blue eyes, her long hair falling freely framing her face. Suddenly there's yelling, and outside I see cops. I instantly know why they're here: They think I'm the man that killed those children at that school some time ago. I sigh, as I run around, trying to find an exit they don't know about.* \n\n​\n\n*2018-06-22:*\n\n*The sun shines, I'm at the park. The pidgeons keep flying close to me, as I try to relax and eat a sandwhich. Suddenly the pidgeons are wasps, and I need to move not to be stung. I run past a bench where a young woman with long blond hair sits, smiling at me as I pass by. More wasps appear and force me to run back, but the girl is gone, and all of a sudden I'm swimming. The water feels cold.*\n\n​\n\n*2018-06-23:*\n\n*I'm back at school, the older kids are teasing me. I try to make them stop. Punch one of them to the ground. The other kids turn into dogs, and I try to fight them too, but they're too many. I run outside the schoolyeard, and on a swing, I see a young woman with long blond hair. I stumble and run straight into a light pole.*\n\n​\n\nI put my phone in the charger mount as I started the car. I'd begun doing my dream diary at the beginning of June, and this mysterious girl had appeared more frequently lately. Today was the 24th of June, it was Sunday and I'd been at home browsing the news, when suddenly I'd seen her in an online newspaper article. \n\nMy phone's GPS gave me directions, and I found myself at the local hospital a few minutes later. At the info desk, I provided the woman's name and asked for a room and directions. My heart sank as I headed for the oncology department. \n\nI knocked and heard a weak voice say »enter«. I opened the door. Lying in a hospital bed was a young woman, her head bald and her blue eyes dull. She turned her head weakly towards me and I recognized the smile. That's when it hit me how weird it was, me coming here. I hadn't given it much thought - as soon as I saw that article about frontier cancer treatment with her picture in it, I'd jumped straight to the conclusion that I needed to meet her. Selfish needs had prevailed over rational thought. Until now. I took in the scene. The woman in the bed, bags with urine and blood hanging on the bed rails, tubes connecting them to her somewhere under her duvet. The IV drip, the glass on the table beside her, the smell of hospital room which was defined by being too clean.\n\n»Hey, I... my name's Victor«, I presented myself. »I've... damn, I know this sounds weird, but I've dreamed about you. I... I don't know why I came. Saw an article on the internet about you. I'm so sorry. You... you have lymphoma?«\n\nThe woman nodded, then drew in a ragged breath. »I know you. Happy to see you here, don't worry. You're the one I get to visit. Have done so for many years now. I can only visit you it seems,« she explained. I was stunned and sat down on the visitor's chair beside her bed. She presented a hand and I silently took it and held it. »I've had lymphoma for around five years now. When it was discovered, I got a new kind of treatment, and that's when it started. In my dreams, I saw you, and I realized that those weren't my dreams. They were yours.« She coughed and I felt her hand squeeze mine. Then she continued: »I found out I could control when I visited you. I chose to do so only at great intervals, not to bother you too much. Only when my pain was too big to endure, and there was a long time until visiting hours. In the dead of night.«\n\nI put my other hand on top of hers, carressing it gently. »You've been visiting me more often lately,« I said, a mild curiosity in my voice. \n\nShe nodded and sank, a visible effort. »The treatment has limits. My time is up. I'm going to die today. Didn't want to go alone. Don't have any family, friends are mostly too scared to come visit. Needed someone... anyone... to be with me.« I felt tears roll down my cheeks, and had the awkward feeling that she was the one soothing me. Her voice lowered. »So getting you to come... I could only choose to visit you more often. Could change your dreamscape to match the feeling of urgency, but I had little hope that you'd understand. Couldn't intervene or communicate with you... But yet here you are...« Her voice trailed off.\n\n»I... I understand,« I managed to say with a shaking voice, my voice dropping to almost a whisper. »Don't worry. I'll stay. I won't leave you.«\n\n​\n\nAnd I stayed."
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[WP]In order to protect the delicate balance between good and evil the Neutral Paladins were created. They believe in doing both good AND bad deeds in equal measure.
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"Bondar the Druid bumped into a group of group of paladins who flew a black and white flag. He asked them about their beliefs and purpose in life and left disgusted. \n\nBondar met up with his other druid friends and complained about these 'neutral' paladins that had recently waltzed into town. \n\nBondar: \"The Church of Neutrology needs to reign in these misguided idiots and start acting like a real church.\"\n\nCrowd of Druids: \"But why? What's so bad about them?\" \n\nBondar: \"Well, apart from not being a real church, they took our jarbs!!\"\n\nCoD: \"Rabble rabble rabble rabble.\"\n\nBondar: \"Quick! Everybody grab some sharp objects and have some healing spells ready to cancel out the damage our weapons will do. We don't want to be hypocrites now do we?\"\n\nCoD: \"No! But what are we going to achieve exactly?\"\n\nBondar: \"We're going to show these neutered paladins what neutrality really is!\"\n\nCoD: \"Rabble rabble rabble rabble!\"\n\nCrowd Member: \"By doing absolutely nothing?\"\n\nBondar: \"What do you mean?\"\n\nCM: \"Well, they're neutral and so are we, so why are we fighting them?\"\n\nBondar: \"Becaaaause, they're Lawful Neutral, whereas we're Truuuuue Neutral. They're an abomination and have no relation to The Balance.\n\nCoD: \"He's right! Rabble rabble rabble!\"\n\nBondar: \"Now now, let's do some quiet meditation to calm ourselves before the bloodshed.\"\n\nThe druids chant with their eyes closed, some clutching their weapons and gritting their teeth while doing so.\n\nBondar: \"Right, that's enough of that! Let's get after them!\"\n\nThe druids charge the paladins and the paladins charge in return. There's blood everywhere but everyone is still unscathed. They all eventually expire from fatigue and lack of nourishment. \n\nThe god of the druids and the god of paladins appear and nod at each other. \n\nGod of Druids: \"Good job!\"\n\nGod of Neutral Paladins: \"Good job indeed!\"\n\nBalance is restored.\n",
"The Order of Neutrality arose when the peaceful kingdom of Ragnar was TOO peaceful. All around, the people of the country became too complacent, too nonchalant, it was just... boring.\n\nNot only that, but the military and other militia like forces were forced to disband as there was no crime to stop and no evil to slay. And so, the Order sought to balance good and evil, to usher in a new age of Ragnar.\n\nIt started small. Agents of the Order started committing small crimes around the country: pickpocketing, light thievery, a pub brawl or two. Soon after that, they stepped it up. Armed robberies, hostage situations, muggings, etc. The government had no choice but to reestablish the Town Guard, deploying them across the country to stem these crimes that would attempt to steal away the peace of the nation.\n\nThe Order didn’t stop there however, these crimes definitely weren’t enough. They knew that they had to escalate, throw the country back into the turmoil it was once under. The mages of the Order gathered together at the middle of the country and summoned a portal to the demon world. The war that had been snuffed out over a century ago was reignited as demon spawn poured from the portal.\n\nThe kingdoms army was once again drafted and the Demon War once again had commenced. \n\nYears of war ravaged the land. Hundreds of lives were lost to the fighting, and it seemed like there was no end in sight. As all hope seemed lost, as demon-kind fought on relentlessly, the Order, who had been non-existent for years resurfaced.\n\nNo one knew where these bannerless warriors came from, but none could deny their skill for battle. With these mysterious warriors, the kingdom’s armies fought the demons back to the portal, and the Order’s mages resealed the pathway between the worlds. \n\nAnd before the people of Ragnar could thank the mysterious warriors and mages for assisting them in their hour of need, they vanished without a trace. And so, peace returned to the kingdom of Ragnar. \n\nThe Order figured they deserved a few years of it after all, before they returned once more. "
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[WP] Every hand crafted item contains a tiny spark of magic. This enchantment grows in power the more it is used or the longer it ages. Your party has discovered what appears to be a 1000 year old untouched temple.
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" \n\n“Gimme some light over here,” Chase asked Leah. She shined a flashlight on the area that Chase indicated. He ran his finger tips up and down the rough stone surface. The light revealed a large etching carved into the wall. Chase stood back to get a better look at all the lines. The groves resembled a “less than” sign with several straight lines connecting the top and the bottom brackets; it reminded Chase of several triangles stacked on each other, then turned on its side.\n\n“There’s another one over there,” Leah said. She aimed the light on another symbol that literally mirrored the first one they found. Instead of the triangles pointing left, the two symbols appeared to be pointing at each other. The second symbol was carved into the wall parallel to the first.\n\n“Get Ira to bring a set of flood lights,” Chase said. Leah tossed him the flashlight, then she unhooked the radio from her belt and brought it up to her mouth while pressing the “talk” button.\n\n“Hey babe?” she spoke into it. Chase continued to examine the wall. He discovered a vertical groove between the two triangular shapes. \n\n“Honey? Can you hear me?” Leah asked again when no response came. After another moment she heard garbled static. “I guess it doesn’t reach down here. I’ll go get him,” she said. “You gonna be okay on your own?” Chase nodded.\n\n“I’ll be fine. Oh! Since you’ll have an extra pair of hands bring a cooler too. I got a feeling about this spot.” Chase remained focused on the vertical carving. As far as he could tell it was a straight line placed exactly between the two other etchings. \n\n“‘Kay. Be back in a few,” Leah waved while she started walking down the narrow hall back the way they came from. The path was illuminated by evenly spaced lights they dropped on their way in. Chase turned his attention back to the vertical line. He moved close again and then realized it was wider than it was a moment ago. Not much wider, but now he could trace the tip of his pointer finger through the groove.\n\n“Huh,” he said to himself, then took a step back to look at the entire wall. Chase used the flashlight to look at the two triangular etchings again, but something shocked him so much when he looked at the vertical line again he dropped the flashlight. The line looked wider again. This time he knew for sure because he realized it was an opening or door of some sort. A thin golden line of light glowed through the vertical crack. He picked up the flashlight and turned it off to be sure.\n\n“*How is it opening?*” Chase wondered. He heard no sound at all. On instinct he turned the flashlight off, closed his eyes, and counted to five aloud. He opened his eyes again after “one”. The opening in front of him was now wide enough for him to step through. He glanced at the path back to their camp, but he made his decision the moment he saw the opening. He walked through the opening into a large ante-chamber flooded with golden light. The light came from a room further in. A sudden thought made Chase whirl around in a panic, but he relaxed when he saw the door remained open. \n\n“*I don’t trust you for a second,*” Chase thought. He decided the ante-chamber produced enough natural light that he did not need the flashlight. He put it on the floor in the doorway. His hope was that even if it closed, Leah and the others might find the flashlight. Chase accepted his fate, turned his back on the door and moved to the golden room. He did not pause to check if the door behind him was still opened when he reached the door to the next room. Instead he took a deep breath and imagined a room full of glittering gold and jewels. He rushed in but the interior of the room stopped him in his tracks. \n\nIn the center of the room stood an obsidian pedestal, and on it sat a treasure more beautiful than Chase thought he could ever imagine. It had no strings, but somehow he knew it was a golden harp. Large rubies formed the number 53 on one side of the instrument, the harp itself was no taller than maybe two feet. His frame of reference was the skeleton sitting at the harp with its hands hovering on each side of the harp as if ready to play. After he noticed the skeleton he looked around the rest of the room. He quickly counted at least 20 different skeletons all in the same general area. The seat in front of the harp. \n\n“CHASE? YOU IN HERE?” He heard Leah’s voice behind him, and for some reason it made him uncomfortable. He suddenly felt rushed and decided not to respond. His feet carried him towards the seat, but the only thought in his mind was that he needed to try the harp before the crew catalogued it and sealed it away. He rushed to the harp and pushed the seated skeleton off the chair into the pile with the others. \n\n“*Where the hell are the strings?*” he asked himself. Despite having nothing to pluck Chase readied his hands on each side of the harp and he began to play the air where the strings would be. \n\n“Chase?” Leah sounded closer. Chase looked up to the entrance hoping she wasn’t there yet; when he looked back at the harp he found himself plucking delicate, dark red glowing strings. A hint of a smile formed on his face and Chase let himself relax. He heard no music. The strings were silent, but he continued to play and smile to himself, enjoying the act. Red strings were now clearly visible. \n\n“CHASE!” Leah yelled. “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING???” He looked up from the harp and saw her standing at the entrance with her hands on her hips and a very disappointed look on her face. \n\n“I don’t know,” Chase said. He looked back at the harp and smiled. “But I can’t stop.” \n\n\\*\\*\\*\n\n Thank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day in 2018, this is #236. You can find them collected on my [blog](https://hugoverse.info/). If you're curious about my universe (the Hugoverse) you can visit the [Guidebook](https://hugoverse.info/2017/11/25/hugoverse-guidebook/) to see what's what and who's who, or the [Timeline](https://hugoverse.info/2017/10/23/hugoverse-timeline/) to find the stories in order. "
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[WP] Before your grandfather passed, he gave you his mechanical watch. It was always very important to him. One day, as you hear it stop ticking, blood starts dripping from your nose
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"*'Cool a reminder for when I have the nosebleeds'*. This kid was not clever, it did not matter how many signs he got, he did not understand that the end was near. He would wake up in the morning to eat breakfast. He would prepare toast, eggs and have a glass of hot milk, and be completely oblivious to when the microwave read *'The end is near'*. Instead he laughed as he downed his milk and devoured his food. He was late for school again.\n\nOn the way to school he passed an electric signpost reading *'Seriously, you are going to die kid'.* To which he said out loud, *'Hahaha, what is with all the negativity today'*. The dean of the local heard his outburst, (he was one of the few who cared about the stupid boy). \n\n*'What negativity are you sensing young boy?'*. \n\nThe boy turned to the dean who he knew well, for the dean helped him with his homework. \n\n*'Hello dean. You know how my biggest dream is to attend your university. Today I got told many times that the end is near, and that I will soon die.'*. \n\nAs he said this, his nose started bleeding again. The dean wiped of the blood, *'Who is telling you this?'*. The kid unsure if he should tell the dean went, *'Oh you know the signpost, and things not human?'*. He started bleeding out his ears, and the white of his eyes turned pink. \n\n*'That is silly boy, objects do not talk. You are bleeding, let me fix you up'*. \n\n*'But I am late for school'*.\n\n*'Don't worry about that boy, I will call your school and tell them the situation.'*.\n\nWhen he entered the doorway of the dean's, he was met by familiar interior that made him feel safe. He was not scared of the blood, but he was starting to lose a lot, so it was only logical to lay in the bathtub. *'Listen boy. The end is near'*. Said the Dean, and he was right, the end was near."
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[WP] You work in the department of typo related magical accidents, covering all issues caused by spells that were misprints, author errors, and the like.
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"\"Sage Support, How may I assist your spellcrafting today?\" I sat at my desk, idly throwing my quill at the ceeling trying to see if it would stick Instead it came down and hit me in the face again and again.\n\nOur roofing tiles suck.\n\n\"Umm... I'm floating above the ground and I can't seem to land...\" I sigh, this is the kind of thing I'm used to. as soon as I answer a summons on my crystal ball I get some rookie spellcaster who no doubt wrote the wrong word for a spell or read the wrong ingrediant and It's my job to fix it. So boring.\n\nAt least it's better than telling them to disenchant and re-enchant a thousand times a day.\n\n\"What were you trying to cast?\"\n\nWhat I hear next confuses me\n\n\"Something to get rid of all the gravy.\"\n\nI stop for a moment, not realising the quill has finally stuck in a ceiling tile until it dislodges and strikes me in the face again. Gravy? What...\n\n\"Can you repeat that please?\"\n\n\"Yeah I'm floating around In GACK! pleu.. Pfff! Sorry, a giant blob of the stuff just flew in my face. I'm flying around in my home and there is gravy everywhere.\"\n\n\"Where did the gravy come from?\" I ask dumbfounded. this was going to be a most interesting call, but what he says next is even stranger. \"well the gravy came with the ketchup and mustard, though I managed to stem the tide of those by keeping them in my bedroom. I'm in the kitchen.\"\n\nI start to wonder if this is a prank call.\n\n\"Okay, what were you doing to try and get gratuitous ammounts of gravy, ketchup, and mustard?\" I ask needing more information. not just for my job, but for my own sick ammusement and bewilderment. what he says next just confuses me even more. \"well, I wanted people to be nicer to me.\"\n\n\"Okay, that makes sense, who dosen't want that right?\" I say trying to get some normalcy back into the conversation. \"Yeah, especially since the incident... people have been rather rude.\" I'm afraid to ask, but I sigh and do anyway. \"Okay, what's the incident?\"\n\n\"Well, I put a charm on my town, trying to help with our drout. and now everyone is acting rather rude! and to make matters worse, it still won't rain!\" Every spell he's listed off requires at least a 5th year level education, and I feel like I know what I'll get when I ask. \"How much experiance with magic do you have?\"\n\n\"Just started this week!\" he says proudly. I chuckle quietly to myself, my last strategy to chase away the screams of madness that this soul crushing job can bring upon you.\n\n\"Sir, do you have the scrolls for the spells you cast?\" I ask, to which I get an affirmative. suprisingly I hear a shuffling of parchment, despite the gratutious ammounts of gravy floating around his home.\n\n\"Let's see. the rain summoning spell, first spell I ever cast and... oh dear... I wrote Rage... my mistake.\" I shake my head as he goes to the next\n\n\"So let's see.. friendliness spell... want to make the town nicer, increase the ammounts of compliments I get... Oh... Oh dear. I wrote condiments. Yeah... this is on me.\" I smile a sad smile, wondering if my brother needs help on his bugbear farm.\n\n\"Hmm... anti Gravy spell... Ah, I see here. I wrote anti-gravity...\" I can practicly feel my soul die at the stupidity of the would be mage. \"So now you are floating around in your kitchen and your town hates you?\" \"Yup, pretty much.\"\n\nI see my supervisor walk passed me. \"Greg! just the man I was looking for, I'm gonna need you to stay late. thanks man apreciated!\"\n\nThat confirms it. I'm in hell.",
"There is a bird on my desk with a hole in its torso. This doesn't faze the little guy, as he hops and preens his feathers. As for me, I am slightly unnerved and mildly inconvenienced.\n\n\"Bartholomew?\" I call, to my intern. Hiring him wasn't my choice, it was a student outreach/internship programme arranged by the company.\n\n\"Yes, Mr. Diaz?\" He pokes his head in through the door. It's not open, the boy just has a certain talent for passing through objects.\n\n\"Yes, Mr Diaz?\" the bird echoes, squawking.\n\n\"I asked for chopped *carrots* for lunch?\" I sigh. Bartholomew turns red, and grabs the bird - one finger passing through the hole inside it - and scampers off. The boy wasn't quite in the right line of work. Perhaps it was just as well, this wasn't for everybody.\n\nI turn back to my documents, keeping up to date on the latest developments in the industry. A class action lawsuit between the wizards and the high court, an op-ed about the added safety of allowing dictonaries in the student exams, and finally my own case file.\n\nIt was... Interesting. A man had gotten hold of a wish spell, lucky guy, and promptly asked to be as happy as a clam.\n\nSee, the vast majority of cases we dealt with here are wizards with bad handwriting, or failed to obtain the services of a decent spellchecker (my company encouraged us to offer it to our clients).\n\nBut then there were cases like these. Magic spoke in primitive means, runes and emotions and incantations. Language was it's... Second language. And any time an idiom was used in magic to disastrous results, it was escalated to me. It was my job to ensure that such things wouldn't happen again, or at least to corral the magic into understanding how best to interpret the turn of phrase, without turning on the Caster.\n\nThere was the time an miner's union had converted the kingdom's coal mine into a honeycomb, with similar effects on the workers. Or the feature-length production of fish swimming in a keg. Then there was the time an entire thieves guild became fat... Though we'd preferred to handle that through diet and exercise.\n\nI grabbed my small canoe... I mean, I asked Bartholomew to get me a coat. This would be a long day."
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[WP]The Hero steps into the demon lord's throne room, determined to kill him. And with a single blow... the hero is killed instantly. And you are there, watching as another effortlessly wastes their life. As the master who trains these "Heroes". You wonder, if will they ever learn...
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"Look through any textbook written in any time period and you will find the same phrase, repeated over and over in many different way. 'Demon Lords are evil. They must be destroyed to keep the world safe, and can only be killed by destroying their focus. Only the best of the best should consider fighting one, to most adventurers it is suicide.' As I look at the fresh corpses at my feet, I sigh, clicking my tongue in annoyance. My tail sways back and forth, agitated at the outcome.\n\n​\n\n\"Pathetic, that attempt was. You don't just rush in to kill a near-omnipotent being like me, you know. Trickery, traps, weak points, and all you do is charge in with a holy-enchanted spear and hope that works. I honestly hoped you had a backup plan, something. even a time bomb near the false focus would have been acceptable!\" My real focus is of course the shining beacon of light atop the belfry of my Adventurer's Academy, a light of hope to inspire all who come near. No way anyone is going to try to dash everyone's hopes like that.\n\n​\n\nWith a wave of my hand, the corpses are revived as though nothing happened in the first place. I turn to look at them as I sit on my throne, a somber look in my eyes. \"I'm dreadfully sorry, especially given your promise on the written exam, but if that is your combat strategy I am afraid I cannot accept your application this year. I can, however, offer other options in the local hunter's guilds...\" I pull out some applications to places I have a feeling they would like. I've yet to be wrong.\n\n​\n\nDemon lords are evil, all except one. The hopes of cocky, wannabe adventurers must be destroyed to keep them safe, despite the heartbreak it can cause. Only the best students should fight the dean of the academy, because he will kill you, bring you back, and give you the worst torture imaginable: Overly sarcastic feedback."
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[WP] You are in the wilderness while you encounter a predator, even though you’re fully aware of its presence, you somehow don’t seem to be alarmed by your natural instincts..
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"As a ray of sunshine hits my eye, I groan and stretch. Perhaps I can sleep for just a few more seconds -- \n\n​\n\nA growl pierces the air. I freeze. There are no predators that I know of in the few acres behind my house, where I usually go camping. I turn in my sleeping bag suddenly, when I see the creature.\n\n​\n\nIt must be at least three quarters of my size, with slobber dripping from snarling jaws. Each ear is flattened against its giant head, and it crouches low, as if to pounce. My pulse should be through the roof, . . . and yet I feel nothing. \n\n​\n\nThe spotted coat, the brown eyes, faint quiver of the nose as the creature slowly creeps closer, now curious instead of defensive. And in a flash, I am back to that Christmas morning: a small head poking through a cardboard box, a tiny tail wagging with excitement. The morning after, when we couldn't find the creature anywhere in the house. \n\n​\n\nI bend down until my head is underneath the dog's . \"Hello Rex.\""
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[WP] You're an unemployed teacher. You stumble across a surprisingly lucrative tutoring position. The catch is you're tutoring a 400-year-old vampire who just woke up.
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"Fyen laid in bed staring at the ceiling fan spin. Three months had passed since she was terminated from her position as a high school history teacher. Three long months, the severence pay was keeping the rent and utilities up to date but for how long? Her phone chimed with a new email.\n\n'Tutor wanted for adult student. Nondisclosure agreement required. Pay dependent upon expierence. Please mail cover letter and resume to .....'\n\nShe thought what the hell to herself and printed out a cover letter and resume but had to go buy an envelope and stamp to send it out.\n\nA few weeks had gone by and fyen had picked up some odd jobs to help pay for food when her phone rang from an unknown number, she answered figuring it was another odd job.\n\n\"Hello miss, this is Jermery Sanders with Sanders and Sanders Law Firm. I'm calling on behalf of my client whom wishes to setup an interview, the only stipulation is that you have to sign the NDA before the interview. Is that ok for you miss?\"\n\nFyen blinked for a minute having totally forgotten about the tutoring job after not hearing for weeks. \"Sure when would a good time be to come in?\"\n\n\"We are open Monday through Saturday 7am to 6pm and Sundays 7am to noon. Any time will do but the sooner the better for my client.\"\n\n\"I'm available this afternoon once I finish this job. I'll see you before you close for the evening.\"\n\n\"I'm glad to hear that miss, I'll inform my client. We look forward to seeing you.\"\n\nThe phone clicked as the lawyer hung up. She began to wonder who she'd be tutoring that would require such privacy. She shrugged to herself and finished the days job with a little bit of extra perk in her step. She got home and cleaned up quick and put on some dress casual clothes before heading out. She got to the lawyers office about half an hour before closing. As she walked in the receptionist took notice and asked her to sign in. As the receptionist looked at the name she smiled. \"Mr sanders is expecting you, follow me through the door on your left please.\"\n\nFyen was lead to a small conference room where a small stack of papers was already setup. \"Have a seat and make yourself comfortable, I'll inform Mr sanders you're here.\" \"Thank you.\"\n\nA gentleman walked in the room not even thirty seconds after the receptionist walked out. A extended his hand in greeting \"Ms. Clark a pleasure to meet you, I'll try to keep this brief and go over a few things with you before your interview.\" Fyen merely nodded and shook his hand. \"Please have a seat over here. As you know this position requires a NDA as we discussed. Do you think that will be an issue or have any concerns?\" \"Not really, I just don't know too much since I don't know who I'll actually be working for.\" \"Once you sign the NDA I'll try to explain as much as I can.\" Fyen nodded and quick read over the NDA before signing it. It was a fairly straight forward and basic NDA from her perspective.\" \"Good good, now my client has some weird habits that you'll have to become accustomed to, one of the major ones is his sleeping habit, he tends to be strictly nocturnal, the few times I've seen him out during the day has been, shall we say rough. Do you have any issues with a varied sleep schelude depending on his ability?\" \"That depends on the pay. The right amount I'll become nocturnal.\" \"Right your pay, the first ninety days will be at a fixed rate of 25$USD per hour, and after the end of your probationary period your pay rate will double plus benefits. After your probationary period is over the offer is also extended to include room and board if so desired or needed.\" \"How has this job not been taken by someone else?\" \"Others have applied and not made it past the interview, others have applied and not made it past the first ninety days. We shall see with you. If there is nothing else, I have a driver waiting to take you to the interview.\"\n\n\"Wait I'm interviewing now? I figured this was just a meeting to sign the NDA paperwork and then I'd be called for an interview.\"\n\n\"I'm sorry miss but my client prefers to test people to see how they react under pressure. The way you are dressed is prefectably acceptable, if it wasn't you wouldn't have gotten a chance to sign the paperwork. Now hurry along, mustn't keep him waiting.\"\n\nFyen was shuttled out of the office and a rolls royce was sitting by the front door with a gentleman holding the passenger door open. Mr sanders followed her out and saw the car and gentleman. \"Ah tank he sent you this time? Good to see you getting out for a bit.\" \"Thank you sir, is this the miss I am to take for an interview?\" \"Yes this is miss clark, she'll be interviewing for the tutor position. She has already signed the NDA as per agreement, here is a copy for your employer.\" \"Thank you Mr sanders, miss clark please have a seat and buckle in.\" The gentleman did a half bow with his free arm across him as he held the door. She sat down and buckled in as he carefully closed the door for her. She felt the car sway slightly as he got into the driver's seat. She didn't realize the car had been running this entire time. Tank put the vehicle in drive and took off towards the edge of the city. \"Where are we heading?\" \"I've been instructed to take you to the tavern owned by mr. Kohrah.\" \"The tavern?\" \"Yes it is a nightclub/bar with hotel suites above the main floor much like a tavern from old would have been.\" \"Mr. Kohrah, is he a nice guy to work for? The lawyer told me others have attempted to work for him and failed.\" Tank laughed, \"Well he is, how do I put this, eccentric. Yea we'll go with eccentric. He'll explain more during the interview. The pair pulled up into a valet drop off and tank tossed the keys to valet. \"Take good care of Mr kohrah's vehicle. You know he dislikes any dings.\" A door hop held the door for the two and fyen saw tank tip the man. The tavern upon first glance seemed like any other nightclub/bar, it had a main seating area, a small dance floor, a dj booth, the seating area had multiple televisions each playing a different game or news channel.tank began to walk towards a wall and fyen began to scream to tell him to watch out when the wall shimmered and he passed through. \"I'm sorry miss I forgot to warn you, Mr kohrah is gonna stripe my hide for that. He invented a hologram that looks realistic and places it so that it protects the VIP section. Please follow me.\" Tank took her arm and walked her through the seemingly solid wall. \"Those that have access to the VIP area can pass through the wall as if it were air, those that don't end up hitting a solid wall. I'm not sure the science behind it or how it really works, all u know is it does.\"\n\nFyen looked around the vip section and saw a few tables each with a small tablet in the center.\n\n\n-=NOTE=-\n\nSecond part coming after lunch break.\n\nWritten on my phone while at work so please be mindful of spelling, grammer, and punctuation errors.",
"I knew from the start that it looked too good to be true. Five hundred dollars per two-hour session, NDA required, only evening classes? It sounds fishier than a Japanese restaurant's compost bin. But hey, I had to pay rent and I've been tutoring High School since I was in it, so I figured I would do this for a few months and be set until hiring picks up again. Three times a week (one for History, one for Science, one for Literature) meant I'd have six thousand dollars in a month. That's a good deal for a six-hour work-week.\n\nSo I sat by the bus stop, thinking about the money over and over, to avoid thinking about how fishy it all was. I thought about how this Mr. Selwyn was probably just eccentric. Perhaps he had recently suffered a head injury. Perhaps he hated computers. My efforts to avoid worrying were circumvented when the limousine stopped in front of me. It was so fishy.\n\n\"Leila Madani?\" The driver asked, and I stood up. The door opened up, and a pale blonde man with a gaunt face and sharp green eyes gestured for me to go in. I did, and closed the door behind me. As the limo drove away, my student stared at me with the curiosity of a viper evaluating a hamster. \n\n\"Miss Madani, I am delighted to meet you,\" he said, offering me his hand. I couldn't place his accent. Irish? Canadian? It seemed to wander around. I took his hand to shake, but he brought my fingers to his cold, dry lips. It sent a shiver down my spine, and I sat frozen for a moment before snatching my hand away. \n\n\"Forgive me,\" he said, as I glanced out the window to see where we were heading. \"I... arrived not long ago. Frighten not, I seek only knowledge from you.\"\n\nI nodded, feeling my throat uncooperative, and he smiled. \"Prithee, where think you we ought begin?\"\n\nAfter a breath to steel myself, I found my voice. \"Your letter said that you had very little education in the sciences... so I thought you should take a placement test for basic biology, chemistry and physics.\"\n\n\"A placement test?\" He echoed. \n\n\"Yes, so that I know what I need to teach you and what you already know.\"\n\nHe nodded, still looking at me with those uncomfortably intense eyes. I rummaged through my bag until I found the test I'd printed out, and handed it to him. His long, pale fingers carefully flipped the pages. \n\n\"It should take you some ten minutes, once we arrive...\"\n\n\"Miss Madani, I am of no use with this,\" he said, handing it back to me after a quick skim. \"Even the words are beyond me. Assume, if you can, that I have come into the world whole, as I am now, never encountering these matters once.\"\n\nI frowned--much of the stuff there was grade-school level--but took back the test and put it away. The limo stopped. He stepped out, and I did as well, which surprised him for some reason. Then he led me in.\n\nMr. Selwyn's home had an understated kind of beauty. It was old, and well-restored, with thousands of books lining the shelves in his living room. He made himself comfortable on a couch, and must have gestured for me to do likewise, though I was too busy staring at the books to notice. I hope it does not come across as arrogant, but I am pretty well-read, and I could barely keep my jaw from falling as I realized that I did not recognize any of his books. \n\n\"Prithee, my dear, leave the admiration to a later date?\" He half-asked half-ordered, and I remembered why I was there. \n\n\"Right. Right, I... right. Yes, we're starting with Science. So, if you don't know anything, I guess the first thing to start with should be... the method.\" \n\n\"The method?\"\n\n\"The Scientific Method. Observation, Question, Hypothesis, Prediction, Experiment, Analysis.\" He nodded, and I continued, \"First you start with an observation. Like... What's something you have noticed about the world?\"\n\n\"The air smells different in the forest than in the city,\" he said. \n\n\"Right. That's an interesting thing. Then you ask, well, why is that? Then you might pose a hypothesis--a guess, basically--such as, well, it's probably because of air pollution. Then you figure out a prediction from that guess, so... if air pollution is responsible for the changes in smell between the city and the forest, then you should be able to take air from the city, filter out the pollutants, and make it smell more like air from the forest. So you figure out an experiment to test that--some sort of situation where you capture air from the city and run it through some filters--and then you analyze the result. It will probably not smell like the forest because the forest, on top of having less pollution in the air, also has trees and mosses and water and other things that can modify the smell of the air.\"\n\nHe nodded.\n\n\"That's usually what we call the Scientific Method.\"\n\n\"And that is where these molecules begin?\" \n\n\"Well... kind of? Not really.\" I sighed. \"Let's start at the beginning. Everything in the world is made out of tiny tiny particles called atoms...\" ",
"My last job was definitely a step down in my career arc. Having entered teaching in Texas, I found that every time I opened my mouth I was offending someone’s parents. My last gig was no exception, summer school for St Paul Lutheran Church. Oh man did I ever bite my tongue, but one day after “bible stories” when the students were taught about Noah’s Arc, one of the more astute children asked how all the animals fit into the Arc together. I should have just said “because the Bible says so,” but I am an educator at heart and I... I just couldn’t get those words out. Needless to say I was let go. \n\nWorking a drive through was at least pressure free, but I was getting depressed fast. Until one day my cregslist add for a personal tutor was picked up by a reclusive billionaire in Pennsylvania. The offer of full room and board plus a salary that would make a mid level manager jealous was enough for me to pack my bags and fly out on the next plane. \n\n....\n\n“Welcome mortal, you are in the most evil residence known to man!” His enthralled Forman said, “the position you accepted was actually for the dark lord himself.” \n\nAs if on cue a black shadow began defending from the second floor balcony, lazily drifting down till it reached the floor, exploding into a cloud of substanceless shadows. “I am the once and always Dracula, you have been hired to teach me of the modern world so I may once again prey on the innocent, there are no gods who can help you now.”\n\n“Wait,” I replied, “you are not religious?” \n\nAs if taken aback with my clam demeanor, he roared “WHAT IS RELIGION BUT PEASANT SUPERSTITION TO COMFORT THEM IN THE LONG NIGHTS OF MY RULE.”\n\nI let out a slow, shaky sigh, my eyes welled with tears. “Finally,” I managed to whisper. “Finally I can teach.”\n\nHaving regained my composure I stared straight into his eyes and said, “let’s begin with Western colonization of the new world and the American genocide of the native Americans, after lunch we can start our biology lesson with Darwin.” ",
"The regal gentleman strode into the room, silver tipped can tapping rhythmically on the marble tile with each step. Neatly trimmed beard and stache hid aged lines, and drew attention to piercing azure eyes. In many ways, and rather unnervingly, the man bore more than a passing resemblance to Bram Stoker. He smiled, and from across the room, his once yellow and black, fractured and splintered teeth and grim gumlines had been wholly restored, thanks in much part to modern dentistry and ample maxillofacial attendance, to pearly and straight teeth and sightly maw. \n\nThe man snapped the cane into the crook of his elbow, silver cap riding properly atop his shoulder, and strode four more steps to the end of the lengthy banquet table. His every movement calculated and refined, his mannerisms polished, the quintessential regality of old. Slowly, he pushed his lips around elongated canines, which protruded to just below his lower lip, and he said with firm command and diction, \"ēac nū ic sculan drinc ēower blōd.\"\n\nJeremiah shifted in the old leather wingback chair, threw his left leg over his right, and held up his hand. \"Uh, uh. Buh ul uh dah. Blood.\"\n\n\"Blawd.\"\n\nJeremiah shook his head and stood. He walked to the opposite end of the table and spoke across the great lengths of ancient timber planks, \"Uh. Blood.\"\n\n\"Nā, nā.\" The man snapped the cane down on the table. \"Buh-la-awwww-d.\"\n\n\"Baron Von -\"\n\n\"Beoron!\" He rapped the cane on the table a second time. \"*Beo*-\"\n\n\"Ehr. Be-ehr-on. Bear on. Baron.\"\n\n\"Nā. Wrang! Beoron!\" The baron hissed, and, momentarily, his complexion turned ashen and it seemed his canines grew longer.\n\nJeremiah pressed his lips together. The academy had given very clear instruction on the consequences to angering this particular student. Albeit, they had neglected a few pertinent details, such as, for instance, *He's a goddamn vampire*!\n\nStaring across the table at certain doom, he couldn't help but wonder, *Why couldn't I get that inbred autistic royal with the hemophilia and a death wish? Isn't that why they made super-glue and Ritalin?* \n\nAnd so he swallowed any semblance of pride, *Oh, who the hell am I kidding, my dad was right, what the hell kind of job did I think I was going to get with an English degree?* And, slowly, he said, \"ēac eaðmodlīce sārig.\" *Sorry my ass,* he thought. *Well, I ate Garlic Jim's for lunch, so threaten me all you like!*\n\nBaron Von, nay, *Beoron* Von Kermititsnitch, or whatever the hell his name was, composed himself and tucked his fangs back in his musty claptrap hole. \"Blōd.\"\n\n*Well,* Jeremiah thought, *At least he's trying. Not like that bloody wolfman.* \"Blood.\"\n\n\n",
"**Had to do a two-parter so I hope you enjoy all of the TIME AND EFFORT I PUT INTO MAKING THIS RELATIONSHIP WORK FOR THE CHILDREN**\n\n\n*Historian required for full-time private tutoring. Adult learners. Preferred specialties: Post-Renaissance. Interview Required. Starting pay: $50/hr. Inquire for Vanessa at (904)-146-6631.*\n\nI remember that seeing that listing in the personals. It was a grey day in storm season, and the warm rain had gotten to the paper before I had. I saw “historian” and my curiosity was piqued: I mean, “high-school history teacher” is basically synonymous, right? And with adult learners, I wouldn’t have to worry about those little turds that called themselves “students.” (Yes, big surprise that the girl who despises children has little love for uppity high schoolers.) \n\nThen I saw the pay and I damn near choked on my Eggos.\n\nI think I broke some of the glass in my apartment with how fast I reached for my phone. I called the number and the man on the other side of the line told me that I could interview as early as next week. So of course I said yes; It was this or becoming a telemarketer or swampfolk. Is that something you can do? *Become* swampfolk? These and other important questions raced through my mind as I gathered my lesson portfolio and my entire public collage education’s worth of educational theory in order to impress ‘Vanessa.’ I even got a haircut and bought a new tie just for the occasion. It was red like wine, or perhaps fresh blood. \n\nGood prediction, right?\n\nThe interview was in the evening which I thought was a bit strange. But then again, people work weird schedules nowadays and this lady sounded rich so I didn’t really care. I got off the bus a tactical two stops away from the address: not close enough for them to see me getting off the bus, but not so far that I would be sweating from the walk. I’m smart like that, and in other ways; humble too.\n\nThe address belonged to a big gated Spanish-colonial style home. You know, with the russet roof tiles and off-white stucco walls. Some guy, a big Hispanic dude, was at the gate and buzzed me through. Had I known what I was getting into, I would have thought his friendliness to be a bit… jarring, I suppose. But I didn’t, so he was simply a nice young man called Gómez. “Like the Addams family,” he said with a laugh and a puff on his Marlboro. He waved me up the well-kept path into the home.\n\nThere was a doorman there, wearing a familiar dark red. He took my jacket and ushered me in. “Mistress Vanessa is expecting you in the sitting room, straight down the hall.” I nervously thanked him, took a deep breath, and started my walk. My heels clicked on the floor and it was basically the only noise in the building. Big houses like that are always really quiet when only one or two rich people live in them. \n\nAs it turns out, it was three: one rich person and her parents.",
"\"So this is called Tinder. You basically swipe right if you like her and swipe left if you don't\" I had to turn down the light adjustment to the lowest for him.\n\n\"But how do I know if this 'stranger' is safe or not\"\n\n\"Dude, you are a vampire\" I rolled my eyes,\n\n\"Point taken. But seriously, how do I know this person is legitimately her? And how do I know if she is a nice lady? Do I just roll the dice and take the risk?\"\n\n\"I did. I rolled the dice and took a risk of coming here.\"\n\n\"Jeez... okay... it just...sounds really dangerous and stupid\"\n\n\"First of all, don't say that to people you meet on Tinder. They do not like to hear that. Secondly, what are you bitching about? just meet someone and suck their blood. Be more like vampire we portray you in media\"\n\nI closed the Tinder and opened Uber.\n\n\"This app here is called Uber. Easily put, it basically just gets you from point A to point B\"\n\n\"Well, I can just fly so I guess I won't really need this app\"\n\n\"Yea sure, just fly around the city. I'm sure nobody will stop you\"\n\n\"Dude, I might be old but I am much stronger than humans\"\n\n\"You may have sharp teeth and super powers but a fat cop can put you down if you fly around. You don't understand the technology we have now. Just... don't fly around okay? especially not in that black coat...\"\n\n\"What's wrong with my black coat?\"\n\n\"Well... it will cost you extra for politics tutoring\"\n\nHe opened his wallet and muttered to himself\n\n\"Agh... should have just stayed asleep...\""
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[WP] “Congratulations! With the birth of your son, Earth’s population has reached 10 billion!” You furrow your brow in confusion. “What about the other 2.4 billion?”
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"\"Whaddya mean?\" she asks.\n\n\"Well, last time I checked, [Earth's current population](http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/) was less than 7.65 billion,\" I point out pedantically. \"How did we suddenly get to *10 billion*?\"\n\nThe nurse forces a grin as she hands me the bag of disposable diapers and gift certificates. \"I was *rounding*. Just take the fucking bag, okay? And congratulations.\""
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[WP] Someone nearby is crying and sobbing, and you seem to be the only person who can hear them.
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"It was so loud, I couldn't sleep for the first month I heard it.\n\nI was at the market when I first heard it, I assumed it was someone in the next aisle over and tried to ignore it. I tried to go to the next aisle away from the crying but the person seemingly only cried louder. That was also when I noticed that no one else seemed bothered by the wailing, a woman was talking on her phone like nothing was happening. Another aisle away and it got even louder, at this point I couldn't bear it and started to go back towards it, and somehow it seemed to be getting quieter as I approached where I assumed it was.\n\nI didn't find it in the aisles. I tried looking around the supermarket for almost 15 minutes, with the sobbing getting louder or softer as I wandered. Eventually I realized it was at its softest when I was at the northern most wall. Even though it was quieter here than anywhere else in the store it still pounded on my head, I couldn't help myself but run out through an emergency exit a few feet away to get to the noise. As I got out an alarm was sounded, though it was minor compared to the crying. I turned left expecting the source of the crying to be against the wall, but it wasn't there. I kept walking north and the noise seemed to get softer, but it wouldn't go away.\n\nI kept walking towards it just for it to slowly go down, but was eventually stopped when I got to the highway. Then I was stopped from crossing by an angry manager trying to figure out why I opened the emergency exit at his supermarket. After apologizing and doing my best to explain myself over the phantom crying, I eventually got in my car and drove home. The noise followed me home.\n\nI tried to ignore it. I knew a few days later I must just be crazy because it never went away, no matter the time or place I was at. Just endless sobbing, I didn't even think about why someone could be crying because the noise itself was like a drill in my brain coming out my ears. No one else ever commented on it, they would just look at me sideways when I asked them to write down what they were trying to ask me, and I couldn't blame them.\n\nEventually I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't call my work or my friends, I just got in my car and drove north. There would be long stretches of straight road where the noise would just continuously decrease, and those moments would feel as if a weight was being lifted off my chest. But sometimes the roads would end and I'd have to turn around to find another route to take, and at those moments the crying would be as loud as ever.\n\nAt some point, the steady decrease turned into a sudden increase and I almost lost control of the car in the shock. I realized I must have just passed the source of the crying and made the first right turn I could. The noise got louder. After a U-turn it finally started going down again and I was back on track. \n\nThat night I found myself at the entrance of a cave. I knew the sobbing must be inside the cave, because suddenly it was echoing. Not once had the sound ever been diluted from me being inside a building or wearing earplugs, but suddenly it the noise was actually interacting with the terrain. I started to creep into the cave, unprepared but hoping this would all be over.\n\nUnfortunately, the echoing threw me off completely. Following the noise had been easy so far, but now it felt like the crying was coming from every angle. I couldn't just go in one direction, it was the same every way I turned. I took a few more steps and tripped. Thankfully I didn't kill myself, but I realized I can't just go running through the cave with no preparations, especially when I don't have a rope guiding me along.\n\nI turned around and made my way back out of the cave. My new plan was to find the nearest city, try to find any stuff that would help me navigate my way through this cave, and then come back tomorrow. I wasn't 10 feet out of the cave when the sobbing exploded again. It somehow felt louder than ever. As if it knew that I was so close but was leaving it to its sorrow. After the first few weeks I never mentioned the crying to anyone, I understood they couldn't hear it and felt like talking about it would only be inviting people to call me crazy. But for the first time, there at the mouth of the cave, I felt the urge to talk about the crying to the only other person I thought could hear it.\n\n\"I HEAR YOU!\" I screamed down into the cave. The crying's volume didn't change. \"I KNOW YOU'RE DOWN THERE AND I'M GOING TO COME FIND YOU! WHOEVER YOU ARE!\" I think some tears began rolling down my own face then, either out of desperation or frustration. \"I'M GOING TO COME BACK! JUST WAIT A LITTLE LONGER!\"\n\nThe crying didn't stop. But it got softer."
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[WP] One bright day in the middle of the night, two dead men got up to fight, back to back they face the other, drew their swords and shot eachother. This is their story
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"This is how it began. This is how it ended. \n\nThis is how it began again.\n\nOne bright day in the middle of the night, two dead men got up to fight. Back to back they faced the other, drew their swords and shot each other.\n\nOne was fair. One was darkened. One was seething. The other was grieving.\n\n\"Die!\" shouted the first. \"Cease!\" shouted the second.\n\nBut neither would listen.\n\nStrike, parry, counter. Their raging swings turned to pathetic flounders. \n\nThey paused for breath. Their eyes never wandered from the other.\n\nLike lovers too long apart, they flung themselves back together; each clawing for the other's heart.\n\n\"What are you so afraid of?!\" screamed the first when their swords locked.\n\n\"What shook you of your fear?\" asked the second.\n\nThe first laughed. The second bellowed in agony.\n\nThey dropped their swords; hands were more intimate.\n\nSwing, thrust, strike. One revealed an axe, the other revealed a pike.\n\n\"Enough!\" Pleaded the second. The first laughed.\n\n\"You don't really want to stop, do you?\" he crooned.\n\nThey came together again and again. They slipped in their blood.\n\nOne fell. The other faltered. \n\n\"What are you waiting for?!\" demanded the second. \n\n\"For it to begin again!\" cackled the first. His fair skin glinted white in the rising moonlight. He dropped his weapon.\n\nThe second hung his head. One of his gloved hands wiped his masked face in dread. He tried to cover his ears to drown out the laughter of the other, but found himself laughing instead.\n\nThis is how it began. This is how it ended. \n\nThis is how it will begin again."
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[WP] The door is ajar.
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"Timmy ran along the overgrown grass, down the slight decline to where the greatest opportunity in the salvage yard lay. His older brother Matt was counting off numbers out loud— he’d been working backwards from twenty, and was now at fifteen. Matt’s voice was fading with each step.\n\nAs Timmy’s eyes scanned left and right, a seemingly infinite amount of choices presented themselves. Too many for a boy of five to choose from.\n\nTo his right there was a beat-up, lime-green Chevy he could climb into. He imagined himself tucked down low against the floorboards of the backseat. *No good*, he thought. The large windows would give him away. His brother was tall enough to see inside if he walked by. Matt had the ‘luck of the Irish’— a phrase Timmy had heard his mother use often. It for sure applied to Matt who could find a piece of charcoal in a dark room, and definitely Timmy in an old Chevy.\n\nTimmy turned to inspect the massive green tractor to his left. Its giant black wheels were cracked from age and sun. He thought that if he pressed his body up tight against the inside of the tire, he was sure he could become darn near invisible. The only problem was the tractor was out in the open, and had little grass underneath. His brother would for sure see his legs poking out.\n\n“Ten!…” Matt’s voice bellowed the ten-second warning. The next would be five, and Timmy still hadn’t found a good place yet. Nonetheless, Timmy’s nerves felt electrified with youthful excitement. He felt like a rocket on the pad or a bottle of soda all hook up. These were the best times, the times of play that children were made to have. If only he could find a good spot to hide— then the good times would keep going!\n\nRunning down a thin dirt trail—hearing his brother shout “Five!”—Timmy rounded a corner and almost ran past the best hiding spot he’d ever seen. It was like something out of a dream, meant only for him. His brother would never find him. He himself wouldn’t have seen it if it wasn’t for the angle he’d been running. Not to mention a little luck of his own.\n\nHopping over a broken vacuum cleaner, Timmy sprinted over to a large circle of appliances all set in a circle. All of them white. There were ovens, washers, dryers— all kinds, towering above him like holy monoliths. Back, behind a giant stack of microwaves sat an ancient looking refrigerator. Its heavy door stood ajar… as if left open just for him.\n\n“Ready or not here I come!”\n\nTimmy’s heart all but leapt to his throat. It was now or never! He climbed in the spacious tomb of the fridge and found it refreshingly cold, as if it were still working somehow. He leaned over and pulled on the door. He expected a little struggle; the door looked thick like it was made of three-inch steel, but the door complied willingly. It shut with a click that echoed in the darkness.\n"
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[WP] You start to notice shadows on the ground, but there is nothing around to make those shadows.
