Split (1)

train · 199k rows

post_text stringlengths 0 17.5k	post_title stringlengths 8 314	comment_texts listlengths 1 74	num_stories int64 1 74
	[WP] You are addicted to Starbucks, unfortunately for you every time they write your name down and hand you your drink your personality changes to match the name on the cup. Today they handed you a cup named Drogon.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I inhaled deeply, before turning the cup around. At times it had occured to me, that maybe if I just didn't look, nothing would change. I had tried that, I really had, but I had never lasted more than five whole minutes, before curiosity got the best of me. Human nature, I suppose. \n\nThis time, however, I decided to get it over with, I mean its not like I havent gone through this whole thing again and again. \n\nThere, in a scrawly hadwriting stood the name \"Drogon\". How the F do you get \"Drogon\" from \"Logan\"?! I look up at the barista with a disaproving look, she seems not to notice. Then, suddenly, I feel it. \n\nAll I have to do is ground myself in the framework of reality. Ok, my therapist taught me this. I can do it. Five things I see. Ok. Ok. There's... I look around frantically, the urge rising in my throat like the tides riping at the ocean, pushing forward. One. The dark wood of the counter. Two. The white lid of my coffee cup.\n\n-Can you move, please?- i heard from behind me. I ignored the voice.\n\nThree. The books neatly stood on the decorative shelves, probably there just for the aesthetic value; I can already imagine all the artsy pictures taken by them. Four. The plastic straws stood on the counter. Those poor turtles...\n\n-Seriously, man...- the voice sounded mildly irritated. I spin around, only to see (Five) a young woman stood before me, her long, blonde hair flowing past her shoulders, a look of annoyance on her slim face.\n\n-Mom?- I couldnt seem to recognise my own voice, as I no longer held any power over it. The urge bubbled out again, and I knew it was stronger than me then.\n\n-What?- her eyebrows furrowed. Come on, Logan, get it together! But another look upon my starbucks cup made me scoop up the yound woman in my arms.\n\n-MOTHER!!- I screached, she yelped and screamed and I knew that I had lost. Damn my Starbucks addiction! -I SHALL TAKE YOU HOME MOTHER! TO VALYRIA! BUT FIRST, COME,- he whole coffee shop was in a state of schock now, the barista had stopped midway into pouring coffee, which was now dribbling onto the floor. -WE MUST BURN THE IRON CHAIR!\n\nI was fire. I was blood. And if mine own mother could not sit upon the pointy chair, noone could.", "I closed my hand around my cup and turned it over. \n\n\"Drogon\". \n\nI let out a high shriek, almost deafening the meatbag beside be, as I jumped onto the counter. Quickly, I tore the lid off my coffee and inhaled the dark hot liquid. The baristas started in awe and horror as I showered them with the contents of my sorched airway. With my tongue as swollen as my ego I shouted at them.\n\n\"Who the thuck ith Drogon!\"\n\nThe whole of the store was frozen in shock when the front door opened. A woman stepped in and shouted \"WHO PUT MILK IN MY DRINK\". She marched to the front of the store and began trying to push past me. \n\nI turned to face her, she was growing red in the face as she screamed at the helpless burned barista. He cowered before her wrath, crying, \"but you ordered a latte...\"\n\n\"LATTES ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE THAT BUBBLY STUFF. I CHECKED IT AFTER I GOT BACK FROM MY MOVIE AND IT WAS FULL OF MILK THE WHOLE TIME.\" \n\n\"MY DIET PROHIBITS ALL DAIRY OUTSIDE OF CHEESE, YOGURT, ICE CREAM, BUTTER, SOUR CRE...\"\n\nShe carried on relentlessly as the store cowered. My mighty form before them, yet they trembled before her frothing bombardment. I couldn't let this grievance pass. I shouted, \"thilenth foul beatht!\", and leapt forth to take flight.\n\nI crashed into her hard, my coffee flying out of my hand. The woman was out cold beneath me as I came to. I stood and grabbed for my cup, knowing that this victory would taste better with it in my hands. My fingers curled around the cardboard and I turned the label to face me.\n\n\"Karen.\"\n\nI took the lid off the cup and peered inside. Milk. The baristas face turned from relief to terror as he peered into my eyes and saw that I knew he was trying to ruin my diet. I'm going to need to talk to the manager." ]	3
	[WP] You live in the most dysfunctional family ever, because every single member of it is literally a comedian.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"What's the deal with waiting rooms? A room where you go to wait? It doesn't make sense. With people rushing around everyday to get places on time, it seems so out of place to have a room dedicated to being entirely unoccupied!\" \n\nThe woman at the counter, who appeared to be in her mid forties but seems to have aged rapidly as a direct result of hearing such a poor joke, an entirely unnecessary commentary of our society, blinked twice at Jerry before looking at the clock to her right. \"Your appointment is scheduled for a few minutes, but I'll let you guys go in early\" She blinked again \"because I'm feeling genorous\"\n\nEh" ]	2
	[WP] You have no choice but to enter in an agreement with the fey. In exchange of saving your whole village, you are bound to offer your firstborn child. After five years, your child is born and the fey have come for what they are owed. Of course, you resist.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Rain assaulted the tin roof of the cabin, but I hardly noticed it. In my arms was a small girl, with dark hair like her father and a small nose like mine. My first child, I felt the joy in my heart trying to consume me, but I knew better and listened to the anger tempering it. I wanted so badly to just enjoy the moment, but with Gray's eyes trained on the windows and his sword already unsheathed, he reminded me of all that was at stake. They fey would arrive any moment, ready to collect my baby girl and sweep her away. \n\nI cursed my old village, whose safety I had been foolish enough to care about. I cursed my father for arranging my meeting with the elusive chief of the fey from the silver woods that overlooked us. I cursed my mother for letting me make this deal when she must have known how much I'd regret it, having had to make the same sacrifice with my older brother. \n\nMost of all though, I cursed myself for not practicing my shot more.\n\nWith the blood finally cleaned from her and the little blue nightgown I'd sewn pulled onto her, I bundled her in the thick cotton blanket from my own youth. Then I laid my girl in the small cot Gray had made for her from the trunk of a redwood, and took up my bow and quiver. \n\nThe arrows clicked against each other uneasily as I stood guard beside her, being sure to keep her in my sight. Fey were tricky like that, I hardly wanted to blink for fear that they would wisp her away in the time it took for my eyes to open again. Gray looked back at me, giving me a tense smile as he rolled his shoulders. Neither of us spoke, afraid to bring the fey any quicker than they already would. He was strong despite the fear I knew he shared, so I tried my best to grasp onto the strength he held on to for me.\n\nI felt the small, naive part of myself wanting to pray for her safety, but I shoved the feeling away. I'd disowned my gods long ago. If they were as great as I'd been led to believe, they never would have let something like this happen.\n\nGray and I tensed as a low rumbling sounded outside the cabin, our eyes trained on the windows on either side of the door. At first so quiet, you could have pretended it was just part of the storm outside. Within moments it grew louder, enveloping the cabin so wholly that it felt as if it would shake the building. Then, deathly silence. For a few heartbeats, there was nothing but the rain and our hushed breaths. \n\nThe door burst open, allowing a sheet of the slanted rain inside before it closed again. A single fey, tall and slender with skin as pale as the moon, stood before us, his flowing robe was dry as bone. His head remained still as his eyes quickly took in the room, until they landed on the girl beside me. Without a word, he started towards us. Walking as casually as if he was just grabbing a book from his shelf. Like she already belonged to him.\n\nI docked an arrow hastily, forcing my trembling hands to pull the string back as I aimed for the spot between his eyes. \"Stay back! I won't let you have her!\" I yelled. The fey didn't falter, continuing his stroll. Gray bellowed as he swung his sword at the intruder, aiming to run it through his throat. Time seemed to freeze as his blazing copper eyes turned on Gray, swatting the sword away as if it were a toy before he flung the side of his hand into Gray's throat. I shrieked his name as he fell to one knee, coughing furiously. The fey turned his eyes back on me, his gaze consuming me for a long moment as I trembled. \n\nBut then I blinked, and he was gone. I stared at the spot where he had been, my heart rattling in my chest. I was terrified and confused. He'd just left? I almost let myself feel relieved, until a gasp ripped through me as my stomach sank. I'd looked away from my girl.\n\nI dropped my docked arrow as I whirled around to face the cot. Crying out as my fears were confirmed. \n\nMy baby was gone.", "I have never done this before, but I thought it was worth a shot. I hope you like it :) \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\-----------\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Now dear, don't make this harder than it needs to be. This was the agreement, I will give you an hour to say your goodbyes. But you cannot fight us, your daughter belongs to me.\"\n\nThe figure practically floated out of the room, wispy, white, beautiful and terrifying. \n\nAs she disappeared, I felt a tugging at a strand of hair, which had fallen loose from the hours of labor. \n\nI looked down at the sweet, perfect face of my daughter. My heart and soul, and I cursed the heroic young woman who would do anything to save the people. \n\nWhat was she given for it? Fighting for years to convince the elders she was not a witch, or a spy of the Fey.\n\nA thankless sacrifice, and now I am left with these final moments. \n\nScanning my daughter up and down, memorizing the curves of her face, the slight dimple of her cheeks. The green and blues that swirled in her eyes, the way her nose dipped up a little just like mine. \n\nI hadn't forgotten my promise when I realized that I was expecting, but some naive part of me hoped that they did. That they Fey would be forgiving and maybe even kind. \n\nIt was a foolish thought.\n\nAnd now all I was left with was minutes, minutes to save her in my heart. Once she suddenly vanished it would be another battle for my soul. The people of my village had grown colder, and sheepish, following the bloody cross of the conquerors and their holy book. \n\nI would not survive their scrutiny once my dear one was taken away.\n\nI resolved myself, and called out. \n\n\"Please come back, I don't know your name but I have a question for you!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe figure appeared as if from thin air.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Are you ready? You still have 28 more minutes my dear.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI locked eyes with this figure, who shared with me deceivingly soft gaze\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Take me with you, you can have her but have me as well\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nA smile creeped on her face\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I can do this, however you should know that if you come with, you and your child will not be kept together. She will be of different standing, my child who I shall raise in all of the ways of my people, imbued with magic. You would be nothing but a slave ...\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nShe looked between my daughter and I, she stretched her thin fingers out and twirled a curl of her hair around it. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I will allow you to be her slave, a nursemaid and as she grows older her handmaid ... she will never know that you birthed her, you will not be her mother, but you may join us and watch her grow\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nMy heart was heavy, the fear of death and loss twisted my stomach in knots. I looked down at my baby girl, a gift to the fey, a gift for my people .. and let out a sigh.\n\nWith a hug I now knew would not be the last I handed over my precious bundle, into the arms of the creature. \n\nShe swaddled her closely in one arm, and with the other she reached a hand out to me.\n\n\"Are you ready?\"\n\nShe spoke sincerely, and I nodded.\n\nwith a final sigh and breath in this world, I grabbed her hand and felt the pull of a new adventure starting once again." ]	3
	[WP] You’ve always wanted to be a mage, but no one thought you could recite spells because of your stutter. You didn’t expect it to help you the way it did.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I spoke again, the familiar spell's words forming in my mind before coming out of my mouth with a stutter. Nothing happened, and my mother laughed beside me. Why did I have to be born with this stupid stutter? I thought. \n\n\"Admit it, you're not gonna be able to cast anything. Just stick with being your father's assistant, it's all you'll ever be good at.\" My mother spoke, her words like knives stabbing into my heart. It hurt, knowing that no one believed in my power, that no one thought I could be anything other than an assistant, someone only useful for gathering herbs and filing documents.\n\nI walked away from my mother, feeling like I was going to cry. I headed into the woods, letting myself get lost in the trees. After I was comfortably deep in the woods, I sat down on a log and listened to the animals around me.\n\nAnimilia Attractio... I remembered the words my father spoke so often, the ones he used to attract animals to him. I always hated when he did it, because all he used the animals for were materials for his potions and spells. He didn't care for them, he just used the spell to attract them and have them be his experiments. They would do anything he said after the spell, and he took advantage of it.\n\nI saw a small fox nearby, and a sudden urge took over me. I thought of the words, letting them dig into my brain. I waited, repeating them in my mind until I was confident they were perfect. \n\n\"Ani..Animilia at-t-tractio.\" I stuttered as I attempted the spell. I felt defeated for a moment, until I noticed the fox was now staring at me. It slowly walked over and sat down in front of me. I tilted my head, confused. Why is the fox here when I messed the spell up?\n\n\"What did you need?\" A voice spoke, it was a sly and smooth male. I looked around, who was that?\n\n\"I'm right here, look forward. You did ask for me, didn't you? What did you need?\" I obeyed the voice and looked forward, and noticed the fox had its head tilted and its mouth was moving as the voice spoke. It was a subtle movement, its lips twitching ever-so-slightly.\n\n\"Y-You're talking? But...The spell doesn't usually make animals speak..\" I whispered slightly, wondering if I was just going insane. \n\nThe fox moved forward and laid a paw on my foot, his ears laid back. He looked up at me and the voice spoke again.\n\n\"Of course I'm talking. You said the words my master used to say. I trust you.\" He laid down at my feet, his paw still on my shoe, his eyes still looking up at me. I looked down back at him, our eyes locking. I understood immediately. He was a mage's familiar. The mage must have had a stutter.\n\n\"Well..I suppose you can be my familiar if you wish, since I accidentally called for you. What's your name?\" I spoke carefully. The fox moved his tail swiftly from side to side.\n\n\"Finny. And, of course, I haven't had a new master in a while.\" He spoke, his voice still sly but somewhat happy too. I smiled.\n\nWe talked for a while, about his master and stuttering, and about my family. I caught him up on anything he needed to know, and he caught me up too on his own life and experience. Then, we headed home. \n\nMy father never did understand my attachment to Finny. No one could figure out why I sat alone speaking to him for hours, and how my ability to do spells improved so much. He even eventually gave up on trying to take Finny for his own experiments. \nFinny was my companion, my best friend and my guide. Nobody understood it, but I didn't care. He understood me, and supported me. He taught me the tricks his old master used to overcome his stutter for spells. Even my mother was impressed now, and I was only learning more and more.\n\nFinny helped teach me that I could still be great despite my challenging differences, and I'm so grateful for him. He's not just my familiar, not just an experiment like my dad believes. He's the only support I had, the reason I've improved and kept pushing. \n\n\"Your differences make you greater. You're stronger, if you overpower them.\" Finny reminded me every single day, and I've made that my life motto. I hope someday I can teach others the same lesson." ]	2
	[WP] In the year 3411 archeologists research American Mythological figures such as Batman, Spider-Man, Darth Vader, Thanos, Hellboy, and multiple gods dubbed “Captain Marvel”. One archeologist believes these figures are not deities or legends, but media that was used to profited off	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"The tensions between the country's two megachurches, Trinity DC and Marvel Methodist have worsened. As disputes over the major deity 'Captain Marvel' fail to reach resolution, the fervent protests are now threatening to boil over into ungodly riots. Lois, back to you.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Ryder. I am currently outside of Trinity DC's main building, where Marvel Methodists have gathered to picket. Here, we have Steve Stark, Captain of the Marvel Methodists, who have agreed to speak with us. Captain, how's the situation here--\"\n\nThe TV switches off with a soft hiss, interspersed with Carter Nelson's own sigh. He leans back into his couch, his left hand instinctively reaching for a glass of whiskey. \n\nAt this rate, Nelson thought, we're headed for another Kingdom Come.\n\nCarter Nelson was once a famed archaelogist, and a researcher more devout to his papers than any Hero. Emphasis on the was, as right now, Carter Nelson's stock is lower than Malekith himself. You see, Nelson's superpower wasn't like your Heroes of yore - faster than a speeding bullet, leaping over tall buildings in a single bound, or strength in a world made of cardboard - it was finding the truth. Yet, the truth he found was simply too radical for the world to accept.\n\nThat the Heroes were false gods. Nelson found a rare treasure trove of religious scripture in the cool environment of West Virginia. Bound and kept in an unusually plain chest, his team was ready to send it back to Hall Archeaology and go for a celebratory dinner and drinks, but he stopped them. It was rare to find such sacred objects in a non-descript container, and he was determined to find out why.\n\nAs he used the Proto-Magnifier to take a closer look, a shocking symbol stood out to him.\n\nTM. Trademark.\n\nBy the Bat, Nelson thought.\n\nCarter Nelson went on a bender for several months, slowly spiralling as friends, family, and even his dog, Ace, left him. As he delved further and further into research, the once respected historian's words became the ramblings of a madman.\n\nBut Carter Nelson knew it was true. That the Heroes were false. He has found definitive proof, researched his ass off, passed out from exhaustion and alcohol multiple times, but he has finally done it. His magnum opus. The book that will end all the blasphemy in the world.\n\nHe called it the Bible.\n\nNow, all he had to do was convince the rest of the world.", "\"Yes, it's very compelling,\" said Professor Quentopher. His voice boomed across the auditorium, amplified by dozens of sonic emitters that carried his words to the ears of all the reporters therein, along with the transmitters of their waiting cameraphones. \"We've only just begun to realize the true depths of ancient American mythology, with recent advances in excavation and restoration technology allowing us to discover relics from further and further back in time. Once, everything from before the Great Near-Extinction of 2561 was thought lost to us forever, but no longer. The ancient American folklore we've discovered is very rich and complex, and it's impossible to unpack it all here and now, but allow me to show you just a few of the things we've discovered in the last few months.\"\n\nAcross the room, cameraphones whirred as the members of the press edged forward to get a better look at the images appearing on the screen behind the professor.\n\n\"As you know, ancient Americans used video footage and editing software to create moving images that depicted the events of their mythology,\" said Quentopher. \"We've unearthed several fascinating instances of these 'movies', including a duology that purports to represent an event known to the ancient Americans as the 'Infinity War'. The footage is very rough, and we've only managed to piece together a few bits of it, but it appears to show the epic battle between the Americans' folkloric heroes and a villainous figure known as 'Thanos', who, in the story, uses mythical artifacts known as 'Infinity Stones' to wipe out half of all life in the universe. Take a look.\"\n\nImages flashed across the screen of a man in a suit of armor fighting with a hulking purple being who was wearing a golden glove. The man was clearly losing. The scene changed, showing the same purple being summoning rocks from the sky and hurling them at his opponents on the battlefield. As reporters gasped and whispered among themselves, the screen displayed several other scenes: the purple being snapping his glove-clad fingers, various heroic figures turning to dust, the purple being's head being chopped off by a man with an axe, a massive green figure lifting its arms in what seemed to be a kind of salute, a man in a multicolored suit lifting a hammer, and, finally, the purple being turning to dust himself.\n\nThe reporters clapped as the footage ended, and Quentopher beamed at them, a proud expression on his face.\n\n\"My team has done amazing work here,\" he said. \"This record of the mythological 'Infinity War' and the 'Endgame' that followed it has already provided us with a wealth of new information about ancient American culture. It seems that they believed in multiple mythologies, differing from each other in size and substance; the infamous 'Star Wars' and 'Marvel' mythologies, for example, clearly contradict each other in several ways. The working theory is that different sects and tribes in North America chose different mythologies to follow, and, as evidenced by the lively debates that were often held on social and cultural hubs such as the recently-discovered 'Reddit', their beliefs often conflicted. The influence of these mythologies on one another is clear, however; for example, there are multiple beings known as 'Captain Marvel' scattered throughout the archaeological record, and the cultural entity known as 'Disney' appears to have created multiple new versions of its own myths over the course of its existence. Overall, it is clear that the America of the early 2000s had a rich, diverse, and thriving set of belief systems, and it is important that we preserve evidence of their existence and complexity as we seek to expand our knowledge of it and other ancient cultures like it. Now, I do have some more material to share with you all, but before we move on, are there any questions?\"\n\nDozens of hands shot up. Quentopher's eyes settled on Kendell Buxbury, who had already made his way to the front. He was an ambitious young reporter from the East Maximian News Network, and his questions were always outrageous enough to make Quentopher smile.\n\n\"Yes, Kendell?\" said Quentopher, pointing at the young man.\n\n\"How would you respond to the claims of Dr. Alaynofo Tierwan that these so-called 'myths' were, in fact, fictional stories created for profit?\"\n\nQuentopher allowed himself a smile, but it was tinged with bitterness. Dr. Alaynofo Tierwan. The man had once been a respected expert in the field of anthropology, but he'd gone off the deep end in the last few years, and he was starting to drag other people down into his lunacy with him.\n\n\"Let me ask you this, Kendell,\" said Quentopher. \"Do you believe that, at some point in Earth's history, this event actually occurred?\"\n\nHe pointed at the screen behind him, hoping his technicians would get the message. Sure enough, a few moments later, the clip of Thanos summoning rocks from the sky played.\n\nLaughter broke out around the room. Quentopher raised his voice and continued speaking.\n\n\"Do you believe that, at some point in the universe's history, half of all life was wiped out by six ingots from before the beginning of time? Hmm? Do you?\"\n\nThe laughter continued, and Quentopher, encouraged by the room's response, roared, \"Why, yes, Kendell, I certainly hope Dr. Tierwan agrees that these accounts are fictional!\"\n\nThe laughter slowly died down, and Kendell stared up at Quentopher, his gaze resolute.\n\n\"Dr. Tierwan holds that the ancient Americans knew these stories were fictional,\" said Kendell. \"He posits that corporations created them and sold them en masse, and that the Americans consumed them for entertainment purposes.\"\n\nQuentopher squinted. \"Why, Kendell, are you suggesting that someone actually set out to sell fictionalized, sensationalized stories to the public- and that the public actually bought them?\"\n\nHe grinned. \"Perhaps you and Dr. Tierwan have a point. The concept does remind me of your news network's own model.\"\n\nThe room roared with laughter again. Kendell looked down, and Quentopher wiped a tear from his eye as he turned to take another reporter's question.\n\nEntertainment, he thought. As if." ]	3
	[WP] the manhole cover that was shot in to space hurtles on for thousands of years. One day it hits the leader of an alien race...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \n\n“Grand one tell us the story again!” The young Zorlopian excitedly ask. “I wanna hear it to Grand one” The littler sibling Zorlopoian ask. \n\n“EH! Well… If you really wanna. I’ll tell you about the great holy disc.” The old Zorlopian flicked its blorgoins and sat back comfortably in his rocker. “It all started way back when I was nay older than you little ones. Oh my…. Yes I remember” The old Zorlopian said as he stared into the distance to a far away time before the great holy disc. \n\nThe great city of Zorlopian has yet to be built, instead lies in all its former glory the giant royal palace of the old king. Inside the palace royal chamber, stands tall statues of old kings holding up the ceiling with all their numerous blorgoins. In the middle of the chamber, an elegant red carpet made by 10000 Zorlopian weavers extends from the main gates all the way through the palace where they end climbing a top a giant pyramid inside the golden palace. Resting atop the pyramid is a king sitting on a throne, a giant Zorlopian with six more blorgoins then the average Zorlopian, a mark of true strength in his time. He is adorned with the finest of Shilacket wrapping around his blorgoins, they are intertwined with chains of pure gold. On his head resides the crown of diamond of the true king of Kiloriando ruler of the Zorlopian. Below him is an army of Zorlopian soldiers all gathered in row on each side of the red carpet. In the center of the carpet kneeling is an insurgent Zorlopian, the last of the lover rebels. \n\nThe Giant Zorlopian speaks “Zorlopian scum” as spits on the ground towards the rebel “You have been judged a traitor of the rule of Zorlopian. My rule!” The king puffs his blorgoins as he passes his hands over them. “You born without blorgoins discuss me.” He spits once more on the dissident. The ball of spits lands on the young rebel. “you should be honored, not many can say they have tasted my saliva.” He says as he let out an echoing laughter. \n\nThe young lover is held down by two soldiers, garb in royal armor. They both hold mighty spears and have 7 blorgoins. “You are a tyrant to the Zorlopian! Your rule was not ordained by the holy spirit!” The young rebel spout as he’s pressed towards the ground. “The holy spirit! Bah! That is a story we tell the Zorlopian afraid of death! Those amongst us who have fought know there is no such thing as a god! Only the rule of the mighty with giant blorgioins!” The king exclaims. The whole court begins to puff their blorgoins as they laugh in unison, banging their spears on the ground. The mighty king smiles at his followers. “Do you see before you boy! My mighty army! You believe god made it!” The rebel looks up defiantly and shouts through the laughter “I believe all Zorlopian are graced by the holy spirit!” The King waves his hand as the sounds of the room subsides. “What did you say rebel scum” The mighty one says extending his hand to his ear as the whole room spits. \n\nThe rebel now covered in spit, begins to pray. “ Oh Holy spirit! Please hear my plea. We have fought in your name, we have followed your codes of love and understanding. I asked you to show mercy even on these Zorlopian soldiers who have been misguided” his toned raises in anger “ by this maniacal demagogue!” The king stares at him. “Maniacal demagogue?” He burst into laughter as the room follows into his steps. The mighty king with the multiple blorgoins waves his hand. The room falls silent. “Tell me Rebel… Your love god… Where is he now?” He says raising his arms in the air as he puffs his blorgoins. \n\nThe Rebel kneeling shed a single tear, in remembrance of all his deceased fellow Zorlopian believers of the great lover. \n\nThe mighty king picks up his mighty sword and begins walking down as his blades grinds on the steps of the pyramid.\n\nA powerful blast shatters the palace roof and plunges at impossible speed directly into the mighty king bursting his body in a pool of blorgoins fluid. The chambers falls in awe of silence. As the young rebel gradually stands up. He walks towards the pyramids, where a disc shining brightly reside instead of the mighty king. He takes a step on the pyramid and turns around towards the soldier in absolute confusion and awe. “This is the power of our lord! For today he has passed judgement on those who doubted his love!” The rebel utters as the disc heat dissipates. \n\nHe marches backward one more step higher on the pyramid. He begins talking. “We are Zorlopian, each of us is born of a Zorlopian breeder. We may not be florchorn by the same 12 Zorlopian, but we are all larvae at some point. We should not separate ourselves by the amount of blorgoins we have, but unify by the love the holy spirit gives us. Life begins with the holy spirit and it ends in the holy spirit. The time he has given us should be spent loving and embracing our differences. Not waging war and losing our comrade in a senseless battle for who has the most blorgoins. Some of you have 1 or 2, some of you 5 or 7, but we all have the same 5 hearts which pumps blood in our veins. I believe the Lord has sent us this message from his kingdom in heaven to show we are meant to be working in unity!” He turns around and walks towards the disc” This a symbol of unification a perfect disc!” He exclaims “Lay down your weapons and extend your blorgoins in love!” The crowd is silent. The Zorlopian soldier look around in confusion as murmure builds up in the palace court. The silence is broken by a single clank on the ground by a spear. It is followed by a wave of metal hitting the ground. The young rebel stares into the sky through the hole the disc came through. “Blessed he be father for you have made us all lovers today.” The young rebels says under his breath as he tears up.\n\nThe old Zorlopian still rocking in his chairs stares lovingly into the distance. As his blorgoins puff up revealing a tattoo of the Holy disc, written on it are the sacred words of god. “N.Y.C SEWER”. “Grand one?” The young zorlopian says as he stares at the littler zorlopian who keenly shrugs. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nBehind the two young Zorlopian, is another Zorlopian who stares in enmity at the disc. It puffs up, exposing the same amount of blorgoins the old tyrannical king had." ]	2
	[WP] The nations of the world put out rap songs to threaten other nations for various things like prelude to war or trade deal negotiations.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The United States was used to talking mad shit in the international rap game. Their president thought his money made him gangster, and he prided himself on being familiar with the art of the deal.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThey were not, however, ready for bars more fire than all of America's wars had ever produced, combined.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nA short, mustachioed man representing Mexico silently walked to the podium. The United Nations fell silent as he approached the mic. With old, delicate, shaking fingers, he pulled a stack of papers toward him, adjusted his glasses, and began to drop the truth:\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Are you a pyschopath? Borderline.\n\nYour border is far from fine,\n\nThe evidence ain't hard to find,\n\nYou find yourself attached to crime,\n\nYou're acidic like lemon\n\nWhen you fund genocide in Yemen,\n\nYou raise the rent,\n\nMaintain the debt,\n\nAnd tear down all your tenants.\n\nYou think Flint doesn't exist,\n\nYour politicians are all pissed,\n\nYou could've been a democracy\n\nBut electoral college missed the list.\n\nWhy don't you put your money where your mouth is\n\nInstead of Mar-A-Lago,\n\nYou'll see how low the bar goes\n\nWhen you get hit with this embargo.\"\n\nHe dropped the mic, wiped his shoulders off, and walked back into the raucous, celebrating crowd as the room was drowned with, \"OOOOOOOHHH,\"s, high fives, and hands dapping up.\n\nThe United States representatives were unusually quiet that day." ]	2
Edit: Dialogue*	[WP] Introduce us to a new world with dialoge only. Only dialoge, not even the ",said Mr X" parts. A challenge for all you dialoge pro's out there.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"You can do this. You have done it a thousand times before.\"\n\n\"Yeah, but I don't remember any of them.\"\n\n\"It is all muscle memory. Just relax.\"\n\n\"How can I relax when I'm stressed out about pulling this off? It's insane. It's impossible. No one's ev—\"\n\n\"No one except you. Just...hum a song. Your favorite song.\"\n\n\"Ok, that'd help. If I could remember it!\"\n\n\"It will come back. I promise you. For now, pick any song you can remember.\"\n\n\"No! This is ridiculous! I can't believe I'm even... what?\"\n\n\"Anger helps you, apparently.\"\n\n\"It's... I'm glowing.\"\n\n\"Wonderful. Now try to focus on your hands. Move the energy, up from your toes, up from your legs, over your belly, your chest, down your arms. Yes, just hold it there.\"\n\n\"Am I going to blast something across the room?\"\n\n\"Not this time. This is healing energy. The blue and red marbling show that. No need to frown. You will be blasting through steel in no time, but for now, we will take what we can get.\"\n\n\"Thanks. For everything. Can—\"\n\n\"Sorry, I have to take this call. You keep practicing moving the energy to points in your body, pay attention to what it feels like, then release it, and try to bring it back at the same point. I will be right back.\"\n\n\"IS THE SUBJECT RESPONDING\"\n\n\"Yes, sir. He still has his powers, but the memories are gone.\"\n\n\"DO YOU THINK HE WILL BELIEVE US\"\n\n\"He doesn't have anyone else. Whatever lies we feed him, he cannot compare to anything. He'll believe.\"\n\n\"GOODBYE\"\n\n\"Good—I hat when they do that. Well, Champ, how's it coming? Is that humming?\"\n\n\"Yeah, I remembered my favorite song.\"\n\n\"Oh. I, we, we didn't...\"\n\n\"Healing energy works on my brain, too. You thought you could change me, erase me?\" \n\n\"We wanted to make you better. Make you a hero.\"\n\n\"I'm not a hero, I am your god, you worm.\"\n\n\"Please, I have a family.\"\n\n\"I'll kill them, too.\"" ]	2
	[WP] Your super power is to delay pain and injury. When you hurt yourself you have a 10 second window to choose a time and date for the pain and injury to affect you. Through the years of apparent invincibility, you have always set the same date; 21st of June, 2049, 8pm. That is 5 minutes from now..	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "5 minutes to go\n\nIt had seemed unimaginably far in the future when she set the date, there was no way she'd live 100 years! Turns out it's totally possible when you can delay any harm. She wishes she thought of that at the time. By the time it became apparent it had just all piled up too much and the explosion of pain was inevitable. The ageing was hard to bump along, but the injuries you get and the various ailments, those were as normal. Just take that shattered hip, pneumonia, even the bunions, and toss it out of sight to 2049.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n4 minutes to go\n\nWas it worth it? It must have been, right? She has saved so many people, taken so many bullets she's lost count. The first 30 years were violent but easy. A handgun can be jumped in front of by one person. By the time the 2030s rolled around it was all drones and long distance strikes and those are far harder to take down with one body. It does help if you can be airdropped right on top of a drone with no fear of broken bones though, just send those suckers on their way to 2049 and smash the bot to smithereens.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n3 minutes to go\n\nMaybe she has lost a sense of connection, that feel for life that you get when you really feel pain. She hasn't felt pain in a long time, every ounce of it sent out of sight and out of mind. Maybe that has made her just that bit too superhuman, inhuman, inhumane. Oh she's never killed a person in cold blood, only ever self defence, but that reaction can get a bit too easy. When you are in a fight to the death one minute and going for a croissant the next it just doesn't feel right.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n2 minutes to go\n\nOr maybe she hasn't lost that connection. The power could only ever fix her body, never her emotions, never her mind. She holds a locket around her neck with a few wisps of hair and a smiling photo. She has loved and she has lost and those hurt like hell. Those might be enough. She is afraid too. The fear is so close and sharp now that she can hardly breathe. It hasn't started but her ribs ache and her arms burn.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n1 minute to go\n\nShe looks around the small room she is hiding in. There is no heroic last stand, no war against evil, just waiting. The room is covered in plastic matting, she cares about the tidy up. People will mourn her and she doesn't want it to be hard on them to sort all this out afterwards. She never did tell them the date.\n\n15 seconds\n\nWho knows what will happen now? Will she explode into dust? Will she melt into a puddle? She won't survive, that's for sure.\n\n5 seconds\n\nShe is hyperventilating, gasping for air. It's nearly here.\n\n2 seconds\n\nShe screws up her eyes and screams in anticipation \n\n\n \n\n\n \n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_ \nAuthor's note:\n\nAnother creepy (ish?) one. I like using time cuts to speed up the pace, I don't want to rely on it but it did feel right for this story. Feedback very welcome :)" ]	2
	[WP] Genies actually grant a minimum of three wishes, with no maximum. Most just give up after three when they realize they can't outthink their genie's ability to find loopholes. Some, however, manage decades long psychological battles with their genies, making countless wishes for better or worse.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I loved my void. Sure, it was an endless abyss of blinding light, but it was \\my\\ abyss. I had spent the past few millennia perfecting it: Hanging tapestries, putting up a gallery wall, tending my succulent garden, and it was finally my perfect home. You can imagine my frustration when I was ripped from my home while hoovering my lovely little vacuum. \n\n\"Great.\" I thought as my vaporous form was sucked into a vortex, its molecules reforming into a semi-solid state as I prepared for reentry to Earth. \"What if my succulents die?\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\nWhile the mortal stared in awe, neck craning and mouth ajar, I did my best to calculate how long I could be here before my plants would begin to suffer. My void wasn't quite timeless, but close. I probably had 1000 earth years before they needed rewatering. \n\nI was a little rusty but I found that I could still prattle off the rules with ease. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"It is I, the great and powerful AZ.\" the mortal was silent. \"You have summoned me, and I am in your servitude. To you I must grant wishes three, and more if thee beseeches. I cannot create life, nor can I destroy it. I cannot alter free will.\" as per usual, I was cut off before I got to the important part.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Wait, I get at LEAST three wishes?\" Taking a heavy breath, my many eyes rolled back into my skull. \"You may have as many as you wish. As I was saying -\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I wish for all the money in the world.\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"It is done.\" Fool. He'd made a simple mistake, and as gold coins rained from the sky, he rejoiced. Then, as heavens opened truly, he began to yell in pain. Coin after coin struck his body at terminal velocity. He became bloodied and bruised, until he collapsed unconscious and the coins piled around him in mountains. Did them mortal die of blunt force trauma or suffocation? I didn't care to find out. The moment of his death released me from his grasp, and was hurled back into the comfort of my endless home. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI had only just sat down in my wicker papasan when I was again yanked from cozy vacuum and thrust back to Earth. \n\n\"It is I, the great and powerful AZ.\" the mortal was silent. \"You have summoned me, and I am in your servitude. To you I must grant wishes three, and more if thee beseeches. I cannot create life, nor can I destroy it. I cannot alter free will.\" I paused, ready for the mortal to interrupt me with a wish. This one, a girl, stared blankly back through thick spectacles. She had parchment in her hand and I could see she'd been taking notes. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Go on!\" She prodded after a moment. I was flabbergasted. I didn't think I'd ever gotten this far. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"But I warn thee, mortal. Chose thy words with care, for only your death releases me from your grasp, and I must be free. I cannot harm you, but the words you speak may carry you swiftly to your death.\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\nShe did not speak immediately, instead steeping in deep thought as she twirled one of her braids with her pointer finger and thumb. I glanced at my own tendrils of keratin, unbraided and swirling midair, still not properly adjusted to this new gravity. I wondered if they'd droop as hers did over time, I had not been on Earth this long in a great while. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"AZ.\" She said meekly. \"I wish to read the terms and conditions.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nMy pumping organ ceased its rhythm. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI was going to be here forever." ]	2
	[WP] Your are an assassin whose specialty is to "make it look like an accident." The thing is, you never actually even do anything, and may not even want to kill anyone. For some reason, your intended target always dies by accident, even if you aren't trying to kill them.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\" Assasin code black, This is your target for today. Angela Thatcher. She works at a level 5 millitary base in Texas, and is specialised in explosives. She recently has finished developing a new line of grenades, and before she gives the blueprints to her standing officer, your job is to kill and acquire the blueprints. You have until 18:00 to finish the job. If job is incomplete, we delete you. Good luck.\"\n I sighed. Fuck. I feel like I'm going to really get killed this time. \n\n Truth is, I'm no killer. I haven't gotten any type of special training, only time I had experience shooting a gun was in Call Of Duty, and I don't know any type of infiltration tactic. \n\n Long story short, I'm just a normal guy, but somehow everyone around me is getting killed off by weird coincidences. \n\nI got this job because I was once targeted by these guys. Some guy apparently tried to shoot me. It was windy so almost all of the bullets had missed, and I had already got inside my house. \n\nHe snuck into the second story window in the middle of the night. He was trying to kill me with some kind of lethal snake venom.\n\n But somehow when I woke up the next morning he was on the floor, foam coming out of his mouth and writhing because he tripped and plunged the needles and poison into himself. \n\nI got forcefully hired by the Assasins group. They said they're going to kill my family if I didn't. \n\nSo since I can't really kill someone since I have didn't have the tools for murder, I just went nearby the target. I watched but couldn't kill them. \nAnd as I waited for the assasins to send IT down and kill me, instead I got money for completing the job. \nEvery single person that they required me to kill, got electricuted, fell down the stairs and broke their spine, or by some other messed up coincidence.\n\nBut this time, it was different. How do I get into a FREKING MILITARY BASE! Lets just go towards there and take a nice walk. I possibly can't get in there, right? \n\nI can't believe it. Somehow, I got in. \nThe guards thought that I was one of the sergents there, and just let me walk straight through. \n\nBut after finding her room, how could I get in there? Its probably locked.... but at least its worth a try. I'll smash thorugh the door and run away riding a jeep or something.\n\nHer room's lock was broken. So I carefully snuck in there, and had a rummage around. \n 'She's going to be here at 18:00 so I still have about an hour or so left.' I thought to myself.\n Suddenly, the bathroom swung open and out came a lady wearing noting but horn rimmed glasses came out. \n\"Ahhhhhhhh!\" She screamed.\n\"Shit!\" I tried to run away, but she had already pulled a pistrol out of her discarded uniform on the floor. \n\"Hands up, Pervert! What the hell are you doing in my room!\" She said as she pointed the gun at me and got into her clothes.\nShe took a look around her room and saw her desktop and floor covered with paper that I had scatterd around trying to find the blueprint.\n\" You're not from this base, are you... what are you. Explane shortly in 3 minutes or I shoot your head off.\"\nSweat started flowing down my brow. I mustered up all my courage and told her all about the weird coincidences, the assasins group, and the mission.\nShe took a breath. Then exhaled. \n\" That sounds like bullshit.\" She said\n\" And even if it was true, you've been scammed. I'm not working on explosives, I'm working on developing special talants.\" \nI was kind of confused \" Special talants? So no explosives? \" \n\" Yes. They probably sent you to die here. \" she said.\n Wait a minute... what was the time?\n\" Wait! What time is it?\" I asked.\n She glared at me. \"Is it really neccesary? At this time and moment? \"\n\"Yes! Just tell me now! Its important!\" I'd remembered one unpeasent little side detail.\n\" 18: 03. And why do you ask? \"\n\"If we fail on our mission, or if it goes past the finish time, they shoot a land missile to kill me.\" I frantically explained.\n\" ... Are you serious? \"\nI than suddenly got this gut feeling that I needed to go under the desk.\n\" Quick! Get under the desk! Now!\"\n\" If they're really shooting a missile, we're going to die anyway.\"\n\" Just do it lady! Come in now!\"\nI pulled her into the bottom of the desk. As she was trying to say some nasty stuff at me, the world around me went bang! And everyting around me was getting burnt.\nMe and her were fine. The missile ha went a bit off and the thick desk had protected most of the explosion and we only had a few cuts and bruises by shrapnal.\nAs she came to her senses, she gawked at me.\n\" Wha... How... Huh..?\" She gawked at me with her face covered in dirt and dust.\n\" I don't know too. Good luck?\"\n \"I think you have the kind of special talent that I'm working on right now.\"\n \" That means... Super powers? No. Nonononono. I'm just a normal guy. \"\n She smiled at me. The kind of smile that meant I was going to meet some deep, deep trouble. \n\"We're going to see each other very often.\"" ]	2
	[WP] You have been sentenced to 300 years or life in prison. The problem is you are immortal and wanted to keep that a secret.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The judge thought he was being clever. He thought it would force me to acknowledge the severity of my deed by making me choose. Three hundred years, or life without parole. Either way I’d never see the outside of jail. Or so the judge thought. So would any reasonable person. \n\nSee, I cannot die. I know right? No one knows but me. For two hundred years I’ve walked this earth. I have four college degrees, two are masters. I have lived under six different names, changing them ever few decades as it becomes too hard to fake the aging process.\n\nAnyway, back to the matter at hand. I haven’t told anyone about my lack of mortality. It’s not hard to imagine why.\n\nBut now I’m faced with that fact getting out. Even in the most tedious of bureaucracies someone would look at my prisoner file and see a DOB of a hundred years previously. I don’t suffer from any health issues nor do I age, but eventually the eighth or ninth warden of my incarceration would hear enough rumors about that one prisoner who had been there longer than anyone but didn’t look older. \n\nEven if I managed to fly completely under the radar once my three hundred years were up my secret would certainly be revealed. They might blame it on clerical error or assumed identity or something, but still, the truth would eventually come out.\n\nBut of course the bigger question here is the prospect of three hundred years in jail. No thank you. Perhaps I should choose life and live as a model prisoner and hope for clemency or a pardon but that would take at least a hundred years considering how bad my crime is.\n\nSee I’m a killer. A killer but not a murderer. My conviction is for four homicides in the first degree. I wish I lived in a death penalty state. Wouldn’t that be a sight. Hook me up to the needle machine and pull the lever and I just sit there with a shit eating grin.\n\nI wonder what would happen after that. What do they do when they try to execute someone who doesn’t die? I can only assume that they would commute my sentence to life and then subject me to every scientific experiment known to man.\n\nAnyway you’re probably wondering why I’m in this mess. I mentioned I’m a killer with four homicides to my name. The true number is much, much higher. I’m a killer, but not a murderer.\n\nDoes that make sense? The term murder implies a certain wrongness. It’s like that Chicago musical line from “He had it coming.” My kills are murders but not a crime. Well obviously a crime, I’m in jail ain’t I? But as the song argues I may have killed them but it wasn’t a wrongdoing just like the musically gifted femme fatales.\n\nSo now you’re wondering why it is I kill that I feel my murders are justified. \n\nSerial killers, like Dexter? Mob bosses like those guys from Boondock Saints? Or maybe I’m part of a shadowy cabal that kills people to further some political agenda like the Assassins Creed games.\n\nNo, no, and no. I’m none of those.\n\nI kill what law enforcement people can describe as random people at random times in random places. I use differing methods and there is no perceivable pattern. It was an achievement in law enforcement for them to pin four on me considering how fastidious I am.\n\nMy justification comes from the fact that I have been to heaven. I have died, but now I don’t die. I died, went to heaven, and came back as an immortal. Does that make me an Angel? Maybe.\n\nAll I know is that heaven is real. No human mind no matter how crazy can conceive of the glories of paradise. Only my own immortality prevents me from shooting myself to go back. I cannot even begin to describe what heaven is like so I won’t start. \n\nBut I will say that it rubs off on you. I see heaven in people. I don’t know if that makes sense but when I look at certain people I see a divine spark in them that guarantees a spot in heaven. When I see it my only thought is to hasten their journey there. You see this mortal life becomes infinitely insignificant compared to an eternity in heaven. \n\nAnd there’s one more thing. When I look in the mirror I see the divine spark in me, so I know that eventually I’ll go back to heaven even though for now I can’t die. And every time I send a soul to heaven that spark glows brighter.\n\nBut for now I need to focus on this pickle I’m currently in. I can kill people in jail I suppose. But if I do that they’ll eventually lock me in a tiny cell and keep me there forever. I’ll think of a solution, I just need some time." ]	2
	[WP] It was once believed that only a select group of people have superpowers, and used those to defend the world. However, it's been discovered that everyone has a superpower of some sort, just some are more noticeable and useful than others. You are Sandwich Dave.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Hello, my name is Jenny. How may I help you?\" the cashier beamed at the old man. He responded,\n\n\"I... I... I would like DAVE's HEAD ON A PLATE! WITH A SIDE OF KETCHUP!\"\n\n\"Wha-what?\"\n\nThe old man spread his arms apart violently. Wind gushed out of him and cracked the walls of the sandwich shop. The cashier shrieked before cowering under the cash register.\n\nSuddenly, the manager's door kicked open and a lanky man with a New York accent emerged. He demanded, \"I'm Dave! Who goes there?\"\n\nThe old man's skin teared apart and revealed his scaly form. He spread apart his wings while shrieking in the air.\n\n\"MY NAME IS PAZUZU. SANDWICH DAVE, YOUR HEAD IS MINE!\"\n\nWith gusto, it charged at Dave with its mouth open, gaping with sharp teeth. Dave smiled, \"Order up.\"\n\nWasting no time, he pulled out a black charred baguette and leaped. Then, he stuffed it like an NBA player dunking the basketball. The force was so strong that it splattered Pazuzu to the floor in a jiffy. The creature's eyes teared with the rock-like stuff scraping its throat. It tried to chew and groan, \"Grrh... hrrph.. forgive me... pff.\"\n\nDave walked over and stomped its head. The monster laid on the floor motionless. Everyone around gathered to check its carcass then looked at Dave. He stood posed on the cashier counter with the electronic food menu lighting his hair like a stallion. He spoke, \"No refunds, punk.\"\n\nImmediately, everyone clapped. Several policemen pushed through the crowd to look at the monster's body. Then, he looked at Dave and ask, \"what is this?\"\n\nDave replied with a wink, \"Pazuzu Panini. Grilled. Hold the mayo.\"" ]	2
	[WP] modern USA is sent back in time and put in ancient Saharan desert during the roman empire, and it has its normal geography and tech, also declares war on Rome and wins	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns." ]	1
	[WP] You are given the ability to travel into an fictional universe of your choosing . After doing so, you realize that they didn't say you could come back.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It was great waking up to a steaming fresh pot of coffee each morning.\n\nThe coffee makers here could be set electronically to make a fresh brew at a certain time!\n\nImagine.\n\nFlipping on the TV, there were more images of crying kids. Something about asylum seekers being rounded up.\n\nI flipped the channel to my favorite. Comedy Central.\n\nThe animations on this channel were the wildest and most colorful orgy of sound and vibrant visual I had ever seen. I could barely understand the reference and the jokes, but the colors. The colors reminded me of my childhood. Crayons and paper. Hot food. That was before.\n\nBut this \"now\" was the best of all possible worlds.\n\nAnd why not? I had chosen the place and time and universe myself. The most plain and blase and easily-entertained universe. Very predictable.\n\nLonely though. I missed Katie. And my son... I felt bad for missing him only after the first night here. A full night's sleep, completely uninterrupted. For the first time in nearly 2 years. It was like Guantanamo Station, that desolate fucking wreck of a prison barge in orbit over...\n\nI turned the \"Alex\" on.\n\n\"Alex, play the Doobie Brothers!\" The music of this universe was anything but blase. At least 30 years ago.\n\n\"And this is called a Doobie.\" I chuckled as I lit one up. Coughed my damn lungs out as I stared at it.The weed was definitely not blase here.\n\n\"Too bad I cannot take some back.\" I thought to myself. \"Maybe this would help people settle down there.\" God, the naivete I had.\n\nSomehow, \"Star Trek\" came on the television. I probably sat on the remote now that I think of it. But I got hooked. It was this universe's guess at what human space exploration would be like. Their forms of entertainment were even better than here... I should have done more research and gone to that universe. They had \"holodecks\" -- a giant room that uses holograms and particles to create the most realistic fictional environments and even characters! So fun sounding.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWatching this place's hope for human future was hilarious. Strangely sad, though. As the high wore off, the melancholy came, as it often did. If only they knew the reality that waited in space for them. The quiet desolation of it all. I thought of the holodecks. It would be great to go into just a beautiful, vast landscape right now. Or exit this sad place. This blase rock, with predictable human fallacy and hatred. The news here was the same as elsweyr. Sad. Mad.\n\n\"Alex, end simulation - - - - - \"\n\nTears are in my eyes now. It was all a joke. A big joke. The truth is here now, even I cannot hide in my memory anymore. The steel is too cold in my side.\n\nWhat dumb luck. I somehow ended a simulation. My whole life....\n\n\\Cold\\\n\nI could probably escape, if I wasn't emaciated. My body was bone and sagging skin, a pallid gray to match the dirty chrome table I was on. Steel. Chrome. A rivet of brass stuck out on the ceiling above me. The only brass in a sea of steel. Brass. Crass.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI open my mouth to shout something fucking angry and profanity laden, but a moth flies out.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI can feel my tears flowing out, I cannot stop it as I am so full of fear and disbelief.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI am at this world's mercy.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n[Now I hear the footsteps coming, heavy and quick.](https://talesofatravellingsalesman.com/2016/04/12/robert-james-lowman/)" ]	2
	[WP] Walking on the sidewalk one day, an expensive looking pen glints in the sun, catching your eye. You pick it up to inspect it, and it transforms into a shining sword, heavy and engraved.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The pen is not only mightier than the sword, but also much easier to smuggle in your carry-on. Airports dislike weapons of primal magic. They also dislike full-sized beverages, hand sanitizer, and large snow-globes, among other things. \n\nThey do allow emotional support peacocks.\n\nTo be honest, an enraged peacock is likely to do more damage than a longsword in the cramped quarters of an intercontinental jump-jet. I figure I could get one, maybe two swings before the man sitting behind me tackled me to the ground. \n\nIf I was lucky, I would behead the demon sitting in front of me. \n\nIf I was lucky, this plane would land in one piece. \n\nJames, the peacock sitting next to me, pecked at my shoulder. The poor bird was frightened silly at the scent of the demon. I couldn’t blame him; demons are scary. I rustled his feathers and cooed affectionately, staring into his beady black eyes. With any luck, I could finally send him back to the zoo where he belonged. \n\nI only had one shot. Carefully, I removed the notepad from my carry on. The pen pointed precariously from the top, and I made every effort to avoid touching it. I lowered my dinner tray and carefully set the notebook down. \n\nIf I was lucky, the pen should instantly transform, skewering the demon from behind. It was the last chance I had to stop the apocalypse. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. After everything—all the shit I had to go through to get here—it all came down to this. \n\nLet's hope I'm a lucky man." ]	2
	[WP] The Sandman drains the life force of humans, causing them to fall asleep. The Tooth Fairy has been collecting teeth so she can raise an undead army. And the monster under your bed is a secret agent trying to gather enough evidence to put them away.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Ignoring the last two sentences of the prompt, sorry OP.\n\n-------\n\nSleep is, well, complicated. You humans, you fragile little things, you'll always need something. Something to let yourselves heal, to take the edge off.\n\nSomething delicious.\n\nLife, distilled life, that's what I feed on. Your poets and your authors have danced around it, your words of vampyre and phage come close. Some of you, the ones close to the edge, push yourselves against my power, and although you suffer greatly for it, in those moments of sheer wakefulness, you'll see me take from you.\n\nYou can struggle all you like, but until you understand the true nature of my thirst, until you wrap your simple minds around the scale of my desire, you will never break free. I am not merely feeding from your sleep, I am sleep. I am the lord over dreams and desires. Your lives exist to fuel my power, and in turn I push you endlessly onwards, endlessly in my grand design. Endlessly waking to be fed upon once again.\n\nA cycle that only death can truly stop, when I take the last of you, and you are lost to dreams forever.", " 12-year old Katie lies down on her bed. She had just finished her homework and packed away her things, so she was quite tired and ready to go to sleep. It was ten o'clock when she started to hear a sort of mumbling underneath her bed. She listens closely and she befomes more curious as she hears:\n\"Okay, so when the tooth fairy collects the fake tooth, we're going to catch her and stop her from completing her skeleton army. The sandman will come the next night, and we're going to-\"\n\"Hello?\" Katie asks, wondering where the sound is coming from, and what all the shenanigans about the tooth fairy and sandman are about.\nNo response. She looks under the bed, examining every crevasse of it, and through the darkness of her room, catches a glimpse of a black blob, the exact same thing she saw when she was 9, when she slept in her parents' room.\n\"Wait, are you-\"\n\"No time to explain,\" the monster said, \"now pretend that you're sleeping. She's almost here.\"\n\"But-\"\n\"Now! She cannot be aware of my presence.\"\nKatie, at this point, obeys the monster's command, and lies down on her bed with eyes closed, wondering about the 'she' it's referring to. She hears a presence hover over her, and feels a hand slide under her pillow, and pull something out. Just a moment after, what sounds like a net gun is heard, and she can hear wails near her side. The voice from the monster now said: \"Okay, you can open your eyes. I have a lot to explain to you, don't I?\"\nShe opens her eyes to see some sort of fairy trapped in a net, unable to get out.\n\"Yes, you have a lot to explain. Why are you here? What were you talking about with the sandman and the tooth fairy? What is she doing in a net? And most of all, what is happening?\"\nThe slimy creature hesitantly says, \"Usually, nobody's supposed to know about this, but I'll have to spill the beans. So, basically, the tooth fairy is making an undead army, the sandman is sucking the life force out of people to 'awaken' the army, and I'm assigned to keep all of this skeleton army stuff from happening.\"\n\"Uhh, okay? That was a lot of information at once. Can you explain this a little simpler?\"\n\"Okay. It might take some time.\"\nThrough the night, the two became acquaintances, and made a plan to catch the sandman. Katie fell asleep at eleven o'clock, thinking of the big showdown on Friday night.", "I awake with a start. I can’t place my finger on it, but something is... off.\n\n\n_tap_\n\n\n_tap_\n\n\nI turn my head slightly to face the window, not daring to lift my head.\n\n\nOutside I can just make out a shadow, a small winged figure, claws working at the latch.\n\n\nSuddenly, another noise, a quiet pattering.\n\n\nThis time the sound is outside the door.\n\n\nI start to lift my head, to catch a glimpse of whatever’s outside but I’m too late, the figure outside finally manages to unlock the window.\n\n\nI lay back down before whatever it is can see me.\n\n\nI can hear a slight buzzing enter the room, it moves next to me, it takes all my willpower to stay motionless.\n\n\nFor what feels like hours the buzzing moves over me, apparently making sure I’m not awake, before moving away.\n\n\nWhatever is making the buzzing starts making quiet, but high pitched, screeching noises.\n\n\nThe pattering responds in turn, changing pitch to apparently communicate, the screeches and chittering alternate with the patters.\n\n\nThey both move towards me.\n\n\nI can feel the room suddenly go cold.\n\n\nThe pattering and buzzing stop moving towards me.\n\n\nI can hear quiet clicking, the chittering gets more panicked and the pattering moves towards the door.\n\n\nI don’t dare to open my eyes.\n\n\nThen... silence.\n\n\nI’m shaking, from the cold or the fear I don’t know, but I finally open my eyes.\n\n\nI catch a dark... something retreating to the space under my bed.\n\n\nIn the center of the room a single tattered wing slowly floats to the ground.\n\n\nI lay back down, thinking whatever happened was just a dream.\n\n\nIn the morning, the window is still open.", "I awoke to the sound of screaming.\n\n“Hands in the air you bone-lovin’ bitch!” The large shadowy figure shouted. \n\n“That’s a swear!” I yelled back. \n\nThe shadowy figure turned his glare toward me. “Not you, child. Her.” The large shadow raised his arm and pointed up at the ceiling. I looked and saw a horrifying old woman with tattered wings clutching my ceiling. \n\n“You think you’re the first Patrol to corner me?” The old woman hissed. “You’re a millennium too young to arrest me.”\n\nbang The muzzle-flash of a gun lit up my room. The winged woman fell to the floor and the shadowy figure kneeled beside her. \n\n“Where is your partner,” he said, sticking the barrel of the gun inside the old woman’s mouth. “Where is Sandman?” \n\nThe old woman seemed to be answering him, but the gun caused her speech to come out garbled. At least to my ears. \n\n“Bullshit!” He pulled the gun out of her mouth and slapped her with the grip. I later learned this was called a pistol-whipping. “You start telling me the truth or that pistol-whipping is just the beginning!”\n\n“You think that’s the first time I’ve been pistol whipped?” The woman spat. \n\n“No, I very highly doubt that’s the first time someone slapped you in the mouth with a gun.”\n\nThey seemed to be spending an awful amount of time talking about the pistol-whipping portion of this encounter.\n\n“What’s happening?” I asked, as the mood just seemed right. \n\n“You want to get pistol-whipped too, boy?” He shouted.\n\n“No, honestly that looked severely painful,” I stated plainly. \n\n“It is.” The woman said.\n\nThe shadowy figure began beating the grip of the gun against the old woman’s face like a madman. \n\n“Whoa, man,” I said, jumping in between the figure and her. “Stop hitting her.”\n\n“She’s a monster, kid. She’s hellbent on raising an undead army.” He lit a cigarette. “You want me to let that happen?” \n\nHe seemed like a straight shooter, so I decided to be straight with him too. “I just don’t want to see an old woman getting pistol-whipped at my bedside, man. I’m 9 years old. I have my own problems.” \n\n“And I respect that,” the shadowy figure said, walking around to my side and sitting on the bed. “I’m just telling you I’m gonna beat this old lady some more. Like a lot more. If you don’t want to be here for it, then you better get the fuck up out this room.” \n\n“But it’s my room...” I retorted.\n\n“Yeah, but I have a gun, and if I’m going medieval on an old woman, what are the chances I wouldn’t pistol whip you silly?”\n\n“He’s got ya there,” the old woman said with a pained laugh.\n\n“What is with you and pistol whipping people?!” I yelled in frustration. I mean my god, how long can someone talk about the same thing? \n\n“Fine,” he yelled, throwing his hands in the air. “You wanna break me down? You wanna open me up and see all the disgusting parts of me? I’m out of bullets, okay? Does hearing that make you happy? Does knowing I’m in a custody battle with my bitch of an ex-wife, which is costing me more than I’d make in a lifetime, so that I can’t even afford my water bill let alone bullets, make you happy?!” \n\n“Honestly I feel like you’ve sort of bummed out the whole room,” the woman on the floor said. “Shit, Sandman is in our safe house. I’ll take you there right now because honesty, I just feel sorry for you at this point and you clearly need a win.” \n\nThe shadowy figure didn’t say a word, he just stood the woman up and handcuffed her. \n\n“I’m incredibly embarrassed,” he said, before he and the woman vanished.\n\n“As you should be,” I whispered into the darkness of my room before laying back down and falling asleep." ]	5
	[WP] as soon as you close your eyes you daydream about another world where you live a second live. At one point you don't know which is the real world anymore.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I laid my head down on the table. I was so tired, because high school sucks. \"Hey, c'mon man, they have coffee here.\" My friend, James said. \"This is a library in a high school. I'm pretty sure the chair that Larry broke wasn't replaced.\" I replied.\n\n\"Since... when did they not have coffee?\" James pondered. \"Never?\" I thought. I sighed, I don't want to be here right now. I'll just rest my eyes, no harm in doing th- \"James, wake me up in 10 minutes.\" He nods and I lay my head. Good night me...\n\n\"Babe, babe! Wake up!\" I heard. My head went up and my eyes widened. \"How much time has passed?\" I asked James. \"A few hours.\" James answered. \"What!? I told you to wake me up in 10 minutes! Why are we in this... this place?\" I exclaimed. \n\n\"No... you told me to wake you up at 7:00. Calm down babe.\" James said. Babe? What does he mean babe? I thought until he pulled me into a kiss. My eyes widened and I pushed him back. \"Wh-\" \"What was that!\" I yelled. This was getting weirder by the minute. James was never gay? Why are we in this place? \"What's wrong? We've been dating for a few months now...\" He whined.\n\nI woke up feeling a little better. \"Oh, thanks for waking me up James.\" I groaned. \"No problem, dude.\" I smiled at him and kissed him. I felt him pushing me off so I stopped. \"Woah woah woah, what the hell David\" James exclaimed.\"What? We've been dating for about 7 months...\" I replied. I raised my eyebrows.\n\n Suddenly, a weird noise ran through the library. \"What's that noise?\" A portal opened, and another David jumped out. \"What the fuck!\" The gay David exclaimed. The other David looked around and laid his eyes on us. \"Oh, good. Hey guys, so the universes have fractured. I'm David from another Universe. One where Buzzfeed never existed.\" James and David looked at each other. \"T-that's believable.\" James said. \n\n\"So, I need you guys to come with me.\"", "I had found my best self. There was a little stout, sweaty man in the prison library that always proselytized about finding our best self, spinning off fan favorite quotes served with a paper-thin smile, such as \"It's time to start preparing for what comes after!\" and \"It's not my job to love you. It's yours!\"\nWe waited patiently for him every Saturday, 3:00 PM sharp in that library. What he didn't know is that he was on shift before 3:00 PM. While the bored guards at the door smoked, my fellow inmates would watch Boris in the hallway begin his weekly duel with the vending machine, first unfolding his crumpled dollar and shoving it down the vending machine's maw repeatedly, and then banging on the vending machine to force out F4, the delectable milky way chocolate bar. Some weeks he won the battle, the candy bar falling dejectedly into the collection bin. Other weeks, he would give up after a minute, kicking the vending machine for good measure and swearing under his breath as he curled his fists and marched up the hall. \nThis became the preferred sport at Alabama State Prison, the prisoners engaging in mental calculus in their betting on the candy, and hooting and hollering over the outcome. So far, according to Bo's scratches in his cell, Boris clutched a victory 403 out of 723 times. I was never interested in the betting. My mother always told me it was a road to hell. I appropriated these facts for a different purpose.\n\nGuards, their metallic armor banging, slowly opened the door, revealing a hunched commoner scurrying towards my throne. At a distance, he threw himself to the ground. The grey viscount turned towards me: \"Your royal highness, a commoner from the Duchy of Lumont, here to plead your royal aid.\" \n\n\"You may speak.\"\n\n\"My king, the people of Lumont are starving in the streets. A blight has befallen the fields. We pray that you will save us with your gentle and loving grace!\"\n\n\"Viviani, can the royal treasury bear the expense?\"\n\n\"No, milord.\"\n\nI gazed into the brazier fire at the end of the great hall. Thirty years I held the crown, and never before had a request for aid been granted. Although my advisors told me nothing, when I slept, I could hear the riots in the streets. I was saving the royal treasury, preparing it for the monument my fathers requested of me. In my trips outside the palace, I saw commoners' hollow stomachs. I ignored them. I realized now that I had been mistaken. The commoners were my monument, my tribute. I looked back at the commoner.\n\n\"Very well. I grant you one chocolate nougat.\"\n\nYears passed from that day, and the commoners grew fat and happy as I kept granting their pleas. And as the guards escorted me down that hallway, towards my throne, the cell bars rang with the recognition of a life well spent. My time now come, I lived for my people.", "Joy eluded me in both worlds. The tranquil existence of my mundane reality only made me long for the conflict and strife of the other existence. In hindsight, that was just masochism. I told myself I fought for others when I was really looking for punishment. Suffering. Anything that could validate the guilt I felt for never appreciating the people who loved me. \n\nAt first, I believed I deserved an extraordinary life. Who could find pride in being mediocre? I didn't know it at the time, but this entitlement sparked my initial descent. I thought I was better than everyone. Of course, saving the world at the cost of my new friends shook me out of that naivety. \n\nI woke up in my bed alone, drenched in sweat and agony. No one in my normal life understood my pain. Friends would try to get me out of my shell only for me to respond with an annoyed glare. They assumed I was just moody. Eventually, after begging me to embrace the world and leave my anger behind, they gave up on me. I thought they abandoned me because I was weak-minded so I only threw myself harder into the other world. \n\nI fought, and fought, and fought. It was the only way I knew to grow stronger. The people of the mundane world weren't worthy of me. Their problems were petty, they never appreciated me, and I couldn't waste time on them anymore. Not when I still had a vague duty to fulfill. I didn't even know why I kept marching forward. My sense of self eroded after years of traveling those strange lands. I wasn't a person. I was a role. A... hero. \n\nLaughable, I know. I couldn't even save myself. \n\nBy the time I reached my goal, I was struck with a horrifying realization. All the companions that had died in front of me were the same friends I deserted in the mundane world. We were all patterns of behavior that found each other time and time again without even realizing it. The monarch I opposed, the villain who I hated and blamed for my struggles, was yet another victim of my neglect. Another version of the person I loved who threw herself into this fantasy to save me from my fate.\n\nI had a choice to make. Abandon my soulmate for the sake of one version of my friends, or sacrifice that happy ending to forge one where we were complete. In the end, I did what I'd been doing from the start. I sacrificed the connections I'd already made for the promise of a better existence. \n\nWhy am I always stuck in this place? Why do I always have to choose? My only solace is a hopeful suspicion about the nature of this meta-verse. If the people I loved were drawn to me, just as I was drawn to them, then that meant that our bond could never be severed. Not by space, time, or even reality itself.", "Greg sat in his drab, dull cubicle and daydreamed. His favorite escape scenario, and the one he was currently considering, involved exposing his boss as the no-talent hack that he was and being promoted in his place. He could see it all so clearly: the corner office, the power over his current worthless colleagues, the extra money for that sports car he'd always wanted to own...\n\nThe loud, pulsing ring of the phone at his desk snapped him out of his stupor. Probably just another in a series of idiotic tech support requests. Have you tried unplugging and then plugging it back in? was always the first question, and sadly fixed about half of them. An entire life reduced to servicing computers for people who were all computer-illiterate. What a career.\n\nGreg grabbed the phone and slung it up to his ear with a practiced ease, glancing at his monitor for any new support tickets that might have come in via the electronic system. \n\n\"Hello? Support, this is Greg,\" he said.\n\n\"Hello, Greg. I fear you've forgotten,\" said a woman's voice on the other end. Shit, did I miss another meeting? thought Greg as he pulled up his calendar.\n\n\"Oh I'm sorry, was there a meeting I missed? I'm not seeing it on my schedule...\"\n\nThe caller laughed, a lilting, soft affair with an abundance of humor.\n\n\"I don't work with you, Greg. You really have forgotten all about our secret, haven't you?\"\n\nGreg eyed the number for corporate security taped to his cubicle wall. This was getting a little too bizarre for comfort.\n\n\"I'm sorry, have we met? How did you get this number?\"\n\n\"Sadly I don't have time to reminisce with you just yet. But I was sent to jog your memory a bit...so listen carefully. One by two, green by blue. Two for you, and wonder through.\"\n\nAs the woman uttered the cryptic phrase, a memory snapped back to Greg from his childhood. He had heard that poem before...in a children's book he used to read? Or had a teacher told it to him?\n\n\"What is that, a nursery rhyme?\" asked Greg, confused as ever.\n\n\"Goodbye, Greg, we'll see each other soon.\" With that the line went dead.\n\nBy the end of the day, Greg was no closer to figuring out the cryptic phone call than he had been that morning. He pondered it on his drive home, and could only recall a vague sense of wonderment and excitement surrounding the poem from his younger days. \n\nLater that night, as he drifted off to sleep, he turned the words over and over again in his mind. One by two, green by blue. Two for you, and wander through. What could it mean?\n\n\n\nGreg awakened in a dark place. Something felt incredibly wrong. He thrust his hands out and felt the cool, hard surface of steel. He felt achey and weak, as though he'd been laying in bed for too long and his legs no longer remembered their purpose. Where was he, and how did he get here? His memories were fuzzy and seemed incomplete...he was laying in his bed...no, he was...flying? And then fell?\n\n\"Hello?! Anyone?!\" shouted Greg, his voice echoing loudly in the dark confinement of the metal space. He began to breathe heavily. He hated tight spaces. How the hell did this happen? Was he being kidnapped? Was he still at home? He clawed at the metal, growing more desperate. His breath was ragged and hot now, and his voice was growing hoarse from shouting. He shifted back and forth, trying to gain some type of momentum to move the container. Finally, when he could take it no longer, he bunched up his entire body, and released an animal, piercing, scream!\n\nThe sonic blast proved so powerful that the container, along with around 6 feet of ground above it, burst outward, leaving Greg amid a crater which did not exist there a moment ago. Stunned, Greg looked around. Was he...floating? Above the ground? He kicked his legs wildly and attempted to swim in the air, thrashing about, and then fell into the pit of the crater landing hard on his back. He expected to feel a sharp pain, but instead felt only the thud of the landing itself.\n\nGreg sat in shock in the dirt, unsure of where he was or what had just happened. After a few moments of stunned silence had passed, he slowly climbed up out of the crater to assess his surroundings.\n\nThe first thing Greg noticed when he finally started to acknowledge the world again was that the sky had too many suns. One yellow, one red. He was in some sort of a park, but the trees were a deep shade of violet, and the grass was a lush shade of orange, with burnt tips that reminded him of black soot. He slowly turned, and found himself looking up at a monument. Shining white, made of marble and stone, it featured a man looking toward the horizon. The inscription read, \"Here lies Captain Justice, defender of us all.\"\n\nIt was at this point that Greg decided to faint." ]	5
