Split (1)

train · 199k rows

post_title stringlengths 8 314	comment_texts listlengths 1 74	num_stories int64 1 74
[WP] I helped out some fairies, and in thanks they gave me a bag of candy that never runs out. I just got back from the dentist, and…	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I dug a spot to bury a little fairy on my backyard. \nIts corpse was in a non-synthetic shopping bag. You could only see the budge of it's little face and its body. Probably its arms and legs were a little small to create a hump on the bag.\n\n\n\nI put its body delicately in the grave. After a bit of pondering I noticed the now empty bag to the side. It had been in many shapes and forms. When I first had it, another fairy told me it could contain limitless supply of what I want as long as I follow one rule.\n\n\nMy neighbor was watching me. The old lady is probably thinking I am burying my cat. She was sad crying on her window, just watching me. I waved at her, she waved kindheartedly and said something like my condolences, exaggerating her lip movements so I can read her lips, while putting her hand on her chest. She was a cat lady for sure. How would she react if she had known that this was not a cat, or who killed this fairy.\n\n\nFairies are not something supernatural to me anymore. I met them long ago when I was a kid. After a while they were quite fond of me. When it was against the rules for me to see them anymore, around age of 8, they asked me if I wanted a parting gift. I asked for a box of candies. They thought better than my child mind and instead gave me this gift to fulfill almost every desire I had.\n\n\nI could not risk anyone seeing this dead fairy of course. From up close it was definitely not a cat. I started putting the dirt back to the hole. As I raised up, I could not see my neighbor anymore. I should get back in I thought.\n\n\nI should get back in there and make sure we got this nasty fellow of yours this time, he said. A few hours ago Dr Gable, my dentist, was trying to perform a canal operation on me. I was not in pain other than the pain that is caused by my wide open jaw, for him to reach back of my teeth. There I got it, he exclaimed. I could feel the pain now, but also the sweat release of the ache that was there before.\n\n\nHe continued with the treatment, bleached the hole and filled it up. Before I get going, could I have my tooth, I asked. He joked about tooth fairies, of course. What are you going to do, give it to the fairies. I did not like the joke because I was 30 and tooth fairies were real.\n\n\nI was not in the mood. I don't know if he could read it in my face but suddenly he changed his posture and whispered. Did you see them too? \n\n\nBoy, I was not expecting that. He told me his story. When he was a kid, the same thing happened to him. Only there were no gifts. I told him my story and the gift, what I received from them. He wanted to see it and I showed him my wallet. It changes shape too you know. Whatever I want it to be. He asked, so if you can get infinite money, why are you living like a normal person. I replied there is a catch.\n\n\nI felt anxious, I should have been more careful hiding my secrets. Even though, we had a common history did not mean he would not get greedy.\n\n\nAre you gonna tell me or what? He asked furiously. Well, I said. If you use the magic bag very selfishly, strange things start to happen.\n\n\nBullshit! Give it to me.. He tried to grab the wallet out of my hand, but I held tight on to it. We started struggling for it. Well he had one of his sharp tools lying around and he reached for it. I imagined the wallet turning into a zap cane holder. Tased him but also myself by accident. I drifted off.\n\n\nTo be continued..", "It was a good day. I just got back from the dentist and I had no cavities. This had nothing to do with what I ate-- after all, I was eating a bag of candy every day-- and simply because I wasn't an idiot, or lazy. \n\nLong ago, when I was younger, I did have a cavity and it was the most painful thing in the world. It hurt very much. And I was young and pretty passive and didn't know I was supposed to mention that I didn't get enough novocaine. I tried raising my hand and doing other stuff, but I was very little and the dentist was very big, so I just had to deal with it. \n\nIt was a terrible experience, though, and to this day I avoid old white male doctors. However, it drilled in me (no pun intended) a desire to never go through that sort of experience again. So I learned everything I could about dental care. I started going to a dental hygienist every 2 months instead of every 3 or every 6, and I made sure to floss twice a day and brush my teeth three times a day. I got a night guard for when I slept to keep my teeth perfect even when I twisted and turned the rest of my body, and I always wash down my candy snacks with some celery, carrots, apples and so forth. I did a very quick mini-floss after each candy snack, too.