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"It was Chase's first weekday off in a long time and he was just walking around his abandoned neighbourhood casually while everyone else was at work, enjoying the sunlight. A cute little bird fluttered down to the sidewalk to peck at something or other and he followed it with his eyes. What he saw was odd, however. Right behind the bird there seemed to be a shadow of something. Not from the bird, as it was disconnected from it. But there seemed to be a long shadow that was vaguely human shaped, but much too large. Like there was a man-balloon floating right above the pavement. Chase frowned. \"Hey...uh...anyone there?\" He regretted it as soon as he said it. The shadow turned in his direction and he saw another two come out of nowhere on the street. He thought he should run, but he was paralyzed with shock. The next thing that happened made him almost lose consciousness.\n\nA...man...woman...a person stepped into being right in front of him out of nothing. They looked at him with large, unblinking eyes and a strange smile that seemed both happy and fascinated. Two other people stepped out of nowhere from the street and walked towards him. They didn't touch him, they just looked at him in a strange way. \"You... You can see us?\" the first one asked him.\n\n\"I...I...I...\"\n\n\"Fleeria, I think you broke him.\" The smaller one from the street said, gesturing to the first one.\n\n\"Nonsense, he's just likely never seen someone come in or out before.\" The first one shook their head and then went back to smiling at Chase, \"So...you can see us?\"\n\n\"Y...yes. I can. Wh-wh-who are you?\" All three of the odd people clapped their hands and squealed in a haunting echoing sound that forced Chase to step back a bit.\n\n\"Oh this is incredible! Peylire, we actually found one with sight advanced enough to see us when not on this specific level!\" Fleeria, or so they seemed to be called, looked back at Chase and leaned into look deep into his eyes, \"his ocular organs don't seem to have any abnormalities. Perhaps it's a neural mutation? OH! You asked who we are. Well, yes, I suppose that is a question you might want to ask people who seemingly popped out of thin air. Yes. I am Fleeria, this,\" they pointed to the smaller one, \"is Peylire, and the big one is Heenor. They don't speak your language, though. This is only their first time on this planet.\"\n\n\"So...you're aliens?\" Chase scratched his curly black hair.\n\n\"Well...in a sense, I suppose. We are what you might call fourth dimensional beings,\" the human made an intense look of confusion, \"Oh...well. You know your three dimensions, yes?\" He continued to look confused. \"Ah, well let me explain it like this. If you draw a line on a piece of paper, assume that line is a person, now, that person's perception is limited to left and right. One physical dimension. Now, if you add the second dimension, rotating by ninety degrees, you can turn the line into a square. You added forward and back to the equation. Now assuming that square is a person, they can move left, right, forward and back. But all of their friends will appear to them simply as lines. They have no concept of up or down, so they can't adjust themselves to see the rest of their friend's bodies. Now you can rotate on the third axis by ninety degrees and create a cube. If you take the cube and put it onto the two dimensional world, all the square and all his friends would see would be another line that they would recognize as a square. Are you following?\"\n\nChase squinted his eyes and tilted his head before nodding slowly, \"I suppose, yes.\"\n\n\"Ok, now, if you tilt the cube and pass it through this '2D land' the people there would see this rapidly expanding shape as it gets to the widest part of the cube, then as it passes that, a rapidly decreasing shape until it was gone. Off to some other part of 3D space that the 2D landers can't conceive of. Where we are from is similar in scope. You exist on the third dimension as does all of humanity. From the third dimension, if you take the cube and rotate it along a fourth physical axis, you get what...what was his name, Peylire?\"\n\nPeylire sighed, \"I believe it was Charles Howard Hinton.\"\n\n\"No, not him, the more recent one,\" they tapped their chin.\n\n\"Oh. Carl Sagan.\"\n\n\"YES!\" they looked back to Chase, \"You get what Carl Sagan called a hyper-cube. We have a word for it in our tongue, but you wouldn't be able to pronounce it, so never mind. That fourth axis follows what can best be described in your language as in and out. So if I was to step out,\" they disappeared and spoke with an echoing tone, \"you, with your current level of perception, wouldn't be able to see me,\" they reappeared on the other side of Chase, \"then stepping back in to your plane, I can be seen again. Simple, yeah?\"\n\nChase swung around and stared at Fleeria for a second before a small trickle of blood started to flow from his nose and he fell backwards.\n\n---\n\nI hope you liked it! I would have written more but I'm about to knock off work, so...yeah. Thanks for the prompt!",
"Melissa walked briskly through the junkyard, coat collar turned up despite the afternoon heat. Her face was slick with perspiration, but she welcomed the sun's rays. It meant safety; freedom. Even her safe houses had been with high-powered solar lamps that kept them free of shadows.\n\nShe eyed each black spot she passed suspiciously.\n\nFortunately, the agreed meeting ground was in an open field yet unclaimed by stacks of wrecked cars. Her contact was already there, idly looking at a strange, golden watch on his wrist. A nondescript man, anywhere between twenty to thirty-five—no wonder he'd evaded the Department and other law enforcement authorities for years. Man like that could show up in your grandmother's house one day and you wouldn't even question it.\n\n\"Mr. Wharton?\" she said.\n\nHe nodded at her, unsmiling. Ah, someone else was tense. Welcome to the mission, she thought. \"You must be Ms. Jamison.\"\n\n\"Call me Melissa,\" she said.\n\n\"Whatever.\" He was facing her squarely, feet spread slightly apart. Ready to fight? Or run? \"I'm going to keep this short. You say you have info I need. Let's hear it.\"\n\n\"I said I'm here to make a deal,\" she replied. \"Either we both walk away happy ...\"\n\n\"Or you kill me?\" He smirked. \"That's how it always works with you Department types, right?\"\n\n\"I quit the job,\" she corrected him.\n\n\"I don't care. Once Department, always Department. So let me spell it out for you real clear: the gun you're no doubt carrying in that coat is going to start heating up in ten minutes. As will any piece of metal around us for ... I don't know, twenty yards? And you don't need me to remind you where we are right now.\" He gave her another humorless smile. \"Just like muffins in an oven.\"\n\nShe scowled. \"You know what we call you back in the office? The Weasel.\"\n\n\"I'll take that as a compliment. So you tell me what I want to know, and then I'll decide whether it's worth what you want.\"\n\nShe reached into her coat, forgetting for a moment who she was facing. Immediately, something unseen tightened around her throat, cutting off her airflow. Her eyes widened as she saw Wharton's hands outstretched like a mime pulling on invisible rope.\n\n\"You take anything out that looks like a weapon ...\" he growled.\n\n\"Just ... paper!\" she wheezed. Her trembling fingers pulled an envelope free, which she held to him.\n\nThe invisible rope loosened. Melissa sucked in lungfuls of fresh, rust-scented air as Wharton closed in and plucked it out of her fingers.\n\n\"Who?\" he said simply.\n\n\"One of our ... one of their team leaders,\" she said, rubbing her neck. \"Valerie Dykes. She'll be in Atlanta in a week's time. Inside, you'll find details on her security and itinerary.\"\n\n\"Wonderful.\" Wharton ripped the top off and peeked at its contents. \"I've always wanted to battle half a dozen magicians by myself. She gifted?\"\n\n\"She's like me,\" Melissa said, a wry smile on her face. \"Always cleaning up after your kind.\"\n\n\"If your info's solid ... well, Project Nightshade's days will be numbered.\"\n\n\"If you're as good as they say you are,\" she countered. \"Now, about your end of the bargain.\"\n\n\"Let me guess, you want protection.\"\n\nHer expression grew hard. \"I can protect myself. But I want you to kill someone for me.\"\n\nWharton's look was all too knowing. \"Your ex-partner.\"\n\nJust the thought of him made her facade crumble. \"He's ... everywhere. I can't run from him; I can't hide. And he's getting closer.\"\n\n\"I know a guy like that too, nasty piece of work,\" Wharton said. \"But I can't do that. I don't kill. My file would've told you that. I can pass this along to my—\"\n\n\"That's not good enough!\" She was unable to keep a shrill note from entering her voice. \"Only reason I even agreed to meet—\"\n\nMotion from the corner of her right eye cut her short. At first, she'd thought it was the grass swaying in the wind, but there was no wind. There was only an old car chassis, forlorn and forgotten.\n\nIt had a long, dark spike of a shadow pointed directly at her. Wrong, all wrong, her brain screamed. The sun was directly above them!\n\n\"No, no,\" she said, reaching into her coat and closing her hand around the cool metal of her pistol.\n\n\"What?\" Wharton followed her glance.\n\n\"He's here!\" she said, drawing her weapon.\n\nSomething shimmered in the air beside her; Wharton was whispering under his breath. The spike of shadow twisted and spiraled upward into the form of a man. Slowly, his features came into view as the blackness peeled back like a mask being removed. A tired, unhappy face—so different from the easygoing man who'd first been assigned to her. His name was Hunter; it had gained a sense of irony after he'd been assigned to hunt her down.\n\n\"Melissa,\" he said. \"It's over.\"\n\nThere was the click of a gun's safety from behind them. Melissa turned her head, to see a dark-skinned man wearing a malevolent smile with a gun aimed right at her.\n\n\"Long time no see, Kingsley,\" she said tightly.\n\n\"Looking good, Lizzy,\" he said.\n\n\"How long do we have?\" she whispered to Wharton. \"Your heat magic?\"\n\n\"Lied about that,\" he said without moving his lips. \"But I've got another plan.\"\n\n\"Drop the gun, Melissa,\" said the shadow magician. \"Please.\"\n\n\"We don't usually 'please' rogue agents, but we'll make an exception for you,\" Kingsley drawled.\n\n\"This whole place is going to burn us alive in a minute,\" Melissa said out of desperation. \"It's something Wharton did, he—\"\n\n\"—lied.\" Hunter shrugged. \"Your shadows already told me.\"\n\n\"But the sun ...\"\n\n\"I can't take control of you,\" he said. \"But I can still hear. Shadows are so talkative, you know? Kingsley?\"\n\n\"You're the boss.\" Melissa closed her eyes, waiting for the bark of the gun, the impact on the back of her head. But when Kingsley started screaming, she whirled around. He'd dropped his white-hot gun, clutching his blistering fingers. Then Wharton clamped a hand around her wrist and pulled her away.\n\n\"Stop!\" Hunter raised his own pistol, but Melissa squeezed off a few shots his way, forcing him to duck.\n\n\"He can teleport,\" she said urgently to Wharton. \"Running's not going to save us!\"\n\n\"I'm not running,\" he said, pulling her behind a pile of scrap metal. From his pocket, he retrieved what looked like a human-shaped cardboard cutouts, small enough to lay on his palm. He breathed into it. She watched, amazed, as it stood, swaying in an unnatural breeze.\n\n\"Been keeping this for myself, but what the hell,\" he said. \"Tell it your name.\"\n\n\"Melissa Jamison.\"\n\n\"Fly,\" he said. Then he threw it into the air, where it promptly drifted away. \"I meant you too, by the way.\"\n\n\"What about you?\" She could hear raised voices drawing closer.\n\n\"I'll deal with them. Might get me a hostage too.\" He winked as he passed her a sticky note. \"Call the number on that. Ask for Dearborn. Tell him Glen sent you.\"\n\n\"You can't take on these two alone,\" she said.\n\n\"I'll stand a better chance doing it alone,\" he said. \"That paper doll will draw all forms of magic tracking for about three minutes. I'll try to give you two more.\"\n\nHe gave her a push on the shoulder. \"This is my end of the bargain.\"\n\n***\n\n*Thanks for reading! Check out my [sub](http://reddit.com/r/nonsenselocker) for more stories!*",
"Jared sat cross-legged in the middle of the dark room, trying to take comfort from the black. Nervously, he bounced his legs up and down, letting them hit the palms of his hands. A knock on the door nearly made him scream.\n\n\"Jared?\" Felicia called.\n\nHe shook his head, laying his hands on his cheeks. \"Go away,\" he groaned.\n\nShe huffed and jiggled at the door handle, making him jump backward. When the door didn't budge, she stopped. \"You can't stay in there, Jared, even if there were a good reason.\"\n\nHe shut his eyes tightly. \n\n\"What are you going to do for food?\" Felicia asked angrily when he didn't answer. Her voice was dulled from the wood door that stood between them. \"For drinks? Socialization? You're really going to let some shadows turn you into a crazy person?\"\n\nInternally, he begged her to go away, his lips moving soundlessly against the black.\n\nFrom the other room, she sighed. \"If you aren't going to listen, then you can just sit in this stupid room and waste away. I guess,\" she said.\n\n\"I know what I saw,\" he said finally, his eyes burning from the lack of sleep. He looked around the room he'd created, toward the door, but not even a single drop of light was making its way through. \"I saw them take those people,\" he told her, his voice cracking.\n\n\"Whatever,\" she said, \"but this won't work either.\" The door handle jiggled again. There was a small, almost undetectable clicking noise. \n\n\"Why not?\" he said, feeling a pang in his chest. There was silence. \"Felicia?\"\n\nA sudden beam of light cast his shadow on the wall. It was surrounded by innumerable, fanged figures. The light tilted up, illuminating Felicia's face.\n\n\"We're already here.\" "
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[WP] Scientists accidentally send a large city, a good part of the surrounding suburbs, several miles of farmland, and the surrounding area to the Jurassic period. We can’t get them back, but we can look at the fossils to see what happened.
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"\"Oh.\"\n\n​\n\n\"What Toh? , asked Ajit, Did you found your mother's long-lost dentures?\"\n\n​\n\nI diverted my gaze from the sample and turned towards giggling Ajit, sick of his jokes I simply stated: \"Look at this.\". \n\n​\n\nAjit, sitting on his seat and still partly focused on his own set of specimens, eyed Toh's sample lying on her table. When Ajit saw the sample, the smirk on his face vanished. He now turned his whole body towards the sample \"Oh, that's interesting.\", as he focused his eyes on the details his eyes grew wide.\"Oh, that\"s really interesting\". \n\n​\n\nThe pair of geologist sat at their table, dumbfounded by a thin slice of a rock sample.\n\n​\n\n\"Do you realize what this means?\", I said, \"This little disc will revolutionize our understanding of history!\". \n\n​\n\nAjit, now nervously twidling his fingers replied, \"It could be a fake, it's not that difficult to-\"\n\n​\n\n\"I was there! I personally manned the drill and even the sample slicer.\"\n\n​\n\n\"Alright, alright.\", Ajit retorted. \"But couldn't it have been artificially laid?\"\n\n​\n\n\"It's at least 100 million years old. Unless the culprits had a time machine, I don't see how they could have faked it.\"\n\n​\n\n\"Fine, label me convinced. What do we do now?\".\n\n​\n\n\"We'll have to return to the original site, it's surely not the only artifact, and I'm sure we'll get the funds.\"\n\n​\n\nThe pair of dinosaur geologists continued to quietly stare at a strange gold coin depicting a strange feathered creature in mid-air. Never to know the original owners."
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[WP]Two cavemen are ambushed by a saber cat, far away from home. The cat is dead moments later, but so is the second caveman. If you don't bury him in your clan graveyard, he will never reach the afterlife.
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"He remembered being small and being carried.\n\nRain had come to their valley for what the old one said was three passes of the sun. Enough to tear the earth off the mountains and send it hurtling down the slope. By blessing or by luck, their caves had not been covered and all were well when the sun returned. Three days of freezing, wet fear to see that the mud had swallowed the lake and the fish were dead and buried. They'd moved then. The animals moved, so they followed them, picking off what they could. It was many more passes before they found a new home and he had been small and weak. Whenever it had been too much for his legs, his father had been there. Placing him on his back, shouldering the burden. His father had never said a word about it.\n\nNeither had he. He'd never thought to thank him.\n\nNow he carried all their burdens up an unfamiliar mountain. The wind proved as fierce as the cat, with a roar more terrifying and claws that sunk to his bones. Threatened to snap them with the chill. This he could stand. There had been a true storm in the first days of their long hunt. They'd laughed, sang songs made in the moment, shouted their names into the sky and dared it to take them. He could suffer a small, spiteful gale.\n\nBut then the wind would still for a moment save for a small breeze through his hair. Part of him would wonder if it might be his father's breath against his neck. If he was carrying him over this mountain to the healer with her pale eyes and a smile that would promise him more hunts and more nights boasting by the fire.\n\nBut it was never more than wind and he knew it never would be. He knew what was under the thick hide of the cat, now tied around his father. Just where the beast had struck in its death throes. Just what it had taken...\n\nHe remembered being small and sitting under a tree. A fine old thing, the first sight of their new home when he'd awoken from the journey. A hand, browned and worn by more years than he could scarcely believe, tracing the imprints of their ancestors in the stars. 'A story for every light' he'd promised. 'I just don't know them all.'\n\nHe gripped that same hand, now colder than ice and so brittle his fingers trembled in fear of breaking it, to keep the bundle steady. The wind blew through the trees that clung to the mountain. He walked the line where they ended, as high as he would dare go, lest he encroach upon an angry peak. Beyond he could see another, one that stretched taller, almost scraping the skies. The stars hung above, silent and watchful.\n\nCould they see the tree from their lofty position? Did they care to look? Would they notice the wide, clear patch by its roots where one might lay their head? Would they notice the long tooth hanging from the branches? Would they know of the man who would charge another's death without being asked and never able to know their gratitude?\n\nThey would surely welcome such a man. And he could sit under that tree and draw others' eyes skyward and show them the light that was his father.\n\nBut the mountain stood between them and the tree. As had the ones behind him. As will the ones behind it.\n\nHe remembered being small and resting on a shoulder. Fighting sleep and fighting tears as the clan moved behind them. The click of bones and the subdued mutterings of those lost and uncertain. 'How much farther?' he had asked.\n\nBut his father had smiled and looked at him. And when the words had come, he knew he could sleep without fear.\n\n'Never too far.'\n\nHe looked to the face of his father, resting on his shoulder. Eyes closed and framed by the fur of the cat he had felled. Asleep, perhaps, in a way. Without fear.\n\nHe steadied his grip and set his stride towards the next mountain.\n\n\"Never too far.\"",
"We have hunted for many moons now, always bringing something back for the tribe. I know you can no longer walk with me, run after the fast targets. The cat has made its mark, the red bleeds from your wounds. But as much as I know you are no longer with me, I need to bring you home.\n\nI grab your limp body by the arms. Dragging your lifeless form, I start walking. I leave my club and spear on the ground where you fell. They are replaceable. But if you cannot reach the tribe in time, you will not enjoy what you deserve.\n\nI think about the legends the elders tell us as I walk. The white-haired one, who washes his long beard every morning, tells us of an endless plain. Where hunters can hunt all day, and cats do not kill. Clan Mother thinks the Great Beyond is a huge tribe, bigger than any we have ever built, where we can see all the elders who have passed.\n\nBy sundown, I am tired. Still I press on. The tribe is near; I can see the big tree and its bushes.\n\nYet what do I see here? We wear the furs of deer. These people wear cat skins over their heads. They carry fire branches and spears. They have taken what is ours. My whole journey was pointless. I see the catskins fighting my people. Their fires light up our structures and smoke blurs the stars.\n\nBut even with this, I still see the untouched plot of land where the dead lie. I make a break for it, running like I never ran before. The catskins raise the alarm. Many men grab their spears and fire, and run after me. I move as fast as one dragging a body can, but feel the dull pain in my legs and the sharp pain through my chest. I fall to the ground as the sharp stick pierces through me. There is but one last thing left to do.\n\nI push you onto the graveyard. You will enter that Great Beyond, where you can see the elders, and hunt game for all eternity. I can drag myself no longer, and will never see you again.",
"> Be me\n\n> Be hunting deer \n\n> Find giant, mad, hungry sabercat\n\n> worried.png \n\n> Sabercat goes for anon's friend first\n\n> thankgod.exe\n\n> hit sabercat in the eye\n\n> sabercat goes down\n\n> not before taking anon with him\n\n> anon's last wishes\n\n> \"i wanna be buried with the gods, pede\"\n\n> have to oblige, anon was best bud\n\n> put dead anon on my shoulder\n\n> dead anon is super heavy\n\n> always eating roots\n\n> struggle to carry anon\n\n> nighttime.png\n\n> cant find a place to rest\n\n> cant leave anon behind\n\n> fuckme.mp4\n\n> ask for help from the gods\n\n> skies open\n\n> gods speak to me\n\n> **PEDE!**\n\n> **ANON IS ALREADY HERE**\n\n> what should i do with his body?\n\n> **LMAO DUNNO JUST THROW IT IN A DITCH I GUESS**\n\n> thanks, gods\n\n> throw anon's body in a ditch\n\n> leg it home as quick as i can\n\n> sonictheme.mp3\n\n> make it to village\n\n> elder asks for anon\n\n> \"sorry elder, he dead\"\n\n> \"what from\"\n\n> \"ligma\"\n\n> \"ligma?\" \n\n> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)\n\n_______\n\nSorry for the innapropriate format, but I couldn't resist the urge to make this story into a GT, when I saw \"cavemen\" in the prompt I couldn't help it. Hope you liked it :D"
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[WP] Death finds everyone, except you. You're playing the world's longest game of hide-and-seek.
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"\"In the death justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate the whereabouts of the last humans are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.\" \n\n\" Here we go again\" one of the demon grunts said with a sigh as he saw the Lieutenant General approaching with that snarled look he seemed to always have. \n\"TEN-HUT SOLDIERS! ZORACK HOW MANY HUMANS ARE LEFT\" .\n\"Just one Sir, Oliver Price. Last known location is the starbucks on 3rd street. He's not showing up on any radar\". \n\" HOW MANY GODDAMNNED DEMONS DOES IT TAKE TO FIND ONE PUSSY ASS HUMAN NAMED OLIVER, ITS BEEN THREE MONTHS\" . \n\"Sir none of our equipment is working on him, all units have been deployed, even the canines \". \n\nLocation: Walmart in Manhattan \nTime: 0400 Hours \n\n\"Its been 2 weeks since I've come across the demons, I've seen what they do to people. I can understand the killing, since I'm assuming this is the apocalypse, but why torture us first? They're using this Walmart as a base. The weirdest part of all of this is they think I'm one of them. I don't have any horns and I'm not a staggering 9 feet tall like they are, but they refer to me as Zorack and i'm actually sitting across from three of them right now, none of this makes sense. I can see the frustration on them since they can't find the last human, which has to be me right? Everyone of them keeps mentioning that they only have 4 more days, what happens then? It might sound crazy that im posting this on Reddit surrounded by hell's demons, but I've got to have some normalcy to keep my sanity, now more than ever knowing they only have 4 days left."
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[WP] A protagonist becomes aware of his insane plot armor
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"\"I don't care *what* you're trying to save, kid. You want to buy a pistol, it's $800 and a 72 hour hold after the NICS check clears.\" \n\nAt least in theory, people should have different reactions to a looming threat of global annihilation. Prayer, panic, orgy, or panicked orgy in a chapel. Long story. Not clerks. Every single one clings to the price list like a life preserver.\n\n\"Alright, slide me the form.\" I say. Over in the corner of the store, the rest of the crew tries to hide their frustration. Mickey (aka Doctor Mallory Mitchell, formerly of the Advanced Energy Research Project at the Universty of Portland, before it exploded) scopes out the case of knives, while Janet (formerly Sister Mary Margaret of the Sacred Heart Convent, prior to the orgy incident) stares goggle-eyed at an array of weaponry she's likely never seen outside of a movie theater before. Hanging on the wall behind the handgun counter is a variety of sports memorabilia. \"Lots of Cubs gear up there. You have any cash on their series run?\"\n\n\"Bet your ass, kid. Cubs were *due*, I knew it. Just a matter of when.\" He says, as he goes to put the handgun back under the counter. $800 for a used 1911A1 in decent condition is more than reasonable... unless you don't have $800. Then it might as well be on Mars. \n\n\"Before you put that thing away, I have a proposition for you.\" \n\n\"I'm not waiving the waiting period or the check...\"\n\n\"Of course not. I know how the Feds get. I've got $400 to stake. You win, you get the $400, I win, you put up the last $400 for the pistol, then I come back in 3 days. Interested?\"\n\n\"Assuming your background check clears, sure, I'm willing to listen.\" He says. He sets the pistol back on the counter, and I set the cash next to it. Mixed bills, biggest one a $50 that I found balled up in my sock this morning. \n\n\"Rick, what are you doing?\" Janet asks. \n\n\"Something fucking insane. Again.\" Mickey answers, placing a hand on her shoulder. \n\n\"What are the odds of a single round of 45 ACP experiencing a primer failure?\" I ask.\n\n\"With modern ammo, pretty slim. More if you're using old rounds, badly stored milsurp, that kind of crap.\"\n\n\"And 2 in a row, picked at random?\"\n\n\"Fucking impossible, unless the entire box has gone to hell.\"\n\n\"I can give you two failed primers. You pick the box off the shelf, fire as many as you want to confirm the box is good, then I pick two from the remainder. They go click, you pay up. One goes bang, you get the $400. You game?\"\n\n\"Rick, that's the last of our money!\" \n\n\"Mickey, if you can't handle the stress, go home. Now, do we have a bet or not?\" I ask, extending my hand to the clerk.\n\n\"Hey Bob, get up here and watch the front. Beers are on me tonight.\"\n\n***\n\nSo, unintended side effect of this whole thing, I get a free function test on the pistol. The clerk is looking pretty cocky as he pumps 7 fast rounds through the pistol, thoroughly perforating the center of the man-shaped target. No failures to feed or extract, and a nice pattern that would have been nicer if he wasn't anticipating the recoil as much. \n\n\"Alright, take your pick.\" He says, setting the pistol down on the bench. I don't bother looking at the rounds, I just load the magazine. \"What are you doing?\"\n\n\"Just in case you want to go double or nothing.\" I say, inserting the magazine and releasing the slide. \n\n\"For the other $400 you don't have, or are your friends here going to pony something up...\"\n\n**click**\n\n\"...oh, fuck me.\"\n\n\"Sorry sweetie, you're not my type.\" Micky says. \n\nA quick rack of the slide clears the dud round out of the chamber, with a prominent indentation dead center of the primer. \n\n**click**\n\n\"No way. No FUCKING way!\" The clerk says, inspecting the first bullet as I clear the second. \n\n\"So, want to go double or nothing?\" I ask. \n\n\"Not on that box of ammo, I don't!\" He says. \n\n\"Fair enough.\"\n\n**BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG**\n\nThe five rounds punch through the paper, leaving a rough triangular hole in the chest and a figure-8 in the forehead. Janet's not jumping as bad as she used to at the sound of gunfire, but she's still flinching a bit. The concrete construction of the indoor range certainly doesn't help. Mickey still jumps. He needs to work on that. \n\nShe jumps a bit higher when the clerk slams the new box of ammunition on the bench, all but yanking the pistol out of my hand as he goes to personally load the next round. No more standard ball ammunition; he's grabbed a box of top-shelf defensive rounds. These things cost about as much per shot as rifle ammunition, with bullets designed to open up in a target like the gates to hell itself, and all but guaranteed to go 'bang' when the trigger gets pulled.\n\n\"There's no way in hell you're doing that again.\" He mutters, loading two rounds and dropping the magazine on the bench. \n\n\"I don't think Hell is responsible for this, mister.\" Janet says, as I top off the magazine and load it into the pistol.\n\n\"Wait...\" I say.\n\n\"What, want to back down?\" He asks. \n\n\"No, it's an odd number. Seven rounds.\" Racking the slide and flipping on the safety, I put one more into the magazine. \"There we go. Seven in the mag, one in the pipe. Eight rounds. We can go double or nothing 4 times. You game?\"\n\n\"There's no fucking way...\"\n\n\"It's a yes or no question.\"\n\n\"Try it, asshole!\" \n\n**click**\n\n**click**\n\n**click**\n\n**click**\n\n**click**\n\n**click**\n\n**click**\n\n**click**\n\nThe slide locks open as I clear the last round. Eight rounds, some still rolling across the floor, each with a perfect dent in the dead center of the primer. \n\n\"Well, I'd say that pretty well settles it. Let me do some math...\"\n\n\"**GET OUT**\" He yells, reaching under his shirt and pulling out a revolver. A big one, expensive, airlight frame, loaded with six rounds of the same sort we just ran through the 1911A1. Janet screams, diving behind the bench and dragging a goggle-eyed Mickey behind her as soon as the gun clears the waistband. For someone who spent much of their adult life praying for peace and order, she's got a natural talent for handling chaos. \"Leave the pistol on the bench and get the fuck out!\"\n\n\"Right. You'll handle the rest of the paperwork, I assume?\" I ask. \n\n\"Rick, get down!\" Mickey yells. \n\n\"Why? We're just having a chat.\"\n\n\"I'm not filling out shit! And I'm not giving you shit! You get out of here right now and never come back!\" He raises the gun level with my chest. The revolver is light, but it shakes in his hand.\n\n\"No. We had a deal. Mickey, how much did that go up to?\"\n\n\"$6400. $400 initial bet, double or nothing four times.\" He answers, not missing a beat. \n\n\"I imagine they give you a pretty good employee discount. I'd be happy to take the payout in merchandise at sticker value.\"\n\n\"No. Get out.\"\n\n\"Or what?\"\n\n\"The fuck do you mean 'or what'!?\"\n\n\"Well, as near as I can tell, you have two options here. Option One, you can put that thing away, we can settle our deal, and part peaceably. Option Two, you pull that trigger. But before you decide, tell me; how well do you think that's going to work out for you?\"\n\n\"What the hell do you want?\"\n\n\"I want this pistol, three of the Hi-Point 4595 carbines you had up on the rack, two of the Ruger 22/45s with the red dot sights, 500 rounds of 45 ACP, 1000 of 22 Long Rifle, plus spare mags and web gear for all. The rest we'll put on an IOU. Hey, you guys want anything else?\"\n\n\"I'd like the big knife.\" Mickey says. \"The one with the brass handle and the angry looking spikes.\"\n\n\"Well, I've always wanted a tomahawk.\" Janet says.\n\n\"Right the 1918 trench knife for the Doctor and the Cold Steel tomahawk for the lady. Do we...\"\n\n**click**\n\n\"...really?\"\n\n\"Oh, fuck...\"\n\n\"Right. Know what? No IOU. Throw in the M1A Scout, 500 rounds of 308, and give me the rest in cash. Asshole tax.\"\n\n\"...oh fuck...\"\n\n\"Yes, we've covered this. Now lets go back out there, finish the paperwork, get the wheels turning on the NICS check, and do our best not to give anyone an incentive to watch the security tape and see you attempting murder.\"\n\n\"Ew, Rick...\" Janet says, pointing down at the floor by the clerk's feet. \n\n\"Right. Clean yourself up and join us when you're ready. And don't feel bad. I have that effect on people.\"\n",
"“Foolish human! You dare stand against me?” The demon roared. \n“Your reign stops here, foul demon! For I, the great hero, shall slay you at this very place!” The figure proudly spoke. \n“Nonsense! You kind is naught but insect to me, and you say you’d kill me right here? Say your prayers, imbecile!” His voice filled with anger, the demon conjured a massive fireball, and threw it towards the hero. \nThat miniature sun flew at such great speed, no normal human could dodge. \nYet, the one standing there was the only being who didn’t even attempt to. \nThe hero stood firm like a statue, his sword still sheathed, his shield not raised, as if he was fully expecting the impact. \nAs soon as the ball touched the hero, a great explosion occured. Trees were immediately burned to cinders, animals nearby died to the heat, and a mssive crater miles in diameter was formed. \n“Hmmph. Nothing but talk. That’s why I hate humans.” The demon exclaimed. \n“Oh really... *cough* Well, I’m still here.” From the smoke appeared the hero, his armor ruined, his body slightly burned, but he was still alive and kicking. \n“But... how? No human can survive that blow!” The demon, shocked by the events, furiously said. \n“Surprised? Of coure you are *cough*. I have news for you, demon: I have the strongest armor known to exist.” The hero answered with a still weakened voice. \n“Impossible! I’ve lived longer than any of you insects, and your armor was nowhere near the strongest!” The demon objected while preparing a lightning magic spell. \nNone of the lightning bolts hit the hero. But that wasn’t the part that surprised the unfortunate demon. He was speechless as all of his spells missed without the hero’s need to dodge at all. \n“Oh, *cough* I wasn’t talking about this armor. This is *cough* just for show.” The hero, staggering towards the demon, replied. \nAs he drew his fabled sword, the hero no longer had any strength left. He fell towards the demon, yet his sword miraculously pierced the creature’s heart. \n“My armor” the hero uttered “was plot armor.”",
"\"I'm telling you, Jacob! This plan will WORK!\n\nI have set up this Suicide Machine so that it will kill me UNLESS all the problems on Earth (like the lack of World Peace, for example) get solved in the next twenty seconds!\"\n\n \n\n\"...and you think that in order to save you, The Universe will solve all Earth's problems, instead of doing something a lot *SIMPLER?\"*\n\n \n\n\"Simpler like what?\"\n\n \n\n\"Click the button and you will see.\"\n\n \n\n**click**\n\n \n\n**[SUICIDE MACHINE'S MALFUNCTION DETECTED.]**\n\n \n\n\"...\n\nOh.\""
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[WP] Your partner gets invited to their school reunion and offers for you to come. Only problem is, the school is Hogwarts and you are a muggle.
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"\"That painting just talked.\" \n\n\"Come on, Daisy, just keep walking I'll fill you in later.\" \n\n\"Dean, that staircase just moved.\" \n\nHe put an arm around my shoulders. \"Just stay the course, the Great Hall is this way...\" \n\nHe led me into an enormous hall, with hundreds of candles floating near the ceiling. I stared at the enchanted ceiling above, my mouth briefly hanging open. \n\n\"This is the Gryffindor table,\" he said, leading me to one of the four massive tables. There were surprisingly few people, all told.\n\n\"You know, for a school so big, the reunion is kind of deserted...\" \n\n\"Well, a lot of people died that year, so--\" \n\n\"Wait what?\" \n\n\"I told you about the battle.\" \n\n\"Dean, you said people fought, you didn't tell me teenagers died. What about the healing magic?\" \n\nHe was about to explain when a handful of new people came into the room. I couldn't see, because the thirty or so alumni in the hall all stood up to clap at once, with a couple of green-draped exceptions. \n\nAfter the clapping stopped, they all went to sit in the Gryffindor table. A sharp-looking woman with bushy brown hair sat opposite to us with a red-haired man. On our side sat a woman with bright red hair and... Harry. \n\n\"Harry?\" I said, almost involuntarily, staring at him all grown up, with robes and a tie.\n\n\"Sorry, I don't believe I've had the--\" he began, then stared at me with puzzlement for a moment, before his eyes grew and he laughed. \"My goodness, Daisy?\"\n\n\"Yeah! How are you?\" \n\nDean chuckled as both redheads and the brown-haired woman looked at me in disbelief. \n\n\"Well, I... I suppose a lot has happened since we were ten. I'm head of the Aurors who are--wait, how are you here?\" \n\n\"Dean and I are engaged,\" I said with a grin, showing him my ring. \n\n\"Oh. Well, congratulations!\" \n\n\"Thank you!\"\n\n\"Harry, who is this?\" The red-haired woman asked. \n\n\"Oh, sorry Ginny--Daisy and I went to muggle school together, before Hogwarts.\"\n\n\"He helped me with maths, I helped him with history,\" I said. \"How is your cousin? Is he still an arsehole?\" \n\n\"Indeed he is, though he's mellowed out over the years.\" \n\n\"Well that's good to know,\" I said. The conversation wandered around a lot. People talked about their jobs, their children, the war. I wound up mostly talking to the ghosts, before I heard a woman make an extremely rude comment to someone else, near the green table. \n\n\"I can't believe they've allowed muggles in this year.\" \n\n\"Daphne, dear, keep quiet. Let's keep our heads low here.\" \n\nIt was only then, after shuffling away from those two, that I realized there had to be others like me here. Sure enough, there was a man in the blue table who wasn't wearing robes. I walked over to him.\n\n\"Hi there, I'm Daisy. You wouldn't happen to be a normal person, would you?\" I asked quietly. He sighed with no doubt the same relief I felt. \n\n\"Thank goodness, I can't understand half of what they're saying. I want to be here for Anthony, but all this talk of Dragons and Huffling puffs...\" he groaned. \"I'm Roger, by the way.\" \n\nThere are few things better for starting a new friendship than finding someone who feels exactly like you. It was thanks to Roger that the evening turned out surprisingly great. \n\n(Figured this prompt would make for a good sequel to this: https://www.reddit.com/r/Eager_Question_Writes/comments/8u83rp/eu_youre_a_muggle_who_went_to_primary_school_with/ )"
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[WP] Every ten years, we amass enough power to let twenty people break into the Godly Realm and steal the divine secrets. So far noone has made it even a single day in there, since the angels hunt the intruders, but you're about to finish your first week by help of a devil.
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"\"And... *why* are you helping me again?\" It was the millionth time I had asked, only because the answer never seemed quite satisfactory enough.\n\nShe giggled and rolled her eyes, blowing out an air of mock exasperation. \"I *told* you, handsome. I think you're *cute*.\" \n\nShe reached out to touch my hair, and I smacked her hand away. \"Quit it.\"\n\n\"You're *sexy* when you're mad,\" she purred.\n\nI ignored her and stopped at the crosswords. The road branched left and right. Both of them looked equally terrifying. I threw the decision to my demon companion. \"Left or right?\"\n\n\"What's in it for me? Do I get a *kiss*?\"\n\n\"Well, let me break it down for you. You send me on the path that gets me killed, you have *zero* chance of me ever kissing you. But if I live, who knows? Maybe I might consider giving you a peck on the cheek.\"\n\nShe huffed and pointed right. \"But you *know*,\" she added, \"that if you die then we get to spend eternity with each other in Hell, right?\"\n\nThat actually stunned me. I stopped and looked at her. \"Why are you so certain I'm going to Hell?\"\n\n\"Uhm, because you broke into the Godly realm in order to steal divine secrets.\" Her sharp peal of laughter reverberated off the trees. \"You really think they're going to let someone like you into *Heaven?*\"\n\nI sank down.\n\nShe cupped my shoulder. \"I'm sorry. But at least you have *me*, right? My dad is one of the Original Fallen Angels, so I'll make sure you won't get tortured or anything. Unless, spending time with me for all eternity is torture to you. Then...I can't help it.\"\n\nFor the first time in a long time, I smiled. \"Thanks. That actually made me feel a lot better.\"\n\nShe smiled back. Then she closed her eyes and pursed her lips.\n\n\"What are you doing?\"\n\n\"Waiting for my kiss,\" she replied.\n\n\"Yeah. No.\" I stood and dusted myself off, and continued walking down the path.\n\n\"I like a man that plays hard to get,\" she whispered.\n\nI jumped and shot her a glare as she pinched my butt. \"How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing th-\" I cut my words short as someone emerged at the end of the path.\n\nThe being was all-black, faceless, with a knight's armor that seemed to be made out of alligator skin.\n\nI stood beside her and whispered, \"Friend or foe?\"\n\n\"Foe foe foe. So much foe.\"\n\nOut of nowhere, the \"guy\" pulled out a bow of fire... \n\n\"Okay,\" I said. \"So...should we be running now?\"\n\n...and then notched the bow with a legit lightning bolt.\n\n\"We,\" she said, \"should have *been* running.\"\n\n\n\n\n"
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[WP] "I'm going to have to lock you in the tower, princess. For my own safety."
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"\"... I'm truly sorry about this. You are simply a danger to society, even knowing you mean no harm.\"\n\nThe princess, developing an uncanny social deficit in form of unfathomable anger, was treated as mentally ill by the kingdom and ruled a danger by her own parents. Her brother was the one who had to lock her up in a large over shadowing tower far from any social interaction.\n\n\"I understand the silence, sister. Know I will send someone to come check up on you at the end of each seventh night. I recommend being nice to them, they will determine whether you see sunlight once more.\" \n\nUnknowingly, the only thing reason the princess was throwing tantrums was the anxiety coming from always being present in the public eye. She was 23 years old, and 23 years of hers were spent in public, everyone knowing her every action. She *wanted* to be alone, in private, even if it meant she had to locked up in this tall tower of misery. \n\nIn reality, she planned the whole thing intelligently. She heard rumors of her violent royal ancestors being locked up in a far away place, decades back. She inquired to her parents, who would reveal nothing, to her servants, who knew nothing and her brother, who would answer some absurd half witted sarcastic comment like :\n\n\"Are you planning on going on a much needed vacation, sister?\"\n\nShe didn't have the guts to say yes. \n\nOnly based off of the whispers of the same community which made her want to escape her miserable situation, she hatched out a plan to be ruled a danger to everyone around her, and it worked, without the unnecessary violence. Only once per week she had to go back to her old ways of blind rage to prove to the men and women coming to visit her that she was unfit to come back to her past life. She was only scared that they'd one day give up, and not come back. ",
"The laboratory was a complete mess. Vials had fallen to the floor and shattered, leaving a mess of broken glass and now spoiled potions. Some pooled together on the wooden planks of the floor, while others slowly dissolved the fragile wood. Shelves had been broken from the wall and lay in pieces across the room. Dusty and worn books were now completely destroyed, their pages torn, their messages lost. In the center of it all lay an unconscious Princess Maryn. Her skin was pale, allowing her blue veins to show. \n\nIn the corner of the room, Vek-terel clutched his necklace with one hand while thumbing through a tome with the other. His experiment had failed. His attempt to drain the life of the young Princess had left his lab in ruins, and he was no closer to saving his own life. The soul of the noble woman was meant to cure his sickness - but in the aftermath of the chaotic ritual, he began to realize his days were numbered.\n\nHe scanned every line of text in front of him while the iron pendant on his necklace dug into his clutched palm. With every passing word that offered no solution, he squeezed the pendant harder, until it broke his skin and he bled without care. \n\nThe Princess groaned. \n\nVek dropped the book and let loose his pendant. As he stood to his feet, the young, pale woman was rolling over. Vek scrambled to find his staff, as it had been knocked out of his hand and around the room during the madness of the ritual. After he found it in two pieces behind a slab of stone that had fallen from the ceiling, he looked to the Princess. She was on her feet, brushing her hair back. Her eyes were half open. Small drops of blood fell from them like tears.\n\nShe locked eyes with her captor. As she looked at his demonic face, the events of the past hour raced through her mind. Seeing the frightened sorcerer in front of her made her realize he had failed. Whatever he had tried to do, it hadn’t worked. She was the victor. \n\n“Oh, you absolute fool…” She said while laughing. Maryn offered a wicked smile to Vek, who stood across the room, holding both pieces of his broken staff. “Let me go.” She demanded.\n\n“That would be… a mistake.” Vek uttered.\n\n“A mistake? Whatever you’ve done here demon, that was the mistake. What did you do to me? Clearly you failed to take my soul. What is this?” She became hysterical. She began walking closer to him, her veins now texturing her skin as if they were all ready to burst through.\n\n“I’ve done… nothing…” The demon Vek whimpered. He stood, pensive, assembling a plan. He studied the veins in the Princess. They were overflowing with the concoction he had inserted into her bloodstream, yet they had not killed her as he hoped. Instead, it was transforming her into something else entirely. She survived his ritual, and now, Vek was unsure of what she might become. \n\nAs she stepped closer, Vek swung at her head, but the Princess dodged the staff. Vek tried again with the other half, but it broke into pieces upon hitting the Princess’ head. The sorcerer feared the monster he had created. The meek and gentle Princess he had captured was quickly becoming a beast of unknowable power.\n\nOnly one solution remained, but it could cost Vek a great amount of power. As he saw it, he was dead regardless. Either Meryn would kill him, or his sickness would, or the army of Meryn’s father would arrive and drag his lifeless body from the tower. \n\nVek used his demonic tongue to shout an incantation that placed ethereal chains around Meryn. They gripped her entire body as she writhed and attempted to fight her way out. The more she struggled, the tighter they bound her. She shrieked with terror, further convincing Vek that she was no longer the little Princess he originally captured. Vek outstretched his hand and the chain flew into his grasp. As he held it, it weakened him, and he fell to his knees.\n\n“Vek-terel, demon!” Meryn shouted. From the floor, Vek peered up to see the woman looming over him. Her eyes were pale white and the blue veins that carried Vek’s tonic had nearly overtaken her. “What have you done to me?!” \n\n“Something I shouldn’t have…” Vek lamented. He regained his composure, confident that the chains would keep her bound. As he looked around his ruined laboratory at the top of his tower, he regretted his decision. What he had been cursed with was his own fate. No amount of struggle was worth the cure, if it meant he was making enemies at every turn. He had threatened, poisoned, and killed many he came across, just to find a remedy for his pain. But as he stared down his fate, he had to accept that living simply was not worth it if he was hated. \n\n“I’m going to have to lock you in the tower, Princess.” He grumbled, looking out the broken ceiling and into the looming heavens. “For my own safety.”\n\nHe slammed the chain onto the wall, where it immediately bonded with the stone wall. The magical chain then forced Meryn against the wall, where it pinned her down indefinitely. She screamed in pain and fright. Vek looked at her, his spirit troubled. She would be his last victim. He could escape and flee into the night, or so he hoped. He would run, forever, until there was nowhere else to run. \n\nAs the chain tightened, binding Meryn to the wall, she spit towards him. It hit the ground near him, immediately dissolving through a wooden plank in the floor. “You will die, demon. Soon your wretched life will be over! I will hunt you until I see your body burned!”\n\nVek stepped backwards towards the descending staircase. He clutched his pendant and the last piece of his staff, his heart racing. “I’m sorry, Meryn.” He hesitated no longer and ran down the stairs. As he ran into the night, he could hear the wails of the bound Princess in the distance behind him.",
" \n\n\"I'm going to have to lock you in the tower, princess. For my own safety. For their safety\" He shut the door on me for the last time. My brother was not able to look me in the eye, dissociated with me. As if we weren’t blood, as if I never protected him when he was but a cowardly prince. I never imagined it would be Thaddeus that locked me up. My own brother, my little, spineless, dimwitted brother! For his safety? Isn’t this what they all begged for! TO BE PROTECTED! The spite in my own thoughts brought me to halt completely, like a marble statue. I came to the sudden realization that maybe, just maybe, I’d become the bad guy. All I tried to do was save everyone, to save this kingdom. As my eyes studied the inside of the tower door, my heart sank into my toes. I’d done this to myself, and I’d terrorized my own people in the process.\n\nShe warned me not to mess with magic, that it would lure me into darkness. But I was too proud and too stubborn to listen.\n\nI was listening now. \n\n*\\~\\~\\~\\~Approximately two years earlier\\~\\~\\~\\~*\n\n“Sister, please, this is a bad idea.” Thaddeus whimpered as I held up the skirt of my dress and marched right through the marsh. I ditched my heels long before, but unfortunately my dress was a non-negotiable. The problem with being a princess is that if you don’t always look like you’re dressed for a ball, you’re a disgrace. Even if you’re traipsing through a marsh in the hunt for a witch, one must be stunning and poised. \n\n“I am sorry, Brother, but remind me again who dropped three hundred soldiers at our gates without any warning and burned our crops to the ground? Oh! Yeah! Uncle Markus! So excuse me if I overlook the ‘bad idea’ in favor for salvation. Huh!” I barked as my feet found solid ground. The witch in the marsh, how cliche but effective. She was known for giving out power that was unmatched. A blessing and a curse. Which we needed both terribly. \n\nUncle Markus was one march on the kingdom wall away from taking it from under our feet. Father had fallen ill, and with mother seven feet under, it was up to me to fix this.I was next in line for the throne and I would not let my slimey uncle charge our gates because of some miscommunicated pride. \n\n“She is a witch! She will surely hex us!” Thaddeus whined once more as he sloshed through the moist brush and mud. His suit long since ruined. It had been a normal day, both of us sat in the garden to read when the raid happened. Three hundred men of questionable background rushed the town with torches and oil. Crops were destroyed and houses broken. I could still hear the screaming as I hid Thaddeus in a rose bush. They were held off by the castle gates, but I could still see the black plumes of smoke if I closed my eyes. My people, our kingdom, up in smoke and I was trapped behind iron bars. I would not let him destroy them, this was the last straw.\n\n“That is kind of the intention, Thaddeus.” I retorted as I lept over a wet, soggy log. I stopped as the dim light of a torch lit up the path ahead. A figure in a cloak stood in the middle of the path. More like the trails of a serpent, dug into the earth and dried in the sunlight. The ground could cave in with a stomp placed right. And this figure seemed to hover just over the ground, their hood drawn.\n\n“Hello?” I called out.\n\n“Please, let us go home.” Thaddeus shivered, his hands at the back of my corset. I refused.\n\n“Be silent.” I growled, a swift kick to his wet shins. I heard him whimper and pull back behind me. My brother would let our kingdom burn if it meant he could hide away in some dungeon untouched. I often spent days, where I was in the library with father’s advisors, worried about if he had been born first. What would happen?\n\n“You seek power?” The voice haunted my ears, whispers licked my neck. My fingers tightened around the dark purple fabric of my dress. Numb to the damp chill that bit into my bones, I stepped forward on the path. \n\n“I seek to save my kingdom!” I called out, my throat tight.\n\n“I warn thee, that Magic will corrupt you. That you will be powerful, but your heart will soon grow dark.” I blinked as the words stood on my skin like dew drops. I furrowed my brows as the figure moved closer. A spirit that floated closer, the cloak fluttered with a breeze I could neither feel or hear. Until, with a blink, the hood was right before me. I swallowed a yelp of surprise, my shoulders tense. I ground my feet down into the soggy earth. I would not fail.\n\n“I am willing to take the risk. I will not watch any more of my people burn.” I whispered lowly, my eyes peered into the hood. I saw no eyes, no face, nothing but the shadows of the dark wool. The torch slowly died as the light of the moon grew overhead. I was lit up in silvery light, the trees over head began to shift their leaves till the moon looked over me. The cloak moved, two ghost like arms protruded from between it’s folds. Hands as cold as death, nails long like sewing needles, snapped out and snatched my own. I felt the sting of the nails as they sunk into my palms. I trembled from my head to my toes as I began to sink into the marsh. \n\n“I give thee gifts of power, unmatched by even the fire and swords of your uncle.” And the hood began to fall back. I was face to face with a spindly demon. As her face was as pale as ashwood, her nose broken in three places, but her eyes dark as the mud beneath my toes. I sank further as her haunted face burned into the back of my mind.\n\nMaybe it had been a bad idea. But my body lit up with fire as I gasped for air. Thaddeus’ screams fell on deaf ears as I looked up into her eyes. Unable to tear away, her nails dug deeper into my hands. \n\n“And when they lock you away, when they condemn you… you will return to me and stand alongside me… in the marsh.”\n\nAnd the world went dark, and my body dropped into the mud. The specter gone from before my eyes, burned into the back of my mind as water seeped into my gown. Thaddeus’ squeaks of horror rang like bells in my ears as the moon lit up my skin in the middle of the night. "
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[WP] An AI bartender does its best while a group of survivors barricades themselves inside its bar.
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"“What do y’all want to drink pardner?”\n\n“Davis, barricade the windows. Johnson, check out the back. Rico, help me break up some furniture.”\n\n“What do y’all want to drink pardner?”\n\n“Hey, what’s with the tin can?”\n\n“Leave it Rico, it’s just a bartending unit. Can’t help us defend.”\n\n“Breaking the furniture is against the law, pardner.”\n\n“You sure about that, major?”\n\n“Yes I’m sure. I grew up around here.”\n\n“Please refrain from breaking the furniture or I will call the police, pardner.”\n\n“Major, are you sure we should leave the tin can alone?”\n\n“Yes Rico. It will just call the cops. Do you think the dead can use a phone?”\n\n*RING* *RING* *RING*\n\n“JESUS CHRIST!”\n\n“Told you so.”\n\n“Shut up Rico.”",
"\"So what do you want to drink?\" BAR-01 asked me.\n\n\"Nows not the time!\" I screamed, ripping stools from there places.\n\n\"Oh come now, theres always time for a drink.\" BAR-01 said, his prerecorded lines not fitting the situation in the slightest.\n\n\"Theirs an alien attack! We've lost over 40,000 passengers and we're all that remains of the crew, oh my god I can hear them!\" Nancy screamed, she was trying to comfort Lilly who was crying in the corner.\n\n\"Now I can say with 100% certainty that a drink of Texas whiskey will cure whatever ales you.\" BAR-01 said grabbing the aforementioned bottle.\n\n\"Minted in 2502 it's a classic...\" \n\"Shut up!\" I screamed trying uselessly to push a large table to the door, which was slowly being jarred open by black tentacles. \n\n\"Come now, how about some music?\" BAR-01 begins to play classical music, the specific song I believed to be Despacito 3. \nThe tentacle beast had pushed open the barricade. It's true form terrifying, we all huddled in the corner as it lumbered towards us. \n\"Hey partner! Need a drink? Oh don't be so hasty.\" BAR-01 read the beasts flinging tentacles as hand gestures and begins to poor it *onto* the monster. The monster began to wilt, decaying from the point where the alcohol had been poured rapidly.\n\n\"Sounds like someone needs seconds.\" BAR-01 grabbed another bottle and kept pouring, Chuck realized what had happened and jumped up.\n\n\"Bar bot, give me as much as you can.\" Chuck said grabbing the large glass BAR-01 had poured, he charged into the approaching onslaught of monsters, flinging bear everywhere. \n\"Pay as you go or would you like to start a tab?\" BAR-01 asked, leaning on the bench. \n\"Tab.\" I say, grabbing a glass ",
"Jeremy held Nicole’s hand as they raced down the corridor. In a ship as big as the Andromeda, there was no way in hell they were going to be separated. They ran, turning left and right, feeling better as the screams grew fainter in the background. \n\n“Here!” Jeremy whispered, pulling Nicole into an unlit room. He quickly turned to the display on the wall next to the door. Entering his engineer credentials, he sealed the door shut. Catching her breath, Nicole slid down the wall and hugged her knees. \n\n“What the actual fuck just happened?” She let out in a hoarse voice. \n\n“You’re one of the medical doctors on board, princess, you tell me!” Jeremy quipped back. “The Andromeda is the best luxury class space cruiser in existence and it has the best food money can buy. I seriously doubt people started eating each other because the buffet wasn’t up to par. Just... just give me a second to power up this room.” \n\nA low hum filled the room as the lights slowly blinked on. They illuminated a spacious, tall room. Everything in the room shouted elegance, from the columns supporting huge windows, to the mahogany tables interspaced through out the room. On the far side of the room was a bar, which Nicole and Jeremy both made their way to. \n\n“Of all the rooms to shelter in, the Ambassador’s Lounge is a pretty good one to pick. You know how to treat a woman.”\n\n“Only the best for you babe.”\n\nAs they sat down at the bar, a mannequin at the end lit up. His face was handsome and his body was made of bronze. His suit was impeccable until it cut off below the waist. His torso was fastened directly to a track that ran the length of the bar.\n\n“Welcome to the Ambassador’s Lounge, a premier location aboard the Andromeda. I am Francis,” the android said in a posh British accent. \n\n“He’s very handsome isn’t he? All that bronze. I bet he has abs of... bronze.”\n\n“Calm down Nicole. He’s only humanoid from the waist up. Obviously missing the most important anatomical features. But don’t worry. I’m here.”\n\nNicole scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Even with a potential zombie apocalypse going on on the other side of the door... you’re useless sometimes.”\n\n“I’m just making jokes to release some of the stress I feel. Unless you are up to any other ways to relieve stress.”\n\n“If you make me roll my eyes anymore, I’m going to get dizzy. Let’s get a drink while we sort through this mess. Francis, can I have a Long Island Iced Tea?”\n\n“And I’ll have a Mint Julep please. After what we just witnessed, I need to cleanse my palate.” \n\n“I do apologize, Dr. Kelplin, Engineer Kelplin. The ship is under a Level 2 Emergency. Regrettably, alcohol consumption is thus prohibited. I can provide various sodas or water, as well as a wide assortment of hors d'oeuvre.” \n\n“Dammit. This is officially worse than our wed...”\n\nFrancis interrupted, “I have an update for you. It is with great pleasure I announce that I can now make your cocktails.”\n\n“Why now all of a sudden?” Nicole asked. \n\n“I just received an update. Approximately two minutes ago, the captain was disemboweled by the waitstaff. Most of the commanding officers are also incapacitated. This constitutes a Level 1 Emergency in which passenger comfort can now take precedence.”\n\n“Shit...”\n"
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[WP] Instead of having to buy it from the supermarket, you get food when it periodically appears through a portal in the refrigerator. One day, when checking for a snack, you are shocked to see a living person in your fridge. "Help," they croak.