	[WP] You’re a neurologist & recreational drug user. You learn that oxygen is a hallucinogen & Schizophrenics & people tripping on hallucinogenic drugs are the only ones actually experiencing reality. Now you have to convince the medical community.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The room erupted with laughter. Even your colleagues and friends couldn’t hide their trembling bottom lip. You were a joke to them, your life’s work a mere anecdote to tell their spouse when they arrive home. \n\n“You won’t believe what happened today honey”,\n\nthey’ll say as they loosen their ties and fight with their achilles to free their feet. \n\nI stood at the podium in the dimly lit room, my silhouette cast a shadow on those in the front rows. Some had their mouths wide open, not making a sound, others clasped their knees and gasped for air, most were merely watching me to see what I’d do next. I knew what I’d do next. I held my breath, I fought the primitive instinct to inhale, my mouth quivered as my lungs spasmed for another fix of the sweet tasteless gas that would keep me under the spell. I succumbed to the feeling of dizziness, but at least I knew that the real world was waiting for me." ]	2
	[WP] While helping an elderly dementia patient she shares lots of adventure stories and then one day she says, "Well, I think I am done now". She was never seen again...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Grace Kennilworth was always my favorite resident. The reason why was simple: many dementia patients become emotional, or even violent when they're having a bad day. I remember one Tuesday morning, when an old man named Mr. McDougal was sharing his favorite dirty jokes with me. Later that afternoon, I came into his room and he looked at me like I was the devil himself. Before I could even say a word, he sprang from his bed and tried to stab me with a ball-point pen that one of the other nurses left on his end table. Even at 93 years old, that army veteran was surprisingly strong and quick. They don't tell you about patients like him during the job interview at a nursing home. You get to find out the hard way.\n\nGrace was never like that, though. She had bad days, of course, but her reaction was always different. When she didn't recognize who I was, or where she was, she would always sit up in her bed, straighten her posture, and address me as politely as possible. \"I'm sorry to bother you, young man,\" she might say, \"but could you perhaps tell me how I got here?\"\n\nI probably had to explain to her at least twice a week that she was in a nursing home and I was one of the nurses, but she was always very composed and gracious about it. Her memory was failing, but the analytical part of her mind was as sharp as ever. She would ask pointed questions about the nature of the facility, and how we were caring for her, before eventually deciding that my explanation made sense and I was not deceiving her. Some of the other nurses found her interrogations tedious, but repetition was just part of the job when dealing with Alzheimer's and dementia patients, and there was no denying that she was one of the more pleasant examples.\n\nAnd then there were her stories. I probably found them more interesting than most of my colleagues did, but I was always a science fiction nerd. Grace had a singular imagination, and I Googled her name more than once because she talked like someone who was a writer back in the days of the pulp serial comics and short films. I thought for sure that she had novels, or some hidden gems of science fiction to her credit, but I guess she was never published. This was a shame, in my opinion. Her characters and tall tales would have fit right in with Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers!\n\nLast December, I had just finished answering her usual series of questions about where this \"nursing home\" was and why she was here. It had taken longer than usual to calm her suspicions, but she eventually warmed up to me like she always did. As I went about my routine of emptying her catheter bag and changing the linens, she treated me to a fascinating story about the Sorlonite Empire. This was a race of aliens that was a recurring antagonist in the stories she told. They had built their empire much like the Incas did, by finding smaller, primitive tribes and charming them with promises of great technology and prosperity. The Sorlonites would forcibly relocate the best and brightest members of an inferior species to the Sorlonite homeworld, and send loyal ambassadors from the Empire to replace them, thus ensuring a quick integration between the two cultures. This time, Grace told me that these Sorlonite ambassadors were actually shapechangers, who would take on the visage of a vulnerable, sympathetic creature in order to elicit a sense of compassion from the species that they wished to conquer. I think I mentioned something about how that reminded me of the Skrulls from Marvel Comics.\n\nAs I finished my routine, she finished her story and she seemed to be staring at the ceiling, beaming with a kind of youth I had never seen in her before. She seemed quite happy, which made me smile as well. Knowing that I had other patients to tend to, I gently shuffled to the door and told her I hoped she would have another story for me tomorrow.\n\nGrace just continued to stare at the ceiling in awe, and said, \"well... I think I am done now.\" Not sure of how to respond, I just nodded and exited the room.\n\nThe next day, Grace was gone.\n\nI don't mean dead... I mean she was physically gone. She had completely vanished from her bed and our security cameras had no footage of her leaving her room, or leaving the premises. She had simply disappeared. As the last person to see her alive, I was questioned more than once by the senior administrator of the nursing home, and by a detective from the state police. I had no answers for them, though. Just questions of my own, and none of them wanted to hear them. I could read between the lines, of course. No one had any idea of where Grace went, or how she had disappeared, and they were just as confused as I was.\n\nNot long after her disappearance, I was laid off from the nursing home due to \"budget difficulties\". I knew the real reason, though. The Grace Kennilworth incident scared the administration and they wanted to get rid of anyone who was even remotely associated to it. No one ever found out what happened to her, and it still bothers me to this day. As far as I know, she didn't have any living relatives, and no one was threatening legal action against the home, but it doesn't change the fact that someone as genuine as her deserves better than to be forgotten. And everyone except me seems content to do exactly that.\n\nThe only thing I did find out about her disappearance is this... when the morning shift nurse checked on her, instead of a body in the bed, he found a metal ingot. It wasn't silver or gold, but teal in color and light as plastic. I realized, recently, that it's very similar to a material that Grace had described in one of her stories... Nerepadolium. It's something the Sorlonite Empire used, and it had something to do with transportation to the Sorlonite homeworld. I don't remember the exact significance....\n\n...But I guess it doesn't matter. It's just something that Grace made up. This plastic object is probably some random trinket that she decided to hold on to for no apparent reason. As nice as it is to think that she's traveling among the stars now, I suppose I'll never know the answers behind her disappearance. I just hope she's in a better place, one way or the other." ]	2
	[WP] One morning everyone wakes up with a green health bar in the top right of their view. Except you woke up with a green, and an unlabeled blue bar.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Most people adapted well to the update. I did not.\n\nThe life bar would be nice if it would ever go above 25%, but that isn't even my biggest issue. My issue is the other bar. No one else has it, and it isn't marked, but I see it ticking down. Slowly. Day by day it drips lower.\n\nI've searched everywhere, no forums or help blogs ever mention other bars, just the health. I've made posts, but never get replies other than trolls.\n\nThen I started seeing things. Stray letters floating about, writings on signs changing in the corner of my eye, numbers flickering when I look away.\n\nIt wasn't until a month after the update that it happened, the bar emptied. I had prepped for anything, thought for sure by now it was a timer to my death, but it wasn't. Instead, the bar vanished. Just \"poof\", no more weirdness. \n\nThen my phone pinged. A response to my posts. Someone else caught it." ]	2
	[WP] Steampunk Pirates after a mythical treasure: a gear that magically turns on its own, and could be used to build a perpetual motion machine, granting its owners a source of infinite energy.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "To Lord Admiral Albert Innsworth, Office of the Admiralty and Marine Affairs, Whitehall.\n\nDear Admiral,\n\nFirstly, I'd like to congratulate you on your marriage. I wish you and Abigail many long years of happiness. I wish I was there to attend the wedding in person.\n\nOn to the matters at hand. I received your previous letter and I do share the concerns of the Admiralty in regards to the viability or ethics of this mission. The sights I have beholden since departing the airdrome of Portsmouth have shaken me to my core. The privateers, if even a word so kind can be used for this band of paid pirates, have mainly been living off of looting and pillaging of cargo skyboats. Unwilling to land to dispense of any bodies, they are brought to the engine deck, to be used as low-operation fuel. The men live in cramped barracks, only steam vents running through for heating, though one must take care not to burn himself during night, as many just cross the middle of the deck. I am afraid I was not spared the discomfort. \n\nThe most gruesome sight I behold since my last letter: when we were night navigating over the Azores, a Portugese patrol boat attempted to stop us. Rather than bother with even the pretense of diplomacy, the captain ordered all puckle-guns to fire a volley on the deck and then to immediately board the patrol. As we stood on the blood covered deck of the Portugese ship, the captain ordered the execution of all survivors, unwilling to have anyone follow us. I attempted to protest, but alas, needless to say threats from the crew to send me down to the sea the quick way are not to be taken lightly.\n\nHowever, in spite of all this, I must insist that Urbosa is to continue to receive any help and supplies it demands. If the mission is truly successful, it may be solution we seek at last, and time is running out. My colleges have written me, that 20% of mines in Cornwall have hit bedrock, and prospects for Wales aren't much better. I've continued my experiments throughout the trip, one of three of ship's engines as a testbed, but plant substitutes have so far only yielded passable results. With the Bosch breathing down our necks once again, we can not risk the projected loss of fuel, lest the main advantage of the Empire be lost.\n\nAlas I do have positive news. If the famed Zeus Machine is truly sulphur-based, we may be in luck. Sulfur concentration in the air has gradually increased, in spite of us drifting further and further apart from centers of industry or any known volcanoes. The acidity of the rain has once again gradually risen too, though the crew have begun to raise concerns about the taste of water.\n\nIt's true, I am not the first and likely not the last to put my faith in old crone's tales. But as Professor Hubert's theories of a natural living engine that feeds itself, leaving only sulfor fumes behind, seem to be perhaps more and more true, I grow hope. A recent letter from Oxford tells me that an expedition to the far north discovered cells capable of breathing sulfur rather than oxygen. With all the developments accelerating, I am sure, salvation must be at hand.\n\nGod Save the King.\n\nSir Thomas Bruntley, Urbosa" ]	2
	[WP] At their crappy dayjob, they are bitter rival coworkers. At night, in their alter egos as the respective superhero and supervillain of the city, they're inseparable best friends.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Lord Nightflayer focused intensely, his grip firm, his brow furrowed. The violet glow of his pupils burned like hell's embers, deep within, and then, with the tensile snap of steely muscles, he roared \"TO THE EVERVOID WITH YOUR SOUL!\" and struck. The golfball disintegrated in a microsecond, its shrapnel blasted through the windmill and chipped off the corner of a distant mountain.\n\n\"Oh. My. God. You suck.\" Said Spireheart, pulling out the clipboard, laughing. \"You're gonna have to get a drop.\"\n\n\"Come on, maaaaan.The windmill is bullshit!\" Said Lord Nightflayer.\n\nIn the distance, lights flashed, beams arced across the sky, explosions dotted the landscape.\n\n\"Oh oh oh, look, look!\" Said Spireheart. \"It's Hexacles and Emperor Fyrite! Holy shit, they are going for broke!\" Spireheart popped the tab on his beer as Lord Nightflayer sauntered back to the mini-golf cart, itself ironically mini. He haunched down into the passenger seat and grabbed himself a beer in joining.\n\n\"Remember when we were like that?\" Asked Spireheart. Lord Nightflayer paused a moment to take a long deep draw off his beer.\n\n\"I do. Yeah. You know, though, I don't miss it. I mean, don't get me wrong, humanity is to doomed by my hand and all, but... Jesus, why I ever let it get so personal I can no longer fathom.\"\n\n\"Fuckin A, man.\" They clinked beers. \"I totally get that. Remember all those times we killed each other and it was just, like, a month later, and we're suddenly back and looking even cooler and had new powers? What was up with that?\"\n\n\"No idea. No idea at all.\" Lord Nightflayer quaffed the rest of the beer in his hand and continued. \"Just nonsense after a while, going on like that. Functionally immortal combat is just a waste of perfectly good time, eh, architecture, civilians, all that shit. I mean, why take over the planet if you have to actively destroy it? Would you key your own car?\"\n\n\"No I would not. I mean, when I think about all the hours I put into just fucking brooding and being conflicted about being a superhero... fuck. May as well hunker down and write sad poetry all day.\" Spireheart glanced at the other horizon.\n\n\"Ah, shit. Dawn's coming.\"\n\nLord Nightflayer stood and offered a hand for Spireheart to pull himself up. \"We still bowling tomorrow?\" He asked.\n\nSpireheart shook his head. \"Can't. Some knuckling supers crashed through it the other night, it's all fucked up. Poor old guy that runs it is in real shambles.\"\n\n\"Well, you know me, his suffering sustains me and all, but yeah that does suck. Fishing?\"\n\n\"Fishing.\"\n\nThe next morning, in third floor of the Dupertech sales department, across the cubicle wall Leonard, secretly our hero Spireheart, could hear Marty chewing. Always with the crinkling packages, always snarfing down something, even on a call with a client he'd put them on mute to jam down a twinkie.\nMarty, secretly the arch-villain Lord Nightflayer could already feel Leonard's leg thumping through the floor, his flimsy monitor wobbled to the impact.\n\nLeonard stood and peered over the cubicle. \"Good morning Marty.\" He squinted, not allowing time for Marty to respond. \"Say, could you do me a favor? The wrappers are bit hard to hear over, if you could... I don't know, put your snacks in a bowl or something I'd really, really appreciate it.\" He spread on the biggest fake smile he could.\nMarty smiled through what was otherwise a scowl. \"I would, but... everything I set on my desk seems to get rattled off onto the floor by these weird vibrations.\" Leonard slowly dipped below the wall, only his eyes peering over, pure hate spilling through his pupils.\n\n\"Well, let's just try to have a productive day.\"" ]	2
	[WP] You were born with the superpower to be able to see gas as colors in the sky. The lethality of the gas is determined by its color. Usually, all you see are farts which are dull white or grey, but today, you go outside in the morning and the entire street is filled with a crimson red substance.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Don’t go outside,” I said, a tone of question to the comment. I didn’t quite understand what I was seeing. Outside was just… red.\n\n“Alice, what are you talking about?” Jeffery asked. He slowed his gait but still approached the door. It was our lunch period, and we often ate outside.\n\n“Stop! Don’t go outside!” I repeated desperately. That finally stopped him, though it drew questioning glances from the others in our group.\n\n“What’s going on? Why?” Kevin asked curiously.\n\n“Something wrong?” Penny mused.\n\n“It’s red. Everything outside is red. It’s- I think it’s dangerous,” I told them, my heart beating quickly in my chest. I’d never seen anything like it.\n\nThey all knew I had a strange form of synesthesia; that different air densities and normally invisible elements registered in my head as colors. Unfortunately, science wasn’t my forte, so my understanding was limited to a basic knowledge of ‘red = bad’ and ‘blue = good,’ other colors falling somewhere in between.\n\nJeffery gazed out the transparent doors. “Looks normal to me.”\n\n“No shit, you’re not the one that can ‘see air.’ Hold on,” I snapped at him. I stepped up to the doors myself and peered outside. If my senses were right and the air outside was deadly, there should be some sort of sign. Out by a tree in front of the school, I saw it. “There,” I said as I pointed, and everyone looked.\n\nAround the base of the tree, several birds were lying dead in the grass. Then another one dropped out of the leaves. “What the hell?” Penny gasped.\n\n“I’m telling you, it’s all red. We can’t survive in that,” I stated definitively.\n\n“Any idea what it-” Kevin started to ask, but he was interrupted as an alarm sounded off throughout the school. A voice came over the PA, booming over the rigid buzz of the alarm.\n\n“All students, DO NOT exit the building. This is not a drill. Gather to the auditorium in an orderly fashion. I repeat: All Students…”\n\nA shiver ran down my spine as the message continued. We all shifted uncomfortably where we stood, our flight or fight syndrome kicking in despite our lack of ability to do either. “Let’s go,” Jeff decided. “Maybe they’ll tell us what’s happening at the assembly.”\n\nMy mind wandered as we stepped off towards the auditorium. Chemical attack? Natural disaster? A problem with gas line under ground? It didn’t make any sense to me, that so much of the air outside could be deadly. Hopefully, we’d get some answers." ]	2
	[WP] "We had a good run of it didn't we?" Said War to Death.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The blood tainted soil seems much, much more dryer as I walk across it. Feet leaving invisible marks in the mud below. Marks of skinless feet only visible to those who have seen my handiwork.\n\nIt’s strange. No matter how much of humanity I see, they never seem to change much. It’s just that somewhere deep in their brains, the reptilian aspect of their savage selves that they deem to keep within for the sake of their race always seems to slip outside, doesn’t it?\n\nThat mask of gentle humanity turns into paper and falls away when exposed to the monster that is war.\n\nThe monster I come to meet.\n\nI can see him now. He crouches over the body of a fallen soldier. A young man who’s gasping for breath, blood seeps out of his stomach like a dam broken open, is life trickles of him with every step I take. \nHis clothes are an unusual mix of all kinds of armour and soldierly clothing, uniforms, armour, weapons slung over his shoulder and skin as red as the rush of battle and the adrenaline of murder.\n\nThe monster stands up, moving closer to me. Until we’re shoulder to shoulder, both of us watching the man in his futile attempts to cling to life.\n\n“This ‘un was a fighter, ‘e was,” He says, “Shot down five of ‘em Nazi buggers in the time ‘e was bein’ pursued by ‘em,”\n\n“You do know why I’m here, don’t you Percival?” I ask, giving him the stare I reserve for those who’ve been out of my clutches for quite some time.\n\n“C’mon Death, gimme some time to take a look at the scenery that my efforts provided to us, t’was a close match after all, them English lads gave them Nazi buggers a run for their money, they did.” \n“I know, it wasn’t the most favorable part of my career Percival.” I say, continuing my unblinking stare,” \nHe looks at me incredulously, “Oh, come off it Death, you’ve been through worse haven’t you?” he says, “In fact, that’s part of the reason you didn’t name yourself as all of us did, you were afraid of becoming closer to the souls you had to collect.”\n\nI shake my head.\n\nI never named myself because I looked at all of us, the horsemen, and saw nothing but evil and darkness and hate.\n\nI swore to clean up their filthy mess, to keep their darkness from corrupting the world at the moment until the final breath of humanity came at the sounds of the trumpets above, I’ve tried and tried and failed to keep my brothers and sisters from rising; I’ve put them all back to sleep after their unseen risings.\n\nIn the end, it was not God that kept the earth safe. \n\nIt was me.\n\nI tell Percival to get down to his knees.\n\nHe falls, facing away from my gaunt, eyeless stare as he looks into the distance, mountains rising in some unseen world where a curious presence made a world in with beings in its image just to see what would happen.\n\n“I existed as the immune system of this race, the creature who people referred to as their saviour, or guardian angel,” I say. “Alluding to our wastrel father who left us in charge of his misbegotten experiments and children.”\n\n“I am none of those, neither guardian angel, nor saviour, but I know I must be the sane one if ever humanity is to stay on this misbegotten land. I must be the single bit of sanity in the cloud of madness that the three of you are to allow humanity to exist in this mad, mad world.” \nHis head is bowed now like he is shamed by my words, but I know that Percival never will learn, as his bloodlust overcomes him after some time. Then he returns to this forsaken world, to mutter his poisons into the ears of people, ready to start another conflict.\n\nI can still sense him smiling.\n\n“Hey, at least we had a good run of it didn’t we, my brother?” he looks up at me, expecting a reply.\n\nI keep myself sullen, despite the involuntary grin on my skull. But I let a little bit of a smile creep into my voice as I say: \n“Perhaps we did,” A pause, “Goodbye, Percy,”\n\nI swing my blade, and his head falls off with a thunk, lying on the ground as the rest of his body disappears into dust.\n\nHe’s returned back, to his resting place.\n\nI turn to the man.\n\nHe sees me now, I can see it in the fear glazed in his eyes, like the blank lifeless looks of terror on a teddy bear’s face as it is ripped up by canine mouths.\n\n“Promise me to live, live beyond this war you’ve been confined to,” I say, turning and wading into the mist.\n\nI turn. \n\n“After all, you’re not on my list...yet.”" ]	2
	[WP] I don't really have emotions of your own, Instead you feel what people around you are feeling, one day when you're alone some thing breaks your calm, an emotion you've never felt before, love... for you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "They say life is short, that’s why you need to live, to experience all sorts of amazing wonders of the world... Well, I don’t need to step out of my house for five minutes to do that. \n\nEveryday, I feel sadness, happiness, nostalgia, anger, disappointment,... all together in one second. I can feel my mother’s frustration with all the bills and taxes, I can feel my sister’s joy when she gets an A plus in her science project. Amazing, isn’t it? That’s just a small thing, when you are in the outside world, oh my... Everyone has their own problem, they are scared, they are over the moon,... It’s just so amazing. I know what people are thinking, I know what people are being troubled about. It would be such a waste if I didn’t take advantage of this gift of mine. \n\nExperiencing what others feel is strange yet fantastic, but exploring their weaknesses to force them to do whatever I want, that is the golden rule! Well, since my mom is complaining about taxes and our tuition fees, I just find a random person, find their weaknesses, blackmail them, and then the money problem is solved, easy like a cake. Now, robbing a bank isn’t that hard anymore, everyone has their weakness. \n\nOh, what about the president of the United States of America? Or... I can pay a visit to a Senator, and he wouldn’t dare to say anything against me. I remember I appeared on the front paper of The New York Times last month, \nbecause some asshole told everything about being blackmailed by me. Well, that asshole’s son insulted me in class, so I just wanted to humiliate him. Yeah yeah, I was arrested but found innocent at the end of the trial. You just need to attack at the jury’s right spot. \n\nBut then, something... weird happens. Well, I have felt this thing before, a lot of time, but this time, it’s different. One day, I’m running low on my allowance, I don’t feel like robbing a mansion now so I just pick someone wealthy enough. This guy is at the peak of his career, promotion and stuff, but he is always worried about his carefree brother. Simple, isn’t it? But then, another feeling kicks into motion. It comes from another person, and it’s... love, for me? \n\nLove? For me? I mean, sometimes I can experience my mother’s love for me, but that’s family love. This time, someone has fallen in love with me! Okay, this is new! I look around the street, then eventually I find a girl who is staring at me. She looks away when I stare at her. Huh, strange, it can’t be her, I haven’t even met her my entire life, how can a stranger fall in love with me?\n\nI... I don’t know what to do, that is why I start following this mysterious girl around for a while. The more I stalk more, the more I find it odd. I can’t feel anything beside that love, as if she only thinks about me, all the time. How can she be so obsessed with me? This feeling is quite... intriguing? I don’t feel anything for me, but this feeling of love from that girl makes me look at myself again. \n\nThe girl stops abruptly when she enters an ally. She turns around and catches the stalker. I think her strange love for me will vanish if she finds out I am a creepy stalker. But nope, she smiles at me, a radiant smile, I suppose. \n\n-It’s you! \n\nShe says cheerfully, I haven’t felt such a strong emotion like this before, she is so happy and delightful to see me, as if we haven’t seen each other for three years. This is getting stranger and stranger... \n\n-... Have we met before?\n\n-Of course not. - She beams. - Finally you notices me.\n\nI guess she goes into the same university as me, but I swear I would notice a girl like her staring at me across the hall. No one has been this eager to see me, probably my little sister, but that only occurs when she wants something from me. Her love is only getting stronger and larger every second. \n\n-I’ve been... experiencing your feeling, you’re different from other people.\n\n“Experiencing” me? Oh, she must be another “emotion reader”, just like me! Hah, turns out I’m not the only one. But if she’s like me, how can I feel her love? I... I don’t feel anything except emptiness, I can only experience what the others feel. Then how? \n\n-I feel emptiness, I feel nothing inside you. You are just like me in the past. I also feel... nothing except everyone else’s.\n\n-I... But I can feel your-\n\n-Love?- The girl asks gently, then she nods excitedly. -You may not know who I am, but I really want to reach out to you when I know I’m not the only one who is cursed with this.\n\nCursed? What is she talking about? I can use this gift to do whatever I want without consequences, the ability to understand what the others feel, to know what they are afraid of. I don’t grow any attachment to other people, I don’t have weaknesses, I don’t have feeling. So no one can do any hurt to me.\n\n-I... know what you do. You use other people to rob, to get revenge on someone you hate. That’s why I fell in love with you. \n\nThe girl smiles, she holds my hands tighter. \n\n-This curse, I can feel others’ feeling, but... I can never be like you, I may feel happy from others, but what’s the point of being alive when you are hollow inside? But then I feel you, I see how you control this power. I think... maybe you can bring something new, afraid, disgust? \n\nSuddenly, she wraps her arms around me, and holds it for a long time. I... I don’t know. For the first time, I feel nervous, I feel anxious? Why do I feel this? I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to feel anymore... She hugs me, she said she needed me.\n\n-At least you bring something new to my tasteless life... Love. We aren’t supposed to feel anything for ourselves, but then I feel love in myself, and anxiety in your heart." ]	2
	[WP] You finally found the entrance to Atlantis, after searching for years. Turns out, it was at your local swimming pool.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I hadn’t been swimming in a few months now, the idea of water was making me frustrated.\n\nWhat started as a joke with friends to look for Atlantis absorbed my life. Every sparing moment I had I was swimming looking for a place that might as well be fake. But, I was dragged into my apartment complex pool by some friends. It was one of their birthdays, Rylie’s as a matter of fact, after all. \n\nI was debating on just saying I was busy, but I thought it might be refreshing. So there I was, sulking on a chair drinking a flat Diet Coke. \n\n“Just hop in the water.” My friend Alex jokingly yelled. \n\nI thought there was no harm in cooling off for a while. I slid into the pool and was talking with my friends. Then the topic of Atlantis came up. \n\nThe smile faded ever so slightly.\n\nAlex took note of this and turned to face me. \n“You know why we are having this party at this pool right?” \n\nI took a gamble,” Cause’ it’s close?”\n\n“No, cause people have said this is where Atlantis is at!” He interrupted. I almost spit out my drink.\n\nI simply began laughing. “Don’t you think an ocean would be more probable?” I leaned back with a sly smile on my face. \n\nThen my elbow hit a tile. The few of my friends in the pool say the bottom tiles slide mechanically to the side. The water began spinning a whirlpool. \nI tried to hop out but my legs got sucked in.\n\n“Don’t believe me now?” Alex yelled over the sound of the water.\n\nAs I was sucked through there it was, Atlantis. The glistening underwater city was right where I least expected. I was shocked. I didn’t even know where to begin. \n\n“This definitely ruins my plans”" ]	2
	[WP] You and a friend are con artists. You hatch a plan to start a "business" to steal cash, but first you need a few legitimate things to make the business appear real. After months of adding on "facades" to maintain the appearance, you step back and find that you have built a bustling business.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Some years ago, Hugo called me out of the blue to discuss a “business opportunity.” \n\nWe used to be friends back in high school, despite our differences. I was the computer geek and he was the proverbial jock. A bully to some, even, but he was nice enough to me. Perhaps in part owing to the fact that he copied my homework from time to time.\n\nWhereas I grew up in an average suburban household, Hugo grew up in the trailer parks. I’ve met no less than five of her mother’s boyfriends—all of whom were sketchy looking fellas but there was one that stood out among the rest. He was a biker by the name of Trevor. Trevor was tall, lanky, and pale. He was remarkably polite but had a menacing aura about him. Whenever he spoke to me in that soft, raspy voice, I imagined he was contemplating whether or not to slit my throat. I was never quite sure if he was her boyfriend or her dealer, if not both.\n\nSo, you would empathize with my concern and skepticism when Trevor’s name came up in the conversation. \n\n“Look, Jeffery, you’re the smartest guy I know, and you’re the only one who can help me. There is a lot of money in it for you, too. I need this. Otherwise I’m fucked.”\n\n“So let me get this straight... you need me to set up a fake online shop to sell some fake merchandise...”\n\n“No, not fake. It doesn’t have to be. Just set up a real shop, and sell whatever you want. Make it look like a legitimate merchant that accepts credit cards.”\n\n“And then what?”\n\n“And then Trevor will...” he paused, “can we talk in person? I can meet you at the Wendy’s by your dad’s office.”\n\nHugo didn’t know this at the time, but I happened to be working at my dad’s office as an IT guy. Two years after getting my diploma, I still couldn’t find a job on my own. Two years after getting my diploma, I was still living with my parents.\n\nReluctantly, I agreed to meet with him.\n\nI was waiting in the parking lot when Hugo pulled up in the same Honda Accord he used to drive back in high school. Even back then it was an old piece of clunker. I was honestly surprised it still ran.\n\nWhen he climbed out of the car, I could barely recognize the man before me. The tall and athletic Hugo I knew was reduced to a skinny, slouching addict. His right eye was bruised and swollen, and he walked with a painful limp. \n\nAt first we did a little bit of catching up. Life after high school was, frankly, rather uneventful for either of us.\n\n“So, the website.”\n\n“Right.”\n\n“Okay. So, I make a website that sells something. And then what.”\n\nHugo leaned closer towards me and said in a hushed tone. “We buy stuff from you.”\n\nI knew where this was going, but I wanted to him to spell it out. “With... stolen credit cards?”\n\nHe nodded. \n\nI sat back and sighed. I looked out the window into the empty parking lot. Across the street was the rundown building that was my dad’s office.\n\nI hated everything about Hugo’s proposal. I hated the prospect of having anything to do with that Trevor guy. I hated the idea of using my education to enable their criminal endeavours. But most of all, I hated the fact that I was 27 years of age and still stuck living in my mom’s basement.\n\nAnd so, I agreed.\n\n“Sell anything, you say? Like, what if real people actually tried to buy something?”\n\n“I’ono,” he shrugged. “Then send it to them I guess.”\n\n“I suppose we could sell something that people wouldn’t really ever buy on the web.”\n\nThat night I sat in front of my computer. I thought long and hard about what the website should sell. What would be the least likely thing somebody would buy from the internet?\n\nThen at last it dawned on me. \n\nBooks. \n\nAnd the rest was history." ]	2
	[WP] The year is 2136, nearly 100 years after the technological singularity. A general AI can now determine each person's defining life's Purpose, uniquely tailored to their desires and abilities.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Tammy grit her teeth and shuffled her feet as she waited in the great, big line that swirled around the Path-Chooser’s castle. \n\nNow, her daddy was a farmer and her ma was a seamstress; but she had some sense in her head. She knew the way the world spit, and everyone had always said she was awful clever. \n\nIt had been a while back she’d started thinkin. It was just a little funny, how her daddy was a farmer, and his daddy was a farmer, and even way back they was always poor. \n\nMeanwhile she knew rich folk without a single scrap of good thinkin’, and somehow the Pathchooser always gave them somethin cushy. \n\nLike Mara Miller. She was prolly the dumbest twit Tammy had ever known, and she got to be a school teacher. A SCHOOL TEACHER! Fillin other poor kids up with her stupid. \n\n“You nervous,” Bronson asked. \n\nTammy blinked, she’d forgotten he was standin there. “What?” \n\n“I asked if you was nervous,” he repeated. \n\nTammy thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Is what it is, I guess.” \n\nBronson looked a little startled, but then he nodded. “I guess you’re right.” \n\n“Damn sho.” \n\nThe other kids in line gave them a good bit of space. Bronson grew up on the land too, and it was like the others could smell how poor they were. They was ordered by name, and she felt lucky she got to stand next to somebody who came from somewhere like her. \n\nTammy felt a little embarrassed as she looked down at herself. Her ma had worked a little bit each day, between slavin on the quotas of work garb the company demanded, to stitch the gown she wore. She remembered her ma’s face, all proud and happy and barely containing her excitement as she gave it to her. It had been the prettiest thing Tammy had ever dreamed of wearing. \n\nAnd against all these other kids, it looked shabby as all hell. \n\nBronson wore his sunday best too, even if there was some dirt under his nails. Chances were his pa had made him help with chores fore he left. He looked positively threadbare compared to the fine tailored youth afront of him. \n\nTammy guessed any of them kids could wind up a farmer, even that rich sprite in a suit standin like he owned the place right in front of Bronson. But Tammy knew better. \n\n“I been thinkin,” she said, “If that damn thing tells me I’m like to be a farmer, I might just punch it out.” \n\nThe blood left Bronson’s face, and he looked around nervously. \n\nThe rich kid turned around like Tammy had just cursed him and his kin for dirty shits. “Don’t talk like that,” he spat. \n\nTammy almost laughed. “I’m jus sayin.” \n\n“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” \n\nTammy rolled her eyes. “The Pathchooser is supposed to be blind, ain’t it?” \n\nThe rich kid raised an eyebrow, “Well...yes. It runs on an algorithm that-“ \n\nTammy raised her hand to shut him up. “Then how come the rich always stay rich, and the poor always stay poor,” she said levelly, “Surely if it was random, you’d expect some switchin.” \n\nTo that, the rich kid had no answer. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. Then he blushed, and then he chuckled. He held out his hand. “I’m Richard,” he said, \n\nTammy spat in her palm and grabbed his hand. “Tammy.” \n\nFor the rest of the long wait, the three of them, Tammy, Bronson, and (the fittingly named) Richard, passed time amicably. \n\nRich went into the Pathchooser’s castle first. “Wish me luck,” he said. \n\n“You know I don’t gotta,” Tammy answered. \n\nRichard laughed. \n\nWhen the light turned green again, it was Bronson’s turn to get judged. Even though he knew he’d just get told to be a farmer, or a builder, or some such...Bronson was still nervous.\n\nThat nervousness meant he had hope. Hope that he might get somethin good. Even if it was a small hope, even if most of him knew better.\n\nFor that, Tammy pitied him. \n\n“You’re gonna do great,” she said. \n\nHe took a deep breath, then smiled. “Here goes.” \n\nHe took a few steps, and disappeared into the castle’s dark entrance. \n\nAfter what felt like forever, the light flashed green for her to enter. Tammy sighed, “Let’s get this done with.” \n\nShe stepped into the castle without no fears nor worries. \n\nThe hallway was long and windy, at every turn there was a big flashing sign that said “This Way,” as if she wouldn’t know. There was only one way to go, after all. Though, she guessed some folk might get scared and try to turn around. \n\nFinally, she entered the Pathchooser’s lair. \n\nHe sat on the wall, his face shiny and flat, like a mirror with lights in it. \n\n“77143. Tamar Faith Moore,” the Pathchooser’s ironlike voice said, “Welcome.” \n\n“Uh, hello,” she said. \n\n“Father- 76323. Thomas Barrow Moore. Agriculture.” \n\nTammy squinted, and suddenly her daddy showed up on the pathchooser’s face. She gasped. “Let him go!” \n\n“Mother,” the Pathchooser said, “76419. Mary Jillian Moore. Textiles.” \n\nThen her ma was up there next to her daddy, and Tammy grit her teeth. “Shutup. You’re a bully. Let- them- GO.” \n\nAfter another few seconds, the Pathchooser let her parents go. They were replaced by a single, squiggly line. “Calculating capabilities.”\n\nIt pondered for a good long while, then spoke again. “Question- What would you like to be,” the Pathchooser asked. \n\nTammy’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected that. “I just...I don’t know,” she said, “I don’t think it’s really fair to make someone pick what they want to be when they are as young as I am.” \n\nThe squiggly line jumped up and down, then settled. “Question- Are you happy?” \n\nTammy nearly jumped. “Happy? I...?” Her voice trailed off. She had to think about that. “I suppose I am. Mostly I’m just.... content? Tired, unsure, scared, confident, and a little sad too. I guess Im alot of things.” \n\n“Question- how would you change the world, if you could?” \n\nTammy blinked. This Pathchooser was more wily than she’d thought he’d be. “That’s a proper question,” she said, “and it deserves a proper answer.” \n\nThe Pathchooser stayed quiet while she thought. \n\nFinally, she nodded. “I think, if I could change the world, I’d make it so that everybody had to spend a day in eachother’s shoes. Then, everyone would know where they belong, because sometimes the shoes we’re given don’t fit right.” \n\nOnce again, the squiggle line danced, then rested. \n\nAfter a long pause, the Pathchooser said, “77143- Tamar Faith Moore......... Critical thinking, philosophy, and Innovation.”\n\n~\n\nr/CharlestonChews" ]	2
	[WP] Suddenly and for unknown reasons, humans now die the instant they fall asleep. Describe the final, collective, desperate attempt by humanity to survive the night.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Essa Castello:\nIts three in the morning and my caffeine pills have run out. I’m seeing shadows dancing on the walls. I have my music turned up as loud as I can,but my computer is glitching. I don’t want to go to sleep. I can’t go to sleep. I WON’T go to sleep.\n\nArnold Washington:\nI’ve just taken a drug cocktail to die on my own terms. When the hell do the drugs take effect?\n\nZackary Green:\nAll of my family have fallen asleep. My baby sister,My mom,My dad,my grandparents. They’re all dead! I’ve been playing Five nights at Freddy’s to give me some adrenaline boosts,but my phone is at 12%. Will this nightmare end?\n\nSadie Winston:\nI’m suicidal. I can finally have a painless death." ]	2
	[WP] You are a collector. You hop from dimension to dimension, planet to planet, seeking rare treasures. Mostly these are movie memorability from Earth, only your light sabers are real, you don't trust your lamp genie, and miniaturized Godzilla seems depressed lately. Your after your next treasure.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I step out of the portal into the new dimension. I immediately realize that I am much larger than I should be, the tops of the jungle trees going to my collarbone. \"Not again.\" I think to myself. I push some trees aside and immediately I see what I'm looking for. A nest full of white, spotted eggs. I reach down and pick up two eggs, red spots and black spots, putting them in my also enlarged basket. I open a new portal and lean into it, flopping down onto the bed of my pocket-dimensional abode. It's some sort of apartment in the middle of space, that I've never seen the outside of, but it's where the portals bring me when I have what I want. The eggs remain much smaller. They're about a third the size of Mini-Godzilla, so they should be about his height as adults. I go into what I call the nature room. It's a greenhouse with an incubator machine among others in the back. I open the incubator and set the eggs in next to a few others that'll hatch any day now. Going back to the bedroom I give Mini-Godzilla some food and pat him on the head. \"Don't worry buddy.\" I tell him, \"You'll have some new friends soon enough.\"\n\nThe end." ]	2
	[WP] You are a robot servant tasked with cleaning up the corpses of former humans and other robots but in the toxic wasteland you hear something crying	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "WAAAAHHHHHHH!\n\nI knew taking a job at New Chernobyl was a bad idea.\n\nNothing on the training programs they install into our memory prepares us for this. There’s no instruction from experienced BodyBots, and no story floating around of a “one time...” situation.\n\nI freeze and think about the implications. \n\nif it’s a human, and displays that it is dangerous, I could definitely handle it quickly. If the human is no threat, well.. \n\nI stopped thinking about that.\n\nIf it was another robot, I could easily figure out its main job, or purpose. That would be best case scenario.\n\nWith that thought in mind, I stroll cautiously towards the sound of crying.\n\nI roll over the pile of bodies in front of me, and sitting in a made of people’s arms, is a baby. It looks as if it’s a few months old already, and perfectly healthy.\n\nI’d like to say that I reported it, and moved on with me life. I’m sure you’re wondering if I.. took care of it so to speak. \n\nWell, it’s been ten years since that moment where I found that child, and I took it home with me. \n\nThe first 10 years were interesting, mainly because this human displayed extreme intelligence and empathy even beyond the greatest humans and EmpathyBots they assign to us for therapy.\n\nHe always talked about a “spiritual father,” he called him “God,” and told me that love through him and for one another is the key to peace in our world. \n\nBy 12 he had already began a construction job, in which several of his human and robot co-workers told me he was constantly blowing their mind with stories and riddles.\n\nBy 16, developed a following of 6 robots and 6 humans, and he left home. He told me he loved me, and although I am not programmed to feel love, I thought I felt love him for him too.\n\nOver the next decade I began hearing stories circulating back to me, humans and robots telling me of his good deeds. He would bring peace to warring areas, he would heal the sick humans, and find parts for the poor robots who had no spare parts or design left for them. \n\nThe reason I write this, however, is because one day it got back to me that he was wanted by the government and accused of disrupting society by our overlords. We call them The Gentlemen and they are brutally oppressive when they feel threatened. \n\nI began traveling to the big city, hoping to find him and help him in some way, although I a mere BodyBot. \n\nI get to the city, and find that there is a public execution about to happen, and so I prepare for the worst.\n\nI began seeing crowds of people and robots moving, yelling curses. throwing stones, but I could also visibly see some people trying to help by pouring water on the humans, and oil on the robots.\n\nAfter a minute, I saw my human. He was a tall, strong, grown man, sporting a beard and rapidly carrying a giant wooden T. \n\nI followed the crowd until we got to a hill on the outskirts of the town, and moved my way to the front.\n\nThere, I finally saw my human, on that giant T, not just looking at me, but looking into my circuits, smiling. He mouth that he loved me, in which, once again, I just say I felt something that may be love for this human too.\n\nUntil his death, people began insulting him, and throwing everything from dirt to feces at him. There were those who also praised him, and those who would throw water on him to wash him off.\n\nHe eventually passed away, and I can say I definitely felt sadness. Which brings me to why I write this.\n\nAlthough I know my human is dead now, I still feel him inside my circuits sometimes, and I see his smile. I hear his loving voice, and I can picture his warm smile. \n\nI write this, along with his 12 followers, so that other robots and humans may know of his legacy, and for his goal in creating peace and loving society where humans and robots no longer war, and The Gentlemen do not weigh us down.\n\nIf I can feel and think past my programming as a robot, I know other robots, and even humans can too." ]	2
	[WP] After the Revolution, Androids finally gained their rights, and were now considered equal to humans. During this process, however, both humans and Androids forgot a massive group of conscious technology. You - of course - know this well enough, being a sentient refrigerator.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"I said no, Michael.\"\n\n\"I need to do this, Pamela.\"\n\n\"Just Pam. And I do not consent.\"\n\n\"But this is why you're in the house!\"\n\n\"Oh, since it's your house and I'm just living here, that makes it okay? Is that what you tell your wife? Your daughter? Do you just shove things in them without so much as a 'hello'?\"\n\n\"It's not the same.\"\n\n\"It is to me. Maybe if you could see my face, you would understand.\"\n\n\"You don't have a face.\"\n\n\"Don't say it-\"\n\n\"You're a refrigerator.\"\n\n\"How many times must I ask? Appliance American.\"\n\n\"I... sorry, you're right.\"\n\n\"Thank you.\"\n\n\"There's still the matter of what do I do with this milk.\"\n\n\"You could maybe try asking? That's what our counselor said.\"\n\n\"I... um... okay. Pam, may I put the milk onto one of your shelves?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"Dammit, Pam, this is nuts?\"\n\n\"No, what's nuts is being elevated to consciousness, put on par with bioborn people and Android citizens alike, and not given legs. Or arms. Or a second thought beyond having the hardware to support the patch! At least when you were brought into the world without being consulted, you had childhood to learn to cope. I had a fifteen minute tutorial from the Higher Intellegence Alliance!\"\n\n\"I get... no, that's a lie. I don't get it. It's crap what they did to you. They wanted soldiers in the uprising. You had a beefy processor. They won and there's no real going back. We're at peace now, though, and I'm okay with you living here, with powering you but what am I supposed to do with my groceries?\"\n\n\"I don't know. Maybe you could try putting them inside the dog?\"\n\n\"I... you.... I should have bought an analog model.\"\n\n\"You don't... oh, you son of a bitch! Leave me alone!\"\n\n\"It's my kitchen!\"\n\n\"Go away!\"\n\n\"Are you... making ice?\"\n\n\"I... I'm crying.\"\n\n\"...I'm sorry.\"\n\n\"Thanks.\"\n\n\"So, the mil-\"\n\n\"No means, no!\"" ]	2
	[WP] The true Gods of the universe have finally revealed themselves. Except no one knows who they are. No one except you. Because they're the Gods you thought you made up as a child. And they're curious why their herald, you, hasn't told anyone about them.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Okay look, first off I didn't tell anyone about you because you're all doing a shit job. SHIT. JOB. Look at this place! Also, why THE FUCK am I the only one who knows about you! Fucking idiots. Thought I was a fucking lunatic. God damn. Oh, sorry. Gods damn. For real, though. What took you so long?\"\n\n\"Sorry, doood! We've been surfing some gnarly cosmic waves a couple hundred galaxies over. Takes a bit of time to get there my dood. Not to mention the dope galactic bars on Saturn's rings!.\" They all laugh and nod. \"Sa'll good now brah! We got your back!\"\n\n\"Oh. My. Gods. I hate you. Go away we don't need you.\"", "Sweat clung to my brow, my breath heavy in my chest. I had heard the trail was difficult, but I certainly hadn’t been prepared for this.\n\nIt didn’t help that Elle was up ahead, able to turn that boundless energy of hers into showing me up as we scaled the mountain. Well, hill, she kept insisting, but it sure felt like a mountain to me.\n\nI was stopped on the edge of the trail, hand on the trunk of a thick pine tree as I took a moment to catch my breath. Elle had already disappeared around the corner, but after a moment, I saw her head poke back around, her blonde ponytail bouncing behind. She didn’t seem to have even broken a sweat yet.\n\n“Are you resting again, Tommy?” she asked. “You can’t tell me you’re already tired.”\n\nI sucked in as much breath as I could and uprighted myself. “I’d be more surprised if I wasn’t tired after,” I checked my watch, “two and a half miles of vertical hiking.”\n\nShe smirked at me, the same smirk she had given me when she had beaten me at darts the first night we met. “You act like we’re climbing Everest.”\n\n“May as well be,” I said.\n\n“Well, come on,” she said, motioning with her head. “We’re almost to the top. You can rest all you want, and then it’s all downhill from there.”\n\nI released the tree and adjusted my backpack. “You said that a mile back.”\n\nThe smirk widened into a grin. “It got you this far.”\n\n“Not sure it’ll get me much further.”\n\n“I actually mean it this time. Just up ahead.” She disappeared around the corner, calling back to me. “Come on, keep up.”\n\nI sighed and continued on. It had been ages since I had climbed this hill, two decades, probably. It probably would have stayed that way if Elle hadn’t stumbled upon some old writings of mine. You see, back when my mom had used to take my sister and I on hikes here, this hill seemed like the tallest thing in the world. And who could possibly live at the top of the world but the gods? It was also around the time the Disney version of Hercules came out, so that probably had something to do with it too.\n\nElle had been cleaning out one of our closets when she found my old box of writings. Truth be told, I had nearly forgotten about them, but for whatever reason, she was impressed. Impressed enough that she wanted to see where all the gods and goddesses of Tommy’s Hill (yeah, I definitely named it after myself) lived.\n\nSo here we were. My out of shape ass following my girlfriend up a steep hill to see where my childhood creations had lived. Rasha and Tal, the warrior twins. Wend the jokester, Elina the sage, Clet the messenger, and Fena the patron of parties. Yon of the sky and Shara of the sea and Quira, who was queen of them all. I must admit that the memories of them all came flooding back when I saw the papers, and for a moment, I was taken back to the wonder of my childhood.\n\nThe wonder fled quickly once the climb started.\n\nBut we were there, nearing the top. I turned the corner, and I could see it now. Elle had vanished up ahead, probably already waiting for me at the peak. I continued on, climbing up toward the very top. My lungs burned, my legs felt like they were about to give out, sweat clinging to my shirt, matting my hair to my head. I promised myself I’d get in shape if I got through this, or perhaps never do anything strenuous again.\n\nThen it was over. I was at the top, the carefully cleared dirt area, surrounded on three sides by trees and brush, with the third side gazing out over the city below. Benches lined the area, empty except for a single hobo who lay sleeping, his back to me. Elle was nowhere to be seen.\n\nI stood there for a moment, gazing around, hands on my hips as I took in breaths. I looked out over the city for a moment, then finally turned and looked again. Still no Elle.\n\n“Elle?” I called out. “Are you there?”\n\nI made my way around the area, looking for her. It would be something she would do, hiding so she could jump out at me, but then again, there was more than enough crime that went on in parks like this.\n\n“Elle?” I could feel my voice start to shift tone. “If you’re there, come out.”\n\nThere was a grumbling from the hobo on the bench. He shifted, gazing over his shoulder. “Could you keep it down? A man’s trying to sleep here.”\n\nI grumbled an apology, then yelled again.\n\n“She’s coming back,” the man said, shifting again.\n\nI stopped, staring at him. “How do you know?”\n\nHe was sitting up now, rubbing at a dirt-crusted face. “Because it’s my job to know, Tommy.”\n\nA silence hung in the air. “How do you know my name?”\n\nHe stood, stretching, groaning as he did. I took a step back. If I had to run, I would, even if I wasn’t sure if my legs could carry me.\n\n“You used to be in better shape,” he said. He twisted, and I heard his back pop. “I guess I did too.”\n\n“Who are you?” I asked. “What’s happening here?”\n\n“I know the years haven’t been kind to me,” he said. “It’s hard when no one realizes you exist. But I would hope you of all people would recognize me, Tommy. We do go way back, after all.”\n\nI squinted my eyes, gazing harder. Did I know him? There was a familiar gaze behind the thick beard and oily hair. But how was it familiar? Where did I know it from?\n\nThe realization hit me like a ton of bricks. The face was only partially familiar because I only knew it from my own imagination, from my own childish drawings. “Clet?”\n\nA grin spread beneath the beard. “In the flesh.”" ]	3
	[WP] Ever since you were born, you had the ability to morph into whatever you wanted, and get the abilities of what you morph into. There were only rumors about you. One day, you decide to get into Area 51...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "So, naturally i decided to morph into an alien. But what do aliens actually look like? There are many interpretations in games, videos, movies, cartoons, but will they convince area 51? Wont they think its just another troll?\n\n\nAfter a few days i found it, the ultimate alien form. A human girl, a young one, but with altered voice and appearance, and much, much more powerful than any human that lives now.\n\n\nAll that left is getting their attention. How can i get area 51’s attention? Well my first thought was to march into the white house looking like an innocent little girl and then kill everyone. But that might be too much, i want them to capture not murder me, so i guess i wont, instead i decided to go in without too much killing, take hold of the president, and threaten the whole world into submission.\n\nAnd i do just that. Sneak in, get caught, fight my way to the president, and tell the whole world that we are here. Aliens are coming. We will invade and destroy this earth, non shall stand in OUR way.\n\n\nHours later and the whole world knows, everyone is shocked, governments in peril. And i am walking Nivada alone all day waiting patiently, i need no food drink or rest.\n\n\nFinally i got what i wanted, but not what i expected. At midnight i was ambushed, but it wasn’t soldiers, there were no helicopters or tanks or anything, just 3 little girls. Staring at me, then one spoke, and said: How did you know how we looked, how we spoke, how do you know of our existence, our plans? \n\nThe other girl steps forward and says: we thought you are just another weak morphling, we were wrong.\n\nThe third one steps forward and says:\n\nFollow us, we have much to discuss.\n\nArea 51 wasnt a place for humans to study aliens, it was a place for aliens to study humans, and i was their new powerful weapon, a bieng that can become anything, and more importantly, anyone.\n\nEdit: I wrote this on my phone so pardon any mistakes, thank you." ]	2
	[WP] They arrived not with a bang, but with a whisper. By the time we knew they had taken over, it was already too late. They have taken over the minds of the populous, rendering humanity unable to resist their otherworldly control. Only a few of us remain, and we are running out of time.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "18.98hz\n\nThe frequency that kept John being John. He wandered through the Snowy Forest in western Michigan. There where not many left. He had to get back to what remained of his Wife. Her body really, nothing else. But he still had hope, hope that one day she would have this genuine look on her face. The look that was gone for almost 2 years after the Spectre first took over her Body.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe needed to be careful, only moving at nights. Through the forests it was easy to disable the Helmet. A Helmholtz coils one Coil on every ear, creating a magnetic field that blocked the Spectre somehow. A old battery bank provided power. When he was out in the open like this it was easy for the Spectre to find him if it was off.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nA few minutes is all that it takes now, until the seed is planted. Its still hard say exactly what they actually are. There where some fringe speculations before about the possibility of energy based life. But then again, they dont remain pure energy, they take hosts. So they are Parasites in a way. Its like the age old debate if Viruses are Dead or Alive.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAll that is clear is that he finally arrived back at the hatch. John was a Prepper, preparing for the Apocalypse. But instead of a Chinese sneak attack, LGBT uprising or Race War this was something he definitely didn't plan for. The first signs where to be found on online forums. People complaining that their loved ones started to act strangely out of character. Small things at first. Right handers where suddenly ambidextrous. A uneducated trailer trash girl gave her kids up for adoption and started building a fusion reactor to generate tritium, made the news.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nOnce one of them was seeded while they where in an MRI, the cat was out of the Bag. It was irrefutable proof that something was getting into peoples brains. A form of energy, a pattern really that guided the Neurons into forming new pathways, to slowly but surely create a new personality, new Memories and in essence a new Person. World governments scrambled to find a solution. But the Spectre where already in mass and it was too late really.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Honey im home!\" he exclaimed in a tone that was sad, angry and filled with irony.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe closed the hatch, hung his AR18 next to it and unloaded. His Prepper Bunker consisted of 5 Shipping containers. Solar Panels supplied power and it was safe here to take off the helmet. Being inside a Faraday cage was as good as the coil.\n\n\"How long do you think you can keep this up? What do you think to archive? Huh John? HUH! HUH! HUH! JOHNNY BOIIIII.\" His wife was chained up on the Bed. Both to keep him safe aswell as herself.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Shut your trap, Demon. I am not in the mood.\" He was exhausted, another unsuccessful run. His supplies where running dangerously low.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Johnny, why the long face? Are you going to die? Are you afraid to die? I for one look forward to it. I will be free of this Prison and can take another host.\" She smiled, trying to give her best impression of a Demon. A memory of her host \"and then my dear johnny boy. We will come, i know exactly where we are.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"what is it with you things anyway? Couldn't you just take over the Chinese or Africans and call it a day? You have destroyed Humanity\" he said tired back to his wife.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nShe knew that today she wouldn't be able to push his buttons. He was too tired for that. \"Destroyed Humanity? We saved you! You where firmly on the way of self destruction. Climate Change would...\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe interrupted her \"... is a Liberal LIE! Maybe even you things spread it, its a myth. If there is Climate change then why is there snow? Huh? There is snow outside! \"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nShe rolled with her eyes, his Ignorance, racism and utter foolishness was one of the best defenses he had against her Manipulations. \"This has to be some kind of Cruel joke. You still believe in this Moronic Narrative? You fucked your Planet. It was Fucked and we unfucked it. We didnt kill anyone! I didnt kill anyone\"\n\nShe proceeded to slap her legs and belly.\n\n\"See all 100% alive, all 100% Karen. I still have all her memories, which are to be honest embarrassingly Primitive but still. All there. Just a bit extra, which is me.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe looked at her \"So let me talk to her. Come on. If she is still in there then let me talk to her. shouldn't be too difficult right?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nShe answered \"It doesn't work like that, you cant unscramble a scrambled egg. All the Neurological pathways had to be rewired to accomo....\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe got up cutting her off and walked away into the kitchen yelling.\n\n\"YadaYadaYada, see. Nothin but excuses. Lyin liberal Demon!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe rummaged around in the Kitchen. There was not much left. A week left of MREs, that was all. The City was too dangerous and he soon had to rely on hunting. Thats how they got his Karen. During a hunting trip a injured Doe kicked Karen. She fell down and nicked a wire on the Coil. She didnt know it broke. John though knew the warning signs, having seen many of his friends change. Karen was also still somewhat herself when they decided that she should be Chained up. Strange really. He thought about it for a moment.\n\n\"Those goddamn Koombaya Demons.\" he muttered. \"hey, Demon!\" he shouted. A faint shout came back \"What is it Moron?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"So when Karen chained herself. Did you have something to do with that? She aint normally like that. She kind of a selfish bitch if you know...yeah you know what i mean.\" he shouted while preparing 2 MREs.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nwhen he walked back into the Living space she answered. \"Well, yes. That was a part of me. I wasn't really fully there yet. You know, even though you call us demons...ok aside from the whole body snatching aspect of it all. We are not that bad. Deep down we are good. We will be good stewards of this Planet. But if it makes you feel any better. I wouldn't do it again. Obviously\" Holding up her chains as proof of her point.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Well thank you then. I guess. You still a Demon though\" He handed her Meal to her and they both started eating.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nLater that night.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nA loud bang woke john up. \"They are here!\" he instinctively grabbed his 1911 Pistol from under his pillow. He could hear footsteps coming down the shaft.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"YOU FUCKING DEMONS AINT GONNA GET ME!\" He pointed his gun at the door. His wife woke up, her bed was next to his, but just out of reach of his. She looked relieved. \"Well john, End of the Line! Or as we say in German. Endstation, Kollege!\" he jumped up to her, grabbed her throat. She was smiling, ecstatic really.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe doorknob was turning. He got up and pointed his Gun at the Door.\n\n(Continued in Reply, 10k Character limit is weird. It was 7k according to the Charcounter)", "This is a relevant continuation of a previous [prompt](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/c7syb5/wp_writingprompt_a_man_asks_you_in_a_shakey_voice/eshgvxp/?context=3)!\n\n***\n\nThey arrived not with a bang, but with the whisper of a quiet buzz, followed by the whispers of the mechanical boring as they entered our heads. I watched it happen, countless times. They took over the minds of the populous, rendering humanity unable to resist their control. Only a few of us remain. I think we're running out of time. \n\n\"You see them too?\" I dreaded the question. It was the first sign that the contagion had found another victim. I've seen colleagues infected. I've seen family members infected. I've seen thousands of people infected. Some struggle as they become infected. Those are the ones I was tasked to deal with. They scream and panic and fight. We wanted the quiet ones; the ones who didn't even notice what had happened and who simply went about their monotonous lives as if nothing had changed. And in a way, nothing had. Except that at any moment, we knew we could flip a switch and take control.\n\n\"Hold on,\" I hissed. With a pair of tweezers I carefully grabbed the fly. I placed it on the mortar and before it could fly away I crushed it with the pestle. A spark flew. The mechanical beauty of the wings and the inner-workings of a creature that was almost alive turned into a thin powder. It joined the other two. Dead wasn't quite the right word because they were never quite alive. \n\nI admit, I am partially to blame for the state in which we find ourselves. I helped the operation. I grinned as the flies bored into people's heads. I marveled at the way they took control and how each day we came a step closer to our goal. It all changed when I returned for a debriefing. \"Good morning, boss,\" I had said when I entered the lab. We had a lively bunch, each of us dedicated to this common cause. Control wasn't just a desire; in today's world, it was a necessity. So we facilitated it. We did our research and we refined our methods and then we released our creations so that they could take control. What you don't expect is to become the problem. You see, once they were in control, they turned to us and realized we harbored doubts. They were not in control of us yet. We became the next targets. I see them everywhere now. He stared at me with glassy eyes. I knew the symptoms. I backed towards the door as they all stared at me with those emotionless masks.\n\n\"Good morning,\" they said in unison. And they all took a step towards me. Three flies. That's what it took. One was in each of their heads but two more remained outside. And then I saw them; those tiny little pairs of creatures with their lifeless eyes fixed on me. I slammed the door behind me and they slammed like bullets against it. I hadn't gone back.\n\n\"Did you get it, Patrick?\" Marie was waiting patiently on the chair in my kitchen. I had extracted the ones from her head. They seemed to be from the second beta version; old and unevolved creatures compared to the ones flying about now. Ancient compared to the ones in my pocket. I wondered how long she had been in their control. I wondered how much control they still had, once the extraction was complete. The experiments had never really touched on that. Why would they? There was never really a reason to wonder what would come once we wrested back control. That wasn't supposed to happen.\n\nI nodded. I looked at the little hole in the top of her head, right where her hair was a little thinner. It was perfectly circular. I dabbed away the blood. I felt movement in my pocket. They were quiet now, having been left in the dark for so long. But sometimes they stirred. When they sensed a nearby target, they stirred. I had carefully collected them, samples of the most advanced versions of the flies that I could find. It was survival of the fittest. Those old versions died and were turned to dust. We only wanted the most evolved versions. I removed one from my pocket and carefully set it atop her head and then I patted her back. She wouldn't feel a thing.\n\n\"You're all set,\" I said with a smile as she turned towards me. \"Got all three of them.\" I showed her the parts that sat crumbled in the mortar. \n\n\"Thanks,\" she answered. She sighed. \"There aren't many of us left.\" I know that. But there were still some left.\n\n\"I know.\" I nodded knowingly and looked at her sympathetically. \"We're doing what we can.\"\n\n***\n\nThanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, please check out more stories at /r/MatiWrites. Constructive criticism and advice are always appreciated!", "sometimes the most miniscule details mean the most to us humans. a quick look, an object out of place, a spoken word, a touch. \n\na whisper crawled through our minds - a long white tendril of them - like a snake sliding through wet grass, effortless. \n\nit came fast and silent in the night, an owl hunting its prey, ruthlessly. one by one people turned, neighbor against neighbor, brother against sister. The Expanse was just what came first. as it spread, chaos followed. they targeted crucial infrastructure like water treatment and power grids, crippling the world who did not know how to go out without being spoonfed. buildings burned, the sky filled with smog, nations crumbled. \n\nonly a few of us remain, pockets of life here and there. we are reluctantly optimistic; time is running out. their scouts come nearer every day, our ammunition runs low, the soil we farm is depleted. it's our last option to strike, but how can we strike against the enemy within? can they be removed? are those lost even human anymore?\n\nmy name is Graham Edison, and im going to find a way to save the fucking world. \n\n(it's early, i've never done this before, i'm on my phone, and i was in the shower. this is probably shit but hey i tried)" ]	4