\n\nWell, my dermatologist isn't so thrilled with how my skin is looking these days, and my regular doctors wants to me increase my exercise regimen and go on a diet, but my dentist... she has no complaints with me at all!", "\\[Sweet Introduction\\] \n\n\"I hope I'm not too late,\" Valentine sighed to herself as she walked out of the portal. She was glad to still see several dozens of students still arriving through various portals and headed towards the main building. She followed the closest group and noticed that two of the girls didn't seem to be part of the larger group. A short girl with almost neon orange hair, and a taller, lithe girl with blonde hair. They were walking slower than the rest and engaged with their own conversation. Throughout junior high, Valentine preferred to keep to herself; however, this school was different. The Nexus Academy promised every student was as Unique as she was, and she decided the night before to try and make friends. Valentine moved closer to the girl as they walked, then turned to her as they neared the school.\r \n \r \n\"Hi, you guys want some candy?\" Valentine asked. She offered an open red velvet pouch. The girls stopped walking while the rest of the kids moved on without them.\r \n \r \n\"Hi, sure!\" The orange-haired girl said. She eagerly reached her hand into the pouch.\r \n \r \n\"It's kind of early for candy...,\" the blonde girl said.\r \n \r \n\"I'm taking hers!\" the orange-haired girl said. Valentine nodded.\r \n \r \n\"I'm Valentine,\" she said.\r \n \r \n\"My name's Petunia, and she's Riot,\" the blonde girl introduced both of them as Riot pulled her hand out of the bag clutching a rainbow of sweets.\r \n \r \n\"Whoa! That's everything I wanted! Is it Unique?\" Riot asked as she looked over her spoils. Valentine shook her head.\r \n \r \n\"I don't think so; it doesn't have a number. I think it's just enchanted,\" she shrugged. \"When I was younger I helped out some fairies and they gave me this bag that never runs out,\" she said.\r \n \r \n\"Fairies!? That's so cool!\" Riot exclaimed.\r \n \r \n\"Oh wow, that sounds horrible for your teeth...,\" Petunia said. Her voice was low, almost like she didn't mean to say it aloud. Valentine smiled broad and showed Petunia her perfect white teeth.\r \n \r \n\"I literally just came from the dentist, I was worried about being late,\" she said. \"But, not a cavity in sight.\"\r \n \r \n\"Really?\" Petunia asked. She seemed interested and took a subconscious step forward. \"Even when you were younger you took care of your teeth?\" Valentine shook her head.\r \n \r \n\"Nah. But, you know, fairies gave it to me,\" she shrugged. \"It's magic candy. But, it's useful for my abilities too,\" she said, then put a hand on her chest. \"#27, el corazón.\"\r \n \r \n\"La calavera,\" Riot raised her hand to shoulder height to introduce herself, then she pointed at Petunia. \"La maceta,\" she said.\r \n \r \n\"What's your ability?\" Petunia asked. \"Mundo said el corazón is the most random Unique.\" Valentine nodded, then she reached into her candy bag. She pulled out a colorful, translucent gummy spider then held it on her palm in front of Riot and Petunia.\r \n \r \n\"I can do this,\" she said. The floppy, squiggly spider jumped up and landed on its eight legs in her palm. It crawled, perfectly spider like to the edge of her fingers towards Riot. Then, it jumped at her face. Petunia flinched in surprise but Riot opened her mouth and let it fall in. She closed her mouth and started chewing.\r \n \r \n\"That's so cool!\" Riot grinned as she chewed with her mouth open.\r \n \r \n\"Uh oh,\" Petunia spoke up. She was looking around them and Valentine looked up too. They were now the only students not in the school. \"Better get going,\" she said. She grabbed Riot's hand and pulled her towards the school. But, Riot waved at Valentine to follow them.\r \n \r \n\"C'mon! You need to stick close to us,\" she said. She raised the candy clutching hand. \"This won't last me until lunch.\"\n\n\r \n\\\\\\* \nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #1341 in a row. (Story #249 in year four.)." ]	4
[WP] The reaction of a major metropolitan city after it comes out that the unarmed black man that they killed was actually the local super hero out of costume	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "As the medical examiner pulled up to the scene, all he could think was \"Not another one.\". He had been to three scenes in the last month where the victim was a unarmed black man. It was getting to the point he might have to report the situation to the police chief. \n\nAs he got out of the car he could hear a shout of \"Carlos!\". He sighed and turned around to see the new rookie Mike running towards him. Mike ran up to him and said \" Carlos can you believe it? I got to see my first chase!!!\", Carlos said to him \" Please don't be so excited a man is dead. Also what have I said about calling me Carlos? It's Dr. Brooks or nothing.\". Mike looked a bit ashamed and admitted \" Yeah I probably shouldn't be so excited..... But you're not getting me to call you Dr. Brooks!\" he finished with enthusiasm. \n\nCarlos sighed and turned to examine the body. Two gunshot wounds to the torso and blunt force trauma to his forehead from when he fell. He was shot in the back. Carlos recorded his findings and looked over to see Officers Clark and Davis deep in conversation. \"Probably planning their alibi.