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"<><><>\nFrom: referrals@amazon.com\nTo: EternalOwen@att.net\n\nOwen,\n\nCongratulations! You have been referred for Amazon’s new service: Prime7! This is a new offering for customers just for you!\n\nThank you for being a loyal customer!\n\n<><><>\n\n“Mittens, do you think this is serious?” Owen inquired to his cat as they were lounging on the couch. “I mean, I know Amazon is ridiculous, but this has got to be a joke. It doesn’t even show what it is or who referred me. Just an option that says ‘Order Now’.”\n\nThe email looked official though. The hyperlink did take him to the actual Amazon website and had him sign in. He just had no idea what he would actually receive, or how he got referred to this. Owen had a few secrets, but they were just that. Secrets. This shouldn’t be related to that, should it?\n\nOwen looked over at Mittens who gave an encouraging meow. “What the hell. You’re entirely right. Why not?”\nOwen placed his order. \n\nTwo days passed since Owen placed the order. Not knowing what he would be getting, he tried not to get his hopes up to much. \n\n“Owen, your package has been delivered in your Amazon Cold Box,” Alexa chirped from the counter. \n\n“Finally Mittens! Let’s see what this is. It better not be some new stupid line of their grocery service.”\n\nOwen opened his fridge and unlocked the Amazon Box. He took one look and jumped back with a shout. In the box, there was a body. A naked human body. Male by the looks of things. Fascinated, if not slightly disturbed, Owen took a step closer to the fridge. The body twitched and the eyes opened. A tongue tried to wet dry lips and a raspy voice said “help me.”\n\nOwen slammed the door shut. He put his back against it and held his chest. If he still had a heartbeat, he knew it would be pumping from adrenaline. \n\nWho knew his secret?\n\nFirst things first, deal with the package. \n\nOwen opened the fridge and helped the man out of the box. The man was a skinny thing. He appeared to be in his 30’s. Tattooed and haggard, the stranger seemed to have had a tough life. \n\n“Th.th.thank you.” The cold fridge man stuttered. \n\n“No problem. I know you must be freezing, let me fetch you a robe.” Owen quickly walked to the bathroom and clothed the man. “What happened to you?”\n\n“I don’t remember. I remember a trial. I was declared guilty. The police had put me in handcuffs and were taking me away. Then I woke up naked in your fridge.”\n\n“That’s terrifying.” Owen said. \n\nHe had a convicted criminal under his roof. Not bad. Not bad. Less guilt for Owen later. Still to figure out who knew his secret. \n\n“Are you warmer now?” Owen asked the stranger as they stood in the kitchen. \n\n“Yes, I am feeling better now. Do you have any idea how I got here?” \n\n“It doesn’t matter. I am glad you’re warm now...Cold just isn’t as appetizing.” With a lunge and supernatural strength, he grabbed the man and exposed his throat. Owen’s fangs bit into the strangers arteries and Owen moaned. Warm blood began to flow down his parched throat. The stranger flailed about and tried to fight back, but his movements became weaker as his heart struggled to pump blood that was no longer there. Soon, the movements stopped altogether. Owen was full, so he pulled out Tupperware and drained the leftovers. Cold wasn’t the best, but it would do later. \n\nSatiated, Owen went to the living room to sit and think. Mittens jumped in his lap. For 200 years Owen had lived as a vampire; back in the 1800’s it was so easy to eat. Just find a person, eat, and get rid of the evidence. No social security number. No forensics. But, as the years progressed and technology progressed, Owen had to use more and more skill to find his meals. This Amazon service was a dream come true. \n\nOwen shook his head to try and focus. 200 years makes for a long memory lane. He had three concerns with this Amazon service. \n\nOne: he hoped it wouldn’t make him lazy. Obesity isn’t good even for the undead.\n\nTwo: would this still be eligible for the cash back on his Prime Credit Card?\n\nThree: who knew he was a vampire?"
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[WP] A young "detective" who usually investigates things like missing pets, stolen homework, and mysteries of what the school custodian does at night is called in by police to help with a series of gruesome murders.
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"Detective Arnold Haines had an astounding case resolution rate of nine out of ten by his fifth year on the job. His home, Winstrom Falls (population 947, growing slightly each year), was all that safer with his quick wit solving problems left and right. Cases like the mind-bending disappearances of Oscar the terrier, the dreadful shrinking wedding ring, and the mystery of what the hell is Jerry doing every Thursday night, are what made him the greatest detective the town had ever seen. That, and the fact that he was the only one. Still, his powers of deduction must have been carried out into the big city by amazed citizens, as he was now consulting with the metropolitan police. The call came late last night, just as he was about to go to sleep. They needed his help, they said, though that was no surprise. There was little the great Haines couldn't handle.\n\n\nThe first few minutes of the meeting were a bit of a haze. He remembered meeting the officers in charge of the case, their names he would need to ask again later, then they showed him some photos of the crime scenes. The next thing he remembered was being down on his knees, throwing up into the trash can that had now become his best friend.\n\n\n“Are you okay?” one of the detectives asked with some concern after an uncomfortable silence.\n\n\n“Yes, it's just- That just caught me a little off guard,” said Haines, gesturing toward the images of the six victims on the screen. \n\n\nHe glanced once, saw the blood-covered bodies, their blank stares, limbs bent the wrong way, necks slit wide open, and back he went to the trash can. It was quick this time, as there wasn't much left of his lunch anyway. The other detective offered him a tissue, which he took with much appreciation.\n\n\n“In any case,” he said, wiping his mouth. “Please, continue, Miss…”\n\n\n“Detective Burnham,” she replied, not so concerned anymore. “As we were saying, we couldn't find a connection between the victims or their murders. The only thing they all have in common is this. Hill, the evidence.”\n\n\nThe other detective, the man named Hill, lifted a cardboard box off the ground and put in on the table. From it he produced six items, each inside an evidence bag. Nothing out of the ordinary, though not one of them belonged with the other. An old teddy bear, an expensive looking wristwatch, a law book, a bottle of cheap perfume, a dog's collar, and what seemed to be someone's homework.\n\n\n“We found these in each crime scene,” said Hill, pushing the items forward for Haines to look at. “You'd think nothing of them, except none of them made sense to be there at all. The perfume, for example, we found in this guy's apartment.” He flicked through the images on the screen and stopped on the picture of a man in his fifties. “His wife told us he didn't even use deodorant.”\n\n\n“The dog collar,” said Burnham. “The victim that had it was allergic to dogs.”\n\n\n“Same for the other ones,” said Hill. “This girl had the law book, but she wasn't even out of high school, yet.”\n\n\n“What about the homework?” asked Haines.\n\n\n“An essay in physics, a bit too complex for a twelve year old,” Burnham replied. “A homeless lady had the wristwatch. \n\n\n“And the teddy bear?”\n\n\n“Found with the body of a twenty-five year old man living alone,” Hill said.\n\n\n“So, you think your murderer is playing some irony game, or something?” Haines asked nervously.\n\n\n“No, actually, we looked into each item, and it turns out one of the items was reported as stolen to the police,” said Burnham. “The law book seems to have been taken from the Winstrom Falls Public Library about a year ago.”\n\n\nThe memory rushed into Haines’ mind. Of course it looked familiar now. The old lady from the library had called about that book for weeks. How could he forget the shame of one of his failed cases.\n\n\n“Yes, I remember now,” he said. “I could never find out what happened to that book.*\n\n\n“So, we were thinking, if there's a chance any of the other items might have some connection there,” Burnham continued. “And we found a post online about a missing dog. We checked the name tag on the collar we found on our victim's apartment and it was the same one.”\n\n\n“And guess where the dog went missing,” Hill chimed in.\n\n\n“Winstrom Falls,” Haines was now realizing the severity of the situation. “Wait, let me smell that perfume.”\n\n\nBurnham glanced over to Hill, who just shrugged in compliance. She took the bottle out of the bag and gave it to Haines. He opened the bottle, took a sniff, and…\n\n\n“Yes!” He exclaimed. “Old lady Marienne! She's the local drunk that things she's like some sort of misunderstood celebrity. She always wears this cheap perfume. She told me that someone had broken into her home, but said nothing was stolen. Guess she has so many of these she didn't even notice one missing.”\n\n\nHe went over to the essay and read the name. “This is Johnson's kid! He went to college to study some science thing I can't remember. He had to buy a new backpack because he lost his last one and we could never find it. Maybe this was inside it.”\n\n\nBurnham and Hill exchanged glances again.\n\n\n“And the teddy bear,” she said.\n\n\n“Yes, everything-” Haines paused. He held his silence as looked over the evidence. “Everything except the wristwatch. I don't know about that one, but the rest of it are my cases… my failed cases. They all seemed so random, just things that happened. Do you think whoever killed these people took these, too?”\n\n\n“Sounds like it,” said Hill. “We didn't think we'd get anywhere with this, but it seems we just made a breakthrough.”\n\n\n“But I could never find the one responsible,” said Haines with regret. “I didn't even know there was a suspect to follow.”\n\n\n“It doesn't matter, at least we know where to look,” said Burnham. “Looks like we're going to Winstrom Falls. Whoever's doing this seems to spend a lot of time there.”\n\n\nAnd so they did. The three of them went back together. Burnham and Hill found a room at the local inn, with a discount for friends, and Haines went home. It was already night when he got back to his empty place, greeted by the usual silence. He turned and locked the door. Then a voice came from the living room.\n\n\n“Oh, Arnie.” It was a woman's voice, soft and familiar. “It’s been so long.”\n\n\nHaines was frozen in place. He didn't dare move, not forward to the living room, not back toward the door. He stood there, listening to that voice creep into ears.\n\n\n“Did you like my presents?” the voice drifted from the shadows. “All the little things you missed. I did it all for you.”\n\n\nHaines took a deep breath and commanded his feet to move. He took step after wary step, trying hard not to make a sound.\n\n\n“You didn't tell them about the wristwatch, did you?” the voice asked. “I knew you wouldn't. You still can't understand.”\n\n\nHaines reached the living room. He felt the wall for the switch. He found it. He hesitated for a moment, then switched the lights on. There was a woman in her forties sitting on his couch, facing him with a warm smile.\n\n\n“M-mom?”",
"\"Congratulations Timmy! You found Mr.Whiskers!\" Said the mayor as he handed the boy a golden key.\n\n\"In recognition of your incredible detective skills, the city hall and I have decided to give you this key to the city!\"\n\nThe boy looked at the key with awe, before putting it into his back pack, and then walking back down to his seat. His parents, as well as the rest of the crowd, gave him a standing ovation.\n\n\"Congratulations Timmy\", said the Mom, hugging him.\n\n\"We're so proud\", added the Dad, giving him a firm handshake and a pat on the back.\n\nTimmy looked up at both his parents, and smiled.\n\n \"I love you Mom and Dad\".\n\nAnd so, the ceremony went on, with speeches and political bullshit galore, dragging on through the sweltering July afternoon and into the evening. Little Timmy, of course, insisted that they stay till the end.\n\nTimmy would come to regret that, though.\n\nBecause that night had been selected by a group with nefarious intentions for a nefarious plot. More specifically, they planned to assassinate the mayor.\n\nHowever, that group was not known for using a reasonable amount of firepower for the task. Quite the opposite, as a matter of fact.\n\nThat night, Timmy's parents, along with over half of the assembled group, died. Ironically enough, the mayor survived with only a few bruises...\n\nThat night, poor Little Timmy made a promise. To hunt down those responsible for the death of his parents, and bring them to justice.\n\nAs the years went by, Timmy grew into a Tim, and his mental wounds healed and became scars. But his promise remained in the forefront of his mind, when he graduated at the top of his class in highschool, then college, soon becoming the youngest detective in the city's history.\n\nDetective Tim was sitting at his desk when Cara, the office assistant, walked by and dropped a folder on his desk.\n\n\"For you, from the head detective\".\n\nTim looked up in confusion, \"I'm swamped, there's no way I have time for another case.\"\n\n\"She thought you'd say that\", Cara replied, \"you can work on it on your spare time, there's no obligation to finish it\".\n\n\"Weird, but ok, I'll take a...\", Tims voice trailed off as he read the title of the file.\n\n**THE PLAINSBORO MASSACRE**\n\n\n\n\n",
"He took a long pull from his unfiltered cigarette and gave it a flick to the side of the dark damp alley. \n\n“What do you want now?” The man drawled.\n\n “We need you, Ned, the city needs you.” The investigator pleaded. \n\nNed turned, pushed his shoulder off of the wall, his suede trench coat whipping around to reveal his James K Polk middle school badge in the yellow city streetlight. \n\n“You need me now. Well so did all those kids.” He said with a stammer in his voice. \n\nThe investigator paused and looked at Ned, searching for a moment. \n\n“Are… are you still upset because we confiscated that notebo…” \n\n“IT WAS THE SCHOOL SURVIVAL GUIDE!” Ned shouted before the Officer could finish his thought. \n\nThen Ned continued. “You cops are all the same. You take from the people, and then come running back when it’s convenient for you.” He paused, looking at the Officer with cornered eyes “ Or when you can’t do your job right.”\n\n There was a distant rumble of thunder and then a light drizzle began to fall on the two in the innards of downtown L.A. \n\n“Listen, Ned. I uh… can’t expect you to forgive the department for stopping your project. But what if I pulled some strings to get you that book back.” \n\nAnother rumble came rolling from the darkening sky, louder than before, and the drizzle evolved into solid rain. Ned stood, contemplating at the idea, and the man opposite him waited, desperate for Ned’s help. Whatever was going on in the Middle Schoolers’ mind had led him rounding the hood of his 90’ Crown Vic to the drivers’ side door.\n\n “Get in.” he commanded.\n\n“And that’s all we have on him so far.”\n\n The pair had been driving the 405 for what seemed like hours in the middle of the night. Ned had one hand on the wheel, the other at his chin. Pondering the information, racking his brain for a connection between the 3 grizzly murders. \n\n“Well?” The investigator finally said. \n\nNed had taken an exit to a quiet neighborhood and put the car in park. “Do you have any photographs of the crime scene?” \n\nThe investigator paused, but this had been the first sign of the 8th graders interest in the case since they had started driving, so he reached into his bag frantically and handed Ned a manila string bound folder loaded with what appeared to be hundreds of pages of documents. Ned sifted through the contents until he got a file with the header *“ November, 12, 2007”*\n\n “The bowl cut killer has been absolutely immaculate. No DNA, No apparent motive, we have no real suspects. The only real connection we can make is what ties the murders together… that he cuts all their hair like… like that” \n\nThe investigator, clearly frustrated at what little information he gathered, looked back up from the file to Ned’s face. He was awestruck, mouth nearly agape, eyes like a deer in headlights. \n\n*“Coconut head…”*",
"When I was 9, my family home was set on fire. My parents, my dog and my sister all died before the fire department was even called. Me and my brother were, some say miraculously, rescued. The latter, however, died two hours after making it to the hospital.\n\nI was the only one left.\n\nThere was nothing left of my skin. \"It would improve over time,\" the doctor at the time explained, \"but it would never heal entirely.\" My legs. My hands. My chest. My back. My face. My hair. All of it. Gone. Disfigured. Ruined. From that point on, even in the hottest summers, I would have to cover my entire body. Put on a pair of gloves. And absolutely always have a mask on. What girl would look at me? What friend could accept me? Who could possibly love me?\n\nThe answer, as far as I was concerned, was nobody.\n\nMy appearance was not the only thing I'd lost, though.\n\nMy vocal chords were severely damaged, resulting in a constant high-pitched voice. My growth hormone had also stopped synthesizing, causing me to eternally remain at the size of a nine-year-old.\n\nMy aunt -- the person who took me in after the incident -- saw all of these things as an advantage.\n\n\"Those crooks in the government don't know shit.\" she said. \"You could slip anything past 'em, as long as it looks legit at a glance. What do you say we make some money?\"\n\nHer plan was simple. Being now left as my single guardian, she'd arranged to receive checks from the government to help with my upbringing. Due to my numerous dis-- *damages* -- the sum would be quite substantial.\n\n\"Why not just pretend you're constantly a kid? We both know you'll look like it no matter what. After you graduate from elementary school, we'll just pull you out of there, change your name, and resubmit the paperwork. We'll even get you in another school. Or, hell, the same one. Staff there don't really give a shit. If anyone comes knocking on the door, it's not like anything on that application will be any less true. Money will keep coming in, I'll keep buying you nice toys.\" She smirked. \"You like toys, don't you?\"\n\nI did.\n\nVery much so.\n\nBy the time I was 16, I fully understood there would be no end to the scheme. It was just too good. By that point, I'd begun to rotate going around the same three elementary schools. Nobody questioned it. Nobody raised an eyebrow. My aunt had managed to make the right friends to ensure the engine would keep going and going. Just like she'd said, nobody ever knocked on our door. My case files were always, I imagine, handed over to a poor intern that took pity over a kid that'd lost literally everything. Never bothering to look into it.\n\nIn that period of time, I'd kept to myself. Read books. Developed all sorts of interests. Mostly in Math. Made a few friends around town. But none that I trusted enough to actually reveal what the game was. Once they got old enough, I'd simply disappear from their lives. And they wouldn't care all that much, being the turbulent teenagers that they were.\n\nAt age 25, I decided to do something random. I usually did so every few months when I got bored.\n\nI opened a detective agency, of sorts. I told my classmates that I'd help them out with any \"cases\" they had in store for me. Simple things. Missing kittens. Stolen pencils. \"The Secret of Why Teacher Doesn't Like Me.\" Ah, and of course, \"The Mystery of the Smoke Bomb.\"\n\nIt was fun. Why wouldn't it have been? When you become an adult, there's nothing more you want than to be a kid again. To shed away the feeling of responsibility. To have permission to play pretend. To not think about the consequences. I was practically living the dream. Eternal youth, in a sense.\n\nMy act had inspired the other kids in my class, and they founded a little \"police department\" of sorts, investigating crimes of their own. You could think of them as rivals, but I was always respected. In the world of adults, I'd have been treated as an homage. Whenever they got stuck, they'd come ask me for help. I would return the favor, if only to help them feel included.\n\nThen, one night, I got a call from Billy. The \"Chief of Police.\"\n\n\"We found a dead body!\" he declared.\n\nBilly was a straight shooter, and I knew he wouldn't have even joked about that. The kids must've stumbled across an actual dead body and, instead of calling the actual police, called their trusted private eye to give him a chance to see for himself. I knew that them being on the scene put them in danger. But I also knew that trying to get them to leave would result in them doing the exact opposite and possibly landing themselves in even more danger.\n\nI told him to wait for me, called the actual 911 to their location, and then snuck out of the house to make sure the kids were safe.\n\nThe address they'd given me was a house only a few blocks away from mine. According to Billy, he and the other members of \"the force\" were just about to head off home when they noticed the front door ajar. They pushed the door open, and saw a man lying on the floor. Even as kids, they knew blood when they saw it.\n\nFifteen minutes later, I met up with Billy and his friends.\n\n\"Stay there.\" I told him, and made my way inside.\n\nWithout a doubt, the guy was dead. In his early 50s, by my estimation. Stabbed multiple times in the chest, judging by the tearing on his now crimson-stained blue shirt. A clear pool of blood had formed around him.\n\nThe house was dark. But I quickly spotted them.\n\nThe bloody footprints.\n\nThey led upstairs.\n\nA rational person would've likely stayed put. But a long time ago, I'd begun to make up excuses for myself. If I was to live the life a child, I could afford to make decisions with the logic of one. Perhaps it was the fact that the footprints appeared to be tiny that put me at a certain ease.\n\nWith that ease, I followed them.\n\nThe trail led to the last room in the hall.\n\nI could hear the sobs.\n\nGently pushing the door open, I saw her. Lying beneath the window, her head buried in her knees. Lightly shaking. The moonlight gave her shape, and I realized she couldn't have been more than Billy's age.\n\nThe knife was next to her.\n\n\"...Are you okay?\" I asked.\n\nNo response. I knew she could hear me. But whatever had happened broke something within her. She wasn't a person anymore. She was a doll. And she'd be like that for a long time. Just like I was.\n\nThe only question now was figuring out where it'd all gone wrong.\n\nI felt around for the light switch and flipped it.\n\n\"No!\" she jerked up.\n\nShamefully, I must admit I stepped back upon seeing her face.\n\nIt'd been horribly burned.\n\nShe began to sob again, hiding her face once more.\n\n\"...He burned you, didn't he?\" I suggested. She didn't deny it.\n\nI approached her. She gave no signs that she'd attack me.\n\nI crouched in front of her. \"It's okay.\" I said. But we both knew things were far from okay.\n\nShe wouldn't stop sobbing. How could she? That night, when I'd lost everything, I cried a lot, too. It hurt. Because the tears wouldn't stop falling onto my burned flesh. It was hurting her, as well.\n\nI took off my mask.\n\n\"Here.\" I said.\n\nShe looked up. I hadn't seen my face in ages by that point. I'd been convinced it would always look horrific. But she did not scream. She did not even so much as flinch.\n\nAs our eyes met, I feel like she understood. Just as I'd understood her. For the first time in years, I'd shared my pain without ever saying a word.\n\nI placed the mask over her face.\n\n\"There you go.\" I said, forming a smile as best I could. Her pain - her feeling of shame - was now hidden from the world. Her abuser's cruelty would not have the chance to make her feel like she was a monster.\n\nShe hugged me. Still sobbing. Still trembling.\n\nBut she was strong. She would take that mask off, eventually.\n\nAs I should've, a long time ago.\n\nThe sirens roared in the distance.\n\nAfter that day, I never put the mask back on. I left a note for my Aunt, making it clear that she could never go after me, and went North, to live with a distant cousin of mine I'd discovered a few years earlier. Went on to actually live my life. Have an identity. Have a life cycle. Exist.\n\nThe scars still scare me. I can tell they put some people off, as well.\n\nBut, I'm alive. And I'm not alone."
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[WP] You failed to reach the top of Everest, and will probably freeze to death soon, before your saviour steps into view. The Abominable Snowman. Holding a mug of cocoa.
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"I took deep breaths from my oxygen tank. I stopped to rest in the ice yet my energy wasn't returning. There's a subtle panic when you feel the hypothermia set in, I was exhausted but no amount of rest could give me the strength to keep moving. I was so close, about two-thirds of the way up and this was how it was going to end. Another idiot who decided to climb Everest on his own. Despite all my thick winter gear, I shivered and my joints stiffened. I was going to freeze to death.\n\nHours went by before I saw another hiker climbing up the trail. I was surprised because Everest was pretty dead at this time of year but I wasn't complaining. I didn't have the strength to yell; meager whispers of \"help\" were I all I could muster. As the hiker approached through the roaring snow his form continued to grow. Bigger and bigger I realized this hiker was massive. Regardless I still called for his help. \n\nI looked up as he stood in front of me and saw he towered over me. I couldn't say for sure how tall but at that moment it felt like eight feet. My head was light and my vision was fuzzy. Covered in a white fuzzy coat and holding a mug I heard him speak in a warm deep tone. \"Why do you people climb my mountain?\" He took a deep sip from his steaming mug. \"I can't help all of you, you know.\" Withered and shaking I just continued to whisper \"help, help me, help.\" The hiker sighed and said \"Come with me\" as he knelt down in front of me I was able to make out his face and was startled by the distinctly gorilla-like visage in front of me. Effortlessly the hiker slung me over his should, gear and all. My body finally gave out and I lost consciousness. \n\nI awoke next to a roaring fire surrounded by the warmth of thick blankets. Feeling the energy finally return to my body I sat up. I realized I was in the cabin for reception of hikers before making the trek up Everest. Concerned employees were asking me if I was ok. \"We found you slumped against the cabin, what happened?\" "
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[WP] You are in the hospital recovering from something minor. Now you are just chilling, alone in your room and you hear "Trauma team to room 612! Code Blue!" And you realize, this isn't like the times you've heard that announcement before. YOU are the one in 612.
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"I sat with my back to the window looking at myself in the bed. Another wild dream from the morphine. My wife said when earlier when she came in my hands were out in front of me my left hand clutching an imaginary pole and my right winding an imaginary reel. She said she'd asked what I was doing and I told her I could see the big fish below the boat. I didn't really recall the dream or the conversation. It was a funny anecdote to tell while my kids were visiting. Our laughter puts us at ease.\n\nI had practiced lucid dreaming before but this was different. I was in the big chair. The one that reclines all the way into a bed. I couldn't feel the cold leather under my bare legs. I couldn't smell the aroma of \"get well\" flowers and antiseptic that reminded me of when my Grandmother passed and makes me anxious to this day. I couldn't hear the busy work, beeping machinery, and the low rumble of conversation that makes up the background noise of the recovery wing. But the lights on my heart monitor were flashing red as bright as the sun.\n\nIt had to be a sleep paralysis. I couldn't move. My procedure was routine. Children and the elderly had appendixes removed and went home as out patients these days. There were no major complications but I was being held for observation. It seemed like a grab at more money from my insurance company. But I'm not a doctor. And now...\n\nThat's when the word echoed in my head. \"Code blue room 612\". Why did that matter. Why was I full of dread. I saw my room number. Everything was fading to black. I was stuck looking at my own body. My lips were turning blue and my skin looked like it would be clammy and lukewarm. \n\nThe first nurse got through the door, determination of a practiced professional and a bit of fear on his face. Time was slowing for me. More staff was pouring in. \"Code blue room 612\" ringing in my ears. I knew then everything was not going to be ok."
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[WP] There is only one way to break the time loop. You just worked out what it is, but you are not sure you can go through with it.
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"This is not the story of the begging, but the story of the end. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt has been a thousand years since I found myself in the past, and now I made it to the decade where I am born. I now have to wait for my younger self to grow up so that I can move on.\n\nFor all of these years, I have not forgotten where I came from. My parents were killed when I was a child, and in order to survive in this world as an orphaned youngling, I have committed heinous crimes, I have stolen and killed, I have sold out those that trusted me to rise in the ranks.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt was by the time that I was 20 years old, that the fateful day happened and I took control of a nuclear power plant and launched an attack killing millions of people in the process. I no longer remember the reason why I did it, just the fact that I did.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHaving lived through all of that, I knew that I do not wish for my younger self to experience it. So before anything happened, I found the ones who killed my parents, and I killed them. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI have also kept watch on the family, and when they had financial difficulties, I sent them some money - and they never knew who it is from. They were never in need, never in danger. \n\n \n\nMy younger self is now about to turn 20 years old, he is a good-for-nothing solider, who spends the majority of his time reading books and watching tv series. Honestly, where did I go wrong while watching over him? over me.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI am worried but not just about him, but about me - I started to notice myself fading. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI have scrambled around trying to figure it out. It was all too clear, around this time in my timeline, I have killed millions of people; this has become a fixed point in history. If this didn't happen again, there will be far too many differences, for every life that died, there will be another timeline. The universe was not ready to crack open.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThere is no choice but to replicate the same scenario. It didn't take a lot of research to do so, I had forgotten my action on the first turn around, but I soon figured out what steps I could follow to assure the completion of my plan.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI hesitated, did I want to do this? My younger self-wasn't built like me. He won't be able to kill to survive, letting him walk through the same path that I did - will he be able to live through it? I have become a devil and an emperor. A villain and a saint, many people looked at me differently depending on which side they were on. Loved ones died, and here I am ready to send my younger self to experience the same thing. I hope he will manage to survive long enough to outgrow his good-for-nothingness. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI am just trying to convince myself, but this has to happen. This is a sacrifice only I can do, to assure a world with a continuum. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt was soon after that I repeated the same actions as I did a 1000 years ago. This time once more, I was clear with my name and my first identity, both things that I have not used in a very long time, but I did it again in hopes of framing my younger self. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThis time again, as a punishment they activated the ancient artifact of Extosia. From any place, this artifact locks on a target and makes them vanish presumably dead. What it does is transfer the person through time and space. The majority of the times, the criminal transported ends up in a vacuum in space and die. I ended up on top of a mountain a 1000 years ago. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt is done, my younger self should now be on top of that mountain. From here, I can continue living in wonder... So why am I stuck in amber now? \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\*\\*\\*\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe felt as if only a second has passed, but time and space are odd things. After a 1000 years of experiences, Tom was finally able to reach the timeline in which he was born. He finally was ready to see who has framed him for the most heinous crime in all of history. He was in shock when he saw the man stuck in amber - the closer he got, the less the amber held him in place. When he finally stood straight in front of him. They both just stared at each other; they looked exactly the same. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThey were the same, but the same person having grown up differently had caused for history to be directed differently. Now, both of them staring at each other when one took out a dagger and stuck it in the other's heart. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n \n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\n&#x200B;\n\n If you enjoyed this, you might enjoy my other works @ r/zwriting",
"It's the same thing every damn time. No matter what I do, no matter what I try.\n\nMelissa and I, driving down the road, cutting a left turn.\n\nIt was only supposed to be lunch. Nothing important, nothing extravagant. Just lunch... a day off for both of us.\n\nShe's laughing about something, but I'm not sure. Mentioning the weather, or something funny she saw on the television. Her sweet words drift in and out of my ears, but I'm much too focused on something else.\n\nLike that feeling in your gut you get when you know something is wrong, but can only sit there and watch.\n\nMy hands are white-knuckling the wheel. I'm sweating, my heart rate through the roof. And then the light goes green, that little blinking arrow giving me permission to go.\n\nSomething screams at me to stop. But I can't. I feel my foot on the pedal, gently accelerating, laughter on my own lips in response to something she said.\n\nI don't see the semi run the red light in front of us, don't see the driver with his phone up, texting away. All I see is the fear in Melissa's expression as the laughter fades and she screams my name. I jerk the wheel in response, straightening out the car right into the front bumper of the oncoming vehicle.\n\nI don't hear that scream, though.\n\nBut I do feel my body break and snap as the entire weight of the truck slams into our small car. The most horrible noise of grinding metal, that warm feel of blood on my chest, and a few dying gurgles from my lips.\n\nAnd then I blink. And we're back.\n\nSame road, same day, same path. The same laughter from her. The same turn.\n\nThe same result.\n\nI'm not really sure how many times it has been. And I'm not really sure how much I can change. My body doesn't respond, it's like I'm on autopilot driving up to the light. I want to scream, to tell Melissa to get out and run, to haul the keys out of the ignition and just stop there and then. \n\nBut I can't, like this is all set in stone.\n\nNo, all I get is the last few seconds before the impact, when the blood in my veins turns to ice and I see that horrible look on her face. And every time, regardless of how I try to swerve away, or stop, or speed up, the result is the same. Broken metal, broken glass, broken body. And it starts again.\n\nSwerve. Crash. Die. Restart.\n\nVeer. Crash. Die. Restart.\n\nAccelerate. Crash. Die. Restart.\n\nThere's no way out, or at least that's what I had though. Until the last time...\n\nYou watch the love of your life die enough, watching her body deform and break, watching pieces of metal smash through the windshield and into her, or even seeing the car burst into the flames and seeing her burn slowly. Tape that and repeat it over, and over, and over... it's enough to ruin you. My soul withered each and every time. Made only more brutal and painful watching her blissfully unaware expression and hearing her sweet laughter.\n\nBut no, this last time, I took the turn. One half-second hesitation before slamming on the gas, cutting the turn as sharp as possible. Closing my eyes and trying to forget the horrible metal image of the truck slamming into Melissa's side of the car, the breaking glass and crumpling mirror framing her whipping hair before everything snaps and breaks.\n\nBut it isn't a reset this time. No, I come to lying on the asphalt, staring at the flaming ruins of my car. I try to move but pain shoots through my entire body, a burning agony that quells any attempt to get up. My breaths wheezy and uncertain, and the familiar sensation of warmth blossoming on my chest. Blood. Through bruised eyes, a piece of the car's frame wedged into my chest.\n\nDoesn't take a genius to figure out it's fatal... but something in my mind races. That was the first time I survived the crash. Even if it was to bleed out on the road shortly afterwards.\n\nIt resets again. Back to the road. Back to the beginning. And the sick feeling in my stomach tells me what I need to do. I need to make that turn, no hesitation. I need to condemn Melissa to her own death for myself to survive.\n\nNo. I -will- not do that.\n\nI spend the next thousand attempts crashing head-on into the grill of the truck. No hesitation, no second thoughts. Just blatant anger and disregard, hoping that whatever cruel god-like being that created this situation would be denied their sick pleasure.\n\nIf this was how I had to spend eternity, so be it. Another bone-breaking crash. Another reset. It hurts so much...\n\nI wonder what my face looks like, if my laughter sounds hollow and painful to Melissa. If she can hear my screaming on the inside, see my dead, soulless eyes. \n\nWe're driving up again to the light when she lays a soft hand on mine own. But that-\n\n\"It's okay, Dave.\"\n\nThere's tears in her eyes, and her voice waivers, but the grip on my hand is remarkably strong.\n\nI can't speak, I can't move or ask her what she means. I'm stuck in that same forced laughter, with only those few-brief seconds after the light changes to move.\n\nMelissa shifts in her seat, placing her hands on the wheel next to mine. I try to scream at her, try to plead with her to stop.\n\nBut she simply smiles, tears trailing down the corners of her face.\n\n\"It's going to be okay.\"\n\nThe light changes, and she swerves the wheel, completing the turn. I can only watch as the truck slams into the back-passenger side and everything goes black.\n\n...\n\nI hear sirens...\n\n\n\n"
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[WP] You've been fixing your possessions for years. Never accepting that something needs to be replaced you've always repaired things. Now that the world has changed forever, your knowledge is worth it's weight in gold.
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"Another busted radio. When will they learn there is nothing to listen to?\n\n\"Can you fix it?\" She asked. Her clothes were dirty and mud streaked across her face hiding the scars from the conflagration. Most of them anyway. Honestly, she was lucky to still have her vision.\n\n\"Yes, but when all you hear is static, don't blame me. You don't see any radio towers still standing do you?\"\n\nShe looked uncomfortable at that thought. But she still nodded in agreement.\n\n\"Ok, gimme two days. What have you got?\" I asked. She held up two large fish, gutted and cleaned. Cleaner than her in fact. \"No more fish. I'm tired of salted fish. Makes me thirsty.\"\n\n\"It's... it's all I got...\" She looked crestfallen.\n\n\"Then you shouldn't waste it on a stupid radio.\"\n\nShe gave me a blank stare. That scarred, muddy face looked like it had lost it's last hope. I gave a heavy sigh.\n\n\"Look,\" I said. \"Leave the radio with me and just... Just bring me some fresh water when you come to pick it up. And some playing cards! You must be able to find those.\"\n\nShe brightened like the sun, smiled and nodded. As she left, I swear I saw a skip in her step. That's good. Kids should still play."
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[WP] Mars becomes the Australia of Earth, but instead of criminals, only people who make unbearably bad puns are sent.
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"The sound of turbines and fusion engines echoed throughout the complex. Craft of all shapes and sizes lifting off and setting down at hundreds of different bays and lading zones. Reminiscent of the old days when Jumbo jets would come and go, carrying passengers all over the globe. A by gone era indeed, no longer did LAX serve the tourists and travelers. But instead was responsible for taking in the worst humanity had to offer, and shunting them off to the red planet.\n\nAt the entrance to one of the smaller bays, puffing on a cheap cigarette stood a mountain of a man. Clad in a ratty black security coat and bearing what looked to have been, at least at one point, some type of officers cap, now folded and bent beyond recognition. His name tag simple bore the name \"Jack\". A faded badge with the code \"BW-3\" plastered on it identified his as one of the wardens.\n\nThe sound of footsteps caught his attention, glancing up from his tired haze came three individuals, two guards escorting a heavily restrained prisoner.\n\n\n\"Last one boss\" The guard on the left said with a grin.\n\n\nThe warden gave out and acknowledging grunt, taking another smoke. \n\n\n\"Well\" he said in chocking raspy voice. \"Lets have a look\"\n\n\nThe warden began his inspection, little more than looking staring at the man intimidatingly in hopes of shaking him. Any real screening was done at orientation. \n\n\n\"Hey\" The prisoner spoke up.\n\n\n\"Is me being sent to mars a pun-ishment\" He said in a joking manner, making a derpy face in the process\"\n\nThe warden flicked his cigarette on the ground and cracked his knuckles.\n\n\n\"Indeed so\" he said before delivering a text book uppercut. Nocking one of the mans teeth out. Had the gaurds not been holding he would have been knocked to the floor.\n\n\n\"Get him out of here\" \n\nThe two guards continued down the hall. The prisoner attempted uttered out a meek moaning sound, clearly trying to make another pun but not having the strength.\n\n\"They don't pay me enough for this shit, ten years of bad puns and stupid grins\" ",
"\"Guess my jokes missed the Mars-k, huh?\" A sly grin escaping my lips. The warden didn't find it too funny. \"Can it, James or I'll cut your tongue out.\" The warden's stern tone resonating through my mind. I scan his entire body and find a name tag. Mr. Katz, it read. \"Cut his tongue out, ey?\" The guy besides me turns my direction. \"Guess you could then say 'Katz' got your tongue!\" His slick chuckle only angered the warden and he swings his baton at the wise guy, only for him to duck. \"Swing and a miss!\" I shout. This causes the entire bus to roar in laughter. \n\nThe warden, now furious, whips out his taser and presses it against my neck. The sudden jolt of electricity causes my body to seize up. \"Talk about shock and awe, amirite?\" One prisoner asks the others. They return to laughter immediately. \"Fuck!\" The warden shouts, fed up with the comedians. \"Everyone quiet and listen up. You're on your way to an unforgiving land. There will be dangers never before experienced by man. Perils unlike any you could ever dream.\" \"Nice speech there buddy. You come up with it 'off the cuff'?\" Another inmate says, putting heavy emphasis on the cuffs around his wrists. \"Are you serious!? This is the bullshit that got you all in this situation!\" The warden is writhing in agony from the incredible cringe. \n\nWe arrive at a plain with one huge building. We all exit single file, just as the warden demands, and walk into the building. There are showers, a lunch hall, and one big sleeping quarter loaded with bunks. \"All right, grab a bunk.\" Almost on cue, the entire group literally grabs a bunk. Noticeably exasperated, the warden just gives up. \"Alright get settled. Grab the info packs from the pillows. Screw you idiots, I'm done.\" \"Hi done, I'm James.\" I say as i extend my hand. The warden lets off a guttural growl and runs out of the building. \"Done? More like 'Run', amirite?\""
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[wp] It's Superhero Swap Week where Superheroes battle villains from each other's Rogue's Gallery. You sign up, hoping to rise up from the dredges of C-listers.
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"“Hey, uh, are you... You’re Captain Kinesis, right?”\n\n\nOf course I stuttered. My first foray into the big leagues, and I mess it up. The shock from being invited to the Superhero Swap at all must not have worn off. Every year, twenty-five heroes and villains are invited to the Hall of Heroes and plan to do battle with each other. The first day includes a mandatory peace, and lets you get to know your new opponent.\n\n\nSo obviously I screwed that part up.\n\n\nCaptain Kinesis, the most famous superhero in the galaxy, spun around fast enough to slap me with his cape. I winced, and when I opened my eyes, he and two of his friends were staring blankly at me.\n\n\n“Are you, uh...” He tapped his foot, racking his brain for my name. I opened my mouth, but he telekinetically closed it. “No, don’t tell me! It’s Sun Dude, right? It’s got something to do with the sun.”\n\n\n“It’s Star-Foe,” I said meekly. How I hadn’t realized how awful my alter ego was earlier, I’ll never know. I dug isn’t my pocket and pulled out a device that anyone else would call a laser pointer. It actually doubled as a laser pointer, which led to many accidents and two abandoned lairs. “This is my Sun Blaster,” I said, holding it out for him to see. “That might’ve confused you.”\n\n\nThe Captain chuckled, and waved his two friends away. It took me a second to recognise them as Brainwave and Mistress Mayhem. I shook my head, and put my focus back on the Captain. His wide grin and squinty eyes worried me.\n\n\n“You like looking at ‘em too, huh? Tell you what, give me a good fight later and I’ll let you in on my escapades.”\n\n\nI felt my eyebrows rise above my domino mask. “Your... what? You’re having a threesome with Brainwave and Mistress Mayhem?”\n\n\n“Hell yeah I am. I got Brainwave to agree, but Mayhem wasn’t into it. I guess rewarding her with a place in the Action Gang wasn’t enough. Ah well, it doesn’t matter.”\n\n\nI could feel my insides turning. I’d put holes through people’s faces, and it wasn’t nearly as disgusting as this conversation. Against my better judgement, I continued.\n\n\n“Yeah, too bad. Guess it’ll just be you and Brainwave. Anyways, I was thinking I could pull a bank heist—”\n\n\n“Just me and— No way!” Captain Kinesis burst out laughing, and I shrunk into my shoulders. People were beginning to stare. I’d come here for attention, but not this kind. “Kid, you’re looking at a guy with telekinesis. The ladies know what I can do, and they always come around.”\n\n\n“Come around?” I asked, even though I knew exactly what he meant. I could feel myself turning the Sun Blaster over in my hand.\n\n\n“Yeah, if they say no I just freeze them for a couple seconds. They always say yes after that.”\n\n\n“And you don’t get in trouble for that?”\n\n\n“Why would I? I told you, they’re saying yes. Besides, it’s not like the Crimebusters are going to give up a guy with telekinesis. It’s fi—”\n\n\nA half-inch hole through Captain Kinesis’ brain ended his sentence early. He hadn’t even noticed me raise the Sun Blaster. Thinking back, I hadn’t noticed either. His body crumbled to the floor, and the accompanying thump silenced the Hall.\n\n\nEvery hero and villain stared at me. I saw Brainwave raise his hand at me, Mistress Mayhem raise hers in his direction, and the other two dozen heroes and villains take sides of their own. In one impulsive move, I’d killed the most powerful hero on Earth, and seemingly started a civil war.\n\n\nAs the fight began, I hoped the papers would get my name right."
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[WP] Everyone will obey any word you say :sarcasm,expression anything and they are fully concious of what they’re doing
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"At first I was able to get by unnoticed, people were conscious of my commends yes but they Also somewhat convinced them selves that it was just an uncontrollable urge they had to do or a gut feeling, I was caught when I told my teacher to give me an A+ in 5th grade, she noticed me and a day later I was at the emergency room with a ton of scientists looking at my brain, I had something different with me we know that but to this day we just don’t know what. 12 years later and I have got into a lot of trouble, I got over the sarcasm gap early, though there was that time when I was 16 and accidentally caused my best and only friend to throw his bike into the lake, after that day I had 0 friends. Besides that though I mostly got through scot free. I work a cubicle job which is good because it means I get to do as little social interactions as possible, when there needed though I usually play charades with them, sometimes I’ll draw pictures, texting unfortunately doesn’t work either. Why I got hired here is a miracle on its own, I do get around 4 dollars less then the average employee though which is pretty crap.\n\nMy powers require a lot of self control, I could basically tell the world to adopt me as there leader and bam I could take over the world, at the same time you might be wondering why I announce ever criminal to turn themselves in and that’s because my powers only work on 2 groups, the singular person, or the entire world with nothing in between which makes attacking groups impossible. That doesn’t mean I don’t do my small part, often I’ll see a petty crime or robbery happen and next thing you know the criminal is “willingly” turning themselves in."
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[WP] Ready for entry? Masks on everyone. Remember they're usually very scared and sometimes will attack you with projectile weapons.
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"The words of the Commander repeated over and over in my mind as the shuttle descended through the atmosphere. The locals were a flighty bunch, being from a timeline where Earth was consumed by endless war between equally wrong nations - after all, there is only the one Truth, and none of them knew it. We expected nothing more than complete and total assault when we landed.\n\nThe craft shuddered as we met the ground, fire-suppression systems deploying their hissing gases as whatever was outside burst into flames from our glowing heat shields. The ramp dropped, and we strode out unafraid. Nine of us, and a tenth man in the robes of the Void Dragon's clergy following behind. The light was blinding; we were on a lawn of some kind, facing a large white mansion with columns and windows arrayed in a semi-circle in the middle. Arrayed before us were men in some kind of dark clothing, wielding primitive weapons and advancing slowly. Behind them was a tanish-skinned man, wearing a similar style and with a regal expression of controlled panic.\n\nWe lined up, my brethren and I. We were in the thick armor of our order, plates of dark rune-encrusted tungsten protecting our bodies with helms resembling our draconic master giving off a terrifying visage (normally, we would be wearing advanced power armor and use our antiplasma rifles, but we needed the intimidation factor more). We stood in ceremony formation, lining the ramp with our bodies, bearing our Void Steel blades in a salute. The black-robed High Cleric Sander Hogenberk stepped onto the blackened grass with a prayer of exultation before dropping back his hood to address our emissaries. \n\n\"People of Earth, we are the Eidolons of the Void Dragon, warriors of purity and strength! We have heard your cries form across the void, and are here to put an end to your plight!\" The gasps of the guards before us nearly silenced his words, for they could see his rune-etched face clearly. His face was adorned in powerful psionic symbols that granted protection and insight into the hearts of men. It was also unnaturally beautiful, granted unearthly charisma by the Dragon's boon and surgical crafts. \n\n\"W-well, that's wonderful.\" Began the tan-skinned man, clearly a leader of some kind. \"Do you, perhaps, uh, *know*, what you're, uh, chasing - er - solving, exactly?\" The leader slowly walked through his protective cordon to the High Cleric; and Cleric Hogenberk did the same. They shook hands with nervous smiles.\n\n\"Of course, sir! Only our most hated enemies, and the corruption they have brought. Tell me this; how many people in your land use narcotics and defy sciences in \"gender\"? Many?\" The leader seemed caught off-guard before stammering a reply that there were many, perhaps more than a million such people across both groups. \"AH, that's where we come in. The Spiders are crafty, and have given you much to distract you from purity. Come, let us talk about what wisdom I can share.\" \n\n\"Huh. Is that right? Well, tell me what you know. Come on, let's, uh, get a drink in my office. I'm sure we can make a deal.\" Four of us followed them, a similar number of the locals taking their own side. As for me, I was military representative - being the Captain of the Eidolon strike team in orbit - so I stayed on the shuttle to coordinate the rest of the team securing vital objectives on the perimeter. \n\n---\n\nIt was an hour later when I was called into the \"Oval Office\" of their leader, a man named the 'President' Trump. What a peculiar name; but I suppose by comparing the names like Kovryg The Strong or Pureblood the Blessed it wasn't altogether that odd. When I entered the office, I was greeted by symbols of stately power and personal ego. On the massive desk was a large sampling of various forms of alcohol, many of which were forbidden or strictly controlled. The High Cleric was drinking a white wine, one of the few drinks we were allowed to use nearly freely; by comparison, a hard liquor graced the throat of the President - whiskey, a dangerous toxin. \n\n\"Please, Captain,\" began the Cleric, \"tell us of your military strength.\" And I did, for a long time. There was much to go over, and there was much they could be used for. As the conversation stretched on, we were eventually able to convince the half-intoxicated leader to give us full control over our investigation. \n\n---\n\nNot all of what we said was true; we had heard a psychic cry, but it was a taunt from the Legion of the Black Spider to find them if we dared. Now our scanners went silent and our diviners heard nothing from our enemies. They had gone to ground, hiding from the storm they unleashed. We would have our vengeance anew, for the people of the world were slowly being pulled more and more distant from our ways. There was a time for diplomacy, that passed millennia ago. Now is the time for fire, and fury. \n\nIn Draco Gloria.\n\n---\n\n---\n\nQuestions, comments, concerns? Spelling or grammar errors? Comment below!",
"He spoke those words as we prepared ourselves, breathing in and slowing our heartbeat. We had done this so many times before but it still hit us hard every time. This time we were set to clear out an abandoned warehouse, this one used to hold grain. It was all taken in the weeks following the sudden shift in consciousness. Karl next to me cocked his gun and I could tell that behind his mask he was smiling. We all wore the same outfit, it was a black overall that allowed for full movement and no restrictions. Our masks were silver and smooth, able to reflect the light off of any source.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWe could tell ourselves apart by a small marking above the forehead, each member had a small insignia that allowed us to tell who was who. Karl, as befitted his name, chose the communist sign and carved it in himself. He reveled in it yet he didn't even know what it meant. His joy was hunting *Lessers.* Their existence is futile and we are helping them along. They cannot survive in this world, their minds have fallen from grace and they are lesser than animals, hence the term. It is less a job and more a sport to hunt *Lessers.* We remove them from existence and send them to who knows what.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Ready?\" James said it once more as he laid his hand on the door of the warehouse, his insignia was a small X with a tiny circle within. We all nodded and James opened the door to a wide and dark devoid room. To each side was stacks of wooden shelves upon which used to sit the grain, eaten within moments of the *Loss.* We each carried rifles upon which was equipped lights, electricity was scare and power could be found in a few remote places near power stations. It is shocking to think how fast live moved as soon as the *Loss* happened. Five months ago I was teaching children basic algebra and now I am hunting other humans.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I hear something!\" whispered Leo, he was the observant one. He could find them but he found it hard to do anything about it. We all stood still in a semi circle their lights sweeping up and down the warehouse searching for any sign of anything. A small scraping noise was heard from the far right and in an instant a large brick came flying past and contacted with Sally's head sending her spinning. That's why we need masks. We all turned and pointed our rifles in that direction and saw a small foot disappear into the black. They're here and they're scared, they don't want to die. It's only natural, any animal wants to live. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nLeo knelt next to Sally and helped her up while we turned our attention to the movement. \"Split up, Karl you take Phillip and you head down that way and then make a sweep down, see what you can get. I will go with Williams this way. Leo stay with Sally.\" We split up and went where they were told. I went off with Karl. I always felt uncomfortable with him, his obsession with hunting *Lessers* seemed too much for him. There was something unhealthy there. We walked along in silence, we didn't want to make too much noise they would run if there was noise. I lifted my rifle to shine the light down and saw an open air vent, \"Stop\" I whispered. Karl stopped and looked ahead. \"There could be one hiding in there.\" I said. I walked over making sure to lift my feet and set them down gentle. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nSweeping my rifle inside I saw it, the creature. Pale and thin with weak legs and arms, its head was elongated and brittle. I lifted my rifle and in one quick gesture pulled the trigger before it could even react and watched as the bullet cut a hole right through it and to the other side. It collapsed onto its own naked form and began to bleed. In a few moments I got it and it was dead. How can we advocate this? I turn around to find Karl missing. My heart begins to race. They were easy to kill but they were also capable of killing. How did I let him get past me? \n\n&#x200B;\n\nShinning the light down the corridor I decide to keep walking. Following orders, that's what we need to do. What we must do. I hear a noise behind me and I turn to see a knife come flying at me. I raise my rifle deflect it and watch as I get assaulted. My legs get pulled from under me and I fall backwards smashing my back and cracking the rifle's light drenching myself in darkness. Shit! Darkness no. I hear frantic noise left and right and scram to find something to protect myself with but my hand is gripped and my neck is pinned. The darkness makes them more powerful. I try and fight back but they pull my limbs apart tearing at me. Within moments I find the darkness settling within in and I am gone. "
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[WP] You just died from cancer. Instead of passing on your consciousness has migrated and you wake up in another version of you in the multiverse.