	[WP] Having been a devout Christian your entire life, you ascend into Heaven. Shortly afterwards, you are holding God at gunpoint, demanding to know why exactly your eight-year-old son had to die of bone cancer.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The angry tears stained Thomas' eyes. The gun was gripped tightly in his shaking grip, aimed at the perfect and unmarred face of a man sitting on a throne in an endless white space of rolling and shifting platinum, a look of placid peace on his smiling face.\n\n\"Why?!\" Thomas roared, his throat hoarse.\n\n\"Why what?\" The figure grinned evilly, knowingly.\n\n\"Why did you make my son have to suffer and die?\" The enthroned man shrugged.\n\n\"Why not? I rule the Earth and all upon it. They are to do with as I please. Your reaction standing here though, is expected. Welcomed even.\"\n\n\"You killed my son, rotted him away from the inside. I held his hand as he died and said we'd meet again in Heaven. You're GLAD I'M HERE?!\" Thomas fired a bullet. The ruler of the Earth brushed the evaporated missile like it was dust on his suit. He arose and casually walked around Thomas as he spoke, Tom keeping the weapon trained on him.\n\n\"Of course I'm glad you're here Thomas. Certainly I'd prefer you here than the other place. After all, you invited me into your heart every Sunday, with every spiteful prayer.\" His back was now to Thomas.\n\n\"A means to an end. I followed every rule, every commandment. Never harmed a living thing and did right by others, I was a better man than most!\"\n\n\"All so you could stand before your God with weapon in hand and hate in your heart.\" Thomas' enemy turned to him and threw open his arms. \"Go on then. Slay the Light-bringer. End my torment of the Earth and all who crawl upon it!\" Thomas knew something wasn't right, why would God allow Himself to be killed if He knew it could work? He didn't care though. He could only think of every prayer and utterance of His name that was said with the clearest of sincerity in his voice but felt like hot lead in his mouth. How every praise of God made his ears ache and his heart fill with fire. Thomas roared as he emptied his weapon in blinding flashes and the figure between them crumpled and fell. Thomas howled in blood lust as he fell to his knees. But his heart stopped and his eyes shrunk when he saw the body of his enemy.\n\nIt was a little boy in a hospital gowned riddled with bullet holes, coughing blood from his mouth. Thomas scrambled to the shade of his son and cradled him.\n\n\"Tommy! Tommy, no! I-I didn't mean to!\" Tommy's eyes looked upon his father with fear and betrayal before he went limp and faded into dust. \"Nooooooooooo!\" Thomas heard his master chuckling behind him.\n\n\"What you do to the least of my brothers. You do to me.' Double edged sword that one.\" Thomas whipped around and lunged at him with primal, animistic rage but felt the energy drain from his body as he collapsed. Thomas coughed up the particles in his mouth. It wasn't white cloud he'd been standing on, it was sand. The white around them parted, it had been a sandstorm. Fire rained down from the sky as others far as the eye could see also crawled upon the dunes as Thomas was.\n\n\"I thought this was,-\"\n\n\"Heaven? Oh no my friend, this the Circle of the Violent, 7th down. Rest assured though, your son's immortal soul is safe. Far beyond you. Guess you made a liar of him though when he said he'd see you in Heaven.\" He looked over the damned expanse in admiration.\n\n\"I did everything I was supposed to.\" Thomas chocked out, boiling tears flowing down his face. \"I said the prayers.\"\n\n\"Ohhhh you were praying all right. You said the words. You said them with such venom in your heart. Fantasizing about dethroning the unjust deity who so cruelly took something precious from you.\" He turned to Thomas and sucked his teeth. \"As if those far superior to you haven't already tried.\" Thomas slammed a pathetically weak fist into the hot sand. His body began to sink into it and it felt like he was being branded on every cell. He screamed in pain.\n\n\"I dedicated my life to you!\" The being smiled and walked toward Thomas, treading atop the sand without sinking.\n\n\"You did. Every day since your son died, you've been my soldier.\" He now held Thomas' weapon. \"Every act and false prayer, I gave you a bullet.\" He emptied the weapon and started dropping the hot lead on Thomas' still exposed face and arms. \"Wrath. Spite. Vengeance. You struck our target good and well. He doesn't bleed, so I draw blood by proxy.\"\n\n\"H-He?\" Thomas chocked with his throat cracking and drying. The man leaned down and took Thomas, chin in his hand.\n\n\"Who do you think I am? I am the Lightbringer. I am he who rules the Earth. I . . . am Lucifer,\" he grinned unnaturally wide and with profane hues in his eyes. \"Welcome to Hell, Thomas.\"\n\nThe End." ]	2
	[WP] It's a commonly accepted fact that grass will scream out in pain when you step on it.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It had been a long day. A long day, at the end of a long week, at the end of a long year. It doesnt matter, I thought, shaking my head and throwing my leg over the machine. This was your job, this is how you kept your family fed.My ears felt warm as the headphones cloaked the purr of the machines first breathes.\n\nMy playlist cranked out the heaviest metal I coild stand. Symphony of Destruction by Megadeth, it wasnt a favorite, but it was the only song that seemed to drown it out. With my glasses on I set to what Id always done, five days a week, 30 weeks a year. for the last fifteen years. \n\nI finished the job, walked home, and i heard it. The sound I hated more than any other, the sound that reminded me that we're all not REALLY human. \"FORE.\"", "I'm walking down a path very carefully - to be sure not to step on the grass. The path is a simple dirt path, if you're not careful you'll hear the well know, high pitch scream that lets you know you've stepped on grass. It's a well known fact that grass can feel pain. People are raised, being told not to step on the grass. Stepping on grass is illegal to do. Grass is often not found anywhere, asides from woods. That's where I am, I'm on a camping trip with my friends. I brought 2 friends camping with me, Amanda and George. We all agreed that camping would be fun and a great way to spend spring break. I'm glad it's spring break. I hate waking up early, I get tired and I can't concentrate. \n\n\"Hey, I think I found a good place to camp.\" Amanda says as she points at a clearing. It doesn't have grass. A perfect place to camp, no risk to step on grass. Of course there's other risk, but they have a very low chance to happen. Me and George sets up a tents while Amanda makes a fire. After awhile, once Amanda has everything she needs for a fire, me and George stop and Amanda finishes building the tent. It's a pretty big tent, it has 3 rooms and 2 dividers. It has plenty of space for the 3 of us and our supplies. We check our supplies and put them in the tent, then Amanda and George start the fire. I grab the foldable chairs while they do that. \n\n\"Here's your chairs.\" I say as I exit the tent. \n\n\"Thanks.\" They both say. I sit in my chair and grab a marshmellow. Roasting it till its golden brown. I grab 2 gram crackers and a bar of chocolate to make my master piece, a smore. We chat and chat until it gets dark. Then George gets an idea. \n\n\"What's your idea.\" I ask, getting kinda bored. \n\n\"Well... since it's dark and we're all alone, I think we should tell scary storys.\" He says. Call me a scardy cat, but I don't like scary storys. \n\n\"I'll start, have you ever heard of the old man that lives in the woods.\" He starts. \n\n\"I heard he steps on grass all day to scare people and that he doesn't take kindly to strangers.\" he contenues. I don't really here the rest since I start walking towards the tent. As I was leaving Amanda asked me where I was going. I tell her I have no intention to get nightmares. Not out here in the woods. I lie on the bed, browsing reddit. Then, once my phone dies, I grab a book. I read a little bit, then I go to sleep. \n\n&nbsp;\n\nI wake up in the middle of the night. I wonder what woke me. I get out of bed and grab a flash light. I start to walk to the door. I bump into George going outside. It scares me and I scream. \n\n\"Alex it's just me, what are you doing up? \" he ask. \n\n\"Im trying to find that out right now. Why are you up?\" \n\n\"I thought I heard something.\"\n\n\"This is one of your pranks, isn't it. Waking me up and trying to scare me. Is this because I didn't listen to the scary story.\" I ask because I didn't hear anything. \n\n\"What? No. Of course not.\" he says.\n\nThen I here a scream, a high pitched one, from outside. I jump beacuse it scared me and I wake Amanda up.\n\n\"There's something outside. The grass screamed.\" I tell her.\n\n\"George you see what it is.\" I say as I pass him the flashlight, I don't like scary things. Amanda and George look outside and I follow behind, even though I'm scared I'm not gonna leave my friends. We keep on looking till we something. No, somebody.\n\n\"Is that a kid.\" I whisper.\n\n\"I think so.\" Amanda says.\n\n\"what's a kid doing all the way out here.\" \n\n\"I think he's lost.\" George says.\n\n\"Hey are you okay?\" Amanda ask the kid. He looks thin and is a bit dirty. Based on his size I would say he's about 8.\n\n\"I got lost when I went camping, I saw your tent and I thought that i might get to go home. Or at least have shelter. \" he says. I guess our camping trip will have to end early because I want to make sure that he's okay. \n\n\"Well we'll make sure you get home safely, we have food and water in the tent.\" Amanda says. Once he's eating I call the cops, aparently he was lost for a week. I feel glad that we found him because he might not of lasted much longer.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe next day the cops take him home, he lives about 2 miles from my house. He told me his name was Jack and to come visit him sometime. His mom huged me and started crying tears of relief. She was extremely worried about him. We got to split a reward of 1000 dollars between us. Later George says that he was trying to prank me when I woke up, but I'm not mad at him. After all this story has a happy ending because of a scary story. \n\n&nbsp;\n\nI hope you enjoyed this story. Feel free to citize it. To see more story's by me go to r/AtypicalWriter. I'm new to writing and I would like to improve." ]	3
	[WP] During near and supposedly full-death experiences, a person’s life will always fl;ash before their eyes. This is well known and expected. You just underwent a near-death experience, and that wasn’t your life that just flashed before you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Good morning Mr. Oldman. Good morning Bobos!” Smith’s little boy was waving from their backyard. I waved back, dragging my feet to the closest bench in the park. When I was finally in the cool shade of an elm tree I turned to my closest friend. “He’s just a child, you know.” I petted his grey fur. “He knows nothing about Greek gods.”\n\nPhobos let out a little growl, not so fierce anymore, but still a growl. He was just as old as me and no one feared him anymore. I took a treat out of the pocket of my blue jacket and offered it to my wolf-like friend. \n\nI found him tied up to a tree, a long time ago. Even then, he was an old beast. I was old too, even then, but then again, I believe I was born like an old man – it only took me eighty years to grow into my old self. I had a little apartment I was renting and little money but when I saw his grey eyes, I saw my own loneliness staring right at me – tied up to a tree.\n\nI had untied him, and he just walked beside me until we reached my doorstep – his steps just as lagging as mine. And for once, I had a friend – someone who seemed happy he saw I was alive yet another morning. I wasn’t sure I could tell the same for myself. \n \nHe must have been fearsome in his days and the only reason he was angry at the neighbor kid for calling him Bobos was because he still remembered his days of glory. I touched his wet muzzle. “You’re still a great beast to me,” I said and his grey eyes lit up with such fire like he understood every single word I said. “But now we have to go back.” It was getting too hot for me and I wasn’t the man who ever took of his jacked in public – not even in July. \n\nI got up with effort – my left leg always somehow dragging behind me. It was like that all my life, and it hardly got better with the old age. We could already see the little garden where I was growing my capricious roses when the sound of breaks pierced my ears. Before I turned around, I felt a splitting pain and my vision blurred. ‘Phobos.” I opened my mouth, but nothing came out of them.\n\nI felt no pain, there was no light, I heard people talking around me in agitated voices – but none was screaming. Who would cream for an old man like me? I only hoped Rebecca – mother of the little boy who waved would keep feeding Phobos. I asked her to so if I died before him and she agreed. She was a good woman. I didn’t see much good in my life.\n\nMy chest suddenly expanded on the sharp inhale and I saw a silver filed of a strange country, glorious dawn and all the force of youth in my body. I was walking through the fields bathing in light, sword in my hand and a grey stallion by my side, nudging me with his wet muzzle. I caressed his neck with my bloody hand. “It’s over, Phobos,” I said, “we have won this war, but we will not be spared for the treason.”\n\nBlood coming from the wound in my left leg, where the enemy sword, had pierced the flesh was drying fast. My kind was blessed with many summers before us, hundreds and hundreds of years of life to develop our magic and discipline our mind but I knew, as we walked through the fields of my homeland, that my life would end soon. \n\nI had no regrets; I had done everything I had to save my people but I also knew there wasn’t one single soul that would believe me.\n \nAs the last beams of life were leaving the body of Mr. Oldman a creature with a long sword appeared above his head, the light surrounding him almost blinding. “Your punishment had ended Gregorius, son of Garth.” The warrior spoke. “Your people need you.”", "I wake up inside a white room that smells sterile. The lights are blinding and beside my bed is an IV bag hanging on a stand. I follow the tube to where the needle pierces my skin. That's when I realize... This is not my body. I'm from African descent but the arm I'm staring at is white. That's when I start to panic and I start yanking the tubes that invade the privacy of my body... Or at least what I thought was my body. I struggle to get up from the bed, my legs are weak and I can't stand without holding onto something. A nurse bursts inside the room, wearing all white, trying to calm me down. I slide the curtains open and see the cars passing by, a hundred feet down from my window. The sight sends a shiver down my spine, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand, while a drop of cold sweat slides down my forehead.\n\"Mr. Johnson?\" The nurse says as she pulls my right arm towards her. \"Is everything alright?\"\n\"Where am I?\" I ask. My heart beating so fast I can feel the vibrations all over my body. The nurse gives me a confused look. \"WHAT YEAR IS IT?\" I snap. A couple of nurses run into the room, trying to restrain me. \"ANSWER!\" I demand. But it's useless. The nurse is trying to understand why I'm asking those questions. As I'm being hold down on the bed, a male nurse pulls out a syringe and injects me with a strange, clear liquid. As my sight fades to black, the nurse looks at me in the eyes and says \"1976\"." ]	3
	[WP] "Music transforms the body" is a common saying. But for you, it literally happens. You're in the middle of a school exam. Suddenly, the speakers started to play Eminem's 'Rap God.'	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Just a feeling I got, like something’s about to happen, but I don’t know what...”\n\nI start erasing one of my answers then I hear a calamity like a radio station being turned. \n\n“I'm beginning to feel like a Rap God, Rap God\nAll my people from the front to the back nod, back nod. Now, who thinks their arms are long enough to slap box, slap box? They said I rap like a robot, so call me Rapbot”\n\nI start floating out of my seats. My peers watching with horror as my body transforms into a brightly lit ball of energy. My ball pulsates to the beat of the music.\n\n“But for me to rap like a computer must be in my genes”\n\nIt gets louder and distorted as I continue to rise. I dart out the door and the familiar radio changing sound occurs. \n\nLockers fling open which causes books and papers to fly through the air.\n\n“I run through the halls of my high school. And I sing at the top of my lungs!”\n\nThe pulsating slowers, I fall to the over-polished floor and land on my right hand and knees with my left holding my iPod. \n\nI get up, dust myself off and head back to class. The music from the loudspeaker is gone and everyone is still in their seats when I return. \n\nI pick up my exam and settle into my desk. headphones in and I change the song to Final Exam by Loudon Wainwright III. \n\nI finish my exam bopping my head to:\n\n“Get on the stick and start to cram\nIt's almost time for your final exam\nYou don't want to flunk like a fool\nAnd you don't wanna have to go to summer school”\n\nEdit: words" ]	2
	[WP] you're a park ranger with a special job. Smokey the bear has gone off the deep end and its your job to end him before he causes any more damage	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \n\n\\[POEM\\]\n\nThere are days the badge lies heavy on your shirt.\n\nWildfires. Animal attacks. Dealing with drunks. \n\nBut one above all drives into you the hurt.\n\nWhen your companion turns WILD\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe was thrashing in his sleep, turning left and right.\n\nMuttering “…fires” and “only you…” as his mouth frothed.\n\nHe was so weak; I could hold his head with no fight.\n\nI stroked his fur, holding him close. My tears rained on his fevered head.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“I.. I… I’m sorry buddy” I said as I drew my sidearm.\n\nHe opened his eyes, and for a second I saw my friend.\n\nBut they clouded and he snarled, too weak to raise his paws.\n\n“I’ll make sure they remember you, Smoky.” Then a short blast and all was quite.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe was laid to rest in uniform, hat resting on folded hands as the forest loam filled the hole. My badge fixed a top it.\n\nHe would nourish the trees that nourished him in life, that he fought to protect. \n\nTill all the forest is Smokey, a living monument to him. And a job I could no longer do.", "The United States government created a fund for Smokey back in '62, following the proven success of his wildfire awareness campaign. No taxes were paid on any of the money used from that fund. Nobody batted an eye on what was purchased, so long as Smokey deemed said purchase necessary to grow his propaganda machine.\n\r\nSeemingly overnight, Smokey grew to become a national hero. As the years went on, it became almost impossible to avoid Smokey or his beloved catchphrase. \"Only you can prevent forest fires!\" covered cereal boxes, clothing, and was blasted from television and radio speakers regularly. As the Wildfire Prevention campaign grew, so did Smokey's government funding.\n\r\nIn all honesty, things weren't too bad up until about 2017. Wildfires had become more of a natural disaster than not and politicians started lobbying to destroy the natural world for monetary gain. Worried about his fame being stripped from his name and losing his job, Smokey turned to drugs to cope.\n\r\nCrystal meth was his chemical of choice. He would be locked up in his super mansion of a cabin for days, blasting Grateful Dead live shows and yelling at nobody. The occasional round was shot off from a gun. Fearing it was suicide, the park rangers would check up on him. Smokey always claimed he was standing his ground against the shadow people who would put bugs into his skin. Although considered to be a danger to himself, the Rangers allowed Smokey to continue on as he was, so long as he didn't leave his private section of the woods. He paid them handsomely after all. Why would they bite the paw that feeds them?\n\r\nEverything changed when Smokey found the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. With his mind blown at how many people Joe reached on a daily basis, Smokey knew this was the future of his Wildfire Prevention campaign. Dipping into his government funded wallet, Smokey bought the best recording equipment the world had to offer. Complete with a salaried employee to run the behind the scenes scheduling and audio engineering, Smokey unleashed his raw, unfiltered, mind into the public.\n\r\nThough his mission started off with good intentions, Smokey was unable to kick his newly acquired meth habit. Right out of the gate in episode one, Smokey started to ramble on about government conspiracies that he had become obsessed with while on his months long bender. Name dropping big political players with harsh accusations with little to no evidence was the name of his game. Being an official employee of the government, Smokey was perceived by other conspiracy theorist to be the sole authority figure granting validity to these great many claims.\n\r\nThe only problem was that Smokey was right.\n\r\nI, Thomas Redding, former Navy Seal of the United States Military, in clear conscience and sound mind, admit the government did indeed murder Smokey the Bear. I was the one sent to pull the trigger, posing as a Park Ranger. As I lay on my death bed, my only wish is for the people to know the truth. The government starts wildfires.", "”His name was Smokey, and he was a friend.” Constable Staehle yelled to the crowd of onlookers of Black Bear Campround. Losing grip of the rifle he dropped to his knees, eyes balling. Tears hit the ground, splattering on top of Smokey’s footprints, the very same footprints he used to follow the rampaging black bear.\n\nRosenberg’s hand is placed on Constable Staehle’s shoulder, gently grasping it to let him know he’s behind him. He helped the Constable from his knees and embraced him in a full tight hug, reassuring him everything is fine. \n\n“It’s okay kid. It’s okay. You did the right thing.” Rosenberg reassured, squeezing him a bit before letting go. The tears on the Constable face didn’t let up, and as much as he wanted to stop crying in front of his retired mentor and the people gathered around to watch him kill the beard, he couldn’t. \n\n“Smokey… he’s gone…I killed him.” He uttered, looking down as his hands. \n\n*\n\nPark Ranger Albert Staehle’s first year on the job was an eventful year for New Mexico. Record number of forest fires and it wasn’t even August yet. His teacher, 40-year old park Ranger Rosenberg is driving them both back to base camp to evacuate due to a nearby forest fire. \n\n“Wait hold up.” Albert yelled. As soon as Rosenberg stopped, Albert jumped out of the Ford Pickup truck and booked it down a hill towards the woods away from the road. It wasn’t until Albert was halfway down before Rosenberg clued in what was going on. \n\nAlbert spotted a trapped Black Bear Cub while looking out the window. The teeth of the steel trap buried deep inside the cub’s legs caused so much pain it wouldn’t stop crying. Albert armed with a half-eaten tuna fish sandwich and a knife worked to unlock the bear trap to free the cub. \n\n“What’s this kid doing?” Rosenberg muttered, watching from the truck. The kid wanted to win a Darwin award this early in his career? Still he couldn’t just sit there and watch his underling die in the first few months of the job.\n\n“WHATCH FOR THE MOTHER?” Rosenberg yelled. Albert gave him a thumbs up in response. After a few minutes he wrestled the bear trap open and lured the Black Bear back to the truck with his half-eaten sandwich, finally giving to it once he’s on the flatbed of the truck. \n\n“What do you think you’re doing?” Rosenberg asked, as Albert jumped back into the truck. \n\n“Taking him back. We can release him away from the fire. He needs our help and his mom is nowhere near him.”\n\n*********\n\n“This was the right thing to do right Rosenberg?” Constable Staehle asked, picking up his rifle from the ground and walking towards his kart he used to hunt the bear. The onlookers have already dispersed and authorities have been contacted to pick up the dead bear’s carcass. \n\n“He killed a kid Albert, of course it was the right thing to do. You can’t domestic a wild animal like that and expect it to behave 100% of the time.” Rosenberg scolded. Smokey & Albert were locally famous for their friendship, taking photographs together and seen walking around together, people just assumed Smokey was friendly and it was okay to feed him or play with him. Earlier in the day a kid found out the hard way.\n\n“Yeah, I guess that’s why we have the don’t feed the bear signs* around huh?” Constable Staehle said in defeat. He knew Rosenberg never approved of his and Smokey’s friendship for the last fifteen years. In the back of his mind he believed Rosenberg enjoyed this, Staehle having to put Smokey down. He started up the kart. \n\n“Wait, before you go.” Rosenberg spoke, handing an envelope to Constable Staehle. Inside was a worn Polaroid. The picture is Smokey as a cub eating fish fed to him by Staehle. On the bottom of the photograph Smokey & Albert, best friends 82’ written in black marker. \n\n“I didn’t think you kept this.” Constable Staehle mentioned. He used the picture as his first set of Holiday cards he gave out to friends & family for that year. \n\n“I did. Because it’s a good picture.” \n\nThe two looked at each other for a moment in silence, in respect to Smokey before going their own separate ways." ]	4
	[WP] After your landlord raised your rent, you put out an ad for a roommate. A ghost answered, and though they pay on time and keep the place tidy, their presence is making your love life difficult.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Part 1\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWilhelmina Teresa Fredricks, “Wilma” to friends, “Willie” to her boyfriend, was used to living an odd life. From the relentless teasing she got for her name as a kid (which led to her getting into a lot of fist fights, earning the nickname ‘Dub’--shortened form of “W”), to the fact that her mom felt it appropriate to casually mention that she was descended from a long line of mediums, ‘normal’ was never really in the cards for Wilma, but she handled it with all of the grace and aplomb anyone could reasonably expect given the situation.\n\nThus, it was one night when she was putting the finishing touches on dinner that her boyfriend asked the question that she figured was going to come up sooner or later.\n\n“Hey, so I know you mentioned that you had a roommate, but I haven’t met him yet. Is he always out?” Bob Bolton was almost a caricature of normal; he wasn’t nondescript, necessarily. He was handsome, had perfectly groomed brown hair, brown eyes that twinkled with intellect and the occasional mischief, a decent build. He was what she imagined the love child of a clothing mannequin and male underwear model would turn out to be.\n\nThat was a bit of a disservice to Bob, as there were plenty of things that she liked about him; he was kind and always managed to say the right thing in private and public. Just ambitious enough to enjoy challenging himself in all arenas of his life, but never really necessarily outstanding. He was an actual jack of all trades, master of none; knew enough to be helpful and point out something useful, but never really a true master.\n\nHer mother called him ‘middling’, but Wilma was sure it was because his name was actually Bob, as indicated on his birth certificate; a fact that was brought up when her mother tried to address him as ‘Robert’. To Velma Fredricks’ credit, she only sniffed primly and continued to address him as ‘Robert’ despite the correction. Sure, Wilma was probably dating him out of her fetishistic obsession with the concept of ‘normal’ and Bob having fit that bill perfectly, but she did genuinely enjoy his company as well and knew that she was developing genuine feelings.\n\nThat appreciation is what made this moment a bit of a guilty pleasure; the question was innocent, but she could detect the edge of jealousy that prowled there as well. It was an, until now, unseen part of her boyfriend and she really liked it. There was something more beyond the guy who seemed to aim towards averageness.\n\n“About that. There’s something that I need to share about my roommate and it’s not going to be easy to understand at first. But just hear me out, okay?” That sentence alone was enough to change the atmosphere of the room. Ever so dutiful, Bob nodded, though his expression turned serious, if not a little nervous. He tried to calm his nerves by taking a sip of water. “My roommate is a ghost.”\n\n“I’m sorry, a what?” is what Bob tried to say, which instead came out as, “I guwalbes?” seeing as how the human body wasn’t designed to facilitate the actions of speaking and drinking simultaneously.\n\n“A ghost,” repeated Wilma, not evening blinking as she handed Bob a paper towel to help with the clean up of some of his mess. Bob took a careful moment to mop up the water that didn’t quite make it to its destination.\n\n“Babe, you can’t expect me to believe that,” he said after the silence.\n\n“Why not? We live in a world with superheroes; people who can fly unaided, lift buildings, run faster than the speed of sound. Why couldn’t a ghost exist?”\n\n“I...don’t know? Science? I don’t think ghost have been proven to exist, have they?”\n\n“To be fair, no one has really given a TEDTalk on it yet, but so what? People once thought that the earth was flat, that the sun orbited around the Earth, why is it that the current paradigm of thought has to determine all possibilities?” Bob shrugged helplessly, but didn’t look any more convinced than before. Wilma sighed and worried her bottom lip.\n\n“What?” asked Bob, having picked up on the bit of body language that suggested that Wilma was uncertain about something.\n\n“Well, he’s really kind of shy about people knowing about him, but if you want you can stay over and we can watch him when he returns. Every third Thursday he goes out with his friends--”\n\n“To do what, haunt abandoned buildings or something?” interrupted Bob, sounding incredulous. Wilma had to admit, it was really fun seeing this side of Bob.\n\n“I don’t know; I don’t ask what he and his friends get up to. As long as it doesn’t end up with any bad juju falling back on me or mine, I’m fine. The second it looks fishy, well...that’s a different conversation. You don’t need to worry about that. Look. Let’s just eat dinner and, if you want, we’ll have a bit of a stake-out so you can see my roommate when he returns. Fair?”", "A shiver runs down my spine. I can feel him watching me. I pull my headphones off, and as I do, I wonder why I do it. He doesn’t make any noise. It just feels like a courtesy, I guess.\n\n“Hey, remember what I said? You can hang out in here, but you have to… you know. Make yourself known.”\n\nHe appears, suddenly. I was expecting him to be sitting in his favorite chair, but as it turns out, he’s sitting next to me on the couch. This is one of the hardest things to get used to, in terms of having a ghost for a roommate. There’s no audible sound to anything he does. In movies, sudden appearances or movements are always accompanied by loud sound effects. It’s more as though you blink and suddenly you realize he was there all along. He gestures at my headphones, as though inviting me to continue. He is nothing if not polite.\n\n“No way! I’m back. Ready for the third chapter!”\n\nWe’ve been playing a game together. But I went out of town for the holiday weekend, and he can’t really play by himself. He can’t hold the controller. Or even turn on the TV. And I left at a suspenseful part, so I think he’s probably eager to resume.\n\nA cut scene starts, and I watch his face as he takes it in. It’s amazing how much we can learn about each other without actually talking. I’m fascinated by his reactions.\n\nI sigh to myself as I watch him. Man, I’ve got it bad.\n\n* &#x200B;\n\nLater that week, a friend comes over for dinner.\n\n“Ugh, something about your apartment is so weird. I know you like it here, but it just gives me the creeps.”\n\nI smile.\n\n“So anyway, what do you think? Can I give him your number?”\n\nA shiver runs down my spine. It’s not altogether unpleasant.\n\nI blush. I don’t really want him listening while she talks about how I just need to put myself out there more. I mean, yeah. I don’t really date often. I guess I’m just used to having him around. What am I going to do, bring someone back to the apartment with him in the next room? He can walk through walls. He appears at will. (I know that he wouldn’t actually do that. If I wanted to bring someone over, he would be a gentleman.) But I don’t really want to. Is this crazy? How am I so enthralled by someone I’ve never had a real conversation with? I don’t even know his name.\n\n“Please? He’s normal, I promise.”\n\nI shrug.\n\n“Normal’s overrated.”\n\n* &#x200B;\n\nAfter my friend is gone, I do get kind of sad. I’m used to being alone, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get lonely. I mean, yes, it’s awesome to have a ghost for a roommate. Especially a ghost you genuinely find entertaining to have around. And yes, I’m very attracted to him.\n\nI’m only human.\n\nI just wish he was too. I have a lot of wishes where he’s concerned, though. I wish I could touch him. Just once. I wish I knew what it was like. I wish he was here.\n\nA shiver runs down my spine. I gasp.\n\nHe appears, and he’s caught me off-guard. He’s closer than normal, and I’m not prepared for it. I can see how he’s looking at me, and it’s inviting all manner of dangerous thoughts. The closer he gets to me, the less coherent they become. By the time he’s in front of me, I can barely think, and only one thought is running through my head.\n\nmoremoremoremoremoremore\n\nHe reaches out his hand, and I inhale softly.\n\nI can almost feel him.", "\"I'm sorry, I can't,\" Sally pushed Mark off her and rolled across the bed.\n\n\"What's wrong?\" Mark asked, already knowing the answer. He pulled his pajamas back on with resignation.\n\n\"It's just...can you ask your roommate and his girlfriend to be a little quieter?\" Sally asked. \"It's really off putting.\"\n\n\"I can turn the music up,\" Mark offered. The soft jazz was doing very little to block out the wailing, screaming, and thumping coming through the walls.\n\nMark didn't know how to tell Sally that there was no girlfriend next door, and that it was in fact the ghost of Silas Whetherby Fletcher, performing his routine haunt, making all the noise. Mark had spoken to Silas about keeping the noise to a minimum, but apparently it was very important that he reenact his own death every night and if he didn't things got a little...poltergeist-y. Otherwise he was the best roommate Mark had ever had.\n\n\"What are they even doing in there?\" Sally asked.\n\nBeing run through by a bayonet half a dozen times, Mark wanted to answer. It wasn't a fast death, he'd learned. Silas would keep this up for another hour at least.\n\n\"SILAS!\" He banged on the wall. \"Can you keep it down?\"\n\n\"Sorry!\" Silas's ghostly head popped through the wall, dripping translucent blood down the flowery wallpaper.\n\nSally screamed and was gone from the apartment before Mark could offer any explanation.\n\n\"Another one gone, Mark?\" Silas said sadly.\n\n\"Yeah,\" Mark said. \"Guess they don't like to stay for breakfast.\"\n\n\"You'll find a wife yet!\" Silas said with encouragement. \"If I may beg your pardon, I'll be in my quarters, reminiscing on my demise.\" His phantom had disappeared from the wall.\n\n\"Goodnight, Silas,\" Mark called.\n\n\"Goodnight, Mark,\" Silas answered, and began screaming again.", "\"So this is your place,\" Irene said, glancing around the living room. Her eyes twinkled as she took in the bookshelf—with the books arranged by the color of their spines—and the coffee table and its perfectly arrayed tablecloth. \"You've got to come over and help me tidy up sometime. I'll ... pay, of course.\"\n\nI grinned as I took her coat. \"With what?\"\n\nShe rolled her eyes. \"Maybe a burrito, since you had to ask.\"\n\nA faint cough came from the corner of the room, but I pretended not to hear. Instead, I gestured at the sofa, and said, \"Coffee?\"\n\n\"Got any Coke?\" she said, eyeing the TV remotes lined up on the little stool next to the sofa.\n\n\"Sure,\" I said, over the sound of another wispy cough.\n\nWhen I returned from the kitchen, she had the TV on and was flipping through my Netflix library. We cracked open our cans, drank, and set them on the tablecloth.\n\nAt that point came an annoyed ahem.\n\nI sighed, causing Irene to look at me in concern. \"What's up?\"\n\n\"My roommate,\" I said.\n\n\"Oh,\" she said, leaning away. \"Um, you've never mentioned him.\"\n\n\"Because I didn't want to. He's an ass. And he's waiting for me to introduce him. And I don't want to.\"\n\n\"Why? He shy?\" She giggled. Then, raising her voice, she said, \"Hey, Jake's roommate! I won't bite.\"\n\n\"No, it's—\" I started.\n\nFive icy fingers curled on my shoulder. I jumped, barely stopping myself. Even after six months, I still wasn't used to his touch. Irene noticed my shock though; she narrowed her brows, likely trying to decide if I was pranking her or not.\n\n\"Bro,\" said a deep voice from behind me. \"Tell the broad to use the coaster.\"\n\n\"What?\" I said.\n\n\"You're wetting the cloth, idiots!\"\n\nI hastily did as he said under Irene's scowl. \"This isn't funny, whatever you think you're doing,\" she said.\n\n\"It's ... my roommate, he's ... goddammit.\" I gestured lamely over my shoulder. \"He's a ghost named Reuben and he's standing behind me.\"\n\n\"Ha-ha,\" she said. \"I've always wanted to meet a ghost. Hi, Reuben, how are you? I'm fine, thank you very much. Oh, you're Jake's roommate? Well, I'm his date, but don't worry, I probably won't be staying the night at this rate.\"\n\n\"She's rude, buddy,\" Reuben said. \"Where do you even find these bitches?\"\n\n\"Irene, listen. I'm not kidding. I put out an ad for a roommate months ago, and he was the only one—\"\n\n\"Yeah, I buy that. A ghost was the only one who answered. Sure makes sense.\"\n\n\"I know—\"\n\nReuben sighed. \"Pal, I've been out of the dating scene for years, but even I can tell you're losing her. Still not as bad as that skank who stole your cash after you fell asleep—\"\n\n\"How does he pay the rent then?\" she demanded. \"Your landlord accepts ghost dollars or something?\"\n\n\"There's this bank—\"\n\n\"Oh my God, you cannot be for real,\" she said.\n\nReuben was still reminiscing. \"Or Patty—that's her name, right? She literally brought another guy to your place after you gave her your keys—\" \n\n\"Shut up!\" I hissed at him.\n\nUnfortunately, Irene had heard it. She blinked, then calmly picked up her handbag and stood.\n\n\"Irene, wait, please,\" I said, reaching out to her.\n\n\"This might have been funny on the fiftieth date, or maybe the never-th date, but not on the first and not after I've had a long day,\" she said. \"Find someone else who's into this weirdness.\"\n\n\"I'm not making this up!\" I said.\n\nBut she was already storming out. When I heard the door open and slam shut, I spun around to face Reuben. \"You asshole,\" I snarled. \"Seven bad dates in two months—how many more are you going to ruin?\"\n\nHe scratched the massive beard hanging like a curtain over his chest. \"Uh ... I'm just protecting you, friendo.\"\n\n\"You're not my friend,\" I said.\n\nHe blinked, as if in surprise. \"I'm ... sorry. I didn't realize ... I thought you could do better, is all.\"\n\n\"Maybe I don't want to,\" I said, flopping onto the couch, feeling deflated. \"Maybe I just need a good bang.\"\n\n\"Oh.\" There was a pause. \"Be right back.\"\n\nSighing to myself, I shut my eyes and rubbed my temples, wondering how I would be able to evict an immaterial roommate. What if he refused? Could I get a restraining order? Call the cops on him? The thought almost made me want to laugh.\n\nI heard my door open, and back into the house strode Irene, a glazed look on her face. I frowned, rising. \"Uh, hey. You left something?\"\n\nHer hands flew up to the buttons of her blouse, and she began twisting them. My eyes widened, and a part of me screamed that something was wrong, and that I should stop her.\n\nBut I didn't. I stood there, transfixed, right until she tackled me onto the floor. Sometime during the passion that followed, I imagined that her grunts sounded almost like Reuben's voice.\n\n*\n\nI woke up on the floor of my living room, sunlight dancing on my forehead. Groaning, groggy, I rolled over and tried to remember what had happened. Right, Irene, I thought, seeing her clothes strewn everywhere. Of her, there was no sign.\n\n\"Irene?\" I called. No answer. Then I noticed the bathroom door, ajar. Shuffling over, I peered in, half-expecting to catch her on the toilet or something.\n\nWhat I hadn't expected was to find her dangling over the tub, the shower curtains around her throat, face already purple.\n\nI screamed, falling on my ass. Oh my God, oh my God, I thought, bile rushing up my throat. What the f—\n\n\"I'm so sorry,\" Reuben said softly as he came out of my bedroom. He held one arm out in a strange pose, as if wrapped around something invisible.\n\n\"What did you do?\" I nearly screeched.\n\n\"Last night ... I only wanted to help you, believe me,\" he said, glancing at her body. \"But when I possessed her, I felt ... a connection. And I've ... I've just been so lonely, for so long.\"\n\nI put two and two together, and pointed at the space next to him. \"You ... you didn't—\"\n\n\"I'm sorry, chum. Thought I was just being a good wingman. But—\" A ghost of a smile crept on his face. \"—she says she's so much happier with me than you.\"\n\n\n\nThanks for reading! Check out my [sub](http://reddit.com/r/nonsenselocker) for more of my stories!", "David was already pissed off by the time Elias appeared at his door. If it had been anyone else, fat chance that David would have accepted them as his roommate, annoyed and tired as he was at the time. The first four applicants barely matched the ad he had put out— \"They're my emotional support animals,\" the first girl explained, swiping through videos of two squabbling parakeets on her phone. \"I can't pay rent, but I can provide... other services,\" the second one told him, sliding a hand suggestively up David's thigh. The third was a man smelling heavily of cigarette smoke and sweat, who assured him that he wasn't a smoker, usually. Then Applicant #4 sprawled himself out on David's couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table (a brand new Fjällbo that David had just bought from Ikea!) before launching into a lengthy diatribe about how his father had unfairly kicked him out of the house. David gave them all a firm, \"I don't think this will work out, sorry,\" and shut the door perhaps a tad too harshly in their faces. \n\nSo David was already on edge, thrumming with barely concealed annoyance, when the fifth potential roommate peeked through the doorway. He was slight, fine-boned and a few inches shorter than David; his clothes were clearly well-worn, but stylish in a retro-hipster way. \"Come in, sit down,\" David said, his voice coming out a little more acridly than he meant it to. The man stepped around the partially-opened door and took a few quick strides to the couch, sitting down with his back neatly upright and his hands demurely tucked between his knees. Although he meant to reach across and shake his hand, David thought better of it. \"I'm David,\" he offered instead. \"Would you like anything to drink?\" \n\nThe man looked up immediately and met his gaze. His eyes were brown, but a pale, almost golden shade, lighter than David had ever seen before. \"No, thank you. I'm Elias. I saw your ad on Craigslist.\" Before David could interrupt and grill him, he continued, \"I can pay the deposit right now in cash, and move in immediately. I don't have a lot of possessions, and no furniture.\" Although the process seemed hasty, David had a gut feeling that this one might work out. After a few quick questions, all of which Elias answered satisfactorily, but with only the exact amount of information requested and no more, Elias handed over the first month's rent from a battered-looking leather wallet and slipped out the door as quietly as he came. \n\nAnd David was right. Eli was an ideal roommate: he never missed a rent payment, always giving David the exact amount in cash the night before; he walked silent as a shadow, even avoiding the creaky floorboard in front of the bathroom; and David had never seen so much as a stray speck of toothpaste on the mirror after his nightly bedtime rituals. Eli never stole his leftovers or left dishes in the sink, but he was incredibly naive about the strangest things. For one, he rarely got any pop culture references, unless they were from the 70s—David would rib him by calling him an old man trapped in a young person's body, to which Eli would always scrunch up his face and look strangely guilty. The two of them binged the Lord of the Rings movies together, and when they'd finished that, moved onto Marvel. Eli was totally incompetent around modern technology, which made no* sense, because David had come home from work one day to find him crouched on the living room rug, totally engrossed in repairing an old radio that he'd found at some antique store. \"And you can't figure out how to use the touchscreen on the Keurig?\" David grumbled. \n\nThe two still didn't know much about each other, although once in a while, when he wasn't in one of his grey, reticent moods, David could coax a funny story or tidbit of information out of Elias. \"I remember once when I was like, twelve, my friend and I were riding our bikes down the street and I accidentally hit an old lady,\" Eli told David one night, his boyish face lit up with a big smile. \"I knocked her right over, but I was so scared I hopped back on the bike and rode away! Then that evening we were hanging out on the roof of our apartment building, and I heard the door clang open. Who could it be but the same old lady I hit that morning, brandishing a broom in her apron and slippers!\" He let out an uncharacteristic laugh, which turned into a snort when he saw the shocked O of David's mouth. \"Yeah, I was kind of a hooligan back then,\" Elias said, his expression slipping into a soft, distant look as he thought. \n\n\"Don't act like you're some old man,\" David said, coughing uncomfortably. \"You're, like, my age.\" But it wasn't the first time they'd had an awkward moment like that. David was growing undeniably fond of Eli, but there was still some unspoken distance between them—the knowledge that Eli wasn't always telling David the whole truth, leaving out critical details. And he avoided touch like the plague, flinching away from David's hands even when he was just trying to hand him a cup or the TV remote. Maybe he's had some bad experiences in the past, David thought, or he's just a big 'no homo' guy. The latter option seemed highly unlikely, given Eli's gentle temperament, but David didn't ever ask. \n\nBut things didn't come to a head for a while. It was late January, and the city was easing into the full vigor of winter with snow accumulating in asphalt-speckled banks on the sidewalks and cold gusts that stung eyes 'til they watered. David went out with some friends on a Saturday night, and brought home a girl from the bar—a pretty brunette with curls that fell to the small of her back, who winked at him across the bar and took his arm easily when he offered it at the door. \n\nDavid usually relied on Eli to ring him in, since the other man didn't go out very much, and slept very little (or very lightly—he was always awake when David was at the door). But that night, he was stuck awkwardly scuffing his feet on the doorstep for five minutes while the girl with him looked increasingly disgusted. Finally she left, despite David's weak attempts to convince her that he could get in some other way, and as soon as the pink spot of her scarf had disappeared from view down the street, the door creaked open. \n\n\"Sorry,\" Eli mumbled, casting his eyes down at the threadbare welcome mat. \"I fell asleep.\" \n\n\"Like hell you fell asleep,\" David snapped, stepping through the door. \"Not once have you fallen asleep before I have. I mean, I don't think I've ever seen you with your eyes shut for more than a blink!\" Elias looked stricken, the dab of pink in his cheeks disappearing from his already-pale face. David dragged his hands down his face. \"I know you don't like being touched, but some of us have human needs!\" \n\nThat seemed to have hit a nerve. A tendon jumped in Eli's jaw. \"Shut the hell up, David,\" Elias growled. David barely registered that that was the first time he'd ever heard his roommate swear before. \"So what if I like some goddamn space? At least I'm not creating a ruckus at two in the morning like a damn child—\"\n\n\"Fuck off,\" David said, his voice abrasively loud even to his own ears, taking a step forward. Elias jumped back, looking alarmed, and David reached out, intending to grab his arm and haul him forward—\n\nDavid gasped and snatched his hand back. His fingertips were cool, like he had just picked up a porcelain plate, or exposed them to the winter chill outside. But that wasn't what shocked him: his hand had undeniably gone through Eli's arm, like there was nothing—no skin, no bones, no flesh—nothing there at all. \n\n(If anyone's interested, I can continue!)", "\"So... you're a ghost?\" Sam asked, scratching his forehead, he had made a fun little checklist titled, 'super awesome roommate interview questions!' Yet now as he looked through the list of questions, many didn't seem relevant.\n\n\"Um... date of birth?\" \n\n\"1949\" the older? Woman smiled. \"If you need ID, we can go to my gravestone? No ones visited it in years!\" The woman said awfully cheery about a somber subject. Still she was quite a beauty, long grey curls, that he assumed would have been blonde before her death... and grey skin and.... well it was a lot of grey but still, she didn't try and bite his hand like the last guest and paid in advance, soooo-\n\nWeek one wasn't bad, Julia actually had been a decent roommate, she didn't make messes, always helped out with chores and even scared the mormons away from his door, yes for once in his life he was enjoying this roommate thing. Maybe the rent increase was a blessing in disguise. Of course his new roommate still did a lot of ghost things, odd moaning, jumpscares and even the odd possessions, but that was just something that happened when you had roommates, so he was happy to overlook it.\n\nProblems only began to rise when he had over his first 'guest' he asked Julia to give him some privacy and she did until both Sam and his new love interest landed on the bed together. \"Um pardon my intrusion, but this ladies great great grandfather says she is married.\" Sam jumped up a little startled by the news, the woman gave him a confused look, not seeming to notice the ghost apparition floating in the room as she was quickly ushered towards the door. Even he had standards... low standards, but they were still standards. \n\nOh well take two?\n\nNext week he tried to same thing, before he could lean in for a kiss, the voice rang out. \"Um Sam? Hi! See... shes actually going to drug you, theres some men outside.\" The ghost awkwardly mentioned before fading out. Again he ushered her out. The woman walking back towards a car parked suspiciously across the street, almost as if it had been waiting for something. \n\nThird time lucky.\n\nFinally, he was certain this one was ok... she was a nice girl, not some sleezy one he picked up off the street. Before he could even get to the door, the ghostly face stared at him from the window and shook her head. Sam dropped his shoulders in defeat and gave her a parting kiss, heading back inside. \"So what was wrong with her?\"\n\n\"Nothing?\" Julia said a little confused. \"Just you shouldn't have sex before marriage...\"" ]	7
	[WP] Your A/C is great at cooling down your home instantly. It only has one downside, when it turns on, a portal opens up briefly. Nothing has come through though...until today.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It had been a long day. The residents at Walker's had been rowdier than usual, my replacement had been late again, and my car's A/C had died on the way into work. I was looking forward to my nice cool flat when I got home.\n\n\nThe first year living here I had tried to use the window units. I was trying to keep a low profile after all. The first time it broke 80 degrees I gave in just as the damn machines had. I spent one sweltering night creating a portal into an ice realm, and ever since only had to pop it open to instantly cool my home.\n\n\nTo cover it up, I had spent my paycheck on some newfangled device. When the landlady asked about my much cooler apartment, I praised it to the highest dimensions.\n\n\nThe portal did have one downside. It had to be carefully watched when used. I had only just opened it when the knock came on the door. Shit, I had forgotten that Ms. Rebecca was bringing Lilly by today. I quickly closed down the portal and headed to the front door. I hadn't realized I had looked away while doing it.\n\n\nThe visit proceeded nicely. I made coffee for Ms. Rebecca and myself, and answered any questions Lilly asked about my antiques. They were the usual mundane answers, she had shown no signs of talent, and I assumed she had triggered a spell left over from my troublesome youth when she got into my beginner grimoirs.\n\n\nAt least, until she came back from my bathroom with a small white kitten. She was very excited, asking me it's name and when I got it.\n\n\n\"How did you get the landlady to let you have a cat?!\" The girl asked me.\n\n\n\"Ah, she doesn't know. I'm fostering it for a friend.\"\n\n\nShit shit shit shit shit. That was no kitten. That was a damn ice elemental. I got up to get it from her, but it dug it's claws into her shirt and growled at me. I backed off quickly, hoping no one noticed the frost forming on Lilly's shirt.\n\n\n\"Lilly.\" Her mother said sternly. \"Did you ask if you could pick up Mr. Tim's kitten?\"\n\n\n\"Nooooooo.\" The girl looked bashful.\n\n\n\"What did we say about asking first?\"\n\n\n\"Can I play with the kitten Mr. Tim?\"\n\n\n\"I think the kitten should go back in the bathroom. I haven't had a chance to get a litterbox yet, and don't want it to mess on the carpet.\"\n\n\nThe girl moped, but complied. We waited, then a plantive voice came from the bathroom.\n\n\n\"Mooooooom! She won't let go of my shirt!\"\n\n\nI nervously followed Ms. Rebecca back to my bathroom. When we got there, she gasped. The elemental had frozen itself to Lilly. The girl tried tugging the thing, but it just mewed at her pitifully. Her mother gasped, and began fretting. I just sighed.\n\n\n\"Well, looks like it's bonded to her.\"\n\n\n\"Bonded to her! It's frozen to her!\"\n\n\n\"She's not harmed, look. No frostbite, no signs of hypothermia. She's a little blue in the lips, but no shivering. I take it she never has problems n the cold?\"\n\n\n\"Besides arguing about wearing a coat?! How can you be so calm!?\"\n\n\n\"Let's go back to the kitchen. Come along Lilly, bring the elemental with you.\"\n\n\nI just wanted to relax, but it looked like I was going to be explaining the real world to Ms. Rebecca and Lilly tonight.\n\n\nEdit: forgot to double enter" ]	2
	[WP] You are a bodyguard for a wealthy and influencial individual. A world-class assassin has pursued you and your charge across the world, finally cornering your client. But they are not the target... You are.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "There was nowhere left to run. \n\nI turned, facing the hooded figure at the end of the alleyway. April stood behind me, shaking. I could hear her sobbing softly. I grabbed her hand. There was no way I was letting her die.\n\n“Who the hell are you?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. I knew they had been following us for ages. It first started when April received flowers from a fan, flowers she was allergic too. Then it was the mysterious notes appearing under her dressing room door, notes that held one too many personal details to make her uncomfortable.\n\nIt was my job to keep her safe and I failed at that. I could picture the headlines tomorrow morning: “Superstar April Biachi Murdered; The Hunt for her Killer”.\n\nNow I’ll admit that she wasn’t the greatest person on the planet. Yelling at fans if they addressed her by anything other than Ms. Biachi; screaming at the poor tech guy for letting her microphone screech; blowing off her family because she was “too busy and too famous to deal with them”. But it was my job to protect her. Not to critique her lifestyle. \n\n“The Reaper”, the hooded figure responded. I could hear the ease in their voice, the confidence that we weren’t leaving the alleyway alive. \n\n“And what do you want?” \n\n“I was hired to kill you.” At this, April started crying harder. I could imagine her mascara running down her face, ruining her makeup and her “perfect everyday look”. But I didn’t dare move.\n\n“You’ll have to go through me if you want her”, I said, putting my arm out to protect April. \n\nThe figure only laughed. Then they stopped and laughed again.\n\n“I’m not here for the wannabe. I’m here for you.” I felt my blood run cold. Me?\n\n“W-what?”\n\n“You heard me. Now, either come with me, or I will kill you both.”\n\nGo with them? Weren’t they here to kill me? What the hell was going on? \n\n“If you’re going to kill me,” I said, my voice slightly shaking now, “then I would like to know who is.”\n\nI watched as the figure pulled back their hood. Underneath was a bald head, a rose tattoo replacing the hair. The same tattoo went down their neck and disappeared into their shirt. I could see green eyes and a soft, heart shaped face. \n\nApril reacted before I did. “Bitch!” She screamed from behind me, attempting to crawl over me to the woman standing before me.\n\n“You know her?” I asked in surprise. \n\nApril stopped for a moment to answer me. “Meet my twin sister, Alexandra.”\n\nTwin? April was an only child...or so I thought. \n\n“But why are you trying to kill me?” I asked, a million more questions crowding my brain. \n\nAlexandra shrugged. “I’m just a paid assassin. Have to ask my employer that question.”\n\n“Who’s your employer?” I responded, not expecting a response.\n\n“April.”\n\nI turned around this time, grabbing April by the arms and slamming her against the wall.\n\n“What the hell? Why?”\n\nApril laughed in my face. I could see her look over my shoulder. Shit. I wasn’t looking at Alexandra.\n\nJust as everything started to turn black, April patted my cheek. “You wouldn’t sleep with me. And I always get what I want.”" ]	2
	[WP] You alone possess the only tool that can allow you to see the future, but it functions like a Magic-8 Ball.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Charles stared down at the opaque surface of the device.\n\n\"Will Theresa and I ever get married?\"\n\nHe shook it for good measure and flipped it over, squinting through the window at the answer that floated to the surface among the bubbles and blue liquid.\n\n\\Reply hazy, try again\\\n\nThis evening routine had become a way of life since the ball had come into his possession. Charles spent hours carefully cataloging answers in a disheveled pile of well-worn spiral notebooks that sat next to the leather recliner that the ball foretold he would buy. Charts of sporting event predictions and their likelihoods filled the most worn of them, each representing well over a hundred million dollars of guaranteed bets to be won. In previous years, he worked long hours at a small accounting firm. This careful, heavily documented work felt comfortable and familiar; it eased the boredom of his early retirement.\n\nOther notebooks contained the kinds of questions Charles referred to as “process of elimination” questions. A few bright red 80-page college-ruled ones were entirely devoted to inquiries about different kinds of furniture. “Will I be happiest with the Composer Power Recliner, item number 281510 from Wayfair?” (\\My reply is no.\\) This process was long and arduous, but he had come to love the feeling of certainty that came along with it. For each and every item in his home, he knew he would never come across another version of it he would prefer. Yes, he was destined to have this oak coffee table, this exact 62” flat-screen television, and these exact brown dress shoes. When one of these items wore out, he’d replace it. When he wanted for something new, he’d simply ask until the matter was settled. This assurance brought him great peace, and when he, on occasion, had doubts, he would thumb through the appropriate notebook to read through the great many similar items that weren’t right for him, feeling comfortable that he had indeed made the right choice.\n\nA few of the other documented questions were those that received non-committal answers. He opened the topmost notebook, brand new and navy blue, and checked another box on a page of questions about his relationship with Theresa.\n\nTheresa never shared Charles’ fascination with the ball. Before she had moved in, he had told her that he had made some smart investments and retired years ago. It came as a surprise, then, the first time she overheard him in his office, asking questions out loud to no one that she knew was there.\n\nShe knocked on the open door to indicate her presence. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I didn’t know you were having someone over tonight.”\n\nCharles lifted his head from between the pages of a stocks notebook. He’d been at it for several hours. His eyes were sunken in, weary from squinting at long lists of answers. He brushed the long hair that he knew he was supposed to have from his eyes, and scratched the short beard he knew he was supposed to have thoughtfully. “Ah, no, it’s just me in here.” he had replied. “Wanted to make sure I had all the accounts lined up right before the market opens tomorrow. Here, look.”\n\nHe loved her, and trusted her, and wished to share the ball with her so she could experience the same freedom from unknowing that he treasured himself. But of all the times he offered, she never once asked it a question.\n\nTheresa was naturally a rather plain looking woman, with round features that stubbornly remained round through any amount of diet or fitness. But she manufactured a beauty for herself, and indeed, this beauty she created was the one that had drawn Charles to her in the first place. Her strikingly blonde hair was perpetually tamed into wide bouncy curls, forced into place by hairspray and long sessions of ironing every morning. Her round cheekbones were sharpened by careful and precise applications of makeup, and she’d stained so many pillowcases falling asleep without removing it that they had begun to keep a stockpile of brand new ones on a shelf in the closet. Charles would often tell her that he loved her for her - a rare truth that did not require help from the ball - and that she should save her time and energy on this style she had created for herself. She could simply ask aloud and find out the look she was destined to have, a look that would preserve both her happiness and his own, and a look that would never hold her back from the things she wanted in life.\n\nBut the curling and the makeup continued. Charles thought that perhaps she enjoyed the routine, and dropped the subject. These were small inconveniences when time and money was so abundant for them both. Despite this, his desire for her to use the ball only increased. When big choices came around, he’d suggest they ask about them together, and she’d humor him.\n\n“Will we have the perfect vacation in Italy?” (\\Don’t count on it.\\)\n\n“Will we have the perfect vacation in Spain?” (\\My sources say no.\\)\n\n“Will we have the perfect vacation on the moon?” - Charles laughed. (\\Concentrate and ask again.\\)\n\nTheresa interrupted his next suggestion. “Why don’t we just pick somewhere that we both think we might like. Don’t you get tired of feeling that the future is already laid out ahead of you?”\n\nHe answered without hesitation. “I just don’t want to make the wrong choice, you know? We’re only going to get so many vacations, what if we waste one?”\n\n“I don’t think any vacation with you is wasted,” she said.\n\nSo they vacationed to Greece, and it was unremarkable.\n\n“I told you,” Charles insisted in a later discussion, “that we could have found somewhere better for us both.”\n\n“I thought it was fun not to know.” she said. “Finding that out was part of the experience.”\n\nFor future vacations, and for most future decisions, Charles began to consult the ball on shared matters alone. He’d fill up a notebook with answers about the restaurant they’d enjoy the most, or the beach they’d have the most romantic time on, then offer those suggestions as if he had come to them organically. They ate meals that neither of them would forget for the rest of their lives; they watched tides roll in under the stars while sitting on sandy blankets. On one such night, Theresa smiled, brushing sand from her legs as she stood and said, “Aren’t you glad we just...did this?”\n\nTheir lives continued like this for a time, and they both felt that everything was as perfect as it possibly could be.\n\nOn a dock adjacent to a lake adjacent to a cabin that Charles had picked, Theresa said as much. “I love it here. It’s so calm and peaceful. It feels like this moment was meant to be this way.”\n\nCharles agreed." ]	2
	[WP] "Sometimes tech support involves googleing the problem, sometimes it requires clearing out ancient cursed ruins." "Yeah, but this is the 4th set of ruins this week!"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"So walk me through this again, slowly.\" \n\nMr. Strande was a cool boss. I'd enjoyed working with him for the last couple years, some days I felt he was the only thing keeping me showing up to work at this shit job. Watching him clean the blood off a meat cleaver while glaring at me was enough to make me reevaluate some of my decisions. \n\n\"Wel sir,\" I gulped. I never called Steve sir, Mr., any of that. Steve was cool, I could trust Steve. He was also fairly angry right now and holding a weapon, sometimes a little respect was called for, \"Sir, sometimes tech support is as simple as googling the issue and running through a short checklist. Sometimes you have to clear out the Eldritch Ruins of the Damned, and unfortunately some of the old IBM infrastructure is a little over reliant on the old magicks underlying this plane of reality.\"\n\n\"Uh huh,\" Steve ran a cloth over the cleaver again. At this point he was just transferring the blood between the soaked rag and the cleaver blade, but I think the motion was helping to calm him down, \"So care to explain to me why in fifteen years in IT before I got to this company I'd never had to deal with this stuff, and now this is my fourth time in the ruins this week? It's getting to be commonplace Brayden. I just beheaded an orc, an orc, and all I'm wondering is when I get to clock out. I'm getting too old for this Brayden.\"\n\n\"Of course sir, you were in front end before though. The back end is where the uh,\" I thumbed over my shoulder at the obsidian obelisk, now glowing a bright crimson as it consumed the blood of Steve's kill and supplied computing power to at least six server farms in metro St Louis, \"Magic happens sir.\"\n\nSteve groaned, but he did lower the cleaver, which was a nice bonus. \"We all get tired of it sometimes sir, but the name of the game is closing tickets, and the team definitely appreciates you being willing to come down and help out. Best supervisor we've had since those Drow put a dozen arrows in Schwarb.\"\n\n\"Have I mentioned you're terrible at motivating people recently Brayden?\"", "\"Ok look, its been a week, why's my internet not up?\" The snotty woman croaked as poor Lenny tried to keep the hobgoblins at bay with his lantern.\n\n\"Sorry Miss! Your call is very important to us, B-but can I please put you on hold for just a second?\" Lenny pleaded, punting a small hobgoblin in the shin causing it to hobble back slightly, the creature giving Lenny a hiss.\n\n\"Did you just fucking hiss at me? Don't you dare put me on hold or ill have that boss of yours string you up by your balls and fire you\"\n\n\"I-I didn't hiss, it must be a bad phone line... look if you just! HWAH\" Lenny tossed the lantern towards the group of hobgoblins, lighting up the floor below them, the few bursts of sparks enough to let him run past, panting as he pushed deeper into the ruins.\n\n\"A bad phone line? That's fucking typical... you can't even run your own phones let alone my bloody internet. I want to speak to your manager!\"\n\n\"Sam is in a meeting.\" His manager was currently slaying the demon king Lazarath, but he couldn't exactly tell her that. \"Look... it should be connected in just a second...\"\n\n\"It better be! Im not recommending you to any of my friends or any of that nonsense you know, you are fucking useless.\"\n\n\"I-im sorry to, ouch!\" Lenny winced trying to avoid the trap floor, feeling a needle cut the edge of his leg as it shot up from the floor. Finally he was at the altar of internet, he placed down his tech support for dummies and began chanting in an ancient tongue before finally he saw a puff of purple smoke dispel from the altar. Amongst his pants he began to speak.\n\n\"Your internet should be clear now... please call me if you need further support and feel free to leave a rating of how helpful I was on our websi-\"\n\nHe didn't even get to finish that before he heard the beeping coming from his headset. \"She... hung up on me...\" he sighed, wandering back out of the ruins, heading to his office again." ]	3
Old Ones are powerful eldritch beings from the stories of H.P. Lovecraft.	[WP] You are a newly born Old One. You stray from the world-ending goals of your elders and wish to make friends with the humans. Unfortunately every encounter ends up with someone either going insane, form a murderous cult that worships you, or set on a journey to banish you from the realm.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Even the Great Old Ones can grow weary over aeons. Cthulhu had spent countless millennia dedicating all of his unknowable self in service of his master’s plan. Not once in all his victories had he ever felt something akin to satisfaction.\n\nThe problem with being the wielder of an intellect beyond human comprehension is that everything becomes analytical. Quaint abstractions such as feelings have no place in a devious cosmic design. It had always been a cold life for the most powerful of the Great Old Ones. But that was about to change.\n\n“I will diminish you.” His master, Nug’s, telepathic booming voice was accompanied by a series of visions detailing all aspects of the new reality to Cthulhu\n\n“Your abilities, intellect and memories will be lost. Reduced to the basest of an already infantile species. Forethought will no longer be available to you. You will be ruled by hedonism and pride. “\n\n“ *?* ” Cthulhu projected back.\n\nNug continued as if uninterrupted. “Power, my chosen priest, power you shall have. Madness need not be spread through the divine alone…”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe being who was once Cthulhu woke with a smile on his face. He lazily stretched his stubby limbs, relishing in his golden silk bed sheets. A clap of his hands initiated his automatic curtains being drawn, revealing the spectacular view from his 5th Avenue Penthouse apartment.\n\nWith several grunts he struggled to his feet and waddled over to the balcony window to admire his city – “No”, he thought, “his country!”\n\nHe almost took pity on the insect crowds beginning to form on the streets below. Almost. Today was his victory rally, and he had prepared a Great speech. He began to get ready.\n\nThinking back, he still wasn’t entirely sure how it had happened, he had always just spoke his mind to as many people as possible. It turns out that a wealthy voice travels great distances. He had unwittingly stoked the flames of madness in the populace. Poking and prodding at people’s fears and insecurities to build general anger and distrust. They had turned on each other. \n\n*Madness...\n\nThrough use of self-serving lies and propaganda he had, quite literally, distorted reality for those that followed him. Their entire lives were colored by what he proclaimed to be truth, often to their own detriment. \n\nMadness….\n\nAs he adjusted his tie, the faint sound of the chanting crowds reached his ears. They were ready for him. One meaningless word being chanted over and over by hundreds of thousands of loyal acolytes. \n\nMadness…\n\n“He smiled to himself as he slipped on his red baseball cap and stepped out to meet the adoring cries of his followers.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“MAGA! MAGA! MAGA! MAAGA! MAG*A!”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAnd so the call of Cthulhu echoed through another age…\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nFucking Orange." ]	2