\" Carlos thought bitterly. He started walking towards them only for Mike to come up to him. Carlos turned to him and asked \" What happened here? Why did they have to shoot him?\". Mike looked a bit surprised at the question and said a bit sheepishly \" I don't actually know why they had to shoot him, they made me stay in the car...but Clark said he had a gun!\". Carlos responded with \" Ok. Thanks for telling me. I'm going to talk to Clark and Davis.\" and sidestepped Mike and walked over to Clark and Davis.\n\nClark and Davis noticed Carlos almost immediately and quickly stopped talking. Carlos gave his report of the injuries and as he was leaving turned back to the officers and said with a sarcastic bite \" You know.. Mike told me the guy had a gun but I couldn't find it. Would you happen to know where it went?\". Davis retorted with \" Already went to Evidence. Standard operating procedure as you know.\". Carlos thought to himself \"Evidence? Yeah right it's probably at the bottom of a river by now if it ever even existed.\". Carlos walked away towards his car ignoring Mike trying to talk to him. As he left he hoped nothing like this would happen again, even though he knew it would.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\Time skip\\ \n\n&#x200B;\n\nA month later Carlos was driving to work, mildly worried. No one had seen the local superhero or his nemesis in a few weeks and this was usually around the time they had a fight that destroyed a city block or two. He wondered where Captain Lightning could be, as he usually made a few public appearances a month. As Carlos pulled up to work and stepped out, a portal opened beneath his feet and as he fell through he thought \" Well F\\\\\\*\"\n\n\\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nSorry it took me so long to write, school started and i was wrecked for weeks and didn't have time to write. Any constructive criticism is welcome! Part two will be posted later today or tomorrow!" ]	2
[WP] In a post-apocalyptic world, you're just trying to find a flower to give to your partner.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It is getting harder and harder to find anything out here in the wastelands. While the war to end all wars succeeded in ending all wars, it also wiped out the entire surface of the earth. Sara does not dare venture too far away from the home she and her sister Janson have dug out in the rubble. Their parents did just that in the beginning, promising to return with supplies. They never did. \n\nThey had been lucky to live close to a small creek. While the water had a strange smell and a weird tinge, at least it was enough to prolong their lives just a little longer. Now, the water has run dry, the cracked soil shows where the creek once was. The caustic rain had not come this season. Their meager collection of water is running low. Sara will need to make the trip despite Janson’s protests.\n\n“I won’t be too far. I’ll be back soon.”\n\n“That’s what Mom and Dad said,” Janson murmured to herself.\n\nThey had survived on the blood of vermin they caught in their primitive traps. Now, those vermin are not coming around. They must have literally used up everything in the area. It is almost time to move on. Not yet. Sara is not ready to leave where their house has stood so long ago. It was a place full of happy memories, something she wants to hold on to just a tad bit longer.\n\nSara decided to stick to the drying creek bed, going upstream towards the hill where theoretically, she would be able to find more water. Her previous optimism faded as she was met with more dirt the further she moved upstream. Right as she was about to give up, she noticed the ground getting softer under her feet. A part of her panicked at the sudden change, before she came upon a beautiful scene.\n\nIt was not much, just a few sunflowers swaying to the soft breeze. They came up to her chest. They must not have been here very long, although the radiation could have caused some growth acceleration. Sara grabbed one of the larger sunflowers. The seeds would keep them going for a little longer. She was about to pick a smaller one as a present for Janson, but stopped. No, that would not do. Better to let the young plant mature. \n\nThe sunflowers gave her hope. They would recover from this. They would survive.", "A Wrinkle in Time.\n\nI trip over a rock, falling down onto the grass.\n\nGhosts of Greenglass House.\n\nGiving up on the idea of walking, I turn over onto my back, staring up at the night sky.\n\nTurning back, Wilder plops down next to me.\n\nThe Story Seeker.\n\nThe sky is beautiful tonight, speckled with stars that look just like someone took a paintbrush and spattered the on.\n\nThe Milky Way is visible, just like every night. Sometimes I look up at it, completely entranced by all the stars. Memories of a time when the sky didn't look like this fill me with sadness and nostalgia.\n\nThe Golden Compass.\n\n\"Sometimes I forget,\" Wilder whispers, not wanting to break the spell. \"Sometimes I forget what the sky looked like without all the stars. What it looked like when we couldn't see them.\"\n\nThe Girl Who Drank the Moon.