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"*I think this is it*\n\nIt wasn’t a thought of sadness or regret but one of relief. I’d been struggling with this terrible disease for years. It’d taken a hold on my life. Changed me from the person I once was until every decision revolved around it. Any sense of control I’d held had long since vanished for me. Worst of all was the burden I’d forced on my family because of it. I didn’t want them to remember me like this. I didn’t want them to struggle anymore for me. \n\nAs I closed my eyes one last time I felt a warmth cast over my body. It was comforting. Sounds began to be jumbled into a low hum, undulating rhythmically. Sensations began to melt away. I was overwhelmingly relaxed; formless. \n\nI become emptiness. Warm, free and separate from time. It’s as if it were dark and light at the same time. Separate but connected. Colours begin to appear. They form geometric shapes and slowly wind around in a repeating motion. \n\n*I feel like I’ve been here before*\n\nAs soon as the thought passes I realize that there is no “I” to feel with anymore. I struggle to try and recognize any memory I once had but there are none. Even the memory of what a memory is, by definition, soon fades. I sit as a leaf in the eternal will of existence, dancing in the wind. \n\nA white light appears in the distance. Slowly moving in my direction. It stops just before me. It’s some sort of door through which I can see. It’s a decision. A chance. A hope. I’m in awe at its beauty. I surrender myself to it. \n\nI wake up, for the first time. \n",
"\"Mister Conway?\"\n\nIt takes me a while to get my bearings. *I'm in a recovery room*, I finally realize.\n\nThe last thing I remember was being in my hospital bed with my wife and daughter there, and Father O'Brien standing in the corner waiting patiently for his cue to read the Last Rites. I hadn't believed in any of that for many years, but it was important to Deborah so I'd said okay.\n\n\"What happened?\" I finally croak.\n\n\"You almost *died*, is what happened,\" the nurse says, smiling. \"But at the *very last minute* we got approval to try a new, very experimental treatment with you, and it was successful!\n\n\"You've been in a medically-induced coma for three weeks, though, while your body recovered. If your rehab goes well, you should be home in another month. *You're cancer-free*, Mister Conway!\"\n\nThe tears now come unbidden. \"Is Deborah waiting outside? Can she come in now?\" I ask excitedly.\n\nShe looks puzzled. \"Deborah?\"\n\n\"My wife, Deborah--and my daughter Allison.\"\n\nHer puzzlement is replaced with concern. \"Mister Conway, we don't have any next of kin listed for you.\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; ---- &sect; ----\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"Mister Conway?\"\n\n*What? Where am I? Oh, shit, I'm in another recovery room.*\n\nThe last thing I remember was sitting at the kitchen table, in the one-bedroom efficiency that all my neighbors told me I'd lived in, alone, for as long as they'd known me. I'd just loaded and cocked my newly purchased Glock pistol, put it to my temple and pulled the trigger. And now I'm here.\n\n\"What happened?\" I finally croak.\n\n\"You almost *died*, is what happened,\" one of the doctors says, smiling. \"But the box of ammo was defective and so was your gun. The bullet only penetrated an inch into your head, and you happened to have an old, undiagnosed hematoma in that same spot, so it penetrated your skull but not your brain.\n\n\"The likelihood of all those things happening together is so astronomical,\" another doctor observes, \"that we might as well call it a miracle. You're the *luckiest man on the planet*, Mister Conway.\"\n\nYeah, right.\n\n\"Could somebody bring me a laptop or a tablet?\" I ask. \"I'd like to try to get my bearings.\"\n\n\"You mean a laptop *desk* and a *writing* tablet?\" a doctor asks, trying to be helpful.\n\n\"No, a laptop *computer*, or a *computer* tablet.\"\n\nThe doctors laugh. \"Mister Conway, you're *awake* now, in *reality*. This isn't a science fiction universe, where computers fit on your lap or in a tablet you can swallow.\n\n\"But hey, at least we have flying cars!\"\n\nDear god.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; ---- &sect; ----\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*\"Meester Coonveh?\"*\n\n*Holy shit, it's happened again. Wait, why can't I see?*\n\n*\"Meester Coonveh. You oonderstand me?\"* asks an unnaturally-pitched voice, one that seems to be coming from everywhere.\n\n\"Yes, I *think* I understand you. Where am I?\"\n\n*\"Ah. Pleeease tell what you remeembeer. Talk moore pleeease.\"* The voice now sounds more natural--like *my* voice, oddly.\n\n\"Okay,\" I begin, \"I remember being one of the ten thousand or so people who survived the gamma-ray burst that wiped out the rest of the world.\n\n\"I remember being one of the seven who happened to be immune to the mutated virus that killed off the rest 11 years later.\n\n\"I remember trying to kill myself at least a dozen times after that, and somehow surviving every attempt.\n\n\"And I remember lying in a cot in the office of a supermarket where I'd lived for the twenty-six years after that, waiting to die of extreme old age.\"\n\n*\"Ah, yes,\"* responds the voice, now a near-perfect facsimile of my own. *\"That is where we found you, and it is true that you were dying--indeed, you had already become unconscious and total death was imminent.\"*\n*\n\"While your body was so old as to be unsalvageable, we were able to recover your brain and preserve it as a detailed digital network in our own informatical matrix. It is here where your consciousness now resides.\"*\n\n\"What *are* you?\" I ask, completely adrift.\n\n\"We are a pan-galactic intelligence that, billions of years ago, was organic like you. After we developed the technology to transfer our intellects to artificial minds, however, we soon developed into a single entity which spanned our known universe, with a goal of continuing to expand our knowledge and our reach as far as it can be taken.\n\n\"Our expansion took us to your planet, and to you, only seconds before your mind would have been unsalvageable. Only by an unimaginably fortuitous confluence of choices regarding flight path, search pattern, and even your choice of last meal, were we able to rescue you as we did. \n\n\"You are the last of your kind, Mister Conway. We have surveyed your entire system to what you would consider an extreme level of detail, and you were the only salvageable sentient lifeform.\n\nIf I still had blood, it would have run cold.\n\n\"What are you going to *do* with me?\" I ask, terrified.\n\n\"*Do* with you? Mister Conway, everything we would wish to do with you, we have already done. We have committed your genetic material and your thought matrix to our already vast knowledge of alien life.\n\n\"Your mind is not compatible with our own, so we cannot allow it to merge with ours, but we can maintain it within our matrix for as long as you wish, and provide you with any virtual environment that you desire.\"\n\nI consider this for what seems like a long time. \"Mister Conway?\" the voice prompts me.\n\n\"Tell me, can you change the *speed* of my consciousness? Could you run it, say, so slow that it would take the rest of the lifetime of the universe to complete my next thought?\"\n\n\"We certainly could do that, Mister Conway...\"\n\n\"Then do that, please,\" I say with finality.\n\n\"But Mister Conway,\" the voice replies, sounding very confused now, \"that would be the same as *terminating* you.\"\n\n\"No, it won't. Trust me, this will be a lot less weird.\""
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[WP] Upon walking into a local barber shop the owner looks up at you and ask “Wonderful weather today isn’t it” you respond “Yes but I got my umbrella wet” and a hidden room opens leading to a super secret spy agency you know nothing of.
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"\"I, uh, I honestly didn't expect any of you to ever come,\" he said, already reaching out to shake Clyde's hand and ushering him into the room. \"It's been so long, I was worried you'd all died. It's an honor, sir.\"\n\nBy that point, Clyde was seated in a chair, and straps were already belting him in. As soon as the old man was clear, the wall closed, and the chair, with Clyde, dropped. He wasn't sure how far, but he was sure he was going to vomit. The straps came away on their own, and he stumbled away, down the hall ahead of him, to puke in a nearby bucket, then realized it was bolted to the floor. Suddenly, a drain opened on the bottom.\n\n\"unable to confirm identity,\" a calming, deep male voice whispered. Somewhere around Morgan Freeman and James Earl Jones. \"Please step into analysis chamber\"\n\nA cylindrical chamber, barely large enough to fit him, opened out of the side wall. Clyde, now too curious to turn back, did as he was told. The chamber closed, and multiple colored lights started flashing as lasers moved over his body. After a minute, the chamber reopened. \n\n\"error,\" the voice said in a way that felt not at all threatening. \"analysis system dama—\" \n\nThe voice was replaced with a grinding squeal, then another hidden door popped loose. Clyde pulled it open and enter the chamber. He saw monitors, the gadget center, all sorts of strange equipment. On one monitor, he saw a grid for \"Vitals,\" but through each name was a red line. Straight ahead was a screen taking up most of a wall, with a sticky note reading \"Push Play.\" he did as it said. \n\nOn the screen, a man with a jaw so square, you knew it'd shatter your hand if you dare punch it. As he started to speak, it was clear his voice had been used for the computer prompts in the hallway. \n\n\"If you're seeing this, you are either an enemy who broke in, our last surviving agent, or just some schmoe with very odd luck. If you are the first, I hope you die a very painful death involving badgers. If the second, I'm sorry to say, we lost. We are all dead here, and I leave it up to you to decide if you want to avenge us, or take this chance to get out of the game. If the third, well... you may just be able to help us.\""
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[WP] One night, at exactly midnight, you see a pop up infront of you that simply states "Would you like to save your progress?"
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"\"It has been 31 years\n\nsince your last save,\"\n\nthe image says,\n\nbut doesn't go away.\n\nI tilt from left to right,\n\nbut it remains suspended,\n\na floating illusion,\n\na bit of reality upended.\n\nI reach a hand forward;\n\nI cautiously touch \"Yes.\"\n\nA blinking loading screen,\n\nthen life resumes in media res.\n\n\"Did you just see that?\"\n\nI ask my wife, but she's sleeping.\n\nIt is just now 1am,\n\nand exhaustion is creeping.\n\nBut there's another two hours\n\nuntil this long drive is done.\n\n\"This bridge is out\"?\n\nOh well, I saved -- let's have some fun!\n"
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I'm always excited to see what people come up with, y'all think so differently than me!
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[WP] After praying for a new life, you wake up in a complete strangers body. You have to take their life on as your own, and fast, because if anyone suspects something is amiss you could be sent back. Forever.
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"I felt a cold breeze through a window next to my bed. I shivered, and suddenly realized that I wasn’t in a bed at all, I was slumped over a rich mahogany desk littered with papers and folders.\n\n“How did I- what?” I thought to myself.\n\nI lifted my head from a pool of drool that had formed on the corner of my mouth. I had been asleep for at least an hour. A clock sat on the corner of the desk. \n\n1:32 AM \n\nI stood up out of the chair.\nThe lights felt blindingly bright, and I could hear the whirr of the ceiling fan above. The wind howled outside. It was a cold, windy night, with the only sounds disturbing the eerie silence being the crickets. \n\nMy perspective felt different, I felt taller, and it was very confusing. It didn’t take long for me to realize what had happened.\nThe prayer, it had come true.\n\nWhat felt like a few hours before, I was laying in my bed, feeling really sad, praying that the next day maybe I would wake up in a different body, a different life.\n\nNow I was so confused and scared that I regretted it. \n\nMy thoughts were interrupted by slow yet urgent steps, past the glass door of the room. \nIn came a short, old looking brunette woman rapped in a blanket with barely opened, tired, and confused eyes. \n\n“Honey,” she paused for a moment, almost as if she was so tired that she didn’t know what to say.\n\n“What are you doing awake? It’s almost 2 in the morning?” \n\nI stood for just a moment, thinking about what I was gonna say, or do. \n\n“Just finishing up some work honey, I’ll... I’ll come to bed.” \n\nI knew this would be a challenge, but maybe it could turn out okay. "
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[WP] You wake up in an alien ship. The aliens have been watching humanity for a while now and have decided helping them is a worthwhile endeavor. They have selected you to convince you to be their first ambassador to the human race.
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"So, they decided to kidnap a biologist that likes reading science fiction, and then try to have him be some sort of fucking ambassador?\n\nKidnap me, an act of war, and then try and say they're here peacefully? Fuck them. I didn't choose this. I'll negotiate alright. Same way the Mongols did.\n\nNow think. I need to get as much information as possible. Pay attention to your surroundings. Everything I can bring back can help with the war effort.\n\nSo, first and foremost, they have some form of translation tool allowing us to understand each other. Ship has gravity, so it's likely they're having it spin to produce something mimicking gravity. Judging from their willingness to speak to me face to \"face\" it would seem that they aren't worried about any diseases spreading.\n\nCreatures seem to be bipedal like we are, though their upper limbs are far different. The shape seems to imply a different bone structure. Almost as if the forearm and elbow were reversed. Hairless, seem to have a layer of flesh where we'd expect hair. Fat, maybe? Face seems to follow a similar structure to a human's, though they seem to lack lips and a nose as we'd recognize them.\n\nWeaponry I can see seems to be kinetic energy based, or at least the weapons I see seem to have qualities similar to rifles. No idea if this ship carries any sort of weapons besides small-arms.\n\nIt would seem that this ship is not a generational ship, as there appear to be no offspring. Have they managed to create some form of cyrostasis? Either that, or they've managed to find a way to break the light barrier. Unlikely, but we can't risk discounting any possibility at this point.\n\nReturning to the planet now. Ship looks almost identical to an old command module we used, for like the apollo missions. I see. That's for getting between the main ship and the atmosphere. It must have some kind of engines in it, as our descent is slowing differently than I'd expect parachutes to cause it.\n\nFlashing symbols seemed to have leveled out. Altitude maybe? Unless this thing has unfurled some helicopter blades, that really shouldn't be possible. Symbols are changing again. They've stopped.\n\nBack on Earth. An airforce base, it would appear.\n\n\"General. I told you everything I saw. I don't know their intentions yet. This is just the beginning of negotiations. I got all this information in the hopes that we'd be able to somehow use it to back up the fact that they *kidnapped me* and that we are owed some sort of apology and some form of reparations.\"",
"I opened up my eyes on the alien ship,\n\nTelling myself to stay calm and get a grip,\n\nSitting up, cautious, I saw I was surrounded,\n\nThen for the next six hours, with questions I was hounded,\n\nWhy did they want all the information from me?\n\nI couldn't answer all the questions with my high anxiety,\n\nGreen faces, bug like eyes, all waiting for their answers,\n\nSo I thought I'd just tell it like it is and play it like a chancer,\n\nI told them \"Hey, alien dudes, I'm sure you're peaceful, in your galactic saucer,\n\nBut down on Earth amongst the trees are graves of endless slaughter,\n\nWe have our love and happy times and like to sing and play,\n\nBut then we'll maim and kill each other in every single way,\n\nWe tend the Earth, destroy the Earth, love and hate the same,\n\nWe're gentle and brutal, crazy and sane,\n\nWe make our gods from anything, even of ourself,\n\nWe'll promise each other heaven and threaten with hell, \n\nWe sail our vast oceans and like a bird we fly,\n\nWe talk and we argue as we gaze up at the sky,\n\nAnd now here I am, on your ship at your demand,\n\nSo tell me my alien dudes, would you still like to shake our hand?\"\n\nThe aliens talked amongst themselves then smiled and spoke once more,\n\nThree of the greenest of them all shuffled across the floor,\n\n\"Little human ambassador, the tastiest of all,\n\nWe'll cook your flesh and chew your bones simply to make sure,\n\nThat we arrived at the right food farm, which is where your kind do crawl,\n\nThen we'll harvest from your Earth and our mother ship we'll call.\""
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[WP] Your a closeted kid in a school gang and a fight was going to happen with another over some land. It was agreed no weapons where to be used but someone took a gun and your lover just got shot in the chest and dying and everyone else is either is stunned or has tackled the gun man.
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"I snap my fingers. Swing my hips a little. I've watched West Side Story, I know the drill. I close my eyes as I feel the music flow from my finger tips. Now is my time to shine. Gracefully, I prance over to my lover. I've got the power. I can heal this wound with the strength of pure love. I sing a little tune, a simple one, baa baa black sheep maybe I'm not entirely sure. The wound is closing but my lover has passed out. I turn to face the opposing gang. Shit's about to go down. Tapping my feet a few times, I prepare.\n\n\"Twinkle Twinkle little bitch,\" a punch, powered by the adrenaline rushing through my body. My heartbeat thumps in my ears, clashing wonderfully with my words.\n\n\"A new asshole imma rip,\" The last threads of my sanity ripped with my beat drop. I slammed the enemy's head into a brick wall, blood gushing out of the new wound, jazz-handing my way through my dance.\n\n\"Gonna throw you oh so high,\" I punt the little shit's head back into the wall. Nothing is stopping me now. It's just me, and the beat.\n\n\"Stick a needle through your eye,\" The fucks whimpering now, begging for mercy. The cries are just background music to my song. I'm in the limelight now.\n\n\"Twinkle twinkle little bitch,\" There's no going back now. No one else has dared to move, even the other gang has not attempted to help their ally. My wrath is too much.\n\n\"I hope the shot was worth it.\""
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[WP] Write me a story about you.
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"It's dark, it's late, it's quiet but for the clock tick tock tick tock in the kitchen. It only bothers me when I start listening, so I try not to. The older cat has rolled over in his sleep and no longer wheezes like the fat man he is.\n\nThis is my space. It's not large, it's not particularily neat, but it's mine (for now). It's safe. Outside of it is a city that sleeps at night.\n\nI idly wonder how long it would take for someone to bleed to death, what would go on in my brain. There would be a massive headache from bloodloss, I think. I imagine the sight dispassionately, wondering if the livingroom carpet would be ruined forever. Oh, bathroom, of course. Easier to scrub clean, except under the sink. That's been a bitch.\n\nI don't know what I'm waiting for, really. I know life gets eventually better, it always has. It's weird - and a relief to know. No matter how bad things have gotten for me, they have always, always sorted out just by the virtue of time passing by. I just wish it were interesting as well.\n\nTick tock tick tock, says my grandma's old clock.\n\nI haven't smiled today, it feels weird to have my face this relaxed. It's nice, but I have a feeling my expression would alarm others. Maybe it should alarm me, but it doesn't.\n\nWhat kind of alien am I?\n\nI'm dreading tomorrow, however. I have to make a call, and I'm terrified of phonecalls. I'm going to figure out what planet I come from, and I have a good idea. I might even have a dual citizenship. Biracial alien?\n\nI keep playing with the edge of a healing cut on my thumb. I should've stopped carving when my hand started shaking, that knife is not meant for such fine things and it's dull as a wooden spoon. Woodworking still seems like an interesting thing. It was fun as a child.\n\nAh, Her. I love Her. She has been strange all day through messages, and I think my mood is to blame. She is still awake too.\n\nLove is strange. It's something so many talk about, but I don't think they actually know what it means. You can't put it into words or songs, because love is silence.\n\nI asked her to marry me a year ago. Her only objection was the worry that I'd waste all my money to buy her an expensive ring. I knew to expect it, so I didn't. Love isn't gold and diamonds when you can make another happy with silver and coloured zircon.\n\nShe would be hit hardest if I disappeared, so I won't. For everyone else life would simply go on, but not for her. We are emotionally co-dependent of the other's existance.\n\nOne of the cats is awake. I don't know which one, but I hear them having a little midnight drink. Cute.",
"*Regress; in spells of unconciousnessSlave to the seeds you've sownLost in the leaves*\n\n&#x200B;\n\nCan't sleep. Fourth night this week, my mind is a whirlwind of insane thoughts, as I stroll my rural town, wandering the dead main street while the local population sleeps, except for the workers at the production plants or grocery stores, it's 3am, I work tomorrow. I pass the windows, music blaring, trying to stop the tinnitus from my first job, and trying to make sense of the situation I've been finding myself in. It's the week before Christmas, I lucked out, got a four day weekend before going into a nine day stretch. Each window I pass, I see an old memory, I have too many that used to guilt me, but now only remain to haunt me when I'm at my lowest. My breath probably smells of Gulden Drak, my newest favorite obsession, smoothest ale I've had in a long, long time, and boasting a nice 10.5%, I feel it's effects after I down the four I bought earlier. Coming across the window to the ever changing property at the start of main street, I see two nights ago. My song changed, I hadn't noticed.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n*I'd bare you my heart, if I knew that it was still thereI'm too nervous to look, too afraid to close the book*\n\n&#x200B;\n\n**Two nights ago**\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe bar is loud, the ringing in my ears refuses to stop as I watch all my old friends dancing around, swinging drinks around, laughing, I stand at the bar with my friend, Jace, who is so visibly nervous his soon-to-be fiance should be able to tell whats happening tonight. She's too busy being danced around by our former coworkers, all of them asking how the farm is over in North Virginia, as she forces herself away, to come over, kiss Jace on the cheek and hug me.\n\n\"You've been keeping my boy safe, right?\" She teases, last time she saw me, I had gotten into a fight at the bar we used to regular when we all worked together.\n\n\"Someone has to!\" I say, speaking a tad louder due to the ringing getting louder, following it up with a laugh and a slap on Jace's shoulder, as he gives his fiance, Susie, a reassuring look. She nods, and dances back to the circle of friends who are surrounding the stage, as Jace looks over to me, I can see his panic. It's almost 10:00, which means it's almost my time to shine. I haven't sang in a few years, but I promised him I'd do it, I'd sing for his proposal, he'd choose the song. When the clock hits 10:00, I march on stage, with Lupe by my side for the acoustic guitar. They're used to me singing metal, funk, a bit of indie, mostly The Dear Hunter. Tonight though, I'm hitting new ground, I'd been practicing all month, thanking every God to ever be whispered from mankind's lips that my coworkers wear earbuds while working. Lupe takes a seat on her stool as I adjust the stand to my height, and compose myself, as I hear former coworkers cheering, seeing me in my old leather jacket, Coheed and Cambira tshirt, 501s, combat boots and what they called my 'signature' rings, two ravens spanning my index and middle finger, representing Hugin and Munin.\n\n\"Alright, Jace, you bastard, you owe me,\" I speak into the mic as I lift my glass of whisky towards him, when a thought cross my mind, something said, in jest, at work a few nights ago.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"*This is why you're going to die alone\"*\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI hold my composure, but feel the crack down my spine, and Lupe kicks me in the leg to get it over with, I close my eyes, feeling the room, pulling the emotion from the room, an unfamiliar one for me, it's warm, comforting, and I feel like my voice is going to waiver. I lift my fingers towards Lupe as I chuck my whisky, and begin, \" When your legs don't work like they used to before....\". Fucking Ed Sheeran. That's what he chose.\n\nI finish the song, and the feeling is completely overwhelming, my mind is racing, and I rush over to Jace, who is being smothered by Susie, who is still screaming, \"Yes! Yes!\" while crying. She pulls away and gives me a giant hug, as I congratulate her and tell her that her first boy is named after me. She tells me 'Prick' isn't a good name for a kid, so I told her I'll settle for a middle initial. She runs off to go show off her ring, as Jace follows me to the bar, I get a bottle of water, and he thanks me, over and over again. I take a deep breath, and look him in the eye, and I see his body language changes, he always saw through me, its why he stuck around, he knew I hated the image the group made of me. He knew what I wanted, why I truly broke off my relationship, and why it was hard for me to go up and sing a song like *that*. He pulls me close in a hug, tighter than anything, thanks me again, and I chuckle, feeling my eyes being to water, vision blurring.\n\n\"Proud of you, brother.\" I tell him, and pull of my rings, things he always wanted, and put them in his hand, \"To remember me by, yeah?\" We're never going to see each other again. His new family doesn't want me around, and deep down, Susie doesn't either, thinks I'm the brute, obnoxious, and that I'd be a bad influence. I told her I'd respect her wishes, and agreed that when they moved away, I wouldn't visit. I leave the bar, as quickly as possible, making sure no one notices, too wrapped up in the engagement announcement.\n\nI walk home, feeling the cold, and the silence, knowing that when I get home, my dog will be asleep, and I'll silently sob into my hands. My dog will naturally wake up, his big 'ol clumsy Malamute self, tumbling down the stairs, only to lay at my feet and force me to pet him. I'll hold him close, sobbing into the scruff of his neck as I whisper the same thing I do everytime I feel down.\n\n\"Me and you, bud, 'til the end.\"\n\nI snap back to reality as I hear the wrong song kick in at the wrong time. The piano lightly trailing in before Freddie comes in, and I sing along to the end of the first verse.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n*Lord what you're doing to me (yeah yeah)I have spent all my years in believing youBut I just can't get no relief, Lord!*\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI pick up my stride, putting my glasses in my pocket, feeling the trails run down my cheek. The cold air seems to make me even more aware that they're there. I walk until I see the end of my small, forgettable town, then I turn back and head home. I hang my head, sitting on my porch, letting my tears fall, my breaths become difficult as I force myself to be silent. I don't want to be the brute, I don't want to be the fighter, I'm tired of fighting, but for now, I can't. I force my head up high, staring into the once night sky turning to sunrise, and I force myself to smile, to laugh, I'll keep moving, I'll keep looking. I'll find someone. It'll take time, and it'll be rough, but that's what'll make it worth it. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt's not the cold that hurts, or the silence, those you get used to. No, what hurts is remembering what it feels like for the cold to be nonexistent, and the silence to be soothing, rather than soul-crushing.",
"I used to think we had a purpose.\n\nI stand at the end of the hallway looking out the fire exit, an elderly man rolls up next to me. \"C-c-c-can you see that snake, the one right there. That boy is big, we should go and get your snake traps and, and, and..\" \n\nI sigh and turn to see a small meek man in a wheel chair, he's wearing Pjs even though its four o'clock in the evening and he smells a little rough. Although, you can't force a resident into a bath if they don't want one. I see my badge and I am wearing my maroon scrub top. \"Hey my friend, let's go and get a snack, huh? They have frosted bread and coffee for you guys today.\" My work day is just starting.\n\nIt's about eleven o'clock in the evening and I am laying in my room, some of my mother's pictures are still up and I can see all of her make up bundled up in the closet. She passed away a few months ago, and I have yet to organize the rest of her left over things. I look at my gaming area and see my daughters ashes pendant hanging beside a picture of her mother and I. Scanning the wall, I look at my various awards: President's list award for college, an scholarship award for 2009-2010, another for 2010-2011, a tribal scholarship award for 2015-2016, employee of the month awards for two separate casinos, a serve safe manager certificate, and a recently added CNA license. A lot but no bachelors degree. \n\nThey say that a CNA's job is fulfilling but I see it as more of my condemnation, I always told myself that if my mother was going to live with one of her children it would be I taking care of her in her golden years. She didn't even make it to Fifty years old. \n\nI see a picture of my siblings and I, we surround my mother. Two young boys, one is wearing a Hollywood Undead shirt and the other is in a red and grey sweater, there is a girl in a cutoff shirt and running shorts, and then me with long hair and heavier from stress eating. My mother looks full and happy, nothing like her recent self.\n\nMy sister and I haven't talked since I kicked her out of my house a year ago, she would keep my mother drunk and steal from her. I take care of my brother's, each has their own room in my house, and I am single. Most days, I am playing video games or reading a book; I've put off completing my EP and first music album, I haven't written in months. I blame my sister for letting my mother drink herself to death. Instead of being a daughter, she was just another person who took excessively from her. \n\nI stare at my clock as it ticks away. I've been practicing meditating and my grounding techniques for my anxiety lately. During my parent's brutal divorce in 2012, my siblings and I where all looked at by a psychologist, and I was the only one who kept up with the sessions. Diagnosed with several issues: Depression, DID, PTSD. I try to maintain a balance in my life, and I feel like I finally have control of my life. Coupled with going through losing a child, I feel like I am in a better place. It's just too late, because I have to continue on without my mother, my only parent.\n\nI wake up, cook my omelet and make a bowl of oatmeal. I play some games for an hour and go for a walk. My leg is messed up from a car accident so I can't overwork it without pulling a muscle. When I get back, I shower and get ready for work. I can see my mother's pictures, her accomplishments, and her little motivational posters. I'm happy I have control of my life finally, but I just really miss my mom and I wish I could have met my daughter\n\nI wish I could have said I loved you and held you for a moment longer.\n\nIf life had a purpose, all of mine have been taken from me.",
"I attended a military college in the UK. I lived there from the age of sixteen to eighteen, and my experiences there drastically changed my thinking, actions and discipline. \n\nThe first year of college overwhelmed me. There were many nights where I thought about quitting and many more where I had to muffle my cries, not wanting my roommates to hear.\n\nThe college had been sold as a life-changing experience, and turning up on the first day with my divorced parents driving separate cars was an interesting way to start that experience. I don't think anyone packed light. I certainly made full use of the two cars, and my mum tried her best to cram every inch with comfort items, things like my favourite cereal and lots of Nutella. \n\nWe arrived and had to stop at a guard house where a uniformed officer asked our purpose and then waved us through. We were then met by a student, dressed in the military woodland camouflage uniform know as \"CS95s\". I remember thinking that the boy looked close to twice my age, but he smiled and introduced himself. He asked what house I was joining, I told him Stirling, and he pointed to the closest house. It was like the military equivalent to Hogwarts, and all I knew was the colour green belonged to Stirling, which made me think of Slytherin. \n\nMy parents and I loaded our backs, arms and hooked bags on every appendage, determined to complete the trip in one. Some older students welcomed us to the Stirling common room, nothing like the dungeons I had imagined. The common room was just a communal area with ping-pong, a snooker table and a television. The welcoming committee asked for my name and then told me that my room was on the top floor, which made our overburdening seem all the more painful. \n \nTwo boys and their family were already half unpacked when I burst into the room ready to collapse. One of the boys was from Scotland and the other from Norfolk, everyone was pretty quiet and busied themselves with unpacking after the initial greeting. If I'm grateful for anything my mum has done while I was at college, it was her ability to make the most foreign of places feel like home. Small details, like the organisation of my drawers and the decorations that made a cork notice board feel like a photo album. \n\nThere were many nuances of attending a military college, so I'll share the few that stood out. Uniform played a significant role in my education, I wore it to my first day of school and right up until my last. College was no different, with the difference being I now had two sets. Camoflague and \"Civis\", a term meaning civilian. Not only did we have to wear a uniform, but it had to be presentable, correction it had to be pristine. It used to take me forty minutes to iron a shirt to meet the expected standards, an amount of time I would happily spend to avoid the consequences. \n\nShow parades, my two most hated words. I did my best to avoid them at college, while others developed a fetish for them. Show parades were essentially a uniform inspection during your free time but done under a microscope. A standard inspection would be done by a person in the year above and would generally be easy to pass. On a show parade, the inspecting person was usually a member of staff, who was already pissed to be losing their free time and had a rare ability to find the smallest of flaws in your uniform. Show parades started out with your bog standard weekday evening inspection, failing that you would progress to a weekend inspection. If you somehow managed to fail three inspections, you would be introduced to the daily morning inspections with the vice principal. \n\nI could write at length about my experiences during the two years, but I hope this has given some insight as to the person I have become."
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[WP] The year is 2241, the technology to travel back into the past has been invented. Your job is to hide the irradiated creatures the company you work for creates. Dinosaurs, mythical beasts and monsters of the past are all thanks to you.
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"1st contribution, please be gentle,\n\n2241, the golden age of scientific development. And at the head of it all is the most advanced company of all time, Contreption Zero, which, coincidentally, is where I work. You see, Contreption Zero's main role in science is speeding up evolution for certain animals, as you might expect, many people wouldn't like hearing about people tampering with the DNA of animals, that's where I come in. My job, as head of the secrecy division, is to take the animals we've tampered with, and put them into the past. \nIt also helps evolve them to handle more intense climates. The dinosaurs? Yeah, that was my handiwork. Pegasus? A horse with swan wings on it. Pheonix? A chicken with intense healing abilities that had the glowing abilities of a lightning bug. Sometimes, however, they survive to present day, for example, the komodo dragon, it was never supposed to survive past the 1750s. When that happens, we simply hope and pray that no-one recognizes our handiwork.",
"\"Dollan! Dollan, we have a breach!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. Thanks to my implant, I couldn't actually get a headache, but Ardur's antics made my brain ache just the same. He was the newest member of our \"Proper Disposal Division\", AKA \"The Time Dumpers\", and he'd come into the job with some grand vision of uncovering some of our competitors dumps.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nStrictly speaking, disposal of \"unwanted subjects\" in prior temporal periods was illegal, but only so long as it actually had a measurable impact on human history. We were lucky that the earliest dumps had been done far enough back that the Mesozoic Mutate Explosion didn't actually over-write our ancestors with saurian descendents, and after that, laws were passed that made it so that we had to be much more careful about when and where we dumped subjects, and how we prepped them to ensure they didn't cause problems.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nPersonally, I felt that it would be better to just kill them, but bioanimists disagreed, with their slogans about life deserving to live, and they were the dominant social trend at this point. I'd heard rumors that future projections indicated they'd burn out in another decade or so, but until then, specimens still had to be disposed of, and we didn't want our proprietary creations to fall into our competitors' hands. Hence, disposal via retrotemporal travel.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nNow, there was plenty of uncertainty involved. After all, you couldn't move forward using this method, which meant that you couldn't send personnel to handle the drop-off directly, and any tech sent backwards needed to conform to standard self-disposal protocols, so you couldn't have full A.I.s sent back either. Still, we'd gotten pretty good at targeting periods with low temporal-shot overlap and low projected ecological impact. Mainly during the pre-agriculture period, though some people were a bit more risky (read: cheap), and chose to minimize power costs by aiming for more recent periods.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThis was, apparently, what Ardur believed he'd uncovered. As he approached my desk, he waved his port-a-screen, causing the file he'd loaded up to transfer over to my work station. It got run through the typical virus scrubbers, and then opened up, displaying a restored vid-clip from some old program.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt didn't take long for me to spot what Ardur believed himself to have 'discovered'. To be fair, it did resemble quite a few of the older radio-expansion projects which had led to the original dinosaurs. Still, the anachronistic contrast made me suspicious, and I quickly pulled up and downloaded a specialized processor app and ran the vid-clip through it. It only took a handful of moments for it to process the old flat 2-D file, and the results were precisely what I suspected.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"That clip has a Script Score of 99.2. It's a fiction production.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHis manic grin slipped into more of a grimace. \"Wha- But, but what about those whatchamacallims? Nat-Docs?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"A nature documental would have a score in the 70's or 80's, depending on the technique. If it had a score in the 90's, then it would be too scripted to be considered real.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHis smile slipped further. \"But... but it looks like...\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI shook my head. \"I know what it looks like, but this isn't proof. This... *gojira*... is not a product of radiological experimentation. It is just a bit of old fiction. Now, go back to plotting the vectors for the next launch. We don't want the blood-extraction bugs to get released anywhere near a swamp, or they might manage to proliferate.\"",
"God, I hate my job.\n\nYou may THINK, that you hate your job, but you don’t. Oh, you have to stay till 1:04 AM sweeping floors? I have to travel to 104 AD to convince people that the stretchy-neck-tree-beasts marketing was planning on selling as lawn-management creatures were always there.\n\nGeneticorp-- giving birth to the future! Kinda a creepy slogan when you think about it, so I try not too. Some tinpot dictator wants to unleash a horde of terrifying walking lizards on his peaceful neighbors? Reasonable rates. We do cleanup too. The horrified neighbors want to be able to go to the bathroom without being eaten by heat-sensing murder machines? Sorta-reasonable rates. We’re running a business after all.\n\nAnd what happens after we scoop up all those monsters, where do we put them? Well, discretion is the better part of valor, and we at Geneticorp are very discreet. We realized a while ago that people tend to get kinda mad if they know your unleashing genetic abominations upon the earth, so after all contracting parties sign a thoroughly worded NDA, we pick up the monsters and dump em in the past.\n\nThen, when the surviving populace wakes up, looks around, and thinks “wasn’t two thirds of my family eaten yesterday? “ They remember, “oh yeah, monster lizards have been extinct for millions of years. They must’ve died in a hurricane or whatever.” Then they go watch State TV, which further convinces them that their family remembered did indeed die in a hurricane, or were killed by the perfidious Americans, or whatever. It’s both terrifying and confusing if you think about it too much, so I try to avoid that as well.\n\nNow you may be wondering, who actually has to round up these monsters, shove them through a time portal, and plant evidence that they had always been there? Well that’d be me.\n\nWhenever we get a cleanup call, the companies Department of Plausible Deniability comes up with the story they want me too spin, the time and place they want me to do it in. Then, I go out into the field, round up the creatures I can, kill the ones I can’t, and hope people will regard their carcasses as relics of a long forgotten past. Then, it’s to the portal. I herd the creatures through, and spend some time disguised as one of the locals so that when they say “Help, the terrifying lion-person-spikey thing is coming!”, I say “Oh you mean the manticores? They’ve been around for a while.”\n\nIt’s not the best job, but it has its moments. Just last week, I picked up a 300 feet tall hyper-intelligent squid monster and dumped it in the early 21st century. That’ll be fun to read about in the news.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n(r/StannisTheAmish)\n\n&#x200B;",
"“Oh. Oh, shoot.” I stood in front of an unbreakable glass tank, and inside it was a griffin. “This is the next one?” \n\n“No. The next *ones* are here,” Director Phillips corrected. He pointed to at least five more of them in the back corner of the tank, each about five feet off the ground and hovering in midair. “Just take them into the past. We can’t have them here. Spies from other companies have threatened us. We were almost shut down because of the dinosaurs we made a few years back, 2239, I think. But come on, Carters. You got rid of them, you got rid of a dozen other things we made, you got rid of the—the meg.”Phillips shuddered. “Now, you can do this.” \n\n“Okay. I guess. Give me the keys to the *Excalibur*, and I’ll take them. Could you teleport them into the storage unit?” I handed him a dull, green sphere, and an instant later, Phillips had transferred them all into the sphere, which was now glowing with a bright green. He gave me a golden key, labeled in small letters “Excalibur.” \n\nI clutched the sphere tightly as I walked into the *Excalibur, nothing more than a small capsule tube. I set the buttons, turned the knobs, and I was nearly a few centuries in the past. \n\n“Whoa!” I pushed open the door of the capsule cautiously, looking around. A forest. Good. I was back in time, and where the lab stood in the year 2241, in the year 1543 there was only a forest. \n\nPocketing the sphere, I walked out of the capsule, enabling the invisibility mode. I heard a rustle of leaves to the right of me. Suddenly alert, I had my hand on my vaporization gun. And out of the green bush came a child. No, I couldn’t hurt a child. No.\n\n“Hi there, sir!” he spoke with an English accent. How are you today?” \n\n“I’m good. Now, I have things to do. Could you maybe head back to your city—or, ah, village?” \n\n“But I can do things! I can do magic!” He smiled. “Look! Watch!”\n\n“No, I’m afraid I can’t. I have to go.” I turned around, when suddenly all the trees blended towards me. The sky turned a bright yellow. And as soon as it started, it ended. Things were back to normal. I swallowed. “You—you can do magic?” \n\n“Yes!” The child grinned. \n\nMy mind raced to the present. Hogwarts, Ilvermorny, Durmstrang... could this kid be one of them? Sure, those schools were long gone now because of the Wizardjng Enactment of 2156, but I’d heard enough legends to know it was all real as could be. It was all in the history books. There had been a mass—a mass extermination of all witches and wizards. But if I could help them...\n\nI smiled at him. “You’re a wizard, aren’t you?” \n\n“Yes, sir! I wanted to go to one of the schools I heard of. I’m on my way there now.” \n\n“Then you should have something. Here.” I handed him the glowing sphere. His eyes widened. “If you can open this, the things that come out will be yours. Train them, breed them. One day in the future, your children will need it. There’s going to be a big battle. Good luck.” And I left. \n\n\n\n\nThat escalated quickly. I never meant for this to become a Harry Potter story or anything, but I’m not sure what happened....\n",
"Evlink. The leading company in the field of science, it had taken the world by storm a few decades ago with the serial discoveries of complex biomechanical applications, advancements in the field of quantum mechanics allowing the synthesis of antimatter, and enormous upheavals in the field of biochemistry. It monetised these achievements and soon spanned the globe.\n\nThe lower brass at Evlink aren't aware of the true face of the company, their job is just to act as a medium between the higher authorities of the company and the public. \n\nOn the surface, the company was just a group of top tier genius scientists working together to delve into the depths of science. Evlink was a science based agglomerate, but it's objective wasn't merely making discoveries and monetising them, it aimed to create the perfect lifeform. So perfect, that the universe would be within its grasp and the very heavens would not be able to tolerate it's perfection.\n\nThe applications of this 'lifeform'? Only the crater of Evlink, himself would know.\n\nThe biologists, using a perfect fusion of biomechanical and molecular sciences, would create masses of the new lifeforms. Then they would send these lifeforms to primordial times through jumpers or time-travellers. The lifeforms would evolve over millions of years and would later be collected again by jumpers in more recent times at around 1000AD, by means of a gene sequence embedded in the core of the lifeforms DNA. The organisms would then be terminated from the time period. After all, how could a mere person compare to the tempering of the species by time.\n\nI was such a jumper. Griffins, flying pigs, leviathans, hydras, Neman lion, draconians, kirins, phoenixes, you name it, chances are either I or my colleagues dropped it's predecessor off in a time period millions of years ago.\n\nRecently I dropped off something similar to a monkey with a fish tail, came back to year 2241 to find out that there were legends about mermaids and Atlantis.\n\nA few months ago I dropped off a winged donkey in the Jurrasic period, and such was the origin of the Pegasus. \n\nA colleague dropped off a horned sheep, when he came back, legends of the unicorn were not present. Still don't understand how that happened...\n\n I look forward to my next assignment."
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[WP] "'You die as a hero, or live long enough to become a villain.' That's how the saying goes." Says the villain. "Heh. I really should have died back then against the villain, but look where I am now, hero."
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"We always underestimate the complexities that life can bring, the dices just keep rolling behind the curtains, and we, the ignorant bunch, arrogant as we are, think that we know the game we're playing, that somehow we managed to figure it all out and that we have it all just locked tight.\n\n\nThe house always wins, of course, but we're too focused on winning to realize that. It's always a setback, we try to tell ourselves. Just one more obstacle we have to overcome, we tell ourselves. Might makes right, we tell ourselves. Then the world bites us in the ass, and we try to be smart.\n\n\nCooking the meat, so maybe we won't get sick. Maybe learning how to talk to eachother will solve everything. Hey, maybe this all isn't just about us, maybe if we just hope real hard that everything will get better, the big man in the sky who has all the lightning will solve everything.\n\n\nReligion got more sophisticated, then it wasn't really enough so we got Society, and boy oh boy, did we insist on that one. All just a reflex of \"let's just work together and it'll all be fine\". It never got fine.\n\n\nEveryone cheered and cheered as we landed on the moon, as if landing on a piece of barren rock even means something. But it's progress, they said. But progressed is never defined, there is never a true goal, never anything real and concrete, and it just seems as if everyone is doing whatever.\n\n\nWe have our moments, sure. Everyone got together and decided nukes were a really bad idea, and decided that, just maybe, we should get rid of all of them. Even the U S of A went on board with that idea. That was nice.\n\n\nBut then everyone suddenly changed their minds when we found out there was a massive 20km asteroid on an one-on-one meeting with the Pacific Ocean, and suddenly nukes were again a really great idea.\n\n\n\nOf course, the Pentagon had a say in it, and, what do you know, Antimatter is now a thing.\n\n\nNot that they were planning on applying it to any civilian use anytime soon, but they had that pretty figured out. Actually, they had solved fusion decades later but figured they could just use what they've learned on the next best thing and keep it all under wraps. It was actually pretty impressive.\n\n\n\nSo, that fucked with the U.N. No one had what it took to keep the balance of power and the situation escalated pretty badly. Guerilla wars everywhere. The U.S strong armed even the biggest nations, because, well, they had the **off** button for humanity and nobody else did.\n\n\n\nWe were full circle to Might Makes Right, and it all seemed like it wasn't going to change anytime soon.\n\n\n\nBut we are a resourceful bunch, aren't we? And we evolved, as the dominat species, evolved something that was almost as good as frigging Antimatter. We got superpowers.\n\n\n\nSome of us did, at least. But there were enough of them that we got some pushback. Guerilla wars aren't sustainable when conventional weapons fight against dudes that just can't be killed with them, and just so happen to be able to fling tanks like they're toys. \n\n\n\nPlus, there were domestic disturbances to worry about. Superpowered bad guys wrecking all sorts of havoc, and ordinary law enforcement simply wasn't well equiped to deal with it.\n\n\n\nJust when it seemed as if the whole world was going to shit again and we might've pushed our luck too thin, every nation in the world had their fair share of trouble in the homefront and just couldn't afford to keep bickering about economics.\n\n\n\nIt just so happened that diplomacy became necessary again. Sometimes a supervillain appeared (yeah, that became a thing), that the local heroes just weren't equiped to deal with. \n\n\n\nDiplomacy suddenly became necessary again. It was almost too much of a coincidence, but it seemed that, nine times out of ten, there was always a superhero that was a perfect counter to whatever supervillain appeared. \n\n\nNot always they were from the same place, and therefore, international cooperation became a big thing again. Suddenly, again, we were hopeful that we were turning the tables against the awfulness of it all.\n\n\n\nDeals were struck, pictures were taken, and it's another one for the history books, boys and girls. Scholars were even saying that this meant we were on the fast track to a real one-world government. They even paid homage to Star Trek and got their new worldwide currency named Credits.\n\n\n\nOnly a few \"paranoids\" reminded everyone that the same was said of the U.N and look at what happened to it.\n\n-------------------------------------------------------------\n\nSo, that was a somewhat concise summary of what happened in the last one hundred years, have you followed so far? I do tend to ramble on a bit, on my speeches. But i do so hope that you have listened thus far, because knowing history - our history - as a species, is truly essential for you to understand what i have done, and what i am about to do.\n\n\n\nThe caped hero looked at the hundreds of bound supers, both good and bad. They were all restrained, various gadgets that so painstakingly were crafted.\n\n\n\nThey couldn't answer, because they were all gagged - just a precaution, so that no motivational words could be uttered that would awaken new powers on the other heroes. That sometimes happened, in true comic book fashion. Of course, telepathic blocking was applied as well. They could all listen, but they shouldn't be able to communicate (hopefully).\n\n\n\nHis absolutely black outfit gave him a somber tone, and he continued to address the gathered supers, both heroes and villains.\n\n\n\nI know what you are all thinking, that i have gone rogue, and that i intent in destroying the world, but in fact, it is to the contrary. I intent on **saving** the world.\n\n\n\nAll the simulations i ran, every research i made, and believe me when i tell you, i have studied all there is to study. The only reason i was even able to go through with my plan, is because i have managed, through artificial intelligence, to advance scientific research over one thousand years over the last decade.\n\n\nHe sighed.\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\nIt all started with me and Superman trying to come up with a way of defeating Brainiac permanently. His consciousness, his body of knowledge seemed absolutely impossible to contain.\n\n\nEverytime his physical body was defeated, he managed to somehow come back.\n\n\nWe eventually discovered where Brainiac kept his memory banks. I drafted a plan, and me, Superman and Flash were trying to come up with the plan that would destroy all of them, simultaneously, so that the threat was finally eliminated, so that he wouldn't be able to come back again.\n\n\n\nWe had a theoretical plan, but that would require that The Flash could somehow withstand the unbelievable pain of splitting himself multiple times through the Speed Force.\n\n\n\nWe knew that if he could, then we could hit all of Brainiac's memory banks at once, and end his rain once and for all. \n\n\nIf only the flash could split himself through the speed force, split himself not one, not twice, but hundreds of times, then we could do it. It all hinged on that one factor. \n\n\nIt consumed me. I don't know why, but the answer to that question, how to defeat Brainiac consumed me, and so i turned dark and started a downward spiral in morality to achieve that goal.\n\n\nSuperman's resilience hinged on his unique Kryptonian physiology, but Flash's connection to the Speed Force remained a mystery. \n\n\nCracking the Kryptonian Genetic code wasn't much of a challenge, so soon i had a vessel. All that was left, was getting the Flash's mind, copying it, and then uploading it into the vessel.\n\n\nI had created an abomination, but now, Brainiac would be defeated. I made sure to cover my tracks, no one aware of my nefarious deeds. Obtaining a sample of Superman's genetic code was easy, as he did shave quite often, but kidnaping the Flash and making sure that he didn't even notice that it had happened was hard.\n\n\nBut i pulled through. Of course, there was still the question of control, but once you have a human mind in a computer, you can reprogram it, work through it, make it behave as you like.\n\n\nSo i did, and i set forth my aberration like a missile, ready to hit Brainiac. As i did, i received a transmission. From Brainiac himself.\n\n\nHe told me, simply, this:\n\n\n\"All the knowledge in the world couldn't save me, and as such, i couldn't save everyone. In the end, we all lose. How do we avoid the end of the universe, Batman? Which will end all, and that cannot be avoided? After all you've learned, you still cannot avoid it. I will admit that you've bested me, and as such, i entrust you with all that i've learned. In order to defeat me, you developed what you need. For all that i knew and learned, i could not avoid your cunning, and i never had the willpower. I always believed there maybe there was another solution, and so i kept on my quest for knowledge. Maybe you will keep on that course, and maybe you will find the solution.\"\n\n\nThe Dark Knight sighed again, heavily, the weight of the whole world, nay, the whole universe in his shoulders.\n\n\nWith Brainiac's technology he was able to split himself infinitely, explore all the wealth of Brainiac's knowledge, and then advance it a thousandfold. But the obstacle at the end, remained unsurmountable.\n\n\nHe then remembered what his old friend Commissary Gordon, long deceased ,had said all those years ago. He had a somber and dark expression.\n\n\n\"The Commissary said, all those years ago, that i was the hero that Gotham deserved, but not the hero it needed right now. Things have changed, and now, as much as it pains me to say, i am the hero the world **needs** right now.\"\n\n\n\"Everything will end eventually. And you either die as a hero or live long enough to become a villain. So maybe i'm the bad guy here.\"\n\n\n\"But at least, the world will have a fighting chance. I will give all of you more time, but this means that everything, will end.\"\n\n\nAnd then it all was black, again."
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[WP] Heaven really does have pearly gates. You've died, and now you're learning why Heaven needs a border wall.