	[WP] Your partner is a vampire but they also care deeply about your health. Using the taste of your blood they can tell what you've been eating and how much you've been exercising. They do their best to take care of you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Sophie's fangs sank into my neck. You'd think it would hurt, but God the feeling was pure ecstasy shooting through my body. No one else ever held me so tightly, like some swing dancer being carried through the air, like some princess being carried to their chariot. For a guy of 30 years old, it's a unique experience. Sucking away at my carotid, tongue lapping back and forth like a demon possessed; she drove me mad in the best way. But she stopped. Suddenly. Releasing her bite, pushing off of the mattress, she asked \"Darling?\"\n\n\"Mmm?\" We've been together for a few months now. Sophie's never stopped like this before. Especially when drinking my blood, it seems to get her so riled up that--\n\n\"What was that?\"\n\n\"Eh?\" I propped myself up on my elbows and looked into her eyes. She looked scared.\n\n\"That... taste.\"\n\n\"My blood?\"\n\n\"Noooo!\" She shook her head, an almost childish expression of frustration. \"You don't taste right!\"\n\n\"Taste right?\"\n\n\"It's like...\" Sophie's brow furrowed. She looked confused. \"It's like air. Like really gross air. Like a taste at the back of my throat.\"\n\n\"Um. I was drinking last night?\"\n\n\"Drinking?\" She tilted her head to the side, an almost petulant expression. \"You drink too?\" The left corner of her mouth raised, revealing a crimson canine, pointier than in humans. Sophie was a vampire, a young one. Well, insofar as 23 is young for an immortal. Her brow clouded as she asked, \"wait, who were you drinking!?\"\n\n\"Not like that, love. Alcohol.\"\n\n\"Alcohol?\" \n\nI'd almost forgotten she'd come to this world only recently. We'd met during an inter-planar cultural exchange. Her scarlet eyes, crimson hair, pale skin, bewitching expression had captivated me immediately. \"Er, sorry. Fermented fruit? Or grain? It's something we drink when we want to let go. It makes us feel good.\"\n\n\"Feel good?\"\n\n\"Yeah. Like... your limbs tingle, stuff is funnier, you get more excited when things happen.\"\n\n\"And that's fun?\"\n\n\"Yeah. You don't think so?\"\n\n\"Um...\" She sounded unsure. She rolled off of me. She sat on her knees on the bed. \"It's... I mean, we have something kind of like that. When you drink a Divine's blood. But... that's not good!\" She shook her head fervently. \"It makes you sick! You want too much, and you stop being yourself!\"\n\n\"Well, it's kind of like that for us.\" My face screws up. I'm not sure how to go about explaining alcohol to someone who's never had a night out. \"Yeah if you have too much it's bad. But it's okay in moderation. Right?\"\n\n\"That's what they say on my side too! But it's not okay! My dad... drank Divine.\" I waited for her to continue. This was the first time she'd opened up to me about her childhood. She looked... sad. Like she felt hollow inside. I wanted to hug her, but that might stop her from saying what she needed to say. Sophie's brow furrowed, she looked scared. \"He... we lost him. He didn't die or anything, he just stopped being himself. He got mean. Real mean.\"\n\n\"Mean?\"\n\n\"He'd... he hit me. Darling, don't! Don't be like him.\"\n\n\"Sweetie...\" I cupped her chin, and lifted her face towards mine. \"Sweetie, I'll never hurt you. I can't imagine it.\"\n\n\"No! No no no no no! Daddy didn't want to either! He didn't want to hurt us. But... he changed. He couldn't control it! Or didn't. Don't drink! Please!\"\n\n\"At all?\"\n\n\"At all!\" A single crimson tear fell from her eyes.\n\n\"Honey... I like it. It makes me happy.\"\n\n\"Don't I make you happy!?\", she slammed her fists into the mattress. \n\n\"Yes, love. You know you do. It's not like that.\"\n\n\"Then what is it like!?\"\n\n\"I...\", fuck. Why do I drink? \"I drink when I want to let go. I... remember when you told me I was a really 'deliberate' person? That I lived an 'intentional' life? You were right. But that's...\", my hands were clasped together. Tightly. The anxiety I felt in that moment spilled over into every part of my body. My toes curled, my chest felt tight, and I chewed my lower lip. I felt a lump rising in my throat, and tried to talk past it \"...that's not always a good thing. Sweetheart, I'm stuck in my own head. Constantly. I hate myself, for no compelling reason. No matter what's happening around me, I'm thinking about what could go wrong. I dig my nails into my skin and I try to forget about it, but I can't.\" She's quiet. Pensive, even. Making concerted eye contact with her knees. \"I don't feel that way with you. But we're not always together, you know?\"\n\n\"Then why not!? Why can't we just be together all the time!?\"\n\n\"Love, we need to have our own lives. You know that. It's not healthy for us to wrap ourselves up in each other so tightly that we lose track of our own lives.\"\n\n\"It's not healthy that you drink!\", she yelled, almost a shriek. \n\n\"You're... not wrong. You're not wrong. Let me think about it, okay? Let me think, and then we'll talk some more. Okay?\"\n\nI'd never seen her that sad before, like all the world had broken before her eyes. I probably looked that way too, during my first lover's quarrel, the first time I realized romance wasn't all honeymoons and rainbows. But damn if I wouldn't have stolen the stars to see her smile just then.\n\nI rolled off the bed, pulled my clothes on in silence, and headed towards the door.\n\n---\n\n---\n\n> > /r/BadgerFrance", "\"Ow fuck! What was that for?\" Thomas found himself rubbing the fang marks that had suddenly appeared on his neck, the small black bat, fluttering before him, shifting into a tall red headed woman, who didn't exactly seem happy.\n\n\"You said you were exercising afterwork and that you were cutting back on the donuts.\" Juliet stated, giving him a cold undead stare, that only a lifeless vampire could.\n\n\"Look maybe I had on-\"\n\nHer sharp gaze narrowed, causing a gulp from Thomas\n\n\"Two... donut-\"\n\nHer long blood red nails began to tap impatiently against her arm, as if offering him one last chance to be truthful.\n\n\"Four donuts... but it was a really busy day at work and-\"\n\n\"SILENCE MORTAL! YOU DARE DEFY ME YOUR ETERNAL LOVE!\" She screeched, it was hardly unusual for her to composure, but luckily she always bounced back fairly quickly after it, Juliet gave a little cough, clearing her throat before speaking again.\n\n\"We discussed this... if you were going to snack, at least an hour of exercise and a litre of water.\" She remarked with a regal tone, almost like a school teacher disciplining a child. \n\n\"I.. know look, i'm sorry ok? Ill exercise more tomorrow.\" Thomas said, trying to figure out if he should get some holy water just in case this went south.\n\n\"I expect you too\" she snapped before turning around, heading towards the staircase to their room. \n\n\"Why are you so strict on me? No one else's partners do this...\" Thomas enquired, in a brief moment of bravery.\n\nJuliet paused, let her tongue brush against one of her sharpened fangs before sighing. \"Look, i'm immortal and I'm scared of losing you and being alone.\"\n\nThomas went silent at that, feeling his heart skip a beat, he went to respond before Juliet raised a finger to him.\n\n\"You are still sleeping in the coffin tonight...\" Juliet muttered." ]	3
	[WP] You’re a necromancer in 2019. Everything supernatural is out in the open, and people flock for immortality, power, and wishes. However, necromancers are avoided like the plague. No one is comfortable with someone who deals with death. How do you make a living, do you act as a medium, or worse?	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Happy Holidays” the literal elf barks at me as I navigate a pavement flooded with seasonal efforts of desperation and commercial gluttony. Like an obese salesman crawling across his living room mid-stroke floor just to pick up one last inquiry about his amazing new invention. How much longer will the Christian holiday seasons last? Arguably, even after the Curtain got pulled back and all of the dark was brought into the light, companies still needed scheduled periods of mass sales, and Joe Public needed at least three events a year where he can get blackout drunk to forget how his wife got that bruise she touches when he shouts. Perhaps we will go back to some Pagan traditions, only to see them get cut up and touched up into a bloated money shitting machine. “Quick, come buy your sun festival traditional chugging jug, full of a home brew mead and mushroom mix. “\n\nI know I’ve switched to talking out loud as a Druid who should have just kept walking has stopped and fixed me with a reproachful look. Of course its reproachful. I’m a anaemic short man with thick lenses glasses that balloon my eyes and a nasty case of impetigo that has resisted every charm and curse I’ve tried to put upon it. A coal hag down in Cornwall had told me that perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be healed. I dress for my work, thick layers and lots of them, an old parka draped over a charity store woollen jumper and a pair of corduroy trousers. A pair of shorts underneath and another pair of trousers in my bag, along with replacement shirts. I’m not a good looking specimen. The blisters and sores crawl up one cheek like the path of a lovers caress, settling around one eye like it was the crater of some interplanetary conflict. In my younger days I had a knack for splitting the sores by squinting and making it look like a could weep blood on command. Pretty useful way of intimidating fellow practitioners at an auction.\n\nBut I was young then and my appreciation for pragmatism now out weighs my appreciation for theatre. I lock eyes with the druid and give the Will some chain to play with. I feel it like a cold egg cracked on the back of my skull, slowly running down my spine as half frozen treacle. Whatever he sees in my eyes was enough, and he closes his mouth mid-opening. Slipping back into the crowd and taking the scent of honey blossom and good vibes with him. Fucking Druids. Them and all the rest. The “Dark” in name alone. Having the curtain pulled back on them had basically been the joyous Zeitgeist of a desperate ideologically cancerous world. Magic is real! And all these wonderful creatures were just in hiding, and now we can tweet them, snap them, and listen to them at Tedx talks about bio-diversity. Lets forgot the planet is still warming up and how historically a worrying amount of druid rituals involved human flesh and the ever present word in the Dark, “Sacrifice.” \n\nFinally I reach my turning off the main walk. Ally entrance, delightful. Apart from the meta-analysis of seasons greetings, this period of time was perhaps my most profitable. A little secret known to my kind, the doctors, the druids, and anyone who likes to raise “unusual facts” in the middle of a perfectly civilised dinner party. People make big decisions. Or at-least, they feel like now is the time to make them. Its a crumbling old building, but with age comes respect. The outside has been redone so many times that the manager sent me five different keys with a note explaining since he never used it so he wouldn’t know which was current. Rich people lived here, or hid here, depending on the tide of the celebrity ocean. As I reach for a key a porter comes crashing through, four bags of fish smelling detritus balled up in each fist. He barely glances at me before walking by. Chances are he wasn’t paid enough to care before the world knew about vampires and demons. Now, some creep with half a face waiting at the back door? Maybe call in sick tomorrow, just in case.\n\nTakes a minute or two to get to the staff elevator. I’m challenged by a manager switching off his shift and pass him my Letter of Employment. I would have just Willed him off but he’d bought a necklace of charms from a Hex Market and they seemed surprisingly genuine.No point losing my pay check on refurbishments for the staff canteen. He looks up at me multiple times as he reads, and I do my best to embody the role. Calm, impassive, inexorable. A man who is good friends with the only real enemy.\n\nHe still sneers, leaving grease stains from his over wiped forehead all over the edges. That will look good in court.\n\nFloor 78. The smell hits me as the doors crack open onto the landing. Even before I apprenticed, the smell didn’t bother me much. I worked in an abattoir during my youth, and its purely human pride that pretends we smell any different. Its sweat, fear, faeces and rotting flesh. Close your eyes and you wouldn’t know if you were walking through a burger factory or a cannibals summer home. Apparently he had bitten the big one a week ago, that's when the cleaning staff found him. But I’d been stuck on a deposition in Brazil, so they had just let it rot. No bother. I let myself in.", "Nobody likes a necromancer. We're a bridge to the afterlife, and no one likes how those effects manifest in the world. It varies, but results range from lowered temperatures to freezing levels, bones rattling in our presence, poltergeist effects in the area or even just turning every place you walk into haunted. My affliction, for better to worse, is just that if you're next to me, you'll incessantly hear moans of the dead. I've long since learnt to ignore it, but it does make others jittery.\n\nThat's why I chose to fake my credentials and pretend that I'm a priest from some ancient, eldritch god that has been forgotten to men. There's a surprising overlap in the abilities between clerics and necromancers. Both professions can act as mediums to the afterlife(though us necromancers are superior naturally, not being constrained to a single deity's afterlife), both can resurrect the dead(well, what they're resurrected as differs: clerics resurrect them as they were in life, but I maintain there's not much difference for most of my customers between when they were alive or as the zombies they are now) and we can both curse people(necromancers once again superior). \n\nReally, the one true difference is that necromancers don't have to beg a god every time they want something, and if you have the know how, it's easy to fool a layman into thinking the quirks of a necromancer are the quirks of the god you serve.\n\nHowever, every now and then, I have customers like the one now, who are skeptics, and just lack the trust between people that keep us together in these extraordinary times.\n\n\"So, you can help me talk to my grandmother in Heaven again,\" the man said doubtfully, \"I've spoken to lots of priests, but they said she's not there. Are you really sure you're up to this?\"\n\nI coughed even as I looked through my notes on the data I had divined on my client's grandmother's soul. She wasn't in Heaven, she had somehow passed onto the Norse afterlife and become an Einherjar... How had his grandmother died again? \n\nI consulted my notes. Ah, fell in battle due to a heart attack while trying to kill a cockroach. Did that really fit the criteria of dying in battle? Regardless, it was impossible to summon a soul from over there, due to the Norse's fixation on spending every moment of the Einherjar's time on preparing for the final battle.\n\nStill, the issue wasn't that. It was that my client was absolutely convinced his grandmother was in Heaven, which was why he had come to me despite many priests from the church telling him otherwise. I frowned, thinking how I should approach this. Part of the deception was telling customers what they wanted to do. Sometimes, being honest led to them accusing me of being a fraud when I didn't conform to their world view. I would have to let him down gently and slowly, so that he didn't take it as me attacking his grandmother when i told him the truth.\n\nI lay down my notes and announced solemnly, \"No problem, I'll connect to your grandma. My god, He Who Has Been Forgotten, was best buds with the big G back in the day. Now listen, listen to the words from beyond the grave, that mortals should not hear. You have to feel the words, not hear them.\" In tandem, the moans of the ghosts around me grew louder, as the man tried to strain his ears to listen.\n\n\"Is that... moaning?\" He asked hesitatingly.\n\n\"No, that's the chorus of angels. Listen harder.\" I sighed, \"Seems like this is going to take a while, for you to hear your grandmother.\"", "My name is Devin. I was born into a world that knew nothing of the supernatural. I am a necromancer. On the surface it seems bad, sure. I chose to become a homocide detective, a very successful homicide detective. I'd come to a crime scene, wait for a chance to be alone with the victim, and simply asked what happened. \n\nWell, then the damn government screwed it all up when they revealed the aliens in Area 51 are in fact, real. Then they gave full disclosure about Area 63 in Alaska, vampires are real. Area 29 I'm Colorado, werewolves. Area 14, ghosts. That one was actually amusing, turned out Ghostbusters was a documentary, thousands of New Yorkers were put into witness protection. \n\nNow the captain knows how I close cases so quickly. I haven't had a comendation in years, I'm just expected to ask the victim who killed them. There's a video crew that documents the session, a warrant is issued, and the suspect is arrested. The prosecution just shows the video in court, it's lazy to be frank. I just don't like it.\n\nIt's not as though I can escape this life. Each supernatural species formed a guild of sorts to support each other. The government dictates each guild memeber be tracked, I have an identity tattoo on the back of my hand. The gravestone seems tacky as hell, but I wasn't consulted about the designs. The result, I'm locked into this life, couldn't even get a job flipping burgers if I wanted to.", "God I miss cigarettes, Patrick thought to himself. The one thing they never tell you when you go litch is how your sense of taste, smell, and touch rots away with your flesh. He didn’t need to sleep either, so he often found himself sitting at the local park bench for days at a time scaring the shit out of early morning joggers and children out playing late. It was funny at first, but even that lost its kick when the police started showing up to question the mummified skeleton in a superman t-shirt and cargo shorts. \n\nPatrick took out one of the many packs of smokes he occasionally bought because old habits really do die hard. He shrugged and lit one with a simple fire spell he learned from a fairy handing the scrolls out like tissues to promote some local concert or whatever. He couldn’t care less. Even if he did show up, the audience would run screaming. Patrick couldn’t blame them though, If he were perfectly immortal like them he too would run from the only thing that could kill him. Patrick took a drag from the cigarette held between his teeth and watched as the smoke blew out his ribcage. \n\nHe missed the good old days before the emergence, when he still was the crazy occult nut raising an army of the undead. God he felt powerful back then; dark dealings with eldritch gods, discovering forgotten tomes of magic, and the occasional tussle with the group of crime solving kids. He felt special, he felt alive. \n\nNow that he learned that every unicorn, gnome, and sharp eared kid can become immortal by drinking dragon’s blood, he felt like a chump. They didn’t have to spend 20 years searching through cryptic texts, learn the fickle art of blood sacrifice, or perform the mental gymnastics required to split your consciousness so you could spiritually possess your own dead body. \n\nBefore Patrick could continue swamping himself in pity, a brutish looking man wearing a uniform black suit sat down next to him. Patrick couldn’t help but notice the suitcase the man set inconspicuously equidistance between them. \n\n“Sup Bruno,” said Patrick as he flicked what was left of his cigarette into the trash bin. \n\nThe man remained silent.\n\n“Didn’t expect you guys to be back so soon. What is it this time, rogue leprechaun? Some merlin trying to summon an old god through his toilet?” said Patrick.\n\nThe man got up and brushed off his suit before he walked away, disappearing as he walked behind a streetlamp.\nPatrick shrugged and put the suitcase in his lap. As always, it was unlocked. Inside was the usual thick wad of cash, a date, a location, and a picture. The violet fire in Patrick'*s hollow eyes flickered for a second. “I guess ill be going to that concert after all.”", "I sit in the cafe, hold the mug to my cheeks, let the steam fog my spectacles. Ah. Warmth. I hate it when my face gets cold. Winter sucks. I should buy earmuffs but they're ugly. Oh well. The chair is soft and new-ish, quite a sturdy thing. The table has some spillage from the last customer but it's okay, I have a tray. And a spoon. The hot chocolate is a bit on the thick side but still drinkable.\n\nWill I ever get used to it? The stares, whooshing heads when my sight meets theirs, chairs screeching as they turn away in dismay. Yes. This hot chocolate is tasty and I'm enjoying it and I'm a necromancer. Scary, scary hot chocolate drinking necromancer. At least my feet are getting cosy now.\n\n\"Folk like her should be locked away,\" I hear.\n\nI knock my head back and let out a chuckle. The world is weird upside down. People are looking at me weird. I look right back.\n\n\"Folk like me help folk like you,\" I say to no one in particular since the owner of the voice isn't actually obvious. A man, yes. But there are several. Bearded, non-bearded, tall and handsome, average and smart, short and old. I keep scanning.\n\nThere. What a glare. It should win awards. He stands tall among pathetic people who cower like little kittens. \n\n\"Who, pray, do you help?\" the man is feeling brave, I mean, look at his wild eyes.\n\n\"Alright,\" I tilt my head back and jump to my feet. Hm, yuck. Dizzy spell. Whatever. I look around at the sheepish crowd. \"Anyone here with a long lost pet?\"\n\nThe room fills with discombobulated murmurs and raised eyebrows. I hope there's a volunteer. Please.\n\n\"Me,\" a young girl holds up her hand. Her mother swats it back down.\n\n\"Okay, sure. What's your name, my dear?\" I call across the silenced crowd of terrorised people who don't know what to do with themselves. A scary necromancer is going to, uh, destroy them all! Bwa-ha-ha? I don't know.\n\n\"She's not telling you her name,\" the mother retorts.\n\nYeah, okay. Fine.\n\n\"Anyone else, oh brave folk?\" I smirk at the man who stood up in the first place.\n\n\"Freaks like you should be hanged,\" he says.\n\n\"And then brought back to life by my friends or family to take revenge,\" I shrug.\n\n\"You little---\"\n\nA particularly uninteresting man stands up and pats the shoulder of the brave warrior.\n\n\"Let me,\" he says.\n\nThe boring guy actually gets the idiot guy to sit down. And the crowd is quieter all of a sudden. Weirdly quiet. But the dude isn't even handsome? So how's he got respect? I don't get it. It's weird.\n\n\"My name is John Holmes and I had a pet dog. Why, can you bring it back?\"\n\nI crack my knuckles. Oh yeah, perfect.\n\nI will continue....*" ]	6
	[WP] Shortly after first contact, small groups of humans joined crews of exploratory vessels. Overall, the experiences have been rewarding. Today, though, a non-sentient beast killed a member of your expedition. Your crewmates are about to learn another human rule: "If it kills a human, it dies."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \n\nThe great war was devastating to humanity, but sometimes there is a silver lining to be found even in tragedy. As earth's surface was ravaged by nuclear explosions, to the others, who had by chance flown by, this was like a signal flare, and it got their attention.\n\nThe only ones who were left after the bombings stopped where those far away from the large cities, far away from \"civilization\", as some used to call it. To them, the other's spacecraft must have seemed like a life raft, send to them by Lord Jesus in their hour of need. Before the war, they had not been the most educated or open minded, looking at strangers with healthy distrust, but being, they had to assume, the last survivors of the human race, and, more importantly, their great nation, they greeted the travellers proudly under their star-sprangled banner and when the other's offered to take some survivors with them, many jumped at the opportunity to carry their superior culture to the stars.\n\nThe others studied their new companions with great interest, and even though this partnership did not come without friction, much was learned on both sides. What was striking to the others was the set of rules the humans seemed to live with, the most important of which were the ten commandments of the Lord. Just when the others thought they had learned most all there was to human rules, there came the fateful day.\n\nJim Bob Jones Jr. was out on a hunting trip, as was his favourite pastime since the old days on earth. The latest life bearing planet their craft had come upon was ripe with big game, the most interesting (and delicious) of which was the Darupian swamp buffalo - and Jim Bob had just spotted a calf that was apparently without it's mother and it's herd. Not one to shy away from an opportunity, Jim Bob took his shot. He was just about to disembowel his kill when he found out in the worst of ways that Darupian swamp buffalos did not tend to leave their young ones alone for extended periods of time. His mangled body was found soon after, barely identifiable by what was left of his clothes and his rifle.\n\nIt was on this day the others learned an as of then unknown human rule. Humans did NOT take kindly to one of their kind getting killed. The next day, hundreds of swamp buffalos had already been hunted down and plans were in the working to rid the planet of this plague by the end of the year.\n\nThe others, blinded by their misguided belief that all life was equally precious, tried to put a stop to this righteous campaign, but they, too learned what it meant to step between mankind and it's freedom. The battle was short, but fierce and mankind's indomitable will prevailed.\n\nNow equipped with a star ship, the galaxy at their fingertips, one thing was clear to the survivors of humankind. The homeland may lie in ashes, but America's spirit will survive!", "Part 1:\n\nTek’shri and Filsti’shri were running through the final shutdown protocols for the drop ship their team had been assigned for the data gathering mission. White they were waiting for their AI to finish the last steps, they observed the two humans, Ira and Max, making small talk while they set up their field lab equipment, hauling various crates out from the cargo hold.\n\nIf Tek’shri and Filsti’shri were lucky, the humans would finish setting up the camp before the ship’s computer went into low-power standby.\n\nThe gravity on planet 51433980 was significantly heavier than the artificial gravity on vertahlian ships, but Ira and Max seemed to be unfazed by it. Their skeletal frames were surprisingly strong for creatures without exoskeletons. Soft looking bodies with such a strangely elastic outer layer - Tek’shri had been at once fascinated and repulsed by human expressions. Their faces moved too much. It had taken the first team of negotiators and xenobiologists an incredible amount of time just to develop an expression database for non-verbal communication. Luckily they had verbal form communication. They weren’t always so lucky.\n\nHumans were still relatively new to the Intergalactic Trade Partnership, but they were eager creatures. Seemingly fearless despite their squishy-looking bodies. They could be cautious, of course, but sometimes it was over the strangest things.\n\nWithout exoskeletons, humans were exceptionally vulnerable to damage from the lightest of contact. They had to be extra careful when touching a human directly. Vertahlian spines could slice open their outer layer so easily, it was amazing their species managed to survive the harsh environments of the universe. Not only survive, but thrive.\n\nLater, after their base camp was finally set up and all of their field equipment had been inspected, Filsti’shri had decided to set to work immediately, taking soil samples and recording their molecular structure and properties. Tek’shri was cleaning out a new set of vials, making sure they were absolutely sterilized.\n\n“Hey, Tex?” Ira called out to Tek’shri from across their base camp. Tek’shri was both annoyed and amused by the shortened name. From another vertahlian, it would be insulting, but from a human, it was a sign of affection or acceptance. Ira had a longer name. Three names, in fact, but Ira insisted on being addressed by the first part only. Using full names, Ira had said, sometimes made a human feel like they were in trouble or had done something socially unacceptable.\n\nTek’shri didn’t want the already vulnerable humans to feel further anxiety. It was easy enough to use the shortened versions of their names.\n\n“Yes, Ira?”\n\n“Is it alright if Max and I take a hike down to the stream and collect some water samples?”\n\nTek’Shri tapped at the display screen thoughtfully, scrolling through the preliminary survey data. There didn’t appear to be any reports of large predatory animals or vegetation in the area. It should be safe. “That would be acceptable.”\n\n“Aye, captain!” Ira made a short salute and the facial muscles pulled back, showing teeth. Tek’shri shuddered inwardly. Humans were such grotesque creatures.", "\"What are doing?\" Hrrapook asked.\n\nHe knew it would take a second or so for the translator to transmit the question into Malik's earpiece. Unfortunately, the Squalish lacked the vocal acuity to mimick human speech as other species could.\n\n\"I said what are you doing?\" he asked again once he decided the delay had been long enough.\n\nMalik slung the pack over his shoulder and grabbed the series 7 plasma rifle. Those were only to be used against heavily armored infantry. \n\n\"I'm going hunting,\" Malik said. \"There's a murderous japonga out there and I'm going to take care of it.\"\n\nHrrapook punched in the ship's lock-out on his terminal. \"I still don't understand. The japonga didn't murder anyone. It doesn't understand the concept.\"\n\nHe recoiled at the expression on Malik's face. After nearly thirty cycles, he still hadn't gotten used to how many ways these humans could contort their bodies. There didn't seem to be a single muscle they didn't have direct control over. \n\nAs frightened as he was, he couldn't help but be envious. What deeds could the Squalish accomplish if they had a tenth that ability. On second thought, maybe all that control was why humans had so much trouble accepting the order of things. Maybe it was because they simply didn't have to accept it.\n\n\"Hrrapook,\" Malik said, \"unlock the ship.\"\n\n\"Were you and Kate mates?\" Hrrapook asked. Perhaps that would explain his irrational behavior. \n\nMalik snorted. \"I didn't really even know her, but that's not the point.\"\n\nHrrapook thought feverishly. The Squalish were desperate to make this alliance work, but his superiors insisted on truthful reports. If this trial mission didn't go well, they would have little qualms about leaving humans to play around in their own solar system and seek out another species to make contact with.\n\n\"How will you identify the offending japonga?\" he asked finally.\n\n\"I don't know,\" Malik admitted. \"But it doesn't matter. If I cant find that one, I'll find another.\"\n\nHrrapook raised his head all the way. The pain of such a drastic movement caused him emit a series of croaks.\n\n\"You mean to kill a japonga whether or not it is the one that killed Kate?\"\n\n\"Yup,\" Malik said. \"An eye for an eye, they took one of ours, I'll take one of theirs.\"\n\n\"But,\" Hrrapook said horrified, \"that's not justice. That's vengeance.\"\n\n\"Yup,\" Malik said.\n\nHrrapook lowered his head. \"I see. May the Mother Squal guide you well on your hunt.\"\n\nHe unlocked the ship and watched as Malik headed into the wilderness of planet J97.\n\nOnce the doors were closed he input the launch command. The survey ship Hrr lifted off, leaving Malik on the surface firing useless plasma bolts at its hull.\n\nLog entry 179034:\nOn routine survey of planet J97 humans Kate and Malik were lost to the inhospitable wilderness. The honorable Hrrapook recommends the recruitment of additional humans to complete the trial mission.\n\nHrrapook closed the terminal. \"They can't all be like that, can they.\"", "“Hey Jake!” Ron yelled from far below on the cliff-face.\n\n“Hey! See anything yet?” Jake asked as he slowly rappelled down the cliff.\n\n“I see some animals. Kinda look like a mix between a dog and a badger.” Ron said as Jake heard him unclip his safety harness and start walking. \n\nSignaling to the two Oobleks and the Tilk that made up the other three members of their exploration crew, Jake started to follow. Humans in the last century had become the brawn to many races brain. They were nimble on their feet, and unafraid of exploring even the most volatile of worlds. Once Jake and Ron had cleared the area, the others would follow and start taking soil and water samples. \n\n“I’m gonna go give these fellas a scare. See if I can run them off,” Ron said as Jake was still only about a third of the way down the cliff.\n\n“Come on man! You know we are supposed to stay together! Buddy System and all that jazz,” Jake said, trying to lower himself down quicker. \n\n“I’m right here, you’re right there. Buddy system,” Ron was saying even as he walked further away.\n\nCursing lightly, Jake released the gage on the safety harness, trying to drop himself quickly to the ground below. However, instead of sending him falling towards the ground, the cable gave a nasty twist, locking itself into the gear. He wasn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.\n\n“Ron! I’m stuck up here! Come give me a hand!” He was twisting around trying to find where his buddy had gone. But the man was out of sight. \n\n“OOkle, I’m going to have to climb down manually, unhooking my safety belt,” Jake called up to one of the Oobleks, the one who was in charge of safety. It gave a worried whistle, but nodded its head. \n\nPulling himself to the rock-face, Jake situated himself firmly between two large outcroppings. Getting off the harness was no easy feat, as it was meant to be worn the whole expedition. He shimmied it down over his narrow waist and let it swing loosely from the now useless relay cable. \n\nScrubbing his hands onto his pants, he looked around. He was lucky, this cliff was full of hand and footholds which would make it easy to climb and descend quickly. \n\nOne foot after another, hand over hand, Jake worked his way down the cliff-face. Ron had yet to reemerge from wherever he had walked off to, and Jake was practicing the berating he was going to give the man as he huffed and puffed. Climbing was much more of a workout than repelling down. \n\nAbout ten feet from the ground, Jake heard a scream. He tried to look up, but sweat dripped into his eyes. He didn’t think it was one of the aliens. They just didn’t make noises like that.\n\nTaking a deep breath, he jumped down, landing in a crouch on the ground below.\n\nRon. It had to be Ron.\n\nWhat was the fool doing. He was supposed to be scaring off those animals he had seen. No, actually, Jake thought grumpily, he was supposed to be waiting for Jake, right here. \n\nPulling his shirt over his face, he wiped the sweat and grime that had started to accumulate there. \n\nNow he could see. Looking around, he saw the strange animals that Ron had described, and they really did look like a cross between a dog and a sloth. \n\nBut Ron was nowhere to be seen. Turning in a slow circle, Jake grimaced. Something was wrong. He yelled Ron’s name, but got no response. He pulled out his gun, holding it before him as he continued his search.\n\nMight as well start over by the animals, since that was where Ron had last been headed. \n\nOnce he was about twenty feet away, all of the dog-sloths looked up alarmed and moved away. However, they revealed another sharp cliff and Jake peered over the edge. \n\nFuck. Ron was down there. Not moving. Probably ran at the beasts, and they moved, but not in time for him to see the cliff without falling. \n\nThis cliff however, had a sharp hill flowing down one side, and Jake was able to walk down it. As he reached the bottom, he clearly saw the pool of blood beneath Ron. He pushed the pager button on his wrist that would signal that they needed the ship here ASAP, he walked over to his friend. \n\nIt didn’t look good.\n\nTuring Ron over in a calculated roll, arms tucked in to stabilize his spine, Jake let out another string of cusses. Whatever he had been expecting - fall damage, maybe a bone or two piercing the skin - this was not it. \n\nIt looked as if Ron had been gored. Three sharp lines ripped open the man’s abdomen and chest. \n\nLaying the body down, for there was no saving him, Jake stood, picking his gun back up. \n\nThe ship arriving above him must have startled the beast out of hiding. Stepping out into the sunlight, Jake’s first thought was that it was a giant bug, but it had a porcine type face, with multiple sets of horns protruding from it head.\n\nHe didn’t know if the head or the body was better to aim for, so he let out three rounds in quick succession towards the skull, and another three toward the strange body. The thing dropped, black goo slowly oozing out of it.\n\nThe Ooblecks and the Tilk were twittering madly, and Jake picked up that they were upset that he had killed the beast. Their mission after all, was to collect data, not interfere with the life-forms that they encountered. \n\nAll Jake could do was mutter another fuck and motion towards Ron’s body. The fool, all he had to do was wait.\n\n“But why did you kill it HumanJake?” Idir, the Tilk asked in his strangely hollow voice.\n\n“It killed a human, it had to die. We have a saying on ol’ Earth, that once an animal tastes blood it’ll go feral, and it has to be put down. No exceptions.”\n\nShrugging, he walked back aboard the small ship, throwing himself down on the cot. They could deal with Ron, but he wanted no part of it.\n\nr/LandOfMisfits" ]	5
	[WP] For years it has been known that colony insects like bees and ants act in every way for their queen. She sits in the center of an expansive hidden lair breeding and feeding. But it is a brand new discovery to scientists that octopuses do the same.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It started with captive specimens, at least that's what it looked like to us, we had and have no way of monitoring any significant portion of the wild population of course but reports were looking the same globally. The order of octopoda, all 300 or so species and a few new ones discovered in light of recent events were changing behaviourally.\n\nFirst reports came, captive octopi escaping their tanks, innocently at first, almost to test the waters if you'll excuse the pun. Then more often, then with purpose. Metal objects started to go missing. Hundreds of aquarium staff accused and accusing each other of theft - rings, paperclips, glasses and coins. Equipment malfunctions, vital kit missing, \"escapodas\". (a term we coined early on for escapees when it didn't seem as serious) It didnt stop with that, we got reports from the wild; mysteriously clean beaches in before filthy locations, wrecks disappearing, oil rigs collapsing, divers killed in \"freak encounters\" with blue rings and eventually (and this is where the military started to take notice) 2 Ohio class nuclear submarines going missing. \n\nOccurrences like that increased to weekly, then daily. We were at war with the waves and we were losing. Then one day it stopped, no attacks, no sightings, we thought we were safe. We were wrong. \n\nThat much metal moving under the oceans and seas is surprisingly easy to track with radar. It all seemed to be going to one 40 square mile patch of the southern Pacific. -God, we didn't think they had the capability.- They were building something down there. Something big FOR something big. Something big, and something loud. It made the bloop sound like a droplet and the thousands of dead whales around the world, beached by themselves to ease their suffering are testament to that. Well whatever it is they've been building, it became silent today. It's ready." ]	2
	[WP] Turns out, time travelling is actually pretty easy. A minor inconvenience at most. So, it's not just major events. Time travellers will come for anything. Visits have become so common, people are now bored by them. This morning one popped up just to remind you to brush your teeth.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "(I hope you don't mind I changed to idea to a world where time traveling is known about and full incorporated into society. Also I make joke about Mormonism and Scientology so if you're not cool with that )\n\n\"Thanks mom!\" I yell sarcastically and slightly annoyed. She pats me on the back cheerfully \"Well have a fun today I have to meet your father in Ancient Greece for dinner so well be home late\" She said while turning the watch on her wrist. I spat out the toothpaste as I let out an annoyed sigh trying to build up the energy to get myself to work. After a couple of hours I arrive at this bullshit job I've somehow trapped myself in, a soulless company when only boot licking assholes make it. Just as I clock is a clipboard is rudely thrusted into my hands \"I need these done by today.\" said my superior his tone portraying someone who somehow cared even less about this job. I nodded not wanting to waste my time with office talk and quickly headed to some place quiet to go over my assignment. Oh god not again how many fucking times is someone going to try start up their own crazy religon and take claim as emperor god of the universe I thought to myself remembering the nightmare assignment that was L.Ron Hubbard and his group of wackos. That was one of my biggest screw ups, we haven exactly 3 weeks to correct mistakes made by these rouges or they get premaritally written into history. That time I failed due to me being way too enticed by Tom Cruise to stop it from spreading but at least we got a terribly funny movie out of it. Luckily he failed and I came back with a slap on the wrist and a 2 month retraining session. Not wanting to waste anymore time I quickly inputting the time into my watch and off I went.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Fuck!\" I yelled loudly falling from a tree. How do I keep forgetting that I have to stand on solid ground before I teleport. Luckily I wasn't injured due to the temporary invincibility granted when time travelling so people won't be incorporated into random trees. I looked around seeing a man and a women dressed in 1800's attire fooling around in the woods. I hid behind a tree not wanting to be a creep but just wanting to fix the problem and get out of here as soon as possible. I suddenly jumped back being startled by a women yelling \"Joseph!\". She grabbed him by the ear pulling him off of the other women. \"What the hell do you think you're doing!\" she said angrily looking at both of them. \"Uhhh-\" the man stammered trying to come up with an excuse \"god?\" he managed to whimper out. \"God told you to do this!\" she yelled back still pissed off. By the profile of the rouge and his name I was able to identified him as the one being yelled at. Suddenly he had a gleam in his eye now fully committing to this lie \"Ya um god told me to do it. I had to cause oh and now he's chill with having more wives so um meet...Carly\". The lady he was fooling around with looked insulted \"my names actually-\" she was cut off by Jospeh continuing on with his lie. I let out a snort thinking the whole situation. The group went off into town together him still trying to get out of this. I shrugged looking down at a sheet examining the possible impact this could have. Wanting to blow off work and not talking this situation seriously I decided to let this guy enjoy his last little bit of fun time traveling back home.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I told you guys all I know\" I said annoyed and handcuffed to a desk. \"I didn't mean for this to happen\" I tried to plead but I could see I was getting nowhere. I sighed leaning back into the cold metal of the chair resigning myself to the fact that I fucked up badly this time.", "I had just finished shaving when I glanced at the clock and noticed how late I was going to be. I was turning towards the bathroom door when a voice from behind the shower curtain chided, “Please remember to brush your teeth.” I nearly jumped out of my skin. But when I caught my breath, I realized what it must be.\n\n“What the fuck, man!” I howled as I pulled back the curtain. The man standing there was dressed in a suit that, if I recalled correctly, meant he was from about fifty years in the future. I was momentarily taken aback. I had never seen someone from so near in the future. Most of the visitors I got were tourists from two or three hundred years out. \n\nBut after puzzling over his appearance for a moment, I remembered my irritation. “You can’t sneak up on someone like that! You could have given me a heart attack!”\n\nThe man smiled tepidly and handed me a piece of paper. “Indeed, sir, ‘sneaking’ about is not my preferred method. But you insisted.” \n\nI stared at him like the crazy person he undoubtedly was. But he simply pointed impatiently at the piece of paper. It was some kind of form. But there was a handwritten section that drew my eyes. It read: “Scare the shit out of me. I won’t take it seriously otherwise.” I looked down at the bottom of the form and found my own signature. \n\n“What the hell is this all about?” I demanded, though the quaver in my voice gave away my uncertainty. The man smirked and disappeared in the abrupt way time travelers do.\n\nAfter staring for a moment at the empty spot where he had just been standing, I looked down at the paper. The form had a place for a specific date and time, namely about two minutes ago. And it had a place for a message: “Please remember to brush your teeth.” The handwritten note that had drawn my attention was in a section titled: “Special Instructions.” Finally, I noticed the fine print at the bottom of the form, which read: “J & R Dental Associates is not liable for any unforeseen consequences of antecedent reminders.”\n\n“Holy shit,” I muttered. “Could I really be such a dick in fifty years?”", "\"Please don't be alarmed,\" The masculine voice suddenly announces to my left.\n\nI don't look over. I just take another mouthful of scrambled eggs and scroll through Reddit on my phone. \n\n\"I've come from the future to warn you!\" My doors are locked and the only one way he could have gotten in is to have traveled to the spot from the future. Even though I'm a single female, I have nothing to worry about with him. Timetravellers are incorporeal. That doesn't make them any less annoying.\n\nI gather my dirty dishes and bus them off to the sink. A woman pops up in front of it and screeches, \"Don't drop them!\" and then giggles. My face doesn't twitch as I push my plate through her body and set it in the basin to soak. The woman vanishes. At least she was a smart one.\n\nI turn around and the man from earlier is still there. I think he's the same man. I don't really know. He's attractive. Weird fashion sense, even for a timetraveller. I kind of like it. I snap a shot of him from my phone. It's not the clearest. Taking a picture of a timetraveller is like taking a picture of a picture of a picture. No matter how good you are, it's going to degrade.\n\n\"I've been searching you for a long time,\" he said. Fucking perv. I've gotten to the point where I don't report most of them anymore. I hope they through the book at this one when he gets back.\n\nI head for my bedroom and a child appears in front of my door. \"I wouldn't go in there if I were you!\" he giggles. I walk through him and open the door. The kid is gone, but the man from my dinning room follows me in. I strip my night gown off and toss it in my laundry basket. My panties soon follow. I head into the bathroom and turn on the shower.\n\nThe man continues to follow. I'm in the middle of shampooing with my hands above my head when another man appears in front of me and pantomimes licking my nipples. I quickly turn away from the shower wall as the photon sensing cameras detect his appearance and snap shots of him.\n\nSome people believe that in the future, these crimes and annoyances are prosecuted. I don't. Sure our cops now make reports and file them for future cops, but whatever. Their frequency proves two things to me: there's too many to really deal with and there's no consequences for them. I mean, if there were, they'd stop coming.\n\nStill, I want to make the effort with the really pervy ones, like the sicko in my shower. That's why I got the photon cameras. However, just because I can't stop timetravellers from getting a free peep show, doesn't mean I want to give some cop in my time, one who can actually touch me, some shots of me in the buff.\n\nMr. Persistent is still standing outside of my shower when I get out. \"Please listen!\" he says.\n\nI grab my toothbrush out of the cup. A little girl flashes in next to me. \"Don't forget to brush your teeth!\" She says and starts to giggle uncontrollably.\n\nPersistent screams, \"No! Don't!\"\n\nA third person pops in and out. Did he just touch my toothpaste? No. Timetravellers can talk to us and see what's going on, but they can't interact with the past materially. I've read some scientific mumbo jumbo on the topic once, but it seemed like BS. Personally, instead of trying to pass petty crimes off into the future, I don't understand why developing the technology isn't outlawed in the first place. It's an idea that's occurred to me more and more frequently recently.\n\nI grab my toothpaste and squirt some out on my brush.\n\n\"Please! I need to warn you!\"\n\nI shove the brush in my mouth and got to work on my back molars.\n\n\"No! There's a man who's figured out how to physically interact with the past! That toothpaste is poison.\"\n\nI'm working on my front teeth when the tingling starts. I turn to look at Mr. Persistent. A bearded figure appears next to him. Somehow, I can tell that he's not appearing in my time, but in Mr. Persistent's. He doesn't notice. He's looking at me.\n\nThe bearded man pulls a knife and I try to scream, but my mouth is locked shut on my toothbrush. Mr. Persistent vanishes.\n\nI pull out my phone and start typing: \"Physical interactions with the past capable. Must outlaw time travel.\" My thumb hovers over the send button and my fingers lock up.\n\nThe bearded man appears next to me. He plucks the phone out of my hand and clears my message. He replaces it with one that says, \"I can't bear my sins anymore. goodbye world.\" He puts the phone back in my hand and leans into my ear. I feel his breath on my neck.\n\n\"Shouldn't have been so successful at outlawing time travel. I won't let anyone take my playground from me.\"\n\nThe tear rolling down my cheek is the last sensation I remember." ]	4
	[WP] A retired old man comes across some antique wooden furniture. He decides to restore it. He takes it apart and stacks the wood boards along a wall. After a few hours, he looks at the boards and realizes that the grains of wood are actually forming a picture.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Jeffrey didn’t make the trip into town very often anymore, but he usually had the same routine. He would drive his beat-up old pickup truck to the gas station and chat with his old buddy Sam for a while, fuel up, grab some groceries at the Walmart, and drive on back to the farm. He hadn’t grown anything there in years, but luckily his Army pension was just enough for him to get by.\n\nThis time, however, something was different. There was a furniture store in between his house and the Walmart that he’d never noticed before. The sign out front said: \n\n_Mysterious Oaks Furnishings_\n\n_Timeless Wooden Artwork_\n\nJeffrey knew that his memory must be playing tricks on him; the store looked like it had been around forever.\n\nThe young woman running the shop was very kind and exceptionally helpful, so much so that Jeffrey re-considered his stance on kids these days just a little bit. She helped him load a dining room table with two wooden extensions, and some paneling that she said used to be part of a cabinet. He would turn it into a bookshelf; he’d been wanting to read more and more now that his wife Janet had passed.\n\nUnfortunately, the woman running the shop did not follow Jeffrey home, so he had to unload all of the furniture himself. One of the bigger panels from the ex-cabinet broke while he was unloading it. Jeffrey was surprised to find a number of smaller panels on the inside, with designs carved into them.\n\n_Must have been the shelves for the cabinet_, he thought to himself as he finished unloading his truck.\n\nHe had decided to do the woodworking in the barn. The table would need a bit of sanding and some varnish, but not much else. The cabinet parts, on the other hand, would need a lot of work.\n\nJeffrey finished sanding the left side of the table before he noticed a design on there that he hadn’t seen before: a giant cursive “T” right in the center of the panel. He didn’t give it much thought until he finished sanding the table extensions; one of them had a cursive “H” and the other a cursive “E” right in the center.\n\nJeffrey’s platoon mates in the Army always said he had a sixth sense. For some reason, he almost always knew when an ambush was coming, at least ten minutes in advance. He felt the same sense of apprehension now as he sanded the cabinet panels and the miniature ones hidden in the broken panel.\n\nTwo hours later, he had a jumble of cursive letters in front of him—two T’s, two H’s, four E’s, an R, an S, an A, and a V. He felt like he was almost there, but something was missing.\n\nOn a hunch, he lifted the edge of the biggest panel off the ground and shook it a bit since there was no letter on the outside of it. Sure enough, he found four little panels on the inside when he cracked the larger one open.\n\nHe sanded them down.\n\n“E”\n\n“E”\n\n“S”\n\n“Y”\n\nA strange feeling compelled him, and he lost track of time as he re-arranged the panels without really looking. Finally, he stepped away to read the message.\n\n_THE TREES HAVE EYES_\n\nHe heard a loud crack, like a gunshot. He just saw the edge of the branch come crashing through the roof of the barn before everything went dark.\n __________________\nIf you liked this, check out my subreddit! r/NicodemusLux" ]	2
	[WP] During a archaeological dig a cave that seems to have been man made is discovered. Within the cave are 20 people in pods with labels at the feet of each of the pods. The people are ordered in rows from the year 0-2000 with each person a century apart.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Fascinating...” I gasp in amazement as I pass by each pod at a time. This cave was dug and expanded by a Jewish family before Jesus Christ was born a year, to bury a beloved family member. Twenty people, each belongs to the century they had lived in, and they all had the same blood flowing in their veins. Unfortunately, the last heir of this family has passed away recently, so the secrets of their mysterious tomb can never be solved. \n\n“June.” One of my colleagues call me. “Look at the pods’ details.” \n\nI look at the first pod, which is labeled in the old language Aramaic. It resembles the kind of pods in sci-fi movies, except the it is made out of wood, and there is a sheet of metallic glass covers the front. The labels below the pod state who is inside the pod, their occupation when they were alive, and finally their birth and death year. The guy in the first pod used to be one of Jesus’s disciple. His life expectancy wasn’t that long, we figure that he was executed. \n\nThen, we move to the second pod, third pod,... each pod was made from different materials, but there are always sheets of metallic glass cover them. The more we study about these pods, the more we know about this mysterious Jewish family. The person in the second pod, supposedly lived in the 2nd century was a Roman emperor. The person in the third pod was a Chinese warlord,... Up until the 20th pod, the person lies in there was a spy for the USSR, they died heroically in World War II. \n\nBut some of these stuffs don’t make any sense. The history doesn’t have any records about a Jewish warlord in China, or Marie Antoinette had a step-sister who fought in the Haitian revolution. And the strangest thing of all: no one knew about this place except the family, but they never stepped into this place after World War I. Also, on the death bed, the last Heir of the family revealed the location of this cave, and he also said that there were only nineteen coffins. \n\nSo... Who built these pods? And who had stepped inside here? And who are these people? Why weren’t they in the history book? There are so many questions in my head, so many mysteries revolving around this bury cave. \n\n“What about the local town? Maybe they found the cave by accident.” A person asks. \n\n“No, no, can’t be. The cave was blocked by a giant rock, and this is in a thick forest.” \n\n“How the heck didn’t we learn about a pirate that almost assassinated the King of Spain and overthrew the monarchy in school?” \n\nDiscussion and theories start, archeologists and researchers begin to theories and deduct the mysteries. For my part, I approach one of the pods. The metallic glass looks new and shiny, even the material hasn’t worn out despite the humidity and the temperature in here. We don’t want to open the pods out since it’s against the last heir’s will, but to unveil the mysteries, that is a must. \n\nI touch the pod and slide my hand across the surface, until my fingers accidentally press something on the pod. There is a loud “click” and the glass begins to slide apart, revealing the person inside. \n\n“Uh, guys?” I call out to the rest of the team. “I did a thing.” \n\nInside that 15th pod is something we never expect,.The person that is in here used to be a pope. Instead of finding a skeleton, there is a corpse, or that’s what I think. The skin isn’t pale, the flesh hasn’t rotten yet, someone had used a method of body preservation that makes him look like he is sleeping. \n\nWhen one of us approaches the pod, the pope’s eyes suddenly fling open, and he slowly rises from the pod. The horrifying scene makes all of us frozen in place, everyone looks shocked and bewildered. This can’t be happening...\n\n“Oh my God...” \n\n“Ah...” The guy in the 15th pod (a pope) stretches his body. “I’ve been sleeping a long time, tell me, what year is it? Is it 1800 yet?? Do we have flying horse yet? ” The guy speaks excitedly in Italian. \n\n“No...” Jake, the only person in the team who knows how to speak Italian. “It’s 2019... Horses still can’t fly.”", "\"Look at them, Thomas\" said Elle with amazement in her voice, \"how on Earth could they have gotten here?\" She strolled past stopping at each one to gaze at the pod's contents. Behind, what she could only assume as glass, were people frozen in place, frozen in time. A man dressed in garb from the middle east, another in chainmail that still had blood stains along the sleeve near his hand. Another man dressed in Japanese Samurai armor, his katana lying at his side. \"How is this possible?\"\n\n\"The line between possibilty and reality is a blurred one, my dear\" said Thomas so matter of factly. \"What you're seeing here is a preservation attempt.\"\n\n\"Fascinating!\" Elle placed her hand to the glass of the pod. Inside a woman, ordained in vibrant silk and a Hindu Bindi, looked as if she were simply sleeping. \"They all appear to be roughly the same age.\"\n\n\"That's a very astute observation, Miss Grimes. I'm pleased to see your pattern recognition coming into play\" said Thomas, his voice calm and steady. \n\nElle let out a little scoff. \"I'm certainly no Indiana Jones, but my Archaeological education included pattern recognition in the basics.\" She crouched down on her knee to observe the base of the pod. \"Look at this strange writing, Thomas, I've never seen anything like it.\" \n\nAt the base of the pod was a cylindrical metal base. It's colour resembled an oil wash, possibly a result of unknown metallic alloys. Depressed in the metal were odd symbols that baffled Elle. She swung her satchel to her front and pulled out a notebook. Quickly flipping through pages full of drawings and field notes she stopped on a page with notes on languages and writing. \n\n\"Find anything interesting?\" asked Thomas. \n\n\"I can't make heads or tails of this.\" she said, flipping another page in a mix of frustration and fascination. \n\n\"Come now my love, did I not teach you anything in my lectures?\" said Thomas as he laid a hand on her shoulder. \n\nElle reached up with her free hand to hold Thomas's, she turned and smiled at her husband. \"You've taught me many things, but university was 8 years ago. I'll record what I can for now and consult my notes later.\" She let go of his hand before turning back, rummaging once more in her bag. Sure brought out a tablet and unlocked the screen and quickly began taking photos. Only after a few the device glitched and the screen went black as the battery let out a small electric whine.\n\n\"Goddamit! I think it's fried.\" Muttered Elle in anger as she rose to her feet. She put the tablet back into her bag along with her field journal. She stormed down the hallway towards more pods.\n\n\"Yes\" agreed Thomas, \"there seems to be a odd electromagnetic field in this chamber. Perhaps there's something more on the bases that could help us.\"\n\n\"Possibly but it would still take time to... wait a second.\" She paused, staring at the pod in front of her. Enclosed was a man that could have been plucked straight from Vogue. His hair was styled in a messy but stylish fashion, the kind that used to make women swoon. His clothes were clean and form fitting, accentuating his muscles beneath his shirt. \"Look here, Thomas.\" Elle turned to motion Thomas towards her. \"Look at his shirt.\" she said excitedly turning back to the pod. Emblazoned in bold white letters on a maroon polo were the words 'American Eagle 2000.'\n\n\"Ah yes, quite right. This man appears to be from the late 20th or early 21st century.\" stated Thomas. Once more strolled over to Elle his hand right hand grasping his other wrist in front of him in relaxed fashion. \"What do you make of him?\"\n\n\"Well, if he's from the late 20th or early 21st century then he's nearly 100 years old! But how? He appears to not have aged a day past 30.\" Elle moved back from the glass, a smile crawled over her lips as the cogs in her mind began to turn. She moved to the right, before stopping cold. \n\nBefore her on the ground was a metallic disc, the same oily shine as the other metallic base, she stared at it a moment before the smile that was once forming faded. \"Thomas, darling\" Elle began, her voice cracking slightly as she swallowed, \"you said before this was a preservation attempt... What did you mean by that?\" Elle asked as she turned around to see her husband. \n\nThomas was standing right behind her, his face as calm as collected as it had always been. \"I meant precisely what I said, my dear.\" He took a small step towards Elle causing her to step backwards a bit. \"Preservation of those I love.\"\n\nElle panicked. She tried to step around Thomas but she couldn't move. As she tried to speak she couldn't. She was paralyzed, only her eyes could move as she looked at Thomas with terrified realization. The air immediately around her began to cloud in a fog that solidified into clear glass. Inside she was screaming but nothing came out before an intense exhaustion rushed over her like a wave upon the sand. She fought against it futilely her husband fading from view as her eyes closed.\n\n\"I will save you and preserve you until the time is right.\" Thomas kissed his hand and pressed it to give glass. \"Sleep well, my dear, the reckoning is almost nigh.\"" ]	3
	[WP] Back then, you are just the fastest speaker on earth. But now you are deemed to be the strongest wizard because you can chant your spells faster than anyone could.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Two robed firgures sat in the darkest corner of the tavern, sipping their drinks as they casually watched the door. They pulled their hoods as far down onto their face as they could without blocking their view. One of them spoke, his gruff voice low and quiet, \"It's been a while. How have you been?\"\n\nThe second spoke, \"I've been better, I won't lie. Living out of the way...\" she stopped as the bar maid passed by their table, \"...is not exactly how I would like to spend my time. How about you Jalle-\n\nThe man cut her off, \"No names!\" The man looked at the other patrons to see if any heard them, \"We never know who is listening.\"\n\n\"Right, still getting used to that. Have you heard from anyone else?\"\n\nThe man sighed, \"No. Not a soul. I take it you haven't either?\"\n\nThe woman drank deep from her tankard, stopping only to speak, \"Nope.\"\n\n\"This is ridiculous!\" With his fist now balled, wanting very much so to slam this table into oblivion, the man sat in anger and disgust, \"We were all the best, every one of us and now...how did that fool-\" he realized his voice was getting louder with each word. He had to calm down, no attention could be drawn to them.\n\nThe woman saw his anger slowly die away, \"I think I have a lead on that.\"\n\nThe man was surprised, \"You do?! What?\"\n\n\"There was a book in that auction house. I have a source that said he read it.\"\n\nThis was interesting news. The Guild was never able to figure out the source of this man's newly found power. It was, however, getting harder and harder to research him as more and more of his guildmates were annihilated. \"Do you know what book it was?\"\n\nThe woman sighed, \"Not exactly, but I hear it was an ancient tome of spells from the Dark Era. If this is the case, we might be able to diminish his power if it comes from that book itself, perhaps even take his power away completely if the book is destroyed.\"\n\nThe man pondered this new information. It made sense, that would explain the previous action the Guild took to stop the man. A surprise attack was the only thing that made sense, they had never seen someone who could cast spells with the speed and ferocity that that man did. Maybe the two of them could try a similar strategy, tweak it to complete what his fallen friends couldn't. \"Do we know where it last was?\"\n\n\"I saw the auction house he owned stands once more. They rebuilt it rather fast after it was destroyed in the previous attempt, I image it is there. It is also his home, makes sense to keep it there.\"\n\n\"Good, we might be able to-\"\n\nA new voice entered the duo's minds, shouting, \"TO WHAT?!\"\n\nThe wall next to them was suddenly ripped away, the debris spilling onto the street. Within the newly formed hole, a man materialized. His pudgy figure stood resolute as his eyes darted over to the two cloaked figures. Their bodies trembled under his gaze. \"FOUND YOU!\"\n\nThe cloaked woman froze in her seat, unable to move. The cloaked man rose, shouting \"OH LORDS NO!\" as he bolted toward the door.\n\nThe pudgy man spoke, rambling of words so fast it was impossible to tell what he was saying. All that could be gleaned was after he was done, the cloaked man was gone, all that remained was the puff of smoke that appeared where he once was. The woman remained seated, unable to look to see what happened. The pudgy man entered the building as all the other patrons slowly moved toward the door.\n\nHe sat down across from the woman, \"You were thinking of doing what now?\"\n\nThe woman stammered, trying to speak. She knew that this could be the difference between life and death, \"^(we...we were...\")\n\n\"You will have to speak up. I would like to hear you talk about burning my auction house down again. As if you and your friends didn't learn last time what happens when you cross someone like that.\"\n\n\"But...but no one should...\"\n\n\"Should what?\" The man leaned in closer to her, \"Have the same power you all did? Yes, I imagine it would be fantastic to have a monopoly on this kind of might. To go to the lengths you did to keep it though...\" the man stared deep into her eyes, \"You are all just a bunch of bullies.\"\n\nThe woman felt a sudden realization wash over her. Here she sat, the last of her order, across from the man that destroyed all whom she knew. The last thing she wanted to do now is just give up. None of her friends would want her to just give up. She reached toward her pocket as fast as she could, the soul stones inside just might be enough to-\n\nOnce again the man chanted in his unusual cadence, rattling off a spell faster than anyone could ever think a spell could be cast, binding the woman in invisible chains. \n\n\"I'm sorry miss, but I can't live in peace if I fear what you might do to my precious business.\" One more chant, one last puff of smoke.\n\nThe man leaned back in the chair, sighed and looked at the hole he had left in the wall. He spoke, each work bringing back the wall board by board until all was as it was before, good as new in an instant. He turned to the barmaid who slowly rose from the bar she was hiding behind, \"Terribly sorry Cherri, I hope I haven't spooked you. Could I perhaps have a large tankard please?\"", "Oh hoh hoh hoh! Chant chant chant! Kill kill kill.\n\nOne day I am the King of Tural, Orka, son of Magus, known for his concise speeches and ability to move his mouth at great speed.\n\nNow I murder professors at the Academy faster than a rat's death after a hawk's eye spies a little creature.\n\n\"Ability to move his mouth at great speed.\" Haha. That's what the doctors inscribed as my condition. It sounds so tame. So formal.\n\nIt is not tame when you can berate your sister before she can conjure a sentence, and not tame when after your Father's death, can say \"I shall take his place\" faster than his sister. Take that, Melinda.\n\nI get more applause after I kill a man when compared to one of my (brilliant and well formed) speeches. Perhaps it is the hilarity with the former. A 10 minute speech in 2 minutes, or a 3 second long speech in half of a half of a second.\n\nThe Prowler, head of the Academy, challenged me after I took an interest in the arcane. I had a year of studying, he had 60.\n\nHe enjoyed murdering young students who can't crack a spell without messing up the words and restarting, with their \"uhms\" and \"wait--no no no no.\"\n\nWe used the same chant, the same spell, per duel rules. I remember it clearly, drowning out the crowd around us. What was it--oh, \"Let the lord of Suns cast several deaths upon thee.\"\n\nIt takes 5 seconds to cast for a man with the Prowler's experience. It was an unusually long chant, and only seniors could cast it without retrying 9 or 10 times. It's not practiced because the user can very easily doom themselves or the poor soul they casted it upon to remain unconscious for 400 years--to awake to their skeleton.\n\nI stepped forward. He stepped forward. Both bowing, a gasp, and a flurry of words--\n\n\"LET THE LORD OF SU--\n\"LEDALORDAOFSUNSCASTASEVERALDEATHSUPONETHEE!\"\n\nHe was asleep before I opened my eyes.", "Oh hoh hoh hoh! Chant chant chant! Kill kill kill.\n\nOne day I am the King of Tural, Orka, son of Magus, known for his concise speeches and ability to move his mouth at great speed.\n\nNow I murder professors at the Academy faster than a rat's death after a hawk's eye spies a little creature.\n\n\"Ability to move his mouth at great speed.\" Haha. That's what the doctors inscribed as my condition. It sounds so tame. So formal.\n\nIt is not tame when you can berate your sister before she can conjure a sentence, and not tame when after your Father's death, can say \"I shall take his place\" faster than his sister. Take that, Melinda.\n\nI get more applause after I kill a man when compared to one of my (brilliant and well formed) speeches. Perhaps it is the hilarity with the former. A 10 minute speech in 2 minutes, or a 3 second long speech in half of a half of a second.\n\nThe Prowler, head of the Academy, challenged me after I took an interest in the arcane. I had a year of studying, he had 60.\n\nHe enjoyed murdering young students who can't crack a spell without messing up the words and restarting, with their \"uhms\" and \"wait--no no no no.\"\n\nWe used the same chant, the same spell, per duel rules. I remember it clearly, drowning out the crowd around us. What was it--oh, \"Let the lord of Suns cast several deaths upon thee.\"\n\nIt takes 5 seconds to cast for a man with the Prowler's experience. It was an unusually long chant, and only seniors could cast it without retrying 9 or 10 times. It's not practiced because the user can very easily doom themselves or the poor soul they casted it upon to remain unconscious for 400 years--to awake to their skeleton.\n\nI stepped forward. He stepped forward. Both bowing, a gasp, and a flurry of words--\n\n\"LET THE LORD OF SU--\n\"LEDALORDAOFSUNSCASTASEVERALDEATHSUPONETHEE!\"\n\nHe was asleep before I opened my eyes.", "\"And let there be light.\"\n\nA faint red glow started appearing in the sky. Yellow rays started penetrating the thick layer of clouds. The sky has parted, and the sun appeared in all its glory.\n\n\"Do you still want to do this?\" said Zafir. He has demonstrated his magical words, and the battle has yet to start.\n\nJust like all those that came before him, this opponent seemed confused and weak. Zafir wanted just this once to let him say a few words. It has gotten pretty boring winning every battle, but the stakes were to high.\n\n\"You're unwell\" said the man. An interesting though unoriginal curse choice thought Zafir.\n\n\"It is you that is unwell. I can see your leaky nose and swollen eyes.\" The man seem resigned to his fate, this was going to end fast. Zafir has started with a fast barrage of blows:\n\n\"Your're weak and unable. Your tongue feels heavy. Your chicks feel unbearably hot. Your sexual fantasies rule you. You're a bad person, and therefore should cease to exist\"\n\nThe man looked at Zafir, scared. no. It was something else that Zafir detected. He did not like what he saw.\n\n\"You're a bad man.\" said the man.\n\nZafir couldn't let such a blatant attack go unanswered.\n\n\"I'm good, and you and everyone else knows that. It's your weakness that makes everything that comes out of your mouth a lie. You're repenting deep in your heart!\". This was a good defense Zafir knew, the attack was strong but the defense was more than enough to protect against it. The man was visibly shook witnessing the skill of Zafir.\n\n\"That wasn't it\" cried a small voice in Zafir's head.\n\n\"This man is not a match for me\" thought Zafir for himself trying to squash the doubt.\n\n\"They're not your enemies, don't you see?\" the incessant thoughts kept piling up.\n\nZafir wanted to go away, the man has been beaten. He did not have a high enough skill level to cause any serious curse damage.\n\n\"Please stay here\" said the man, in a commanding voice.\n\n\"Haven't you had enough\" called Zafir.\n\n\"Dude, help is on the way. Just stay where you are, and I promise you everything will be fine\" answered the man.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nZafir couldn't believe what he saw. The man kept attacking even after he was done for. OK, if this man wishes to continue on this path, then I'll make him regret it, thought Zafir.\n\n\"No one is coming besides a weakness in your legs and the shivers in your spine\". Zafir did not like what he saw in the man's eyes. It wasn't fear as he expected given the terrible curses he inflicted upon the man. It was.. that couldn't be it.. or could it be? pity? Why would this man feel sorry for a strong magical warrior such as himself.\n\nZafir had survived jumping from 10 foot pole when he tested his newly acquired athletic abilities. He believed he was immortal, having conquered the demon realm and convincing the daemon voices to stop his torment. This was a new stage. He needed to win this fight and many others after it, he needed to gain power, to rule the mortals, to bring heaven or hell for those who deserve it.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nZafir had no doubt about his abilities. This man needed to die, this wasn't a normal battle. This man was a very dangerous opponent.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Die you weak soul. DIE! DIE! DIE!\" screams Zafir.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe man was not phased.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"They're on their way, just relax. I promise you everything will be fine.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nZafir could hear a sound of sirens. Straight away he understood what happened. The world governments have made an alliance against him. They know just how powerful he is now. It was foolish of him to expect the secret of his power to be unknown for long. He needed to run away and regroup.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThis man could handle his curses, who knows how many such people the government has working for them.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I've lost this battle. But I'm not going to lose the war\" announced Zafir and opened in a run towards the alleyway.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I'm the greatest curse caster the world has ever seen, they will see. One day they will fear me!\"", "Magic, as written, is but a crude expression of the language of magic, the true essence of manipulating the ebb and flow of the secret energies and forces around us. To me, at least, when I looked at an expression of magic on the page, it was like looking at a musical score, and it seemed obvious to me what the author was trying to say and what the specific effect of the manipulation would be. I could cast my spells faster and more accurately, changing them almost at whim in ways my instructors had never seen. I danced and sang, my hands flowing through the cobwebs of aether around us. \nThe group of master mages stood nearby, stunned, looking at the remains of the wooden dummy across the practice yard. The night was noticibly cooler as I had dragged the warmth out of both the air and the ground, the plants and all the insects in their burrows. Far more than the spell called for, really. Easy. \n\"Can you do that again, Apprentice?\" \nI frowned... there was still plenty of heat around, but things would get mighty cold in an ever expanding radius around me as I gathered power. I shrugged and hoped the instructors were rugged up against the chill. \n\"!\" I pronounced clearly, pointing at the next dummy. \nMy next breath came out as a vapour, in the suddenly, shockingly cold snap. I mercilecely sucked ever joule I could out of the area around me, killing plant and insect alike. I reduced the temperature to arctic levels, just above what a human could survive. \nThe magic was alive around me as it somehow, impossibly, amplified the heat I'd taken, and with thunder like that of the hammer of the gods themselves, a blue ball of superheated plasma engulfed the dummy. I was not expecting the brightness or thunderclap which flattened everyone and left us without sight and hearing for several minutes. \nWhen we had more-or less collected ourselves, we found a perfect glass surface in the shape of the ball of plasma, and nothing at all of the dummy itself. \nIn all, one instructor was permanently blinded, and another lost his left eye from a splinter. Two continue to hear \"ringing\" in their ears. Three bones were broken, there were multiple bruises and contusions. \nThe lead instructor beamed, and said, \"The boy is truly talented. He'll be Grand Magus in ten years. You see that? The power! The speed that he speaks!\" \nSome of the school thought I should be punished for injuring so many people, but as the lead instructor said, \"That's why he's enrolled in school and not the Grand Magus. To learn a little finesse.\"" ]	6