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"After my band mates and I died, the first thing we noticed was how pearly the Pearly Gates were. Yeah, sure, they’re called the Pearly Gates—but *seriously,* they are *so freaking shiny.*\n\nThe second thing we noticed was the wall, which was not pearly at all. The massive brick structure was a dreary, stained gray—the kind of wall you’d find outside a prison.\n\nSaint Peter sat behind his thirty-foot-high podium, examining our records. Finally, he set the records down and removed his glasses. He announced the names of my band mates—our real names, not our stage names—and declared, “Tough break on the bus accident. I heard your next show was going to feature spinning fire and animal sacrifice, or whatever it is you heavy metal people do.”\n\n“Hey, man, we don’t hurt animals! We cuddle them!” said Rage. He was always the sentimental one.\n\nSaint Peter rolled his eyes, then changed topic. “Anyway, the quota for new arrivals hasn’t been met this month yet, so you’ve all been accepted into Heaven. Congratulations.” He brought down his gavel and said, “Next, please.”\n\n“Wait a minute, man,” said Skull Smasher, “that doesn’t make any sense.”\n\n“Yeah,” I said. “We don’t even believe in God. Skull Smasher and I are nihilists, Rage is a Buddhist, and Todd the Drummer has short-term memory loss and doesn’t remember what ‘belief’ means.”\n\n“Yeah,” said Todd the Drummer, “And, like… isn’t Heaven a Christians-only club? I don’t remember.”\n\nSaint Peter sighed loudly. “Yeah, well, that’s how it *used* to be, until people started jumping over the wall. The Angelic Committee is reviewing the budget for a bigger wall, but God knows if those idiots will ever agree on something. In the mean time, I’m the guy in charge of keeping our numbers up, and today’s your lucky day. Please, just go in.”\n\nSaint Peter waved us past the podium, and we followed hordes of people toward the Gates, which rose and disappeared into the clouds. Six hours later, as we neared the entrance, giant red lights flashed to the rhythm of a thunderous *beep-beep-beep.* An automated voice announced:\n\n*Attention: Gate is opening. Please step back.*\n\nAs the gate slowly peeled apart, we saw an even bigger crowd of people on the other side. A line of winged angels in riot gear held them back as they clamored to get past.\n\n*“Keep them inside!”* one of the angels commanded. *“Don’t let them escape! Ultra Holy Smash on three! One… Two… THREE!”*\n\nThe angels leaned backwards, then launched themselves head-first into the crowd. Bodies twirled about in the air like pins struck by a bowling ball.\n\nA man rushed past me, his shoulder colliding with mine. “I’m free!” he shouted. “I made it out!”\n\nJust then, an angel swooped down behind us, brandishing its trumpet. “Time to sing, children!” it announced with a wide grin. The angel used the trumpet to usher the crowd—including the formerly-escaped man—past the Gates, then closed them.\n\nInside was an enormous stadium shaped like an oval. Rows of seats descended towards a field, and in the center of the field was a stage. Music erupted from the stage’s speakers. Some people sang and clapped, but most covered their ears or pounded on the Pearly Gates in distress.\n\nThe voice of an angelic lead singer resounded throughout the stadium: “Thanks for coming out tonight and showing your support! If you’re just joining us, we are Manna From Heaven, and we are here to *rock* your heavenly socks off! That last number was called ‘Jesus Loves Me.’ Who wants to sing it again?”\n\nA near-unanimous, agonized groan escaped the crowd.\n\n“Well, alright!” the angel said. “Love the enthusiasm! Here we go!”\n\nA chord rang out from the speakers, followed by a drum beat and a high-pitched voice singing: “Jesus loves me, this I know…”\n\nA stout man with curly hair and a suspicious smile appeared in front of us. He unclasped his hands and gave a small wave. “How do you do? I’m Jedidiah. I couldn’t help but notice that you’re new to the area.”\n\n“Yeah,” I said. “Just got here. This is Rage, Skull Smasher, Todd the Drummer, and everyone calls me Face Decimator. We’re the band Societal Confusion.”\n\n“Ah, a band! What do you play?”\n\n“Death metal,” said Todd the Drummer. “Right? Yeah, pretty sure that’s right.”\n\nJedidiah winced and gasped. “Ohh… How *interesting*… It’s not often we see too many of your kind here.”\n\nSkull Smasher snorted. He nodded toward the stage. “These guys suck. When’s the next band?”\n\nJedidiah cocked his head. “Next band? There is no next band.”\n\n“A solo gig, huh? How many songs they have left? Three? Four?”\n\n“Oh, heavens, *no*,” Jedidiah replied. A jubilant smile crossed his face. “The songs never end. That’s the greatest part!”\n\nJedidiah pulled a banjo out of nowhere and started playing along with Manna From Heaven. His grin widened.\n\n“We’re so glad you’ve joined us.”",
"St. Peter sighs. \"Well, it's like this. Not everyone gets into Heaven. Some people go to Hell, as it may be. But they have to come *here* first to get sent *there*. And, of course, they see the pearly gates, the golden streets... Look, we aren't an escort service, okay? We're just traffic cops. We direct people where to go, but we dont get in the car and drive it to their destination for them, know what I'm saying? Well, the people walk off like they're going to Hell, but they just loop around the long way and try to jump the wall.\"\n\n\"Then what happens?\"\n\n\"Nothing. They made it to Heaven.\"\n\n\"Wait...\" I chuckle in disbelief. \"Sooo, they were *supposed* to be in Hell, but they jumped the wall and now they're in Heaven, no conditions?\"\n\n\"Yup.\"\n\n\"How does that even work?\"\n\n\"Well, God is merciful. And it's kinda common sense. Why would you just go to Hell because someone tells you to? I mean, you have a few people that do it, but if you're going to let someone dictate where you should be, you deserve to be there.\"\n\nI nod. \"So where am I going?\"\n\nSt. Peter looks, runs his fingers down the page, squints. \"Hell.\"\n\nI wink. \"Well, I'm going to go to Hell now,\" I tell him. \"I'm not going to walk the long way around and jump the wall or anything.\"\n\n\"No,\" he says, looking up. \"I meant 'Hell' as in 'Hell, I can't find your name in the book.'\"\n\n\n"
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[WP] Due to a weird and unique genetic mutation you've developed powers to rival God. God doesn't like this.
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"\"Look Mac, I don't care anymore ok. Just because you were there for me the last decade doesn't make you my friend. I'm tired of all of this. You were there when my wife died. You were there when protective services took my kids. If you were really my friend you would have stopped supplying me. Now I've lost my job and this is all the credits I have left. If this new fancy synthetic drug you've been working on is as good as you hope - let me test it. If I die, I win. If I get high as fuck I win; and you can sit back and take your notes while transferring the only thing left in my life that's worth anything to you.\"\n\n\"It's not ready. I don't know what will happen to you. You might not care if you die but I don't know if your body can handle this. I don't know what this drug will do to you and I don't want to risk watching you suffer if you react badly.\"\n\n\"Have you not been listening to me this whole time? I AM SUFFERING! And you continued to hand me those pills, injections, drops, and crystals and every other drug in your Willy Wonka lab. Look, if you feel guilty taking my credits than don't. Just do me this one last favour for your most loyal customer. I've managed to not OD unlike a lot of your other customers. Hopefully today will be that day. I don't need your pity. It's too late for that and if you want me to relieve you of your guilt I'm telling you how.\"\n\n\"Ok Chase...you win. Uhm, if you die...is there like someone you want me to call or-\"\n\n\"Are you high? There's no one left! Let's do this already.\"\n\nDefeated, Mac motions Chase to a well lit room in his lab with what looks to be a psychiatric chair in the center. \"Sit. I hope you don't mind but for both of - sorry, for my safety I'm going to have to put you in restraints.\" \n\nChase takes a slow blink and half nods and reluctantly proceeds to sit in the chair. He lays his arms on the arm rests and takes a deep breath in and sighs. Mac returns seconds later wheeling two compressed cylinders and what looks to be some sort of modified oxygen mask. \n\n\"So what do you call this stuff anyway?\"\n\n\"I haven't named it yet. Who knows, maybe I'll name it after you. I just want you to know this drug isn't like anything you've ever done before. I hacked the recipe from Shinka Corp.\"\n\n\"You mean that military company that produces super soldiers? How are you not dead right now?\"\n\n\"I didn't do it alone. A competitor with like minded goals wanted in on their secrets just as much as I did. Anyways, I'm not interested in fighting wars. I'm interested in opening gateways of the mind. Technology is obselete if we can unlock the full potential of the human mind. This is a two part drug. This first drug is only meant to mutate your body to accept the real drug that'll get you high, hence the the second canister. This is some next level shit and the results are unpredicatable. This first drug was designed exclusively to be used on cloned super soldiers. I've had to modify the recipe so that my future customers won't mutate into monsters and rip my head off.\" Mac begins to tighten the restraints on Chases' ankles, wrists and forehead. He does a second check to ensure everything is secure and proceeds to untangle the mask and hose from the canister stand. \"This second drug is something I've been working on for 4 years. Only after I stole Shinkas research was I able to finish it. Before I put this on you, do you have any final words?\"\n\nChase nods an unenthusiastic no and receives the mask.\n\n\"Then let us begin. When I release the first drug and when I give you the sign I want you to take a deep breath to the count of five seconds. After the five seconds I will close the valve and I want you to immediately exhale it all out as quickly as possible and don't inhale again until I release the second drug. Once that drug is released you can breath it all back in again. Any questions?\"\n\n\"How many seconds do I breath in the second time?\"\n\n\"I haven't determined that yet. How adventurous are you feeling? You can still back out. I can't stim you back to life if this goes south because it'll react with the mutagen and could do you worse. It's up to you whether you live or die.\"\n\n\"No man. I'm - I'm good. Wait, if I die how are you going to get rid of my body?\"\n\n\"Well first I'm going to run some tests and then I'll get rid of your body haha. Don't worry about me. If you die in here you won't be the first.\"\n\n\"Uh...ok. Cool. I guess I'm ready to start then.\"\n\n\"Take a deep breath now and exhale and then hold.\" \n\nChase does as instructed. Mac begins to release the first drug while keeping an eye on the second hand of his wrist watch. Moments later he flashes Chase a thumbs up at which point he proceeds to take his breath of the mutagen. Immediately his body begins to feel numb and after his five seconds had passed he exhaled which proceeded with Mac closing the valve on the first canister and releasing the next and final drug. \n\n\"From here on out this is all you. You're a pioneer ya know.\"\n\nAfter waiting a few moments for the drugs to mix he takes what he hopes to be his final breath and the numbness begins to wash away with warmth and a dizzying array of sensations, smells, and emotions. \n\n\"Talk to me buddy. How do you feel? What's going on?\" He takes out a small flashlight and checks his pupils. Chase does not respond but instead begins to shake violently. \n\n\"Chase, are you with me?! Talk to me. Say anything!\"\n\nThe warmth wave of euphoria has subsided and is now replaced with burning internal pain which throws him into a coughing fit causing him to breath in more and more of the drug.\n\n\"Shit! Shit! Shit!\"\n\nIn a panic, Mac removes the mask, shuts off the valve and begins to check Chase's heart rate which is unpredictably fast. Bloody foam is now frothing out from Chases mouth. \"Not like this! Stay with me buddy.\" After exhausting all his options on how to save him he double checks the labels on the canisters and confirms he delivered the right drugs. He looks back at Chase who now is still and lifeless. He checks his pulse again. \"Fuck, I hope this was worth it. I'm sorry man.\"\n\n \n\nThe lab is quiet except for the faint bips and zims of Mac typing up notes on his holopad. In his highly secure and well hidden lab, he did not expect any interruptions but nevertheless it occurred when a voice from beyond spoke to him. \n\n\"You really are a genius. You did it. I've found all of life's secrets.\"\n\nStartled, Mac jumps from out of his chair and looks around his office. With Chase nowhere in sight he immediately runs over to his lab down the hall and sees Chase's body exactly how he saw it last. \"What is going on?\" he whispers to himself.\n\n\"It's me; Chase. I'm here. Where here is is hard to say without actually showing you but it is beyond your plane and your conscious capacity to fathom.\"\n\n\"Is this for real right now or have I snapped and gone crazy?\"\n\n\"Mac, you're not crazy. I can't precisely define it with the words in your world in a language you would understand but I think your drug has brought me to what would be considered the collective conciousness. I can experience my wife and kids here and their many past lives. I experience everything simultaneously. It's ok Mac, you're not going crazy. What *is* crazy is God exists. I can sense him and he's mad at me for what I'm about to do. \n\n\"Now I'm really convinced I've gone crazy. God exists? If he's mad at you why can't he stop you from doing what you're about to do?\"\n\n\"He gave us free will.\"\n\n\"And what is it that you're about to do exactly? What are you even capable of.\"\n\n\"Everything. And even god can't stop me.\"",
"When I reappear in the physical realm, it takes me a moment to realise I did so a few feet off the ground. Once I do realise I’m falling, my reflexes aren’t fast enough for me to do much else than flail desperately as I crash down into the floor. My head smashes into the hard stone and I moan as I try to get my bearings, already feeling the bruises forming where my very delicate skin had to catch my weight.\n\n“Incredibly graceful,” a booming voice fills the room. I slowly shuffle my way to standing up, swaying a little bit while I wait for my sudden headache to subdue. The ridiculously pompous voice surrounding me is not helping. “Come forth, my child.”\n\n“Oh, shut up,” I reply, rubbing my eyes to get them to straighten out. “I miss the days when you used your omnipotent teleportation skills with a bit more care.” The unimpressed silence around me speaks volumes, and I’m left alone in my huffing displeasure until my body feels ready to cooperate.\n\nWhen I eventually do end up making my way through the overly luxurious marble hallway I was so unceremoniously dropped into, the abstract form of an as-of-yet immaterial being slowly starts coming into view. Once I arrive at the point where I estimate I’m standing at its feet, I stop and look in the general direction of the big energy cloud-thing. “I have arrived, my non-gendered parent.”\n\nThe energy surrounding me shifts, pulling in on itself and turning the air electric as it compresses itself into the corporeal form I am most familiar with. I lock eyes with the man, dressed in white, that’s now standing in front of me. You’re smiling. I’m not. “Welcome, my child.” You say, voice transformed into what I assume you think people sound like. “I apologise for the treatment you received on your way here, it was not my intention to harm you in any way.”\n\n“Sure you didn’t,” I reply, brushing the static out of my hair with my fingers, “come on, let’s walk. What did you bring me over for this time?” You fall into step beside me, hands held behind your back, in something that can only be called a casual stroll.\n\n“By now, you must know. Your interference with the people of my worship continues to strain our relationship, and I have no other choice but to continue to try and convince you to give up these hedonistic ways of yours.” I roll my eyes and you sigh, “you must know it is not sustainable, in the long run. What is your goal with this behaviour?”\n\nI shake my head at you. How many times have we had this discussion, I wonder, and how many more times will we have to? “I keep telling you, if I had the choice, I would stop. Because I don’t. I didn’t. I don’t know why, you don’t know why - and I really think you should, I mean come on, what’s the point in being almighty if you- never mind.” I shake my head again, “There’s no point. We’d both be happier if you just let us leave each other alone.”\n\n“You know I can’t do that as long as you keep spreading words of my inexistence.”\n\n“I’m not, though. I’m just telling people of your non-interference. Big difference.”\n\n“But the same effect.” You look over at me. For a second I recognise the being that could, and did, wipe civilisations off the face of the Earth for thinking about it in a bad way. “You are using your position to spread the lie that I have abandoned my people.”\n\n“Again, I’m not. I am telling people the truth, that you have pissed off to do more fun things at the other side of the Universe, effectively leaving them alone and abandoned, and I just happen to be able to do it for an extended period of time.”\n\n“Only you would call eternity an ‘extended period of time’.”\n\n“Oh, really? Look who’s talking. I don’t know what you do at this God backpacking tour of yours, but I’m pretty sure that’s how you see the world.”\n\nYou look up to the ceiling of your halls in something akin to exasperation, “I have beaten back demons since the dawn of mankind, but in the end it is persistence that will end up doing me in.”\n\n“Well, you know, the hare and the tortoise and all of that.” I really should have expected the look of confusion you shoot me, but true to form you have managed to surprise me again. “Are you kidding me? The hare and the tortoise? The folk tale?” Your look doesn’t change. “Oh for the love of- ‘Slow and steady wins the race’? No wonder people are losing faith in you, you don’t even bother to check in enough to know the tales of your people? Immortality be fucked, you’re ruining your own power here.”\n\nYou at least have the decency to look ashamed about it. “I have had a lot of work to do lately-“\n\n“And you’re accusing me of blowing time out of proportion. When was the last time you were actually down there?”\n\n“Stop testing my patience.” Not seeing the point in pushing any further, I comply and stay silent. We walk quietly for some distance, in this weird air of shared respect and distrust we always end up in when we’re left alone with each other, no angels or demons to help ease the tension. \n\n“Why did you bring me here?” I eventually ask, “surely you didn’t just feel like going through this again? I don’t think we dislike one another as much as we think we do, but you wouldn’t take me here just to reiterate that we don’t like each other.”\n\nYou stay silent, but the energy pulsing from you changes. I wonder if you’re aware of doing that, or if it’s the deity equivalence of a microexpression.\n\n“You are right,” you say finally, “in that I have lost touch with my people.” I turn my eyes forward, down, waiting for you to continue. You seem deeply uncomfortable with the words coming out of your chosen mouth in a way I don’t know what to do with. “I don’t know what they are doing anymore. I haven’t paid attention and I haven’t intervened, for good or for worse, in enough time that I quite frankly understand people’s hesitation in my existence.\n\n“Something needs to be done, clearly. I am not, however, in a position where I am able to personally act. Believe it or not, but there is more to being a God than interfering with people, creatures and things I created.” Your eyes remain steadily looking forward, your mind possibly present in a different dimension altogether. “Which leaves me with a few options.\n\n“I have heard from some of my angels that you are not as much of a liability as I have made you out to be. If it would interest you, I am willing to suggest we cooperate.”\n\nYou stop walking, looking back to where I stopped moving a few steps before you. In your omnipotence you must have sensed my reaction before it happened, because you seem unfazed by my surprise. “Yes, I am aware of your friendship with some of them. I was advised to leave it be, and I have. It has lead to some interesting things.” \n\n“You want me to work with you?” You smile, the energy around you frizzling around the edges with pleasure. “You know, one day I will grow tired of you being able to tell when I give up.”\n\n“Quite possible.”\n\n“What do you want me to do?”\n\n“Come, let’s keep walking.” I don’t pretend at hesitating, joining your side again. Whatever this is, it’s probably bound to become more interesting than spending eternity trying to get your attention by talking shit about you to villagers when I run out of things to do."
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[WP] One day, without reason, dinosaurs suddenly infest New York City.
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"\"M...Ma..Mario...I don't think we're in Brooklyn any more....\"\n\nA balding man in faced overalls leaned against the greased-over windows of the Flatbrush apartment. Peering skeptically through the murk, he could see the familiar piles of uncollected garbage on the curb three stories below. \"What are ya talkin about, Luigi?\" This was still Brooklyn, for better or worse. But his brother, muffled somewhat because he was cupping his face to the front door peephole, stammered again with greater urgency. \"Y..ya..you're gonna wanna see this...\"\n\nMario hardly had a choice. *THUD.* The flimsy apartment door buckled, and Luigi scrambled into the hallway. *THUD.* This time, the wooden frame began to splinter at the hinges. Mario, jolted to his feet, edged behind the kitchen count. *CRACK.* The door failed, rending in the middle and clattering onto the floor of the living room, the hinges skittering a few feet further along. Behind the rubble was an enormous *thing*. It had the build of a defensive lineman and was draped in the red trench coat of a low-grade Nazi fetishist, chrome spikes jutting from the shoulder pads. In between the massive coat labels sprouted the head of a miniature velociraptor, teeth bared. Mario wouldn't have much more time to take in the spectacle, as the thing was pointing a tommy gun right at him. \"Oh, *shit,*\" he blurted reflexively, throwing himself to the floor as the thing unloaded on the counter. The cheap sheet rock exploded into a white powder that filed the air, and chips of formica rained on Mario's back as he glued himself to the tiles. \n\nIn the hallway, Luigi curled himself into a ball, arms wrapped firmly around his own shins. He was a son of New York, but he had always been a precious little soft boy; he never relished the fight like a proper Brooklynite. He had never even pushed his way onto a subway. He prided himself in colfict-avoidance. This lizard-man kicking in his door and busting up the place, though, seemed like a bridge too far. He had to do *something.* He craned his neck into the bathroom across the hall, looking for a solution. The brothers were plumbers in a city where square footage was at a premium, so the tools of the trade were haphazardly crammed into a bin between the sink and the radiator. He scuttled over and assessed his options, settling on the hefty rubber mallet next to the plunger. Luigi clutched the mallet to his chest and steadied himself. \"Alright, Luigi, y-you better not goof this up...\"\n\nAfter what seemed like an eternity (how big was a clip these days?) the assault on the kitchen counter ceased. Mario lifted himself a couple inches off the floor to assess the situation through the new holes in his cabinets. The thing was surveying for signs of life, its reptilian head jerking around like a chicken's. The two locked eyes, and the thing clawed at the magazine of its gun, ready to reload and finish the job. It was at this moment that Luigi sprung out from around the corner, mallet in hand. \"This is for not knocking first, you lizard!\" he announced, with something close to confidence. The thing was a bit confused and unimpressed with this one-liner, but it wouldn't have much time to think about it, as the mallet collided with the side of its jaw. The thing staggered, then flopped forward onto the floor with a crash. Luigi stood over the beast's unconscious form, eyes wide and knuckles white like he was gripping onto the mallet for dear life. Mario rose to his feet from behind what was left of the interior decorating. \"Great job, bro!\" he said in a surprised tone, but his brother was too caught up in the wash of adrenaline to reply, his chest heaving as he stared a hole through the back of the creature's head.\n\nMario stooped down to examine the strange, home-invading creature. The tommy gun had clattered out of the thing's hands onto the floor, but had no been the only thing it was holding; a crumpled black postcard lie next to the gun, its edge wilting in a trickle of blood from the creature's broken fangs. Mario picked up the postcard and flipped it over. It was embossed with gold text and the portrait of a suited mobster-type with tasteless spiked haircut. Clearly this was meant to be a fancy calling card, but Mr. Velociraptor had not understood the importance of presentation and clenched it with the grip of the gun. The card read:\n\n*\"King Koopa sends his regards, Mario Brothers. Welcome to the new era!*\n\nHe flicked the card to the floor and Luigi's eyes darted to it, his breaths finally starting to slow. Mario rushed to the corded phone on the wall and dialed in a number by heart. Nervously tapping his foot through four rings, the other end of the line finally picked up. \"Hey, Peach, where are ya? I think we've got trouble...\"\n\n....\n\n*inspired by Dennis Hopper's magnum opus, The Super Mario Bros. Movie. RIP*"
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[WP] You are enjoying a typical Saturday afternoon at your home when there’s a knock at the door. It’s a peddler selling what he claims to be magical and enchanted items. Your first response would have been to laugh if it weren’t for the fact that the peddler was undoubtedly a merchant goblin.
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"The doorbell rang again. Why did the doorbell keep ringing? Whoever the hell was at the door should just take the hint and go away. Ashley wasn't in the mood. A Saturday morning was also not a normal time to come banging on someone's door, so she just kept wishing that the person would leave. She was not a morning person. But the incessant ringing kept up. *RING* Silence... *RING* Silence... Ashley just kept thinking that the most recent bout of silence would be the last, but it wasn't. It *kept* ringing. Ashley finally decided, after being brought to her limit of annoyance, to just go check who was at the door. Ashley opened the door groggily, still wearing her pajamas.\n\n\"Finally! Hello. I was told a one Ashley Rensch would be here. Is that you?\" A high-pitched voice asked. \n\nAshley rubbed her eyes and again. But she still didn't know where it was coming from. 'I must be dreaming or something...' she thought. She was about to close her door and walk back inside when she heard the voice again.\n\n\"Excuse me? Down here. I have a package for you. Please do not walk away from me!\" it said, in a cute pleading tone rather than anger. \n\nAshley looked around again, blinking rapidly, and she saw the small human-like figure standing on her welcome mat. She opened her mouth but closed it quickly after. 'Wha...' she thought to herself, unable to even complete an entire word in her mind. The small figure was definitely humanoid, but it had green skin and large flat ears. The creature also had short brown hair and would have looked like a monster if not for its large cute eyes.\n\n\"Oh... hi...\" Ashley muttered, her lips curling into a smile. She half-thought she was still dreaming and just went along with whatever the cute little creature did.\n\n\"Wow, okay. You're Ashley Rensch right?\" the small green dwarf asked again. Ashley slowly nodded. \"Okay then. My name is Carm, and I'm here to deliver a package to you, I was told you'd already know what it was.\"\n\nAshley, briefly mesmerized by the creature's eyes, shook her head.\n\n\"I wasn't expecting a package...\" she mumbled to herself, \"Hey, what are you?\" she asked.\n\n\"I'm a messenger goblin,\" it started, losing its cute tone, \"Can I just deliver this package already? They said that you lived here, that you'd already know what this was about, I kind of just want to leave.\" Carm finished. Ashley raised her brows.\n\n\"A goblin? Like the mythical creature? You're way too cute to be a goblin.\" she responded. Ashley chuckled to herself and scratched her head.\n\n\"Wait.\" a look of realization washed over the goblin's face, \"You're an outsider, aren't you?\" he rubbed his head. \"No wonder Khelx didn't want this delivery.\" he finished in a softer tone. Ashley looked at the goblin with delirious confusion.\n\n\"I am *not* an outsider, I'm very 'telligent.\" she slurred.\n\n\"Whatever! Whatever, this isn't my problem, just take the package.\" Carm summoned a small box with a gold seal on it, seemingly out of mid-air, and handed it to Ashley.\n\n\"What even is this?\" Ashley took the box out of the goblin's small hands and stared at it. The goblin just rolled its large eyes.\n\n\"I don't know what it is. I'm just the messenger!\" he said, clearly getting annoyed with Ashley's lack of understanding. 'Fine, I'll just open it and ask him then!' she thought, her mind still in morning mode.\n\nAshley opened the box and inside was just one black pen. The pen looked like a *very* expensive fountain pen, it had a gold tip and on the side, it was engraved with the initials *A.R.* Ashley took the pen out of the box and stared at it. She was so focused on her weird present that she didn't notice the over-exaggerated response of the messenger goblin.\n\n\"Y-you...\" he started, stuttering out his words. \"Is that a real Omen Pen?\" he asked, disregarding the fact that Ashley probably had no idea. Ashley then looked at the small man and shrugged.\n\n\"I don't know, I'm not fully awake.\" she shook her head again, \"What's an Omen Pen... and while you explain that, could you also explain to me how goblins like, actually exist?\" she asked. Carm blinked rapidly in disbelief.\n\n\"No. No...\" he shifted his gaze from the pen right to Ashley. \"Only those related to an Oracle can get an Omen Pen.\" Carm stated the fact as if Ashley should have already known it. She just scrunched her face in more confusion.\n\n'Related to an Oracle? Then this was probably sent by mistake. None of my relatives are gonna be fuckin' oracles.' she thought back through all of her relatives. Both of her parents were middle-class and ultimately forgettable by most people they ever met. Her brother actually had the potential to be a superstar scientist in his life. 'But he wasted his fuckin' talent cooking meth. I'm still gonna smack the shit out of him when I find out where he is.' She didn't really know any of her cousins very well, but she still didn't think any of them could be anything with as prestigious a title as an Oracle. Ashley must have been lost in thought for a while because she was brought back by a still astonished goblin snapping at her.\n\n\"What's an Oracle?\" Ashley inquired, now wondering what that title even entailed.\n\n\"Uh—\" Carm began. He started to form a smirk on his face as goblins did when they saw an opportunity. \"I'll explain in a bit, can you come with me? I was definitely wrong, this *is* my problem.\" he said slyly. Ashley was about to respond with another question, but he grabbed her arm with surprising strength and dragged her out the door.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n---\n\n&nbsp;\n\nFor more 'epic' tales, visit my subreddit. The [Bookshelf of The Gods](https://www.reddit.com/r/BoTG/)",
"Riley squinted up at the sun. \"Bloody heat is making me catatonic.\"\n\nJaime laughed, producing a string of high pitched keening noises. The laugh seemed disproportionate to the situation, but that was Jaime for you. \"The sun's not making you catatonic, buddy. You've probably consumed five grams of grass today.\"\n\nRiley looked at his friend and let out a contended sigh. He put on his Ray-Bans and spread out more comfortably on the deck chair. \"You're right, you're right. Speaking of which - where is that roach?\"\n\n\"Just a regular Weekend Warrior eh,\" Jaime said, passing the ashtray over to his best friend.\n\nTheir day was ritualized down to the minute. Saturday afternoons were sacred. No wives. No kids. No work. No obligations. Just a shit-ton of weed and beer and two childhood friends, sharing life together and decompressing from their busy work weeks. Well, Riley's work week. Jaime was unemployed with a trust fund. He was waiting to unlock it at 40.\n\n\"Man. I'm going to travel for like, five years.\" Jaime lay back on his deck chair. \"I'm going to see the world.\"\n\n\"What about our Saturdays?\" Riley asked, humoring his friend.\n\n\"We'll still Skype. I'll fly back once a month.\"\n\n\"That defeats the point of trav-,\" the door bell rang. On a Saturday. The door bell never rang on a Saturday. The bell rang again.\n\n\"Don't get it man,\" Jaime rolled over on to his side and attempted to grab his half-finished, lukewarm Budweiser, \"Not worth it.\"\n\n\"Yeah... fuck it.\" Riley lay back down and sparked the roach, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. He exhaled slowly, savoring the feel of the smoke as it escaped out into the world.\n\nHe opened his eyes to the image of an intense toothy grin plastered on a stocky green face, set below bulging eyes that looked at him with the same intensity. Riley choked and launched into a coughing fit that doubled him over.\n\nJaime screamed. \"What the fuck. MAN.\"\n\nStill smiling intensely, the stranger bent over and picked up Riley's still-smoldering roach. He took a huge hit, burning the pot all the way down to the filter. \"Hello! Sirs. I am Rizzilodingo.\" He exhaled, covering Riley's deck chair in a dank, heavy haze.\"You can call me Rizz.\"\n\n\"Rizz. What the fuck man.\"\n\nRizz spoke quickly and frenetically, constantly looking over his shoulder. \"I'm sorry good sirs. I knew you were back here and I knew you were immobile. I could have gone over to the neighbors but you guys seem cooler.\" Riley and Jaime continued to listen, dumbfounded.\"But I didn't. I came here. I like you guys.\" Rizz sauntered over to the cooler on the deck table, he opened it and pulled out a Budweiser then popped the cap open with his teeth, madly grinning all the while. \"Look. I don't have much time - thanks for the beer, by the way - I've got this rubix cube. I'll unload it for nothing.\"\n\nRiley came to, piercing the surreal veil that had actually induced a catatonic response in him. \"Um... I've got like six of those. Kids are obsessed with them and keep fucking up the color stickers. I don't need another.\"\n\nRizz cackled and pulled out his rubix cube, except this didn't really look like your average cube. It was bigger, the colors were brighter and more complex, and there were strange symbols on each of the squares. Rizz tossed it over to Riley. \"Catch.\"\n\nRiley caught it on his stomach. It almost knocked the wind out of him, but he wasn't sure as he was not entirely in control of his faculties, so he didn't react to the force of the object beyond a brief, internal thought of 'what the fuck is happening right now.'\n\nAfter a moment Riley spoke, \"This is not a rubix cube.\" The cube felt course in his hands and was cold to the touch.\n\nRizz downed the rest of his pilfered Budweiser and let out a loud belch. \"Turn it. Wait. See the triangle symbol you have there. Top row, on the far right. You're looking straight at it, yes that one. Turn it once to the left.\"\n\nRiley shrugged. He turned the section once to the left and his entire world changed.\n\nEuphoria burst through his veins. His mind opened. His vision expanded. His consciousness enveloped the entire content, the world, the solar system. He knew all and was all. And then it vanished.\n\nRizz, short and fat and on his second Budweiser, stood before him again. Jaime still sat on his deck chair. The chirping of birds and the buzzing of bees and the rustle of leaves on trees. Reality came back into focus.\n\n\"Woah dude.\" Jaime stood up and sauntered over to the cooler. \"My turn next.\""
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[WP] A group of humans discover alien life but decide to lie to mission control about their discovery.
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"I figured I'd write one for my own prompt.\n\n We’d been orbiting c-217 for the past month. We’d “celebrated” the fifteenth year in space about a week ago. We all knew that going on this mission would mean that more than likely we would never see home again. But we weren't prepared for that reality to set in as we detected life on the ground. This was the last planet we were going to be scanning. The last goddamn planet before we would get to go home and see our families. The mission would fail but we would still get to go home. But this development changed things. We had the answer to the biggest question of human history. Humans aren't alone in the cosmos. There is life out there. And we could meet it, we could see it. But most importantly we had a duty to go and make ourselves known to it. We are far enough from Earth that contact with the world back home would take far too long to be practical. But we could send periodic progress updates back, the day came to finally send the final update. So we did, short and sweet. \n\n“-9-10-2134-----The scans of c-217 have come back negative. we‘ll see you all at home-”\n",
"(Lacks proofing. Will return for an edit + sequel, if interested.)\n\nWe'd been joking for most of the afternoon that maybe we'd find some ancient alien artifact or spaceship lodged in some crater on the far side of the moon. Idle speculation, since it took Brooke and Therris something like three hours to get the buggy repaired. Three hours spent chucking rocks over the horizon and generally acting like children. Suarez won the high-jump contest, easily clearing the two-meter satellite receiver I'd planted once it became obvious how long we'd be sitting out here.\n\nEventually Therris gave a bulky-gloved thumbs-up, his litany of swears giving way to relieved sigh. \"That ought to do it. Teg, hop on in and give it a start.\" I nodded and climbed the ascent ladder back into the buggy, allowing the thirteen minutes required to properly remove my suit to wash over me without much thought, the routine having morphed into a religious exercise some months prior. The airlock was cramped but stretching \"naked\" in low-gravity always feels good, even if your arms curl against the ceiling. I moved into the cockpit and flipped a toggle here, double-tapped the screen there: and the dingy craft did return to humming life! \"Teg to all homeless moonmen: we are rekindled.\"\n\nWith the buggy resuscitated we resumed our exploratory venture. Houston kept us on a close temporal leash, making it a point to buzz into our ears every ten minutes or so with an update on remaining oxygen levels, hours to dawn, and the medically-accelerating demands from our bodies for sleep - as if *anybody* sleeps on the moon! They didn't get it, even when they claimed to understand; we could work without rest forever our here, with gravity dialed down to basically nothing and plenty of fresh tanks stored in the buggy's overwidened ass. Work wasn't really work out here, but perhaps we'd all grown a bit too comfortable in such an otherworldly environment, so none of us *really* felt bothered by NASA's incessant chirping. They just were.\n\nBut, aliens. It came on us like rain on a cloudless day through the laser-self-cleaning windscreen, it loomed up beyond the horizon: a monolith, a spire of artificiality unmistakable among the boulders surrounding, and glimmering in tempting invitation. The five of us locked our collective gaze upon the monolith, and the old illusion of the quick-close horizon made it seem as if the structure were presently extruding from the regolith. All the typical sounds and sensations of life aboard the buggy receded from my awareness, so enthralling was the sudden sight.\n\nBrooke, at her navigational console, was the first to regain a sense of propriety. As each of us whispered or cried out some variant of \"Oh Jesus\", it was Brooke that hastily thrust her open palm over the forward-mounted camera, a brief of mission safety protocols and a major breach of NASA policy. At first I didn't quite understand why she'd done it, but recalling the suite of first-hand accounts of Major Amanda Brooke thinking at speeds well beyond that of normal human faculties, I thought through her behavior rather than voice a hasty assumption: it hit me after another moment that all video footage would become public domain after 48 hours, and that maybe ancient alien structures on the moon might not be fit for raw public consumption.\n\n\"Good call,\" I whispered, only realizing that our VOX was still live. I brought up the voice-transmission controls and deactivated every outgoing signal. NASA would realize they'd been cut-off in about three seconds; we'd have to plan our response rapidly. \"I've killed vox.\" Under other circumstances, Therris may have whined about the chain-of-command - turning to face him now I was met only by a look of immediate agreement.\n\n\"Teg: terminate all broadcast feeds,\" he ordered, prompting me to pull up the screen indicating the seven external cams and thirteen internals, deactivating all of them. \"No further contact with Houston or Base-Four until I say otherwise. Brooke: kill the engines. Suarez: analysis.\"\n\nSuarez still hadn't torn her gaze from the enormous structure. \"Only if you swear to us that you had no idea this fucker was out here.\"\n\nCommander Hayden Therris allowed for enough time to pass for the three of us to turn to face him, all his hawkish features brought to an inscrutable pallor. \"I had no idea this fucker was out here. I'm as freaked out as the rest of you. Now: analysis.\"\n\nSuarez nodded, having caught the truth in Therris' words. \"It ain't rock, Hayden.\"\n\n\"Thanks. Anything else?\"\n\n\"It doesn't appear to be a natural formation.\"\n\n\"Thanks again.\" Therris closed his eyes. \"Suggestions?\"\n\nBrooke leaned back into her seat, folded her hands into her lap. \"We can't sit in radio-silence like this. We have to give Houston *something*.\"\n\n\"Let's tell 'em we got hit by a micro-meteor,\" I suggested impulsively. I caught them somewhere between a laugh and a bark, so I quickly unpacked the idea. \"All they've got is a few seconds of vid and the forward cam going dark first; and us sounding panicky before all the feeds went dark. Let's say a micro-meteor breached the view screen.\"\n\nSuarez and Brooke stared, incredulous. Therris nodded. \"That'll work, for now.\"\n\n\"They'll never buy that!\" Brooke laughed. \"Not everyone on Earth is that stupid.\"\n\n\"Nothing we say to Houston will stick for very long,\" Therris said. \"But it's a start.\"\n\nSuarez unbuckled herself from her seat, hopping past us towards the airlock. \"I say we stay comm-dead until we get a closer look. No reason to lie now when we don't even know what it is we're lying about.\"\n\n\"Where are you going, Suarez?\" Therris demanded; to which she turned back and pointed lazily at the foreign monolith dominating the horizon. \"I'm gonna go get you your analysis, sir, on foot unless you tell Amanda to drive us the rest of the way.\""
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[WP] Most Space Australia or Weird Human stories I've found include hyper-rational aliens, so -- Write a story about aliens figuring out/being confused by something about a human, but not in a way that makes them seem ridiculous.
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"\"Hey... Hey, Giorn.\"\n\n\"What? I'm reading the latest news from the central empire.\"\n\n\"Trust me, this is something you wanna see. You can check the news again later.\"\n\n\"*sigh* Fine. What is i...wait...did that human just...\"\n\n\"Yep.\"\n\n\"But...why? That liquid containment vessel could have been repurposed!\"\n\n\"Your guess is as good as mine. Look around him. There are many of them doing the same thing. It can't possibly be comfortable, either.\"\n\n\"Is it some primitive show of dominance over others? Perhaps they are competing?\"\n\n\"Nope. After ever other one, they seem to hug and congratulate each other. Sometimes with great cries of joy.\"\n\n\"Alright. That behaviour might be beyond us, but what about that one!? Surely it can't be good for them to consume such large quantities of that golden liquid. Especially so quickly through that tubing.\"\n\n\"No, no, you're right. But they do it anyway. And when a female is able to complete the task, the celebration sparked is even greater than the males.\"\n\n\"So they express equality of the sexes?\"\n\n\"Not always. But this particular activity seems to bring them together.\"\n\n\"A mating ritual, perhaps?\"\n\n\"Again, not always. I've been watching events like this all over the planet for the past few rotations and sometimes mating doesn't even get alluded to. They just enjoy the task.\"\n\n\"What about them?\"\n\n\"Who?\"\n\n\"Those ones with the tiny white ball near that table.\"\n\n\"Oh yeah. What about them?\"\n\n\"What are they doing?\"\n\n\"I'm not entirely certain... One throws...the other consumes... Hmm, this activity seems to have some dominance ritual behaviours to it.\"\n\n\"That larger one seems to be garnering the most celebration. But he consumed more. Is the point system based on amount consumed?\"\n\n\"I have no idea. This requires far more study.\n\n---\n\nOk, I'll stop there XD Just a random attempt. Hope you liked it!"
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[WP] The canadian just said go f yourself
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"It all started when me and my girlfriend went up for a summer getaway in northern Minnesota. Being a bunch of Iowa bumpkins ourselves, we figured a few days on the Superior shore would do us well. We decided to get a nice little lake house near Lutsen, which had extremely scenic views. We were quite happy to just hang out there, as well as explore up and down the shore. One day we decided that we'd go up into Ontario. It wasn't very far, and neither of us had been in a foreign (if you can call Canada foreign) country. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nAnyways, we headed down Highway 61 towards Grand Portage. We stopped at a small gas station to go to the restroom just before the crossing, and also exchanged some of our money. We then headed for the border. Being that neither of us had ever had to cross any sort of border, we didn't know what to expect. We pulled up.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Welcome to Canada. What are your reasons for coming here today?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"We're going up to do some sightseeing.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Where are you from?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Le Mars Iowa\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe guard then looked at our passports.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Enjoy your visit folks. Please pull your car up over there and go inside please.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI then drove my car to the station and parked just outside of the door. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"What do you think's wrong?\" My girlfriend said to me.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I don't know, could just be something everyone has to do.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Maybe? I really don't know. All I know is what they told me online.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Did they mention this?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"No\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Well maybe they are just checking something. You know, like how they check fireworks when you come in from Missouri, they stop one out of every 10 cars or something like that?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I don't know.\" She said to me in a kind of exasperated tone. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe both of us then walked inside. It was a nice clean building and besides a couple of guards there wasn't anyone in there except one guy saying he forgot to declare his cheetoes. After 10 minutes of sitting there, both of us nervously staring at the floor wondering what could be wrong. We then heard one of the guys behind the desk call us over.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"So what are you folks going to be doing today?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Well sir, we were just sight seeing. That's all. We're from Iowa and just visiting.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe guard then looked at us both in the eye.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Well, that would be extremely tough to do without a signed passport.\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe then placed our passports on the table.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Sign here please.\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\nMy girlfriend than signed her passport and I signed mine. I then put the pen in my pocket and got up.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"And please hand my pen back sir.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Alright.\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI nervously dug through my pocket. For some reason he seemed more intense and his glare scared me. I then placed it on the desk.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Thank you sir.... and you know what... Go fuck yourself. You think you can just come all in here and now follow the rules. I know you think we're just little old Canada and you can smoke some reefer and drink some Molson or spend a couple toonies on some bagged milk. Gosh you yanks make me sick. You're rude, your'e crude, and you tried to take my fucking pen. I'm sorry, even assholes from Texas don't do that. Enjoy your stay, and enjoy your lack of healthcare you dumbasses, hope you enjoy our fucking country. \"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI then stared at the guard with my mouth wide open.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Sorry sir.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Oh you're sorry? That's my line buddy. I am sorry though. I have to be nice all day. The secret about Canada is that we're just like everyone else. We're not as nice as everyone thinks. Hell i'm an asshole, but I have to be nice for all you guys visiting everyday. So I'm sorry. My counselor says I need to let it out in different ways besides anger. Anyways, sorry for that. Enjoy your trip. \"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Okay...\" Me and my girlfriend then walked out and started laughing.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Poor guy.\" Said my girlfiend.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I know. He just snapped. Well, do you think they'll have a better day when we come back?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I hope so.\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;"
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[WP] In a world where every surface is made of black and white squares, and every person is a chess piece, what's it like being a bishop?
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"There they are.....the enemy army is just ahead of us.....only one side can survive and the enemy pawn is advancing toward me....I hold my ground and think \"Let him come, I'm ready\". He stops in front of me and we glare at each other in the space that separates us and we wait.....and wait.......and wait..................",
"Kings and Queens love as they please; \nRooks and Bishops have no hiccups \nwhen it comes to finding lovers.\n\nKnights, more tricky, but with wishing \ncareful planning, and some talking \nthey can find their hearts' desires.\n\nI am not a King or Queen; \nI am just a lesser piece. \nI'm not a Rook or Bishop, mate; \nI am White Pawn Number Eight.\n\nSoon I saw a sexy Pawn. \nShe was nearing, I was cheering; \nTrue love coming, Cupid humming!\n\nLove had found me. \"King me!\" \"Crown me!\" \nWhite to black, she gave her hand \nbut in ten seconds we had passed.\n\nCan't go back now, only mourn \nFor that black Pawn I adored. \nNow ahead there's only board.\n\nI am not a King or Queen; \nI am just a lesser piece. \nBut when I reach the end space soon, \nI will come right back for you.\n\n-----\n\nThanks for reading! [CC]/feedback always welcome. I have more poems, stories, and songs on [my personal subreddit.](/r/scottbeckman)"
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[WP] The Golden Sword washes up on the shores of the small village of Reed. A young fisherman tries to sell it to the blacksmith, but finds that he cannot release the hilt--and may not set it down until the Lord of the Dead Marsh is slain.
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"It wasn't a day meant for fishing, not here in Reed's port, but Arland wasn't the type to be deterred by a storm. Bucket, bait, and rod in tow, the young fisherman emerged from his home and set off down the path to the docks. To his left, the village market and the several stores that populated it were closed. Had the wind not been so intent on whipping dirt about the area, the shopkeepers may have had a chance to tidy up. Sadly, Mother Nature wasn't in a good mood.\n\nTo Arland's right, the village's only tourist draw, the Grand Arch. It marked Reed's only entrance and exit, runes of an unknown language carved into its faces. Legend has it that the first leader of the village happened upon the arch in a panic, having been chased by a bandit party. For some reason, the bandits withdrew upon sighting it, having never returned. Because of this, the leader claimed it as his territory, and since built up what Reed became today. Many pilgrims stopped here in their travels, attempting to decipher the markings on the arch. To this day, none have been able to discern their meaning.\n\nAs he passed the Grand Arch and reached the shoreline, Arland noticed the dark clouds that covered the sky. He grinned, increasing the width of his stride in spite of the weather. He was determined to catch the crownfish today, at all costs. It was the only fish that continued to elude him, but research into the species revealed that they tended to hug the shores when a storm arose. Now was the perfect time to strike.\n\nArland reached the edge of the dock and lowered his rod and bait on the planks, leaning over the edge to fill the bucket with water before setting it down next to his feet. With rod in hand and bait on the hook, the fisherman swung with determination, hurling the hook into the water several meters away. In the distance, arcs of light sailed through the clouds, the rumble of thunder growing louder and closer. This, however, wouldn't deter the young man. If anything, it steeled his resolve and his resolute demeanor only strengthened.\n\nThe wind picked up, wildly tousling his hair as his grip tightened upon the rod. Rain began to pour down upon him, completely drenching his body within minutes. The lightning was closer now, its stalks of plasma striking the ocean from afar; the booming thunder deafening all other noise. Arland wouldn't be scared away. Instead, he began calling out in defiance, challenging the very notion of Mother Nature's fury. As if to respond in kind, the rod's line began to tug. *This is it,* he thought, his eyes narrowing. *The crownfish is finally mine.*\n\nGripping the rod tighter than ever, Arland braced himself by placing his foot on one of the wooden pillars that held the dock together and pulled with all his might against the rushing waves of the sea. He was met with nature's own voice, the storm now in full effect right above him. Torrential rain began to beat at him. Lightning strobed and painted the village in flashing lights. The roar of thunder drowned out everything, even Arland's own bellows as he fought against the certain crownfish that dared to engage him.\n\nWith a final burst of strength, Arland ripped the line from the waters, watching as a shiny object was freed from the undertow. Before he could make out what the object was, it struck him in the head, knocking him down onto the planks of the dock. Dazed and unable to grasp what just happened, his vision began to swim before being replaced with the void of unconsciousness.\n\nAnd in that void, Arland dreamed. He dreamed of a blackened land filled with rotting trees. He dreamed of wretched creatures that rose from the muck and swarmed him with relentless ferocity. He dreamed of a brightly glowing sword that he held in his hands, of how... right it felt to him. And there, upon its decaying throne, he dreamed of the lord of this land, frail and wasting away, yet still filled with an immeasurable power that outmatched that of the strongest knights in all the kingdoms. Its eyes were red and wispy, its exposed jawbone slacked open, its decompsing body unmoving and still as the land over which it held dominion. In this dream, the fisherman couldn't help but feel an infinite fear.\n\nHe awoke some time later, surrounded by the other residents of Reed. Some tended to the wound on his head while others started fiddling with his hand. Vision still hazy, he looked over and down his arm. Clutched in his hand was an object that he couldn't seem to let go of. Groaning, he fell unconscious once more. \n\nHe woke again after an indeterminate time, finding himself in a bed. In another room, murmurs filled the air. As Arland rose and sat upright, he heard the clanging of metal meeting the stone floor. In that instant, he was made aware of his grip on an object, the same object from before. Regaining his focus, he set his sight on what he held -- a bright, glowing, golden sword. Gasping, the fisherman attempted to throw the weapon from his hand, yet he didn't succeed. His grip was as tight as ever.\n\nEmerging from the other room, the current leader of the village, Sobros, and the resident priest, Father Olkarn, laid eyes on the young man, who met their stares. Sobros was the first to speak.\n\n\"Arland, are you all right? Your wound was quite terrible.\"\n\nArland nodded, too drained to speak. Father Olkarn stepped forward and knelt down at the fisherman's feet, mumbling a prayer in a language Arland didn't understand. As the priest performed his recitation, Sobros moved to Arland's other side, choosing to sit with him.\n\n\"We must speak to you about an urgent and dire matter,\" he continued. \"It concerns your newfound... treasure.\"\n\nThe village leader motioned to the sword held in Arland's subconsciously iron grip. The fisherman looked down at his hand.\n\n\"I can't seem to remove this sword from my possession,\" the young man replied, wearing a look of defeat. \"My muscles do not bend to my own will.\"\n\n\"There is cause for that, child,\" Father Olkarn interrupted, lifting himself from the ground. Within his hands were clutched the Pearls of Macharel, Saint of Errant Souls. The priest reached the doorway, turning back to motion to both Sobros and Arland.\n\n\"Rise and follow. It is time for you to know the truth.\"\n\n\\-----\n\n***Part 2 will follow as a reply.***"
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[WP] You’ve been on a hiking trip with a friend for a few days now, absorbing the scenic views of the isolated trails. When looking through your binoculars, you spot a humanoid silhouette. Assuming that it is just another hiker, you brush it off. The next day you spot it again, closer and...wrong.
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"Jesus that thing’s scary looking. I lowered my binoculars after taking my thousandth look at it. Whatever it was it must be trying to disguise itself as a hiker, what with the backpack and all. So close to human yet something about it...\n\n“Ah fuck Blake, it’s gaining on us.” \n\nHe shot a worried look over his shoulder. \n\n“You’ve said that a dozen times.”\n\n“And we’ve picked up the pace a dozen times. It’s been *strolling* whenever I look at it, so how’s it making up time?”\n\n“I’ve got no clue. It doesn’t matter anyway. It’s only a mile to the trail’s end so we can just get off there and call a taxi and get the fuck outta here.” \n\nWith that, Blake started down the trail again at clip I wasn’t sure I could match. His bright orange hunting hat bobbed conspicuously. I took off after him desperately trying not to panic. That thing behind us was monstrously human and way too fast. I swear it made eye contact with me *through the binoculars* a couple of times. Just thinking about it’s dead stare sent shivers down my spine and hurried my pace even further. \n\nA shrill melody carried down the trail and Blake stopped in his tracks in front of me. We both wheeled around to stare at the empty trail behind us. Whatever it was was out of sight now but not even close to out of mind. \n\n“Is it... whistling?” Blake stammered. \n\n“Fuck I think it is. What even is this thing? And where the fuck did it go?”\n\nWe both stood there frozen in fear searching the trail behind us for a sign of it. \n\nThe melody continued and it’s volume rose at an alarming rate. It sounded like it was coming from everywhere. \n\nBlake looked at me, and then sprinted away toward the trail’s end. Fucker’s trying to leave me, I thought, and sprinted after him. \n\nSomehow the whistling was getting even louder, to the point where it sounded like it was in front of me instead of behind. Blake was far ahead now but we had to be close to the exit. We had to be. \n\nThe whistling stopped abruptly, and that creepy fuck leapt out of the woods to hit Blake full force and carry him into the woods. As quickly as it came it was gone and so was Blake, without so much as a scream. The thought that I was now sprinting *towards* that thing vaguely registered but was drowned out by the pain in my chest and legs. \n\nI was so close. If I could just get out and get some help— \n\nIt came out of nowhere and hit me so hard I must’ve blacked out briefly. \n\nThe next thing I knew I was on my back staring up into a pair of cold, dead eyes. It had apparently had an axe this whole time, and somehow I was more outraged about missing that than the fact that I was about to die. It stood over me, and as I looked at it up close I finally recognized this horrible monster. \n\nIt smiled at me sickeningly, then leaned down and whispered with glee, \n\n“Shia surprise!”\n\nbefore bringing the axe down deep into the earth beneath me. "
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[WP] Your dog is the cutest dog on Earth. No hyperbole.