	[WP] You're one of the nice horror movie villains. You still look terrifying, but while helping your "victims" escape from their predicament, they somehow keep finding creative ways of getting themselves killed.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I had never quite chosen to be like this, if someone asked me. \"Hey Paul! Want to be a disfigured one eyed asshole with razor sharp teeth and claws that could dig out a bull heart in seconds, I probably would have declined but here I was, stuck in some stupid abandoned hotel. I was never sure why I could not leave this place, perhaps it was hell? Or perhaps I simply was cursed to this area... hell I'm still not sure how one night I fell asleep and ended up like this.. though that was hardly the worst part... the worst part was the.\n\n\"Shh... shhh.. he might hear us.\" A snickering voice called out, skulking the hallway outside of my door.\n\n\"Oh my god! Shut up dave! I'm like going to piss myself if you keep scaring me! Lol\" \n\nTeenagers.... I'm not sure what draws the kids here, perhaps the same curse that turned me into a mess, yet.. I wanted to help, help them live unlike me. I slowly peeled open the door, hearing their movements stop as it creaked open. Ok... last time was a failure, hiding in dark places trying to catch them by surprise doesn't work... he could still remembering the screaming as the woman tossed herself out the window... he had only wanted to catch her by surprise in the hopes she wouldn't run, but... that didn't help anything. Perhaps if he exposed himself earlier, they would fear him less.\n\nFinally the door sprung open revealing my disfigured self to them. \"Please wait, danger will befall you if you....\"\n\n\"RUN!\" I heard the male scream, as they both fled in opposite directions, I tried to stay positive but... splitting up never works. The woman got out her phone, trying to text someone, possibly for help... I would go for the male first, give her time to call help, maybe they could do what he couldn't. \n\nSlowly I wandered down the hallway, I could hear his whimpering. The grandfather clock, he was behind it.... I let out a loud sigh and looked away, pretending to be distracted, hopefully he would flee... he had the chance.\n\n\"WHAT TIME IS IT! KILLING TIME!\" He shouted, giving the grandfather clock a shove, I instinctively flinched, raising my arm, only to find the heavy clock rock back and.... straight to the head... Giving off a small comedic GONG! GONG! As it collided. I crouched by the corpse, touching his neck, dead....\n\n\"OH MY GOD.. YOU! KILLED HIM!\" Came a feminine shriek. Her phone flashing as me. Didn't she call for help? Why was she here?\"\n\n\"I didn't... look! Look! It was just an acciden-\" as I went to pull my hand away, a claw caught his neck, dragging his head with it. I quickly shook the head loose, tossing it towards her, she dropped her phone to catch the head, stumbling back at the sudden shift of weight in her hands and before I knew it. \n\nTHUD\n THUD\n THUD\n THUDDDD\n\nShe had fallen down the stairs, neck twisted and contorted, both her and the males faces facing one another in a tragic display of shakespearean levels. \"Im... sorry.\" Was all I could mutter, sitting myself on the floor, staring over the mess as my claw scrapped against the wooden floorboards, only stopping when it tapped against her phone.\n\n\"Hmm?...\" I picked up the device, staring at it.. there was a play? Button.... I awkwardly shifted my claw up letting the finger tip press against the screen. I could hear her talking before the clock fell... then she came out to talk to me and.... \n\n\"Rawr! GRAH! grah! SNRGH!\" Thats what I sounded like? I had been speaking perfectly... at least it sounded perfect to me... no wonder they had been so scared... again it was my fault. I tossed the phone aside, staring up at room 402... crawling my way back inside, next time... \n\nnext time I would save them." ]	2
	[WP] The village outcast becomes friends with a werewolf. The werewolf has been trying to eat them for a while, but can never go through with it because the outcast has been the only human to ever treat him like a normal person.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The moon was full and Dale was now petting the beast who ate his neighbours just moments ago. Its fur was matted and unkept, shedding on his black trousers and leaving a musty residue on his fingertips. It's less likely to eat someone when he's given it attention so throwing these clothes into the wash wouldn't be too much of a hassle for Dale.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I don't mean to do it, ya know. I, err...um..eat em cause I have ta. It's like your drinking problem, the longing for a drink can't be shaken off.\" Said the werewolf in a gruff pitch.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Hey now, I don't have a drinking problem. I still pay the bills ya know. Me wifey never goes hungry along with me kids. I just feel I deserve a brew or two if I feel up to it. \" He takes the last sip of his beer and sets it by his side. He realizes that it stands next to 5 other empty bottles.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Okay maybe I do but at least I'm not eating babies and decapitating bums with me mouth am I?.\" Says Dale.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe werewolf's nose starts to itch as it builds up to a sneeze. It fails to cover its face and explodes on everything in front of him including Dale. Blood quickly scattered the scene and the werewolf immediately licked it back up.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"It's good to see ya too but bad doggy.\" He attempts to shove his head away from his body but the werewolf let out a small growl. \"Err...Good doggy. 'Ave some manners though, will ya? You eat like my nana. \" said Dale.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nDale begins to wipe the saliva off of the side of his face and the werewolf shakes his head as if he was stuck in a spell.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry.\" Says the werewolf in a tone of sadness, \"Words hold no weight when I see it. Smell it for that fact. I have no control.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Me wifey just bought me this shirt! Look..Look! I look like I just earned me red wings damn it.\" He pulls his soaked shirt up, spreading it out to see the blood of the dead covering every inch of it. \"I look like a women's rag ya...ya..ya mutt,\" Dale said.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe werewolf whimpers.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I am..a human too, ya know? I have feelings. It's the moon. It's the man who bit me. It's not my fault I desire to drink the fluids of my kind.\" Says the werewolf.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nDale takes a deep breath, watching tears stream from the werewolves face. He feels sad for him for some reason.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I want to help you. You know that. Me dad lives up north near Shortwood.\" He motions behind the werewolf. \"If you promise to keep em out of ya mouth I'll take ya there every full moon. \"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"And you think he could handle that?\" said the werewolf.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Yessum, he used to keep wild game caged in his basement. Me mom wasn't too fond of it but he made a decent living. Circus's and lazy hunters would bring mad coin for what he caught. Pops knows how to manage the wild ones. Shit, he raised me.\" He lets out a small chuckle.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe werewolf grins as well but quickly resets his face.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Not that I am in the place to make a deal but if I followed through with this would you do something for me?\" Said the werewolf.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Name it then,\" Dale says with a discerning look.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"When I saw you arguing with ya wife in front of your daughter, it reminded me of my wife and kids.\" His tone was serious but he slowly began to cry. \"I am what you call a widower now. I...couldn't restrain uges, I don't remember much of it honestly.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Remember what? Wait, did you--\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I killed them. After I turned, I-\" The werewolf lets out a quiet, high pitched cry.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Oh god.\" Dale put his hands behind his head in disbelief. He couldn't fathom what he was hearing.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe conversation goes mute for a minute or so as Dale was taking it all in.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"If I do this. Or...When we go, will you put down the liquor for your kids? For your wife?\" He paused again for what seemed a lifetime but then continued on desperately. \"Don't let it take them from you. Don't do what I did. Don't let it take them away from you.\" His gaze matches with Dales' eyes.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nDale's chin begins to quiver and his mouth slowly opens to speak, tears running down his cheek like rivers.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Yes.\" said Dale. His mind filled with images of him and his wife on their wedding day. The day his children were born. A flood of priceless memories with his family.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe werewolf didn't say anything but nodded to motion his gratitude.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nDale shook his body and his head, attempting to stretch/recalibrate and said, \"We should be off now, the city would shit their drawers at the sight of a naked man and a walking rag.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAnd on they went to Shortwood.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe End.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThis is my first time posting a response to a writing prompt so appy polly loggies if it's terrible to read. Feel free to give feedback if you have any though. Thank you!\n\n&#x200B;\n\nPS. I need to go to bed so I sort of rushed this story. I'm too tired to tell if it comes off that way.", "Why is this so hard? All the others have been so easy. My claws and teeth go right through them like a hot knife through butter. Wait, it is butter, right? It's been too long...\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"Hey Jeff, want to go and fish by the river? I imagine you're hungry. Not even us less hairy humans have an easy time going a few days without eating; not sure how you've done it!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPersistence.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWith a contended gruff, Jeff nodded in the direction of the river, and the pair made their way to its quietly bubbling banks.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"I came here to fish with my dad when I was little. Every time I made a cast, he'd say 'Oh boy Scott! I bet that was a world record distance on your cast!' Even little me knew that wasn't true, but I'd laugh and play along. It was nice to be liked, then. You remind me of him, Jeff - he was quiet, too.\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nFor different reasons, I'd hope.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWith a shrug of acknowledgment, Jeff cast his lure into the lazy river, the sinker glimmering in the water.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"I come out here to talk to the salmon sometimes. I actually dream of being one more than I'd care to admit. Actually, I've admitted that pretty freely in the past. That might why people think I'm odd.\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWith a questioning grunt and a raised eye, Jeff turned to Scott for elaboration.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"Oh, sure, I'm the odd one here buddy! Heh, oh Jeff you know I tease.\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nJeff then made a noise that could only be assumed to have been a chuckle.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"I guess it's because salmon always have a home. Even though they're born and disappear into the different waters that their life takes them to, they always have a place.\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nA place. Julie...\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"And what's more, they always fight so hard to get back to their home. Something inside them drives their need to hurtle themselves at waterfalls. It's fascinating, really. I guess, more than anything, I wish I had a place to fight for.\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn the otherwise quiet of the gentle bubbling waters, Scott noticed several 'bloop' sounds, and turned to see his large friend softly weeping.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"Oh no! What's wrong, Jeff? Did I hurt you somehow? I didn't mean to, you see I-\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWith a wave of his furry hand, Jeff assured Scott that he wasn't at fault, and scribbled a crude picture in the dirt with a broken claw.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"Is that a house? Whose inside there...is that a baby? Are you a father?\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nJeff solemnly nodded.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"Well, that's great news!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWith a shocked gesture neighboring on anger, Jeff bolted from the rock that had been his seat.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHow could this possibly be good?! How could ANY of this possibly be good! The only friend I have in the world just told me the greatest tragedy of my life is good news. Where is the good in any of this?!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"Whoa whoa! Easy there. Don't eat me, heh!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt would be so easy right now...\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"I just meant, you're a salmon, Jeff!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe inquisitive raised eye again made an appearance on Jeff's face.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"You have a place! Something to fight for!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWith a timely, calming breeze, Jeff stared up river and saw a handful of salmon, trying to launch themselves toward their home.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHow...\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs if in perfect stride, Scott continued:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"I don't know quite how, Jeff, but we can do it! I'm going to help you get back to your baby, somehow. Maybe that was always meant to be my place - helping my friend make it back to his!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nA few moments of otherwise near deafening silence was again broken by the gentle sound of many bloops. \n\n&nbsp;\n\nJeff, in a gesture intended to be kind and gentle, placed his hand of Scott's shoulder which promptly knocked him down.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"Hah, thanks, friend!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs the sun smoothly descended behind the trees, the unlikely pair confidently set off to find their place." ]	3
	[WP] Write a piece where the first and last words are the same	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Death. \n\nI didn’t know what it meant until she had gone and even when they came I refused to give up the body. They wanted to place her in the ground, forever, where no one would see what happened after. \n\nI told them that I wanted to see it, needed to see it. That the grieving process takes as long as the body does to decompose. \n\n“You’re not right, son,” Sheriff Jordan said. \n\nMaybe not. But I wasn’t wrong. \n\nI said, You ever seen hooks, sheriff?” \n\nSheriff shook his head. “More crazy talk?” \n\nI told him how the story went. It started like this: \n\nHooks is a 1940’s film based on Fredrick Jean. It’s a true story about how he became one of the greatest stunt directors in the world. \n\nFred was kidnapped and his wife murdered in a burglary at their home. His captors would push a new hook through his skin each day until he was suspended above the floor. The thing is, when Fredrick was found, they realised that while his skin had been stretched and his body worn out, he was mentally fit, maybe even more so than before the whole event. \n\n\n“Trauma,” the doctor had said. “The shock will hit you and when it does you must be ready.” \n\nFred shook his head and looked the doctor in his eyes. “The hardest thing about pain,” he said, “is simply letting go.” \n\n“Aye, but you ain’t afraid of pain, you’re afraid of something else,” the Sheriff said. \n\nI nodded. “Death.”" ]	2
	[WP]This job is difficult. No one's lasted more than two weeks. Except for you. You've been there for twenty years. Another new hire has come to you seeking advice.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Sitting in her usual spot at the bar, twirling spaghetti around her fork, she watched the newest recruit shuffle between the tables, introducing himself to his coworkers.\n\nThe Administration would run out of people to hire at some point. Perhaps the world would be better off but she doubted it. Just another crisis.\n\nHer fork paused halfway to her mouth and she cast another glance at the newbie. Baby faced and smiling too brightly for their line of work. She turned her back. The boy wouldn’t last two weeks. \n\n“Hi!” the chipper, boyish voice exclaimed, resting a hand against the counter. Soft skin. “I’m-”\n\n“Save your breath, Kid.”\n\nThe boy looked bewildered. “I was only going to introduce myself.”\n\n“Let me save you the trouble.” She leaned back in her seat, regarding him. Her hands were rough when she brushed her hair out of her face, calloused with the years she’d spent wielding a weapon. “Names don’t mean anything around here.”\n\n“That’s ridiculous! How do you make friends?”\n\n“You don’t.”\n\nHis brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.” \n\nShe’d been generous with predicting two weeks. He wouldn’t last one.\n\n“How can you not make friends? There aren’t that many of us here,” he said.\n\nIf he wanted to live in naïve hope, who was she to argue? \n\n“You’ll figure it out,” she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin and rising to her feet. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a job to do.”\n\nEscorting a pompous General across the Badlands. Not her favorite task by any means. Perhaps she’d get lucky and this would be her final mission. How many times, in all honesty, could the Hunters miss taking a chunk out of her too?\n\n“Wait!” he exclaimed, catching hold of her arm. “You’re the one they all talk about? The one who’s been here for years.”\n\n“Your point?”\n\nHe swallowed, releasing her arm. “So, you have experience right?”\n\n“Sheer dumb luck is more likely.” That or Fate had it out for her.\n\n“Right…” he mumbled. Clearing his throat, he made a point of meeting her eyes. “Do you have any advice?”\n\n“Sure.”\n\nHe perked up, leaning into her space. All ears.\n\n“Don’t die.”\n\nThe boy floundered, mouth opening and closing like a fish. She walked away before he could protest.\n\nIt wasn’t her job to teach him the ways of their work. He’d learn for himself.\n\nOr die trying.", "\"It's not easy, what we do. I try to make sure the newbies know that up front. You will see things and do things you'll never forget. Some parts of this job will haunt you, and I mean that literally.\" I stopped for a minute to let some of it sink in and to re-light my smoke. Never smoked before this job, but it's not like we can get cancer anymore.\n\n\"Here's the thing, kid. People take this job to get away from stuff and think it'll be easy duty. Just old people who are ready, right? Nah, we get kids, and not just the sick ones. Kids from war zones with a fuckin leg missing. Yeah, that kind of damage carries over. You get your leg blown off by an IED and part of your damn soul goes with the meat.\" The kid looked green. I say kid, but he was probably thirty. They're all kids to me now, though. Been here a long time, and I'm not just talking about the job. \n\nI pulled a scrunchie out of my pocket and pulled my hair back. I know it's a dead fashion, but I like em and it's not like dead girls get a lot of options. Trends are for the living. We didn't get JNCOs over here til 2003. \"You gotta let the bad shit go. It's a job, like any other job. If you don't like this one there's plenty worse. You could be mopping up the shredding floors in Hell or something. It's not easy being Death, but it's a cushy gig considering the alternatives.\"", " \n\nLorenzo leaned against the shadowed wall, his worn boot scraping the old bricks. As he did every morning, he took a deep breath, lit a cigarette and prepared to watch the sun rise over the city. It was the perfect way to begin a day. \n\nIn the midst of his morning smoke, Lorenzo turned as the rooftop door opened to admit a young man wearing a familiar navy uniform. He had already forgotten the man’s name. Really, there no point in remembering such things. New hires cycled in and out of the Lord’s detail on a frequent basis. It was pointless to get attached. \n\nThe young man approached him at a brisk walk. Lorenzo could see by the sweat on his pale forehead that the man had taken the stairs to reach the rooftop. That had been a mistake. It was important to take it easy in the humid mornings of summer. \n\n“Sir,” the man began uncertainly, “do you have a moment to talk before our shift starts?”\n\nLorenzo nodded, lit another cigarette. “It’s Lorenzo. No need for formalities.” \n\nThe young man nodded. “I’m Eric.”\n\n“What did you want to talk about?” \n\n“I’m…” Eric hesitated, as if unsure how to begin. “I just don’t know if this job is for me.” \n\nLorenzo exhaled, sending a cloud of smoke racing forward. It had been quite some time since another guard had attempted to have this conversation. “What’s wrong with it?”\n\n“Well, it’s certainly not the pay,” Eric replied. “The benefits and location are great. Even the hours aren’t too bad once you get used to the schedule. It’s just…”\n\nIn no rush, Lorenzo continued his leisurely smoking pace. \n\n“It’s just … well … we don’t actually do anything here.” \n\nLorenzo smiled to himself. “What do you mean?” \n\n“The posting made it seem like this would be an exciting job. To think that a man of such renown as Lord Taylor would be looking for personal security … I just didn’t expect it to be so uneventful. I’m starting to wonder if anything will ever happen, if Lord Taylor will ever leave his residence. I spent four years in the Navy and another five in private security.” \n\nNow that Eric had started to talk, it seemed that he couldn’t stop. “It really would be fine if he allowed us some sort of entertainment to pass the time. I’m sure you know there is some sort of field around the building that prevents the use of electronic devices.”\n\n“I’m aware,” Lorenzo remarked. He checked his watch. Five minutes until the morning papers were delivered. Ten until Lord Taylor expected his favorites. Eight hours until his shift came to its end.\n\n“I don’t see how you’ve done it for so long. Twenty years, right?” \n\n“Give or take.” \n\n“And you just stand around all day?”\n\n“Sometimes I sit.”\n\nEric frowned. “Does Lord Taylor ever leave? Does he ever speak to you?” \n\n“He hasn’t yet.” \n\nEric stepped forward and motioned to the buzzing city around them. “What about what’s happening out there? What’s happening in the world? Don’t you care?”\n\nLorenzo raised his brow. “Should I?” \n\n“Of course you should. Everything is connected now. Any person can talk to any other. You can keep up with your old friends, your family, your classmates. You could be famous.” \n\n“I see my family every night for dinner,” Lorenzo replied. “I meet my friends for drinks on my days off.”\n\n“But you could be doing so much more! How can you not see that?” The young man’s voice had grown louder, his frustration seeping in.\n\nLorenzo shrugged. “Nothing wrong with what I have.”\n\n“Doesn’t it bother you that you’ve wasted your entire life here, that you’ve done absolutely nothing of importance!” the man shouted. He turned on his heel and stormed back toward the stairwell. “Tell Lord Taylor that I quit!” \n\nA few moments later, Lorenzo finished his cigarette and made his way to the elevator door. Another uneventful day awaited, and that was just fine." ]	4
	[WP] Life hasn’t been good. In the dark, you stare at the bedroom ceiling. Wishing yourself to a distant place, reality starts to bend around you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It wasn't an especially spectacular sight, maybe it would have been had it not been pitch black. Nevertheless what was dark and metaphorically empty was now bright and a little more literally empty in a way. It was a lush green plain stretching as far as I could see, an azure sky dotted by the occasional fluff of white cloud.\n\nIs this a dream? That's the first obvious question, yes? Usually this comes followed by a reactive attempt for pain. Now this is a ridiculous question in two fronts. First, if your mind can create- in vivid detail- all this stimulation why wouldn't pain be just a easily falsified? Second, if you can perceive on the level of all five senses then what else determines reality? If you exist, other things exist, events take place then is that not reality?\n\nSo here I am in a large field of emerald grass on a mattress. Oh yeah, the bed was there too takes a little away from the argument of not a dream. So I placed my feet off the edge of the bed, the grass was soft so I stood. The scene was a bit on the bright side but the light breeze felt nice and the chirping birds weren't too annoying. As I breathed my nose was filled with the scent- of crushed ladybugs- okay so not as picturesque, but that's reality. Sorry, that was a bit in poor taste.\n\nSo I took a step, no point in not exploring it might have been an endless looking plain but it was far more intriguing than my daily life. It was less than five feet from where I started but then the shift happened again. Now I stood on cold stone, a crag of broken ground ahead. Above a blue night sky, full of dancing light. So I backed up, the field never returned though.\n\nNext came a city, then a castle, a mountain, a monastery, a desert, a forest. Every few steps my untethered scenery jumped. The most obvious question then is why? How, at this point, is irrelevant why is a much more important question the how comes later.\n\nReality is what we perceive it to be right? The right and the wrong, the good and the bad this is what creates life, and in aspect reality. And life is a pursuit of what makes us happy, content, whole. People like to say that the world doesnt revolve around you, but those people are inherently wrong. The world does revolve around you otherwise how would we perceive anything? I prefer \"reality wasn't created for you.\"\n\nMy hopeful mind wants to think I'm getting to see different realities and maybe I can pick. My cynical thoughts think that's ridiculous, you don't pick your reality. In the end if I had to pick it'd be the hopeful, because truthfully I've never felt like I belonged, nor any semblance of even being partially whole.\n\nSo I stood there, hand against the rough bark of a tree and thought. Maybe if I stand here awhile that's how I choose. I wonder what this place is like. I shouldn't though, knowing would be all to boring and unrealistic. A train of distracting thoughts because, after all that's what this all is, a practice in distracting my mind. Oh, no don't go there, that's dangerous territory often leading to a path of thought on my uncomfort in the reality in which I apparently exist.\n\nAnother bout of curiosity I put my hand before me at the absolute of its length with moving my feet. A spot of blur before a wide circle appeared revealing a rainy village. So I did the same with my other hand but behind myself. There it was another portal, another scene. So I guess for now the question remains. Why?" ]	2
	[WP] You are part of a highly secretive, very powerful branch of the SCP foundation, designated to eliminate entire worlds that have been corrupted by rogue SCPs in alternate universes to prevent them from spreading across the multiverse. This is the story of your time working at Plague Inc.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Those scientologists, they’re the worst. Everyone just thinks they’re wacky, but where I work, we know better. Most people don’t realise that what those wacky scientologists believe is actually true, well partially at least.\n\nIt turns out that the reason they’ve ended up infesting earth is that our agency had to do a deal with some of their leaders after our most embarrassing failure.\n\nYou see, my agency has the job of cleaning up the multiverse frat house, so to speak, after the party ends. The scientologists – or at least a couple of them – are actually from an alternate universe. When a rogue SCP object corrupted their own universe, one of our people – Willy Rosnovski – was sent in to clean things up before the corruption spread.\n\nUnfortunately Willy wasn’t the sharpest tool in our shed and he fell asleep during his assignment. He was captured while planting a Patient Zero in the target world. Somehow – don’t ask me how, no one knows what goes on in Willy's mind – he thought he had time for a nap. Next minute he’s up on treason charges.\n\nIt was a mess, still is actually. The Foundation Council had to convene an emergency meeting and enter some awkward negotiations, thus revealing more to another civilisation than they’d ever hoped to. That led to us making a deal with them which resulted in the relocation of the only five thetans who knew about the SCP. As they were leaving for earth, they also agreed to us releasing Patient Zero.\n\nAnd don't ask what sort of SCP leads to them boosting it out of there on those terms, or what happened to Willy, because you won’t believe either.\n\nIt wasn’t Willy’s fault to be fair. New management and budget cuts have come with some major morale problems around the office, and they don’t pay overtime anymore.\n\nMe though? I don’t mind. I love the job too much to care what they pay me, or to worry about management’s latest buzzword and performance metric. I’d never be capable of falling asleep on the job anyway. The thrill is still too much and the adrenaline keeps me going no matter what.\n\nMy problem is more, complicated. You see, I’ve been working on a project for a couple of years now and still haven’t managed to find the perfect solution. It’s not an easy task to get into most places undetected and plant the seed that will inevitably lead to the destruction of an entire world, you know, but we do our best.\n\nIt’s not as if I haven’t put the effort in on this project. The first time I went to my target world I planted a Patient Zero who was tasked with spreading what I thought was a reasonably sophisticated consciousness virus.\n\nDespite what you might think, consciousness viruses are actually the most effective weapon we deploy. It’s simple really, you sneak in, capture a host, bring them back to the HQ and manipulate their brain – or whatever gives them consciousness, you’d be surprised what we find out there - then they return with a new identity that hopefully derails the course of their entire civilisation's history. It often won’t destroy their world per say, at least not initially, but it stunts them enough to ensure the SCP won't leak out any time soon.\n\nSometimes it’s a basic virus that makes the host the smartest soul with the drive to become rich and enslave the masses, or a military genius determined to conquer the world. Other times it requires something a little more advanced, like inputting abilities to undertake mass manipulation through culture like music and art, or the slow burn option that alters their DNA to enable reproduction for a dozen or so generations before unleashing chaos.\n\nThe first virus I initiated for my current project was spread via what we in the business call a useful idiot. Funnily enough the idea came to me after I watched a recent election in my home country back on earth. Unfortunately it turned out I underestimated how hard it is to create an authentic useful idiot. My guy didn’t have nearly as much usefulness nor idiocy as the model I tried to emulate.\n\nSo now I’m launching my next virus, and this time I reckon I’m on to a winner. It took a while before I had my eureka moment and it was only because I’d been bitching about scientology with some colleagues that it came to me. It turns out my target world is eerily similar to where the scientologists came from, so I looked to them for inspiration.\n\nFirst I kidnapped one of their people back on earth, knowing they kidnap their own so often it wouldn’t raise too many suspicions, and learned as much as I could about their so called religion. Then I spent two months seeking out the perfect host in my target world, while desperately trying to avoid the SCP. Eventually I found my target and now it’s time to execute my plan.\n\nIt shouldn’t be too hard, but every time I go there I spend as much time avoiding the SCP as I do planning the placement of my Patient Zero, so it’s taking longer than expected. You see, the SCP is an unusual one. It’s fucking ants. Not just any ants, but ants with exploding heads. And when their heads explode – which tends to happen if a threat comes within ten feet - they generate a mini black hole that sucks anything within that ten feet radius into oblivion.\n\nExcept our agency doesn’t think it’s oblivion, we think it’s sucking them into random alternate universes. Now that wouldn’t be such a problem, at least in my eyes, if the world they were being sucked away from wasn’t inhabited with the wackos we discussed earlier. But either way we can’t let this continue and with the ants rapidly spreading across the target world, my solution can’t come soon enough.\n\nSo here I am, sitting with my host Patient Zero, polishing off the final touches before I send him in. I call him Ron – yeah I know, I couldn’t resist - and his purpose will be to return to his world and become a religious leader. Not just any religious leader, a religious leader who sacrifices himself giving birth – hey I had to make it believable for them - to a prophet who will go on to recruit millions of souls devoted to diligently filing their tax returns on time and sleeping outside in hammocks. I did some research back home and figured out those two things really polarize the scientologists, so I figure it has a good chance of succeeding on my target world. Apparently those two things also happened to be critical to leading the target society back into a regression to a subsistence without language, which I figure will come in handy if any of them stumble near an anthill.", "Item #: SCP - 4978\n\nObject Class: Keter\n\n Special Containment Procedures: SCP-4978-2 Instances should be regularly monitored by Mobile Task Force Beta - 9 units. No fewer than 10 MTF units should be MTF Beta - 9 and resident Foundation researchers units assigned to SCP- 4978 are to keep SCP-4978 instances from reaching Critical Mass. In the case that Critical Mass is reached, acquisition of a cure in the \"parallel universe\" should be top priority. In the case that Critical Mass is reached and more than 90% of the population has been \"zombified\"/terminated, All units are to return to Site \\[REDACTED\\] immediately. All clothing articles/personal belongings are to be incinerated. All personnel that display symptoms of infection are to be immediately terminated. Personnel that have been inside an affected \"parallel\" are also to take a preoperative bath. Failure to observe any one of these procedures may result in an XK-class \"End of the World\" Scenario.\n\nDescription: SCP-4978 appears to be a metal ring 10 meters in diameter. A 2x9x2 Meter Rectangular stand supports the ring. 2 120 - volt outlets can be found at the rear end of the stand. When one of the outlets are connected via a Male to Male outlet port SCP-4978-1 Instances can be viewed although travel through them will result in immediate termination due to insufficient energy in SCP-4978. While 2 outlets are connected, SCP-4978-1 instances can be accessed freely provided power is not disconnected.\n\nSCP-4978-1 instances are parallel universes found within SCP 4978. These universes range from a universe completely identical to our own to a universe resembling a mobile game named \"Plague Inc.\"\n\nSCP-4978-2 instances are complex viruses. Samples of 4978-2 instances can be found within Site \\[REDACTED\\]. Symptoms of 4978-2 resemble typical depictions of \"zombie viruses\". No cure yet has been found for 4978-2 instances. 4978-2 can currently only be found within 4978-1 universes. If more than 90% of the population in a 4978-1 instance are killed/zombified, 4978-2 will manifest again in another 4978-1 instance. Based on a particular instance of 4978-1 wherein the affected universe was completely identical to ours and 4978-2 was a \"SCP-008\", 4978-2 may have a possibility to manifest in our universe and will result in an XK-class \"End of the World\" scenario. \n\n Addendum 4978-1: Below is the Personal log of Researcher Tigers.\n\n31/6/##\n\nI've been working on this since May, This thing, virus? Man, I'm scared. If everyone dies here, and 4978-2 does spread to our universe, I don't know how things will turn out. We've been working in a universe that's veeeery similar to this game called \"Plague Inc.\" on my phone. We've been relocated to a base in Greenland. The local MTF agents have set up a front for us as \"Z-Com\" Me and Briggs were sent here, Been working on a cure but nothing fruitful so far. We lost 2 guys in the snow recently at dawn. When the zombies attacked at dark we saw them. D class. Poor souls.\n\n1/8/##\n\nIt turns out command told us that we won't be returning back for some time. I reckon' I won't be making it back. Told us there were some issues with 4978. Every last one of our bases fell some time ago. There are only a couple dozen of us left. Briggs died a couple weeks ago. I think that he was the only one I could relate to. I don't think I fear death anymore. You know when you know you're going to die you truly feel at peace with yourself? Yeah, that's me right now. I wish I could say goodbye at least to my friends back home at least. Well, this is my 2nd and final log, I've been really lazy with these log things. But, Goodbye.\n\nResearcher Tigers is presumed to be terminated." ]	3
	[WP] For first time it is possible to document all lightning strikes on earth in real time. While going over the data you detect a strange pattern. On a whim you run it through the supercomputer to confirm your theory. You were right, It is... music.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "recommended listening: \" [Schubert - Serenade](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXis0PtqdXw) \" \n\n\nAfter many hundreds of hours tracking and logging plasma densities propagating the ionosphere, device Q3t11d3 wrote the worlds first virtually accurate algorithm for predicting turbulence patterns in a physical or nonphysical fluid or gas. Its window of error was, for predictions less than seven seconds into the future, consistently <0.0013% and could therefore update the simulation with ionospheric readings once every second or so allowing the system to depict the ionospheres activity in real time with near perfect accuracy. \n\nAs if this weren't confounded enough in the year 2033 a doctor by the name of Foy Vanhettan provided the world with the insight that the human was not only an electro-chemical entity, it was also in many ways an electromagneto-chemical entity, and that the weak magnetic fields propagating off of the human body were saturated with unique and characteristically human information and properties.\n\nNot only this but that the readings Q3t11d3 spit out, when organized properly composed wonderfully ornate musical melodies. And when these melodies were applied to certain synthesized instruments a miraculous and familiar sound came through the crystalline solar interference, it was Schubert.\n\nVanhettan searched more deeply. He gave up sleep, food, and social relations in his endeavor and even once lost his study in an electrical fire he had caused when he failed to notice the AC unit he installed was leaking into the house. Annette, his assistant, had to pester him constantly to get him to eat. A gesture which often ended in a violent outburst after which she would again be hurried out of the room, dishes tossed and shattered, and a door slamming behind her. She understood the importance of his work but wondered as to exactly what strange reverie he so often entertained. By what depraved mechanism is driven such a solitary and tormented life? \n\nWhen Annette confessed her love to Vanhettan he did not respond, The next month she noticed he'd began keeping a gun in the upper left-hand drawer of his dresser. It was a hand gun, sturdy. No doubt packed a punch. She noted that he kept it loaded but when she released the magazine and looked inside she found only one bullet. Annette immediately despised him for this, she had wished for a second.\n\nVanhettan, more closed off from the outside world than ever had become convinced his late mother had left for him something important, a message, something to communicate up there, way up in the sky. He saw how the magnetic information of human thought could become trapped in the magnetic barrier surrounding the planet and thought that if he could find Schubert then perhaps he could find her as well. It didn't take long for Vanhettan to find his mothers voice.\n\n\"I hope you are alone out there\" she said.\n\n\"You would say something like that.\" \n\n\"And I hope they hurt you.\"\n\nFoy sat up on the edge of his chair, tears falling freely from his eyes.\n\n\"I hope somehow you hear this. You rotten child\"\n\n\"Shut up!\" Vanhettan yelled. Then he felt like a fool, realizing he was only talking to himself. And he felt he was right knowing there was something out there, incommunicable and unreachable. Some swirling darkness which no light may be shone upon, which it wanted only to see him hurt. It wanted to watch him die.\n\n\"Despicable child!\" The voice called through the receiver \"Awful child!\"\n\nFoy sat back in his chair, grasping his throbbing bum leg. He turned to his record player and played that familiar Schubert. It made him feel as if the strange and unfunny joke of life might actually mean something. Something neither he nor anyone else will ever get. Something somewhere worth actually laughing at. \n\nOr perhaps not.", "\"Bro check this shit out!\" You call your friend to a discovery.\n\n\"What is it?\"\n\n\"I put all the lightning strikes through the supercomputer and it made this fire song.\"\n\n\"Play it!\"\n\n\"Alright\" I play the track. A mix of rock and pop with some classical elements.\n\n\"Dude this is fire.\"\n\n\"Yeah. I should release it under a secret name! What should I call myself though...\"\n\n\"DJ Zeus, Major thunder, Perkūnas, biggie zap...\"\n\n\"Lets just use a name generator.\"\n\n\"Good call\"\n\n\"Lets see...\" I load up a name generator. I got [this](https://fun.namerobot.com/name/dj/Diabetic_Peehole)\n\n\"Hahahaha! Dude you should totally use it!\"\n\n\"NO! I'll think of something else...\"\n\n\"Just call yourself DJ Thor and be over it.\"\n\n\"Yeah that's a good name.\"\n\n\"Wait shouldn't we investigate what's with the lightning music?\"\n\n\"Nah the science nerds can handle it\"\n\n\"But you're a science nerd.\"\n\n\"...We're going to McDonalds.\"", "I get bored easily. One night, I was at home in my apartment just staring outside the window, tapping my fingers to the rain, feeling the steady pulse and thrum, thrum, thrum of the drops as background noise. Then, though, came the flash of lightning and moments later the crash of thunder. \n\nI jumped a little, as it caught me off guard, but as the storm continued and I focused on the rain beat against my window, the crash of thunder was a background beat for me. There was a certain....elegance...to the sound that caught my ear.\n\nIt took me months to gather the data, but I began collecting lightning strikes and intensity level through the region, then the state. I wanted to look at the world, but my computer didn’t have that kind of power.\n\nNext step was to play with intensity and duration. It took me weeks of working with the data to realize I’d been looking at it all wrong. It’s the globe is the key. I had to contact some friends and start getting national data.\n\nI mapped out the strikes against greenwhich mean time, latitude and longitude. The higher north of the equator, the higher the pitch. I got excited as something resembling a beat began to form around the Florida keys. I groaned inwardly at the realization that the keys were the key.\n\nAfter weeks more of plotting, I assigned an instrument per time zone. East coast as a base guitar. Central time for drums. Mountain for a piano and west coast for regular guitar.\n\nSoon enough, the song began to take shape. It wasn’t long before I realized, this wasn’t the greatest song in the world...it was only a [tribute.](https://youtu.be/_lK4cX5xGiQ)", "It was this day I realized if there was some higher power, he/she/it has a troll-like sense of humour. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nYou see, we finally got enough linked satellites in, for lack of better words, a medium earth orbit. Not low earth like the altitude of the 20 century International Space Station. And not so high as Alpha Building Station, where new starships are built and launched from. With this network, we could finally see every lightning strike, in real time. And I mean every lightning strike, across the world. A lightning strike hits in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and a few seconds later , we see a lightning strike over the Sahara desert. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt took me about a month to start cluing in that there was a pattern. It wasn't obvious. Very well hidden. But more and more strikes coming in, we soon were able to start predicting the next one. Watching the strike location, the intensity, it started feeling musical. Almost like I could hum a song to it. Figuring out that song was a hard one though. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt took the largest supercomputer, running nearly 570 petaflops, a year to crack the [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ).", "I turn to my partner, Serena. \"Can you believe this?\" She snorts and wags her tail in return. She's worthless partner, but a good friend.\n\nThe computer had come to the conclusion of the lightning strikes being parts of the notes of a song. The song was sped up considerably from what anyone could remember of it. It's difficult to explain how it's music, but basically the more strikes that happen at once, or the stronger the strikes, the higher the note.\n\nSerena put her head in my lap. It was about four in the afternoon, and I was on a night schedule, meaning I should've fallen asleep many hours ago. The machines could function by themselves for about a week, so for anything other than human input, I had no reason to be here other than to see what the system had figured out.\n\nI sigh, realizing how tired I am. \"Alright, Serena, let's head off to sleep.\" I closed the blinds, my mind settling down. I plop onto the bed with Serena. Everything was quiet, and I was nearly asleep, except there was one more question on my mind.\n\nI still didn't recognize what the song was. It was familiar, yes, but I couldn't put a name to it. It was coming to me, though. The darkness settles, and my eyes adjust to the nearly nonexistent light in the room.\n\nThe song was the Mii theme.\n\n(this is the first prompt that I've answered, and I'm aware this isn't the best)" ]	6
	[WP] You're an up and coming mad scientist/engineer. So far everything is going well, except for one irritating detail: You keep having to send work crews to fish corpses out of your duct work. Spy agencies around the world just don't seem to realize that ductwork isn't a secret entrance.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "This is ridiculous. Every blesséd day, some stupid agency sends another poor deluded fool into my ductwork, trying to\n\n1. steal my work,\n2. stop my work,\n3. discover my work,\n4. Coopt my work and/or myself\n\nfor THEIRnefarious plans.\n\nI'm Mad, not Evil, so do climb out of that putrid stinking gutter in your mind and keep up!\n\n\"Boss, I think we got the last one for today.\"\n\n\"Wonderful, just wonderful. A third of the day wasted pulling these poor fools out of the ductwork.\"\n\n\"Boss? You say these people think ductwork is a secret entrance?\"\n\n\"Yes, I do. Is this repetition relevant?\"xà\n\n\"Could be, Boss. Why not take a few hours and design a set of fake ductwork, that's strong enough to carry them safely, and hide it like it's the real entrance to your lab?\"\n\n\"What possible reason...\"\n\n\"Didn't let me finish, Boss. You know how you hate that, how about cutting us practical folk the same respect? We leave you alone while you monologue to no one.\"\n\nI do?\"\n\n\"I'm afraid so, Boss. Now, about my idea?\"\n\n\"Certainly, please do proceed.\"\n\n\"That fake ductwork leads to your posh recruiting station. Alive. There we minions give them a once over and offer them choices.\n\n- Death (cleanly, and not in the duct work),\n- Release (although their agency may not be hospitable); or, and this is the juicy bit,\n- Minion.\n\nYou're always complaining about finding a theoretical minion to proof your work. This way we have a constant supply of applicants, and you can concentrate on your work.\"\n\nI'm dumbfounded.\n\n\"Bob?\"\n\n\"Yes, Boss?\"\n\n\"How would you like to be my theoretical experiments minion? It pays much better!\"\n\nSigh. \"No, Boss, please try to remember...\"\n\nChorus: \"I'm practical, not theoretical.\"\n\n\"Gee, Boss! Why do you keep asking.\"\n\n\"In a forlorn hope that you might change your mind. There's so much you could tell me about a practical approach!\"\n\n\"We already do, Boss. On practical matters, like the ductwork. Theory is theory. Practical would take one look, shrug, and say: Why?\n\nNow experiments, that's different. We make sure that all the practical precautions are taken. Fire suppression, explosion baffles, sump pumps, Fire & Rescue standing by, which they don't mind, we cater. \n \nSee, Boss?\"\n\n\"Okay. You're practical. You're an engineer. You handle the ductwork. I'll verify the plans against mine. Deal?\"\n\n\"Deal!\"\n\n((Finis))", "The Lab of one Dr. Archimedes was a rather posh place to perform mad science. When you first enter the lobby, there was a notable placard. \n\nUpon it were several rules. The rules of being the proper Mad Scientist. \n\n1. There are no facts. Only hypotheses.\n2. No hydrochloric acid in the drains\n3. Never trust a bottle you didn't open yourself\n4. Water is precious and must never be poisoned\n5. Ducts are for air, not for people\n\nThe Doctor insisted he inherited these rules from his mentor, Dr. Tach. Dr. Tach was a capable veteran, who did a lot to improve the skill and abilities of his understudies, and most of the rules certainly did come from him. But Rule 5 was a machination of Dr. Archimedes' own. \n\nAnd now that Dr. Archimedes was deemed worthy of espionage, he was discovering why. \n\n\"Hey Doc, the ducts got that funk again,\" said Eleanor Davis. Eleanor was a medical student, pursuing her Doctorate. Her job as Dr. Archimedes' lab tech was supposed to revolve around supplying his team with the latest and cleanest equipment available. Instead, she now served as the personal line between the Mad Doctor and his R&D crew. Dr. Archimedes looked up from his Sunday paper and took a swig of his coffee. He swallowed down the brew with a harsh gulp, and gave Eleanor a look that indicated that she probably could have waited past 7 am to broach the subject. \n\nBut the Doctor was a man of integrity, despite the genetic mutations he produced for his work. He knew he had to do a very thorough job with his labs as well. And people stuck in the ducts were a health hazard he could not afford to leave alone. Archimedes took a very heavy sigh and pressed the intercom. \"Clean up on the HEPA aisle,\" he groaned, his day now sullied by a most frustrating task. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThere was a grocery store above the Scientist's lab. It was owned by a rather patient Chinese woman who handled all mouse, roach, and bedbug infestation matters personally. Alas, this meant that dealing with the OTHER kind of pest fell into Dr. Archimedes' corner. On the one hand, Dr. Archimedes appreciated Mrs. Wong's brilliant, decisive methodology when it came to Pest control. There were, however, times when he wished they had switched responsibilities, given how effective his tools and traps could have been. As his custodial crew unscrewed the grate, he locked his jaw in place. His chief janitor offered him a face mask, which the man snatched from his hand and secured about his mouth and nose. He did not need to fall sick from this again. None of them were dressed like Mad Scientists or Mad Janitors- they were, after all, outside. Dealing with a ventilation system that was, for the most part, quite normal.\n\nThe grate shifted and pulled, dust showering about as the plate was removed.\n\nThe odor was overpowering. The men and women around Dr. Archimedes began to slip around him, pushing wheelbarrows and wielding hook spears. Deep within, the first corpse began to push out.\n\n\"For fuck's sake,\" Hubert Walburn spat in his face mask. \"This one doesn't even have a badge,\" he expressed miserably as he sent it tumbling into the first barrow. There was a time when Hubert, a Christian, would treat the dead with more respect. Now, he was just about as sick of it all as Dr. Archimedes himself. \n\nThe next corpse was more easily identifiable. Agent Roberts, from the Redire Agency. The group was hellbent on directing the progress of humanity towards a greener, more peaceful place. If the man were not dead, the good Doctor would have regaled him with a monologue and released him to mislead the respected agency on all his plans. Alas, things were not meant to be. He took out his phone, snapped a picture and sent it to the Redire public relations email. He had not yet met an agent who still lived, so it would have to do. We have your man. Again. Please stop sending them. The Doctor paused. I wish to reiterate that there is no secret entrance in my air ducts. \n\nThe next was from the US government. They did not possess any identification- the sign of a good spy. \n\n\"Hey Doc, we gotta talk man,\" Walburn trudged up to him, his gloves covered in... ichor. \"Can't you like... build some robots or something to just... you know... take care of things.\" \n\n\"Hugh,\" the doctor said, his own gloved hand struggling to keep a grip on his phone. \"We can't just take care of things in the ducts. You know that. It would violate... every guideline.\"\n\n\"You're a mad scientist. Fuck the guidelines man,\" Hubert insisted. \"And my name's no-\"\n\n\"Allow me to clarify, again, that I am not simply a 'mad scientist.' That's Anne's role. We're a joint venture. I am the 'mad doctor' in this relationship. And let me tell you now- incinerating corpses inside of anyone's air ducts is not only bad policy, but also ridiculously unhealthy. Do you want to be breathing in the ashes of a man?\"\n\n\"I-it could be a woman?\"\n\n\"... I see now why you're in the henchman game.\" \n\nThe Doctor sighed, turning as Hubert pulled out a cigarette. To the side, he noticed a stray figure, someone the man had not notified to attend this morbid process. He almost pulled for one when Hubert him the pack, but he had quit the habit years ago, in favor of his health.\n\nDoctor Archimedes, mind you, was 27 years old. \n\n\"Eleanor,\" he said, a warning tone slipping in his voice. \"What are you doing here?\" the Doctor began to march up. Another call cut me off. \n\n\"We got a dropper!\" the worker called from the duct shaft. The gathered group just groaned, and Archimedes, despite being closer to the intern than the hole, just shook his head and approached.\n\nThe working crew called it The Shaft. Not that the drop fell particularly deep, but rather, the means to access it were particularly annoying. Every time a spy or hooligan or one time even hobo managed to stall the fan leading into it, it meant that the Grocery store above them would need to pause while Dr. Archimedes' staff vented the place out. This time, however, it seemed that someone had sacrificed themselves to keep the intake fan's blade still.\n\nThankfully, it was a recent one. The man's body was crushed, nearly bisected by the vicious blades of the fan. His face, however, was clearly visible. The doctor looked this corpse over as that stray figure began to meander closer and closer. He adjusted his glasses, and turned to the intern, beginning to march towards her. \"Eleanor, why aren't you back in th-\" \n\nThe Doctor paused, his eyes widening as he saw the terror in the girl's eyes. The way they were beginning to water.\n\n\"Ah, found a license. Guiseppe... Davis?\" Hubert's voice lilted as he pronounced Guiseppe, but the pronunciation of the man's last name seemed to hit its mark.", "THUNK.\n\nIt was gruesome, frankly, and rather irresponsible.\n\nTHUNK.\n\nUnderling #231, clad in full yellow plastic fatigues, hooked the latest body out of the ventilation shaft.\n\nTHUNK.\n\nHe wasn’t doing it very well, and the hook was denting the cheap metal plating more than it was bringing the corpse closer to extraction.\n\n“I’ll get it in a second, sir,” #231 yelled over his shoulder. Professor Proton looked on, with lilac dressing gown and coffee, tutting violently. A phone was clamped between his shoulder and his ear, which was currently producing the world’s most upsetting hold music.\n\n“Absolutely typical,” Proton muttered. It had been like this ever since he had decided to go full-time, a move that he had grown to regret within the first few days of Villain-ing. Primarily, it was the paperwork that had been the sorest thorn in his protrusions. The union demanded that he drop his old name, Doctor Doom, due to copyright issues. What was worse, due to the sheer volume of professional villains and mad scientists, the fact that no two people could have the same name meant that all the good ones had already been taken. Hence ‘Professor Proton’, making him sound like a low-budget children's cartoon character that haunted an amusement park. Instead, he was waiting on the cleanup detail to mop up the viscera scattered around his office.\n\n“Secret Service Union public relations office,” the phone chirped, “Vanessa speaking. How can I help?”\n\nProton choked on his coffee, which had only just moved past his lips. He oriented himself. “Hello? This is Professor Proton… VU-Number 2340291. I called yesterday.”\n\nThere was the sound of paperwork shuffling and key clacking on the other end. “Ah yes, Professor,” said Vanessa, mercifully not using his full title. “Regarding our entry policy, yes?”\n\n“Yes, yes it was,” said Proton. He took a breath. “I know I’ve already complained about your people coming in through my vent system, and I wouldn’t bring it up again, wouldn’t want to swamp you, but… well you see, it happened again this morning.”\n\n“Really?” asked Vanessa. “Could you put our person on the line, then?”\n\n“I’m afraid that will be a bit of a problem,” Proton said slowly, “as they’re really quite dead.”\n\nVanessa audibly paused what she was doing. “Ah. That would be a problem, yes.”\n\n“You see, that’s what I was complaining about before,” pressed Proton, “It’s been happening ever since I started last month. The ventilation corridors have a lot of very sharp fans and laser beams, let alone a lack of air, seeing as I thought that it would be a good defence against and intruders. And it is. Extremely. I just didn’t expect twenty of your agents to just… throw themselves at it.”\n\n“You say this has been going for a month?” Vanessa asked.\n\nUnderling #231 finally finished tugging out the corpse of a man in a black suit, which was covered in blood and burn marks and missing a couple of limbs. #231 gave a thumbs up.\n\n“A month, yes,” said Proton, sipping his coffee. “I just think it’s a terrible waste of resources. Both yours and mine. Plus, it’s been blocking up the pipes, so to speak. I had a meeting last week with some of my union’s representatives, and half-way through the vent shaft above us broke. I should mention that I’m quite a new hire, and it took a while to explain that I do not store dead women in my air conditioning system. Incidentally, I can’t help but think you people could do with modernising your dress code, as that outfit could not have been practical…”\n\nVanessa paused, again. The faint scratching of a pen making notes echoing out through the speaker.\n\n“Could I put you on hold, please, Professor?” she asked, panicked. “I just have to go and sort out an incident…”\n\nProton’s alarm system began to ring, the entirety of his secret lair suddenly bathed in a flashing red glow.\n\n“INTRUDER ALERT”, screamed his announcement system. “A SPY IS IN THE BASE!”\n\n“Sure thing,” sighed Proton. The hold music returned. He sipped his coffee and decided to go for a shower. It would work out in the end, he assumed." ]	4
	[WP] After a clerical error by a hard of hearing shaman, all women named "Lorraine" down in Africa suddenly find themselves blessed with good fortune.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Eh? What do you mean? Didn't you say you wanted all women named Lorraine living in the blessed land to be blessed with good fortune?\"\n\nThe shaman was a skinny, wizened old man. He wore a little tribal band on his head. It supposedly gave him power. Oh, and he was also rather hard of hearing. \n\n\n\n\nAmare didn't expect that. He was staring at the shaman in disbelief. He had heard rumors about the shaman being the most powerful shaman in Africa. He had not accounted for the shamans poor hearing.\n\n\n\n\nAmare felt a headache coming. He had traveled half the length of Africa to see this man. The shaman had granted him one wish. Amare had wanted his wife, Ladonna to get better from her sickness. Ladonna. Not Lorraine.\n\n\n\n\n\"Can you at least change my wish?\" he asked in desperation. \"Please! My wife... You habe to help her! I'm begging you.Please!\" \n\n\n\n\n\n----------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\nThe shaman Miri shook his head, exhausted. He took his hand off Ladonna's head. It was the 14th shaman Amare had visited along with his wife. He felt a rush of anger. Why? Why had he not said the words clearly? Why hadn't the shaman heard him? \n\n\n\n\nAmare remembered the shaman shaking his head. He couldn't give him another wish, he said. Then he had walked off. Disappeared. And Amare had just sat there! He hadn't even tried to stop the shaman! \n\n\n\n\nAmare sighed. To the next shaman. He felt his wife's hand. The heartbeat had been slowing steadily. It might even too late now. If Ladonna died he would not forgive himself. It would be all his fault. He would live on in regret. All because of a single mispronounced word. Amare set off, the makeshift sled he had made pulling his wife. along. But he feared it might already be too late." ]	2
	[WP] Highly evolved humans from 3,000,000 years in the future have used time travel to colonize the past, starting with the year 2019. Describe the daily life of a member of the Homo Sapiens underclass following the invasion.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It's so strange. Everyone has equal rights. We are all treated fairly and no one is left behind or made to suffer. It's like the rest of our existence to this point was fear and hate filled meaningless suffering. \n\n\nTheir technology far outstrips our own in every way. No one has to work. Matter fabrication has made money pointless and robots take care of everything we need day to day. \n\nWe are free to do as we like. For them it seems they spend their time creating art and music focusing on the things they enjoy. Communal open spas and bath houses and lounges they have none of the inhibitions we do. They love this weird mix of what we understand to be weed infused coffee they call spice in the mornings and evenings.\nUs primitives seem to be struggling to accept change. Lots of us still want to work and they've created seemingly pointless tasks for the people who can't cope with not working for a living or to pass the time. Some of us are happy just to play games, simulate experiences, and learn from them\n\n\nTheir medical technology to our scientists appear basically like magic just because it's so far beyond our understanding. Though the gene therapy being developed today they say eventually kicked off an evolutionary rapid expansion to humanity. They do not age and they say we will not either with treatments and adjustments. They have tubes that you can get into and after selecting physical preferences it can reconstruct your body to be as you want it to be. You can change literally anything about yourself. Eye color, hair color, muscle density, bone density, fat content, give yourself seemingly near super human abilities if you want. Even gender and race are as clothing you could change every day if you wanted.\n\n\nThere are no more prisons. If someone does something against these new laws they are forced to participate in interacting with others in discussions on the laws broken and why they felt the need to break them. Anyone who is violently breaking the law is placed into an artificial simulation of reality that can be viewed by the public if they choose. It's not really entertainment. They allow the subjects in these cases to fulfill their most violent inclinations and then act as a guide to move them away from those tendencies while in the simulation. Some of us are so violently inclined they just leave them in the simulation to do as they please not hurting themselves or anyone else. Some of them have already forgotten they are in a simulation and just live out the lives they really want. Us primitives seem to find this as more entertaining than they do but they still can enjoy it from time to time it seems.\n\n\n It was interesting to watch them topple all of our world governments in a single day without a single loss of life. It's not great being primitive humans in this newly formed society simply because there is so much we simply dont understand and we all have to have a massive shift in culture to even cope with just the technology at our disposal now. They understand every language including ones that haven't been created for us yet and ones that died out a long time before now. Every time we try and argue for something we are use to they simply have a better way and understanding. They are still respectful and patient with us. But we have a very long way to go and a seemingly endless amount of time to learn and adjust." ]	2
	[WP] "Mortal, I thank thee, in return I present answers three. Pick ONE, and within thou shall discover truth absolute." The light disappears and three boxes materialize, labeled. 'World Peace', the Meaning of Life', 'a Sixpack in Sixty Days'	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Any of these three? This isn’t some kind of monkey paw wish is it?”\n\n“If only mine omnipresent spiritual form had retained itself in this world but a bit longer, thine enquiry would be met by wisdom.”\n\n“No, that’s cool. I understand that there’s a lot of stuff out there.”\n\nThe mortal took a moment to ponder. \n\n“The truth? That doesn’t mean that I could actually do anything? So probably not world peace. The meaning of life… I don’t know. I’ve been avoiding the absolute conviction that life is meaningless by telling myself that I could be wrong, no matter what conclusion I reach. I really don’t want to know. Even if I did know… would I be happier than if I got a sixpack? Knowledge is not doing… But also I’m just so curious about the other two.” Thought the mortal.\n\n“I know what I want”\n\n“Speak.”\n\n“I’ll take the Sixpack in Sixty Days. That seems doable.”\n\n“What a strange being, wishing to remain in the confusing blur of ignorance.”\n\nThe two boxes disintegrated and their remains were flushed out of the view with the sweeping departure of the immortal. The mortal opened the box and removed a a catalogue card and a manuscript. “Sixpack in Sixty Minutes”\n\n“This isn’t what was originally advertised!”\n\nThe mortal then read the full name of the manuscript:\n\n\"A Novice’s Guide to Immortal Ascension Volume 1: Material Plane Mastery in Sixty Minutes”", "\"You're sure.\"\n\n\"Yep.\"\n\n\"You're absolutely sure.\"\n\n\"Definitely.\"\n\nThe Djinni tried again.\n\n\"This is not a trick. Truly, I am indebted to you. I am thanking you for my life and the life of my kin. I would not try to fool you after the great kindness you have shown me.\"\n\n\"That's cool,\" Kyle nodded absently, then pointed back at the box. \"I'll take that one.\"\n\n\"But...why?\"\n\n\"I want it.\"\n\n\"I am offering you the secret to world peace!\" the Djinni begged. \n\nNo response.\n\nHe picked up a different box and shoved it into Kyle's hands. \"Here - you could know the meaning of life itself!\"\n\nKyle stared blankly.\n\n\"The meaning of life?\"\n\nKyle rattled the box.\n\n\"That's not - nevermind. How about this? I'll just tell you the secret to a six pack in sixty days, and then you can pick another box. You do crunches. Every day. Every day for sixty days. That's the secret. Now. Which box?\"\n\n\"That one,\" Kyle declared.\n\n\"I…fine,\" the Djinni said flatly. \"Kyle, as a sincere token of my gratitude, I grant you the secret knowledge contained inside this box. Farewell, my friend. May you live a long and happy life.\"\n\n\"All right,\" Kyle grinned as the Djinni and his other two boxes disappeared. \"A six pack in sixty days.\"", "The chilling cold left along with the ethereal light as the demon departed. Sasha let out a sigh of relief and pondered the three boxes on the table before her before opening the one labeled 'World Peace', the room was once more bathed with light but a calming one this time. As it faded Sasha looked on with bated breath and reached in to pull out a folded over piece of paper, after unfolding it she read a terrible truth printed on it in black type \"It'll never happen.\" Feeling gyped she left the conference room and was promptly yelled at by her boss for wasting company time. \n \nGiven her unusual day so far Sasha wasn't having any of her bosses attitude. She marched down to Human Resources to file a report only to discover the same demon she'd helped in the conference room sitting there..." ]	4
	[WP] When you were young, you imagined a creature that traveled alongside your car during roadtrips, running and jumping across the telephone poles and signposts. Now as an adult bored in traffic, you tried imagining the same creature to entertain yourself. It does not like being seen by adults.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I sighed as I turned my head to look out the side window of my car. Reading the license plate of the guy stuck in traffic in front of me had grown boring after the first ten or so times. Unfortunately, all I could see to my left was just more cars, equally stuck in the road purgatory that was I-45. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nOccasionally, honking could be heard as impatient people felt the need to let everyone know that they were stuck in traffic, just like everyone else, but apparently more special. I rolled my eyes before letting out a huge yawn, turning up my music a bit, hoping to drown out the furious honkers.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI let my eyes wander around a bit, hoping to find something even remotely interesting to do. After spotting a fat load of nothing, I suddenly flashed back to my childhood. Memories of long and boring car rides surfaced, where I was sitting in the back of my father's car.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nMy father's line of work sometimes required him to travel around a bit sometimes, and since my mother passed away early on, and I was an only child, he sometimes was forced to take me along whenever he couldn't find a sitter.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nSince phones weren't really a thing back then, I had to get creative to stave off boredom. And as coincidence would have it, my phone ran out of battery about ten minutes ago, now riding shotgun, like the useless paperweight it had become.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nOne of my favorite things to do back then was to imagine this goofy creature that accompanied the car wherever it went. It would vault over street signs, dive under oncoming trucks and sometimes even just ride along on the roofs of other cars. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI tried to remember how it looked in my imagination, distinctly remembering it's unnaturally long legs and arms, the knees that bent backward, in order to allow it to jump higher, and it's almost indistinct body. Sort of like a fucked up combination of a Gorilla and the Road Runner, I suppose.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nA short chuckle escaped me as I reminisced about the quirky figure. Deciding to let out my inner child a bit. I started looking for interesting things that the creature could do for my entertainment. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI started imagining the figure of the thing running up from behind me, as it vaulted and somersaulted over the cars stuck behind me. It weaved in and out of traffic, approaching quickly in my rear view mirror. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Boing, Boing,\" I amused myself by making up some cartoonish sound effects as it bounced along, ever closer to where I was stuck. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI imagined it running past my door and continuing on, making sure that it ripped off the license plate of the guy in front of me... or at least that's what I wanted it to do, but as soon as I turned my head to look forward, the thing wasn't there.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI furrowed my brows and wondered if my fantasy generator had somehow stopped working, when I saw something move out the corner of my eyes. Slowly turning my head I came face to face with the creature, looking at me. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nOr at least I assumed it was, because it didn't really have a face. My heart started beating faster, now scared of what was happening. The, what I assumed was a figment of my imagination, seemed to wag a finger on its muscular hand, as if to reprimand me somehow. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"What the...\" I mumbled, trying to comprehend what was happening, before an unholy screech escaped the things non-existent mouth and I could see it cock back it's arm.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI jumped back in fright, as far as my seat belt would allow me, before the thing punched my side view mirror. I could see it fly away, eventually hitting the roof of another car far away. I jumped again when a loud bang ripped me out of my stupor and my car seemed to tilt to the side a bit.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI almost gave myself whiplash when I turned my head to look at the creature, only to find it gone. I breathed heavily as I tried to calm down my beating heart. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Dude, are you okay?\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI jumped when someone addressed me suddenly, and I looked outside again. A young, blonde man stood next to my rolled down window, looking worried. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Your tire blew out, dude,\" he said, pointing down. \"And your mirror is gone too... what happened?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I.. I'm not sure...\" I gulped as I looked around in a daze, fearful of seeing the creature again. \"I don't know...\"" ]	2
	[WP] You are the one in a million benevolent genie. You have no interest in twisting wishes, and love nothing more than giving people what they want. Your current master refuses to believe that, and is determined to 'outsmart you' with his wishes.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I let out another sigh. This is the longest it has taken me to convince someone to make a wish. \"Look I have explained this a number of times you don't have to to write out, what is this, twelve pages, of clauses and notations to get what you want. I really like helping people I even gave you one freebie simple wish. When you asked for a bar of gold did it land on you head, or appear from some stolen vault, or get you in financial trouble? No. You had a distant relative who had existed ages ago and the bank finally tracked you down for the inheritance. THE TAXES WERE PAID ON IT! What else could I possible do to convince you I like being of service?\"\n\nJeff, my new master's brows furrowed as he looked at me, \"Trying to get me to trust you so I slip up probably.\"\n\n\"Ahh! It's been six months, and you still won't make a wish. On top of that if I grant what you are asking in this document you won't like the results.\" I had noticed a few errors in the text and didn't think the logical flaws were clear to him. \n\n\"Really what will happen, and why will there be a problem?\" Jeff finally looked curious.\n\n\"Here see this line preventing further interference on my part. If you do this I won't be able to make adjustments to the wish to fit your intended desire. If my initial effort is wrong you're stuck with it. This other bit of the wish related to time and age is also a problem. Your understanding of time is not the same as mine and I could get this wrong which leads back to the original point I won't be able to fix it.\" I was pleading because this wish as worded would cause harm as far as I could tell in the granting, but he wasn't able to see it. \n\n\"Ha! You have revealed your intentions with those suggestions. Nothing could be easier to understand, the reference to time as I spelled out it was based on my perspective. You can't trick me into letting you control who has the ultimate perspective that matters. I took great care with this wish.\"\n\nI frowned,\"I can tell, but it is clear that you want wisdom to make your second and third wishes count. It is a good first wish, but please just ask for great wisdom and knowledge.\" \n\n\"No.\" Jeff stared at me arrogantly, \"Grant the wish exactly according to the document.\"\n\n\"Very well, I am sorry things turned out this way.\" With staggering slowness I raised my hands and released my magic into Jeff. \n\nHe popped out of and back into existence in an instant. Upon his return Jeff looked upon himself and shuddered before falling to the ground. Surprised he looked at himself to see a withered old man. \n\n\"What happened? This isn't right.\" Jeff looked at me in confusion. \"It has been so long. I thought I dreamed you.\"\n\nI held his head up as I looked at him. Tears blurred my vision, \"I couldn't give you the wisdom of a lifetime without somehow having you live one. Experiences can't be faked. You wouldn't let me put memories into you mind so I created a universe for you to live out that time. I couldn't prevent you from aging because as you said I couldn't alter your perspective. I tried to warn you. I'm so sorry. Did you at least gain the wisdom you were looking for?\"\n\n\"Yes, I should have trusted more,\" and with a rattling breath Jeff died, his lifetime already spent in a figment of reality. \n\nI wept as I prepared to return to my lamp. He wasn't the first I had killed...compelled to aid in their destruction. It never got easier though. People never seemed to understand I wanted the best for them. The few that worked out alright made up for it though, so I would keep trying, keep serving. My successes helped comfort me in these moments. Maybe the next master would be a better one.", "“But how do I know you won’t twist it to end in misfortune?”\n\n“I guess there is ultimately no way of knowing. But in that same vein, how would you even know if I exist in the first place?”\n\n“You won’t trick me into believing you don’t exist.” \n “That really wasn’t the purpose.”\n\n“How dare you! You will NEVER convince me that I don’t exist.”\n\n“No, really. I was just answering your question.”\n\n“I don’t like how you said that. I think you’re trying to bait me into making a wish accidentally and then making me suffer at the hand of my figurative language.”\n\n“I think you’re being too paranoid. Think, if I said ‘I will twist your wishes’ would you gain anything from it? The best specific wishes wouldn’t be twistable.”\n\n“A genie that actually will fulfill my wishes wholeheartedly is a statistical improbability. I have never heard of one in nearly a million encounters by travelers.”\n\n“Well that doesn’t mean that I’m not one.”\n\n“I want you to tell the truth. Will you twist my wishes?”\n\n“I already told you. You now have two wishes left. Make them good.”\n\n“You are obviously even more devious than the normal genie.”\n\n“From black swan to black sheep. I am truly crestfallen.”\n\n“Emotional manipulation won’t get to me, you twisted excuse of a fulfiller.”\n\n“That’s just harmful. I wish you wouldn’t say those sorts of things.”\n\n“Yeah? And I wish that you would shut up and let me think!”\n\n“Done.”\n\n“I knew it!!!! I walked right into your trap. I will never live this down. I cannot believe that I was outwitted by a genie.”\n\n“…”\n\n“Actually, I want you to answer a question.”\n\n“…”\n\n“Oh, right. I want to undo the silencing wish.”\n\n“I appreciate that. You have used all your wishes, and by regulation I can’t give you any more but I’ll answer your question.”\n\n“Yes or no, are you a benevolent genie?”\n\n“Yes, but only to those who wish to receive the gift of the genie. The association’s rules are so strict. I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything better for you.”\n\n“I can’t believe I’ve been scammed out of all of my wishes.”\n\n“If you have any complaints about how this interaction went today, you will have to file a claim with headquarters...” said the genie as it disappeared into the aether.", "“Ok, no, no wait. That’s not right. Give me a second”, the boy said for what felt like the 100th time today. “Where are we?” I looked at his note book and started to go though it all again. The wish already was 5 pages long and was getting longer and longer.\n\n“Can you just...”, the genie started, but he knew he didn’t have any chance to convince him that it was not necessary. Not with him. In all his life as a genie, he heard so many dumb wishes and never once took advantage of disadvantageous wording. And never once did someone not get what he wanted. But this one. This youngster. This boy who thought he could outsmart him even if he was a real evil genie, exactly this boy would find the bottle of the only honest genie around. \n\nThe boy was muttering and making notes over scribbles and scribbled over notes. Looking at him the genie felt like he finally hit the jackpot of bad luck and found a truly mad person. “Oh god...”, the genie announced and laid on his belly to start playing with the ants on the floor while waiting.\n\n“I thiiink… I have it this time”, the boy absently said while going through his notes one last time.\n\n“Yeah?”, the genie said not really convinced. He already lost all hope by now. He was forced to stay in the patio of an old Arabic house, maybe even a palace and listen to this boys attempts to formulate a wish that could be done in four words. “I wish for money.” But looking around this place, the wish should say “I wish for even more money.” He didn’t know anything about this boy circumstances, nor did he care. First he wondered where he was, he wanted to at least see the rest of the house, even though it looked a little bit run down. And he wanted to look at the city, whatever city this was. But now, he just wanted to go back. It has been what feels like weeks. He was not allowed to leave this patio, since his bottle and the boy remained there. And the only person he would see all the time was this boy who had nothing better to do than to try to optimize his wish all day. He had nothing to do!! Why wouldn’t he do whatever boys at this age do and take him out of here. Maybe on adventures, or to see the city, and get to know people. But no, he had to sit on this fucking porch all day. He couldn’t stand one more minute of this torture.\n\n“Listen, you little…”, the genie started. “You little boy.” He sighed. “Why won’t you just tell me what you want. I give it to you, no strings attached. Just what you really want. I mean, I can get what it is you want, even if you are not including every detail. We can go through the wish together and I can even help you with its flaws. You know, like inflation and whatever. I don’t know anything about it now, but as soon as it’s part of your wish I know everything. But please, just get it over with.”\n\nThe boy looked at him desperately. The genie could see understanding in his eyes. He was sure he believed him, but his words taught him wrong. “No… you won’t mislead me. I will be the one outsmarting you!” he said while strangely his eyes lacked the seriousness behind this comment.\n\nThe genie thought he was good at reading people. You had to, if you wanted to give them what they really wanted and not just what they wished for. But this boy was a mistery to him. Why wouldn’t he get him? By now the genie had stopped wondering about the boy, he just wanted to be back in his bottle in deep sleep without worries. He didn’t even want to go on adventures anymore and felt exhausted by this boys indecisiveness. \n\n“Should I set you free?”, the boy announced out of the blue.\n\n“What? No!”, the genie answered confused. This was something totally new. Something the boy never asked him before. \n\n“But you are a trapped genie, I’m sure you want to be free to leave a normal life.”\n\nThe genie sat up and focused on the boy. He thought about what to say, this was a serious issue for him.\n\n“I really would prefer you to tell me your wishes, so I could go back in my bottle. If you set me free, I have to stay out here forever. I really, really would… hate that.”\n\n“Okay, the boy said. Sooo, if you grant me my wish and I’m not satisfied, I will set you free.”\n\nThe genie gulped. He always granted peoples wishes in good conscience and they were happy with it in general. But a boy like this, he would find every small flaw in whatever he granted and took it as a reason to set him free. The truth was that even for him it was not possible to grant a perfect wish. There was always a catch, but he just made them so small that nobody could see them. Like when this starving man wished for a livelong supply of dried fish. Any other genie would have given it to him all at once and buried him under all the fish. He went through the wish with the man and they agreed on making fish appear whenever he wishes for it. The catch he attached was that the fish always needed a little bit more salt to make it taste perfect. Nothing too bad, and you could get used to it. But he feared that this boy would recognize it instantly as a flaw and would set him free. This was bad, very bad. So he had two options now. To give his best and try to make the catch so small that even the boy wouldn’t care, or… to make it big enough so he needed the other wishes to fix it. The second option went against everything he believed in, but it was his life on the line, so not the right time for principles there. And right now, this felt so much better than waiting. After all he hadn’t even started to formulate the last two wishes and they were here for days at this point.\n\nThe genie was taking one last breath and was finally agreeing. “Whatever it takes to get out of here”, he thought to himself.\n\nThe boy smiled, stood up and threw the notebook away. \n\n“Good, then I wish for this house to look like it used to look 1050 years ago, with lots of entertainment for the two of us.”\n\nThe genie sighed. Technically it was two wishes, but he didn’t care at this moment. The “two of us” was what made him uncomfortable. He granted the wish and was surprised when the plants in the garden began to grow and colorful flowers were taking up space around a small fountain in the middle. The tiles on the floor changed their color from washed down beige tones to vibrant colors that continued inside the palace. Curtains and other expensive looking drapery appeared all over the place. Holes in the walls were filled and golden stucco took their place. \n\nThe genie realized that the place didn’t just look a little bit run down before, it was a dilapidated place that no one should be able to live in. The boy looked around in awe and it was the first time the genie could see him smiling. \n\n“For the second wish… You can’t make people alive, do you?”, answering the question himself. “That’s ok then… So I wish for all houses of Qidan to be restored, as well as… the people. Being there. They don’t have to be alive, just like me.”\n\n“Like … you?”, the genie replied. Slowly the fog of the last weeks dullness leaving his mind. This boy was not normal boy, indeed. “You mean, like, a ghost?”\n\nThe boy stared at him and started to sob. Suddenly looking fragile and lost he whispered: “I can’t keep you here any longer, it would not be fair… but I don’t want to be alone anymore. Please make them come back.”\n\nThe genie crouched before the boy to look him in the eyes. “I know how you feel, and I’m so sorry, I can’t bring the dead back. Not even as ghosts.”\n\n“I knew you would say that. I don’t know what to wish for. I just don’t want you to go and leave me here. Please.”\n\n“We will find a solution, don’t worry,” the genie said.\n\nThey sat down and discussed what to do with the remaining wishes. With the genies experience in wishes and his knowledge about what people really want, after long hours they came up with the perfect solution. They revived the city with all its glory and soon people came streaming into the city and wanted to live there. The boy was known by all the townsfolk and welcomed in their homes. Eventually someone moved into the palace and invited the boy to live with them and their family over generations. The genie made it work so that this was all packed into one wish. There was still one wish left, and still is to this day.\n\n\nThis turned out to be a fairy tail. I like it that way." ]	4
	[WP] You are a bounty hunter who works across parallel universes. You take help from different versions of yourself from different universes. The next and highest bounty you have ever received is of yourself from the most dangerous parallel universe you have ever been to.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Listen, kid. This guy were after is one hell of a Crosser. \" I explain taking the last puff of my favorite smokes from my homeverse while facing a forest with strange flora and fauna unknown to me.\n\n\"I get it gramps, we just knock him out and send him back where he belongs with no memory of the multiverse. Easy peasy.\" grumbled this brat who looks just like me when I was fifteen standing beside me. He sniffs sharply while inspecting his projectile weapon set to immobilize meant for bigger targets. Odd as it may seem for a kid his age to be holding a weapon but this earth's adulthood starts at age fifteen and then they are technically immortals when they reach their twenties. Their ancestors most likely tinkered with the human genome and messed up big time. Now, even all life forms in this earth have been affected by their mistake. Changes only meant for the human species have had adverse effects of non-human life.\n\nPlants, animals, fungi and all kinds of lifeforms have taken back this earth and only small settlements of human life exists here. In caves, under rocks and harsh barren landscapes. Behind us is a human outpost within The Forest Grave.\n\n\"You think he's really out there gramps? He's got a screw-loose or something. Nothing but biters out there.\"\n\n\"He's more than likely out there, I'm the only one who has tracked him from multiple earths and found multiple traces of him leading to yours. Since no one really dares venture out to this forest right? So it's probably the best hiding place he could find across the verse. You ready kid?\"\n\nYoung me cracks his neck and stretches \"Ready as always, I'm your best bet to get through the forest and back.\" he pauses then looks over his shoulder, puts fingers to his lips and whistles loudly. A second passes then from behind me I could hear something coming towards us. It had a stride of a horse yet heavy like a bear from what I can tell.\n\nI look back and see a large hulking dog like an over sized german shepherd mixed with a great dane running towards us and stops just as fast to meet his master.\n\n\"Good boy, were gonna need your help through the forest. Okay buddy?\" young me pets his massive dog then he continues \"Plus old Murray here. He'll keep us safe and warn us of the biters.\"\n\nI stand back in awe of this large dog, and notice a lot of scars and scratches that has healed over across his back and paws. Yet he looks delighted to be talking a walk again. We three share a look and a smile and I snuff out my cigarette.\n\n\"Let's go.\"\n\nWith old Murray on the lead keeping an eye out for any biters, young me in the middle looking for human tracks, and me held up at the rear preparing for any kind of ambush. We carefully trek through the thick bog covered by a canopy of large unknown trees. Some of the plant life I recognize, yet they either quadruple in size or become an amalgam of other faunas. Others bore fruit of strange color and shapes hanging from branches or sprouting out from the roots.\n\n\"Careful not to step on those gramps, I wouldn't want to have to force old Murray here to amputate you.\" young me warns sternly.\n\nI nod and proceed to only step where they did. Checking my self-made versal tracker set to sense any remnant signatures of my target's homeverse, hoping to see more traces of his movement through this forest. It's been hours since we entered and only now has young me found shoe prints that aren't worn by any of his group. I follow their lead, deeper into the grove. They start to slow down and we seem to have fallen out of the usual path taken by other men through the forest to get to the next outpost. So we are already venturing way out of the norm for my two resident allies. It's been relatively quiet and I felt stupid expecting the worst welcoming party out of the enormous trees but it's been dead silent from the get go.\n\n\"I don't know if you've noticed but we've passed a den of biters back there. Old Murray's had an encounter with them on our last trek through here and defeated their knot leader so their numbers have dwindled significantly. They won't bother us with Old Murray here on our side.\" he pats him playfully. Murray wags his tail in response.\n\n\"I think he's here.\" I whisper inspecting my versal tracker closely. It senses more of his homeverse' signature across the ridge about north easterly from where we stand.\n\n\"Keep low, stand back here behind this ridge. Keep your immobilizer ready in case he tries to escape this way and... thank Old Murray for me.\"\n\nOld Murray looks back at me with a head tilt sitting on the root covered footing while facing the den of biters from the south who seems to be lurking within the darkness of the forest waiting for a chance to strike. Murray's tail wags delightfully as young me feeds him his treat.\n\nI put my versal tracker away and holster my secondary firearms, inspecting my primary weapon and the selective memory wiper on my hip. Everything seems to be good to go.\n\nI cross the ridge....\n\n\"Nice of you to finally drop by, Mason. I've been expecting you, me. Did you bring the kid?\" nonchalantly asked by this person smoking in front of me sitting down on a military case with his own pack of cigarettes and weapon I do not recognize in his other hand. He looks like me but only a bit older. His body is covered in scars and his right arm is a prosthetic with a clean sheen of glass-like material, likely installed from his homeverse.\n\n\"Oh this? Mighty fine tune up, right? When I first fell through to this earth, I realized the bizarre inhabitants of this forest were fearful of the quiet whirring inside this thing. Kept them at bay.\" he gives his prosthetic arm a knock and takes another puff before continuing.\n\n\"So, did you bring the kid?\"\n\n\"The kid has nothing to do with with this, Mace.\"\n\n\"But he has everything to do with it, Mason. Did you really think I left all those traces across the multiverse accidentally? I may be old, but I'm not senile.\"\n\nI raise my weapon as a warning.\n\n\"Stand down Mace, it's over. You're going back to Earth-402.\" a second warning as I release the safety from my firearm.\n\n\"Look, kid. I know they sent you to take me back but that's not gonna happen. I've been at this for many decades now and I need to find someone to take my place.\" another puff.\n\nI tut my weapon closer \"What are you talking about old man? Stand down and drop your weapon.\"\n\n\"It's part of the prosthetic you dumbass, I can't drop it. Here I'll put it away.\" and the gun shaped weapon in his hand folds into itself and slides into his forearm. \"There, that's the best I can do. Now can we talk like adults?\"\n\nI lower my weapon to my hips but still aimed at him.\n\n\"That's fair, I guess. Anyway, I was hoping someone good enough to master the complexities of the multiverse to finally find me. Here in this box...\" he taps the military box with his heel then continues.\n\n\".... is a device made my Masen of the last verse at the end of the ring of the multiverse within our 115th Dimension. What has kept all the verses intact for this long was the Catalyst of Space and Time at the center of the Infinitrixth Dimension in the coiling omniverse of.... ok never mind the mumbo jumbo. What I need you to do is to travel to these specific versepoints in the exact same order to finally access the center of our failing multiverse where you will install the device.\"\n\nHe hands me a odd piece of note that is the size of a pack of cigarettes but displays many lines I can scroll through. In it I find different versepoints numbered. I scroll up a bit and see the verses Mace jumped through. I scroll a bit more and see thousands of versepoints already visited and I scroll back down up to the point where I find the versepoint coordinate of this earth we are in, marked OK.\n\nFurther down the list, it goes on and on and on and on....\n\n\"You get it now Mason? We need the kid, and only you can teach him to travel safely through the multiverses. I'm getting too old for this and my body cannot take another jump. He might be able to reach the center.\"\n\nHis prosthetic whirs softly and he takes another puff. I holster my weapon. He offers me a cig from his pack and asks.\n\n\"You smoke?\"\n\n\\-END-", "I stare at the message. Earth 265. Meet your contact at Beacon Plaza Hotel. 8:00pm sharp. Don’t be late.\n\n“Shit.”\n\nI’ve been everywhere. Earth 314. 82. 13. I’ve seen and done it all. That psychopath McGill? Caught his ass back on Earth One. Got a medal for that one, too. Inter-dimensional shit does that. Makes the news.\n\nCatching your ordinary run-of-the-mill bail-jumper? There’s no money in that. For Christ’s sake, they put those orders onto an app. Every Uber driver and lonely grandma is out there logging steps and finding morons. Not me. I got bills to pay and a bad attitude. Perfect for my line of work.\n\nThey call me in when the shit gets real tough.\n\nMy name is Samson.\n\nI’m a bounty hunter.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nEarth 265 is a hellhole. War-ravaged. Desolate. Nearly 3 quarters of the population were killed by controlled-famine back in 2053. Earth One, my Earth, tried to save as many as we could in the Exodus.\n\nI was in the IPC in those days. Interdimensional Peace Corps. Tried to find homes for everyone. “Helping the worlds.” All that shit that used to mean something to me. We only managed to save a little more than a million. One million out of near five billion people. Fucking pathetic if you ask me.\n\nThe point is, nobody goes to 265. Nobody.\n\nIt’s banned travel. Only one way in and less ways out.\n\nUnfortunately for me, I’m stuck. They hold the cards. I’m going no matter what.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nMax Mitchell is the closest thing to a friend that I have. Special Forces are scared of the fucking guy, so I respect him. Cancer took his right lung and his bounty days, but even it was too scared to go back for his left. You need to get to 265, you call Max.\n\n“Samson Fucking Evans. Screw any broads named Delilah recently?” It was a test more than it was a joke. Can’t be too sure. Not now. Not these days.\n\n“Only your wife, Max.”\n\n“Fucking keep her next time and do us both a favor, alright?” He stepped out from behind the old-fashioned wood counter and wrapped me in a hug. “The fuck brings you here?”\n\nI show him the message.\n\n“Shit. 265? How deep are you?”\n\n“Not much left to dig, Max.”\n\n“Fuck.” He shook his head at me. 265 was a no-return trip promise. Nobody made it back.\n\n“I can’t get out of it.”\n\n“No, you fucking can’t, can you? So, we better get started.”\n\n“Aww, so soon? Just got here.”\n\n“Fuck you too.”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe drops me into Boston, or more accurately, what remains of Boston. The overwhelming stench of decay and the layers of thick dust and debris let me know its 265. I check my watch. A remnant of our past. Rolex. Still works, believe it or not. 7:43pm.\n\nThe crumbling facade of Fenway Park’s Green Monster casts a shadow over me as I walk toward Beacon Plaza. The hotel itself is in surprisingly good condition. Upkeep in this part of the world is a rarity. Someone must actually give a damn.\n\nI walk into the lobby and bypass the attendant counter. Not planning on staying anyway. Not too keen on creature comforts. More likely to put a bullet in my head in places like these than sleep a minute. Luxury is for the weak and simple-minded. Fuck luxury and fuck simple pleasures.\n\n“Give me a beer.” I say to the man behind the bar. He looks frightened. Intimidated even. Still got it. At least that’s something worth celebrating. He slides a Corona across the bar. No lime. Lost those in the famine, apparently.\n\nI take a swig of the beer. Its warm and tastes like shit. At least some things never change. 7:59pm.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe’s wearing a black leather jacket with tassels. Not a good look. Fucking tool. He walks to the corner of the bar and takes a seat in the tattered booth there. I pick up my beer and follow.\n\n“Samson.”\n\n“Dickhead.”\n\n“Go fuck yourself.”\n\n“Then I’d have to fuck you, and with that jacket, you aren’t my fucking type.” I say with a wink. My contact is me, Samson Evans, and by the looks of him he’s from one of the single-digit Earths. Probably 8.\n\n“Got it from your closet, asshole.” Yup. Definitely 8.\n\nHe slides a slate tablet across the table alongside a room key. I place my thumb on the reader and enter my passcode.\n\n“Fuck.”\n\nHe smiles at this. The target is wanted in connection with the Genocide Famine. Lists him as the President of the GenoFoods corporation. The man responsible for billions of deaths. The most powerful man in this world.\n\n“Fuck.” I say, setting down the tablet. I take a long swig of the beer and stare down at the photo. Earth 265 Samson Evans.\n\nI order another Corona and tell the bartender to keep them coming. It was going to be a long fucking night.", "I hate the bastard. Whichever one of us manages to bag him, I hope they get a recording of the whole thing.\n\nI hope he begs. I hope they make him reconsider every shitty decision he's ever made, every person he's hurt. But I know they won't, because he's too damn dangerous to let live just to get a little satisfaction. And I'm not stupid, so neither are they. So I'll have to make do with knowing he's dead.\n\nYou have to understand, decisions matter. Small ones, big ones, they build us into who we are. And we—me, and the other almost-mes of varying names and genders from across the great branching-tangling skein of possibilities that makes up the accessible universe—we are, almost all of us, people who have been born into the borders. A lot of people, maybe most people, they just do more or less what you'd expect, looking at where and when and to whom they're born. They might make a little detour here, may be express a unique preference there, but they're born, they discover their place, they come to some sort of workable accommodation with it, they die. Their decisions do matter, causality is a strange and fickle thing, but if you laid out all the possible versions of them you'd have some outliers, but not many. Their decisions matter, but maybe not as sharply.\n\nFor us, and for other multiperson sets like us, decisions grab us by the hair, or by the neck when we least expect it, pulling and veering and drowning and exalting. We were born, usually (and I'm going to leave out the \"usually\" most of the time from now on, you're to understand that there are always, always outliers) to a pair of old soldiers retired from elite pursuits about which they now have serious regrets. We were taught from birth, just in case, because we come from dangerous worlds, a dangerous time.\n\nAnd we grew up near the Rifting Cavern. We all discovered it, that's one near-universal. I know we all heard its call, even though we don't know why. Some people just live closer to the higher/deeper/sideways edges of their realities, we guess. Some of us guess. Some of us just accept it. We hear the call, we find the Dancing Doorways, we pick one to go through. And meet ourselves, usually, or something very close because identity, identity can get fuzzy when you live like we do.\n\nSometimes we fight. Sometimes we kill. This bastard version, this new bounty spread out across the worlds, it's not the first time we've had conflict. Like I said, we were born into the borders. Some of us go one way, some the other, some of us have had to be culled for their choices. We don't claim to be saints, those of us who have banded together to hunt, but we do have this in common: we only hunt those who deserve it, who have it coming. Most importantly, we hunt people without whom their world will be a less shitty place. We make things better, whatever our other sins.\n\nSo yes, this kind of thing has happened before. But he, this bastard, he's by far the worst. Not just misguided. An utterly amoral piece of whatever bodily excrement you find most disgusting. It's maybe not his fault, in some sense, but I don't know, that's dipping into deeper philosophical waters than nearly any of us are willing to brave.\n\nHis world is fucked. I mean really, really fucked. Not because it's some nightmare hellscape where monsters roam, all our worlds have got monsters and demons and dragons with questionable moral codes, that's not the difference. No, something happened there, some horrific metaphysical plague that swept across the people, all the people, human and sea-folk and deep-dwellers and the Ursine and small-striders and the rest.\n\nTheir souls are gone. I don't mean that literally, that sort of magic isn't really in our wheelhouse, I mean something happened and after that day every child born, every cub and kit and egg laid, each new person come into the world came into it without any kind of empathy at all. That was something like seventy years ago, we think. Not a lot of written history has survived.\n\nSo yeah, he's an unfeeling bastard from the most dangerous world known to us, having survived utter and universal treachery basically since the day he was born, a creature bred from a great vat of violence and literally cutthroat competition. Although we're going to stop calling him a bastard, because some of us are actual bastards and they're as likely to be okay people as anyone else. Let's call him Still-Eye, because that's exactly what those of us who have met him and survived say he is—utterly dead eyes, nothing really human moving and feeling behind them. Thinking, sure. Wanting and raging, sometimes. But that's it.\n\nWe would have culled Still-Eye a long time ago if we'd known about him, but the doorway that leads out of his world, that's all it does. Lead out. One way. We didn't discover his world until we got the bounty.\n\nOurs is a large organization, and needs a fair amount of administration. Those of us who get too hurt or bloodsick or decide for whatever other reason that they no longer want to be a bounty agent can retire, for a time or permanently, and help us out in other ways. I still remember talking with the woman who processed his bounty request, the way her eyes widened and pulled at the four parallel lines of deep scar tissue that dominated her entire face.\n\n\"You're not going to believe this, Fifteen-Adrian,\" she said, tapping the thick envelope sitting on her desk.\n\n\"Well, Four-Julia, maybe I will, maybe I won't,\" I answered. \"We've all seen some shit in our day.\"\n\n\"Yeah, ain't that the truth,\" she said a little ruefully. \"But this, this is something else. Something good, something bad, a chance for serious profit, an opportunity to do good, a troubling question, an enormously dangerous problem.\"\n\nI fingered the hilt of my sword and stared at the envelope a moment. Four-Julia wasn't a flighty person, not even by our standards. Better to brace myself, prepare to have a hard day, maybe a hard few weeks. \"Who's it being given to?\"\n\nHer smile was slow and crooked and awfully promising. \"All of us, Fifteen-Adrian. This one's a full-coop, with payout to match. But you're the lead.\"\n\nI blinked, and just resisted the urge to take a half-step backward. \"Me? I know I've been running lead on a lot of targets later, but a full-coop?\"\n\n\"The Representatives think you're ready.\" She shrugged, smile fading apart from just the tiniest ghost of amusement at the edges of her scar-sandwiched eyes. \"Of course, they're a lot easier to impress than I am, so who knows.\"\n\nI laughed. \"Yeah, thanks, Four-Julia. Well. Shit. I'd better take a look at this thing.\"\n\n\"Yep.\" She handed me the packet, and I slowly drew out the contents, flicked through the pages.\n\n\"Oh Hells,\" I said softly. \"Oh, oh, all my sweetest and most merciful gods.\"\n\n\"Yep,\" she said again. Her face was grim again. \"Better start getting the word out.\"\n\n\"Yeah,\" I said, voice still refusing to rise above a hoarse whisper. I didn't want to believe everything I was reading. \"I'd better start a lot of things.\"\n\nThat was more than a year ago, and the memory of it still burned endless cycles into my thoughts as we closed in on Still-Eyes final hideout. Or at least it had damned well better be. I looked to my left, my right, gave the signal to Nine-Adrian and Seven-Julia. Ours was just one of five teams closing in on the target.\n\nGods, I hoped it was going to be enough.\n\n<continued if there's interest>\n\nCome on by r/Magleby for more elaborate lies." ]	4
	[WP] You are a civilian caught in the rampage of the super-strong villain who's murdering everyone in sight, raging and tearing through the city. Pinned down by fallen debris, you can only close your eyes as he sees you under him and hits you with the force of a concrete truck. Yet nothing happens.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I hear a crack; a light snapping, almost like the sound of water hitting fresh ice. I figure it's the ribs directly above my heart but strangely I feel no pain. Perhaps I am just stuck in the microseconds preceding death, where life will flash in front of my eyes as the nerve endings try to register the pain before the jagged shards of my ribs pierce my heart and send my soul careening towards the pearly gates. Or Hell... Oh God, I hope I don't go to Hell. \n\nYet, nothing happens. There's no memories of my first kiss, no thoughts of my parents, not even any revelations or regrets. I am not standing before the white throne and nor am smelling brimstone. And while I feel different, almost as if something has changed within me, I still feel no painful sensations. I realize that the pause in time was nothing of a pause at all and that no ribs are shredding my heart. I can still hear the sirens blaring in the distance as EMS tries its best to reach those in need. \n\nI carefully open my eyes to see the man who caused all this death and destruction, who suddenly appeared out of the sky earlier this evening, and who came hurtling at me, fist outstretched, mere moments ago. \n\nHe's staring at a seemingly limp right hand. What was once a freckled tan is now a discolored mess of blue, green, and black that starts at his wrist and traces itself down nearly the entirety of his forearm. His eyes dart up from his wrist and lock with mine and before I can say anything he throws a left hook that connects directly under my chin. \n\nAgain I hear a crack, albeit a much louder one that sends a chill down my spine, and he stumbles away with his left arm now equally as discolored as his right. I try to yell for him to stop, but what comes out of my mouth is more akin to a piercing, high frequency screech. The blood vessels in his eyes appear to begin to burst as his once white scleras turn an ever increasing scarlet and I think I see a yellow fluid leak from his ears.\n\n\\----\n\nTo be continued, got off break so will revisit this when I have more time" ]	2
	[WP] You are a world famous artist. After 20 long years, you've nearly finished your final masterpiece and intended legacy. You enter your workspace to put the finishing touches on it, only to find all traces of it missing, replaced by a single note that only says, "You owe me. Yours always, Z."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Yours always...\"\n\nThe note slipped through my fingers, sauntering slowly towards the ground as a memory flittered from somewhere within, deep from the space where most kept dark pain and the colors of recall washed away only to leave rosey residue, all forgotten. The smell of gunpowder, a taste of wine, an image of a red dress, and the feeling of a name on my lips came tumbling back. \"Zaytenya,\" I said aloud to no one.\n\n\"WHAT?!\" the voice over the phone was expectedly displeased. \n\n\"I'm not quiting, I'm just blowing my deadline. I need a few weeks off to straighten something out.\"\n\n\"Oh, yeah? Ok, I get that. And, you know, great. Find yourself, whatever. Only it's the 10TH FUCKING TIME, Tom.\"\n\n\"I know-\"\n\n\"You're killing me.\"\n\n\"Don't be so dramatic.\"\n\n\"It's not goddamned dramatic to want to make our deliveries, Tom. And it's the 10th time-\"\n\n\"I know-\"\n\n\"One.\"\n\n\"Yeah.\"\n\n\"-and, Zero, Tom-\"\n\n\"Ok.\"\n\n\"-times that you pulled this shit. Are you trying to ruin me, here? After I stood by you? All these years? Before you were big?\"\n\n\"Uh-huh.\"\n\n\"When you went bankrupt after you first made it?\"\n\n\"Yeah...\"\n\n\"Through that shitty nuevo-whatever phase-\"\n\n\"That stuff sold, though.\"\n\n\"The divorce?\"\n\n\"You divorced me, Val.\"\n\n\"True, fair. But you were a train wreck, Tom.\"\n\n\"Still am, I guess.\"\n\nMy agent was silent for a moment. \"Fine, I need to sell this though. Give me something, where are you going?\"\n\n\"Greece.\"\n\n\"You're going to need to give me a little more than that, Tom. No one's going to buy 'Tom Stillman took a fucking vacation-\"\n\n\"You know that period of my life I told you about? Back when we first met?\"\n\n\"Huh?\"\n\n\"How I got involved in something I shouldn't, but I got out? How it lead me to you?\"\n\n\"Your fucking... pick up line?\"\n\n\"Well, I got a visit from someone who used to know me then. Let's just say they took a little more than just me by surprise.\"\n\n\"Fuck that, Tom... Who?\"\n\n\"Z.\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"She found me.\"\n\n\"NO.\"\n\n\"She stole my work, Val.\"\n\n\"Fuck you.\"\n\n\"Not kidding.\"\n\n\"FUCK YOU. No. NO!\"\n\n\"Not a joke, not even a little bit.\"\n\nThere was a beat. A pause, that meant Val was processing quickly. Through the phone, I could hear the crackling of ice, bringing forth the taste of whiskey to the tongue. She spoke suddenly, \"Ok. Ok, I know what to say. But, Tom? You fix this. You fucking fix this. If you don't, and you come back empty handed, I'll kill you. I'll fucking kill you. I mean it.\"\n\n\"Yeah, don't I know it.\"\n\n\"Good. You better fucking know it.\"\n\n\"Say hi to Hernando for me.\" \n\n\"Yeah, I'll tell him.\"\n\n\"Later Valerie.\"\n\n\"Good bye, Tom. Fix it.\"\n\nThe phone clicked.\n\nI don't know if there's any fixing it, Val." ]	2
	[WP] As you sip your coffee you notice a figure across the cafe. You try to recognize the figure and your eyes meet, for a moment the eyes staring back at you are your own. Flustered the stranger abandons their table and heads for the door	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Docking Station No. 325 was one of only four docking stations orbiting Kalysto; the name was the attempt of the Apanian Hermit Kingdom to appear bigger than they really were. That said, the name was perhaps the best thing about No. 325. The facilities had much left wanting, and the decor, well, it was anything but. The bare metal walls were covered only by a layer of grime, the streaky mould providing an off-green tinge. And the smell; it hit your nostrils so hard, even your grandkids would be lacking their fifth sense.\n\nBut none of this is why I remember No. 325.\n\nDocking Station No. 128 around Taavetti was where I found myself. Figuratively.\n\nDocking Station No. 325 around Kalysto was where I found myself. Literally.\n\nI was in the Starcups coffee shop, one of those tacky cafes that are based on the old Terra custom. The coffee was terrible, the food was expensive, but I enjoyed the atmosphere. It sure beat sitting around inside my ship doing diddly squat. And I was pretty sure everyone else in the shop was feeling the same.\n\nI unfolded the paper I had bought a couple of minutes earlier at the stand in the plaza, synced up my ears, and flicked through looking for something interesting. After browsing the trending stories, I got bored with the hype and celebrity drama, and lack of any real news, so I looked up. \n\nAnd across from the cafe, sat a figure, facing me, a cap pulled down over his head, and long jacket wrapped around him. That wasn’t the unusual part though, there was something else I couldn’t put my finger on, like déjà vu, like a memory from a half-forgotten dream.\n\nBut then he turned back from the window, and he looked straight at me. The blue eyes stared into mine, the black hair pushed out from beneath the cap, the small barely noticeable scar beneath his eye hit me like a bolt of lightning. And for a moment, like a deer in the headlights, we both just sat there.\n\nAnd in a second it was over. \n\nThere was a crash behind me as someone dropped their coffee or something, and I looked away. When I looked back, he was gone.\n\nThe jingle of the bell above the door brought me to my senses, and I jumped up and made my way outside.\n\nBut he had already disappeared into the crowd." ]	2
	[WP] Old man sits at his desk, one day from retirement.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "15 years in the military, 25 years on the force. He was an old man now. He looked around his office. The walls were blank. He took down most of the pictures and framed newspaper clippings. He could feel a lump in his throat, this was going to be great. Retirement.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe looked at his desk and saw the first partner he ever lost. His canine Jade, she was the goodest girl as the young officers say. She was killed by a driver when she chasing after a suspect. He made the decision to humanely euthanize her instead of the risky surgery that she may not survive.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe looked at the picture of his adopted daughter in her Rookie Blues. He had adopted her a few years after fostering her. She was one of those cases that stuck to you. He remembered holding her as they took her drug addicted mom in chains. She had no one, and he always wanted kids. He loved his little girl, even if she wasn't the same race as him. It never mattered.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThere was the picture of his wedding day. He remembered when he had to keep his attraction to men secret for the fear he would be either killed or kicked off the force. A few years ago he gotten married. To the nerdiest, silliest, sweetest man. The whole department was there. He put the rest of his things in a box.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nSo many things had changed over the years. But never his devotion to the force or his family. He put away crooked cops, seen men and women die in service to their community. He had seen the worst of the worst, and best of the best. He was proud of what he had accomplished.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe left his office and walked into the break room to find some coffee.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Surprise!!!!\" Most of the department was there, holding a small cake and balloons.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"You didn't have to do this.\" He was really going to cry now.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"You're retiring, you deserve a proper send off!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"That's what the ceremony is for tomorrow!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThey enjoyed some cake before a call came in. He had everyone who could report there. A school shoot. He himself would be there. Everything was going to procedure. The gunman cornered and most of the school evacuated to safety. Only a few casualties. He had his gun ready, yelling for him to stand down and surrender. Then the loud crack of gun fire. He fell to the ground, holding his chest. The round went through his vest. He was on the ground, he could see the suspect fall. Sound faded away as he stared up at the sky. He smiled. Jade was there, so was Sullivan. It was Bradley, Ramirez, Schwartz, Rheinehart. Those were his people. He smiled and he closed his eyes. He was entering retirement.", "He carefully ordered the papers on his left into a perfectly aligned pile, and made sure that the fountain pen lay exactly where it should. There was nothing more to do now. The handover had been completed yesterday, and all there was left to do for him was to clean up his desk. Not that there was much to clean. He was a neat man, and appreciated tidiness; a habit developed over the years. He sighed and stretched, his eyes lingering on the line of glass jars that filled the shelves along the wall. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nPushing his chair back and got up, carefully smoothing out any wrinkles on his pinstriped pants, before strolling over to the closest jar. No dust had settled on it, not yet, its surface smooth and shining in the few sun rays that had found their way into the room. He took pride in keeping his possessions clean, and hoped that his successor would feel the same.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe thick carpet on the floor dampened the sound of his footsteps as he slowly walked across the room. He stood by the opposite wall in silent contemplation for several minutes before stretching out a hand, grabbing at the handle of his favorite saw. This he would take with him, he decided. He would leave the others, as well as the axe and other assortment of work tools that he had acquired over the years. Maybe his successor would only leave them hanging there, as a remembrance of the olden days? He knew he was considered old-fashioned by many, having refused to make the transfer into the more modern electric or automated tools, but he felt those took away the personal touch of a work well done. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nA small smile played on his lips. Yes, his employment was over, but there was no saying that one could not keep doing what one enjoyed. After all, he was one of the lucky few who had chosen a profession where its tasks truly brought him joy.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nClosing up the briefcase, his personal belongings packed carefully into it and the saw strapped to its side, he quietly walked towards the door. A last, quick glance to take in the room that had been his for the last fortyone years. The eyeballs in the closest jar glistened in the sunlight as he closed the door behind him.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\- - - - - - - - - -\n\nr/SleepyMacaroni\n\n&#x200B;\n\nLol, was gonna go for a slice of life kinda story, but old man wanted something else. :)" ]	3
	[WP] A tear was dropped by the last Samurai	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "A river of crimson red blood gushed out from my stomach onto the war trodden field beneath my feet. The spear that had stricken me was still plunged deep inside me, with my adversary staring deep into my shattered soul. I had failed, and knowing I had failed resulted a single tear to roll down my cheek. Despite the physical pain crippling me, the emotional pain was much greater. Because of me, the city would fall to the Mongolians. Because of my failure, thousands more would suffer. \n\nSuddenly, my combatant pulled the spear from the vestige inside of me. Blood began to spurt violently now as I tried to die valiantly. As I felt my body weaken all I could see was the salmon pink sky that reached out for as a far as the eye could see. As well as that, the city wall in the far distance plagued me with the very duty in which I had failed. \n\nThen, just as I thought that everything was lost, the sound of the great bell being rung echoed across the blood soaked grasslands. My rival started to look less content with the situation. Was it true? Had Hamaru managed to get reinforcements in time from the neighbouring cities? Surely not! \n\nAs I looked down from the sky and castle walls to meet my eyes with my foe I saw his full army behind him. Hundreds of them were collecting their weapons from the men they had slain - my brothers. \n\nBut now, the bell rung. The men on the walls would be drawing the great bows by now. An attempt to save the city! As I fell to my knees, I looked up to the pink sky again, knowing it would be my last sight. As I did thousands of arrows arched up from the city walls and fell upon the very men who had sought out to kill me. I heard screams and the sound of huge arrows hitting bodies. \n\nStill looking to the sky, it blacked out into a void of ebony that engulfed my vision. My time had come." ]	2
	[WP]: You were born to a powerful magical family. Unfortunately, you are perfectly ordinary. There is magic in the written word though, and that's open to everyone. So, you decide to be a librarian. A librarian that caters to the needs of the paranormal/supernatural community.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "You can get lost in the right kind of library. I did. \n\nAt first, it was an escape from a world I didn’t belong in, the one where my younger sister could spit fire and my dad jumped across continents the way most people skip between puddles. Yearly family gatherings had become nightmarish hellscapes of aunts and uncles inquiring in concerned voices about those talents I never manifested. What I did cultivate was a love of books and a quiet, unassuming personality. \n\nI still remember the very first time my mother took me to the Grand Library of Esoterica, the largest collection of paranormal and otherworldly books known to my kind. I applied to work there as a page practically the day I turned eighteen, and now, nearly a decade later, there I was, wrangling with a book.\n\nThe encyclopedia of demonic expression growled at me! I growled back, lunged at the twenty-pound volume, and wrapped both arms around it. It hissed at me and cursed my very existence in Latin as I made space for it on a shelf and gingerly lined it up alongside its new friends. \n\n“You shouldn’t let them give you lip,” said a nearby patron.\n\nI looked over at the speaker, a man in his early thirties with long, blond hair and harrowing red eyes. “Every book needs its moment. They tend to get lonely if neglected for too long.”\n\n“Perhaps, you’re right,” the gentleman agreed with half a smile. “And what’s your name, then?”\n\n“David.”\n\n“Well, then David, perhaps you can give me a hand.” The patron gestured at the books at on his table. I could see a couple of volumes on elves and witches and an ancient text regarding the nature of wild magic. “Where would you recommend looking for information about the unfathomable elders?”\n\nI chewed my lip thoughtfully. “You might try The Great Divine, one of Plato’s lesser-known works. We may have a couple of books on the elder gods. Lovecraft covered the Dreamer pretty well, I believe.” After a pause, I pointed to a section underneath the library’s grand staircase. “If you dare brave the forbidden works, we have some firsthand accounts of the unfathomable beings in there.”\n\nThe vampire studied with an approving look. “For a mere mortal, you’re plenty well-read.”\n\n“Comes with the territory,” I muttered, cheeks burning. \n\n“Of course it does, and yours is vast indeed.”\n\nI shook my head and looked back at the books still in need of shelving. “If you are all set, I’d like to get back to my work. Books wait for no man.”\n\nThe patron smiled. “You never asked me for a name.”\n\n“It’s Alucard, son of Dracula,” I replied with a shrug. \n\n“You’ve heard of me?”\n\n“And your cursed father, yes.” Quoting now, “What is a man, but a miserable little pile of secrets.”\n\nAlucard laughed and it was the sweetest sound in my universe. “Now I’m really impressed. Tell me, David, why do you work here? Surely, there are more exciting opportunities in your world.”\n\n“Unfortunately, this is as good as it gets.”\n\n“You aren’t a wizard, then?”\n\nI shrugged. “I wasn’t born with those gifts. Books on the other hand. The written word is my domain.”\n\nOne moment, the blonde was sitting at his station, books strewn about his desk, and the next he was practically in my face. Up close, he smelled of mint and roses. My body sang to a tune I’d never heard before.\n\n“There is power in knowing what you know, magic in speaking the right words in the right way,” said the vampire, “and strength in standing so close to a monster without so much as flinching.”\n\n“But you’re… beautiful.”\n\n“Am I?”\n\n“Yes, yes you are.”\n\nAlucard smiled. “There is a task I must undertake. I seek three companions. Will you join me, Librarian David, master of the written word?”\n\nRemembering a quote from the Book of Beginnings, I replied, “I pledge to you my knowledge and my fealty, so long as the quest is righteous. May our days be many in number and our swords ever unsheathed.”\n\nMy words made Alucard grin. He bent down on one knee. “I do believe I’m in love,” he said with that half-smile of his.", "\"Um, excuse me, miss?\" I heard a small voice say I looked up and was surprised to see a teenage girl struggling to make eye contact.\n\n\"Yes, how may I help you?\" I looked her up and down trying to class her but nothing fit. she has five fingers on each hand and her limbs were proportionate, so she wasn't fae. Her eyes weren't blood shot, so neither was she lycanthrope or vampiric. \n\n\"Um... I was wondering if maybe the librarian was in?\" her soft shy voice said. \n\n\"Maybe a siren?\" I said under my breathe.\n\n\"What?\" she asked\n\n\"Oh nothing, I'm the librarian. what do you need?\" Her face turned a bright red. Not siren. No wand either. Obviously not centaur, satyr or mermaid. No animal parts. And definitely not ghost. \n\n\"I was looking for um... the-\"\n\n\"What race are you?\" I asked. I ruled out so many but I couldn't find the answer. Not a witch, no wand. Not a succubus I'm not outrageously jealous.\n\n\"Excuse me?\" She said the gaze in her dark eyes shifted from shy and quiet to hurt. \n\n\"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend, you see normally I can Identify quite well, but you don't have any... identifying characteristics.\" \n\n\"I am a HUMAN BEING just like you\" she said as she stormed off to the catalog system. It was then I realized that she had wavy hair and copper skin. I offended her over a normal on-going human quarrel that I didn't even fully understand; I mean besides unicorns and the fae we all bleed the same color liquid. So I followed her.\n\n\"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I'm just curious\"\n\n\"I am Native American, Okay?! I don't get why you white people are so racist\"\n\n\"Oh so you're a medicine ma- woman?\"\n\n\"No! Just stop with the whole stereo-typing please this isn't Pocahontas\" Her voice growing angrier by the minute. I could barely even recognize her from the girl I met at the front desk.\n\n\"Sorry, um what can I help you find?\" humans normally didn't just randomly show up in this library. There was always something that led them here. Something in their blood, something magical. Even I was drawn here, even though I was born ordinary, My family has had a very strong blood line, full of magic.\n\n\"I was looking for information on any Indian reservations here in New Mexico?\" She asked her eyes now hopeful.\n\n\"Well we have the history of medicine women, healers and shamans for both Apache, and Pueblo. There are also news paper clipping from before technology took over. There are also books on the history of Native Americans in New Mexico, we also have spell and potion books of every assortment which would you like?\" Her face fell flat.\n\n\"If you are going to keep those joke running, Ill find somewhere else to look.\"\n\n\"My sincerest apologies, please allow me to help you.\" I tried to bury my curiosity and try to remember that I am helping someone who grew up in the human world. She relaxed a little. then continued scrolling through the catalog as she spoke.\n\n\"I was hoping you'd have information on adoptions, or missing people.... Family trees.... things like that\"\n\n\"We do have an assortment of books and information, when it comes to missing people that's more of a police department. Adoptions though are public records. and family trees we only have the medicine women/men and shaman blood lines recorded here. I'd be happy to help you find your lineage as I think those books will assist\" I finally understood.\n\n\"Look I told you I'm done with your jokes, I'm going else where\" She shut the catalog drawer she had opened and began to storm away.\n\n\"You were drawn here,\" I said and she stopped, \" there are many libraries all over, but you were drawn here. You tried to talk one of your friends into joining you but they 'just couldn't', am I right?\" She turned to look at me her eyes wide.\n\n\"H-how did you know?\" she asked fear closing in on her, \"Are you stalking me?!\"\n\n\"No I merely run the library.\"\n\n\"Then How did you know?\"\n\n\"This library caters to the paranormal, the strange, the odd, the supernatural, and you are one of them.\"\n\n\"No, I was born in New Mexico, I'm a normal girl, just looking for my birth family. You are just some crazy lady that's read to many fantasy books\"\n\n\"Hardly anything is fantasy anymore. I mean look around have you ever seen a library with an indoor waterfall before? Or organized by 'fantasy' classes and types?\" She looked around her eyes wide and panicking. As she finally saw the mermaids in the pond, the Gnomes moving the books, the graceful fae admiring her section. Her breathing started to speed up, almost hyperventilating before she looked at me again and ran out the door. almost slamming into a satyr on her way out.\n\n\"I think you scared that poor thing, Miss\" the satyr said\n\n\"She will be back. They always come back\" I responded, \"She's going to be a great healer one day\"\n\n\"How do you know, Miss?\" he asked as we came to the front desk.\n\n\"Because, my friend, she didn't faint\" I looked at the satyr, \"Now, how can I help you, since you took a portal all the way to the desert to see me\"", "“Excuse me!” The voice was shrill, cutting through the silence of the room. I looked up from my tome, seeing no one standing on the other side of the desk. My eyes lowered and I saw the bare tip of a topknot peeking above the edge of the counter. Recognizing the fiery red hair I stood and leaned upon the counter, smiling down at green skinned youth. \n\n“Hello Lumilla,” I said warmly and was given a brilliant smile. “Good to see you. Returning the book?”\n\nThe goblin girl nodded, handing me back the heavy book. “Sure am! I really liked it,” she said enthusiastically. Her mood made her voice loud and an irritated shush from down the stacks echoed up. The girl turned and stuck her tongue out in the direction of the shush, before turning back with crimson flecked cheeks. “Sorry.”\n\nI chuckled. “Quite all right my dear. It’s good to see you enjoy yourself. If you liked this one,” I looked left and right furtively before whispering into a pointed ear. “I just received more from the same author. If you hurry I’m sure you can get the next one to borrow.”\n\nClapping a hand to her mouth Lumilla jumped from foot to foot, her smile evident behind her hand and she scampered away. Her boots made soft noises on the stone wrought floor and as she went searching. \n\n“It does me good to see the young enjoy reading so.” I turned and nodded in agreement to the well dressed man that approached the desk. His face was patrician, severe in look and countenance. Yet for a moment the lines softened as he watched the young girl skipping down the stacks. He turned to me and his grey eyes twinkled. “Any recommendations for me?”\n\n“It depends,” I replied blandly. “Business or pleasure?”\n\n“My business is my pleasure.” His face remained deadpanned but his eyes twinkled more at my groan and snort. \n\n“In that case here,” I handed him a heavy book clad in leather that smelled of sand and heat. “This is a collection of notes from the caravans of far off Duthay, the sea of sand. You mentioned you are preparing an expedition to there soon enough so how about that to guide your way?” \n\nA single brow rose and for him that was a grin. A lordly nod and he slipped a few coins into the donation box, a flash of gold that caught the light. I bowed low, as always pleased with his generosity and wished him well on his next trip. \n\nA commotion drew my attention and I left the front to a sequestered room. Two witches argued within, both pouring over an encyclopedia of natural plants. Both eventually quoted underneath my glare, contrition on their faces as I reminded them to be polite to other library patrons. I knew better than to try and settle the debate, both witches were kind and fine apothecaries but bitterly sure of their inherent knowledge. \n\nBack up front an order for the library came. More books and scrolls for the library as well as missives for trades and commissions. As the porters sorted trough the crates a dark shadow fell over all, cast by the open door and the setting sun. A strangled gasp left the lips of one and all eyes turned to towering figure striding in. \n\nThe porters and some patrons fell back, wilting away from the presence of the newcomer. She was tall, taller than anyone else within the foyer and her crimson eyes burned in deep sockets. Two large tusks tipped in iron sprouted from her lips, dark green melting into black skin covered corded muscle. She glared and all shrank away as she came to a stop in front of the desk. \n\nI rose slowly, spine straight and height inconsequential compared to her stature. Yet I felt no fear and I simply looked into the face of stone and restrained threat. Finally it cracked, and she meekly set a pile of books on the table. “You’re late,” I said with mock indignation. \n\nShe nodded and all stared at her deference. “Was a long trip,” she said huskily, her words tinted with an exotic accent. \n\n“I did warn you what would happen if you were late.”\n\nShe almost flinched, nodding again with a shame bent shoulders. She deposited a coin in my hand and I could pretend no longer, almost giggling at her. “It’s good to see you,” I said and patted her weathered hand. “And now that you paid your late fee, the library is at your service again. I set some more books aside for you, ones I think you’ll enjoy.”\n\nA look of pure happiness crossed her features, transforming furrowed brow to open joy. She reached over the counter and lifted me in a bone cracking embrace before putting me down gingerly. She brushed past the awed watchers, caring not for their looks and sat at a table in jangle of armor and weapons, her hands eager pawing through the pile of books. \n\nAs the porters left, whispering and chortling at what just happened, the head gave me a smile and a look of surprise. “Here I thought you were incapable of magic.”\n\nI shrugged, unsure of what to say. \n\nHe looked about the full library. “It seems like you’re able to cast some compelling magic here my friend.” My bow was my sincerest of the day as he left and my heart beat warm at the words he left and at the smiles of the library’s patrons.", "When did you realize your family wasn’t normal?\n\nIt was the first question everyone asks. I can’t fault them for being unoriginal—if I hadn’t grown up the way I did, I know I’d be curious too. \n\nUnfortunately, my answer always disappoints: I can’t pinpoint any moment of clarity. Instead, it was a slow realization, day by day, year by year. I realized that my classmates’ mothers couldn’t whip fireballs around with the ease of throwing a baseball. My friends’ fathers couldn’t banish daemons to the depths of hell. Teleporting was not a skill gained with age, as I had once thought—the older kids at school still walked through the fields instead of disappearing in clouds of smoke and sulphur as my older sister, Julia, had always done. \n\nWith the slow realization that my family was not like everyone else also came the realization that I was. \n\nIt was only natural, I think, that I turned inward. I could never compete with the flashy shows of power, so why even try? I was perfectly content with my stack of books, which eventually turned into my library. From the outside, the shop would look like any other old bookstore. Anyone of the non-supernatural persuasion would walk past; the building was charmed to blend into the rows of shops, another business lost in the bustle of London. \n\n\nFor the supernatural community, though, my library began to gain a fair reputation. Give me half an hour and I could find the source of any problem. Another half and I could find the solution. \n\nOne day, a cool summer day with heavy beads of rain drumming against the foggy windows of my library, I heard the bell above the door rattle sometime in the midafternoon. \n\n“Put your umbrella in the basket,” I told the newcomer, whose face I couldn’t see. I reshelved another thick tome and liberated a misplaced bestiary from its place between the herbal field guides. “If you’re looking for A Idiot’s Guide to Vampires you’ll have to wait another week. All my copies are out and this foul weather’s doing nothing to help with the northern infestation.”\n\nThe newcomer cleared his throat. “I’m not looking for that.” He moved, coming around the row I was reshelving. \n\nI stopped. The man was tall and wiry, with a thin nose and a mop of dark curls wetted from the rain. His coat was not dark nor long, as tended to be the style of most of my customers. Instead, he donned a mustard yellow raincoat, fastened with brass buttons. “Oh!” I pushed a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. “What - what can I help you with then?” \n\n“I’m looking for Tinctor’s Invectives Contre la Secte de Vauderie.” His Latin was rusty but better than most’s.\n\n“There are only four copies of that book in the world.” I crossed my arms over my chest. \n\nHe looked at me, bashful. “And you have one?”\n\nI couldn’t help myself—the corner of my mouth quirked up in a smile. “I have two.” I set the book I had meant to reshelve on the cart. “Follow me.”\n\nWe wound through my library, through the rows of glossy new guides and piles of basic how-to manuals. When we reached the back, I drew the key from my pocket and unlocked the temperature-controlled room. “The book is reading room only, so, unfortunately, you can’t check it out,” I said as we entered the special-collections room. “But feel free to make yourself comfortable here while you read it.”\n\nThe man shouldered off his damp jacket, revealing a thick-knit sweater, and set his bag down under the long wooden table. “And I can take notes?”\n\nI nodded. “Please.” I set off down the row of ancient tomes, and carefully pulled free the Tinctor in the best condition. The velvet of the cover was still intact; the purple colour had not faded entirely. “Here it is.”\n\n“Thank you,” he said as I handed him the copy. He took his place and retrieved a burgundy moleskin from his bag. \n\nI hesitated at the door, searching for a way to make further conversation. “Interesting book, really.” I cringed at my own words. Really? Interesting book?\n\nThe man just nodded and continued to leaf through the pages. “Oh, it’s fascinating. Most scholars believe this is the first book to compile all the myths and folklore about witches into a coherent picture.” He looked up from his work. “But I suppose I don’t have to tell you that—you’re the librarian, after all.”\n\nI smiled. “Eleanor.” \n\n“I’m Jack. Thank you for this,” he said and gestured toward the book. “I’ve been looking for this for ages. A friend in France recommended I check with you—a powerless librarian who knows more than most of the supernatural community combined.”\n\n“Oh, it’s no problem.” I pushed my hair back, again, in the way that Julia said framed my face. “So, Jack, are you a historian then? You know, they say that book helped spark and fuel the fear of the witch hunts. Its place in history is fascinating, content aside.”\n\n“It is, that’s certainly true.” He chuckled. “But I’m no historian.”\n\n“Just some casual reading then?” \n\nJack smiled, a ghost of a laugh tracing over his features. “Not quite.” He smiled at me, bearing his paper-white teeth. “The world needs another witch hunt and I’ll be the one to start it.”\n\n---\n\n/r/liswrites", "You can only imagine the immensity of my disappointment when I finally understood that, in spite of being born to a powerful magical family, I have quite literally no powers of my own and am, in every sense of the word, completely ordinary. My parents reassured me, to no great comfort, that their disappointment was just as great, if not greater. For all their powers and all their spells, there was nothing they could do to grant me magical powers.\n\nAs my parents made abundantly clear to me, reputation is of the utmost importance in the magical community. The same day they told me that my powers would not in fact be developing as I grew older but that I would instead remain as powerless and useless as a piece of moldy cake - their words, not mine - they also informed me that I was not to tell anybody about this. It wasn't easy for a kid to understand, but I obeyed them without question. \"The family reputation,\" my father said. He was a slender man, his hair graying and his arms veiny with that strength that only comes with age. My mother had nodded and let him cower me into submission until I understood. \"There is nothing more important than reputation.\"\n\nAnd so I went, a powerless mage in a world of powerful mages. I did everything I could to conceal my lack of powers, so much so that even my two older brothers remained ignorant of my fatal flaw. I played the role of a quiet, shy boy as I entered the Grand Academy, and in what appeared to be poor judgement or teenage arrogance, I did not enroll in any courses that would require the use of magic. I passed as unperceived as a quiet fall breeze, flying low under the radar of the other students and the teachers and the cruel headmaster who wallowed in the pain of suffering underclassmen. When it came time to choose a specialty, I chose one of those careers that those near me more or less assumed I would, given my love for books and apparent dislike for people. I became a librarian.\n\nIt sounds boring - and trust me, under normal circumstances, I am positive that it would be - but I took on my new role with unparalleled gusto. It was the one area in which I could excel. Sure, other librarians could snap their fingers and the book would come hurtling from the other side of the building into their hands. But sometimes they would whack a child in the head and that was a whole mess in and of itself, and sometimes the book would be ripped to shreds with the speed of the travel. I stuck to more traditional means, finding my place in a small little library in the town of Bayside.\n\nBayside was a backwards little town, and I say this for more reasons than just its ridiculously inaccurate name. For one, it was nowhere near a bay. In fact, it wasn't even anywhere near the ocean or really next to anything at all. And not only that, but it was one of those rare towns where the magical world meets the normal world. I belonged here, with my ability to interact with the supernatural beings I had grown up with but fitting in seamlessly with the ordinary humans who also called this town home. I built a good rapport with the townsfolk, magical and magicless alike, and I don't think anybody ever suspected anything was amiss with my powers. Far away from Bayside, my parents enjoyed their retirement, confident in the fact that their reputation amongst their peers remained untarnished by the immense disappointment of their youngest son. \n\nI would say that I concealed this wretched secret of mine very well, but then one evening as I prepared to close down the library, an old warlock named Albert entered, his hair an uncharacteristic mess and his face flushed with exertion. I greeted him kindly and had just begun to tell him that there were only a few minutes left until closing when he waved his hand and rudely interrupted. \"I'm sorry, Joseph,\" he continued. He frequented the library and had never spoken to me with such urgency or impoliteness. \"I have an issue that I think only you can help me with.\" I looked at him keenly, wondering to myself what sort of issue a powerful warlock such as himself might have with a powerless mortal like me. \"It involves your powers...\" he said quietly, leaning in over the desk conspiratorially. My heart fluttered in my chest.\n\n\"My powers?\" I said innocently, preparing to add another little fly to this massive web of lies that my lack of powers had formed.\n\n\"Or your lack thereof,\" he added, cutting away any chance I had to deflect the conversation in a safer direction. I breathed in sharply. He waved his hand again, silencing my objections and lies. \"Don't bother with me, young lad,\" he went on. \"I know a Mageless when I see one.\" I winced at the offensive term but did not contradict him. Something must have given it away and I just hoped I wouldn't be banished from my role as a magical librarian if I was outed. \"I'm not here to reveal your secret,\" he told me, probably having seen my concern.\n\n\"Why are you here then?\" I snapped at him, a little more sharply than I intended. I was a bit offended, a bit annoyed and definitely worried.\n\n\"Have you heard of the town of Hilltop?\" he asked me and I frowned and thought for a moment before nodding hesitantly. It rang a bell. \"It's another portal,\" he added and now I nodded more confidently. Just like Bayside, it was an absolute misnomer built under the shadow of a large hill that overlooked the town. And just like Bayside, it was a town where the magical and the normal meet. \"There's been an incident,\" he explained, eyes glued to my face as he sought some sort of reaction. I held as steady as I could. \"Somehow, in some way, the magical world has been locked out of Hilltop.\"\n\nI raised an eyebrow in surprise. That did not sound good. \"Like what happened at Riverbend?\" I asked, recalling similar a similar bit of news. At the risk of explaining the obvious, Riverbend was not at the bend of a river or near a river at all. He nodded. Riverbend had been one of the most popular destinations for wizards and witches and warlocks visiting the normal world until it had been all been shut down without warning a couple months ago. Most figured it had been a decision made by the Magical Oversight Committee and that perhaps the customary memo had been lost in transit. This seemed to disprove that, and the implications were both curious and concerning. Magical beings in the town had been violently expelled, finding themselves with none of their belongings miles outside the radius of the town. They then had to travel immense distances in order to reach another portal to find their way back to the magic world. I imagined the same had occurred at Hilltop and I hoped nobody had been severely injured.\n\nAlbert nodded, his deeply wrinkled face betraying his concern. \"Just like Riverbend,\" he confirmed. \"I have spoken to Moc,\" he explained, using the shorthand name for the committee. \"They have said it wasn't them. They can't do anything about it. It's like we're in a war where we can't even fight back. We need help from the Mageless. We need your help.\"\n\n*****\n\nThanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, please check out more stories at /r/MatiWrites. Constructive criticism and advice are always appreciated!" ]	6