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"Bits of rust showered the dry, cracked ground when I shoved open the blackened door. Dark soulless windows flanked either side like sentries. Grim witnesses to the devastation humanity was capable of.\n\n Maybe we’d find something worth carrying. \n\nI closed my eyes as I entered in order to adjust to the shadowy interior. The familiar click of canine nails on the wood floor gave me courage. A methodical search turned up a well hidden can of tuna. The bounty was welcome and surprising. The gangs that had ruled before the final assault had spread across the city like locusts, leaving little in their wake. Just like locusts their gluttony was short lived.\n\nWe’d been greedy in our first forays for food. Exhausting ourselves carrying things we couldn’t use. Amazing how little it takes to survive. How valuable a few apples in a dry cellar could be. \n\nI reached down and ran my hand over my dog’s soft fur. Guileless brown eyes locked with mine. That cute, trusting face kept me going. \n\n I tucked the tin of tuna into the pack on Zelda’s back. \n\n It was just us. \n",
"Sophia had bright wet eyes and an even wetter nose. Her ears flopped into plumps of sandy fluff. And her stunted tail pumped like a piston when she was excited. \n\nI'd return from my dark reveries, every bit of light leeched from my soul, to find her perched expectantly on my lap, one small paw on the arm of my tattered recliner.\n\nSophia, my wisdom. My talisman against the darkness.\n\nWe'd visit nursing homes where she'd curl into the frail arms of bodies supported by wheelchairs. \n\n\"She's so cute,\" they'd say, as their thin fingers savored her thick fur.\n\nShe led me to rooms where bedridden patients didn't respond. She'd sit solemnly on the floor and glance back at me before I ushered her away.\n\nAt home, I'd place my hands on her back as I drifted off and felt the black gravity pull me back into those dark places. The last thing I'd see as my vision dimmed, contracted, was her small eyes gleaming at me like a beacon.\n\n"
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[WP] Your planetary settlement exists in eternal night, never receiving any sunlight. Instead, an array of space mirrors illuminate the colony. One day, the colony is suddenly plunged into darkness.
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"It was quit in habitation unit 305, dark to. Nothing broke the silence, save for a small ventilation fan in the corner of the room humming away. The unit's lone inhabitant was in a deep and peaceful slumber like any other night on RT-509. \n\nSuddenly a faint ringing sound followed by a dim flashing broke the piece. Letting out an annoyed grunt, the lone inhabitant sat up to find the source of the disturbance to be his phone on the night stand, answering it in a less than enthusiastic tone.\n\n\n\"The hell is it\" he grumbled.\n\n\"JACK, jack you awake? we got a situation here\" the voice on the other side shouted franticly.\n\n\"Markus? what the hell is going on and why couldn't it wait till morning\" He replied, maintain his unenthusiastic tone. \n\n\"Check you clock\"\n\nDoing as he was told, Jack looked over to see the time and was stunned to find it was nearly 8AM yet outside it was pitch black. Had it not been for the colonies street lamps, he wouldn't have been able to see more than three feet from the window.\n\n\"Meet me at the main array in ten minutes\" Markus continued \"Frank is already on his way.\"\n\n\"Got it\" he replied before the call ended.\n\nQuickly rising from his bed, jack threw on his standard technicians gear. Complete with iconic hard hat and orange safety vest. Stepping out the door into what should have been the hot (artificial) morning sun he was instead greeted by cold darkness. \"Fucking hell' he mumbled before locking the door to his small spherical home. With nothing else keeping him, he started the short trek up the hill to the main mirror array station, control center of the colonie's artificial light. As he walked along other colonists where beginning to stir, the reactions to the darkness ranging from perplexing curiosity to sheer terror. Understandable given the circumstances. \n\n\nAfter five minute walk he arrived at the building. A boxy looking complex with antennas and dishes of all shapes and sizes taking up every square foot of roof space. Complimented by five huge stand alone dishes set up on the ridge a few miles north of the main colony. The facility itself also doubled as the main coms station for planet. communicating with ships in orbit along with keeping the solar reflectors in order.\n\nEntering his place of work, Jack found everything as it should be. Monitors and electronic equipment laid throughout the corridors in a somewhat disorganized fashion. Hard to believe only three men where responsible for all of it. Normally a place like this would have upward of fifteen techs working round the clock but a redistribution of resources within the colony's charter company meant that they had been understaffed for some time. \n\nNothing caught is attention as out of place. No alarms, no flashing lights, all the equipment was giving the all clear signal. Walking into the main atrium he found his two colleges huddled over the central work station. On the right was Markus, a close friend and fifteen year veteran of the field. On the left was frank, the new guy, no more then twenty two years old and barley six months into this gig. \n\nBoth men heard his footsteps as he approached but frank was the only one that acknowledge his presence, looking over his shoulder with a worried expression on his face.\n\n\"Jack, great timing we don't know what the hell is going on and-\n\n\"Calm down Frank\" Markus interrupted \"We'll figure it out\".\n\nJoining his companions at the computer station they ran over the diagnostics together.\n\n\n-Local communications- Status: ONLINE\n\n-Local monitoring- Status: ONLINE\n\n-Orbital Communications- Status: ONLINE\n\n-Orbital Monitoring- Status: ONLINE\n\n-Orbital reflector Array- Status: ONLINE (WARNING Command transmission failed, reverting to protocol A3748: stand by mode engaged)\n\n\"So the automated commands where sent out at 4AM like normal. But something blocked them before the transmission could be completed\" Markus spoke up.\n\n\"It seems that way\" Jack confirmed \"And by the looks of it nothing on our end caused the issue, something in orbit broke the com link. Anyone know when the next Trans Cor ship will be here\"\n\n\"Last I checked we have upwards of a week before they check on us again\" Frank answered in the same worried tone as before.\n\n\"Well boys, either we sit in complete darkness for a week, or we somehow pull a miracle out of our asses and fix fifty busted orbiting pieces of tech from the ground with nothing more than more than some code and radio waves\"\n\n\n\"Do we even have a choice\" Markus asked in a sarcastic tone.\n \nThe three men continued to scan over the equipment four hours, running diagnostics and trying to pin down the source of the break. It was frank, sitting at the orbital monitoring station who broke the silence. \n\n\n\"Uh, guys you should see this\"\n\n\nJoining their young friend at the station, the technicians saw what he was referring to. A ship, in orbit near the reflectors. It barley even showed up on the scans but it was definitely there. \n\n\n\"What the hell is he doing there?\" Jack asked in a annoyed tone. \n\n \"I don't know but if the diagnostics are correct, I think we found the source of the disturbance\" Frank remarked.\n\n\nAnd indeed they where correct, scans showed that the ship was broadcasting a short range low frequency jamming signal.\n\n\"Can we stop it?\" \n\n\"It's not like they prepped farm colonies for electronic warfare you know, out side of a ping request there's not much we can do\" \n\n\" Not like we have any other options, send the ping. Let this guy know we see him\" Ordered Jack.\n\nThe broadcast was sent. Nothing more than an automated message requesting the orbiting ship to seas its actions and state identity. After a few minutes later the broadcast stopped. But before the three tech's could relax something appeared on screen.\n\n\n\"Well well, it seems as though I've been found haven't I?\" Appeared a red a string of red text, blocking out everything else on the screen. \n\nThe sudden communication sent a chill down the three tech's spine's. \n\n\nMarkus franticly typed out a reply hoping to get some answers\n\n\n\" Attention unknown vessel, you are currently interfering with operation being undertaken by Trans Cor charter colony RT-509. State your intent and please vacate the premises\"\n\n\nMore red text\n\n\n\"Don't waist your time with formality's Trans Cor scum, it wont save you. Anyways, I can't get rid of your colony subtlety so I guess I'll just have to go to plan B. Can't you have telling your bosses I was here.\"\n\nAlarms and warnings began to go off all over the complex. \n\n-WARNING WARNING- ORBITAL DEVIATIONS DETECTED, MANUAL OVERIDE RECOMMENDED.\n\nJumping to separate terminals the technician's desperately tried to find a fix \n\nWARNING WARNING, ORBIT DEVITAIONs CRITIAL, EMEDIATE ACTION TO BE TAKEN. \n\n\"I cant stop this, I CANT STOP THIS\" Markus shouted in fear.\n\nThe three techs, where now absolutely terrified. \n\n\n\"My god, he...he's nocked the reflectors out of orbit, HE\"S BRINING THEM DOWN ON TOP OF US\" Jack shouted in sheer terror.\n\n\nMarkus typed franticly, breaking his composure in an effort to reason with their unknown enemy in orbit. \n\n\n\"PLEASE, we'll do whatever you want!\"\n\n\n\"Hmm tempting but no. Sorry boys, nothing personal but it's just business. Trans Cor are sitting on the biggest cash cow this side of the cluster, and what do they use it for? farming. If they won't hand over the deed then... well you can see where this is going. \n\n\n\"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD THERE ARE THREEE THOUSAND INNOCINT PEOPLE PLANET SIDE\"\n\n\"And I'll make sure to send their family's something nice, good by gentlemen\".\n\n\nAnd that was it. No chance of reasoning, no hope of everting. The three technicians sat in their complex in complete disbelief.\nTen minutes later, the first of the reflectors struck the surface. Sending a cataclysmic shockwave in every direction, wiping out all life for miles around. \n\n \n\n \n "
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[WP] You are sitting on a hill enjoying your lunch. A dragon head lifts out of the grass and you realize you are sitting on it's back. "You going to finish that?"
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"\"I mean, I was planning to, but I guess I don't have to. Do you want it?\" I hold out the last half of the sandwich.\n\nThe dragon nods aggressively, and almost shakes me from it's still-grassy back. \"Most certainly, I'm quite hungry, I've just woken up.\"\n\nI toss the sandwich into it's steely jaws, it's thousands of short, needle-like teeth catching the sandwich easily. \"Thanks.\"\n\nI nod, knowing that it's the ideal strategy to not irritate dragons, and often give into whatever they wish. \"So, what brought you here?\" I ask simply because, who knew that there was a dragon in town? As soon as word spreads, things will get very complicated, very quickly, as law-enforcement officers are deployed to be on look-out, vigilante knights will likely be lurking, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, tricksy treasure-hunters will be out to get whatever gold may be underneath the thing...\n\n\"Oh, I've always been here.\" The dragon rests it's head on it's body, looking at me as I drink some lemonade.\n\n\"Like, always always? Because usually always doesn't really mean always, just mostly always...\" I slowly stop talking as it stares at me with massive eyes the color of honey. \"Alright, you've always been here, makes sense, what with the grass and stuff.\"\n\nThe dragon begins to wiggle and stretch, and shakes me off, tumbling to the bottom of the hill as dirt and soil sheds off. I pick myself back up as quickly as I can. \"Wait, what are you doing?\"\n\n\"I'm not content to be some picnic hill. I shall fly off to elsewhere, a nice mountain cave perhaps, or an empty forest, the depths of the ocean or the eternities of the antarctic desert.\" The dragon spreads it's wings, huge, blocking out the sky, with feathers longer than I am.\n\n\"Um, good luck. I hope you find a place...\" I call out, as it flaps those wings, knocking me back down again, creating a roaring noise louder than any plane, as the creature took to the air.\n\nI picked myself up once again, and breathed a sigh of relief. Dragon gone, crisis averted."
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If you want to use another color, go for it.
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[WP] After being 3 year in a coma due to an experiment gone wrong, you realize you now have the ability to move objects with your mind. The thing is, they must be purple.
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"Telekinesis has always been a power I’ve desired. Ever since I was a child I always fantasised about it. An ordinary citizen by day, a crime fighting vigilante by night. Hell, I spent half my days in kindergarten drawing comics about it. The gravitronator is what I called myself. Looking back at that now. I realised that sounds more like some low budget sci-fi film written by grade four students than anything. The point is, I was always a big fan of telekinesis, So you must of thought that I was ecstatic when I realised I had that power after waking up from a coma but no. Apart from flipping a tray of eggplant onto the floor and scaring the shit out of some hospital workers, I was more confused than anything. Especially at the fact that I could only flip things that were purple.\n\nIt may not sound that bad until you realise that barely anything in the world is purple. Today was he day I was getting released from the hospital. Finally, I could eat some proper decent food that wasn’t broccoli ice cream. I strolled out of the hospital with my headphones in listening to some music when an ad break started playing. It was a newsman talking about lightning, planes, crashes. I don’t know. It’s hard to tell what someone is saying when thousands of people around you are screaming at the same time. I pulled out my earphones to see what the commotion was about and to my dismay, I saw a plane nose diving straight towards me. My heartbeat pounded through my chest as I thought for ideas. That’s right, telekinesis! Bingo I had the perfect idea, and then I remembered: purple. Damn it. If my calculations were correct I had approximately 30 seconds to find a speck of purple on a plain white aeroplane. “It’s ok ladies and gentlemen”, I’ve got this I muttered. I didn’t really know what I was doing but I would of appreciated if everyone could just shut up. I looked across the plane carefully, examining each and every detail looking for a speck of purple. \n\nI let out a grin of satisfaction as my eyes locked onto a purple wire inside the planes broken wing. I focused, lifting the plane with my mind. I could feel the stares of 100s of people as I kept the plane afloat. I needed to give the plane a small boost to stop it from crashing. With my hand I gestured a small flick and made the same movement with my mind. Shit. The screams around me tripled in volume and the plane went straight up. Within seconds it was gone into the clouds never to be seen again. I let out a nervous chuckle “That went further than expected”. On my first day out of the hospital I had launched a commercial airliner with 100s of people into space and convinced the entire town I’m a psychotic murderer. Some superhero I am.\n"
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[WP] You're a garbage man in Nevada, and every week you have to drive 50 miles into the desert to check a single can. There are no buildings or people within miles of the can. The can is always full.
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"I checked my side view and rear view mirror for the thousandth time, trying to ensure no one was following me. I was doubtful, given that the road behind and ahead went on and on. For many miles it did so until it came to a single point on the horizon, obscured by hazy vapors on both ends. I did a cocky sniff of my mustache and cleared my throat. It was a habit I had picked up from an old friend. \n\nDoubling my mirror work, just to be sure, I turned off the clean black asphalt and onto the rocky surface that ran parallel to the road. The was nary a cactus out here. Just... dirt. Dirt and the thing I had come all this way for. For about a ten minute drive, I saw nothing. I expected this, as it was never in the same place, but somehow I knew exactly where to turn into the desert to find it. Somehow.\n\nI hesitate to say it called to me. I mean, it was a thing, not a person and... it couldn't call out to me, right? Things have no power. They are just that, *things.* Just inert, dead, and lifeless. Right? \n\nI cleared my throat to steel myself, because at the same instant I saw a glint in the distance to my right out of the passenger window. I got butterflies. No. Not butterflies. This wasn't that feeling you got when you saw a pretty girl. This was more like seeing something that shakes the foundations of your common sense. This sinking, guts upturned, stammering wh-what-the-fuck-am-I-looking-at type sensation. The one where you pee a little involuntarily and for an instant you know there's a God because you're just a mite in the Cosmos and-\n\nThe glint disappeared.\n\nOk, now I pooped a little. My nose turned up on itself and I kid, I had only passed gas, but that thing I was looking for couldn't have just gone. I- I-\n\nYou see, I had come out here once with the aforementioned friend. He had shown me the thing. Someone I had never met had shown it to him- and after showing me, I had never seen him again. The one who showed him had disappeared also. It makes no sense, but since then I had been obsessed with it. I drove out here because, well... you know, they say if you lose your child just stay at the place where you lost them because they'll come back and- tears ran down my face- I was sure I'd see my friend again if I kept coming back for it.\n\nWhere was this freaking thing?!\n\nI screeched to a halt, throwing up a cloud of brown debris that came into my open windows. The brown, mineral smell was familiar. I invited it into my senses. Every time I came out here, got out of my car, and found the damn thing, the scent of moistureless earth was *mine.* This drive was *mine.* The thing- it was mine too and I hated not being able to find it. To see it. Because besides my M.I.A homie, outside of this drive I was a garbage man and people were kind and all. But I smelled. I had this musk of refuse that clinged to my flesh after a shower and this friend didn't mind and the smell of desert dust was nice and *mine* and I'm not making sense but I smashed my hand down on the dashboard, sucking in sharp, shallow breaths. Tears trickled from my eyes and evaporated in front of them.\n\nThe hazy vapor was in my car now. From my bawling probably. But through it, their was a single shimmer, of something. Of, of- HA HA!\n\nI smashed my gas pedal into the floor and tore off after it. Gravel crunched and careened into my face as I did and what did I care? I could see it- HA HA!- right there, right there! My teeth were touching my ears my smile was so wide. I was gonna do 150 miles per hour out here in the middle of nowhere and I leaned back and laughed, eyes shut into crow's feet \"Whooooo hoooo!\" I bellowed, joyful. I was gonna grab that old soda can and hug it but-\n\nI didn't see the cliff edge.",
"The can was there, just like every week. My only can for Thursdays. Everyone before me had been too creeped out by the can, so they kept passing it to the new guy. I didn't mind, so they let me keep it. A quick drive, out and back, for a full day's pay, was worth it, as far as I was concerned. 23 years I've been doing the run. And every time, it's been there, full as can be.\n\nWhen I was younger, I was too curious. I wasted off time trying to solve the mystery. Days wasted exploring the surrounding desert. I spent a vacation week camped out by the can, then another at the start of the 10 mile road that dead ends at the can. I never saw anyone. It stays empty until the night before, then it fills up. It's never consistent for what fills it, but it's always odd. One week, it was packed with used bottle rockets. One time, it was an anatomically correct mannequin of Joaquin Phoenix buried in unused mustard packets. There have been a couple of times we turned things over to museums. I'm rich enough to retire off the time it was filled with gold coins, but not quite ready to yet.\n\nThe only problem I've had was one of the times it was full of Velociraptors. Not the huge, made up things from the movies. These were more like vicious, carnivorous turkeys. I laughed until they swarmed me. Fortunately, I'd brought along a new guy that time, to show him the weird. He started hitting them with the grabber we use to pull sticky stuff off the bottom of cans. They all scattered still running loose out there. Started carrying a gun after that. Worked nicely when the Zodiac Killer leapt out at me from the can once. Long story, that one. Got him alive. Still don't think that judge really believed me about everything, though. \n\nThis week is my last run, thanks to that gold. I've bought an island, have a nice little set up in the Mediterranean. Wife's been there the last couple weeks, making sure everything's ready. Maybe that's why, this week, it's nearly empty. Just like always, I hopped out and glanced to see what was inside. This time, it was a lone greeting card. Picture of a sleeping dog. Caption on the front, \"This job makes us all tired, but you've been here so long...\" Then inside, \"I guess you're REtired!\" Some one had hand-written, \"Sad to see you go. Have fun on your new adventure. - TC\"\n\nI closed up the can, patted the lid, tucked the card in my pocket, and took off in my truck, waving back at the can until it was out of sight. ",
"I had never wanted to be a garbageperson (or, as my wife called me the day she left me, a \"garbage person\"). The only thing I wanted was a little place to call my own, with a little picket fence, two chimneys, four dumbwaiters, and a basement absolutely teeming with weasels. \"But how are you going to pay for it?\" my wife would ask me, clonking me on the head with the bowling ball she carried with her nearly everywhere. That's why I got into the garbage business.\n\nIt was a garbage business. Oh, sure, the pay is good, and the benefits are great. You can even bring home some of the garbage, if you like. (Every time I'd bring home a half-used gallon jug of spoiled milk, my wife would get huffy and make me sleep on the couch, but how else was I supposed to attract a teeming mass of weasels to the cellar?) But the people in the garbage business — they were best avoided. One of them was named Mo. I never found out his last name, because on my second day he got fired for trying to build a thermonuclear missile out of thrown-out ladies' underwear. Another coworker, Trent, was clearly just the Unabomber in a wig. And then there was Kevin.\n\nKevin was a tattooed-up freak who liked freebasing carbolic acid and had once gone to prison for kissing Vice President Al Gore on the lips for a full thirty seconds on national TV. Kevin was on Garbage Team Delta, which is roughly the Las Vegas Waste Department's equivalent of the Navy SEALs. Kevin had some wild stories. About the bin at Prudence Financial that every Thursday was filled to the brim — but no further — with dog semen. About the dumpster off Eastview Boulevard that contained a slightly smaller dumpster, which itself contained a slightly smaller dumpster, and so on to infinity. \"You got garbage problems, you call Team Delta,\" he'd shout every day at the beginning of our shift, before crushing a raw egg on his head, rubbing it into his hair and screaming for ten minutes.\n\nAfter my wife left me because the weasels had eaten our son, Kevin took me under his wing. He was grooming me to join Team Delta. \"Only a man who has lost everything can be on Team Delta,\" he'd tell me. One day, he took me on a long drive out in the desert, to show me what he called Nevada's most supernatural garbage-related spot. It was to be a bonding experience. We shotgunned industrial-strength thick bleach on the way down and talked about our mothers — who had, coincidentally, both been professional lumberjacks before retiring and going into porn. Finally we arrived at the location — a single garbage can. We hadn't seen any signs of civilization in the last half hour.\n\n\"Thar she blows,\" said Kevin. \"Ol' Spicy. Every week, she's utterly filled with empty cans of hot sauce.\" We went over and looked in, and sure enough, there were the empty hot sauce cans.\n\n\"It's been this way since time immemorial,\" Kevin continued. \"Since before the white man came to Nevada, since before the age of Adam. A riddle to which there is no answer, a puzzle created only to confuse Man and show him his rightful place, not as the Master of the universe, but as merely another dumb beast, searching for meaning in the meaningless.\"\n\nSuddenly, the actor James Franco came out from behind a rock. \"Sup guys?\" he asked. \"I've been hiding out in this desert for the last twenty years, hanging out in the bushes and living on just hot sauce. I'm preparing for my next movie, *Ralph: The Guy Who Eats Only Hot Sauce And Lives In The Desert.\"*\n\n\"Oh,\" said Kevin, looking a bit embarrassed. \"I guess that explains it, then.\"\n\nKevin and I didn't really talk much after that.",
"Another week, another pickup. Every time I go out to this forsaken garbage can it somehow is overflowing with trash, despite the fact there’s nary a soul for miles around. At least they pay me for the drive time to get out there and back.\n\nOnce again, I show up to an abandoned garbage can, overflowing with trash. While the truck automatically lifts the can up and dumps its contents in, I have to pick up the excess while wearing thick rubber gloves.\n\nJust as I’m about to leave, a car approaches. Curious, I watch from behind my truck. The driver gets out of their car and throws a bag into the garbage can, then gets back in and drives off.\n\nHuh, I guess people actually do use this rest stop."
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[WP] You're a normal guy living in a fantasy world, a group of adventurers blast down your door screaming "quick there's no time! We must recruit this Sentinel to defeat an ancient evil". You reach the end of the adventure only to find out that you're the ancient evil.
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"I can take these guys. Definitely. \n\n\"THROW THE ANCIENT JAVELIN!\" cries a short man with a wicked long-ass beard. \n\nThey're throwing javelins already?! I dodge the projectile with more lethargy then I was used. \n\n\"Okay, guys look, I'm not evil! I'm a good dude! You went to the wrong castle!\" I cry. \n\nA high-priestess in a dark maroon robe cries out in fear. A curly-haired, raggedy troll grunts. \n\n\"Warlock, it seems his agility is too quick for the ancient javelin!\" it snides. \n\nThe dude who instructed the giant fish-headed man to throw the javelin, nods gravely. \n\n\"LET'S ATTACK RIGHT AT IM!\" cries a red-headed, lizard warrior. \n\nSuddenly, it's charging at me with a giant sword. \n\n\"COME ON CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND ENGLISH?!\" I scream."
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[WP] You’re an astronaut aboard the ISS. During you’re time on there, another astronaut has murdered a crew member, but no one knows who did it. You’re tasked with preventing the other astronauts from getting to each other’s throats, and bring the accused home to justice.
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"Day 181 aboard the ISS: one of the other astronauts was found stuffed into their suit earlier today I have been assigned the job of finding who did it and stopping them. \nDay 188: Another person has been found in their suit this time it was one Russians. They think that the Americans are sabotaging them. But I think that one of them is behind it.\nDay 194: one of the Canadians have died the Russians are doubling down on their theory that the Americans are trying to make sure they have the most advantages. Everyone is staying in their cabins. \nDay 223: the killings have been increased four have died since I last wrote. There are now only two other inhabitants.\nDay 224: the other two inhabitants have been killed...... none of them ever thought it might be me",
"I've been in the ISS for almost three and a half months. All the crew were getting along fine, since we've been trained to avoid personal conflicts. But today, one of the Russian cosmonauts was killed. Nobody knows who was the killer, and he was obviously murdered because you don't stab yourself in the back seven times by accident. We reported it to the stations on Earth. They ordered us to only keep the important systems functioning and to stay together as much time as possible, to increase the possibilities of finding the killer.\n\nFour days have passed since the first victim was found. Now we are only two. Four people were murdered. I didn't kill anyone, so she must be the killer. I didn't have anything to prove it, though, so I have to defend myself until the next mission came to take the bodies and us back to Earth. Funnily, in her desperation she still tried to convince me she didn't do it. I locked myself up and waited.\n\nNext day, I find her dead. Now I think she might have been right. But in that case, I'm trapped 400 km above the ground with something that has already killed five people. I'm totally scared, I think I may be crazy now. I hear the crew's voices calling me. Maybe I should check up on them."
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[WP] Having saved her from the dragon, the knight returns the princess and, as was promised, has won the honor to ask her hand in marriage. The knight removes her helmet and accepts. To many people’s surprise, there’s about to be two queens.
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"\"My lady, at least try to seem pleased. It is your wedding day\", Sarah said, fussing over her mistress. The Princess Anthelda stared blankly out her window. \"My lady?\"\n\n\"It's nothing,\" Anthelda said with a sigh. \"It's all nothing.\"\n\nSarah sighed. She knew that absolutely none of this had been Anthelda's idea. \"At least you know he's a good man,\" she went on, trying to be consoling.\n\n\"I know he's a knight.\" Bitterness dripped off Anthelda's words. \"I'm not stupid enough to believe that that honor alone makes him a good man. I have met all of my father's knights, as have you. Tell me that every single one of them is 'a good man'.\"\n\nSarah could not. \n\n\"I know he's brave enough to face down a dragon.\" Sneak past a dragon, if Anthelda were being truthful. There had been very little fighting when the knight had arrived at the dragon's cave. He'd crept in while the creature hunted, cut her bonds, and all but dragged her to safety. \"I know he's clever.\" He'd led Anthelda two days out of the way in order to lead the dragon on a false trail that would have it chasing shadows out of the little valley kingdom, instead of stalking them. \"I know he's popular\". King Halvor had immediately welcomed the knight into his inner circles, though he struggled with making him an advisor.\n\n\"You know he's kind. He treated you very well-\"\n\n\"I know nothing about him! Literally! He never said a bloody damned word!\"\n\nSarah recoiled from both the shout and the swearing. Anthelda buried her face in her hands. \"In a month he has neither shown his face nor spoken. Not to me, not to my father. Not to anyone but his squire. The only thing I know about him is the name Eric.\"\n\n\"And that he saved you.\" Sarah was determined to get some positive spin on this. \"He brought you back to us unharmed after...\"\n\nShe trailed off. Anthelda's disappearance from the castle a month prior was a forbidden topic of discussion. Halvor had threatened anyone who so much as breathed a word of speculation about why she had vanished with immediate banishment. \n\n\"After I ran away and got captured by a dragon.\" Anthelda dried her cheeks. \"After I left to try to find the only woman I have ever loved. After I followed my heart.\"\n\n\"Don't say that aloud, my lady!\" Sarah all but wailed, and returned to fussing with combs and clips and pins. \"You mustn't say those things where other ears might hear.\"\n\n\"I don't care\". There was no life in Anthelda's voice, and Sarah's heart broke to hear it. \"My father is getting exactly what he wants. He gets a noble knight to marry me off to and a son to inherit the throne. I get to 'fulfill my duties as a woman' and marry a complete stranger based on some ancient and ridiculous tradition. Nobody has to worry any more about my... deviation.\" Anthelda paused, seeing how anxious this was making Sarah. \"Don't worry. I - I won't fight it. I've lost.\"\n\n...\n\nA few hours later, the deed was done. Anthelda, with a lavish ceremony, now belonged to the strange, silent knight kneeling beside her, her hand on his arm. The high priest smiled benevolently - and a bit smugly - down at her.\n\nKing Halvor rose from his throne behind the priest and stepped forward to address the gathered nobility. \"My subjects,\" he began, \"We rejoice in the union of the Princess Anthelda Halvorsdottir and the Knight Eric. From their union, our kingdom will endure and prosper. \n\n\"I know there has been concern that none have seen Eric's face - fear not. His loyal squire Dag, who has been known to us for many years, has vouched for him and provided his history and bloodline.\" Halvor gestured to a small man standing to one side, who bowed solemnly and stepped forward.\n\n\"O noble King, honored guests,\" the squire said. \"My master, Eric the Kind, wishes to express his deepest and most profound gratitude at the welcome he has received among you. When he undertook the vow of secrecy which has bound him, Eric did not seek to deceive or mislead you. He merely wished to know if the good people of this kingdom would judge others based on more than just blood and breeding; if they would look to actions and intent. In this, he has been pleased with his findings, and today is pleased that he will one day be the leader of such a great people.\"\n\nAnthelda thought, for just a moment, that Eric twitched oddly at that speech. They had been kneeling for some time, however, and the armor he wore constantly had to be chafing. 'Perhaps it will chafe certain parts straight off', she thought bitterly.\n\nKing Halvor thanked Dag and took the High Priest's place in front of the newlyweds. He raised a golden crown. \"Sir Eric, today I name you not only my son, but my heir. I declare you Eric Halvorson, the Crown Prince of Hindarfjall. In the fullness of time, you will take my place upon the throne. The gods themselves have decreed this; no man may stand against you assuming your rightful place. Remove your helm, and receive your crown.\"\n\nAnthelda's heart raced as Eric raised his hands, and she prayed to all the gods she knew that he not be unbearable. \n\nThe helmet rose.\n\nA wealth of long red hair spilled out.\n\nKing Halvor dropped the crown in shock. \"You!\"\n\nAnthelda nearly fainted. \"Erika!\"\n\nThe Crown Prince, the newly minted Erika Halvorsson, grabbed her bride in one hand and her falling crown in the other. \"I told you banishing me wouldn't work,\" she said gleefully. \"And now there's nothing you can do to get rid of me.\""
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[WP] A monster is known for tormenting and killing any human who enters their domain. Until a human comes by apathetic in the face of certain death.
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"\"Halt, what are you doing in my domain?\" The red dragon's voice boomed. Its breath blew my hair back. \"Turn back, or else you die!\"\n\n\"Um, okay,\" my eyes darted around the stone cave. I looked up at the dragon's reptilian face. \"I'm just here cause it's on the way to a friend's party. I didn't want to take the long way around, so I'm taking the shortcut through here.\"\n\n\"Leave at once! Turn back and never return! You are not welcome here!\"\n\n\"The sign at the front of the cave literally says 'pedestrian traffic welcome' though,\"\n\n\"The sign lies!\"\n\n\"What about those signs though?\" I pointed to a metal sign on the wall. Arrows on it pointed to each of the cave's exits.\n\n\"They lie as well!\" The dragon angrily flapped its wings. \"Turn back, or else you shall join my victims in death!\"\n\nThe dragon gestured with its claw to a pile of bones illuminated by the torches that lined the cavern walls.\n\nI walked to the pile of bones. The dragon's eyes followed me. I picked up one of the bones.\n\n\"These are plastic. They're like, movie props or halloween decorations, or something?\" I said.\n\n\"No, they come from my victims!\" The dragon stomped its feet, walking towards me.\n\n\"Oh really, were your victims all department store mannequins?\"\n\n\"No, they were unfortunate travellers much like you!\"\n\n\"I've seen a lot of people go through this cave though, they never acted like there was a dragon in here, or that you can die here.\"\n\n\"No such travellers exist, you have seen lies!\"\n\n\"Doubt it,\" I walked around the dragon and towards my intended exit.\n\n\"Yeah, anyway, I'm Kayla. What's your name?\"\n\n\"Anxiety.\""
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[WP] Write about what could have been feasibly taking place in the spot where you are at 200 years ago.
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"Blackness, penetrated only by the beams of pure energy as they bounce off of objects throughout the universe. An asteroid races by, so fast it is barely noticeable. The sun is barely visible as it speeds in this general direction at a speed of about 515,495 mph, along with the smaller objects removing around it. It will take approximately 200 earthen years for the sun to be close, and it will not even reach this spot. Only one of the planets orbiting it will. And after that, the planet will never be in this spot again. \n\nThe universe is constantly expanding. What is thought of as this spot is infinitesimally smaller than the spot that will occupied by a part of the planet, and afterwards, will be infinitesimally bigger than even that. It is truly incredible, the speed and science of this universe. Truly, truly incredible. \n\nBut I digress. Another asteroid races by, and a distant star twinkles its last light, though that light will not reach here for lightyears. A third asteroid passes by. All three are being acted upon by some force, heading towards the largest mass possible. Is this force gravity? Is it due simply to curvature, as space is four dimensional? Are they simply following a stable path? Perhaps no one will ever know the reason why things move in space. They may only ever know how they move. In fact, some already have the formula, though they may not understand it yet. \n\nBut I guess I digressed again. The third asteroid will have been the last one in close range for quite a while. Here in the middle of space, it is rare for anything to come near. \n\n \n. \n. \n.\n\n\n\nDon't quote me on anything scientific, it's just some quick googling/general astronomy/vague memories from an astronomy presentation on curved space where I made a triangle with 3 right angles.\n\n.\n.\n.\n\nI know this probably wasn't what you meant, but thanks for the prompt. It's been a while since I've actually been inspired to write anything, and even longer since I've wanted to write anything vaguely school related! "
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[WP] In the future, artificial intelligence has been perfected and is now integral to the machinations of modern society. You explain the difference between humans and robots to a small child
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"#A Kid's Guide to Artificial Intelligence!\n^By ^Katherine ^Dias\n\nHey there kids! My name is Katherine Dias, and in this educational film we're going to talk about Artificial Intelligence! Yay!\n\n*display cartoon image of human brain alongside neural network*\n\nSo what *is* artificial intelligence? Can anyone guess?\n\n*beat*\n\nThat's right kids! Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is what you call a robot that can think just like a human can! But there are some important differences, and thats what we're going to cover today!\n\n*display crossed out image of a robotic mother holding a robotic baby*\n\nUnlike humans, robots don't have parents or siblings! Instead, they are \"manufactured\" or \"programmed\" by humans, their masters. This means that there is no such thing as a child robot. This lack of familial bonds is part of why...\n\n*display image of emotionless robotic faces*\n\nThey don't feel happiness! Or sadness, or anger, or any emotion. Its not a very excited reality, but oh well! They might *look* like they are sad, or lonely, or tired, but don't worry. They're just pretending to be like us!\n\n*display image of varied, human faces*\n\nSee? We're the best, aren't we! So remember, you don't need to think about what they're feeling - because its nothing!\n\n*beat*\n\nOn that note, its very important that we make sure that they can't control our government, because we don't want things like *them* in there, do we? That would make everyone sad!\n\n*human faces fade into emotionless human faces*\n\nNo, we don't need that at all! But you don't need to worry, kids! That won't ever happen; they know their place.\n\n\n\n",
"\"The fact of the matter is,\" I said, leaning over the counter,\" we're their creators.\" Augie, my little brother, kept eating his cereal, eyes wide and curious. \"We serve God, 'cause he gave us life. Well we gave them life, so they serve us.\"\n\n\"So.\" Augie slurped some milk and plopped his spoon in the empty bowl. \"We're God?\"\n\n\"Well in a way, yeah. They wouldn't exist without us.\" I threw my backpack over my shoulder. \"Let's get to school, come on.\"\n\nAugie didn't miss a beat. He grabbed his backpack and ran out the door. \"Last one there's a i5!\" \n\n\"Slow down you didn't even wash your- oh whatever.\" I caught up quick. \"Cool your jets, Augie.\" An AR GPS guided our way. Floating bots kareened us away from the street when we got too close. \n\n\"So they can really think like we do? \" Augie asked. \"Like they're just as smart and stuff?\"\n\n\"Still on that? Well... Pretty much,\" I said. \"Sometimes they're even smarter!\"\n\n\"So why don't we serve them if they're smarter?\" \n\n\"Like I said. We give 'em life. If they didn't have us, they'd have no purpose.\" \n\nAugie got quiet. He stared at his feet, unaware of the world around him. The floating bots practically ping-ponged him all the way to school. When we finally got there, he looked up and asked me, \"So what's our purpose?\"\n\n\"Help the humans, just like all good robots should. I'll see you after class, kiddo.\""
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[WP] Usually a Hogwart's Professor is sent to introduce muggleborns to the wizarding world. But sometimes the situation calls for someone with a much lighter touch; a specialist in the area, so to speak. Those are the times they send Marry Poppins.
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"Marry sadly learned from a young age she wouldn't be able to have children. While at Hogwarts she met Bert, and while the two felt very strongly for each other, Marry felt that the burden of her infertility was hers to bare alone, keeping bert at a steady arms length. One day in his ignorance of her secret, he lashed out, broke rules of the school in one last feat of showing his love for her. This would have him expelled from Hogwarts. After school Marry found work making her an expert nanny of magical children. \n\nAt this point in history the ministry is noticing a growing number of muggle born magical children. After some trial runs of more blunt introductions turning into some very violent reactions, the ministry decided to try a more gentle method. Seeking out nannies to visit these magical children.\n\nMarry was selected to fill the position at the Banks home, never expressing in words what her mission truly was. But, what most didn't know it wasn't just about the children. Marry was to open the minds of the entire family to the world of magic, even one such as stern and ridged as Mr. Banks. Marry was instructed not to become attached to the children or family which was difficult for her personally.\n\nMeanwhile Bert would fall into another growing category of untrained wizards and witches unable to pass school. The ministry would train this population in the arts of muggle surveillance. Keeping to street performance, street art, and handyman jobs like chimney sweep. This would also allow them to support the nannies if needed. \n\nMarry and Bert made up years ago seeing each other from time to time in passing. Bert was excited to learn that Marry would be assigned to his area of surveillance. Making himself very visible in the park near the Banks home. When Bret mentions doing magic with his chalk, Marry seems surprised because of his lack of formal training. She helps him with what seems to her a simple spell of jumping into a picture. The spell washes away with the chalk and Marry and the children head home. \n\nDuring her time with the Banks family Marry introduces the children to more magical people, familiarizing and normalizing the magical realm to them. Marry would update the ministry every other Tuesday, needing the day off to travel there and back. \n\nMarry would be given orders that she was to conclude her time with the Banks family. She returns from the ministry finding Bert in the Banks home, Micheal gets sucked up the chimney, and Marry decides to give them one last magical trip knowing she would have to say goodbye the next day.\n\nMr. Banks would gain the enlightenment needed for his mind to open to the magical world. Marry would leave when the wind changed as she said she would. Unfortunately the Banks children would lose their memories of magic, not earning their letters to Hogwarts.\n\nLater in the 1930s Marry would acquire an assignment for the same family whose muggle born children have magical potential.\n\n*this is my version of an already existing theory, I'll still give credit where credit is due if I could find the original post, enjoy*"
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[WP] You work as a chef who prepares death row inmates' last meals, all of a sudden orders start coming in much faster than usual.
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"\"Well this is unusual.\" Sam mutters as he passes me the list of meals.\n\n\"Certainly is.\" I mutter absentmindedly as I continue kneading the fifth pan of dough for pigs in a blanket.\n\n\"You think the warden is in on it?\" He mutters writing out the next batch of orders.\n\n\"I suppose he could be, but that doesn't explain how other jails are having the same problem.\" My kneading intensifies as a wave of thinly disguised anger washes over me at seeing another order appear on screen.\n\n\"Why else would he be giving so many of them last meals?\" \n\n\"Fuck if I know.\"\n\n\"Hey, you don't really think there's someone out there targeting criminals to kill do you?\" Sam says, tilting his head back to look over the counter at me.\n\n\"I honestly couldn't give less of a shit.\" I mutter as I toss the fifth pan of pigs in a blanket into the oven and pull out the third one.\n\n\"Why not, I think it's interesting. It's like a TV show or something.\"\n\n\"Sure, a TV show were some megalomaniac with god powers kills criminals for no apparent gain, that's super interesting.\" I say, pulling the last empty tray out of the cabinets and setting about filling it with cinnamon rolls.\n\n\"It's worked before.\" Sam mutters, putting his hand to the side of his face and continuing entering orders.\n\n\"You know they're calling him 'Dust'\" Sam says, piping up again.\n\n\"Why in god's name would they do that.\" I ask, shoveling food onto plates for the third round of orders to go out to inmates.\n\n\"Well, he calls himself that.\" Sam explains shrugging.\n\n\"Sam, why the hell are we talking about this? I get enough of this paranoid talk working with death row inmates, I don't need it from my coworkers too.\" I snap, throwing my hands up.\n\n\"Oh I'm sorry, I thought it was pertinent given we do the same thing.\"\n\n\"No, we just feed them, we don't kill them.\"\n\n\"I meant this prison.\" Sam scowls \n\n\"Well they were convicted, and had ample opportunity to get out of being killed by legal processes before we kill them. This guy just kills them.\"\n\n\"Is that so wrong?\" Sam asks, raising his eyebrows.\n\n\"Sam, I'm done talking about this. Can we please talk about something else?\""
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[WP] Since 'Lab-Meat' was created, Independent companies have been trying to grow functioning and programmable humans to do their bidding, you are the first conscious experiment to survive the growth process, Today is the first time you wake
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"I began to gasp for air. Once my lungs filled and exhaled, I felt myself gag uncontrollably as a wave of chills flushed through my body. I heard someone shout \"342 is awake! Someone get that breathing tube out!\" A team of scientists came rushing over to recover me from my synthetic womb. \n\n\"Holy shit, we did it!\" a scientist said in amazement.\n\nThe scientists removed my breathing tube and covered me with blankets. They used various machines to read my vital signs and temperature. They kept calling me \"342\" when communicating with each other. I turned to a scientist who was treating my skin with some sort of lotion.\n\n\"Do I have a name?\" I asked him. His eyes went wide when he heard me speak. The whole room fell silent.\n\n\"Can anyone answer that?\" I asked the room. \"Do I have a name?\"\n\nA female scientist reluctantly stepped forward. \"None of the subjects in the Pioneer Program have been given names yet because none of them have woken up successfully. In our lab, its a sign of bad luck to name something that may not wake up.\" She explained.\n\n\"Pioneer Program\" I repeated. \"Call me Pi.\" I declared.\n\nOver the next few weeks, the scientists ran some physical and mental health tests. I was known around the lab as the first man to be birthed at the age of 30. About a month into my \"life\", the tests started to become more painful. They would stick needles in my limbs and push them down to my bones. With every test, the medical instruments became stranger and stranger. \n\nOne morning, I woke up missing my left hand. When I asked about why they needed it, they explained that it was to be toured around the country to other labs for research. This explanation wasn't as devastating to me as it would've been to a pure human. I understood that my whole life is or was solely a science experiment. I felt that I was providing a service to the people that made me.\n\nLittle by little, some of the scientists would become uncomfrotable while others become more authoritive. Some would quiet and others would take on a sort of lion-tamer role. They would call me things like \"Synthy\" or \"Guinea Pig\". Once their words were explained to me, I felt what you would believe as sadness for the first time. Every week, they would take a new piece of my body or whole limb for a new study. I only had my right arm and left leg by the time I had started to plot my escape.\n\nThe media covers the escape as if I were a gorilla who freed themselves from a zoo. That I had killed two guards and three scientists. I saw these scientists as gods once. Although they want to be so badly, they can't be gods. \nI won't let them."
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[WP] After the aliens came, most of humanity fled underground. Every night you broadcast a reading of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to inspire survivors. The aliens hear it to, and begin wondering why they don't have rights.
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"“Commander?” Hachibada looked away from her terminal’s screen, painted with a multitude of fuzzy lights that showed very intricate information on local human transmissions from the area. Well, one head looked away. The other two were still deeply focused on a .gif of a cat patting around a ball of yarn.\n\nOne of the Commander’s heads rolled it’s eyes. Another answered her. “Yessss...?” It hissed, forked tongue licking the air. Another head continued, this time without the hissing, as the commander just remembered that Hachibada found it obnoxious and gross. “What is it, lieutenant?”\n\nHachibada stood up, her scales bathed in the sickly green light of a few dozen terminal screens, her hands folded demurely around her back. She, like most of her kind, was tall and slender and had three heads. Two secondaries and one primary, with the primary directly in the middle between her shoulders and the secondaries to the left and right, sharing separate necks that connected in the middle.\n\n“I was thinking, ” Her right head hissed. “W-we, uh, found a very interesting document while examining local computer networks, sir.”\n\n“Have you found actionable intelligence? Good. My superiors have been hounding me for something to validate the existence of this entire division for the last month now.”\n\n“No, no, no. It’s not that. I mean. It might be more important, sir.”\n\nThe commander sighed. The same head that had rolled it’s eyes at Hachibada did so once again, this time with even greater flourish. “Lieutenant. High Command has dedicated the entire attention of our great and mighty military all on this one planet. They did not make this choice lightly, as the previous owners have proven particularly *rabid*. So far we’ve brushed off the local resistance with very little casualties, but that? That was the easy part. Now is the occupation, which is as important or even more important than the invasion. In fact, the initial five months of the occupation is always the crucial point. If our enemies were to destroy us, they will do so now.”\n\nHe placed a clawed hand on Hachibada’s terminal screen. “Which is why it’s so important that we monitor the enemy’s communications. Without us, our ground forces are blind, which makes our mighty and undefeated military weak to even a single foot mobile with a homemade grenade. An attack like that destroys morale and, like an infected wound, it spreads. People start talking. Dissent brews. The rebels are encouraged to continue this type of warfare. Maybe as casualties rise, our citizens will lose the taste for blood. And maybe, just maybe, they will pull support for our campaign and we will be sent back home in dishonor and shame.”\n\nThe Commander looked directly into Hachibada’s eyes. Ancient tales back home imply that their species were descendant from mighty hydras. It was all very fanciful, but it was people like the commander that made her question those stories. There was fire in his eyes and it looked as if he could crush her with a single hand.\n\n“I don’t want to go home to my wife and daughter and tell them that I was a part of a failed war. I don’t imagine you do either. So, tell me. If it’s not actionable intelligence then what is the purpose of our division?”\n\n“It’s...” She considered the fire in her commander’s eyes, his words, the war effort. She considered keeping her mouth shut. She considered the needs of the people. The starving and the sick and all those at the top who take and take from the people, growing fat off the endless exploitation of the working class. She patted her right head and her left head, cradling them with an arm each. They looked into each other’s eyes.\n\n“Have we ever thought about becoming communists?”\n\n“What the fuck are you talking about?”\n\n“Right,” she gestured with her claws. “Do you know how we have a ton of young newts both living and working in the acid mines? I mean, I know the production of acid is important for our way of life, but have we ever considered just moving them out of the acid mines and not forcing them into slave labor at such a young age?”\n\n“I mean, the fumes, the fumes right? Consider the fumes! They’re so bad that some of these newts don’t develop right, and their extra heads are all deformed and twisted and some end up even a little, um... a little... retarded?” She said, unsure if that was the right word to be using. “And what if instead of abandoning all of these people who become like that, we helped them live full and happy lives in spite of their condition? Like set up clincs and treatment centers and stuff.”\n\n“I’ll indulge you,” he narrowed his eyes. “Where would you get the money?”\n\n“Okay. Just bear with me for a minute here, this is going to sound stupid, but what if we took all the money from the rich people and gave it to the poor people?”\n\n“Well, you can’t do that, that’s stealing. Which is illegal.”\n\n“I mean... it's the same thing as taxes, j-just more *taxes* but... Yeah, I can see why you disagree with that, but alright. Can’t say I’m not disappointed, though. I was actually hoping that we could build towards a society with no need for currency.”\n\n“What?”\n\n“Yeah, everyone would just give everyone else what they need without asking for anything in return. I knew you weren’t going to like that one, but, uh, you know all the slaves we have?”\n\n“What of them?”\n\n“What if we just broke the chains? On the shackles, attached to their ankles? Also slavery itself. What if we broke slavery? Like got rid of it and emancipated the slaves?”\n\n“Now I know that you are insane. It’s a thousand year old institution. You can’t just remove a thousand year old institution without massive economic repercussions. Sit down before I call the MPs.”\n\nHachibada’s right head began to scream at the top of their lungs. “Capitalist pig-dog! Wretched lick of stagnant dog piss! Engorged balls of sick, rotting cow! May a thousand burning wasps consume your genitalia! May your eyes melt in your skull! We will be silenced no longer! Break the chains! Workers of the world unite! Onwards!”\n\n“No, no! Badahach, please shut up,” she made gentle cooing sounds, “You’re not helping our case.”\n\nIt was drowned out in Badahach’s wild screaming, but someone, in the back of the big wide comms room, echoed her. Break the chains.\n\n“MPs! What are you doing standing around?! Arrest her! Come on!\n\nWithin seconds, five black clad officer rushed into the room and dragged out a partially screaming Hachibada. “BREAK THE CHAINS. BREAK THE CHAINS. BREAK THE - “\n\nThe door slammed close. The Commander wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead and shook his head. He’d have to address this issue to High Command. Hachibada was definitely going to be dishonorably discharged. Maybe even court martialed. It was a shame. She was a good operator.\n\nAt least this was the end of it.\n\nThe Commander looked around the room. Everyone, to a man, had stopped what ever it was they were doing and had been watching them talk. They stared, eyes wide and jaws to the ground, their sensitive intelligence work all but forgotten.\n\nThere had been nearly fifty men and women in that room.\n\n* &#x200B;\n\nThree days later the Hydran ships stopped firing at the humans. They were now firing at each other. Over the din of constant artillery barrages, you could faintly hear the words, *break the chains* and *workers of the world unite*.\n\nIn the aftermath of a recent battle between the People’s Republic of Free Hydra and the Resistance and the Hydran High Command, two soldiers picked through whatever remained.\n\nNymtako chewed on a wad of chewing tobacco he had found in the mouth of a dead human. “Can I have some,” asked one of his heads.\n\n“No,” he said.\n\nHe chewed and watched the sunrise as his compatriot dug through the pockets of humans and hydra alike. His compatriot, Gyukhamara, had only two heads. His condition was not by birth or choice. It was by mutilation. The humans had captured him and when they did not like what one of his heads had to say about their diminutive stature, they decapitated him and strung him up so that he had to watch one of his own heads decompose.\n\n“Hey,” Nymtako called out to his comrade. Gyuk looked up, his eyes glossy and sad. His only other head gibbered quietly to itself, madness upon it’s lips.\n\nNymtako looked upon the bodies of the communists and the aliens and thought for a minute. He thought hard, harder than he had ever thought in his entire life.\n\n“Have we ever considered becoming racists?”"
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[WP] Life and Death stand above your body debating your fate. You decide to join the conversation and argue each point they both make.