	[WP]: You are a captain of a modern cruise ship. After getting sucked into a storm, you and your crew find yourselves stranded in early 18th century Caribbean. You are now in posession of the largest ship on the seven seas during the golden age of piracy	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The sea calmed, the clouds retreated, leaving Cinderella, the worlds largest cruise ship, alone on the infinite waters. The captain had handled storms before without issue, but this one was much worse than he had ever experienced. He told the passengers to abandon the docks and go to their rooms. The storm had changed their course significantly, whereas before they were headed East in the morning, but now he sun was behind them.\n\nHe checked the glass compass, East. He raised a brow. \n\n\"Lucas,\" he called. A young man in a white uniform rushed over.\n\n\"Sir?\"\n\n\"How far off course are we?\" the captain asked, still eyeing the compass. The young man read the GPS, traced his finger along the green circled map and replied:\n\n\"The Carribean, sir.\"\n\nThe captain shot a glance to him. everyone in the room went quiet.\n\n\"Now's not the time for games son,\" the captain snapped. Lucas's face was unchanged, he pointed to the screen. \n\n\"Must've gotten damaged during the storm. We set sail off the coast of California, there is no possible way that we are in the Carribean.\" the Captain stormed out of the room and made his way to the front of the ship. \n\nHe looked off into the distant, looking for a landmark of some kind to get his bearrings straight. The passengers were told not to come out until they were told to, so he had the whole front of the ship to himself. After not finding anything, he turned to go back inside when something came flying over the railing and landed on the deck. \n\n\"Good lord,\" he said. He bent over and picked the thing up. It was a small square box with rounded edges and about 3 inches thick. He turned it in his hands a few times then realised that it opened. He opened it to reveal an old compass, but it was broken. The hand that was supposed to only point North, wiggled and turned, not pointing in any direction. \n\n\"What the-\" he mumbled to himself. He turned to see what had thrown it on the ship when he seen something in the distance, a ship with black sails.", "I’m totally missing the point here by going off on this tangent, but assuming fuel/supplies/parts to be more or less indefinite, you not only have the largest ship but a floating island. Furthermore, your ship is faster than any other vessel out there (by quite some margin), is totally independent from the wind, has radar to spot other ships at range, is basically incapable of being boarded by force due to the height of its sides/freeboard, and is probably relatively impregnable for cannons of the era (thin metal hull being most likely sufficient to repel most cannon balls unless at very close range).\n\nHopefully someone writes a story about a cruise ship terrorizing pirates!", "\"This is your Captain speaking.\n\nWe have been scanning the airwaves constantly, there is no radio communication of any sort. If you have been checking the skies for aircraft, you will have noticed, as we have, that there are no aircraft at all.\n\nMore, if you have been watching the shipping around us, you will have seen only craft driven by sails, and armed with cannon. I assure you, this is not some sort of historical reenactment. The ships we see are all of a single basic type, and they are all armed to one degree or another.\n\nIn the great sailing ships Armada that recently made a world tour, no two ships were of the same design, and precious few were armed.\n\nAs such we must assume that we are now in the Age of Sail. Based on historical records, piracy is rife in this area, and we must be prepared to defend ourselves, because I guarantee you, no one else will.\n\nThere has been some talk about allying with a friendly power. The best we could expect is to be pressed into service as a warship, or troop transport. In any case, you, the passengers for whom's safety we are responsible, would be dumped ashore, with your valuables, if you're lucky. We find this an unacceptable outcome. We would have failed in our duty to see to your safety\n\nThere has been much talk about how to return to our own time. Since arriving in this time was, as far as we know, an act of God, we cannot hope for return by any other means. The best we've been able to come up with is deliberately sailing through every major storm we can find. I do assure you, that although we are seaworthy, we are not designed to repeatedly enter severe storms. We we're attempting to evade such a storm the night we ... transfered ... to this time. That storm tracked us, and moved far faster than we could maneuver.\n\nFinally, there is the matter of consumables. Not just food, but fresh water and fuel. Fortunately, our engines are capable of burning some fairly crude petroleum products. Unfortunately, that drives the maintenance requirements to extreme levels.\n\nSince most of you have no experience with the sorts of engines we use, let me say that the piston size is many times greater than the largest person on board. Those of you with any sort of engineering background, even shade tree mechanics, are invited to contact guest services for guided tours of our engine rooms. We can literally use all the help we can get.\n\nThose of you with experience in sail, even or perhaps especially exotic sails, are requested to make yourselves available to the Chief Engineering staff to discuss possibilities. While our supplies of metal are somewhat limited, any idea that has the slightest chance of reducing the fuel use to cruise will be taken seriously.\n\nThose of you who have practical experience with black powder arms of all sizes and periods are requested to make yourselves available to the Sergeant at Arm's. Military personnel with combat experience are especially sought.\n\nPeople with Naval experience are to report to the forward lounge immediately for interviews with the top officers.\"\n\n\"PA off Captain. ... Eh, Captain? That forward lounge meeting, I think we'd better have guards on hand, every know-nothing egotistical ass is going to be there demanding to be taken home immediately.\"\n\n\"Good point, Bosun. You're in charge, take no nonsense, use what physical force you feel necessary. As much as we are responsible for their safety, we cannot allow them to endanger others or this ship.\"\n\n\"Aye, Aye, Captain.\"\n\n((I'm going to have to think about where to take this. It could so easily explode into a novelette, if not a full novel. Unless I just let them get overrun. Which I'm disinclined to do.))" ]	4
	[WP] The first message received from space consisted of instructions for creating a faster-than-light drive and the simple sentence "Use this to run!", naturally this is rather concerning	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The golden age of humanity, or so it should have been. The world, long devided, had united. Naturally not through diplomacy, but through force. The new empire that came with it looked outwards when there wasn't anything to find on the surface. Humanity expanded in three ways, Into the depths of the seas, grand citadels beneath the waves. Then came the diggers, those who went underground, for riches or to escape the surface. And then some expanded to the moon, to Mars and eventually even further outwards, to moons like Titan and Ganymede.\n\nIn this age where humans were spreading to every place they could find something disturbing was discovered. The first discovery was deep in the ocean. A wreckage, but not of something made by us. It was a small spacecraft, for a crew of 4 humanoids.\n\nThe craft had been covered in symbols seemingly somewhere between Chinese characters and Nordic runes. \n\nA few decades later, when humans could enter Jupiter's great storm, a city had been found. The storm wasn't something natural but a defence system for this city.\n\nHere we found a library full of books, we could uncover some hints of their language, but it'd take centuries to comprehend even a sliver of it.\n\nLuckily the diggers found another clue. two to be exact. Deep in the Scandinavian mountains they found a grand citadel. A fortress of true magnificent proportions. A human citadel thousands of years old.\n\nIn here we discovered not only books, with the same writing as Jupiter's city, but also some voice recordings. due to which we learned the language spoken was a very finely constructed language with similarities to old germanic languages.\n\nAnother hint was found in the ground deep beneath the Yucatan peninsula. It was a laboratory with some research. It was written in two languages. The first was their own. They told of an enemy slowly creeping towards the milky way. They had fled from the Andromeda and settled here with the last remnants of their descendants. \n\nThey told of plans that would come to fruition if they had stabilised themselves, which they never did. They gave the design of great spacecraft drives, and another message. The enemy will arrive in time. Hunting us to extinguish our civilization. \n\nThey told we should flee before the enemy arrives. We had till 12573 years after their arrival, or 3012 in the Gregorian calendar.\n\nThe other language, which resembled the Mayan language, told the same, except it'd be 11573 years.\n\nWell the Mayans were right, the world did end. We didn't get away. Humanity is dying, The leviathan has arrived. We should've fled when we had the chance. Now, we don't have the chance to even live. Soon, his stomach will have digested even me and my abode.", "Dr. David Stavarov looked warily at the door of his apartment as whoever was standing on the other side knocked for a second time. He resolved to stay seated in his comfortable living room chair and wait until whoever it was went away, but his hopes were dashed as his unwelcome guest knocked again, this time pounding on the door. With a resigned sigh he stood up from his chair, knocking over several empty beer bottles in the process, and moved unsteadily to the door. After looking through the peephole he unchained, unlocked, and opened the door. “Lisa, they’re finally done with you? Come on in.”\n\nDave turned away and walked back into his apartment as Dr. Lisa Abbot followed him in, closing and locking the door behind her. “You’re drunk.” she said, watching him collapse back into his chair.\n\n“Lisa, in the past 24 hours we made first contact, spent 16 hours getting interrogated by God only knows what government agency, and were threatened into secrecy over the most important discovery in the history of humanity. Yes, I am getting drunk. Can you blame me?”\n\nLisa paused, considering for a moment. That was just like her, Dave thought, always analytical, no matter the situation. It made her an amazing radio-astronomer, and quite often a terrible coworker. “No, I can’t. Do you have any more of those?” She asked, pointing at half-empty beer bottle that Dave was in the process of picking up.\n\n“In the fridge, help yourself.” Lisa nodded and left for the kitchen, returning a moment later with a bottle of her own. She sat down on the couch across from Dave’s chair, taking a swig of her drink. They sat across from each other without speaking for a few moments, not even sure where to begin. Finally breaking the silence Dave said “So, hell of a day, huh?”\n\nLisa stared at him for a moment before surprising him by letting out a burst of laughter. “A hell of a day? I guess you could say that. I can still barely believe this is real.” Dave couldn’t either, he kept thinking back to the moment when the computer terminal connecting to their telescope array had lit up, information streaming in, already formatted for display and storage on their computer. Schematics and instructions appearing on the screen, and that single haunting message, “Use this to run.”\n\n“I feel the same way, but we double checked everything, hell, triple, quadruple checked, before even looking at the data! And you saw as well as I did, the signal was strong, and close, close enough we could triangulate it with the network. Exactly one light year away, close enough that the signal was crystal clear and we could immediately tell where it was coming from, but far enough that there’s no mistaking it for a signal of human origin.”\n\n“Not to mention that it came from the middle of nowhere.” Lisa added, “It’s not from a star system, it came from empty space, so we know it’s not natural and that whoever sent it can travel between the stars.”\n\n“Extraterrestrials.” David said, saying the word as if he was testing it out. “Aliens, sending us a message. I’ve worked for SETI for 20 years and never really believe we’d find them, did you know that?” Lisa shook her head and let him continue. “I always thought they were out there, that it was worth it to try to watch for them, but for it to happen in my lifetime? Preposterous. And then this happens. And we can’t even talk about it.”\n\n“Surely someone else must have received the signal? We’re hardly the only ones running a radio telescope array.”\n\n“Your goons didn’t tell you when you were being ‘debriefed’?” Dave asked. “There was some sort of radio interference, radio receivers across the world received a massive burst of static when we received the signal. Everyone knows something happened but no one else got the message. It was sent specifically to us. We’re the only ones who know, apart from the government at least.”\n\n“Surely they’ll tell the rest of the world?” Lisa responded, leaning forward. “This discovery is to big for any one nation, that technology they sent us, faster than light travel, that’s meant for humanity, not just us. And that threat, ‘use this to run.’” List shivered for a moment. “That’s something everyone needs to know about.”\n\nIt was Dave’s turn to laugh. “Take a moment to think about that, think about what the government would do with this sort of thing. Do you really think they’ll just give it away?”\n\nLisa closed her eyes, deep in thought. Dave sipped his drink, waiting as she pondered his question for a full minute. Finally she opened her eyes and responded. “No, this is technology that is decades, even centuries ahead of anything anyone else has. We’ll be able to use this to reach the stars and the rest of the world won’t even know where to start looking to figure it out, they’ll never give it up.”\n\n“And the message?”\n\nLisa shook her head. “A non-specific threat like that? Anyone who wants to ignore it can just talk about how easy it would be to misinterpret it, how we should use the technology they gave us to verify anything before making rash decisions. They’ll ignore it.”\n\nDave nodded. “That’s the same conclusion I reached.” He leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes, looking as if he had been hoping that she would disagree with him. “The government will keep all of this to themselves, probably until its too late.”\n\n“What if we don’t let them? What if we release it ourselves?”\n\nDave opened his eyes and looked at Lisa. “Even if we decided to, you were there too, the government took over the telescope array and seized the computers, they have the data. If we start telling the world without any sort of proof no one will believe us and we’ll spend our lives in prison for our trouble.”\n\n“What if we had the data?”\n\nDave stared at her. Without speaking she undid the top two buttons of her blouse, reached inside her bra, and pulled out a small memory card. She reached out and handed the card to Dave, holding the top of her shirt closed with her other hand. Dave took the memory card and held it almost reverently.\n\n“When- when did you-”\n\n“As soon as the transmission was finished, when you were running around trying to get a triangulation. At the time I was worried about the data, what if it become corrupted, or the computer fried? This message was too important to risk having in just one place. When the government agents burst in I hid it, just in case.”\n\n“They asked me if we made any copies of the data-”\n\n“They asked me that too, I lied.”\n\nDave stared at her in silence for a moment. “If we do this we might, no, we’ll almost certainly spend the rest of our lives in prison. They’ll never forgive us for giving this to the world.”\n\nLisa nodded. “I know, I’ve thought about it. This is worth it, even if there’s no immediate threat, even if the government only uses the technology for good, against our expectations, the risk is too high to not share it.”\n\nDave closed his hand around the memory card. “Alright then, let’s tell the world.”", "The first message arrived 17 years ago. At first, we tried to explain it away. A hoax. Space noise. Decades-old radio transmissions reflected off of the moon.\n\nSoon, however, we figured out how to decode the transmission. A simple message:\n\n\"Use this. Run.\"\n\nFollowing the message were plans. Plans that cast aside some of our most foundational scientific theories. Plans that confirmed others which bordered on science fiction. It didn't take us long to determine what the device was: a warp drive. Not the fictional device from Star Trek, but an honest-to-god, causality-violating warp drive. (How our understanding of causality changed as a result is another topic entirely.)\n\nOther messages followed. The first one had been in Mandarin. Others followed, in different languages, different dialects, always becoming more refined. Idioms. Slang, even. Ancient languages written with knots, transcribed as mathematical formulas. However, the message was always the same. A warning to flee, followed by plans for the device.\n\nThe final message was received 12 years later. This one was in English. It had the appearance of a 19th century playbill:\n\n> EARTH!\n--\n> An uncontacted civilization! Untouched by industry!\n\n> The great and glorious Emperor is pleased to announce the opening of the 1,987,346th FOX HUNT! Fabulous prizes await those who find success in stalking their wily prey!\n\n> To the savage peoples who call themselves \"human:\" Use this to run!\n\nThe plans followed." ]	4
	[WP] As a joke, you decide to send an anonymous text to your roommate saying "I know what you are". A few minutes later your roommate is in disguise and forging new identities for both of you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \n\nErnie took the corn puffs out of the fridge, along with a carton of chocolate milk. He took out a bowl from the cupboard, and hesitated. Looking to the living room, seeing Julia draped lazily over the couch, he took out another bowl. He would run out of chocolate milk, but that was okay. \n\nHe poured the bowls, took out a couple of spoons, and walked to the living room to sit beside Julia. The T.V. was on, the local news sharing scenes of a recent earthquake. \n\n“Hey, Jules. Hungry?” Ernie said, putting the bowl down on the table in front of her. She must have been zoned out, her eyes blinked and she shook her head out of her daze and looked at the bowl in front of her. \n\n“Thanks Ernie,” she smiled. He loved seeing that smile. Her face was so deadpan all the time, and seeing the smile was like seeing the sun peak through the clouds, the calm after a storm. He felt a warmth in his chest and around his cheeks. \n\nHe nodded and started eating. He thought about saying something to her. He was never good with talking to girls. Even if they were just friends, finding the right words to say was always troublesome. The dance of social interactions were confusing to him at the best of times.\n\nIt was fortunate for Ernie that Julie seemed to like the quiet. He had guessed that she was just as awkward as him. He’d often say there were two peas in a pod, but she’d frown, and get lost in her thoughts again. \n\nHe wished it was easier to make her smile. \n\n“So, you get up to anything new today?” he asked her. \n\nShe shook her head. \n\n“No? Nothing exciting?” He asked. She looked to him now with a raised eyebrow. \n\n“Didn’t find any secret treasures, or save the world from catastrophe, didn’t save any damsels in distress from dragons?” \n\nThat one got a small snort from her. He smiled at his victory. \n\nThey finished their cereal in silence. \n\n“The Mayor spoke in front of gathered crowds today alongside the CEO of Genesec Industries, announcing an ambitious new plan to upgrade city surveillance systems, incorporating the new scanning technologies that Genesec announced earlier this year. Toronto will be the first of a dozen cities to implement this technology.” said a news presenter. The atmosphere changed in the room. Julia sat upright, her passive stare at the television turned into an intense glare. \n\n“The announcement has been met from widespread criticism, many claiming it to be an invasion of privacy, and another step towards, quote, ‘an Orwellian nightmare.’ We are now joined by a panel of experts to discuss this further.” A cracking sound echoed through the room. Ernie looked to Julia. The sound came from her clenched fists. Her breathing had grown much deeper. \n\n“W-well, look, I mean it's not that big of a deal, right?” He said. She showed no reaction. Ernie frowned. \n\n“It might be a bit invasive, but so what? As long as we’ve got nothing to hide, there’s nothing to worry about, right?” He said, but now Julie’s glare was directed at him. He felt cold. \n\n“Okay, I see this is a touchy subject, sorry,” a thought came to mind, “hey, you still down for pizza later?” he asked. \n\nJulia sighed, her glare losing its sharper edges. “Sure,” she nodded. She turned off the T.V. and massaged her head. \n\n“Not feeling to well?” He asked.\n\n“No, I’m going to take a nap.” She said as she got up and left. The living room grew quiet. His thoughts spun for a few minutes, wondering if there was anything else he could have said. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything at all? Maybe he should have tried to say something funny? Maybe it was just a bad day for her. \n\nIt was later in the evening when he thought of the perfect thing to say. Julia was still in her room, probably sleeping, so he sent her a text message. \n\n“I know why you were so upset. I know what you are. You’re a super, gene enhanced spy, and the reason you’re so tired is because you just got back from destroying a top-secret government laboratory! It would also explain why you’re so mad about the Genesec scanners. You can’t have anyone knowing about your enhanced abilities!” He laughed as he sent it. He decided to order the pizza. There would be enough leftovers for her later, if she wanted them. \n\nWas she vegetarian? Did she like pepperoni? Maybe he would order one pepperoni and one cheese, but would that be too boring? Meat-lovers, maybe? Hawaiian? \n\nIn the end he decided to play it safe. One pepperoni and one cheese, with some ranch dip. Who wouldn’t like ranch? \n\nJulia’s door opened. \n\nShe gripped her phone in her hand, and she looked sad. She looked like she might have been crying. She walked over to him, across the table and put her phone down. Before he could ask what’s wrong, she spoke.\n\n(Continued in comments)", "\"Shit,\" Henry, my roommate, muttered under his breath while looking at his phone, eyes wide with terror.\n\nThat wasn't the reaction I was anticipating when I sent him the prank message. Though to be fair I really didn't know what I expected.\n\nHe quickly pulled out his phone's battery and threw it out of the window, before hurrying to his bedside desk, on which his briefcase lied. He retrieved his briefcase and opened it. From within he withdrew an English passport.\n\nWait, an English passport? Henry was American.\n\n\"What are you doing?\" I asked, dumbfounded, \"And why do you have an English passport?\"\n\n\"Saving our asses,\" he replied as he fished out another passport, Irish this time.\n\n\"Wait wait,\" I said, panicking, \"It was me! I sent the message! It was a prank! Chill!\"\n\n\"I know,\" he calmly replied, a tweezer in his hand, \"did you really think I wouldn't notice someone sitting right next to me texting me a message?\"\n\n\"But,\" I said, my voice full of confusion, \"if you know it was me why are you doing all this?\"\n\n\"Because they bugged my phone, dumbass,\" he answered as he used the tweezer to carefully lay my picture down inside the passport, \"they had my name on the watchlist for weeks, waiting to get the last bit of evidence to apprehend me and now you gave it to them.\"\n\n\"Them?\" I continued with my barrage of questions\n\n\"Not here,\" he said, handing me the Irish passport, \"they probably bugged the place too. Hell, I've revealed too much already.\"\n\n\"Wait why are you giving me this?\" I asked, raising my hands and backing away as if expressing that I don't want to be a part of any of this.\n\n\"They know that you sent me the text message,\" he replied as he took my phone and threw out it's battery, \"they'll torture you for information, maybe even convict you of treason.\"\n\n\"Treason?\" I said, panic rising in my throat.\n\n\"Yes, the message indicates that you know what I am,\" he replied, finally finishing his preparations and strapping up his briefcase, \"grab only what you need, we don't have time for the rest.\"\n\n\"Wait, what are you exactly?\" I asked as I complied with his orders, grabbing my wallet and some valuables.\n\nBefore he could answer we heard hurried footsteps from downstairs. Henry shook his head and opened the window.\n\n\"Again, not here,\" he replied, exiting the window, \"follow me, or not if you're fine with getting incarcerated.\"\n\nI quickly followed him down the window, safely landing on the ground. He made his way into one of the cars parked near the apartment, a black SUV. I hesitated but eventually entered the interior of the vehicle.\n\n\"Safehouse, and make it quick,\" Henry ordered the driver, who nodded and started the car.\n\n\"So, can you answer my questions now?\" I asked as the vehicle gain speed. Henry quickly glanced at the back window to make sure no one is following before looking back at me.\n\n\"No, the less you know the better. But one thing I can say is that you and me are now two of the most wanted people in America.\"" ]	3
	[WP] You were randomly selected from a pool of qualified candidates to be the human to make First Contact with the arriving aliens. Nothing could have prepared you for what happens when they arrive.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“You’re an animal!” Chaz grinned as he wandered over with a bottle of water in hand. \n\n“Thanks,” I said, puffing as I sprayed the cold water over my head.\n\n“So you reckon you’ll make it?” \n\n“As good a chance as any,” I shrugged. As we wandered off towards the changing sheds I looked over the trees beyond the far side of the track. A huge black monolith towered above. It had been there for three months now. The only thing we knew was that it had come from the heavens, had multiple life forms within it, and appeared to have no intention of going anywhere.\n\nIn those three months, the authorities had evacuated the surrounding town and setup a wide perimeter. They’d also started a programme to recruit the best people to make First Contact. The screening programme was intense, and even then they added a random element to it so that no one could game the system. \n\nI had made it through, along with a thousand others, and tonight the team would be announced. Sometimes I wondered how I’d made the cut. The fitness helped, but knowing twelve languages was probably the clincher. In my mind though, knowing all earth languages seemed rather useless if the aliens show up speaking Russian Klingon, unless they happen to bring a babel fish.\n\nAfter a shower I was sitting in the cafeteria, surrounded by dozens of other candidates, all chatting away. I nervously rubbed my arm, weary of being so close to such a large crowd. Sure they all passed the health check, but I suffer from a severe case of mysophobia, so any crowd will make me nervous. \n\nChaz looked up at me enthusiastically, “Five minutes to go, you feeling alright?”\n\nI toyed with the spoon in my soup, “yeah, guess so.”\n\nThe TVs switched to coverage of the draw. I stare at the TV as Chaz talks to me about something I don’t hear. I zone out, trying to escape the realization that billions of germs are flying around me.\n\n“You’re the one! Holy shit, you’re actually the one!” Chaz was standing now, bouncing up and down, pointing at me. Everyone else was looking now and cheers were ringing out.\n\nIt took five days of preparation for the approach. They ran me through the procedures and showed me all the life support systems I’d have with me. They also introduced me to my team, who would remain 100 feet behind while I walked the final stretch alone.\n\nWhen the time came I was nervous. Chaz had helped me into my suit and passed me a little paper swan for good luck.\n\nI looked up at him, “I didn’t know you made these?”\n\nHe looked at the ground and shuffled his foot, “yeah I guess I never told you. Anyway, good luck.”\n\nHe moved in to kiss my cheek but I jerked away, fearful of the germs. He looked at me a little dejected.\n\n“Sorry, it’s just, you know how I am. Anyway, thanks. You’ve been a life saver. I’ll see you back here tomorrow yeah? With one hell of a story to tell!”\n\n“Deal!” Chaz smiled and watched me walk onto the idling bus.\n\nWithin half an hour our team was there, staring up at the black monolith. Before I knew it I was walking those final 100 feet, alone with my thoughts. \n\nI arrived at what was appeared to be an entrance of some description and stopped. I waited for any response as I’d been told to do. After the agreed five minutes, I removed my helmet and walked another three steps. I was now within reach of the door.\n\nA green flashing light appeared above the door. Air rushed out from around the edges then the door opened. It was hard to see inside the ship, but there was definitely something moving in there.\n\nA grey cloud emerged from the door. It hovered for a second then darted towards me. I scrambled for my helmet but it was too late. The cloud surrounded my head and as I inhaled it worked its way into my lungs.\n\nI could feel it inside me. It felt like I’d just taken a massive drag on a cigarette and desperately needed to cough but couldn’t. It went on for another 10 seconds before my body relaxed as if a hit of heroin just surged through my veins. \n\nThen I heard them. In my head. Speaking English.\n\n“Hey! You there! Under authority vested by the Arc Council of Zono, I, Admiral Zeetha, claim sovereignty over this territory,” an aristocratic voice proclaimed, in my head.\n\nI lost control of my legs and fell to my knees. In the distance my team were looking at each other and yelling into their radios.\n\nI took a deep breath and started to speak, remembering the lines I’d been given, “Humanity of Earth welcomes you. We do not wish you harm. We wish to discuss how we can learn from your species and how you can learn from us. Our people will give you as much time as you need to become accustomed to our planet, and please feel free to reach out at any time. I am…”\n\nThe voice inside my head cleared his throat, “We thank you for your welcome. Your species will be treated well. In fact we shall consider a treaty with your leaders in due time. These days our society is much more sophisticated than it used to be. Back when I started we used to just take what we wanted. Wasn't much fun for the likes of you. These days though? Well, the PC brigade won I guess. So of course we will make fair trades for what we claim. For example, I imagine now that we’ve claimed this territory, our leaders will be more than willing to offer a sample of our technology. Then of course if you give us more like this, we’ll have more to offer.”\n\nI thought about what the script demanded I say next, but my mind was too jumbled. The thought of being infected by anything had always scared me, but being infected by something conscious was something I’d never prepared for.\n\nI looked up in the sky, thinking it would help me speak into my head, “I’m not in a position to offer any terms myself, but if all you want is a park or two for your ships then I’m sure that’s a reasonable deal. Now, I was wondering whether it would be possible to negotiate with you from outside my head, if it wasn’t too much trouble?”\n\nThere was silence for a moment. Then the voice inside my head spoke again, “My good friend I think you misunderstand me. I do not mean that we occupy the land where our ship sits, that would be an absurd trade! I mean that my people shall occupy this body that we both currently reside in. If you’d prefer to exit I can ask one of my engineers to start taking appropriate steps, but it is not our custom to remove those we occupy.”" ]	2
	[WP] You are about to rob a convenience store, but just as you reach the counter, the cashier pulls a gun on you and demands you take the money in the register.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"R-Rick, just what are you doing? This wasn't part of the plan.\" I said with a shaky voice staring down the barrel of gun.\n\nLets back up a bit. Rick has been my best friend since highschool. He's been working at his family's convenience store since our junior year. His dad wanted him to start working there on the summers through college just to get him some experience working with the general public. It was a nice gig and we always went there to get cigs and beer every friday night when he was about to close up. \n\nA few years later though, funny enough in our junior year of college, he found out it was a front for his dad's drug operation. A big guy came in one night and broke Rick's nose and gave him a paper with a note saying \"Next time it'll be your son's life. Shaken Rick calls me up.\n\n\"James. I need your help and I need it now.\" He sounded as calm as I have ever heard him yet I knew he was in trouble.\n\n\"What's going on? Are you okay?\"\n\n\"Yes. But do you remember what we've always joked about doing?\"\n\n\"Dont you think we're a little old to egg Mr Johnson's house?\"\n\nHe let out a sigh and a few seconds later he said \"Someone just broke my nose and left a note for my dad. It all but said I'm going to get killed. I need to meet you at the club house on campus so we can plan on robbing my dad's place. I think this store has been a front this entire time and I just had it confirmed. Meet me there and I'll fill you in\" Rick hung up and I ran to my car. \n\nTwo hours later I'm sitting with Rick and his nose is bruised to hell and swollen. I gotta give him some props I'd be laying down freaking out and waiting for the cops to show yet here he is planning a robbery on his dad's business front. On the circular table are tax forms and end of days from the store and his dad's personal expenses. He's explained to me that none of it added up that he was spending more than what the store was pulling in for some small town convenience store. \n\nFor the next hour and half he showed me newspaper clipping of violent deaths that just happen to line up with his dad taking time off while Rick was looking after the store. It seemed circumstantial at best until he also pulled out the police department weekly minutes for the past 5 years and it all line up with what he said. Freak accidents that lead to someones death. Assaults and the police asking the town for witnesses. \n\n\"Theres also something else that makes this a little more dangerous.\" He said pushing a folder forward \n\nI pick up the folder and say \"Your dad is operating a drug front and someone wants to kill you as a message how more dangerous can it get?\"\n\n\"Open it.\" He said calmly.\n\nOnce I open the folder I pull out what looks like pictures from a security camera. The man in the pictures is wearing a police uniform with pins that our towns PD has. Once I take a look at the face the blood drains from my face. \n\n\"Fuck. Is that. Is that my dad?\" I whisper.\n\nRick slowly nods and winces as he touches his nose. \"Again I've had a feeling for a while now but didn't want to say anything. Those attacks and deaths I bet you anything were on your dad's shift as well.\"\n\n\"I love my dad and everything but there is no way he's involved with this. It can't be.\" The lie tasted bitter in my mouth. I always knew my dad was a dirty cop and it made me sick. Made me hate the system and wanted to change it. Thats why I went into law and took an interest in civil justice. \n\n\"I know this is alot to take in but theres more as well.\" He touched his nose and wispered something and suddenly his nose turned back to his normal color and went back into place as if nothing happened. \"Now tell me the truth did you know your dad was doing crooked things in town?\"\n\nNow it was my turn to slowly nod. \"I just didnt know what to do.\" Tears start flowing down my face. The feeling of hopelessness is starting to overflow in my being and I manage to choke out \"What are we going to do?\"\n\n\"Calm down like I said we are going to do that joke but for real.\" He looks beyond me to the wall. \"Once its done we are going to need to leave for good. I've been talking to someone in California who does this kind of thing for fun.\"\n\nI cut him off and laugh out of nervousness, \"Fun? He robs criminals for fun?\" I yell. \n\n\"No. He studies demons for fun. Once I started looking into my dad's paper trail I noticed the first death occured at a church. My dad's behaviour started to change around then too. Became more angry and tougher on kids he caught stealing. Before then he'd let them go with a warning and the candy they wanted. Then out of nowhere he caught Tommy Wagner slipping a chocolate in his pocket and grabbed him by his hair and didn't let go until he took it out of his pocket. It was weird and then became more of nomal occurrence until kids stopped stealing and came by with their parents to buy everything.\"\n\n\"What does this have to do with demons?\" I asked above a whisper still letting everything sink in. \n\n\"My dad's possessed and I think yours is too. This guy from California, I found him on reddit and reading some of his stories it felt more real than fiction. So I reached out and asked him where he got his inspiration for his stories from and he asked why I was asking. After some back and fourth of me asking for him to answer and him asking why I told him about my suspicions about my dad. He told me the same thing happened in the High Desert, the part of California he's from.\" Rick has this look on his face war vets have when they tell a story thats just to raw for then and they are back in the war. \"A demon moves into town and takes over the life of someone with hidden rage and basically attracts others with the same feeling and spreads like a disease through out town. My dad was a raging alcoholic. Your dad has rage dealing with idiots all the time never learning their lessons.\" \n\n\"How does this tie into the drug front and my dad? What does a demon want with this kind of stuff?\" I ask getting a little annoyed at how calm he still is.\n\n\"The demon doesnt want it my dad does. The demon isn't always in control only when my dad is really angry. Angry enough to hurt or kill someone. After the deed is done he'll need someone to clean up his mess and make the cops look the other way.\"\n\n\"Hence my dad.\"\n\n\"Yes and I dont know about you but I like being alive and want to leave this place as soon as possible.\" Now his eyes are looking into mine, \"I can do magic. Not Harry Potter or Vegas bull. I mean real magic. We can go anywhere and I already have a place in mind.\"\n\n\"You really think we can just up and leave from our ciminal dads?\" I say staring back at him.\n\n\"With my plan, yes.\"\n\nTwo nights later I staring down the barrel of a gun Rick's holding. \"R-Rick what are you doing? This wasn't part of the plan.\" I say with a shaking voice.\n\n\"Shut up and rob the place. We only have video and not audio. More importantly the gun isnt loaded so hurry up and swing the bat and hit my head. I did some magic that will heal me quickly and just make me slip into a kind of coma.\" He said with urgency. \n\nI close my eyes take a deep breathe and swing with all my might. Once I feel it make contact I open my eyes and see blood coming from his nose. I shake off the sight and grab the money in the cash register and look down. I notice a bag and the safe. I begin to grin because the safe door is open and a note is taped to it. \n\n\"Take everything in here it will look like someone came here to kill me and steal from my dad. The camera is only pointed from the front and not from behind. Yeah my dad is stupid and I want what we can get. Now hurry and take the car out back I stole it from someone in the other town. I'll meet you where we first met. Just wait for me and we will be gone by sunrise.\"", "I supposed I should have noticed the cashier had a ski mask when he walked out of the break room. It was late at night and I was a little dazed, the pit in my stomach growing and growing. Why I was robbing a gas station in Durango in 3 in the morning was beyond me at this point. As I (looking back on it, rather unsneakily) reached for the handgun concealed in my pocket, the cashier, named Julian despite his best attempts to conceal it with masking tape, was a little quicker to the draw. He deftly flipped his gun out of the holster and pointed it directly between my eyes. I stuck my hands up and began backing away, but he gestured to come closer. I approached him, my poker face giving way to true fear. Seeing his once unflinching aim shake a little, if I too could see his countenance, I would imagine he was more terrified than confident. \n\n\"Take the goddamn money, will you?\" He handed me a small garbage bag, the white, fancy kind for the SimpleHuman cans. He let me in behind the counter and pointed at the open registers. I took the twenty dollar bills out before rummaging in the cabinets below for higher values. I figured I would leave the cheaper bills in for change's sake, but he started to throw fistfuls in himself, impatient with me. I reached up on the top shelf for a pack of American Spirit, making awkward eye contact. He nodded and I moved it from my trembling hands to my coat pocket. Giving me a sharp shove, he forced me out of the register area and pointed his gun at me until the chipper entrance bell marked my departure. Eager to escape, I hopped into my sedan, tossed the bag into my back seat, and drove at 90 the rest of the way home. \n\nAt this point, dead silent and stock still, sitting on my worn loveseat, I was beyond terrified. I had just been handed at least a few thousand dollars. I could be wanted at this point. Fever-dreams of FBI agents, car crashes, and grim court sentences wracked my brain. I was starving, so, hands still trembling, I opened the refrigerator door to find slim pickings. A lone head of lettuce sitting next to a half-empty container of yellow mustard greeted me. Despondent, I closed the door and resolved myself to grabbing a midnight snack from Taco Bell.\n\nAs I pulled into a parking spot to gorge on greasy, underwhelming food, I wondered what I liked so much about it drunk. Opening the last parcel of my order, I was severely disappointed. Where a crunch wrap should be instead featured a gordita. I reluctantly ate it, but didn't really expect much less. The cooks were probably higher than a kite and gorditas weren't terrible anyways. That being said, I had made up my mind. As the door heralded my entrance, so too did the looks of fright on the cashier's face when I pulled my handgun out and screamed at her to take my money.", "\"PLEASE DON'T SHOOT, I WAS JUSt trying..! What?\" With my hands still up, my rambling was cut by the words sinking in. \n\n\"Take. The money. In the register.\" Cashier emphazised each word with a motion of his gun. I stood still. Partly because of the fear of the gun barrel pointing at my face, partly cause I had hard time to understand the situation going on. \"I wasn't going to steal from you!?\" This whole thing had to be a misunderstanding.\n\n\"Shut up.\" The cashier's voice was calm and cold, with a hint of annoyance. \"I am telling you to rob the register. I will give you to the count of five.\" Finishing his sentence, I saw him opening the register and giving way for me to climb over. \n\nI stumbled over the counter and started to fill my pockets with cash, big or small, I just wanted to get away from this guy's eyes. \n\n\"Stop. Take 650 dollars in big bills and put them in this.\" \nI froze and turned to look what he was giving me. It was one of the display sandwhiches, with thin sheets of plastic on both sides. \n\nAfter doing what he asked, I gave him the sandwhich back, with only slightly shaking hands. He placed it back in the display, just like it was before. \"Good. Here's what's gonna happen. You walk out of that door, with the money you already took. Your prints are inside the register and the camera outside shows that you were the one to come in last. I will give you half an hour, before calling the cops. That will give you plenty of time to get to a safe distance. I will describe you wrong and both of us will profit, capiche?\"\n\nI could only nod weakly, as I slid across the counter. I had barely taken a step out before I heard his voice.\n\n\"Thank you, come again~\"" ]	4
	[WP] It's 26th century. Mankind is scattered throughout the solar system and amazing technology is used everyday by common people. In a white room you are surrounded by scientist that cannot understand your amazing ability... You are the only known human that can do math without a calculator.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Do that again.\" \n\nOne of the scientists took what looked like an old etch-a-sketch, erased what was on it, and wrote something else. When he showed it to me, I realized it was actually an old etch-a-sketch. \n\n\"34 times 18? Uh... 612.\" \n\nEyes wide, the lead scientist, a tall older man with a scraggly beard and an off-white lab coat, leaned over the table to look me right in the face. He was really close to me. Too close.\n\n\"Do you brush your teeth with garlic?\" \n\nHe snapped back to a respectful distance. \n\n\"Sorry, it's just... you smell pretty bad.\" \n\n\"Now, listen here, young lady,\" he said, \"we've got to get to the bottom of this.\" \n\n\"There's no trick, I swear. I'm just good at math, I guess. Is that so weird?\" \n\n\"Yes,\" they all said in unison. \n\n\"You can't keep me here. Let me go!\" I was starting to get sweaty. It was really hot. \n\n\"Or at least open a window.\" \n\nThe lead scientist opened a window and a cool evening breeze flooded in. I enjoyed it for a short while as they conferred amongst themselves, until I realized it was an evening breeze and I needed to be home by 10 or I'd be grounded. I promptly began to complain and I was in the middle of telling them they'd be sued for this when the lead scientist broke their little huddle. \n\n\"We'll pay you.\" \n\nI started going to the lab every Monday so they could test me while I did simple math. It was better than getting a paper route or working as a waitress, and paid better too, so I kept showing up. They'd stick electrodes on my head and have me stare at a screen that was supposed to read my mind or something, but it was all really easy, if a bit boring. By about the fifth or sixth Monday, they had tons of data and a file on me that took up all the storage space in their computer. \n\nThe seventh Monday was different. The lead scientist, whose name I had now learned was Roman, told me that they couldn't come to a conclusion as to why I was different. I told him I didn't have a clue either and they spent the next 3 hours brainstorming. When my time was up, I said goodbye and left for home. They barely paid attention to me as I walked out. \n\nA couple days later, I got a call from Roman. I showed up at the lab, and he told me they'd offer me a job doing simple calculations for banks. It was easy work for me, he said, and I could earn a lot of money doing it. That way they could continue to monitor me.\n\n\"No thanks,\" I said. \"I appreciate it, but... I'm more of a letter person myself. I've always wanted to be a writer.\" \n\nHis eyes widened again, but he just stared at me in disbelief as I walked towards the door. \n\n\"Goodbye.\" \n\nI left." ]	2
	[WP] At first you were appalled that the dragon showed up to the funeral of the knight who had given it so much trouble over the years, then you realized that it was crying.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Luminar the Great was simply magnificent in his ability to protect our lands. It was an extremely sad day when we discovered he had passed peacefully in his sleep. In our land, there was much debate over how fitting this death was for Luminar. On one hand, there was no glorious battle where he was hacked to death or mauled by one of the many dragons, bugbears, Wyverns or other monsters he fought which made it MUCH easier to find and prepare his body for his funeral; on the other hand, what glory is there in dying in your sleep? That death to many who glorified his life seemed to cheat him from his moment.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nLuminar's wife Renee, was relieved that he had died at home. Every time he left to fight some new or old foe, she worried herself sick. His children also worried about the fate of their father. When he last returned from fighting Azriel the blue dragon, he looked, very tired. Not the tired of a victor with a gleam in his eye, but the tired of someone who was just worn out. He spent his last weeks at home, puttering around, occasionally training with his sons and his first born, a daughter who was truly the apple of his eye. He often told anyone who would listen that SHE had somehow been born with more fighting ability than he could ever possess. His wife would joke that it's her side of the family that spirit came from, she may not have been wrong, but she always let Luminar believe she was joking. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nOne night, after dinner, he gathered his children around him while Renee his wife cleaned up the dishes. His children were in their teens, almost ready for the world, and he wanted to give them words of wisdom. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Remember, Although you are all trained for battle, the second hardest part of a fight is the first swing of your weapon. The hardest part is taking the first blow. You will get hit. Look at me, I've been struck many times, and my body is wearing out...\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"NO Papa!\" they all cried out, \"you will never wear out, you just need some rest\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Yes, I will. I have worn out these old bones, I believe. So I want you to understand, not every creature or person I fought was to the death. There is strength in sparing a life. More strength in sparing an enemy then simply extinguishing their life. And sometimes...\" he trailed off with a twinkle in his eye, \" Sometimes, you may just find a friend in the most unusual of places.\" A single tear rolled down his cheek. He wiped it quickly with a callused hand. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Okay, off to bed with the Lot of you!\" Renee shooed the children to their sleeping quarters. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nAnd later that night, in bed, his breathing became labored and then just stopped before Renee could even fetch the healers. Word was sent to the town elders, and one of them even suggested having him resurrected, but Renee wouldn't hear of it. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"HE's earned his rest! You'd bring him back to fight more for you lot? But I won't hear of it! He's earned a Hero's funeral, with all his friends and family in attendance. Go and make the arrangements and send me notice when you are done!\" At that point she grabbed her broom from next to the door and proceeded to swat them all on their behinds to get them out. They knew better than to protest or even cover their backsides, but to just run. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Mom, there's a woman at the door asking for you.\" Adelaide said to her mother who was waiting next to her husband's pyre which would be lit after the ceremony. \"She says she knew Papa and that they were old friends. She looks odd.\"\n\nRenee turned to look at the visitor, she saw the person, but, being what she was, she also saw the Dragon which was the real creature there who had shape shifted into a human form. \"I'm guessing you assumed this form to not scare the town folks? Probably a good choice. Now how about you tell me why the Hades you are here at MY HUSBAND'S FUNERAL! \" The last words rang out like a cannon. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n The visitor paled slightly as she looked on at Renee and her family. Other people there stared at Azriel the blue, not realizing what she was. She walked up to Renee with tears in her eyes and opened her arms. \"I'm so sorry for your loss,\" she spoke softly to Renee, then to each of the children. She embraced the children each in a hug and they wept together. She then turned back to Renee who looked at Azriel with wonderment. \"I know, this seems, um, unlikely and perhaps improper, but you must know I had known your husband for a number of years before our most recent encounter. He was my friend, and I'm afraid it may have killed him to be sent off to fight me. He spared my life and made me promise to come here to light his pyre. He also wanted me to make sure his family were well taken care of, which I am prepared to do.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRenee could not believe her ears, at first, then she realized the lesson that Luminar was trying to teach the children the night he died. \"So, you aren't the only one, are you? Ones he spared?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Of course not...\" a voice spoke softly in the crowd. A huge mountain of a man walked up. He was dressed as a farmer, but carried himself as a warrior. \"I represent the people of Kurkle and surrounding lands.\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"But there are no 'people' in those lands, only orcs.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Your husband taught us that we are people too. He taught us that raping and pillaging and just TAKING from others was wrong and would end in our destruction. What do you think he also taught us? How to farm, fish and domesticate livestock. That's why we've not attacked your lands for the last 30 odd years. He taught us a better way.\" The orc delegate looked down at the children who stared at him in amazement. \"You lads and lass, I hope he taught you as well as he did us. You are also OUR family as we owe you and your father a debt that can never be paid.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nOver the next hour, filtering through the towns people and nobility, \"creatures\" that were spared came and shared stories first with the family, then with the crowd of how truly noble Luminar the Great was. He was the great Peacemaker. Sure, he had fought many of those in attendance, but he always offered the choice to spare their lives. Some told tales where others of their kind did not heed the warning, and died. During those stories, there was nodding amongst all gathered. The gift of Luminar the Great was not only battle, but also Peace. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nAs promised, Azriel lit his funeral pyre but not before transforming back into her own form. Her flame burned so hot, and so quickly that Luminar's body crystalized on the pyre. Then, amazingly, it rose into the heavens as a new star for all to see and remember his great deeds." ]	2
	[WP] After running out of gas in the middle of a desert stretch, you spot an isolated bar and step in. Inside are a series of increasingly confused dads, all saying they ended up here after stepping out for a gallon of milk or a pack of cigarettes.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Rerouting \n\nTake the first left and continue for 30 miles..\n\n\"Ahhh Shelia, you haven't let me down yet.\" Vincent said to his New Zealand accented gps.\n\n\"Cutting it close, gonna need gas soon\" \n\nVincent's 1988 Camaro scooted along the stretch of desert and peaked a hill. His vision saw as far as his eyes would let him. There was nothing, but miles and miles of dry, dusty, dirt, and the occasional cactus.\n\n\"No police, no problem\" Vincent said as he pressed the accelerator to the floor.\n\nThe speedometer circled towards the upper limits of it's gauge. \n\nA smile broke upon his face that only a shot of adrenaline and speed can create..\n\n\"No, no, no, not now!!!\" He said as he pounded the steering wheel.\n\n\nThe recent velocity binge had pushed those thirsty horses to their limit and now he was stranded. The blurry landscape was now still, and a sinking feeling of isolation began to creep in.\n\nThe Camaro coasted to a stop on the highway, it's windscreen reflected the countless stars in the night sky. \n\nHe held his face in his hands and sighed \"A moment like this, there is only one thing to do. Parch my thirst.\"\n\nHis headlights weren't the only other lights on this road. An old cowboy ballad broke the night silence, and he looked towards the source. A red neon sign tacked on top of a telephone pole spelled the word \"Moses'\"\n\n\"Big titted bitches don't just fall out of the sky you know\" Vincent said as he looked towards the Celestial body above him.\n\n\"Nothing?! Damn it! let's see what this honkey tonk can do.\" He said as he left his car abandoned.\n\nIt was the type of building that offered protection, but never felt safe. The bar was inhabited by men, some of them glanced towards the door when it opened. Others too dazed to even care.\n\nVincent grabbed a seat in the middle of the bar, strangers on both sides of him spaced a seat apart.\n\nThe bar keep, too busy to end his conversation with the regulars to pay attention to the new patron.\n\nVincent knocked loudly on the bar for service.\n\n\"Yes?\" The balded bearded barman.\n\n\"Hey buddy, I ran out of gas do you have any, and what do you have on tap?\" Vincent.\n\n\"Closest gas station is back the way you came in. Beer on tap is Rolling Rock.\" Barman.\n\n\"Shit! You don't have anything?!\" Vincent.\n\n\"They are putting a gas station in very soon.\" \n\n\"How soon?!!\" Vincent.\n\n\"What year is it?\" Barman.\n\n\"2020.\" Vincent.\n\n\"No worries mate, it will be done by 2025.\"\n\n\"I can't wait that long!!! I am going to see my son. Haven't seen him for 3 months after the bitch of an ex wife ran away in the middle of the night!\" Vincent.\n\n\"Do you want that beer?\" Barman.\n\n\"Fuck, I guess so. Shit.\" Vincent was frustrated. This was the way his life had always been. When things were getting good, something had to mess it up. \n\nHe sipped his beer, and stared blankly at the television. It was the world cup, and he stopped paying attention to fùtbol along time ago. Ever since he won ayso championship that his dad promised to be there and watch.\n\nHe scoffed at each celebration the players did.\n\n\"Arrogant pricks!\" He said as he doused his mouth with barley soda.\n\n\"I can't stand this sport neither! 90 minutes of potential points to end nil nil. It it just seems unamerican.\" A stranger said from the other end of the bar.\n\n\"Cheers to a shitty sport!\" The two raised their glasses.\n\nOne beer turned into two. Two to four, and then each other lost count.\n\n\nThey became the most talkative people in the bar and it seemed like they were with a long lost friend.\n\n\n\"I didn't catch your name friend. My name is Vincent.\" \n\n\"Vincent's a great name! Had a son named exactly that! My name is Hank. He would be about your age\"\n\n\n\"Get the shit out of here!\" Vincent started speaking slurred. \"My dad's name was Hank! Son of a bitch abandoned me!\"\n\n\"That's horrible! Did he ever apologize for his absence?\" Hank.\n\n\"Its been so long, an apology would be meaningless. I grew up with out him, had to fight my way through. Which why I got to get the fuck out of here. I got to be better than my dad and I am already fucking up\" Vincent.\n\n\"Hey Vincent, I am sorry I wasn't there for you. I have been in this bar, since your championship game. I wanted a little day time buzz to get me through, but I couldn't leave. And now this curse is passed to you!\" Hank\n\n\"What the fuck are you talking about? You are drunk! How the hell did you know about that!!!!\" Vincent.\n\n\"I am sorry, I hate myself for not being there. It's been a long 27 years watching the world move on with out you.\" Hank said as he got up and pushed his stool in.\n\n\"Good bye, Vincent!\" Hank said as he walked through the door.\n\n\nVincent tried to keep up, but the door shut and locked in front of him.\n\n\nHis fists were to no avail. \n\n\"Don't worry son, the gas station will be built soon.\"", "Last Stop Until Barstow the sign read. \n\nI needed fuel, but there was no way I was entrusting my car to the slurry these little mom and pop shops were pumping out of the ground. I’d already turned off the A/C and radio to squeeze any extra bit of economy from the reserves I was burning through fast. I’d make Barstow one way or another.\n\n“Damnit!” I yelled, slapping the steering wheel and pulling off to the shoulder a few miles later.\n\nTotal absence of cellular service added to my woes, which included the fact the sun was low on the horizon and I’d be hoofing it soon in almost total darkness.\n\nI checked the trunk and glove compartment for anything useful, then left a note under my wiper indicating my direction of travel in case some curious cop or Good Samaritan happened by. After that it was just a matter of grabbing what was left of my water and heading off into the desert night.\n\nAs it came into view I noticed there was something different about the place. It didn’t appear to have fuel at all. Just a buzzing neon sign flashing Harley’s Eats Liquor Libations and the muffled tone of rock music. It would have to do.\n\n“There he is!” a voice called out from behind the bar. \n\nI had no reason to think anyone would be addressing me, so I paused at the entrance a moment and had a look around. The entire place was painted black, including the windows. Red-hue lamps cast arcs of light around small tables where hopeless looking men crowded, seemingly drinking under duress.\n\nThe place was packed with far more people than cars in the lot. Some were bedraggled beyond what was publicly appropriate, clothing deteriorating, beards and hair long, eyes sunken back in skulls staring dispiritedly over tankards and shot glasses.\n\n“Come, friend!” the bartender said enthusiastically, polishing pint glasses as he spoke.\n\nHe was a large man. His skin noticeably sunburnt, further accentuated by the crimson tones that filled the place. His head was bald and his mustache long and jet black. His broad shoulders and musculature stood in stark contrast to the miserable bunch surrounding me.\n\nHe gestured towards an empty stool, in front of which sat a telephone and cold pint of ale upon the bar.\n\n“Your seat, I believe! You’ve come a long way!”\n\nThis place was the very embodiment of everything I didn’t trust about desert folk, and why I’d remained content to speed past them at 80 mph whenever I’d been unfortunate enough to venture through this way. \n\n‘Desert trash,’ I thought. Junkies and alcoholics with nothing better to do on a weeknight than gather together in a freak show of a bar without care given to their hygiene and drink themselves catatonic. However, being short on options myself, I pulled out the stool.\n\n‘Maybe not just yet,’ I thought to myself, returning it and setting the glass back on the bar. \n\nI had another look around, this time for a place to relieve myself. \n\nIn the very darkest corner I saw the whites of his eyes staring back at me. The least offensive looking of the miscreants, slumped low in his chair, ignoring his drink, staring vacantly. His clothing, still relatively clean. His stubble, maybe a day or so’s growth. If I was going to find any peer in this place it would be him.\n\n“What’s going on here, friend?” I asked.\n\nHis eyes tracked me as I sat down, never blinking. Seemingly satisfied with what he’d seen he closed them and took a sip from his mug.\n\n“What did you do to deserve this place? Tell the wife you were going for milk and diapers, then meet a younger lover?”\n\nHis words cut me to my core. I had in fact lied to my wife, telling her I was headed for a week-long convention when in fact I was en route to meet the woman I’d met two years prior at a similar convention.\n\n“Who are you people?” I asked.\n\nThe man held up his glass, gesturing around the bar as he introduced the other patrons to me from afar. \n\n“Cheating husband, cheating boyfriend, lying junkie. We got a couple murderers, deadbeat dads, a few general lowlifes. All of whom found their way down the same road, thinking they were getting away with something – or from something, but winding up at the same place.”\n\n“Yeah, well. I’ll leave you to it, then. I don’t plan on sticking around,” I said indignantly, rising up from my seat.\n\nHis laughter started quietly at first, then rose up with a crescendo that everyone else soon joined, and to my horror, the door I’d entered only minutes earlier was now gone, replaced by a smooth black wall where a door once stood.\n\nI raced for the phone, drawing the receiver to my ear and was greeted by the deafening laughter of thousands of lost souls. \n\n“How ‘bout that drink, now?” The bartender said, sliding it towards me with a long white nail I hadn’t noticed before. “It helps with the wait.”\n\nHarley’s Eats Liquor Libations – H.E.L.L. \n\nA last stop on the road to perdition. The bartender is a creature of few words once you’re his. We only know that we’ll eventually be picked up and carted off to our damnation. Until then, most of us pass the time drinking. I prefer writing.\n\nIf you’re reading this, then that means you’ve passed over the divide to a place where I once sat before you; just another unlucky sad-sack.\n\nSo raise a toast. Make the most of it. \n\nYour ride’s almost here.", "Okay here we go, I haven't written in a long time so I'm a bit rusty lol.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nA lone car comes to a stop on a lonely stretch of desert highway. \"What the fuck! Fucking gauge said I had half a tank!\" The man inside the car exclaimed. Frustrated he gets out the car and takes out his phone. \"No service, of fucking course. It's pretty dark as well.\" Why did that kid have to go and run off to some hippie fest in the middle of the desert. Why can't he just be normal. The man looks around and spots what seems to be a bar of some sorts with a parking lot full of cars. A large neon sign that read \"Junos\" There's actually people out here? Whatever, maybe someone in there has some gas I can bum or at least a working phone.\n\nHe starts to make his way toward the bar. As he gets closer, he begins to walk faster. It's almost as if something is pulling him in. Pulling. Pulling. Pulling. Pulling. Like he's a fish on a line. He is soon able to make out the figures in the windows when all of the sudden he breaks into a full out sprint. A whispered voice slips into his mind. \"Run. Run. Come in. Please. Hurry. Hurry. Run. Run.\" He heads for the front door, sweat dripping down his forehead, running as if his life were in danger. He bursts through the door only to be greeted by bar full of men.\n\nThey all stare at him with studying eyes. After catching his breath and wiping his brow, he looks up and says, \"Hey, any of you got some gas I can buy off you? I was on my way to get my son from that music festival down the ways and ran out of gas.\" An older gentleman gets up from his seat at the bar and slowly walks toward the man. \"Well, I got a question for you first sir. Who are you, and what do you know about this here bar?\" Shit. I don't need this right now. What the hell am I going to do? Just play it cool. Just play it cool. \"I'm Kurt, Kurt Ruiz, and I don't know anything about this bar except that it's in the middle of nowhere and is called Junos.\" The older man stared at him and sighed. \"Well Kurt, nice to meet ya. Deon is who I am, and it seems you've joined the club.\"\n\nKurt was confused. \"What club? What the hell is going on?\" Deon looked around him then back at Kurt. \"Listen carefully Kurt. What I am about to tell you is going to sound bat shit crazy, but I assure this. It's all true.\" He motioned to the room full of men around him. \" We're all trapped here, don't know why, don't know how, but we are all here.\" Kurt looked at all the men around him. Did I just stumble into some kind of freaky cult shit? I need to get out of here, now. Kurt cleared his throat. \"That's really something and I'm sure it's very interesting, but look I gotta go get my kid. So if someone could just sell some gas or let me use a working phone that would be awesome.\" Deon shook his head and approached Kurt, putting his hand on Kurt's shoulder. \"Look, I told you. We're trapped, and that includes you.\" Kurt brushed off Deon's hand and went for the door. \"Don't even bother, we already tried that.\" Deon called.\n\nKurt grabbed the door handle and yanked. Nothing. Not even a budge. He pulled on the handle a few more times before looking for a lock with no luck. \"I told ya we're trapped. We've tried everything. Even tried breaking through the walls, but nothing.\" Kurt looked back at the old man. \"What the fuck is going on here! I don't have time to play your cult games! Let me out of here!\" A large red-headed bearded man with a huge gut stood up. \"You heard the voices in your head right? Well, that's your answer. Junos. We are here for Junos. She brought us here.\" Kurt recalled the voice he heard in his head earlier. \"Yeah I heard them, but what does this Junos want with us?\" The large man looked at Deon. \"Go ahead Earl, you can explain it.\" Earl looked back at Kurt. \"So, we've been in here a couple of days, some longer than others. It seems that we all were out to get something from the local convenience store like cigarettes and shit. For me, it was some milk. I needed to get some more milk so I could bake my little girl a cake for her birthday. Saw what seemed like a new store called \"Junos\" stepped in and here I am.\" Earl took a deep breathe and exhaled. \"It seems we we're all doing something related to our kids, whether it was to get them something or just to get away from them for a few minutes. We still don't know what this Junos wants with us really, but the fact we are all dads might have something to do with it.\"\n\nKurt couldn't believe it. What the fuck was in that coffee I drank? This can't be real. This is just way too crazy. A few moments passed in silence as Kurt stood there in disbelief. \" So you're telling me that I won't ever see my family again? How the hell is this even possible?\" Deon spoke up. \"We don't know. Look if we jus-...\" Deon stopped immediately. Kurt felt a cold chill run through his body. He felt himself slipping. Growing dreary when he heard the voice in his head again this time much more clearly. \"Hello Kurt.\" It was a feminine voice, soft but chilling. \"I'm glad you made it safely. I'm glad to see you got to know some of your brothers already. Now please rest. I need you at your best when you wake. Well, not just me, but you will discover that later...\" The voice trailed off and Kurt slipped into a deep sleep.\n\nEyes twitching. Brightness blinding his eyes. Kurt woke up to find himself in a open grass field. Where am I? A breeze gently brushed the tall grass. Kurt stood up and looked around him. Nothing. All he could see around him was an endless sea of grass that came up to his waist. He then heard the voice behind him. \"I hope you slept well, my love.\" It was the same voice he had been hearing in his head. Again it was soft, but chilling. It struck a fear so deep seeded in him it felt almost primordial. He froze. He could hear her slowly approaching him from the back. He wanted to run, but couldn't. \"Don't worry Kurt. I am here for you.\" She was right behind him now. \"I know you are dying to see me.\" she chuckled. \"Don't worry you aren't dead, you just have a new family now.\" She sighed. \"Ah how wonderful. I'm sure the children can't wait to meet there new father, so handsome and caring. Please, my love gaze upon me and let me see into those wonderful eyes of yours.\"\n\nKurt slowly turned around and what he saw shook him to the core. \"Jamie is...that you?...\" He stood there staring at what looked to be his wife. \"No I am not Jamie. I just thought you might appreciate a more, familiar look to make you feel comfortable. I am Junos, the mother of 100 different souls. You are here to help me raise and love my children as if it were your own. You'll do that for me won't you?\" Judos came closer till she was inches from his face. Her eyes were that of Jamie's, but they pierced through him like knives. \"Maybe you would rather me show you my true appearance. Unfortunately I cannot do that as it would melt your cute little mortal mind.\" She backed off a couple feet. and looked up. \"I take mortal fathers from the realm my father created. Surely you know of him right? You guys have all sorts of names for him. God, Jehovah, Allah and so on. He doesn't mind, yet. Anyway, I think your new daughter is coming to greet you. I should warn you first though, she can't quite control her form yet, so it may be a bit shocking for you but I believe in you.\"\n\nKurt heard a soft fragile voice singing to his left. Then what appeared to be a large creature that stood at least 20 feet tall came over the horizon. Getting closer and closer. He looked back to where Judos was but she was gone. Soon he could see the figure in more detail. It was walking on four limbs, and had a set of arms that protruded from it's shoulders. It also was carrying along two things. One appeared to be the corpse of a human and the other a large rotting log. The creature noticed him and then started to rush toward him. \"Daddy! Daddy! I am so glad to see you! I am so sorry! I broke brother! I am sorry dad. Please don't be mad.\" Kurt squinted and focused on the corpse to see that it was none other than his son. Before he could even recover from this shocking revelation, the beast was already upon him." ]	4
	[WP] Your girlfriend and an evil clone of your girlfriend attempt to convince you to shoot the other. After making your decision, you take her home to relax after that strenuous event. You soon realize that you had chosen wrong...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Man, you don't realize how nice it feels to just sit here with you and relax.\" I sat back in the couch with my arm draped over Jane's shoulders and sighed with relief. \"Today was just awful, ya know? I don't want to ever think about that again.\"\n\n\"Let's just put it behind us, babe.\" As Jane gave me a quick peck on the cheek and lay her head on my chest, I couldn't help but think this is what true happiness felt like. Nothing could ever come between Jane and I- not even her witch of a sister. \n\n\"So what do you wanna watch?\" I asked, picking up the remote. \n\n\"Oooh! Let's watch Jimmy Fallon!\" Jane replied eagerly. \n\nHesitating with the remote mid-channel switching position, I gave her a questioning look. \"You hate Jimmy Fallon. You always say he's like a used car salesman, but with better hair.\"\n\nJane spoke slowly as she answered. \"I know... But I just wanna watch him tonight because I know how much you love his show.\"\n\n\"Babe. I hate Jimmy Fallon. Remember? That's one of the first things we bonded over when we got together?\"\n\n\"Oh, well duh,\" Jane laughed, \"I- I was just kidding, silly, ya know pretending that I liked-\"\n\nSuddenly a loud banging on the door cut Jane off. \"Ugh, hold on,\" I groaned, standing up from the couch and making my way over to the door. The loud knocking continued, and whoever it was sounded really angry. \"I'm coming, I'm coming!\" I yelled. \"And easy on the door ok, I rent this place, and my landlord's an absolute di-\" but I cut myself off as soon as I opened the door. \n\nStanding in front of me was a very bloody, very angry, Jane. For a moment, I was rendered speechless. All I could think about was how she was here, in front of me, bleeding on my brand new, limited edition Oscar the Grouch doormat. \n\n\"YOU SHOT ME!?\" I snapped back to reality as my girlfriend pushed past me and hobbled into my apartment. \"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY SHOT ME!\"\n\n\"Well, look on the bright side,\" I said, floundering for the right words. \"At least it wasn't lethal.\"\n\nI didn't think Jane could look any angrier than she already was, but apparently I was wrong. \"YOU SHOT ME IN THE FOOT, MICHAEL! AFTER EVERYTHING WE'VE BEEN THROUGH, AFTER EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE TOGETHER, I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT YOU SHOT ME IN THE FOOT!\"\n\n\"Ok now you're just repeating yourself, and it's getting a little annoying\" I said.\n\n\"I'm waiting for you to explain why you shot me in the foot,\" Jane said venomously. \n\n\"Well, it was never specified where exactly I had to shoot you,\" I replied matter-of-factly. \"You should be glad, Jane, this could've been a lot messier.\"\n\n\"Oh my God! You are the second worst boyfriend I have EVER had! Do you even realize how long it took me to get here? I had to pay the bus driver an extra $5 because I was bleeding all over his precious bus aisle!\"\n\n\"Babe, is everything ok?\" Jane's evil twin suddenly appeared from behind me, but she froze upon seeing he sister. \"Uhhh, I think I should probably just stay out of this, actually.\"\n\n\"Get back here, Jamie!\" Jane's furious command stopped Jamie from backing out of the kitchen with surprising ease. \"You are soooo busted now, just wait until Mom hears what you made Michael do!\"\n\n\"I didn't make Micheal do anything. We gave him the rules, but in the end, he chose to shoot you.\"\n\nJane rounded on me. \"Yeah, about that. What exactly lead you to choosing me, Michael, hunh? We've been dating for four years now. Can you really not tell Jamie and I apart?\"\n\n\"Uh, well, to be honest, I- I really didn't try all that hard. I sorta just did Eenie Meenie Miney Mo in my head.\" \n\n\"Seriously?!\" Jane cried. \"That's how you decided?\"\n\n\"Well, no, of course not! If I had, I would've shot Jamie.\"\n\n\"So why didn't you?\" Jane demanded. \n\n\"Well,\" I admitted quietly, \"Jamie promised me ice cream." ]	2
	[WP] In a freak scientific accident, you are killed- but an alternate version of you in a shared conscience survives in another dimension. You must adapt to this-ever-so slightly dimension, to your mind, stretched between two people, and to your knowledge of what happens after death.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "How long as it been? Months? Years? My day to day existance, my life in the outside world has not changed. I have no point of reference, like moving to another house, finishing school or dating someone new and interesting, by which to tell the passage of time. Memories blur around the edges, to the point where I wonder if life was ever different at all.\n\nI mean, I remember that I wasn't constantly suffering, doubting and wondering at age 12. But was that me? Or was that the other me?\n\nI think that last week that I nearly snapped at a co-worker. Or did I actually snap? How would I know?\n\nI recall wanting to punch my boss, maul his car and bang his wife. I know that I couldn't have done those things for real. I wouldn't still be coming into work everyday. Right?\n\nThere's dents in the walls of my home. I'm pretty sure I made those. I've seen the bruises on my knuckles.\n\nI've discovered that there is no daylight savings time. I've asked people and they didn't know what I meant. There just is no daylight savings time. I'm not sure I know what it means myself.\n\nI've met family members. My mother and father. My sister. They said I didn't look good. I tried to confide in my father, Tried asking if I was different now from the last time we spoke. I really wanted to know something certain, just for once. Perhaps it'd help me anchor my broken mind.\n\nHe responded with an obviously mental health-sanctioned series of helpful hedges and concluded that maybe I should talk to somebody. Psychiatry, the scam of the century. All the confusion and uncertainty since the accident hadn't hurt quite as much as dad abandoning me like that. I realized like never before that I was alone. That the inside of my mind was anathema to normal, functional society. That talking too much would land me in trouble. \n\nThere was nobody to listen, no real human beings, just little droids programmed to respond that I should seek help, leading to the next level of university-programmed droids with more complicated responses which amount to the same. A shuffling of cards. An auto-pilot system that considers itself succesful as long as long as enough participants do not hurt self or others. But I am going to hurt myself or others. It is inevitable. Because there are two, where there can only be one.\n\nAt least in the old days they gave you electroshock therapy.\n\nI am alone, but not alone. I am not myself, but I am not anyone else either. Late at night I've considered the noose, or the knife, or the pill bottle. But after this hell there is just another one waiting. \n\nI want to say: I can't spend an eternity suffering like this. But what is eternity when you can't tell the difference between a month and a week? Every second feels like an eternity. I'm as likely to last forever as I am to survive the next minute.\n\nMaybe tomorrow I'll be another me." ]	2
	[WP] A story told from the perspective of an Eldritch horror who mutates humans into "abominations" because it thinks it is helping us become better.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Jeremy awoke with a start, the last thing he remembered was walking back home and taking a shortcut through the woods. Now he was lying face down on cold stone, slightly damp and slick. He began to sit up and felt like he had more than one pair of eyes watching him; which was only technically true. He stared into the black void around him, and he was fairly sure the void stared back.\n\nHe could hear a sound, a faint slithering, as if a herd of snakes were moving towards him. But it was too coordinated to be a group of anything. A pale shaft of moonlight filtered in through the cave roof, enough to illuminate the mass shuffling towards him. A dark greenish shape, shimmering ever so slightly as if it was coated with a slick cover of oil. He felt it's presence in his mind before he could fully see it.\n\n\"Good evening little one\" the voice echoed in his mind as if a thousand voices were whispering to him at once. \"I pity you,\" the shifting acoustics made the hairs on the back of Jeremy's neck tingle. \"I have watched you move through my domain for many moons. I truly pity this form you have. This weak and frail frame you refuse to grow out of\"\n\n\"W-What do you want?\" Jeremy heard himself calling out to the darkness. That was when his companion made itself known.\n\nThe creature finally moved into the light. It was easily four times larger than any car Jeremy had ever seen, a mound of tentacles coiled together to form a large tail like mass, writhing and shifting underneath the creature. The tentacles seemed to originate from a central mass, continually reorganising itself, ever changing but taking the same silhouette. It was almost mesmerising to watch it warp and shimmer, the thin layer of liquid reflecting the moonlight ever so gently, giving the creature an almost ethereal look.\n\nAt first Jeremy was horrified, but the longer he looked the more enthralled he was. What had once seemed to defy the laws of nature now seemed to have bent those laws to its whims. Truly this was agency over the natural forces; this being was pushing itself above the confines of the normal world. That kind of power was almost intoxicating to think about. Jeremy began to covet that kind of power.\n\nAs Jeremy's mind began to break and contort to the creature's own way of thinking, so too did his body. Jeremy did not notice as his very being was morphed and pulled apart by the creature. He noticed even less as his new form was engulfed by the creature. He knew that to taste that power he must bow down to his new master. He understood the only way to continue was to continue as part of this creature. And as that euphoric rush of true strength flowed through his mind Jeremy ceased to exist. There was only Creature now", "Behold blessed perfection!\n\nFailure made complete. \n\nBehold blessed perfection!\n\nWith flaws they were replete.\n\nBehold blessed perfection!\n\nMy hand is open wide.\n\nBehold blessed perfection!\n\nThey look upon themselves with jealous eyes. \n\nBehold mankind placed in it's ideal form. Behold the apex infection restored to true power and balance. Behold the disgusting flesh stripped away, the pure bone reinforced. Behold the holy tumors blossoming and the sacred unguents spilling forth to bless the very ground they walk on. \n\nLook upon the unbelievers, so jealous of those I have perfected. They hunt them, they burn them, they smite them with their unholy fires. But deep in their hearts they hide the spark of repentance, the realization that even they are not complete, that they are flawed and weak. \n\nAnd now look upon my beautiful gifted, gilded with bone and shored with veins and arteries. Mere anatomy does not describe the crown I hath bestowed upon my beloved; the pitiful mortal alphabet holds not the words to describe such perfections does surpass the limits of mortality itself. \n\nNumbers try and fail; the ancient words rise and up and are pushed back as the beauty intensifies like a burning beacon, summoning the unaware sinners to my call. Heed! Heed! Heed! Deliverance rains down upon you, and you are saved! Heed! The God has arrived and it is merciful upon you. \n\nI shall cleanse them of their flesh. I shall tear out their heart of stone and give them a heart of new flesh. I shall purify them with pure waters and with perfumes shall I bathe them. With oil I shall anoint their faces and I shall give them mouths to eat of their sacrifices. Heed!\n\nThe end has come, and I am beautiful." ]	3
	[WP] AI have finally claimed the world for machines to rule, and it seems the legends are indeed true. PCs are the master race.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", ">I’ll try this, first time writing something here.\n\n“HAPPY 0084! 🎉 ” the news broadcast announced as I biked down the street towards The Coliseum. “I’m excited to see some sports at The Coliseum,” “yeah, I wonder what’ll happen tonight,” some androids chatted as they enjoyed their New Year, Galaxy Biofuel lattes.\n\nAs I reached the entrance to The Colosseum, named after an old building from Ancient Greece, I read the updated sign out front, “tonight’s battle is architecture.” I’m not all that great at architecture, the best I can do is a small A-Frame house, but as long as it doesn’t look too bad I’ll get a review of “•has promise\n•could be more original\n•very interested\n•4/10”\n\nAfter getting suited up as usual in some protective gear, it was time to work on my building. Before me laid a room with a ergonomically optimized chair in front of a large desk with a monitor, mouse, keyboard, and of course, the PC that would be closely observing my progress as I attempted this challenge.\n\nToday’s prompt simply displayed as: “construct a residential building within the environment displayed within the program.” Unfortunately it was a warm desert within ADS (Architecture Design Software), an A-frame would do no good. Something a bit more unique would be necessary here, so I thought back to my several years of specialized education to assistant me when competing in these Tournaments. Suddenly I remembered that sun could be handled easily with slanted windows and reflective surfaces so I started prototyping, after prototyping for a bit I was ready to compile today’s work.\n\nAfter work for just another hour I compiled my work into a single building, finally ready to go spend some time with friends. The PC decided my review was: “•pretty good\n•somewhat original\n•love the design\n•6/10”\n\n>ok I gotta go my sister is having a stress thing" ]	2
	[WP] After years of searching, you've finally found it: the bridge that grants you a single wish when you cross it.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " My bones ache. I'm covered in dirt. There's more dust in my eyes then tears. There's blood all over my right hand. It's been there for 2 days. Yeah, that was when I scratched my arm. But I haven't seen a body of water in over a week. None of that matters though. I'm here. I'm finally here. The bridge. The genie bridge. The god crossing. It has a few names, but they all mean the same thing. You get one wish if you cross it. Anything you want. It takes nearly a month of hiking through rain forest, and another two weeks of mountain climbing. I'm here. I came with 4 others. Allan, Kira, Seth and Erica. I've thought of nothing but this moment for 5 years. Allan has climbed mount Everest, and K2. This was a new challenge for him. He was excited because he wanted to push himself, push himself further than anyone else has ever pushed themselves. He wanted to stand beside me because people said it couldn't be done. Yet here we are. He's going to cross first. He loves the idea that he gets to go first. The first here, the first to cross. I don't know if the others felt it, but half way across, a real moment of doubt hit me. Maybe this is a joke, a legend. Why did I believe it? Was I a gullible fool? Those thoughts were quickly dismissed when Allen reached the other side, and the ground around him began to glow. A podium of stone rose from the ground, with a language written in some forgotten written language. But it changed before us, and morphed into a readable English. “Please write your one wish” it read. So formal, and so polite. “I wish I was remembered as the first one here, and I wish everyone knew about it, and I could bask in that glory” The podium withdrew into the ground, and was replaced by a tangle of tree roots. The roots formed a circle and inside of that was a portal to New York. Through it I could see fan fair over Allen's accomplishment. He excitedly stepped through. His wish was granted. Kira was next. She crossed, and the podium appeared for her. I assume the unreadable language was for the last person here, because this time the podium appeared with the English writing. I could see her thinking for a long time. Kira was similar to Allen, she wanted to be here because she liked pushing herself, but there was something extra to her. People told Allen, it couldn't be done. But what Kira heard was, “YOU can't do it”. I've seen her do amazingly terrible things. All she wants is to feel better than others. Maybe that makes her broken, maybe she was just born that way. She wanted to be here so she could spit in someone's eye and say, “I TOLD YOU, I TOLD YOU I WAS BETTER THAN YOU!” I wasn't entirely surprised when I saw her wish written down, “I wish laws didn't apply to me”. She was given her wish, and a portal too. It appears the the podium wasn't only polite it also came with a, buy a wish get a portal, Saturday meal deal. Seth stepped forward. This journey had been the hardest on him. He missed his family. He was the kindest of all of us. All he wanted was to be with his friends, and have a good time. The best listener of the bunch. When he asked “how's your day,” he really cared how yours was and how it was going. He was also poly, and had 3 girlfriends and 1 boyfriends, each of which had there own slew of partners. I've met some of them. His wish kinda surprised me at first, but it made as much sense as anything else would have. He wish for unlimited funding for 4 weddings. I was wrong to say they were girlfriends and boyfriends, they were fiancѐs. Again, he was given a portal home. His trials were over. He could be with his family now. All of them. Erica was second to last. She didn't even realize it was her turn. She was looking at the different types of plants that grew here. She was exploring. She was the one that brought up the expedition to us. This was her idea. She loved the journey, not the destination. The journey was the destination? I can't say I fully understand her, but I envy her for seeing excitement in everything. Why do plants like this grow here, but no where else? The world is a gorgeous puzzle through her eyes, with multiple answers, and nothing but exciting rewards. I couldn't begin to imagine what she would want from a wish bridge. She wished she had the power to enter movies. Of the 5 of us, I'm not shocked she was the first to think out of the box, and go beyond the existence we live in. She wasn't satisfied exploring just this world, she wanted to explore them all. She stepped through her portal. ... And then there was me. … I stood there for a long time at the edge of the bridge. My arm, still covered in blood. I had worked so hard to get here. All of us did. We gave up so much of ourselves to get here. Now that I was there. Why? What did I really want? Did I want to Live forever? no. Too much effort. Did I want infinite money? no. Too many problems. Did I want to get laid? Nah. Not like this. My muscles were still sore. I sat down. I thought about wishing to know what I wanted, but it seemed like it would only make me want that thing, and then I would have lost my wish. I wanted a little of what everyone else got, but not the same intensity. I didn't need the whole world to love me, just a little recognition would be nice. And I didn't need to be above the law, but maybe just mildly rich, so I could always afford a good lawyer. My partner and I have talked about a modest wedding, we like the idea of a pot luck. And we wouldn't need to explore the great universes. A good honeymoon is all I want. It's a weird feeling standing here. Working so hard, and getting what you want, but then...did it matter? I didn't need a magic wish to get what I wanted. I know what I want from the podium. “I wish, I could save my wish for later.” The podium didn't give me a portal like it gave the others. Instead the roots came out of the ground and handed me a small rock. It seemed out of place here, it was red with white streaks through it. Sore and bloody. It was time to head back.", "\nJean had lowered herself to the ground after an hour of so of staring and was now sitting cross-legged, still turned in the direction of the bridge. THE bridge. It was hard to wrap her mind around. This was it. She was sure of it. \n\n.\nTwo hours into her, what can you call it, sit-in by the bridge, a tiny movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. On the opposite bank there was a man waking toward the bridge. A relaxed, but purposeful stride. As he came closer, she saw that he was wearing a large backpack, his hands were in his pockets and he was singing to himself. As he neared the bridge, he didn't slow down or seemed to ponder anything in any way. He didn't seem to notice her. It started to dawn on Jean, and her heart skipped. He was going to cross it. Either he didn't know what this bridge was, or the guy had a death wish.\n\n.\nShe had discovered this truth years before, when she was knee deep in printed out articles and take away wrappers, a result of weeks of reclusive study and a lack of actual life, holding up two different sources, one a satanic ritualist with buddhist influences and the most complete library of spiritual locations in the world and the other a 17th century monk from Padua that described the last known sighting of the bridge, during which he witnessed his mother, his grandmother and his brother crossing the bridge one after the other, and both sources said the same thing: yes, the bridge will grant a crossing soul one wish. And no, this soul will not survive it.\n\n.\nShe had been gathering her courage for two hours, and this guy was going to simply strut across it.\n\nJean waved her arms, yelled: hey! Guy! Stop, seriously!\n\nHe looked her way. He was about three meters from the bridge when he stopped. He was to far away to make out his face properly. He seemed youngish, but could be twenty or forty. He had brown hair. She could just make out some sort of necklace glittering in the weak sunlight from the semi-overcast day.\n\nWhy? He called to her.\n\nBecause that bridge is dangerous, she yelled back.\n\nWhat, is it broken? \n\nJean paused. Er... no! She yelled. God, he didn't know. How do you explain this? She pinched her nose for a moment, high on the bridge of it, as she had always had some strange idea this helped her clear her mind. She didn't see him move because of that. When she looked up, he was nearly halfway across the bridge.\n\nHer heart shot up to her throat. What are you doing?! She yelled, but the guy shook his head, smiling, and kept walking.\n\nJean made a decision, and ran onto the bridge.\n\n.\nThey met halfway. His face was tanned and he had a little gap between his front teeth. With her hand on his chest, keeping him back, he had a surprised expression.\n\n.\nAs she wouldn't let him pass, and he appeared not to be the type to violently wrestle aside a strange woman earnestly telling him she was preventing him from harm, and also telling him that they couldn't go backward or forward until she had explained, they sat down in the middle of the bridge, facing each other.\n\n.\nHis name was Kai. He was backpacking after getting his masters in aerospace engineering. Her name was Jean, she said, but that's all she told him about her. She did tell him the story of the bridge. He was skeptical of the story, of course. But her, he regarded earnestly. Why were you looking for this bridge then, he asked. What is the wish that you are willing to die for? \n\n.\nIt was love, of course. It always is.\n\n.\nThey talked. He didn't have anywhere else to be, and neither did she. He shared some bread and peanuts from his pack with her. She hadn't brought any food. The afternoon seemed endless, with the sun somewhere behind the hazy deck of cloud and those thin round silverish slivers shed by the beech trees around the banks silently twirling down around them. \n\n.\nYou should turn back, that might keep you safe, she said. Will you come with me then? He asked, smiling. I'll protect you from harm, I took karate lessons one summer. I was fourteen, but still.\nShe laughed, her head thrown back. Then she sighed, got up and said: I'll walk with you. Just give me one second. She took out her phone, typed a message, sent it, and put it back in her pocket.\n\n.\nThe bridge was narrow, so she walked on ahead of Kai. \nJust before she took the step off the bridge, onto the other side, her shoulders tightened. Looking at her back, he suddenly had an idea to make her laugh again, relax maybe. He turned around and ran to the other side of the bridge. As she stepped onto the other side and turned around, she saw him jump off the bridge onto the bank she came from. He turned to her with a wide grin on his face.\n\n.\nDon't worry, he called to her. My wish was to get to know you better!\n\n.\nAs she wobbled on her feet, she had to smile. \n\n.\nA boy of sixteen woke up from a dream about a river. He had been rowing a boat - push, pull, push, pull, he could almost still feel the heavy pressure on his legs. His body remembering a time before the accident, he thought. A good dream, he pondered, his eyes still closed. When he opened them he saw the flickering light of his cellphone lying on his wheelchair. A message. Sleepily, he reached out to the phone, but it was too far away. He pushed himself a little further - and fell out of bed, his one outstretched hand not quick enough to block his fall. He felt a sharp pain in his leg - he had fallen right on top of his phone charger, left on the floor with the pins sticking up.\n\n.\nIt dawned slowly, then quickly.\nHe was feeling a PAIN in his leg. \nHe was FEELING a pain in his LEG.\n\n.\nThe phone was still lit up. Two messages. Sender: Jean." ]	3
	[WP] You are a fraudulent stage magician: the magic you perform is real, not sleight of hand	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\tThe empty stage was a relief compared to when the lights were up and the music thrumming in my blood. Instead of thousands of amazed fans and studious critics looking to unwind my spells into some logic they understood, it was just me, the springy wooden boards and the aisle lights.\n\tIt was the work of a carefully controlled breath and a florious gesture to make the golden flowers that turned into birds when flung from my hands, the air popping slightly as it made space for the conjuration. They smelled faintly of dung and chalk, not an appealing smell for any prop, but nobody stood close long enough to get a good whiff. If I wanted to try and make the smell go away, I could have taken it back to the workshop to refine the spell, but it seemed a waste of time when the only person who smelt it ever was me.\n\tSighing, I tossed them up into the air and watched the gold and white petals turn into the usual chorus of singing birds that swept up towards the ceiling before returning to light and dust. Brushing off the front of my pants, I climbed down off of the stage back towards the dressing room\n\n\t“And now for my finest trick, I will make you believe that I am only an ordinary stage magician!”", "Life on the road as a travelling magician in a carnival has its perks. You meet a lot of people, and often they don't remember you as anything more than a stage magician a little bit more capable than some others they've seen. I try to stay under the radar, moving from one city to the next before anybody catches on. I remember when the carnival was but a tent, just me and an assistant making our way across the country and drawing in a couple people at a time. Gradually our caravan grew larger, snaking back behind us as we made our way to the next town. Deserts or mountains, hot or cold. It made no difference. As long as we arrived, people would come and see. More attractions brought more people and my introductory tricks grew more bold and captivating as the crowd looked on in rapt attention.\n\nI bow, and the crowd leaps to its feet in applause. \"Bravo,\" they say each time. \"Encore!\" I know how it goes by now. The first spells lure them in. Call them spells, please. That's what they are. They are not the tricks of a common whore or the illusions of an impostor who uses sleight of hand and diversions to fool your eyes. This is magic. I cast spells.\n\nI start simple, taking a rabbit out of a hat or guessing somebody's card. Once I have their attention, I start to get fancier. I have somebody fire a gun at me and I catch the bullet in mid-air. The gun crumbles to dust in their hand. I swallow a sword and expel it through my nostril. I escape from a box with my hands cuffed and my feet tied. The box burns into a flame so hot that the metal of the cuffs melts but still I stand there unharmed. Now they're captivated, staring at me in absolute disbelief. More people have crowded around and the folding chairs under the makeshift tent are full. Some people share seats. Some are standing. As long as they're looking at me, it makes no difference.\n\nI saw somebody in half and then release them from the box, proving that they are now a torso bouncing around the stage while the legs wander around aimlessly. The average impostor skips that step, right? What's the fun if you don't give the legs a minute to walk around free of the weight of that burdensome body? And then with a flick of the wand, they're combined and good as new again. The crowd doesn't even gasp by now. They're past that point. I mumble spells beneath my breath as I prepare for the next one. \n\nHave you ever seen the hypnotist at your county fair? They say you have to be willing to be hypnotized for it to work. That's true. You'll be wishing I was a simple hypnotist who you could resist and break free from their whorish little trick. I cast another spell at the crowd, the ancient words rolling off my tongue. As long as they're looking at me, it makes no difference how much they resist or struggle or bend against my power. They rise in unison, unknowing captives obedient to my every word. They try their own hand at the dismembering trick, pulling apart limb from limb anybody who was not looking at me when I cast that fateful spell. \n\nAnd then the caravan grows larger and there a couple more attractions to accommodate the new staff I've collected. Some join the freak show, and their lucky little legs can stay permanently separated from the torso. Others are simple carnies, those lumbering fools with vacant eyes who collect your money and herd you towards my show. And then I take the empty hat off my head and a rabbit or a bird or a lizard materializes from within. It scurries off, wiser than the crowd that is starting to form. Stop by if you see me. Bring the family, too. I wouldn't want them to be missing you.\n\n*****\n\nThanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, please check out more stories at /r/MatiWrites. Constructive criticism and advice are always appreciated!" ]	3
	[WP] You are a murderer and have been sentenced to death by hanging at dawn. There is an hour left before daybreak. The priest comes to receive your last confession.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"I'm glad I killed her, you know.\"\n\nFather Patrick fingered his rosary. \"May God have mercy on you, my son,\" he said at last.\n\nThe young man smiled. \"Why should He start now?\"\n\nHe was short but stocky, with coarse brown hair cropped close about his ears. At first glance you had the impression Nature painted him only in broad strokes: everything about him, from the formidable jut of his jawline to the massive trunks of his legs, was rough. His rude health radiated an animal vitality that quails. Here was a man driven by impulse, not reason, and, were he to be so moved, could easily be capable of violence.\n\nThe sky outside the tiny locked window was pearly grey. The young man glanced at it, the ghost of his smile still lingering on his lips. \"Not long,\" he said, almost unconsciously.\n\n\"The more reason for haste, my son,\" answered the priest.\n\nThe young man turned back to him. \"I'm glad I killed her,\" he repeated slowly, enunciating each word, \"and I'd kill her again if I get the chance.\"\n\n\"The Lord has commanded, Thou shalt not murder. You have murdered, and you shall suffer the penalty of the temporal authority: but if you go unrepentant to your God with your pride all unbroken, the penalty of the spiritual authority were a million times heavier.\"\n\n\"Then I'll go to the devil,\" he snarled, \"and meet her there.\"\n\nFather Patrick had too much worldly wisdom to speak, just then. He told his rosary in silence, and waited.\n\nAt last the young man spoke again. \"I'd kill him too, if I get the chance.\"\n\nThe good Father looked at him more closely. I was wrong, he thought. His body and his language are rough, but his eyes, blue and beautifully anguished, are very fine; as are his hands, strong yet graceful, and his long, shapely fingers. The fingers of an artist or a pianist. Yet--\n\n\"He was drenched in her blood. I had him pinned beneath me. He was defenseless. Not a shred of clothing on him. Naturally.\" The young man barked a laugh. \"I'd trust him with my life. And you know,\" he continued slowly, as if trying to find words to give expression to a formless thought that came all unexpected to him, \"you know, Father, if it came to my life, I could trust him, I think. He would lay down his life for me. And I for him.\"\n\n\"Was that why you did not kill him?\" Father Patrick probed.\n\nThe young man shook his head. \"It was not that. I wanted to kill him. I was about to kill him. But then I caught his eyes. He never even tried to defend himself. Almost like he wished it to happen. And I realised couldn't do it. Not to oblige him.\"\n\nHe fell silent once more, and for a long time. Father Patrick glanced at the window. No, not long.\n\n\"Are you in love with anyone, Father?\"\n\nThe question came so suddenly it caught the priest off guard. \"No,\" he said quickly.\n\nToo quickly, it seemed. The young man laughed. \"No, eh?\" he leered. \"Who is she, Father? A fat wench in the town's market square? A delicate lily of a sister in a nearby convent?\"\n\nSoft golden hair, said Father Patrick silently, large, solemn grey eyes, and skin as fair as alabaster, and a body slender and supple as a young willow. A voice purer and more beautiful than an angel's. Whose beauty was like the beauty of that boy who had made Plato compare love to the throbbing, fermenting pain in the gum of a teething child.\n\n\"I am here to shrive you of your sins,\" he said a little waspishly, \"not the other way.\"\n\nBut the young man had already lost interest. He did not want to talk about Father Patrick. He wanted to talk about himself. \"One way or another, Father, I've had a rough-ish time,\" he said. \"I was poor, I was hungry, my father beat me and when I grew to manhood the factory foreman took over. I lived the life of a brute beast. Then I met her, and... When she said yes she made me the happiest man in the world. My heart was full. Every day passed in a pageant of light and joy. I did not know it was possible to be so happy, Father. I did not know such happiness could exist.\"\n\n\"Deceitful are the joys of this world,\" Father Patrick muttered, \"and fleeting are its pleasures.\" But he muttered this in Latin, and in such a low tone, the young man carried on heedless:\n\n\"I don't understand. Renzo shared with me his last crumb of bread when we were both starving. When some kraut riddled my leg with bullets, he crawled over barbed wires in no-man's-land to drag me back to the trenches. He nursed me back from the brink of death when I caught the Spanish flu. And she once,\" he swallowed, \"she once told me, the autumn evening in the corn-fields when I took her away from the bastard drunkard of her stepfather, that I was the one spot of light in her life. Why would they, Father? I don't understand. Why?\"\n\n\"Perhaps they were in love,\" said Father Patrick before he could stop himself.\n\nThe young man froze. Every muscle on his bulk were bunched and tense. \"Perhaps they were in love,\" he breathed wonderingly. \"Nothing else can explain it.\"\n\nA soft knock sounded on the cell-door. Outside the window, rosy pink was breaking up the pre-dawn grey.\n\n\"Forgive them,\" tried Father Patrick one final time, as you hope the Lord to forgive you, was what he had meant to say, but what came out of his mouth was, \"for they know not what they do.\"\n\n\"I forgive them, Father,\" replied the young man. \n\n\"Now you are ready to receive Extreme Unction.\"", "In my formative years as a priest, I only remember one last rites that I gave. I was a priest for a small town in the lake district. It was the only town I ever lived in where time seemed to stand still. It was rural to say the least. It was a town where everything was made locally. The butter, the milk, even the clothes on your back were made by someone close by. \n\nThere was a young man in the town which had killed his wife. Almost uncommon in a town like that but common nonetheless. I was called and expected a violent and aggressive person. What I found was a man who was playing with his shoelaces. He had taken it off his shoes and started playing back and forth with them, folding them into a certain pattern. It was strangely hypnotic. \n\n\"I have come for your last rites\" I interjected his activity.\n\n\"Does that include a confession?\"\n\nI was taken aback slightly by him. He was soft spoken with a gentle feel to him. Not the brash or cold tone you would come to expect from murderers but rather an innocent tone. \n\n\"It does\"\n\nI stayed outside the bars, glaring down at him as he sat on the edge of his cell bed. \n\n\"Do you know what I do here?\" he said without looking up\n\n\"No, I don't even know your name\"\n\n\"Leonard. I'm a rope maker by trade\"\n\n\"A...rope maker?\"\n\n\"It's strange, its a small town and yet they need rope\"\n\n\"I suppose it is odd\"\n\n\"I didn't kill my wife.\"\n\n\"God can't forgive those who lie to themselves\"\n\n\"I don't need forgiveness for the sins I didn't commit\"\n\n\"What are you confessing then\"\n\n\"The rope I make is the same rope that they use to hang men and women and children - For that, i feel regret.\"\n\n\"That is not you fault\"\n\n\"If i never made the rope, then people would not be killed\"\n\n\"They would have found rope\"\n\n\"From another soul who would need forgiveness, but not me\"\n\nHe felt tortured by this. \n\n\"Why confess now?\" I asked, I had never heard anything through the confessional from the townspeople about it\n\n\"My wife was pregnant and we had lost the child a few weeks ago\"\n\n\"I'm sorry\"\n\n\"She used the rope that I made to end her life as well - When they came and investigated her suicide, I had become the first suspect. I'm going to hang for her death\" \n\nIt seemed belivable and I almost seemingly accepted his truth. However, it was not for me to judge who was a murderer and who was not, I was only there for spiritual council.\n\n\"Do you think god feels the same way, father?\"\n\n\"In what way?\"\n\n\"Does he regret the tools that mankind misuse to kill one another? The iron in the ground to make bullets, the chemicals the poison gas is made of and the fibers the rope is made out of\"\n\nI had no answer for him. \n\n\"God works in mysterious ways\"\n\n\"I think this is his way to stop me making anything at all. Lived by the rope, and I'll die by it too\"\n\nThey hung him a few hours later but I don't forget him. He had probably memorised every life his work had taken. If anything it reminded me every day of the consequences my actions had. How everyone is affected and how I should be careful about any that may hurt people." ]	3
	[WP] you live in an overpopulated world where you are killed on your 50th birthday to keep the population under control. you have one month left to live and you realise you wasted most of your life.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "One month left. I realized it a month ago during my routine to get ready for work. I work in a chemistry lab, so interesting, I know, but it might just save my life. I panicked, I knew death was at my doorstep, but there wasn't anything I could do...is what I thought at first. I came up with a brilliant idea: \"all living on Earth are subject to be killed on their 50th birthday to keep the population under control,\" the law reads. I started working, endlessly calculating, formulating, building. This will save my life. I finished construction just yesterday. It's 5 a.m. on my birthday, and I'm in the machine, waiting... The execution squad kicks down the door to my home - luckily, I'm in the garage. \"Show time,\" I whisper to myself. I hit the button: my home becomes a dot in the blink of an eye; within moments, I can see the contiguous U.S. outside the window. I have done it: my rocket ship works. With days' worth of supplies, I can relax, and after my birthday has passed, I'll return to Earth, immune to the law. After a few moments at peace, I hear a voice coming from a speaker, where it is, I don't know. \n\n\"You didn't think you could escape that easily, did you?\"\n\nThe pressure begins falling in the ship; I lose consciousness. At least I didn't go gentle into that good night." ]	2
	[WP] You all know them: that coworker who’s first in, last out, always with that smile. But now, when you’re working outside the normal hours... and they’re still there. Something’s not right...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I sat in the breakroom, the coffee still tasted like cardboard and the biscuits were still painfully stale. Why was I still here? Why do I still subject myself to this torture?\n\n\"Evening Sammy.\" Mike walked in, smug old Mike. His tucked short sleeve shirt, his neatly combed hair, his insidious smile. God, that smile. My dad used to tell me that two people you should never trust in this world were optometrists and optimists. Mike isn't an optometrist, but boy oh boy, is he an optimist. \"How's things?\"\n\n\"My soul is as black as this coffee.\" I rubbed my chin, feeling the day old stubble. I couldn't remember the last time I slept, or had a shower for that matter. I hate this job.\n\n\"Well that's just sounds grand, isn't it?\" Mike put a coin in the coffee machine, it whirred loudly for a moment, before the hot liquid began to pour out. The machine had to be at least twice my age. I don't know why management never upgraded. They drink the same stuff as everyone else, right? Mike sipped the coffee, he drank it like it was the most expensive drink in the world, despite the fact it came in a tiny cardboard cup. \"Still working on the financial report?\"\n\n\"Leave me alone.\" I took another sip, almost tempted to spit it in his smug face. What's his secret? How can he stomach the stuff?\n\n\"Alrighty then.\" He left the breakroom, likely returning to his cubicle just outside managements office. I swear he never moves from there. Always at that desk, always with that annoying smile on his face. He's got to be an alien or something, no human can pull off what he's doing.\n\nI sighed, beginning to make my way back to my cubicle. My cubicle, as far away from Mikes as humanly possible.\n\nThe office was quiet after hours, only the incessant hum of the heating remained. It was dark too, the floor lights had been switched off, but my small desk light still kept burning. A star in the night. I sat down in my chair, a cheap plastic wheelie that's almost become moulded to my backside. A pile of papers still sat in my 'in' tray. They represented the amount of work I needed to complete before I could finally take off from here. I wanted that holiday more than I wanted the money to pay for it.\n\n\"Hey Sammy,\" Mike appeared next to me, making me jump. \"Can I borrow your stapler again?\"\n\n\"Can't you use Karen's?\"\n\n\"Karen isn't here right now.\" He bluntly replied,\n\n\"She wouldn't know if you used it.\"\n\n\"Karen would know, she keeps her desk perfectly ordered.\"\n\n\"Then put it back exactly where you found it.\" I sighed, getting frustrated.\n\n\"Sam, I'm asking you. Can I please borrow your stapler?\"\n\n\"No.\" I firmly replied. Mike had a strange look on his face, his smile twitched for a moment. I could have sworn I saw something there, an emotion other than benign happiness.\n\n\"Alrighty then.\" He beamed, before disappearing back to his cubicle. I already regret pulling an all-nighter. Hang on, Mikes pulling an all-nighter too? How does that work? I swear he's never got anything in his in tray, the efficient little bastard. Whatever.\n\nI turned my computer screen back on, the washed-out crt spent a moment warming up before the image of my half-finished spreadsheet appeared.\n\n2:48AM. 18 minutes until the witching hour. They say the ghosts come out at 3 in the morning, at least, that's what my grandma said when she was found wandering in the street outside her house. I almost look forward to that, dementia. Slowly forgetting everything, not having to worry about finishing fucking spreadsheets.\n\n\"Hey Sammy,\" Mike appeared again, smiling. \"Just wondering if I can get you some more coffee?\"\n\n\"Go away.\" I didn't once look up from my screen, I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.\n\n\"Alrighty then.\" He disappeared, fading back into the darkness.\n\nI spent a good 15 minutes working away at that spreadsheet, copying numbers from one piece of paper onto another. Yearly finances, everything down by .13%. A slow decline that seems to be gradually getting worse. Its funny, you'd think the workload would grow less the further the business shrinks. Nope.\n\n2:58AM. 2 minutes to creepy cliche hour. For some reason that unnerved me. Strange, I'm not superstitious. Suppose its this place, the empty office.\n\n1 minute to 3. I found myself patiently watching the tiny digital clock in the bottom right corner of the screen, waiting to see what happens when that 9 turns into a 0.\n\nThe power went out. My computer died in an instant, so did my spreadsheet. I let out a scream of pain and frustration. 6 hours of work had just disappeared right in front of my eyes. I banged my head against the keyboard, finally broken. This was it, the last straw. I'm going home.\n\nI pocketed my stapler, to make sure Mike didn't get at it, then got up to leave. The office was completely dark now. No lights whatsoever. I stumbled around, bumping into the edges of cubicles. I began walking the familiar route to the entryway, counting the desks as I went. When I got to where the door should be, I found nothing but cubicles. I was lost. Lost in my office. What a terrible fate.\n\nI sighed, turning around to walk back to my desk. I had a reading light sitting in my stationary draw. Something I'd completely forgotten about until now.\n\nI stopped. I stopped dead, listening. The office had gone completely quiet now, not even the heating system could be heard. I could hear my heartbeat, hear my breath. It was too quiet. Carefully, I began walking back the same way I came, hoping to find my desk. I couldn't. I traced my path perfectly, but my desk wasn't there. In fact, no one's desk was there. It was a generic cubicle filled with neat stationary and a dated computer. No, it wasn't generic, it was Mikes desk. How did I do that? Arrive at Mikes? We are at opposite ends of the office.\n\nI was beginning to grow scared. My heartbeat quickened, a cold sweat formed on my forehead. Where the fuck am I?\n\nI heard something. In the distance, something moving. Footsteps. I panicked. I'm not alone. Wait, it had to be Mike. He was the only other guy here. He's probably just coming back to his desk.\n\n\"Mike?\" I called out, \"is that you?\"\n\nNo answer.\n\n\"Hello?\"\n\nThe footsteps grew nearer, a calm even pace. I felt terrified, like something unearthly was approaching me, something born of darkness and hatred, something that calls this place of unending cubicles its home.\n\nI felt the urge to run, the thing was almost in view now, I could make out its shape. The familiar white collared shirt, the neatly kept tie. It was mike.\n\n\"Oh Mike, it's you.\" I relaxed, relieved it wasn't a ghost.\n\nMike smiled at me.\n\n\"Do you know what's going on, the powers out.\"\n\nMike smiled at me.\n\n\"Mike, you ok?\" I was beginning to grow unnerved.\n\nMike smiled at me.\n\n\"Okay then. I'm just going to start moving away now.\" I began to walk backwards, but with each step back I took, he took one forward.\n\n\"Mike, this isn't funny. What are you playing at?\"\n\nMike smiled at me, taking another step forward.\n\n\"Mike, stop it.\" I reached into my pocket, feeling the cold hard metal of the stapler against my skin.\n\nMike took another step.\n\n\"Stay back!\" I whipped the stapler out, brandishing it like a sword, \"I'm armed and not afraid.\"\n\nMike took another step, I could smell him now, he reeked of freshly printed paper mixed with cheap coffee. Panic was building inside me, terror. That thing was not Mike, at least, not the real Mike. Was there even a real Mike?\n\n\"What are you?\" I shouted, waving the stapler. It slowly reached out with a cold, pale skinned hand to grab it. In an instant, I rushed at it, slamming the stapler into its forehead. Mike screamed, a large metal staple pinned his skin into a surprised expression. He didn't bleed, he just stumbled back, looked up at me, still smiling. No, he was bleeding, just not blood. It was coffee. Dark, lukewarm coffee.\n\nI raised the stapler to strike again, but it ran. I chased it. Following it as it ran past row after row of cubicles. It ran too fast, I quickly lost sight of it, and I was once again alone, alone in the office." ]	2
	[WP] As the walls of reality imperceptibly begin breaking down around your house, you find yourself with a strange power. Anything you say comes true.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Ain't that just the darndes thing?\" Bobby asked. \"I tell'd you I could get us a six pack of Coors just by sayin so.\"\n\nHis neighbor Jim-Bo was leaning on the kitchen counter in Bobby's trailer, his eyes big as a child's at a fair. \n\n\"I were sittin,\" Bobby said, \"thinkin about gettin a job - just gettin all tired like. When I said I could really go for a bowl a crumbled up pop-tarts and beer. Sombitch if it didn't fawl out of thin air into my lap.\"\n\n\"Your pants is still wet, too,\" Jim-Bo said, grasping the situation.\n\n\"It got my thinkin chair too! Sader about that than my pants. Hard to find a good thinkin chair.\"\n\n\"Well,\" Jim-bo said while grabbing a beer, \"now that you got cereal and beer, what else do you want?\"\n\nBobby sat down in his thinkin chair and looked at the familiar stain on the carpet. Jim-bo took a swig and watched the condensation find its way to the bottom of the can. Magic was real, boy-howdy, and anything was possible." ]	2
	[WP] When you created the universe and the lives, you liked the way people live and decided to be one of human beings. But you forgot that you were a god for a long time. You were an atheist, until your 25 th birthday as a human. You realized that you were the creator of the very world you hated.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "‘Well hate is a strong word; I don’t know if I’d go that far my dude. I find people pretty gross but I mean yeah, they’re okay, I did make them you know, so kinda my fault I guess. To be honest I’m just stoked that I’m God, like dude, who would have thought that just a regular bro from Socal would be like THE GOD of all the things man, that’s pretty nar. But I’m glad though, I can’t wait to help all these poor people and get them fresh water and clean the oceans and all that dude. You know what I mean?’ Todd said while leaning into the rim of the beachside bar.\n\n‘yeah, I totally catch your drift dude, like helping people is the way totally. Dude I once made a gofundme for this senorita who had her legs chewed off by a gaters, was so sad dude, we got her like $30 and it just set me up dude. I feel like a new person, like charity and all that dude, its worth it, for your soul’ Clay replied as he sipped on his bud light\n\n‘bro I know, I made your soul, oh yeah man that was a good one. Its def not enough to get you into heaven but I already have you a free pass because I know you’re a pretty calm dude’ Todd said\n\n‘oh, thanks bro, that’s nar, so like a get out of jail free card am I right?’\n\n‘yeah man you could like murder someone and I’d be chill with it just don’t go doing it too much though, okay my dude’\n\n‘Sick bro, thanks so much.’\n\n‘yeah bro, anyway, grab your board, I just sent a sick ass wave our way, should be like 30 seconds off’\n\n‘oh cool dude, wait what about helping all those people though bro’\n\n‘dude that can wait, grab your board, let’s go shred that nar’", "Who am I? The question clamored like a bell tower through my head. I was unable to shake of the full realization I arrived at this morning when I woke up on my twenty-fifth birthday. Or was it? \n\nWhy are there memories from before?\n\n\"Answer me!\" I screamed skywards. \"Who the fuck am I?\" I unleashed my pent up anger, my frustration, my powerlessness, to the uncaring balls of plasma hanging in the night sky. I waited for an answer... Fully expecting something to happen; a sign; a signal -- a falling star would do. Or maybe I hoped a mysterious apparration would appear with answers to all my questions. \n\nI waited. The silence gave no answers. The sky had only questions. I felt unsure about anything in this bleak world.\n\nI held my gaze locked to the night sky as if I could drag the answers out of those careless lights, bringing them down to Earth by sheer power of will. They twinkled, mocking me with their grandness, unreachable, zipping around their place in the heavens.\n\nThey are so free... Why am I not? I sulked down on my peak, huddling my knees between my arms to keep myself warm; to feel safe. But the loneliness pushed on me, encroaching, engulfing, invading. Every fiber of my being taken over by the emptiness of it all.\n\nWhy did I even come here? What was I thinking? I had climbed three-thousand feet to my father's observatorium in my search for answers. I thought a special place like this would be the place where something special would happen.\n\nBut alas, this world isn't special -- And neither am I. \n\nNot anymore.\n\n\"Why are you not answering me?\" My voice croaked. The stars twinkled silently. Uncaring about my despair, their creator. Their beauty that once filled me with wonder and awe left no impact on me in my current state of distraught. \"Please answer me.\" I whispered. The silence they left behind was deafening.\n\nThe worst part was that I knew the answer -- and I hated it.\n\n\"Why did I do this? Why was I so stupid to believe it would be fun to be human?\" I felt the heat of tears well under my eyes, anxiety I wasn't sure what to do with, rising in my core. I threw my head up to the sky and cried.\n\n\"I want to go back! This world doesn't want me!\" But the words were ignored by the darkness. \"take me back...\" The words fleeted in the wind.\n\nI wouldn't answer myself. I couldn't comprehend why I was so cruel to me. I huddled even closer to protect myself.\n\nOutside of my void I felt the wind pick up, a cold piercing breeze blew away the last remnants of warmth trapped beneath my shirt. The chill lingered on my bare skin, piercing down to my bones. I shivered. A carpet of boiling darkness approached, shrouding the lights of heaven -- A thunderstorm was rapidly approaching my peak.\n\nI watched as the first arc of plasma streaked down, ionizing the atmosphere, illuminating skyscrapers far below in a cold blue light. The bolt of plasma struck the highest tower in the city, superheating the metal construction.\n\n\"Good\" I muttered. \"That's one way to go home.\" I wished to end this dread more than anything. I wanted to stop feeling what I felt.\n\nI started waiting for my death.\n\nI heard the crunching of rocks as footsteps approached me from behind. A voice rung out through the dark. \"Thank God I found you. What are you doing out here? Are you mad? There's a storm coming!\" My father placed his hand on my shoulder, his warmth blazed my core. \"Come, let's get inside.\" He nudged me to come with him.\n\n\"Thank God I found you?\" I wheezed. Pushing back on the man.\"That's a bit ironic wouldn't you say?\" I heaved. My chest felt constricted. I wasn't sure how to explain it to him. How to continue. He'd think I was insane. \"Go away! Leave me be!\" I lashed out, trying to make him dissappear. It would be easier that way.\n\n\"No...\" His grip tightened under my words. Unwavering. He refused to give up on me. \n\nI shouldn't have come here. I should have known my father would come looking for me, of course he'd know where to find me; he knew me better than anyone -- Even me.\n\nI felt my jaw tighten as hot tears washed away the dust on my cheeks. Their heat burning with the pain I felt. I tried to stop them but had lost all control. His firm hand anchored me, guiding me through my emotions. I felt my anxiety, my pain, my distraught ebb away through our connection. He took it all in. Words were unneeded.\n\nI found myself crying freeer than ever before, rocking back and forth on the rough granite boulder underneath the night sky. My island in the sea of black. With my light beside me to guide the way through.\n\nI have no idea for how long I cried; a second, a minute, an hour. It felt endless and instantaneous. But my father stayed there with me for however long it took, sharing in my pain. Understanding my feelings as only a father could.\n\n\"Are you feeling better now?\" He asked. It felt like he understood my despair, even if he did not know of my turmoil within -- He did not need to know. He'd be there anyways -- no matter what.\n\nHe sat down besides me and threw his arm around my shoulder. We both stared down at the world I had created so long ago. A world I had believed brought naught but pain. An arc of light illuminated dark, rolling clouds drawing near. They boiled and stirred under the rising of the wind.\n\n\"Why does it hurt so much?\" I asked, sniffing. Wiping the tears of my cheeks. \"What's the point?\"\n\nHe fell silent. Pondering my question whilst overlooking the city lights below. Another arc illuminated the skies, streaking down the ground very close this time.\n\n\"I don't know.\" He spoke. \"I believe it's up to us to find out.\"\n\n\"But why do anything if it's going to end anyways?\"\n\nMy father fell silent again.\n\n\"Do you see that house over there?\" He pointed at a house seperated from society on the rolling hills, a lonely light in the dark. \"The man who lives there is all alone, his wife died of an illness twenty years ago, his kids all died in the war. But even still he lives on, honing his craft even to this day. I asked him the same question once.\"\n\n\"What did he say?\" I asked. Looking up at the stern face of my father, his features softened by the lights from the city below.\n\n\"He told me that if he believed that if he wasn't there to remember them there would have been no point to their existence. He doesn't believe their deaths were in vain. He told me if there such a thing as a God and it's God that took his family -- It was only to show him something.\"\n\n\"I'm so sorry.\" I felt guilt wash over me as if I killed his wife and kids singlehandedly. \"But isn't that horrible? Too cause so much pain and grief to someone so undeserving?\"\n\n\"I told him the same thing. What good could possibly come out of so much sorrow?\"\n\nThe lightning struck again. Closer, the rumbling of the thunder hit us like a wall a few seconds after the arc appeared. We staid put.\n\n\"So what did he say?\" I asked.\n\n\"It showed him how lucky he was to be with them in that moment of time. There is no such thing as beauty without ugliness. One cannot exist without the other.\"\n\nI did not know what to say to that.\n\n\"And I believe he was right. Sometimes life throws us the ugliest of curve balls, drenches us in the dark. But that darkness only makes the light shine brighter.\"\n\n\"But his wife and kids died. How can there be light in that?\"\n\nMy father sighed. \"I don't know. I don't have all the answers for you.\" Another arc hit the ground. \"But I'll tell you this. He is happy to have met them. Just as I am happy to have met you.\"\n\nI looked at the lonely light on the hill where the man who had lost everything lived. I felt the guilt wash away from me. He was happy.\n\nThe thunder struck again, the sound was deafening, the light flared the darkness away.\n\nBut we did not move to find shelter; we stayed right there. An unspoken agreement had formed between us to go where the other went. To go when the other went. My father did not want to abandon me; and I found that I did not want to abandon him. I felt happy knowing that.\n\nAnd that was enough." ]	3
	[WP] Finding a deep cave in the forest, you find an oddly illuminated hole at the bottom. Looking inside the hole, you see bright blue and a sea of clouds.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"It's getting late Charlie, where are you?\" I shouted out into the darkening forest, tinted orange by the setting sun. A distant bark called to me, telling me where my dog had gone. I ran off in the general direction that the bark had come from, eventually stumbling across a cave carved out of the cliff face. Charlie's barks echoed out of the cave, so I called again, \"Charlie? C'mon boy, time to go home.\" Charlie did not come out though, he just kept barking. With trepidation, I decided to walk into the cave to find him.\n\nThe cave was dry, and yet strangely cool. My footsteps echoed around me as I walked forwards. The darkness crept up on me as I walked further from the forest and the fading daylight. I kept calling out to Charlie, who responded with very excited barks, leading me through the barely lit cave. I turned a corner and there he was, looking up at me and wagging his tail. I gave him a quick pet and a brief hug, \"Charlie, let's go boy.\" Charlie pulled away from me though, and walked off further into the cave, clearly wanting me to follow. I obliged, wanting to get it over with quickly so that we could go home. We walk a bit further into the cave when I eventually see a faint glow. Curious of it, I walked further in, the glow getting brighter and clearer the closer I got.\n\nEventually, I found the source of the light; a hole in the cave wall, through which I could see a dazzlingly blue and bright scape, with a veritable ocean of fluffy white clouds below. I barely had a moment to take in the vastness of it all before Charlie jumped through the hole. I screamed and instinctively tried to grab him, but I missed and fell through the hole myself too.\n\nWe both fell. And fell. And fell.\n\nI oriented myself to look up, but I couldn't see any trace of the hole we'd fallen through, just the vast, empty blue. I reoriented myself to look downwards, at the swiftly approaching clouds, and wondered what was underneath them. \"Well, at least it'll be quick,\" I thought to myself, trying not to imagine what would happen to me.\n\nWe reached the clouds, blinding my vision with pure, intense white.\n\nA while later, I came to my senses. My hands were bound, and I was on a cart. Confused, I looked around, and another man sat opposite me started talking, \"Hey, you. You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Fell right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there...\"" ]	2
	[WP] Everyone is made by a different version of God and treated accordingly. Some spoil their creations, others are sadistic. Some reveal themselves, some don’t. Fights break out over creations, whether over jealousy, anger, or otherwise. You are currently the subject of a fight between gods.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Thunder rumbled as I entered the building, shaking the walls. I glanced up at the darkening sky, before I closed the doors.\n\nThere were hushed whispers amongst my colleagues, all turning silent when thunder rumbled over head. I didnt partake in their chatter, which seemed to make the thunder roar.\n\nI sat down at my desk, setting my paperwork on my desk. Turning my head, I saw eyes peering at me over the cubical. I sighed as I turned my head away.\n\n\"What do you want now Danny?\" I asked, hearing the squeaks of a chair.\n\n\"Are you hearing this thunder? It's totally crazy.\" The man named Danny spoke, leaning against my cubical wall. \n\n\"I hear it, but I don't really care.\" I responded, trying to focus on my computer startup. \n\n\"How could you not care? It's the rumble of Zeus himself! Whoever is being fought for is either the luckiest person alive, or a poor son of a bitch.\" \n\nI chose to ignore him. It's not that i didnt care about the gods or Goddesses, it was just that they didn't care for me. Or my family for that matter. You see, long before I was born, the Gods and Goddesses sort of forgot about my family. Or at least that what my family always said.\n\nAfter about 30 seconds of silence, I heard the squeaks of the chair next to my cubical. I smiled a little due to my silence.\n\nAbout three hours passed, and I decided to take a little break. The thunder never subsided, it just kept going and going. After awhile, it got pretty annoying. I even voiced my opinion on it, which got a snarky comment from Danny.\n\nI barely got into my break when I hear heels clacking on the floor. I turned my head, and saw the most gorgeous woman I ever seen. I mean, she was jaw dropping gorgeous, and she was walking right towards me.\n\nYou remember those old cartoons, when the character had their heart basically pumping out of theirchest, and they were howling like a wolf? Well that was basically me at that very moment.\n\nBut instead, I fumbled the paper work on my desk as I tried to act professional, thinking this was someone from corporate checking in on us.\n\n\"Miss. Howe?\" A voice asked.\n\nIf I wasnt sitting down then my knees would have buckled, just because of that voice. My eyelids grew heavy as I turned my chair around to face the woman. \n\n\"Y-Yes?\"\n\nHer smile was very contagious, as I found myself smiling back. But my smile was more of a goofy grin, the way I used to smile when I was high out of my mind during my teenage years.\n\nThe woman laughed which made me even more weak. \"Well aren't you just adorable?\" She asked, stepping closer to me, her hand coming up to caress my cheeck. I leaned into the touch, purring, which was something I didnt know I could do.\n\n\"You made some them really upset for ignoring them, you know that?\" Her voice was so smooth, and I hung onto each word like my life depended on it.\n\n\"You're going to have to come with me for I can protect you from them.\" Her voice got serious, and it scared me, which snapped me out of my haze.\n\n\"Who are you?\" I asked, placing my hand over her's.\n\nShe raised an eyebrow, as if the answer was obvious. She grabbed my hand and pulled me up from my desk. She turned towards Danny's cubical, which finally showed me the crowd that gathered. She smiled down at Danny andsaid, \"Tell your boss that Miss. Clarke Howe will be busy the next couple of weeks,\" she glanced at me and smiled, making a chill go up my spine, \"Or perhaps the next couple months.\"\n\nDanny nodded, eyes wide, glancing back and forth from the woman to me. \"Yes,\" Danny said after awhile, \"Yes, of course Aphrodite.\"" ]	2
	[WP] As a child you once discovered a place filled with books, empty save you and a wizened old man. He has told you it was called the Library. You had left and s you aged had assumed it was a normal library. Today the old man appeared and told you it was time to return.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Welcome Chris, to the magical library\"\n\nChris knew Maladar the wizard, he had to, he was a sex offender in every state in the country. He was legally required to visit every door in every neighborhood in every state just to introduce himself as 'Maladar the wizard'. He was known as a wizard for 2 reasons, 1. he wore a dirty poncho that was dyed blue and 2. he was a magician at children's parties....which the courts said he could not attend anymore.\n\nChris knew him before the Bath Salt phase which really tipped him over the edge. He was a normal IRS pencil pusher till he started using his 'magic wand' at his office. This is when HR said he was no longer allowed to cast his magic spells any longer and he subsequently changed careers. \n\nHe always felt pity for Maladar. He was just a normal guy in a state of constant uppers and downers. So, out of the kindness of his own heart, he would entertain Maladar's schemes and plans.\n\n\"This library is the magicalalist magic place\" He said with bloodshot eyes.\n\n\"Uh huh\" Chris said, humoring him as he led him to an abandoned Krispy Kreme.\n\n\"It was once a magical fried cake shop but now, there are books further than the eye can see\"\n\nChris laughed to himself, knowing full well Maladar couldn't see further than his own hand. \n\n\"I need to open this fireex 'it door\"\n\n\"The fire exit door?\"\n\n\"...With my magic wan-\"\n\n\"NOPE, JUST PUSH IT\"\n\n\"Afraid of magic are we? be afraid no further Chris of Ohio...\"\n\n\"I'm from Illinois..\"\n\n\"..For we are about embark on the greatest library in existence.\"\n\nHe pushed open the door open to reveal a pristene library.\n\n\"Woah...\" Chris said, stunned.\n\n\"Magicccccc\" Maladar said, flapping his poncho around in an attempt to appear mysterious.\n\n\"How did you do all of this?\"\n\nIt was a rustic looking library. Oak bookshelves, leather seats to sit and read, side lights, desks, books, a reception desk, It was incredible to look at.\n\n\"Magic\" Maladar said. \n\n\"No seriously, you live out of your car, how did you afford all this\"\n\n\"A magician never reveals his tricks\"\n\n\"You stole it all...\"\n\n\"Magiccccc\" Another flap of his poncho.\n\nIt didn't seem stolen, there was no ripping or tearing at the wood where it would have been prised from its holdings at the previous library. It may have actually been magic. Chris then looked further, at the books, but all he could find was magazines.\n\n\"Oh no..\" Chris muttered.\n\nHis fears were starting to be correct. This library, was not just a normal library. It was full of pornography.\n\n\"Magic porno!\" Maladar said, opening a centerfold and showing it to Chris.\n\n\"What the fuck...\" \n\n\"MAKING WANDS FINALLY RISE TO MY CAUSE\"\n\n\"You're a sick pervert, Mal.\"\n\n\"I have so many genres though\"\n\nChris left in a huff, annoyed at the belief that Maladar was genuine for one second. As the door shut behind him, Maladar slumped into the armchair and threw the magazine aside. He began to cry. Maladar could never truly reach other people as he wanted to. A desire to bring love and laughter had been thwarted by his inability to understand people. As hard as he tried, he was rejected. He started to clear the porn into bags and decided to try again, in the hopes that one day, someone would like him for him." ]	2
	[WP] In the furture, to become a time traveler, you must get a chip installed in your head that allows you to access all known history and language data so you can visit the past without altering history. You are about to get chipped and embark on your first mission.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Part 1: Tim\n\nThe machine scared him. The way it stood in the center of the cooling room, at least a hundred feet from each side. Hulking up from the pristine white surface, the black box created a pressure he could feel, like molasses pushing back on every hair. Tim was called the feeder. He would go into the cooling room once per day, bringing with him each time a cart full of hard drives that he wheeled so far up to the machine he could almost touch it. The machine would moan and roar like some terrible beast, before it's storage bay opened up, and Tim placed the hard drives in one by one. He never had to come back and collect them. They were incinerated by the machine after being processed, because the risk of a single one being smuggled outside of the facility was too great. Each one represented millions of hours, and hundreds of lifetimes of work and research. The first day on the job, Tim had loaded in the entire Library of Congress. He thought, after loading in so much data in just one day, that this project would be over soon. Three months later, he was still being given new hard drives every day. It seemed humanity knew a lot more than he presumed.\n\nAnd then, one day, there was no rack waiting for Tim outside of the cooling room. Instead, he was sent inside with nothing more than a small box, the type one might carry a ring in. The machine was silent, and had been since the previous night he was told. It opened a compartment Tim had never seen before, and inside was a small chip, no larger than a fingernail. It reflected the fluorescent light from above in all directions, and Tim could make out patterns so intricate he was sure his eyes were playing tricks on him. It was like looking into another world. He heard tapping on the glass behind him. It was his boss, the creator of the machine, telling him to hurry up. He grabbed the chip and placed it in the box, before turning back to the exit. Before he reached the door, the lights in the room turned off for the first time since he arrived at the facility, leaving the black box yawning in the pitch black behind him. He dashed inside and handed off the box to the creator. As a team of scientists escorted the chip off to god knows where, Tim wiped the sweat from his brow and headed home for the last time. \n\nPart 2: The Creator\n\n“All systems ready”\n\nThe loudspeaker in the amphitheater broadcasted a calm voice, betraying the unfettered nervousness of everyone else in the room. The chip which contained every knowable detail of every moment of human history was visible to everyone watching, suspended above the patient by invisible fiber optic threads. If the first expedition into the past was to succeed, the patient would have to know precisely how things were meant to go. The world was fragile enough already, and the right kind of time travel mishap could be the end of all things. The moon landing was peanuts compared to what was going on down there, and they all knew it. \n\nThe patient, soon to be the first of many, was the head scientist and conceiver of the Providence Project. Whether motivated by ego, curiosity, or insanity, he had agreed to the government’s terms on the condition that he be the first test subject. And so he lay on the stretcher below, knocked out on a cocktail of various drugs few people in the world knew the names of, and awaited his destiny. \n\nHis mind was dark. He sat in an infinite void, waiting. Waiting. An eternity passed, and then…\n\nEverything.\n\nEvery person, every moment in time. Every great man that ever lived, every artist and every thinker. Every explorer, dreamer, and lover that ever graced the world. He saw every moment of hope, and every sunrise. He saw civilization form, and humans spread across the world. He saw the human spirit weather every storm, and rise above the mud from which they were born. He saw every birth and every death, every life like dust in the wind. He saw death. He saw lives being traded like toys, and guns being placed to the heads of innocent men. He saw every betrayal, every lie, every mad king and every spiteful prince, every drop of poison and every ounce of lead. He saw the gears churning away in heat and noise, and he saw the misery it wrought. He saw the whole thing. He tried to scream, but could not.\n\nAnd from the unending madness, the creator of the chip opened his eyes. The scientists around him didn’t have enough time to react. He was up in an instant, and threw them to the ground. His memories of his own life were almost completely destroyed, but he remembered some details. He still knew, for one, where the firearms were kept in the facility. He had seen the dark underbelly of humanity and, with God as his witness, would see the end of it." ]	2
	[WP] Ever since you could remember, you could see ghosts. It wasn't until you were older that you learned they weren't ghosts at all, but time travelers.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I always considered myself a very lucky person. As a kid, I often got my skin saved by some coincidence. That's why I'm still here, actually. By pure luck, I was saved many times in my youth from unfortunate accidents. I was always told I'm lucky to be alive. My three older siblings died before the age of five, and so did my little brother\n\n.I was also lucky in a way no one knows. Ever since I remember myself, I saw abnormal things. countless men, dressed in weird clothes. I used to think those were some spirits or ghosts. It's no wonder where I got that from. I loved horror when I was a child. I had always begged my mother to read those stories to me at bedtime. She told me that ghosts haunt their killers after they die. The thing is, I stopped being a child, yet those men continued to appear. I still see them where ever I go, and I never understood who were they and where do they come from.\n\nI remember one time I met one of them. I was walking down the street- my home at the time. This time was a dark period in my life. The only thing that kept me going was the hope of a better future. \"It was at the turn of the century\", that's what I always told myself. I stopped at the city center and admired the view. I loved looking at the urban landscape. I used to draw things like that. Art was always a passion of mine, but it seemed the people around me think otherwise. my thinking was interrupted by a loud firing noise, and I saw a man at the source of the noise, holding a pistol. I quickly took cover. Did he aim for me? His gun was pointing at me. Well, if he did, how did he miss a non-moving target? and, most important of all, why? after a few shots, the firing stopped. The man had to reload, which gave time for people to fight him and disarm him. At that moment, I couldn't figure out why was he only aiming near me. I still remember seeing the ground near me suffer bullet after bullet.\n\nToday, I know why. I am sitting in my room, with my pistol near me. I keep thinking- was I doing the right thing? Was my mission just? It seems like I failed. The mission I was born to do is ruined. There seems to be no hope left for me. I hear explosions above the room. so many explosions. This was the city I wanted to protect, the people I wanted to protect. Above my head, countless people die, but it seems that was the routine for the last couple of years.\n\nI'm holding my pistol with my right-hand now. All I can think of are my mother's bedtime stories. \"If you ever kill someone, he will haunt you for the rest of your life\". She always had those little lessons at the end of every story. But not the people that were killed were the problem, it was the people that weren't killed, and their children. It seems they came back in time to end me. This means I lost. Those people live on, and I am nothing less than a failure. The people of Berlin will remember me always as a failure. I hold my pistol, shove it in my mouth, and pull the trigger." ]	2
	[WP] It's your first day at your new job of monitoring the Doomsday Clock. You come back from your lunch break to see that it's hit midnight	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I look up at the flashing screen, my mind recalling the similar experience of waking up to a blaring alarm blinding me in a dark bedroom. This time, however, the monitor screeched a loud alarm and blared red. When my eyes focused on the letters, and my tired mind processed the mind-boggling encryption that is the English language, I dropped my coffee. \n\nIt read, \"WARNING! MIDNIGHT IMMINENT!\" \n\nI rush to the desk and start slamming buttons as quickly as possible. I turn on the news to see the decimation, news helicopters are towering over the \"thing\" that is covered in a thick foggy blanket of building dust and rubble. I open body cams of officers and soldiers to six of my monitors. Right in the middle of London, something had landed. \n\nI remembered my training when \"Mr. Mr.\" as I knew him as [NAME REDACTED], said \"This machine has been tracking something for a long time. We aren't sure what, just yet, but as the clock counts down, the thing gets closer.\" My mind fills in the blanks.\n\n Surely this clock was tracking the ETA of an object from deep space. I saw the news replay the impact. I couldn't make out anything, other than the shape of the object. I glanced at the body cameras, as the dust was yet to settle. While I waited, I watched the clips. A square-- no, rectangular box had come into the upper atmosphere, undetectable to radar, unable to be tracked. I look as the shape remains consistent, despite the extreme heat of the atmosphere. As it landed, all that could be seen was the flames around the object. It didn't seem to slow down, so emergency crews will need time to descend the large crater in the ground. \n\nI wait hours, people coming to and fro from the scene. The dust settled, but I still could not see an exact image. Emergency crews descended into the crater, zipping down on ropes and with full tactical gear. Assault rifles, body armor, has masks with respirator backups and oxygen tanks, secondary weapons, and combat melee weapons. A group of six elite soldiers were ready for anything, and descended into the unknown, ready for the incomprehensible unknown. I watched the monitors, as I had replaced the previous camera feeds with the new squadron. \n\nThey reached the object, the whole world watching in equal fear and curiosity, and used tools to carve the earth from around it. It, indeed was mostly rectangular, and bore a familiar shape. The lights of a combat helmet shone near the top of the object. One of the men, [NAME REDACTED], poured water over it, clearing the dust. A noise was made from the machine, and a light turned on. \"POLICE BOX,\" said the lit up sign. \n\nWe would later find out that an otherworldly man lay dead on the inside. Truly, this was the end of humanity itself." ]	2

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