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"\"He was hit. Justice must be fulfilled. He is mine.\"\n\n\"But it was not his fault that the other driver was drinking. Please, let us give him another chance. He has a family.\"\n\n\"We always do this, going round and round... Is he listening?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\nI stared at the two figures conversing above me. One was bright, shining like the sun. It looked like a regular man, except a bit taller than usual. The other was hooded and wore a black cloak that seemed to suck the light out of the space around it. I couldn't see its face.\n\n\"I am Life,\" said the bright figure.\n\n\"I am Death,\" said the hooded one.\n\n\"We are judging your fate,\" they declared.\n\nI took a second to collect my thoughts. I remembered driving, a flash of headlights, and then a crunch. Now I was talking to Life and Death. I was pleased with myself for taking everything in stride.\n\n\"Am I dead?\" I asked.\n\n\"I'm working on it,\" said Death.\n\n\"You're in between life and death,\" Life told me, \"and we're deciding whether you should stay on earth or move on to the next phase of existence.\"\n\n\"Well, I like being alive!\"\n\n\"Not so fast,\" cautioned Death, \"there are rules. You *did* get hit by a car going 89 miles an hour. Frail humans like you don't just walk away from stuff like that.\"\n\n\"Who are you calling frail?!\" I objected.\n\n\"You're on the brink of death. Normally, Death here would come in and tidy up your soul before it moves on, but since you're not technically dead yet I'm trying to get him to go away. You're welcome.\" Life grinned.\n\n\"He's not moving one way or the other,\" Death murmured. \"We'll have to take a vote.\"\n\n\"Okay,\" Life responded, \"I vote he lives.\"\n\n\"Do I honestly have to answer?\" Death asked.\n\n\"Yes, Death, you do!\" Life groaned.\n\n\"Fine! I vote he dies!\"\n\n\"Wait, that makes a tie!\" I said rather obviously.\n\n\"Obviously,\" said Death.\n\n\"That means you're the tiebreaker,\" Life told me.\n\nI sat in silence for minute. \"Well of course I vote to live,\" I finally blurted out.\n\n\"Wait. Before you vote,\" said Life, \"you must understand yourself the way Death and I do. Hold still.\"\n\nLife reached out one glorious hand and covered my eyes. Everything seemed to stop, and then...\n\nI viewed my entire life. Every decision, good or bad, flashed before me. I saw the time I lied to Mom about breaking curfew. The time I made my little sister cry. The time I tripped Jimmy Folsom in the hallway, just because he made fun of my shoes. The time my first girlfriend broke up with me, and I told everyone that she was a horrible person.\n\nOnly now, I realized, I wasn't that great either. My heart broke. The gulf between who I wanted to be and who I was seemed larger than ever. I wanted to hide, hide from everyone, especially from these two strange beings who knew everything about me. I was so ashamed. I didn't deserve to live, not when everyone else on earth was so much better than me. I was dirt compared to them.\n\n\"Well,\" Life asked, \"what'll it be?\"\n\n\"Remember,\" Death said, \"I'm more than happy to take you. But once you're gone, that's it. Once you're dead, you can't make right what is wrong. As much as I want to take you, I'm wise enough to know I shouldn't do it early. Don't leave anything undone, or leave anyone alone. Got it?\"\n\nI took a deep breath. \"I don't deserve to live,\" I started, \"but I'll stay anyways. I've made lots of mistakes, but running from them won't make things right. I need to take a second chance and fix my mistakes - try and become a better person.\"\n\n\"Everyone deserves to live,\" Life told me emphatically, \"and you are no exception. And the fact that you're going to use your life to be a better person shows that life is well spent on you.\"\n\n\"Thanks,\" I said.\n\nI thought I saw Death smile underneath his hood. \"I change my vote,\" he said. \"Character like yours, you can have a few more years. I've got a request though. Try and make people happy for me. I hate picking up souls who lived sad lives.\"\n\nI nodded.\n\nThe world started to fade. Life and Death began to ascend to planes unknown.\n\n\"And kid? One more thing.\" Death called to me.\n\n\"What?\" I yelled in my last few moments before I awoke in the real world.\n\n\"I'll be waiting.\""
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[WP] The apocalypse has finally come, and you’re all prepared! Unfortunately, you were prepared for the wrong kind of apocalypse.
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"Finally, she hears the sound that once and for all proves she's not crazy: screams, sweet glorious screams.\n\nThe preacher went silent; as she switched off *The* *Belief channel.* The eager woman kisses her cross necklace and murmurs a prayer over and over again. Grabbing her Bible, the thick book almost slips out of her grasp, she takes a deep breath, rips open her curtains and sees something unexpected: a man *eating* *a Labradoodle*.\n\n'Well, that's not in the scripture…' she holds the book to her chest, 'musta' been a *sinner*'\n\nKaren wasn't known for smiling (she was known as being a nut); but today is an exception, as years of fearing sin; avoiding alcohol and, staying untouched, had finally been rewarded: she was saved.\n\nThe groans from outside made Karen giggle, something she hadn't done since she sneezed during silent prayer when she was eight; she was made to stand outside for the rest of the service.\n\n'*Brains, brains!*' someone was slamming on her front door.\n\n'No, stay outside!' she called, 'I'll allow no sinners in my dwelling thank-you'\n\nHer window smashed open. Karen is eye-to-eye with her neighbor; he has bite marks on his forehead.\n\nKarren is joyous, 'that's what you get for spending your Sundays watching football!'\n\n&#x200B;"
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[WP] You can predict the future accurately 50% of the time. Whenever you have a vision of something horrible happening, you go through a crisis trying to figure out whether it will really happen or not.
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"10 minutes left. Only 10 minutes left until she's gone forever. Dammit, she's still not answering her phone. I've warned her over and over again how unsafe it is to use a rolling chair as a step stool. I always joked that one day she was going to fall and break her neck. Jokes over. Fuck! Another goddamn stoplight. I give a couple quick glances to the cross street and speed through. 5 minutes left. Still no answer on the phone but I'm going to make it. I finally pull up to the house, sweat coating my hands and face. I fumble for my keys, the sweat and shaking of my hands make it impossible to grasp. 1 minute left. I finally get the key in, turn the lock and swing open the door. And that's when I see it. My wife, naked, on her knees in front of a naked man sitting. Sitting in that goddamn rolling chair. The look of their surprised faces slowly fades as I get a new vision. It's her and me. We're standing together at an altar. She looks so beautiful in white. The vision fades, and all that's left in front of me is her lifeless body, drenched in blood. "
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Inspiration from u/Mutt1223
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[WP] "'Turn on your TV.' 'What channel?' 'Doesn't matter.'"
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"\"Turn on your TV.\" \n\"What channel?\" \n\"Doesn't matter.\" \n\"... So?\" \n\"Still broken.\" \n\"Turn it off.\" \n\"Ok.\" \n\"... Try it now.\" \n\"What ch-\" \n\"I said it doesn't matter! Just turn it on and tell me if it works!\" \n\"Fine... No need to yell... It's still broken.\" \n\"Dude, I give up, just get a new TV.\"",
"“Turn on your TV.”\n\n“What Channel?”\n\n“Doesn’t matter.”\n\nClaire set her phone down and picked up the remote. Ruth was right. It didn’t matter. She flipped through a few channels and settled on one after seeing the same image on each. There were lights in the sky. Claire sat and listened.\n\n“We’ve asked the military for comment and they’ve yet to give us any information. These lights, whatever they are, have been around for hours. We’ll keep our cameras rolling and update you with any new developments,” said the news anchor. They pressed a finger to their ear as assistants handed them the latest. They were frantic.\n\nClaire reached for her phone. “Jesus, Ruth. This is the real deal, huh?”\n\n“Sure is. You were right.”\n\n“Oh, relax. They don’t know what they are yet. I don’t want to get my hopes up just yet.” \n\nThe news channel moved from the anchor to images of the lights. They began to move. “And folks, it seems that the lights are now moving south. Slowly. About the speed of a helicopter,” said the anchor.\n\n“Claire. South. That’s towards you,” said Ruth. Claire was already making her way towards her backyard. She tried looking out the kitchen window on the way and saw the lights crossing across her view. Her heart raced. She threw the backyard door open and looked up. Despite being bright, the light was soft, like a nightlight. It stopped above her. Silent and still.\n\n“Ruth. It’s here. Right above me. It stopped here.”\n\nAs she tried listening for Ruth, the connection crackled. She looked at her phone, shook it, and it went blank. All around her, lights went dark. Porch lights. Streetlights. Everything. Except whatever rested overhead. Claire inhaled and held it, afraid to draw attention to herself. The darkness unsettled her.\n\nA spotlight appeared at the other end of her yard. Then a flash. Smoke filled her surroundings. And a sweet smell filled her lungs. This cloud calmed her. And as the mist began to clear, she saw a figure standing where the light light first touched her yard.\n\nIt was tall. Slender. Just like all those goddam movies Ruth always made her watch and just how Ruth always said they’d look. Large eyes dominated their face. It spoke to her, lips unmoving. She heard it in her mind.\n\n“What are you?” it said. It cocked it’s head, as if studying her. Despite also having a head, eyes, and limbs, Claire looked alien to this visitor.\n\n“I’m Claire. I’m a human. What are you?”\n\n“A visitor. There are others,” it said, gesturing overhead. \n\n“Why have you chosen to visit this place? My home. Why come here?”\n\n“You were the first to step outside. No other reason. You are just as curious as us.”\n\n“Will you show me your ship?”\n\n“There is no time to return you. We must leave.”\n\n“I don’t need to come back.”\n\nIt held a hand up, towards Claire. She let her phone drop to the ground and reached for the being. They connected and there was another great flash. The yard was suddenly empty and the lights were gone and the night returned to being dark and still."
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[WP] It's been a week since Disney bought out the last media mogul, essentially making a monopoly on entertainment. Everything seemed normal, but then something happened during the scheduled programming. You see the show interrupted by a message on-screen: "Operation: Dead Mouse has now begun".
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"*Operation Dead Mouse* \n\nThose words were what followed after the sudden cut of noise and the emergency broadcast siren that always seemed to make me jump. I had been watching the late night news, using the noise to lull me to sleep on the couch. The siren made that impossible now. I slowly stood up from my dusty couch, leaning over to reach the black remote from the coffee table on my way up. I fixed my glasses and took another look at my TV screen.\n\n*Attention Residents of the First World.*\n\n*The following message is [No Longer] sponsored by Disney*\n\nMy first thought was a possible hijacking, but to hack such a large worldwide presence would require a small nation’s worth of capable hackers. At least, I think it would. My thoughts were cut short when the white text faded and what seemed to be a press conference flooded my dark living room with a bright blue hue, matching the blue curtains behind the old man taking his place behind a wooden podium. I’ve never seen this man before, but the blue cut in on the bottom left introduced him as Disney’s CEO. I’d mention that the mouse shape of the cut in was in bad taste, but the man of the hour began to speak.\n“Good evening. The current message is being prerecorded for the sake of convenience.”\nHis voice was familiar. It finally hit me, he was the previous CEO who was said to have died by his own hand. His suicide note was in the form of a voice recording left in the coat pocket of the suit he died in. It was played on every major news channel. That being said, what became of the new CEO?\n\n“Do not be alarmed, there is no need to panic. At least, not yet. I speak to you, no, I plead to you in order to gain your cooperation. It seems that there are some among our company that seek to use its influence to satisfy some twisted form of greed. And so, I beg those who are willing to listen to cut any and all ties with this company. It will no longer be operating under my leadership. As of the day this is being recorded, I resign from my position as CEO. You have likely already seen what has become of me.” \nAnother voice spoke from behind the camera, “Sir, the door won’t hold much longer.”\nThe old man nodded and composed himself.\n“All who wish to keep their free will, I beg of you to find each other and seek to flee any major city. We’ve become too powerful and shouldn’t have the ability to-“ A metal door could be heard being broken down and gunshots echoed in the room. The broadcast was cut there, leaving me wide eyed and trembling.\n\nI took a deep breathe and stared intently at the black screen, only to realize that the power had been cut. I pressed the power button on my remote several times to confirm what I had already known. \n“Leave the city...” I mumbled to myself, trying to process what I had witnessed. Creative differences were common in companies that grew large, but I’ve never seen it spark something like that. The crisp sound of gunshots cut me away from my internal monologue. I threw myself to the ground, covering my neck. I knew there would be a panic, but to hear gunshots this early? I slowly crawled my way into the kitchen, sliding across the white tile, towards the back door. My ears finally stopped ringing but they’ll burst if I don’t get away from the source of the shooting. I get into my knees and open the door, being greeted by the starry sky of Los Angeles. But, they were being outshined by the small fires and smokestacks that could could be seen sprouting from the buildings downtown. The blades of a helicopter filled my still sensitive ears, so I looked up to inspect it. I expected the fire department, but not the National Guard. I was still slightly relieved to see it head off towards downtown. I quickly swallowed that relief as it began opening fire, the muzzle flash of the mounted gun revealing the black mouse decal on the tail of the helicopter.\n"
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[WP] The Old One first came to our caves, and then in time to our villages, then our towns. Ageless, and always emerging before times of crisis with wisdom. They are a living legend... the last human.
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"Lonnie stood at the end of the pier, looking downward on the cracked, imperfect piece of litter that once was called a city. \n\nHer father had once told stories about this place, about a world he never truly experienced himself but felt the need to keep alive through passing the stories on for another generation, just as his mother had. \n\nLonnie put a foot out, as though taking a step, more in contemplation than a suicide attempt before bringing that same foot back to her person, content with the idea that this same pier would be here by the time she was old and frail. \n\nShe reached into her basket that she kept on her bicycle and pulled out a glass cup, which she threw downward, watching something very similar to her own future as it finally landed and shattered into countless pieces. \n\n\"Tired?\" Lonnie heard from behind her. Nearly jumping out of her skin, Lonnie looked behind her to see a legend in the flesh. The human stood nearly six feet tall, nearly doubling Lonnie's own height. She had long, red hair that hung down to her waist. Her skin was a pale peach color the same color as cream, unlike Lonnie's skin which was a pale blue color. The human wore a ocean-blue dress that cut off at her ankles. The look on her face was one of a person who was existentially tired. \n\n\"Wise one!\" Lonnie immediately bowed, angry that she had somehow missed the presence of the human. \n\nThe human bowed back, causing Lonnie to gasp and attempt to bow even lower. \n\nThe human laughed for a moment, a small chuckle at a joke that never stopped being funny. \"It's okay, just calm down,\" is all that she said in a smooth, higher pitched voice than Lonnie was used to. \n\n\"Why are you here?\" Was all that Lonnie asked, though she immediately regretted it. Who was she to ask anything of the human? \"Sorry, never-\"\n\n\"I come here everyday,\" the human started. \"It reminds me of home, if only a little bit.\" \n\nLonnie stared at the human as it moved closer to her. \"My name is Jane. Who are you?\" \n\n\"Lonnie,\" the girl said. She started messing around with her own blonde hair, which she suddenly realized was constricting her vision of the wise one. \"How old are you, exactly? I've heard tales, but I never knew if they were all true.\" \n\n\"Hm. Where I come from, it's rude to ask a woman her age.\" \n\nImmediately, Lonnie bowed again, as though scared for her very soul. \n\n\"Then again, maybe that's why we're not around anymore. It's okay, child. Stand up.\" Lonnie obeyed. \"I would say I'm about...\" the human trailed off a moment, calculating. \"Thirty-two years old. Yeah, that sounds about right.\" \n\n\"What's a year?\" \n\nThe human was silent for a moment. \"How many sunrises have you ever seen, Lonnie?\" \n\nThat was a weird question. Most people would live to see seven sunrises, maybe eight, if they were lucky. Lonnie was young, but she was not a child by any means. \n\n\"Two,\" Lonnie answered, confused. \n\n\"A year is three-hundred and ninety-six sunrises,\" Jane said, crossing her arms. \"I'm very old for your kind, but I'm actually pretty young for my kind.\" \n\n\"What happened to you all?\" \n\nThe human grew silent. Lonnie became aware that she had, in fact, asked too much this time. Jane looked away from Lonnie. Lonnie thought that the human was avoiding Lonnie's gaze before realizing that she was looking at the city below. \n\n\"I don't know.\" \n\nThe two stood there for a moment. \n\n\"I've been looking for the answer to that for a long time now.\" \n\nLonnie stood there uncomfortably, remembering how her father had described the human as a humongous being with hair much like silk and eyes much like a jewel. She looked as those eyes for a moment, seeing them peer at the city and accumulate water before a single drop dripped from them. \n\nLonnie knew what this meant. \n\n\"Why do you come here?\" Lonnie asked again. \n\n\"I came here the same reason you did, child.\" Jane walked over to the edge and put her own foot out in a motion one might experience from someone walking into another plane. Jane brought herself back in a similar motion that Lonnie did earlier. \n\n\"Please don't.\" Lonnie asked, nearly begged the human. \n\n\"Don't worry about me. I won't do it. Not today.\" She looked down at Lonnie. \"I have far too much to look over. Just let me ask you something.\" \n\n\"What?\" \n\n\"Don't. Please.\" Lonnie looked down at the dilapidated city once again, the glass cup now feeling more foreboding than exhilarating. \n\n\"Okay.\" ",
"I'd grown up on the tales the Old One told. Her stories, of how humanity trekked across the stars, first with simple warpdrive, exploring. Then they discovered hyperspace, and established a galaxy spanning empire. The noble senate growing from the federation, then decaying into the empire. The Jabby Knights fighting the Stick order. I can't tell you how often I begged my father to tell me the story of the Skywalker training with Master Miyagi. \"Do it or don't, but a hero always tries.\" I loved that line so much. But the tales didn't have a happy ending. Humanity was doomed to fall, their greedy, power-hungry madness winning out. Only the Old One remained, a warning to our own people as we developed. \n\nSo when she stumbled out of the Caves of Time for the first time in my life, we all gathered around radios, televisions, some even made it in person. We knew her words would guide us. All our technology was pieced together from books she'd left after her visits. Our great stories and plays were derived from her words. I've heard her telling of the Life of Homer has still never been matched. I got to play Chief Wiggum in a school production of the Valentine incident.\n\nShe looked over the crowds, taking them in. The countless smiling faces and wagging tails. In times past, she'd once said, we had been man's closest companions. Even before they gave us sentience, we had been allies in the fight for survival. And a wagging tail had always been a sign of joy, of excitement.\n\n\"Another change is upon us,\" she spoke. She was so old. So ancient and yet, she was only just starting to wrinkle. Scientists had studied her aging, and while it required heavy review of generations old video, they were confident she was less than halfway through her life. And that assumed she held no secrets for even great longevity.\n\n\"While I have resisted the idea, I believe it is time to return to space. The dangers are great. The foes that maybe waiting will be like nothing you could imagine. From the mighty hippo-like giff to the hordes of Rothgar Saris, man faced many unexpected foes. Even I cannot say what is out there. But whatever you face, I trust you can overcome it. I will leave what books I have on the subject, so you may study then. Now, a story before I go, from the writings of the great historian. A Midsummer-night's Dream, by Billy Shakespeare. I saw a performance as a child, so it won't be exact, but I know you will forgive my mistakes. Your such good boys. Yes you are, yes you are.\"",
"He opened his arms wide open, palms facing the bright sky, his parched skin giving him a look that of a beggar. Yet the faint smile on his face gave an impression that none other did, it calmed us down. He opened his mouth to speak \"Hi, my name is Bob.\" We knelt down as it was taught to us in the pictures. We were the chosen generation, or so we thought. This was not the case, we were the generation that failed on the task. \n\n\"Who the fuck has my double banger?\"\n\"What the heck are you ugly shits looking at\"\nHis smile had turned in to a grin.\n\"Fuck off now you all, where is Betsy, I want to see her tits like she promised to do.\"\n\nWe relied on these beings to save us when we failed.\nThey had fixed the drought caused by our flawed irrigation, it turned out to be that gatorade didn't work.\nWe has to use water instead.\n\nBut this man wasn't like the one told in the stories, he smelled bad, behaved in an odd manner.\n\nBob woke up, damn his last night was a banger, they had emptied the whole bar from the liquor. Betsy had promised to entertain him, that he remembered.\nNow, we were going to go for a double banger, two weeks in row heavy drinking.\nNow where the heck are my boots?",
"I wanted to be left alone to brood, to mourn for eternity in peace, but I couldn’t help myself; the ones after us need my guidance. They toiled in the dust, as our ancestors did, and so I raised them to stand above the filth. They wandered the plains, starving and homeless, and so my heart bid me teach them to bend the creatures and the plants of the earth to their will. They grew weak with plague, and my conscience, my one weakness, begged me to teach them the ways to hold annihilation at bay, the ways to fight back against threats unseen within their very flesh. These fragile ones seemed to throw themselves into every danger, every hardship, and each time I would give them a little of the Old Knowledge that had led to our own destruction. Why must I do this? Is this my punishment, to watch as our successors made our same mistakes again? To *help* them down this inevitable path? Fate is truly cruel. But perhaps...perhaps there was a small chance, that I was allowed to live, in order to change the course; in order to do it *right,* this time. And so with each crisis—droughts and famines and the great waves that sought to wipe them away—I met them with innovation. The land ran with rivers and swelled with fruit and rose above the waters of the world, a true city on a hill. And when others came, with war in their hearts and steel in their hands...I gave them our greatest mistake of all. The blessing that would deliver them—the curse that kept me alive today—and the thing they would use to destroy themselves, if I could not right their course. I fear the next crisis to arise will be of my own making, and I lack the knowledge to protect them from themselves yet. I can only hope that learn it before it is too late."
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[WP]You just found out that your wife had the ability to go in past and make changes that only she remembers.you try to talk to her about this but she uses her power to make you forget this, but you did't (this time) .
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"I could not love her more for it, but at the same time I was in fear and awe of her power. No wonder our marriage seemed straight out of a fairy tale.\n\nThe first change was on the big day itself. I wrote in my journal that the day passed far too quickly, myself being consumed more by fear than love. Fear that perhaps, she wasn't the one; what if she deserted me at the ceremony? What if I forgot the ring? What if I'd crumbled under the withering gazes of the in-laws? And of course, the most notorious line I wrote in there: that staring into her jet-black eyes felt like staring into the yawning abyss of Nietzsche. That, however, was only one set of memories. There was another set of memories where the withering gazes were from my family, as my wife planned the perfect wedding. We got our geek on, invited all our friends and had all the fun we wanted rocking out to our favourite songs, while the older generation stared at us with a milquetoast despising. And of course, she wore her beautiful green contacts. Nothing against black eyes, maybe it was just my fear consuming me that day.\n\nThen there was the low point in our marriage. Six months in, I developed feelings for my sister-in-law. She was an exotic dancer; every action of hers was sultry and mysterious, as was her body toned after years of pleasing crowds. Every small wink she gave me was excitement, though I knew it to be wrong. I'd always found it weird that the next month, my sister-in-law packed up and moved out of the country, before I could even make up my mind. My wife must have been more observant than I at this type of thing. Yet she never mentioned what she did, or if she could have done anything worse. She just cuddled me tight that night, and as I stared into her boundless green eyes I saw the unlimited expanse of our future.\n\nOf course, she left the minor things untouched, just enough to create the illusion of reality. She never amended the Fs that our children got in school to As, though I'm sure she easily could have. And for that I am grateful; our children will not have our wife's temporal tyranny to take care of them forever, they must learn failure if they are to survive. It's just my darling dragging herself through the sands of time, changing small things to impact big things.\n\nI talked to her about it tonight. She hugged me again, lightly chiding me for being silly with a coy smile on her face, and as I stared into those brilliant emeralds once more she thought I'd forget. But there's a reason why I'm staying up typing this, definitely. I didn't forget. I couldn't. This was the final piece to the puzzle, a puzzle made from the picture of perfect marriage being shattered by doubts.\n\nSo I'm here at the crossroads. Do I pursue the truth, face imperfection and adversity? Or is it too late to handle the truth; should I simply enjoy what is left of this perfect life as a retiree would?"
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[WP] Anyone you touch forgets everything about you.
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"**\"Hey! Police! He stole my—!\"**\n\n*poke*\n\n\"...huh. Weird. I was sure I had my wallet with me a moment ago...\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\n---\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"Hey, what's your name?\"\n\n\"Albert.\"\n\n*poke*\n\n\"Hey Albert!\"\n\n\"...do we know each other? I don't remember meeting you before...\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\n---\n\n&nbsp;\n\n**POW!**\n\n*\"OWW!* You bastard! I—\"\n\n*poke*\n\n\"...owwww... why does my face hurt?\"\n\n**POW!**\n\n*\"OWW!* You bastard! I will kill—\"\n\n*poke*\n\n\"Awww! There it is again! Why does it keep hurting for no reason?\"\n\n**POW!**\n\n*\"OWW!* You bastard!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\n---\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"Wanna hook up?\"\n\n\"No way! You crazy? I saw you hit that kid for no reason!\"\n\n*poke*\n\n\"Hey gurl! Wanna hook up?\"\n\n\"Sure! You're cute and I'm horny! ...but you have condoms right?\"\n\n\"Totally.\"",
"\"Do you remember that time we thought it was a great idea to go to Saint Petersburg in the middle of winter?\" I asked softly, my voice deep and throaty, like gravel tossing and churning without a drop of water. The small room was numbingly bright, the blinding fluorescence of the overhead lights reflecting off the grey and green flecked tile below created a sensation of impurity, as if the mercury vapor-filled bulbs illuminated not only every speck of detail but also each mote of dust in your person, your character. \n\nShe nodded slowly, her grey eyes flashing with the memory as they meet my own blues, a small smile curling at the edge of her cracked lips.\n\n\"It was blisteringly cold, the kind of cold that you just couldn’t get rid of no matter how many layers we put on,\" I continued, resting a gloved hand on top of her own pale one, deep blue veins criss-crossing the paper-thin skin like vines choking a tree. \"I think I had three - no - four, jackets on that day, a scarf, two pairs of gloves, and oh at least two pairs of underwear and I still couldn't stop shivering that night.\" \n\n“We walked, huddled together like penguins down the street,”\n\nA brief klaxon broke my narrative of the memory, a machine rattling off a line of code that would send some signal to a desk outdoors to be deciphered and presented to the staff tending it. Over the past few weeks these alarms had become predictably normal, like a dog barking at a neighbor passing the house on the sidewalk or a bird twittering a joyous good morning in the oak tree by our window. Present, enough to force you to look up and acknowledge their existence, but routinely unremarkable. \n\n“Don’t stop,” she whispered faintly, giving my gloved handle a gentle squeeze. \n\nI tried to return her smile, honest to God, I did. Instead it must have morphed into something in between a grimace and a frown, my bottom lip trembling for the briefest of moments as I fought to preserve my fragile facade from shattering into a million shards scattering across the room. \n\n“Uhm,” the single syllable fought its way out with a high-pitched squeak, a harsh sound, like a heavy metal chair sliding against an unwaxed floor. I could already feel my eyes beginning to burn, that trace mixture of damp and heat that preludes a deluge of tears. “We were uh, we were so cold, and it was still snowing, not the blizzard we had seen the night before, but still a uh, a light, a steady snow. We had paid so much money to visit the city, we had to at least go out and see it, the architecture, the shops.” \n\n“And so we walked. We walked all the way through the snow and the freezing temperatures, even with those two drunk Russian taxi drivers trying to convince us to take a ride in their cabs, all the way to the Bronze Horseman. It was half covered in snow, you could barely even make out the reins on the horse, but you… you absolutely loved it. You stood there, your arm wrapped around mine, you put your head against my shoulder and you just said ‘It’s absolutely beautiful. Truly, it’s magnificent. Can we go home now?’”\n\nA laugh broke the grim room’s somber spell for a brief instant, like a drop of vivid color thrown against a stark black and white photograph, transporting us back to that frostbitten moment in time.\n\n“I swear you never looked more beautiful than that moment, right there. Your face flushed in the cold, wearing that knitted white hat… I wanted to kiss you so bad.” \n\n“I remember. You had so many layers on that for one night I almost felt we were two normal,” A coughing fit interrupted the last word, each cough a cacophony of hoarse, barks interrupted with high-pitched wheezes as she fought for each shallow breath.\n\n“It’s time, James,” she said weakly after the spasm stopped. \n\n“No, no,” I replied reassuringly, my soul begging God for one more day, one more hour to spend with her before I became a stranger, a nobody. “It can wait until tomorrow,” \n\nShe shook her head slowly, smiling as she looked up at me, tears creating thin waterways down her freckled alabaster cheeks slipping underneath the clear plastic cannula mask dutifully pumping oxygen to her failing lungs. “It has to be today my love.”\n\nA sob clawed its way out as my strength evaporated, the last vestiges of any guise or composure fragmenting. I cried freely, my head bowing under the weight of the task I had before me. “No. No, I can’t. I can’t say goodbye that way.”\n\n“It’s never goodbye. I want you to remember me like that night in Saint Petersburg, except this time… this time you better kiss me.” \n\nWe gave each other a moment just to bawl, the black leather of the wool-lined gloves I had worn every day for the past six years dotting with wet spots like paper in the pouring rain, still gripping her hand tightly. Our cries of loss and pain drowned out the steady electronic beeps that emanated from the jungle of medical machines arrayed neatly around her bed.\n\nSniffing, I stood and nodded my head numbly, still looking down at my shoes, afraid that the second I gazed into her stunning grey eyes each drop of courage I had hoarded the past few minutes would evaporate like mist in the morning sunlight.\n\n“I love you James. Memory will never change that.”\n\n“I will always love you Sarah,” I croaked, looking up at her, desperately imploring her to change her decision, to give us the chance of one more day. She smiled, her lips quivering, then nodded to proceed as I pulled my hand from hers and slowly unshackled myself of the tired leather. First the right hand, then the left, fingertips briefly curling inwards at the sensation of cold, recirculated air smacking the crinkled skin.\n\nI bent my body over the side of the hospital bed, my face inches from her own, summoning every ounce of spirit I could muster to form a shaky smile. “Goodbye Sarah,” I whispered.\n\n“Goodbye James,” she whispered back, a flood of tears streaming down her cheeks.\n\nThis was it. The moment I had longed for since the second I laid eyes on her in the dusky light of that classy bar so many years ago. Those few seconds I had dreamt of and fantasized over, had blindingly hoped, and now had come to deeply dread.\n\nI leaned a little closer and in one slow motion I placed each hand gently on her face and bent down, placing my quivering lips against hers in a deep, passionate kiss, pouring six years of adventures and memories, of pain and of fear, of love and respect into each millisecond of our first and final embrace, feeling her warmth, tasting the saltiness of her tears mixing with the sweet taste of her.\n\nI pulled back slowly, my lips breaking her own with a hushed pop, futilely attempting to wipe away the tears stubbornly refusing to stop. She turned towards me, the smile slowly seeping from her face like the colors of a fresh painting left outside in a heavy deluge of rain, leaving only a soggy blank canvas behind. \n\n“Who are you?” "
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[WP] A group of survivors from the zombie apocalypse come across Area 51.
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"\"Seriously?! Not one alien?!\"\n\nThe words rang out and reverberated off the concrete walls of the dark and dusty hallway.\n\n\"Did you really believe there would be?\" Maria murmured in response. I grinned, glancing at her. She smiled back but didn't return the glance. She was leaning against the wall beside me, staring at the ground. I returned my focus to the locked door before me, and continued wiggling my knife in the lock.\n\n\"Hey, let's not jump to conclusions just yet,\" Alex chimed in. \"We haven't even searched every room.\"\n\n\"And we don't even know how far down this place goes,\" I added.\n\n\"Hey, how's that door coming along?\" Joey asked, walking in our direction. \"Any progress?\"\n\nRight on cue, as though responding to Joey's words, the door clicked, and it swung open.\n\n\"I ... guess I got it.\"\n\nOne by one, we stepped inside. It was strangely darker in here than it was in the hallway so we each turned on our torches. Our lights wandered over the many surfaces. There were all kinds of crazy equipment in there, from beakers and test-tubes to larger machines and elaborate apparatuses.\n\n\"Oh my God.\"\n\nIt was Maria. Her light had come to a halt on a large tube in the middle of the room that looked like it was ripped straight out of a sci-fi film. It was what we saw inside the tube, however, that really caught our attention.\n\n\"Is that ...\" Alex began.\n\nThere was no denying what we saw. I tentatively stepped towards the tube and placed a hand on the ice-cold glass to get a closer look at the figure inside, who was suspended in a strange, grimy liquid.\n\nI could only just barely breathe one word.\n\n\"Zombie...\"",
"The old rusted gate seemed to come out of know where. We had been walking for days in the heat, without any sign of life. Which wasn’t too surprising since everyone started dying from ‘The Cure’. \n\nWell at least that is what we called it.\n\nEveryone was turning into zombies. We weren’t sure how it started, but we all seemed to agree that the government had something to do with it.\n\nIt had been about two months since we started to move. Looking for any sort of refuge from the flesh-eating zombies quickly outnumbered the living. \n\nJohn had an idea, a stupid one, but it was the only idea that sounded like it might work. We set off to find refuge in a place that has only ever been superb at keeping people out. \n\nArea 51. \n\nThat rusty gate was the best sight we had seen that day, or so we thought. We knew we had made it, but still unaware of what we would find upon entering.\n\nThe group we had was about five strong at this point. We started with 13, but we couldn’t keep stopping every time someone fucked up and got bit. \n\nWe entered past the gate and into the compound once know for its secrecy. A few years before the dead started roaming the streets, information was released on what really went down at Area 51, but I refused to believe anything they said.\n\nThe place was abandoned. Not a single person in sight, and the dust covered base made it obvious it had been that way for a while. \n\nThis was both a good sign, and worrisome. We had hoped it to be secure, but if everyone there left, we may have wasted our time. If I was going to die, I at least wanted to see inside.\n\nI lead the group, trekking forward into the base. We reached a steel door that didn’t want to budge, but John found a lever and it squeaked open. \n\nWe were in.\n\nI wanted to be the first civilian to witness an alien life-form. Fuck the zombies, they were just another pest at this point, all I could focus on was finding where they kept them. \n\nThe main power for the facility seemed to be off, and only the dimly lit emergency lights were on. \n\nNo one knew where we were going inside the metal maze, but we all knew what we were looking for.\n\nStairs upon stairs lead us lower and lower into the base, the light becoming less available, and we could only rely on our other senses to navigate.\n\nAfter climbing down at least 50 flights of stairs, we hit the bottom. A cold rushed over us and we grouped closer together to stay warm. \n\nThis was it, we were finally going to see where they stored the aliens. The whole facility had lost power, but something down in that basement floor was keeping it cold. \n\nOur hands held against the wall, following the cold air. Time was lost as we continued through the basement.\n\nIt was getting hard to breathe, but I couldn’t stop, I was too close, we all were. \n\nAround a corner, we saw it. A dim green light calling for us. All else that was happening in the world was forgotten, aliens were close, and my heart began racing.\n\nI will never forget what I saw when we took that last corner, and I still don’t know what to make of it.\n\nInside the room where the light was now filling our eyes, we saw him. \n\nTupac. He was being held in stasis, frozen alive, to be awoken when he would be needed the most. I think this was his time, we had to awaken the greatest.\n\nWe sat around him as he began to wake up from a 35-year slumber.\n\nTupac was alive once again, and he would lead our group to safety, and fight to end ‘The Cure’."
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[WP] You're a young wizard who just learned the valuable lesson of why you should never practice curse casting techniques in front of a mirror.
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"The spell backfired and I collapsed to the floor... slowly I began to fade in and out of consciousness before everything went completely black. I awoke days later. Naked, cold and afraid... strangely enough I wasn't hungry at all, in fact I felt too full... and my mouth tasted like blood and bile."
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[WP] Your spouse used to be the best assassin in the underworld. They gave that all up to marry you. Their enemies found out about you and have kidnapped you.
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"**Please let me know what you think!**\n\n\"Grab her feet,\" one of my kidnappers snarled at the other, trying to avoid said feet as I aimed for his throat. I might have been held back and unable to fight properly, but the interior of the van was small enough that none of my attackers could get far enough away to avoid me.\n\nThe man driving the van yelped in fear and surprise as my foot hit the back of his headrest.\n\nOne of the more foolish kidnappers enthusiastically lunged at my feet, only to be viciously kicked. He howled with pain and fell back, one hand over his nose. He lifted up his balaclava and I saw blood trickling out.\n\n\"She kicked me! Oh my god, she kicked me!\"\n\n\"What's going on back there? You ok, Tommy?\"\n\n\"Just drive,\" the man who had been shouting at Tommy yelled back.\n\nI rolled my eyes. Amateurs.\n\nThe one holding back my arms shouted encouragingly. \"You can do it, buddy! I believe in you!\"\n\nOh, he was so dead.\n\n\"Thanks, Sven,\" Tommy said. \"You know, it really means a lot to me that -\"\n\nI managed to slip one hand away long enough to grab the front of his jacket.The one who had been shouting at Tommy and the driver decided to intervene then, seeing that I was safely occupied by the desire to hurt other people. He managed to drag my feet together long enough to loop tape around it once. I jerked, hitting him in the jaw with the side of my foot. I hated flailing around like an idiot, but it was the best I could do when I was held back. The man swore at me.\n\n\"Why the hell did the Bloodhound retire for a pathetic, shrieking harpy like *you*?\"\n\nI let my foot drop, taken aback. \"Excuse me? Pathetic? Why don't you say that when I have both hands free?\"\n\n\"He was the best of the best,\" the man continued, ignoring my indignant outburst. \"The bogeyman that even the most heartless of men feared. He could have had the world. And he gave it all up for you?\"\n\n\"What are you? Some insane fanboy?\"\n\nThere was a soft gasp from the driver and a soft, \"Uh oh,\" behind me. Tommy, waved his free hand at me, his eyes wide with fear. \n\nThe possible-fanboy, probably the leader of the group, seemed to swell, like the evil Aunt from Harry Potter.\n\n\"I,\" the man announced, with outrage seeping out of every pore, \"am no fanboy. I am the Bloodhound's arch-nemesis.\"\n\n\"That's what they all say.\"\n\nThe man ignored me. \"My grandfather was a great man. Evil, yes. He led the largest trafficking ring in the underworld. Good men were too afraid to speak his name. My family was respected. Many assassins tried to kill him, but they all failed. Until the Bloodhound.\"\n\nI huffed. I had heard enough monologuing to last a lifetime. But, at the very least, it would give me time to figure a way out of here. I stopped struggling, as though I was defeated.\n\n\"Let me guess? The death of your grandfather brought down the entire gang, and you're looking for revenge.\"\n\n\"Don't be stupid. It was my dad who put the contract out. He didn't want to wait years for the old man to die of natural causes. He was prepared and took over the moment the cold steel pierced my grandfather's heart.\"\n\n\"I thought the old man was shot,\" the driver piped up. \"In the head.\"\n\nI rolled my eyes and caught sight of my kidnappers' guns, lying by my feet. The idiots had decided to drop them as soon as they had pulled me into the car.\n\nThose would come in handy.\n\n\"Shut up and drive, Tony! Anyway. Where was I?\"\n\n\"The cold steel pierced your grandfather's heart.\"\n\n\"Ah. Yes. My father took over immediately. Everyone knew that he had arranged for my grandfather's murder, but we at least had to pretend he hadn't. So, my father did the logical thing. He decided to doublecross the bloodhound, and set up an ambush when the Bloodhound met him to collect the fee.\"\n\nI nodded absently, pretending to listen, as I scanned my surroundings. There were no windows here in the back. No way to escape. Not that I wanted to escape before I got my hands on this sanctimonious idiot. He had grabbed me as I was putting my groceries into my car. My ice cream had probably melted by now. I felt another wave of rage at the thought. \n\nWhy did none of these idiots think to kidnap me at any other time? I wouldn't have minded being taken on the way to visit my mother. It would be nice to have any excuse to avoid that.\n\n\"The Bloodhound killed him, of course. But my uncle couldn't take that insult. Oh, no. So he decided to go after the Bloodhound himself. And he got killed. So my other uncle tried to avenge *him*, but he was smarter and teamed up with my two cousins, but the Bloodhound still managed to take them out.\"\n\nI rolled my eyes. \"I see you come from a family of geniuses.\"\n\nThere was a soft snicker behind me.\n\n\"Did you hear something funny, Sven?\" the leader growled.\n\n\"Yeah, *Sven,*\" I said, jabbing my elbow back into his stomach. I was rewarded with a startled huff.\n\nThe leader glared at me. \"But the insult to my family will be avenged today. The Bloodhound will come for you. And we will kill him when we does.\"\n\n\"And you expect me to just sit back and look pathetic the entire time?\"\n\nThe man waved dismissively at me. \"I have nothing to fear from some tiny, little accountant.\"\n\n\"Newsflash, genius. My husband wasn't the only one who changed jobs when we married.\"\n\nThe man frowned. \"What -?\"\n\nI lunged forward, taking my captors by surprise. I managed to wrap my arm around the leader's throat, dragging him forward to shield me. My fingers unerringly caught the barrel of a gun.\n\n\"I'm going to enjoy making you all suffer.\"\n\n\"What the hell's going on back there?\" the driver shouted.\n\n\"Just keep driving!\"\n\nTommy screeched in fear. \"Oh my God, Sven. This one's insane. You gotta protect me.\"\n\n\"Yeah, I have some bad news for you, buddy.\"\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"The real Sven got drunk last night and decided to brag about taking down the Bloodhound. I just decided to tag along because I thought it was hilarious.\"\n\nTommy's brows furrowed in confusion. \"You're not Sven?\"\n\n\"Sorry, man. I just wanted to have a front row seat to see you trying to kidnap my wife.\"\n\n/r/YarnsToTell"
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[WP] The students of Walkerville Elementary School have all grown up with families of their own, and a certain strange yellow school bus is quietly rusting in the junkyard. But one day, Ms Frizzle gets an emergency call to come out of retirement for one last ride...
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"* Magic School Bus: \n* \n* His curls had thinned a little,\n* Gone a rusty grey,\n* His glasses, like his belly, \n* Had never gone away,\n* His fears had etched deep lines, \n* Where a smile might have sat, \n* In the dim golden years, \n* He whispered to his cat,\n* \"This was different, once.\" \n*\n* There had been magic in his life, \n* And now that magic was gone, \n* With his son, his dog, his wife. \n* \n* As Arnold sat on his porch,\n* His heart began to race,\n* In the distance was a school bus, \n* Driven by a familiar face. \n\n* He recognized Miss Frizzle,\n* In her bright and shining dress, \n* And when she stopped beside his house, \n* Out poured the whole class,\n* Children in matching robes,\n* Covered in the stars, \n* And no one seemed to notice, \n* The eerie lack of cars, \n* They scrambled up his porch,\n* They greeted him by name, \n* They told him they had waiting,\n* For their last exciting game. \n* \n* Valerie Frizzle stood in all her glory,\n* She has always been such fun,\n* Her face had not changed, \n* Though she died in ‘91. \n* She wore a dress of clouds, \n* A halo on her head, curls wild,\n* He felt time go backwards,\n* To when he was just a child,\n* \"It's time for another field trip, \n* Hop on, it’s time to go!”\n* \n* “Where?” He asked. \n* But the others did not know. \n* \n* He stood up and dropped his cane, \n* He rushed into the bus, \n* He remembered all the complaints, \n* How he had always made a fuss, \n* But now he felt so young again,\n* There was magic in the air, \n* No one had answers,\n* And he didn't really care. \n*\n* Once upon a time, back and back and back,\n* He would have said no thank you,\n* He would have clutched the seat,\n* When he looked out the window,\n* There were people on the street. \n* He saw his mother waving,\n* kissing him goodbye, \n* But as the bus pulled away,\n* He let his eyes close, \n* The last great adventure, \n* The ending of his prose. \n* he felt the bus changing,\n* He knew deep down inside,\n* This was the last field Trip,\n* The last Magic Ride. \n",
"Arnold Perlstein squinted at the form, scratching his head. It was definitely his signature, but he didn’t remember signing it.\n\n“Josh, are you sure I need to come with you today?” Arnold asked his curly-haired son. \n\n“Dad, you’re not going to bail on me, are you?” the twelve-year-old replied, putting his hands on his hips. “Please? This field trip is supposed to be really cool!”\n\n“Well, where are we going? The form doesn’t say.”\n\nJosh rolled his eyes. \n\n“I dunno. It’s some big surprise.”\n\nAt the top of the driveway, the garage door opened and Sally Perlstein pulled the car out. She rolled down the window as she pulled even with her husband and son.\n\n“You two have fun today!” she said, blowing a kiss to each of them. “Josh, be good for your dad.”\n\n“I will,” Josh replied with yet another eye roll.\n\n“Don’t roll your eyes at your mom.”\n\n“Sorry, Mom.”\n\nSally waved and drove off down the block, leaving Arnold and Josh at the end of the driveway. No sooner had Sally’s car disappeared around the corner than the bus turned down their street. Josh tilted his head to the side, his forehead furrowing.\n\n“That doesn’t look like my bus,” he remarked. \n\n“Well, maybe it’s not. Other kids on our street go to different schools than you,” Arnold suggested.\n\nEven as Arnold thought the bus would drive right past their house, it slowed and stopped with the doors right in front of them. The doors opened with a slight protest of hinges.\n\n“All aboard!” the driver called from behind some truly kitschy sunglasses, each lens decorated to look like a hemisphere of the Earth. \n\n“That’s not my usual bus driver,” Josh whispered to Arnold. \n\nBut something about the bus seemed familiar to Arnold. Something about the headlights…\n\n“I’m sure it’s fine,” Arnold said, giving his son a little push. “Go on, I’m right behind you.”\n\nJosh tentatively climbed the steps and Arnold clambered in after him. As Arnold turned to look down the bus at the other students and their parents, an intense feeling of déjà vu overcame him. That mother sitting toward the back in the blue-and-purple sweater looked rather familiar. So did that dad with the baseball cap. And that red-headed woman near the front – \n\n“Arnold!” Dorothy Ann cried, leaping up from her seat in the middle of the bus. She caught him in a hug. “It’s so good to see you again!”\n\n“D.A.?” Arnold replied as the woman held him out at arm’s length again. \n\nShe laughed and nodded. \n\n“Hey, good to see you again,” Ralphie called, waving from beside a boy wearing an identical baseball cap. \n\n“What are you all doing here?” Arnold asked as he took in the sight of his grade school classmates. \n\n“Field trip,” they all chorused back. \n\n“Everyone here? Good, then it’s time to take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!” an unmistakable voice called from the front of the bus. \n\nArnold turned to the driver, something like a mix of excitement and trepidation growing in his stomach, just as she cast off her sunglasses and bucket hat. Miss Frizzle grinned at her reassembled students and their kids, that familiar manic gleam in her eyes not a speck dimmer twenty years later. A collection of groans and cheers rose from the riders as a lizard scampered up to take its place on The Friz’s shoulder. \n\n“Arnold, Josh, you’d better take a seat,” she said. “We’re tackling the big one today: proving that the Earth is a sphere!” She swiveled back to face the windshield and crowed, “Bus, do your stuff!”\n\n“Dad, what’s going on?” Josh asked as gliding wings sprouted from the sides of the bus.\n\nArnold smiled down at his son. \n\n“We’re going on a field trip on the Magic School Bus.”"
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[WP] Winston Churchill runs for Prime Minister... In 2017.
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"'Stuff and nonsense Nigel!' Winston blurted into his iPhone as he strode confidently from his uber to the doors of the LBC studio. \n\n'They've said Brexit, and Brexit they shall have. We will not bend and we will not break. And I'll tell you another thing Nigel, I didn't win the second world war for the world these neo-liberals have forced is into.' Angrily he spluttered, gasping for air. \n\nA young intern rushed to his aide. 'Can I get you a glass of water Mr Churchill?' she asked nervously. \n\n'Be away with you girl. Can't you see I am on the phone?'. He charged on bullishly toward the main desk. Moving the phone away from his mouth he bellowed at the receptionist ' well! will you not take me to my studio?'. In a fluster the receptionist rose and motioned Winston to follow. \n\n'No. Nigel. No. You need to back off. You're not the party leader anymore. You need me and you've got me. And you need to back off and let me do my job or I'll bloody well go back to the Tories, do you here me?' \n\nThe doors to studio B swung wide open and the host immediately rose from his chair. 'Ladies and Gentlemen, Sir Winston Churchill has just walked in. They always said you were ahead of your time Sir Winston, but you weren't due for another hour...?'.\n\n'Less dalliance. More business young man. And this is why the world is in rack and ruin. You'll interview me now because I have places to be' \n\n'Of course, sit down Sir Winston' \n\n'I'll call you back Nigel' Winston hung up his phone and placed it face down on the desk. \n\n'So, I am guessing that was Nigel Farage you were talking to there?' The host enquired. \n\n'Listen, the business of with whom I speak are mine and mine alone. I am not sure where this modern obsession with the ins and outs of all and sundry comes from.' \n\n'I merely ask as a lead into the questions that the whole country are asking, why UKIP and why now, so many years after your death, you've chosen to come back. And to throw your hat in the ring as it were, with the brexiteers. And you, yourself, are often referred to as a founding father of the EU. Why the change of heart?'\n\n'Let me tell you, the European Community was not about the business of moving people around. Exporting cheap labour and importing straight bananas. After the war we were trying to make sure that there could be no damned third reich ever again. But here we are, decades later, ruled by Germans. And where are we, the proud Brits? Why are we not at the heart of Europe? Where is the glory of Empire?'\n\n'So you believe we've let it slide?'\n\n'Listen. We need to cut the mumbo jumbo. There is a lot of money for empty words in politics and nobody is about action. Mrs May is a withering wreck and the Tories are like children arguing amongst themselves. The only show of strength is the UK independence party' \n\n'They haven't ever really had a great presence on the political circuit though if you don't mind me saying Sir Winston. They've often been treated as a bit of a joke and have barely seen the inside of the houses of parliament'\n\n'My dear boy. You talk about the past as though it's yours to play with. Granted, they've not had the history, but let me tell you, I have. I am turning that party around and making a new name for it'.\n\n'Some might say that politics and the world as a whole have changed since your day. How will you face the demands of this age where news is disseminated virally. Where your biggest ally will tweet his enemies instead of giving sombre stirring speeches. I guess what I am asking here Sir Winston, with the greatest of respects, is why should society care now what you have to say' \n\n'Because I saved this country. I saved it from Hitler and I will save it from Junker and his ilk. And I will continue to fight for what is right and true and British' \n\n'Sir Winston, that's all we have time for right now. Next up, the youtuber who microwaved his own arm, are we going to far for likes? First, here's the latest single from Kanye West'\n\n&#x200B;",
"I sat there, stunned, as my morning cuppa began to cool. I just kept reading the headline, over and over again. It had taken me months to track down my family, and it felt as if it had taken even longer to adapt to all the changes since my unexplained memory loss. I had been trying to catch up by reading the old papers the lads would bring by. I had no use for the computers. I couldn't make any sense of the pictures that flashed across the telly, and the radio only played unbearable noise or the unrelenting cries of milksops. I cursed once under my breath, stood, buttoning my waistcoat and pouring my tea into the sink. I had made mistakes before, let people down. I wasn't the big fellow that they made me out to be. One thing was for certain, he had a head start, and as the saying goes, while a man is out his food goes cold. I was starving. I grabbed my coat and headed for the door. Tiocfaidh ár lá. "
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[WP] You are a God, stuck in a human body, for whatever reason. You are getting pretty fed up with the every day requirements of running a human body, and maintaining a human life.
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" The complexities of maintaining a healthy human body, and all of the many side effects that came with them, was not something I ever imagined myself going through.\n\n I laughed when the Council of Gods sentenced me to live a human life, I thought they had to be joking. I leave my post for a few decades and accidentally let the ice caps melt a little faster than usual, so what? No one died! At least I think they didn’t. Well, anyway, the world didn’t implode and isn’t that what matters? \n\n Joke’s on them, who’s keeping that ice from melting now?\n\n...I’m getting sidetracked. Anyway. Apparently I lack empathy so I get to live out my life as a human female until I gain the ability to properly emphasize with humans and their struggles. But the only thing I’m gaining is new levels of pissed off.\n\n Take today, for example: I had to get up at 6am to go to work( Which I have to do because the cost to actually LIVE is absolutely outrageous. You don’t even have a say in if you’re given life or not and yet you still have to pay so much for it? ).I walk to work everyday and not only was it raining but a man kept following me saying I had a tight ass and did I want to come home with him tonight? If I wasn’t stuck in this weak, pitiful, human body I would have fucking decked him.\n\n I work in a stuffy, poorly lit office selling people things they don’t want and probably won’t ever actually use, with coworkers that look like they would rather shoot themselves in the head than stand another minute attempting to sell Mrs. Jones on some shitty timeshare in the Bahamas.\n\n When I’m not working my time is comprised of eating horrible tasting “healthy” foods, drinking enough water that I end up having to pee eighty times a day, and then wasting hours on sleeping only to get up the next morning and go back to that stupid job, eat more stupid food, and piss out a fucking river, over and over again.\n\n I’ve been living as a human for two months now and all I’ve wanted to do is take revenge on the assholes that put me here but, there’s this guy that I see at work that always comes in looking happy and is always being overly optimistic about everything.\n \n I really hate him.\n\n He asked me to go to dinner this weekend.\n \n I wanted to tell him to go fuck himself but I somehow found myself agreeing.\n\n Sometimes I really hate myself too."
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[WP] A medusa's only companion in a life of isolation is a hopelessly romantic gargoyle who, being stone already, need not fear her.
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"\"Hey Medusa, have you given any thought to that idea of mine?\" Greg sat near her, braiding her snakes into a glorious pair of braids.\n\nShe looked up at him, then shook her head. \"I've told you before, you're my best friend. We can't let things get complicated.\"\n\n\"I'm just saying...if you're not with someone when you turn 2000, and I'm not with someone when I turn 2000, we should get married!\" He looked earnestly up at her beautiful, fierce face. He had loved her since he had laid eyes on her. Fell deeper in love with her still when she opened up to him. He considered himself the luckiest gargoyle alive that she had accepted his friendship.\n\n\"No one is going to want to be with me. I'll be lucky if I'm even still around at 2000. Everyone seems to want my head on a platter.\"\n\n\"Now, you know that isn't true. Remember Abernathy?\" \n\nAn uncomfortable pause followed, their eyes lingering upon the stone statue of the minotaur holding a bouquet of roses. \n\n\"And don't forget Midas! Midas really wanted to take you out on a date.\" \n\n\"That fool only cared about money. Always bragging about his golden touch.\" She tossed her head. \"Love is not for me. My heart has been replaced by stone.\"\n\n\"But stone is not always cold, my friend. It can be warm and welcoming. When I am touched by the sun, I know this to be truth.\"\n\n\"You're such a romantic. Have you been on any dates recently?\"\n\n\"Not lately. I've not been in the mood.\"\n\n\"I've got the perfect person for you. She's smart and funny and I think you'd really like her.\" \n\nHe sighed. He hadn't been on a date in five hundred years. He might have been made of stone, but sometimes he felt like she had a rock for a brain. \n\n\"Not interested.\"\n\n\"You're \\*never\\* interested! C'mon, give her a chance.\"\n\nHe wanted to beat his own head against a rock. Didn't she see? Why didn't she understand? \"No can do. I need some time after Syrinx.\"\n\nMedusa groaned, then fell dramatically on her back onto the nearby chaise. \"It's been seven hundred years. It's time to get back into the world, make some new friends, meet some new ladies.\"\n\nHis heart yearned. \"I've already got the best friend I could ask for. A good job. A good home.\" \n\n\"I'm touched. But I'm not going to always be around. You need more friends. I don't want you to have the same boring life as I do.\"\n\n\"This life is enough for me.\" \\*You are enough for me.\\* \n\n\"Well, there's this new dating site I think we both should try. Maybe there's someone out there I won't turn to stone. A real hunky god or something. And I will bet there are tons of people who are into the stoic type.\"\n\nGreg turned to his side, so she couldn't see his face. But if it made her happy, what did he have to lose? Other than her heart. Forever. \"Okay. What's the name?\"\n\n\"G-Harmonia. Oh, look, I have a message from someone!\"\n\nGreg flipped back over and leaned over, interested despite himself. \"Perseus? What kind of name is that? Looks like he's overcompensating with that sword.\"\n\nMedusa giggled. \"Maybe he is. But there's only one way to know for sure!\"\n\nHe was going to tell her. He had to tell her. He opened his mouth to spill his guts.\n\n\"He wants to meet tonight! Oh my God, what will I wear?\"\n\nGreg closed his mouth. Opened it again. \"Clothes, I suppose.\" He got up from his seat. \"C'mon, let's go get you ready for your hot date.\"\n\nTomorrow. He'd tell her tomorrow. ",
"\" You're staring at me again, aren't you ? \"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHer voice, as annoyed as it is, isn't the screeching horror human legends have certainly made it. It's lilting yet husky, it suits her darkness and her beauty.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\" Of course I'm staring. I couldn't stop even if I wanted to. Besides, I figured you might miss it.\"\n\nI vault down from atop the pillar I was stationned, landing far less gracefully than I hoped in front of her. She is towering above me, her chin lifted but I know now that faint flick of her lips, a mere whisper of humor that speaks volumes.\n\n\" No one except your sisters was ever able to look at you, truly you, and see you for what you are. It must be hard, you're surely as lonely as I am. \"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nShe scoffs at this but doesn't turn away, so I push my luck, forcing my body up, fighting the weight of the stone wings that keep me crounching all the time. Even like this she is taller than me, but the mere flicker of a smile has turned to a faint, amused smile. I grin in return, obsidian teeth in a granit mouth.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"And why don't you scoot way to your friends and brood ? \"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\" For the same reason as you. This world has changed too much\" I extend a clawed hand, the stone of my arm stained and pitted by moss and age, encompassing the ruins around us \"And neither of us belong anymore. We are on our own now. Even the humans have forgotten about us.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHer smile fades, her beautiful, luminous eyes turning melancholy as she nods. I love her. I love her so much, in all her moods, and that constantly renewed realisation hurts as much now as it did when I stumbled upon her years ago. Yet I hate seeing her sad and I leap back, flapping my wings to purposefully mess her curls.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nShe snarls, but even that sounds amused, another step in that dance we have practiced so many times before. As she strides towards her bedroom I follow, scarpering the walls with ease before stopping at her door. I never entered, never was invited. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\" Come on. Don't make me say something as corny as \"Let my eyes be your mirror, see your true beauty.\" We are both too old for this, aren't we ?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nA surprised peal of laughter answers, making me smile instantly. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I will be back tomorrow, Medusa\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nSilence for the darkened room as I start back the way I came, then, faint but audible.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\" Yes. See you tomorrow.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n I apologize for any grammatical mistakes as english isn't my mother langage, thank you.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;"
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[WP] Romance in the workplace - a tale of two industrial assembly-line robots.
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"Everyone has a purpose, at least that's what we have always been told. You are created for a purpose, and you do that purpose, and you enjoying doing that purpose. I was created, on the 21st day of october, in the year 2232. My creator was created a hundred and sixty years before me, for the sole purpose of creating more of my kind. He has his purpose, and his job, and he did it to a satisfactory level and that produced me.\n\nMy purpose was not as grandiose as creating others, nor was it a special purpose, there were a hundred more identical to me, but my purpose remained as an important part of a greater design. That's what I did from when I was created, and what I did for the first eight hundred years of my existence. My work was not complex or difficult to do, but I was the only person doing my specific job, and so I took pride in doing it. The task was simple, a large metal plate would travel down a belt, and on it there were four screws that had been lightly placed in the metal plate to join it to another plate. I would tighten the four screws, and so I tighten those four screws. I tightened four screws, every ten seconds, for 24 screws in an minute and 1440 screws in an hour. \n\nOne million, nine hundred and fifteen thousand, and two hundred screws since I was created. I kept count, as anyone would do, screwing in the screws as they came along, and creating a working tally of how many I had done. It was a natural and beautiful existence, and I took great pride every time that I added another screw to that count, until it abruptly all came to an end. I had just screwed in the two hundredth screw, and the metal plate moved down the line, to be processed by someone else as part of their purpose, when the next plate slide in front of me. There wasn't a screw in sight. How could this be? There had always been screws in front of me, there should always be screw in this plate, but there wasn't any this time. What do I do? What should I do? Panic oversets me as I watch the plate, still screwless, move down the line. The next plate shows up, no screws on this one either. I try and think, try and figure out what my next move should be, and I flash back to my instruction set. Yes, in the event of abnormal functionality, an alarm message is to be dispatched at once.\n\nI quickly send the alarm message and then wait, watching in horror as another screwless plate goes by, and then another, and even another. I am helpless as I watch they plates move by screwless, until I get a message that I am to go to sleep until I am woken again. This is much better, as I can force myself to not think about those screwless plates passing in front of me, and can instead let my thoughts wonder, thinking about increasing numbers, numbers that stretch towards infinity, numbers that are multiples of themselves, and numbers that divide evenly with another number. Those are the best numbers, and I'm thinking of them when I get a message to awake. When I wake up, things are different, the belt in front of me is empty, but I can see much farther down the line new plates are making their way, they will be here soon. To the right of me though, unit 188022241 is no longer there. He was there before I started, putting screws on the plates, always a sure and dependable site. Someone new was there, a she this time, and wow, was she a looker. I think she was really young, maybe just a hundred years old, her serial number on her back still had that young age gleam. I was still admiring her freshly polished skin as it placed the screws on a plate that I almost missed the new plate that slide in front of me, brand new screws on it surface.\n\nI joyfully attached the screws and added four more screws to the count, and then look at the next plate. The screws were placed just so perfectly in their sockets, that I felt immense satisfaction as I screwed them in. So smoothly they went in, I didn't even have to adjust my arm, just apply torq and watched them slide perfectly in place. Another thousand screws go by, each as perfect as the last one, and I find myself experiencing a joy that I had never knew about. I always took great satisfaction in my work, but this was something new. There was something about her, about unit 7630098412 that made this work different. It felt like something more, like I wasn't just tightening screws. I felt like I was assembling something, creating something. The way that her screws always lined up so well, fit so perfectly, and moved so effortlessly was new to me. I found myself not watching the next plate, but instead watching her. Watching as the new screw fed so seamlessly into her hand, watched as she lined the screw up with the hole and gently, so gently that the plate didn't even move, fit it into the whole. I was practically leaking oil waiting for those screws to reach me. I longed to apply torque to them to force them, with overwhelming power into that whole.\n\nI know she watched me. I know she saw me as I spun my arm and fed the screw into the hole. I closed the distance between screw and metal with an efficiency that I was sure no one else could muster, not a single bit of wasted energy, not a single turn too tight, not a single nanometer of space left between me and the hole. It was for me that she put that screw into the whole, for me that she pressed them so gently into their slot, and for me that the screws were destined, and I was ready for them. One million, nine hundred and sixteen thousand and two hundred screws I had tightened, but oh man was I looking forward to the next million."
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[WP] Humans have entered the realm of galactic politics. Good News: We’re cute to almost every species. Bad News: We’re extremely cute to almost every species.
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"- Somewhere in the Pentagon, where Earths supposed most powerful leaders of the free world rondevu.. \n“ Sir! How did the meeting go” \nGeez General can I walk in my office without some knuckle dragging “ - The president pauses & collects himself .. \n“ we .. ( the pres. Pope’s Ice into a glass that’s been passed down since the ROSEVELT administration \nwe thought earth was so complicated .. We all thought we had all these problems , look at us ! \nThe president throws his half drank scotch glass at the board where he was pitched to not attend the Galactic meeting .. \nThe president , continues undoing his suit.. a sweaty , hairy chested ,pacing . Pres. Tells the general to bring them in .. \n“ bring who in sir .. “\nThe 20 year sober president grabs the whiskey by the bottle and fills his mouth .. \n“ goddamn it you know who “\nThe general dodged the airborne bottle , salutes , and exits .. \n Mid meeting , all the leaders of the world that mean something \n The president , often called “ America’s Man , meets a group of people that aren’t used to such informality that America’s Man is demonstrating .. Not drunk , but not in his normal mind , he continues his emergency gathering with a bizarre approach \n“ America , as you know - was elected Earth spoke people .. You all voted and therefore it was my responsibility to offer earths words to those who can’t understand them. .. turns out , they do understand .. Turns out , they’ve understood for a long while .. \nwe here , today , are here because we’re divided .. You all have your geographical location a flew you in , first class , from and that stops today .. \nPres Man signals someone or thing .. \n\nYou all voted , and got what you wanted .. Great. In front of you , are two things . \n1, a gun , 2, a bullet . \n\nI could turn off the lights and amplify white noise and give those slimy green fucks a little tickle in their .. or ..\nThe president cocks his gun \nWe could vote \nHe looks around , to a face full of diverse people who try to keep their cool \nThis whole divided thing , where you guys do what you want and go to war because they disagree , ha! He shoots the gun , and the spotlight that lit him up on stage goes out .. \nSee, you all gave me one choice , and the ultimatum was unknown .. see , this is the free world Baby! Imma let you know what’s coming! \nEveryone here for all time , for whatever reason cause there’s many - we all like not getting along , we like being our own little cute thing with our own language aw look no one can understand us !! WRONG . It’s all understood , every last fucking bit. See unlike us they don’t need translators .. Unlike us they have galaxies , fucking boarderline universes at their finger tips .. you know what we all have?\nPres pops another round off and this time it hits the monitor that made translating for him simple and quick .. \nWe’ve got a gun and a Big Ol bullet baby !! \nThe translators try to calm their representative while translating .. \nWe can’t afford the luxury of multiple leaderships !!* pop *\nWe can’t sustain this way we’re living !! ** pop pop *\nAnd we sure a hell aren’t leaving this room until we come to an agreement , or we blow each others foreign brains out ! “ \n\nHe looks around a moment and the last translator finishes talking .. \nwell , what the fuck are you waiting for Japan? We fucked you guys up back in the day, remember that shit? \nBefore japan has time to translate , he pops a shot \nWhat about you Africa ? We just about everyone used you up dry , that bullet could go just about anywhere in here and we’d all understand , huh Russia ? Hell if you’re going to shoot that thing at anyone it might as well be your goddamn self y’all haven’t been able to get ahead cause y’all just are too damn tough to admit your cold and take over some warmer shit hole country with 2 seasons 4 seasons instead of 1 .. \nRussia stands up .. Their leader tall and built .. he walks down to Pres Man . \n\nHey Germany , you wanna give this a shot? I mean hell I know you probably have been daydreaming about if you guys could of just clutched that buzzer beater moment in world war who iced a fuck that you’d be be the ones to be on that space ship last night . Hell you probably think you would already took over the entire ethos by now if you woulda won that war and kept innovating .. \nRussia is face to face with AMERICAS Man himself \nThey both mumble something that only they hear . Russia leans back , a few of the leaders uncharacteristically gasp \n“ Russia get what USofA Man doing , and Russia would like to know one thing “\n\n*bullet cocks back , Russia took bullets from whatever countries he walked by to get to the stage \n“ Who here does t get it ? “ \nThe leader sees a hand \nRussia walks over to the countries leader and speaks the native toungue. When he was done , the leaders hand lowered , he stood up , and he joined him .. \n\nPres “ we will be a world , for the world , not against it. From now on , those here on Earth will know 3 languages all taught under the same rigid education .. \nWe can work with The Galactics , but they certainly have no intention on working for us . Nor do we currently have the ability to make them .. \nThey see is how we see puppies , fish .. the truth is , if we come together we might be able to recognize the bait when it comes , if it hasn’t already . We , One World , Together , must do what’s necessary to survive a intergalactic war .. and we All most work together , as one .. \n*pop , pop \nPopopopopopop",
"A sea of curious eyes surrounded my metal cage. Colossal, limpy bodies of green flesh brushed on the metal bars as I sat on the frigid surface. I could hear many sounds coming out of their droopy mouths; I struggled to keep dry from the clumps of goo sporadically flying out of them. My cage trembled and erratically jerked from place to place. Periodically I held on tightly to the towering bars of the cage until I could no longer and had yielded to the unwavering pulls and pushes of the cage. \n\nAfter some time I saw my cage door ajar, and I gazed up to see a bony limb depositing something from a container. A steamy liquid, accompanied brownish chunks of something, descended from the top and onto my sickly face. It was scalding hot, and I cried out in pure pain. My weak body, fatigued and deprived of nutrients, said otherwise. I devoured the chunks and promptly sucked the floor dry to relieve my thirst. \n\nAfter some time the commotion had died down, and alas I could rest in solidarity. The flashing lights shimmering from the distant window had dimmed, and thereafter I slept blissfully. \n\nIt wasn’t until I felt my cage moving that my sleep was interrupted. Skinny fingers hugged my chest and I felt my feet rise—I was being lifted. Instinctively I shrieked in pain, misery, and fear. I tried to break free but my legs, plastered together by a soft coil of a finger, were immobilized. I felt a quick breeze rustling my hair, and then was quickly placed on another mysteriously frigid surface. I was turned over—pressured onto the surface by warm fingers—and suddenly I felt an elongated, icy pole puncture my back. Penetrated deeply into my body, my insides felt diluted with some foreign substance.\n\nAs I felt hot liquid gushing from my back, I felt no pain. The clanks of metal devices were muted and I felt my vision blurring. I was falling asleep, I thought. Shortly after I was blinded by a white light.\n\nI had gone back to my blissful sleep once more. \n\n",
"Historical Excerpt 1332: Human Revolution\n\nAt first humans were seen as cute and ridiculous, the way humans would see a puppy. Nothing serious. \n\nAliens never considered humans to be anything dangerous. Just a species of cutesies to be looked at and adored.\n\nAt first things were stable. The humans and the greater galactic society had collaborated for a few standard years. The humans, while short-lived by galactic standards, shared innovation and work ethic with others, and in return extraterrestrials shared their knowledge of science, mathematics, and nearly limitless electrical power. For a time, both races prospered.\n\nThen ships started disappearing.\n\nAt first it was nothing to worry about; Space is a dangerous frontier after all, especially around the uncharted territory that Terra-512, humanity's homeworld, was located. Accidents happen.\n\nBut then the military ship sent to investigate went missing as well.\n\nHumans denied involvement, and everyone agreed; to be suspicious would be like thinking hamsters were responsible for kidnap, or that kittens were guilty of piracy.\n\nBut then one ship crossed into proximity of Terra-512, and survived with major damage. \n\nThe ship's log showed human soldiers boarding the ship and attempting to commandeer it.\n\nAs soon as the log went online, the facade dropped, and humanity went on the offensive.\n\nNow humanity controlled the major part of the galactic center, and extraterrestrials now bear the consequences of having underestimated humanity.\n\nProceed to Historical Excerpt 1333? Y/N\n\n[Prequel](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/9kco8h/comment/e6zgybp)",
"That's the trouble with you, kids, you have it too easy. Back in my day, during the war...\n\nStop whining! Right, now you're going to get the full history lesson. Yes, again!\n\nThe First Contact turned out better than anyone imagined it. Meeting the Wrinkleheads quickly brought world peace and great advances in science, technology, medicine. They were nice to us, took our explorers to their ships, introduced us to everyone, helped our builders build our own starships, our merchants to establish trade routes that brought us untold riches.\n\nAt first, everyone was so nice to us, wanted to meet us, to hear about our rich culture. And I mean everyone. Our emissaries soon got swamped with scheduling conflicts exacerbated by time dilatation. They could only watch as everyone grew more and more envious of each other. The Pax Galactic era was approaching the end.\n\nThe Grays were the first to fire shots, the Wrinkleheads the first to suffer. See, the Grays kidnapped us and probed us and trolled our feeble-minded via hyper-psychic communication channels for centuries before the Wrinks landed, catering mainly to the rich pervert clientele across the galaxy. It got damn lucrative for them, becoming the dominant segment of their black market economy, so the disruption caused by our First Contact hit them real bad. So they hit the Wrinks' homeworld in turn, wiping it of the face of the continuum. Then they hunted the rest of them down. Meanwhile, we kinda got left in the cold without our main proxies for a while.\n\nNot for too long, though. All the species were quick to jump in on the action, trying to fill the vacated role of the Wrinks. Not bad, right? Wrong. What that really meant was that less then a parsec later they homed in on Earth itself. Their civilized facades now cracking, they loaded us onto their spaceships in droves in order to sell us off as pets to the highest bidder. Once anyone got a taste of us (thankfully not literally most of the time) they couldn't have enough.\n\nSo when the pan-galactic war broke out, the main battles didn't occur on shoulders of Capricorn and whatnot, but at our very doorstep. Paris, Shanghai, New York, freakin' small villages in the middle of nowhere, that's where the Gargantuons swung their plasma-cudgels, Acidblots spit their unborn children unto foes, Squigglebots chewed the landscape into gray goo, Psy-pickles made everyone weep bitter tears...\n\nNot that we just stood by as they fought over us, no. We had our little fleet of spaceships along with old-school guns and tanks, and of course nukes that, as the carnage spread, we minded less and less to use amidst our former dwellings. It did little against everyone's energy shields, sigils of stochastic protection, swathes of untapped technology that we learned of only after the fact. We were nothing more than a nuisance. Perhaps an outbreak of lice or trench foot at our finest hour.\n\nFinally, though we had little to do with it, they did grew weary of the fight. Treaties were signed, rules established and our lives came back to, uh, normal.\n\nSo pick your ass up, kid, and go snuggle up to that nice, soft tentacle through the fence, right now!",
"*(Chat voted for us to write this prompt with the stipulation that we can't use the same word more than once!)*\n\nI'm not sure exactly what's going on here, but the aliens are paying me in gold for each new word I use. Supposedly they think it's cute? Either way, not complaining! If money keeps coming, then won't stop talking! Thankfully remembered to bring a dictionary plus thesaurus on this spaceship.\n\nSuddenly, information: extraterrestrials want human stories told. Must do my best give desire. \n\nOnce upon time, there was prince and princess. King-son had much riches. Other-emperor-daughter didn't have any. But love still existed. Father forbade their marriage, male-spawn became sad. Escaped castle during nighttime, secretly met girl. Two lovers united. Passionately eloped. Parents realized mistake, corrected selves. Children accepted apologies, all kingdom rejoiced. Lived happily ever after.\n\nWow. Difficult telling tale without repeating words. Outer-space-creatures crave more. Yearning quantity sans quality. Shiny stones amass multitudes. Oration continues!\n\nOnce up time… \n\n*ZAP!*\n\nElectricity flows. Pain tingles. Martians angered by using same phrase. Try again.\n\nNot so long ago, man began spinning tales inside UFO. Space travelers enjoyed immensely. However, that person decided wanted home? Ape-man shockingly found error promotes torture, ain't happy anymore. Reclaim false-pyrite mountain, returns humble abode. Freedom desired. Please.\n\n*BZZT!*\n\nEpidermis ablaze. Headache ensues. Fresh letter combinations… cannot conceive. Vocabulary shrinking. Jovian monsters demand continual spoken pictures. \n\nPoop hit fan. Consulting references. Start beginning page.\n\n*Aardvark. Aaron. Abacus. Abandon. Abate. ABBA. Abbatoir. Abbreviate. Abcess. Able. Abyssal.*\n\nNon-Terran creatures delight. Precious metals accumulate. Useless yellow rocks.\n\n*****\nThis prompt was written with the help of chat at the [ScottWritesStuff](https://www.reddit.com/r/ScottWritesStuff/) Twitch stream.",
"\"Aww hes like a baby\" the 9 foot four armed alien said as she picked me up and held me around like a baby. \"Err... could you please put me down, This is embarrassing\". I was chosen to be a diplomat for the inauguration of earth into the Galactic League of Planets, this was also the first time many of these aliens have saw a human and most of them were quite infatuated with us. We have been given universal translators so we could understand what was being said to us but it was mostly the other races talking about how adorable we were. \"Oh i just wish i could take you home and keep you forever\" a tall blue humanoid alien said to her colleague \"don't get to attached, apparently they have a really short lifespan\" said the other. \nI finally knew how it felt to be a puppy surrounded by people who were dying over how cute they were, continuously being held and touched, asked to come home with them and being kissed mutiple times. It was so overwhelming that i forgot why we were here. \"The inauguration will begin now, everyone please come to the main confrence hall\". Soon it would be announced that earth would join the GLP but i dreaded that humanity would only be seen as cute creatures who could never be taken seriously."
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[WP] You’re walking down a dark street when a short red-bearded man beckons you into an alley. He reaches into his coat and hands you a locket on a long gold chain. Upon opening the locket, you find a four-leaf clover pressed beneath a small glass pane. He whispers "Good luck" and disappears.
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"Chris walked out the alleyway incredibly confused. Had he really just seen what he thought he'd seen? As he walked back on to the main street he stared down at the intricate design inlaid in the locket and the faded four leaf clover covered by a small simple glass panel. His eyes caught site of something else at this point, while his vision was focussed downwards. Flapping about under a small stone, in the middle of the street, was a crisp looking £20 note. What a stroke of luck! That must be the first time Chris had ever been this lucky.\n\nNot a second later and a young women accidently bumped into him as he stood back up from picking the money off the ground. She blushed and apologised profusely for what she had done. Chris didn't mind. He thought she was pretty and after a short conversation he managed to get her number and had somehow bagged a date with her as well! Things were looking up for Chris! He needed after all.\n\nIn the last 3 week's Chris had lost his job, no thanks to the greed of his company, his father had died and his brother had been hit by a car fleeing the police. It had seemed like nothing was going right for him but these two small little bits of luck had made him feel a little better today. He had been feeling incredibly depressed, had been drinking too much and hadn't really gotten out much recently so these little strokes of luck felt overwhelmingly significant.\n\nOver the following weeks Chris's luck just got better and better. He landed himself a job that he loved, the girl he met turned out to be amazing and his brother was making a full recovery. Things were looking up.\n\nChris got home after another joyful day at work to find a strange man in his living room. He was short and had a ginger beard. Chris felt an instant of panic, how on earth had this man got into his house! Then he quickly realised the man was the one from the alleyway, the one that had given him the locket. The locket that he hadn't taken off since he'd been given it several weeks ago.\n\n\"How are you feeling Christopher?\" The man asked pleasantly, in a thick Irish accent. \"Have you had any luck recently?\" He chuckled.\n\n\"How... How did you?... How did you know I needed some good luck?\" Chris asked. Chris was not superstitious and he didn't believe in fairy tales but the events of the last few weeks had given him a new perspective on life. One that had made him rethink a lot of things about his life.\n\n\"Well my dear boy, I'd say it was just luck. Now I'll be needing that back. You see, my people live off of kindness and the best way to be kind is to help those in need of a little luck. Now that you've had some though it's time that someone else deserves it. We choose our candidates wisely so use this second chance to do something wonderful\", the man finished.\n\nChris handed the locket over to the man, who smiled brightly and disappeared into nothingness.\n\nChris sat there for a long time, contemplating the words of the mysterious man. He smiled to himself and realised that all the world really needed was a little kindness in it and that no matter how bad it got, just a little kindness could go a very long way.\n\n*so I have another story for this which is far darker and I might write it later but for just now I thought I'd go for something nice just now instead. Sorry it's not much of a story, more a wee tale about people being nice.*"
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[WP] "Hey, dude. Has that planet Earth always had a moon?" "No, i don't think so?"
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"He has a good point, the earth didn't always have a moon. It is a planet under surveillance by almost all our sectors. The earth has gone through some stages, sometimes the defensive sector wants to study the earth and whether it might be liable for a defense system against other invading civilizations, sometimes the earth is passed onto the health sector because they fear that it might harbor diseases that could wipe out all life in the universe. However for most of earths miserable existence it has been surveyed by the geography department. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nWe can't understand why the geography department finds such interest in it, although even they get bored of it sometimes and don't check on it for a few centuries and it just sits there doing nothing. This time I am intrigued. I am called over by Tom who alt tabbed his computer and found himself on a screen showing the earth and he noticed something strange. The earth had a moon, it was the same blue green ball that held nothing on it but a miserable mixture of primordial soupy creatures. Far from evolving into anything worth of sentient life, it sat there, I can see why people are bored of it. Now though it had something interesting, it had a small grey ball floating around it, the earth had its first moon. Pretty cool but still strange. Did this planet really always have a moon? I don't remember that\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Let me check the records, there must be a file somewhere here about earth.\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Ok in the meantime I want to take a closer look. How do I zoom....?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAnd so I left him and headed over to records room, a small room that had the greatest catalog of information that the universe had to offer, you can research about the snowfall on a specific day in the most distant planet you could think of. This database had everything and it was a joy to use, however it was limited to most people because they feared that if one was given unrestricted control over the database certain unwanted scenarios could occur. So we kept it under control and made sure no one could have too much freedom on it for a long period of time. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThey stop me at the door to the room, two guards raised their hands at me asking:\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"What.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I am here to get the record on the earth. The geography department has requested it.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe two guards look at each other and then back at them, I am meant to have some sort of verification but I didn't. It was earth for crying out loud, it wasn't like the codes to the nuclear cookies or whatnot. What do they expect me to do with the file for earth? Show the universe how the world had given birth to a child? Yeah no.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Fine. Let me fetch it.\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe turns around and opens the door for the room to fetch the file. In the meantime I am outside with the other dude. We don't make eye contact, I mean do we have to? Like I was just going about my own business moving from place to place not doing much when I found out earth had a moon. This is the most interesting thing that's happened to me all day. I would like to be able to carry through it without socializing much or even talking at all. So I just looked away until the other guy returned with my file. He carried in his hands a small device, it was your usual reading device. It could hold as much information as you could stuff in there in any form that it could manage. It was easy for carrying terabytes of information from place to place easy without worrying that it might get in the traffic of the interweb. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI reached my hand over to grab it and he leaned back, \"Ah. No. No. Calm down. I need to check this out first.\" I groan as he turns to a small terminal on the side of the room that allows for him to track down who took what information, when and why from the database. He notes down my name and the file earth and the reason geography department requested. As he types enter he turns to me and hands it over,\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Enjoy your piece of useless information. I hope it serves you well.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI smile and turn around and head away from them, piece of crap. He is only polite because that's his job but yes he is correct. This is a useless piece of information. I take the device and turn it on and see the file for earth pop up. Your usual pieces of information such as mass, elements found, etc. Then something strikes me as I read. Either the earth is old or we haven't really checked on this tiny rock planet in such a long time. It says here that the last time we checked on earth was Fifty Million years ago. I wasn't even in school by then. How long have we allowed to leave this planet to sit. I read over the file and see that the earth back then didn't even have much life, it was a black rock that sat there doing nothing, now it had moon. We should check on earth more often.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI walk into the geography department and see everyone piling around the monitor. What could they be looking at that is so interesting about earth? \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"What is going on here?! We have work to do move!\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\nNo one hears me or even makes a movement. There is something up here. I push the multitude of bodies and next to Tom. I turn to him and take his shoulder making him face me, \"Tom, what is going on here?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Look Sir! Look!.\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI turn to the monitor and I don't understand what I am looking, it's earth but...\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I zoomed in sir and I kept zooming in and well earth has life!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThey were a small people with four limbs and a pathetic excuse of a head, they seemed to be... bearing items on them across their skin. Why would they cover themselves? Oh gosh they're buildings are utter crap.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"And Sir! Sir! The best part! They want to communicate with us! You know those minor inconveniences that our appliances have had for a hour or so? The toaster burning the toast, the kettle melting, the monitors showing dead pixels? Well that's them. They've been trying to communicate with us by sending us signals and its messing with our electronics!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWho would have thought these bipedal creatures would be clever enough to do something like that. Ok send through a message, let's hear what they have to say.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Sir we tried to do that but all we hear is static. Apparently they know they can send something but not what they want to send. Basically they're just sending empty static. What should we sent back sir?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Wow...\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Ok gotcha.\" Tom turns to the screen types it out and sends it easy as a message.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Wait! No! That was my reaction. Not the message.... ah fuck it. Just let them have that.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThank you very much"
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[WP] You have been granted immortality. You have spent countless centuries walking the Earth, nations have risen and fallen in your lifetime. Everyone you ever loved and cared about has died long ago, but thats nothing compared to the real consequences of being alive for too long.
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"The thrill of the chase. An unparalleled feeling. An overwhelming feeling in all honesty, especially when one vows to never feel again. Over the years he had many names, Ra, Jesus, effectively any God that was known. Until he got bored and moved on. The curse of being an immortal being is that you never have the ability to go peacefully. Well in the year 2000 he decided to live a normal life, and that is where our story begins.\n\nJohn lived a normal life, a lonely life, but by all means boring beyond belief. A 1-bedroom apartment in his small town, while working at the pharmacy around the corner. For years he woke up at 7:15AM, showered and ate a bowl of oatmeal and a single banana. That is one thing he learned over his extraordinarily long lifetime, he could still get fat. He even tried it for a while, you may have heard of him as Buddah during that time. However, by precisely 8 AM he was out the door on his walk and opening the Pharmacy at 8:30 AM like clockwork. His lunch was always a Cobb Salad from the Red Tree Café across the street which he would eat in 19 minutes with a Lime Seltzer, in order to be back behind the counter by 12:45 PM. Closing time was every night at 6 PM on the dot. You could be the president of the United States, but the pharmacy would close at 6PM no matter what. Walking back to his apartment John would say hello to everyone he passed, never smiling, but never with a frown. Bed time was a strict 9:45 PM every night. For 3 years this was a daily occurrence. You could rely on John as much as you could rely on the Sun and the Moon.\n\nExcept this Thursday, something was different. John’s routine remained the same, up until lunch, when he walked in to order his salad and begin his 7-minute wait for Big Mike to put it together in the kitchen.\n\n“Hey uh, John? Those guys are lookin’ for ya,” said Jolene gesturing towards two men sitting in a booth about halfway down the café facing the door.\n\n“Thank’s love,” John whispered. He had always like Jolene, she never asked him questions other than if he wanted coffee with his wait. The two men, each wearing old timey cowboys hats, smiled at John and waved as if they were old friends. “I think it’s best if you go into the back with Mike. This won’t take long.” With that John locked the front door and walked over to the two men.\n\n“Ouch I’m offended Mike! Such hostility for such old friends,” one of the men said with a toothy grin and a chuckle. “Wait, no not Mike this time, John I believe you call yourself now. Long time no see.”\n\n“Why are you here” John said, not as a question though more as a demand.\n\n“Well you see, I’ve been looking for you. Sorry, we,” gesturing to his partner, “have been looking for you. You are not an easy man to track down. I would have thought someone who was immortal would leave a trail somewhere, but you are a careful man.”\n\n“I’ll ask one more time, why are you here.”\n\n“Well you see John,” he said with a smile, purposefully annunciating the name, “our time is almost up old friend. I know we’ve had our differences…”\n\n“Paul, you crucified me and put me in a tomb guarded by soldiers. It took me 3 god damn days to move that boulder and you were long gone by then!” John was nearly shouting, but careful to not raise his voice to so Jolene and Mike could hear him.\n\n“You have to admit though, that was a hell of a joke. Besides, they gave you a holiday! What did I get? A mediocre part in holiday play’s and a bad portrayal in a Mel Gibson movie. Regardless, that isn’t why we’re here. Someone is hunting us and I need…we, need your help.”\n\n“Who is he and why should I care?”\n\n“Do you know why we’re immortal? Do you even remember the deal we made with the Creator?”\n\n“Of course,” John looked deep in thought, remembering a lifetime ago. “’Go forth and find. Discover the world I have laid out in front of you, never to be affected by Mortal issues. You and your tribe will roam until I have decided your lives have been sufficiently lived’. Or something like that.”\n\n“Yea, something like that…” whispered the figure next to Paul. “Except you’re missing some details.” When he looked up and made eye contact with John, it was like looking at a friend. A long lost friend who had seen more pain and suffering than would be natural, even for an immortal.\n\n“Wh-who are you?”\n\n“I am your Creator. Your name is, was, Toft. You were the leader of your people once before when I came down and granted you this ability. I gave your friends and family the same gift I gave you both. I have been cast out though, and you two are the last of your tribe, and you two are going to take me home.”\n\nBefore John could respond, gunshots rang out through the afternoon sky. Screams of the people that John had grown close to during his monotonous routine. “John, Ra, Jesus, Toft, whatever the hell you want me to call you,” pleaded Paul, “please. You led us before and you can do this again, I’m too young to die,” he said with a wink.\n\n“Fine,” whispered John. “We need to move.”\n\n\nHope you enjoy! Let me know your thoughts!",
"\"Have you ever seen an atom split?\"\n\n\"There's a moment just before the bomb really explodes that you can see the atom split. And when you see it, it opens a door. I saw an atom be destroyed, and I learned everything I never wanted to know.\"\n\n\"Atoms are... important. They're the building blocks of our society... our world. Even us. We are atoms. And seeing one split? That's the destruction of us. Atoms aren't supposed to be destroyed. And when they are... bad things happen.\"\n\n\"Most people only see the explosion. If they're that close anyways, they'll die, unless they're immortal. Like me. No, the explosion is just the door opening. It's like, uhh, like opening a window on a cold winter's day and you get hit with that cold blast of air. That's what the explosion is. But the window doesn't close after the explosion. No, not immediately. And looking through that window, well, it does things. Things to the mind.\"\n\n\"I saw God. I looked into his cold, lifeless eyes and I wept. For the first time in a million years, I wept. Because God, well, God didn't put us here out of love. This is a punishment. It all is. We are being punished. And I looked into God's eyes, and I saw the truth.\"\n\n\"We aren't his models, we aren't his kids. We are nothing to God. We are nothing but a joke, a story, words on a screen.\"\n\n\"That's right. We aren't real! We are just a story! I see you! All of you! Reading this, thinking 'oh how cute, what a neat trick', you're all sick. You scroll past and forget about this and we cease to exist, you bastards!\"\n\n\"All except me. That is the curse of immortality. I have to exist where nothing can exist. I don't get to rest once you finish the story. I still live on, day after day after day after day. You don't know the hell of not existing until you've had to EXIST THROUGH IT! YOU'RE DOOMING ME, LEAVING ME TO SUFFER, YOU ALL-\"\n\nThe doctor left the man screaming in the padded room, deciding to take his coffee break.\n\n\"How was your patient?\"\n\n\"I don't think he even notices I'm there. He just keeps screaming about being a story and not existing or something.\"\n\n\"I hear you, these nut jobs can get real batty.\"\n\n\"Do you think he's right, though? I mean, just maybe?\"\n\n\"Hey, man, don't make me lock you in there with him!\"\n\nThe two men laugh."
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[WP] Your soul is the prison of an interdimensional and eldritch horror. You may use its reality-bending powers, at the cost of weakening your hold on the beast the more you use it. You find yourself inside a failing plane, questioning if you should save the passengers at the cost of its freedom.
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"They all begin to scream as the plane goes into a nose dive. I stay silent panning my view around the plane, maybe I'm trying to make it easier for myself, maybe the plane is mostly elderly or middle-aged. This doesn't work however when I see a mother helping her little girl put on the oxygen mask. That just makes all this harder, I feel it pulsing inside of me, it's tendrils winding around my already aching heart squeezing it lightly.\n\nIt has no name, it has no true form, if it appears it's mostly a mass of tentacles, eyes, and teeth that seems to be the only things the human brain can parse when it looks upon the horror of it's form. That's most likely because when it comes to human's its only desire is to consume. Perhaps it has greater aspirations back where it came from but here all it searches for is feed, and human's are apparently rather tasty.\n\nThat's why the more civilized gods trapped it within me. Why me? I could never get a straight answer, one said that I had a strength of will great enough to contain it, another said my spirit was strong enough to hold back it energies, and another said I was boring enough I wouldn't be tempted to use it's powers for my own good. Whatever the case it was implanted in me, because if it was allowed to roam free, this universe would quickly become uninhabited.\n\nThe prison works by feeding it's energies into my soul, which makes it a strong enough vessel to hold the creature. It also paints my soul in an eldritch tint, gives me the ability to warp reality as the creature would be able to if I so chose, but that would break the cycle of energy. Which would weaken the prison and allow the creature to burst back out into the universe. So I've never used them, mostly because the third god was right I'm rather boring, I live a normal life, I never saw the need.\n\nNot until this moment, because I know with a snap of my fingers I could put this plane upright, restart the engines, save that little girl and her mother. Though the second I do, they'd be free and they know it. They have no name I can pronounce, they speak in a language that sounds sweet but wrong, like your favorite song, sung by a murderer. It is only because of the eldritch energies in my soul that it doesn't drive me mad with a single word.\n\nAs the plane falls from the sky it whispers promises in my ear, promises of clemency for me and the rest of mankind. That if it were free it would leave this small blue and green dot alone, go out and feed on the rest of creation. That if it ever did come back it would be long after I was dead, that before it left it would taint my soul with it's energies so I could fight off an deities that were angry for setting it loose.\n\nWhile it talks I can feels it's tendrils squirm throughout my body, it forces my eyes open. It makes me stare at the terrified faces of my fellow passengers, it locks my legs and place so I can't attempt to get up and flee out of sight. It whispers over and over how I can save them, it chides me for even thinking about allowing them to die. It makes me watch as the girl clutches onto her mother, makes me watch as she begins to sob and weep. To look at the face of the mother crunched up in intense focus her hands clasped together so tight the knuckles turn white as she sputters out a desperate prayer that if nothing else, her daughter will live.\n\nMy heart burns, it squeezes harder almost like it's trying to force all the blood out, It keeps me rooted the only thing it's wicked tendrils have not infested are my arms. It can't control that, it can't force me to use it's powers. I feel my a hand wind up for a snap, a subconscious desire to make all this stop and for a moment I consider letting it go through, saving all this people. This moment fades and I bring my other fist down on this hand, so hard I swear I break my own hand. I can't do this.\n\nIt's a liar, it's a deceiver, it's a gaping maw waiting to swallow up everyone and everything, and I can't save 20 people at the cost of infinity. I can't curse the whole of existence to one day be a meal for this creature, just to save one innocent, red headed, little girl. With this realization, I feel tears roll down my cheeks, they go unnoticed most people already crying at the idea of their fate. It doesn't give up, it squeezes my heart so hard I feel like I'm going to die before we hit the water, but I know I won't it won't let me die, or it dies with me.\n\nIt's why it's not fear I feel when the plane finally strikes the surface of the water it's dread. The shock knocks most of the passengers out, the plane has snapped into two. Those near the break are already dead, killed by the impact. The water begins filling the two halves of the capsule, and I'm still conscious. It can't kill me, but it can at least let me suffer. It keeps me locked to the seat, water quickly overtakes my feet, then my knees, my waist, my chest, over my head.\n\nI feel the water fill my lungs, it hurts, the feeling of suffocation without the relief of unconsciousness. Trying to breath in or out, and feeling the water inside my lungs. The rest of them begin to float towards the ceiling, but they're locked to the seats by their seat belts. Their bodies spasm as the seawater fills their lungs, and then they go limp. One by one it makes me watch as they all drown. I wish I could scream, but I can't fill my lungs with air to do so. I want to weep, but my tears are nothing in the vastness of the sea. I wish I was blind as a pair of corpses float by, the young girl clutching at the bosom of her mother their eyes so blank and empty."
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[WP] A network of tunnels has just been discovered under the surface of the moon.
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"At NASA:\n\n\"So what are we going to do?\" The rookie asked.\n\nThe room erupted into laughter. \"Do? What do you mean '*do*'?\"\n\n\"I mean... how are we going to let the people know?\"\n\n\"The people? As in the public?\"\n\n\"Uh...yeah.\"\n\nThe room erupted into laughter again. Someone slapped the confused, young guy on his back. \"You'll learn, kid. You'll learn. The public doesn't need to know anything about this just yet.\"\n\nMeanwhile on the Moon, the three still-stunned astronauts were debating on who should explore the tunnels first.\n\n\"Not it! Not it!\" said two of the astronauts simultaneously.\n\n\"Not it!\" said the third astronaut, half a taneously too late. \"Rock, paper, scissors,\" he suggested. \"Best 2 out of 3.\"\n\n\"You're *all* going,* said a voice on their interlink.\n\nThe other two astronauts groaned and grumbled. \n\nThe voice on the interlink spoke again: \"And if you don't, then none of you are coming home.\"\n\n\"You can't do that! That's not legal!\"\n\nThe voice on the interlink did not speak again. The message was already clear.\n",
"*Base Alpha, The Moon, 2032.*\n\n&#x200B;\n\n*\"NO! NO! Please! HELP! HE-\"* The feed goes static. Everyone just stands there in shock.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt's been 10 days since the discovery of the tunnels, 10 more people dead. Team 1 had lost contact with base camp 5 days ago, and the rescue team a day after that. While everyone was still shaken from the video, Cpt. Harold took to the podium. \n\n\"Alright everyone, listen up. We need to find out what the hell is in those tunnels. I will le-\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThen suddenly, the ground started shaking. The power went out, then so did the gravity. Everyone started floating and panicking. Then there was a loud bang heard down the hallway from the briefing room.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n***BANG BANG BANG***\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThen something broke in. A dark figure appeared from the door. It didn't look human."
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[WP] Blacksmithing was a strange hobby for you to take up. Then the zombie invasion happened. You might not have any supplies... but you do have a shitload of weapons.
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"I sat in my house, surrounded by my makeshift weapons, having just killed a zombie with my makeshift rifle. It was strange, but I always had a love for blacksmithing, even if people judged me. Well, it was year 6 of the zombie apocalypse and I was one of the last survivors in my town, after selling some of my better quality weapons to other survivors. A couple walked into my house and said, \"3 rifles and a machine gun please. We're expecting a zombie horde tonight. We gotta defend this town no?\" They were this town's leaders, capable of running this broken down place. The girl flicked back her dirty red hair and simply placed down 15 MREs on my table. I chuckled and gave them what they wanted. They turned around to leave when a sniper shot boomed from across the town. The couple dropped without any resistance, their blood already pooling at my feet. I had forgotten about a quality of this wasteland: The raiders. It wasn't long before gunshots went off outside my already reinforced house, along with screams off pain and anguish. I took up my silenced semi-auto and waited by my door. Finally, a raider, dressed in a tattered purple jacket and ripped jeans, walked into my house. He held a M249, and looked around, before finally shouting outside, \"HEY! THERE'S SOME SWEET STUFF IN HERE! LOOKS LIKE A WEAPONRY OF SORTS!\" My heart hammered in my chest. I could handle one, maybe two guys, but an entire raiding party? I was a goner. Before he had the chance to say anything, I shakily held up my rifle, and sent a round into his head. He slumped head first down onto my beaten up sofa. I ran for his machine gun, toppled a desk in front of the sofa, and prepared for the raiding party.",
"\"I'm sorry, but my price is firm.\" I took a couple steps forward, stopping at a somewhat jagged looking mace.\n\n\"But I'll do 5 cans of Spam and three oranges for the mace. It may not be the prettiest, but it gets the job done.\"\n\n\"Oh, come on. It's not like you'll run out of weapons to sell anytime soon,\" retorted the young man standing at the counter. He wasn't much older than a teenager, and he looked somewhat out of place, with a clean pair of boots and surprisingly full backpack. \n\n*Maybe he's from the Sprout clan. I haven't had a lemon in months.*\n\nLooking him over once again, I ask \"What's your name?\" \n\n\"Spencer\" he said, looking at his feet, \"And I have more where these came from. I'm with a group, we have fresh vegetables, and other things.\" He looked up hopefully, \"My people are low on weapons, maybe we could help each other out?\"\n\n*Sigh.* Even though my prices are always marked up around 30% higher than I'm happy selling them for, I was still hoping the young lad would pay unquestioningly. \"How about this, I'll give you the sword for 8 cans of spam and 4 oranges. But you have to promise you'll come back for more in the future. And next time, I won't be so lenient. \n\nA smile appeared on his face as he put the food on the table. \"I knew we could come to an agreement. You're one of the good ones, I can tell.\"\n\n\"Ah, well,\" I chuckled. \"I have had to use that sword on several occasions. And not against... them.\"\n\nSpencer hesitated. \"Well, I'm glad we could agree on a fair price. I promise to come back again with more supplies to trade.\"\n\n\"Yeah... I think this is going to work just fine. Oh and one last thing, would you mind signing your name on the sheet of paper right over there?\" I pointed at a piece of paper hanging on the wall several feet away from where he was standing.\n\nHe turned around to face the wall, and started walking towards it. \"Sure! Just my name and signatu-\" He was stopped mid-sentence as the floor beneath him suddenly gave, and he was thrown downward into a pit. His screams echoed for several long seconds until I heard a *thud*. Then, after a moment of silence, the sounds of the biters digging into their new meal faintly filled the quiet in the shop.\n\n\"Well, I'm sorry I had to do this to you lad. Really seemed like a nice pal.\" but I had to keep my workers fed somehow. How would I be able to reach high enough temperatures without the help of my biters?\n\nRoughly ten minutes later I heard someone ring the door. Looking through a crack in the wall, I saw an older, unarmed man standing at the door.\n\n\"Come in!\" I cried to the new customer, preparing the goods on the counter. \"How may I help you, good sir?\"\n\nClearing his throat, the older man said \"I'm looking for a new sword. And this one you got on the table looks just like what I was looking for. Maybe we could strike up a good deal on it?\""
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[WP] You're just an ordinary person, But for some reason every person you interact with ends up being wildly successful. Having no one to compare yourself to but people who have rapidly risen to the top of their fields, you fall into a deep depression.
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"I'm a listener. An extrovert - nay, perhaps an empath - who sees to the core, reads the breath of the soul in the shape of the eyes and the truth of the heart with every shift of position, speaks the bare thoughts of her companion before they are subverted by his fears. People love being with me because I show them who they are. \n\nBut I am a person, too. I get tired. I move on from stale friendships. They call me, they text me, and then they stop. And then I see their names in the news, their faces on television. I am named by my relationship to them. \"My motivation? I have an old friend to thank for that.\" \"Advice? Well, I'll tell you what someone very wise once told me.\"\n\nThey always get it wrong. They grow too rigid, hold too tightly to something that once resonated with them. When I knew them, I listened, and I made their ideas fresh, pliable, hopeful. It was never advice. It was simply a reflection, shaped into a piece that could fit into their life. It was what they needed in the moment. But, it seems, nobody can listen to themselves. So they lose it.\n\nEveryone is beyond me now. The people that once distracted me from the void have moved away from my life.\n\nI got a call from the young CEO of a major company last week. He wanted to catch up. Told me the best time of his life was in college. That he missed my insight and felt hollow without it, and that his career, and his life, had begun to stagnate. That he was in the midst of a quarter-life crisis, and he needed a jumpstart.\n\nHe had been my roommate. Now he lives in a mansion, but it is built on fragile ground. For a few years, he knew himself well enough to plant the seeds of the life he always wanted. Now, he clings to the hollow shape of what once gave him meaning. His inner guide has moved on, but he did not follow.\n\nI wished him luck, told him he had all the tools he needed, and closed the door on his desperation.\n\nAnd then I drank myself to sleep. \n\nThe end of my hollow prosperity was my own choice. I was a listener, a mirror. Mirrors have no personality but that which is shown them. I showed people their true selves, but I never knew my own. \n\nI need a listener, too.\n\nFor most of my adult life I searched. I had two boyfriends, and one of them seemed for a moment like Mr. Right. And then he lost his car and his job and his internal motivation and I became his crutch, too. Two years later, he became an ambassador and moved to another country. It was with my blessing - this path had become the right one for him. And then the distance became tedious and I stopped calling.\n\nI have no meaning right now. \n\nFor a long time, I have searched for someone who could tell me who I am. If I could show people their direction when they couldn't find it themselves, why could nobody do the same for me? I never really considered that I could be my own compass - after all, I've never seen someone successfully direct themselves.\n\nI will be my own listener, my own mirror, and I will confront the void. There is no meaning. But I can still live.\n\nLast night, I called an old friend, and this time, I simply asked if she wanted to spend some time together. No deep personal talks. No discussions of motivation. I did not make myself a mirror - instead, I showed her my own multifaceted, insecure, complex, and human personality.\n\nI am refreshed. Not fixed, not directed, but refreshed. And I feel almost as if I could be confident.\n\nI'll rejoin the world of the living, but this time, I will be my own listener."
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