\n\n\"When I was younger,\" I whisper back, \"I had a telescope. It wasn't much use for a city kid, but one day, you probably remember, we had that huge blackout.\"\n\n\"Oh, yeah.\" The edges of Wilder's lips tug up. \"It was chaotic down there on the streets.\"\n\nI smile. \"I didn't go out the whole night. Instead, I looked up, through the telescope, and I saw all the stars. They looked just like this.\"\n\nCatching Fire.\n\n\"How much longer now?\" It's barely a whisper. I don't think either of us even want to know.\n\n\"Just five minutes.\"\n\nI spot a star, far far away, so far that it's nearly invisible. It's the first to explode, shattering the sky with a brilliant display of colors.\n\nAnd that's when I see it.\n\nA flower.\n\nThe Sound of Stars.\n\nA tulip. Our building grew tulips. We used to guess which would be the first color to bloom.\n\nThe petals have opened, reaching towards the sky, showing a beautiful yellow fading into red.\n\n\"Wilder?\"\n\n\"Yeah Cy?\"\n\n\"I think I see one.\" It's the first flower I've ever seen in years.\n\nI don't even have to explain what I see. Wilder knows what I'm talking about all the same.\n\nA Gift of Magic.\n\nAnother star goes supernova as the sky above us explodes.\n\nWilder and I run down the hill, holding hands. He laughs when I trip, but helps me back up all the same.\n\nThe grass is just slightly wet from last night's rain.\n\nWe reach the flower. It twists upwards towards the sun, the only tulip in sight. It stands out against the grass like the biggest tree in the park does. Always the one the kids climb on.\n\n\"It's so pretty. I forgot flowers could be this pretty.\"\n\nWhere the Sidewalk Ends.\n\n\"Should we pick it?\" The question hangs in the air, barely more than a whisper.\n\nI close my eyes, wondering. Imagining. \"No.\"\n\nWilder nods in agreement. \"It wouldn't be fair.\"\n\nMore and more stars supernova now, until the sky is bright enough that we can see each other again.\n\n\"It's so pretty.\" Wilder's voice wavers as he lets the tears fall down his face, untouched.\n\nWe lie down again, holding hands.\n\nThe tulip lays untouched between us as the stars supernova and the world explodes.\n\n\\\\\\*\n\nIf you liked that I have a new subreddit called r/wanderingalltheskies", "\"The sky is a beautiful radioactive green today,\" Assface said to himself. Unfortunately, Assface fell into irradiated sludge one fateful day, and now look's how you would expect someone with his nickname to look like…\n\nHe did have someone who didn't mind his face though, Linda. Though Assface was one of only a few men if you could call anyone who was still alive a man or woman and not a mutant. Good-looking had quite a different definition these days, in this new world.\n\nAssface heard from Linda and others about something called a flower, he had never seen one except a picture but he was determined to get a real one for Linda. He had only lived and seen his town \"Scrapheap\" but wanted to see the world!\n\nHe kissed Linda goodbye and slung his backpack on and went on his way. He walked and walked in the hot sun and came across many ruins of buildings, schools, hospitals, and more. Assface came across a beach, the sand had all turned into glass and he walked on it and made his way towards the green water. \n\nThe green water, full of radiation but lucky for Assface, being mutant, green water was not dangerous to him and in fact, pretty refreshing. He cupped his hands and took a sip, then he took another and another until finally his thirst was quenched. He walked away from the beach and back onto the ruined road which seemed endless.\n\nThe road carried on for hours and not a soul, human, animal, or mutant was in sight until…\"Grrr\" Assface turned around and he was looking at a dog, not sure what breed, it looked like many at this point. Assface cleared his throat and barked. The dog looked at him wide-eyed, aggression was suddenly turned into confusion. Assface spoke many languages, dog, cat, cow, and many other animal tongues too. \n\n\n\n\n\nThe dog opened his mouth to bark \"What are you?\" \n\nAssface laughed and barked back, \"Just a friendly mutant looking for a flower\"\n\n\"Flower?\" \n\n \"Yes, a flower! Do you know where I can find one?\"\n\n\"I have peed on many flowers in my time but I have not seen one for many years.\"\n\n\"Well then, I better be on my way. Bark well, my friend.\" \n\n\"Ummmm…do you have a can of dog food by any chance?\"\n\n\"No, just some jerky, I'm not sure what kind though…\" Assface said as he laughed.\n\n\nAssface gave the dog the jerky and the dog probably set a new record on how fast a dog can eat something. \"Thanks\" barked Dog and Assface walked away onto his journey to find a flower. He came across a mountain that's tip touched the clouds. He looked up in awe but thought a flower couldn't be up there and even though he had 3 feet, thought trying to climb that high would probably kill him. Assface suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed onto the floor unconscious. When he woke, he was staring at the night sky and beside him was the dog. \n\n\"My friend! What happened to you?\" Dog barked in concern.\n\n\"Sometimes this happens when I don't eat enough.\" Assface barked weakly.\n\n\"But you gave me your jerky…wait.\" Dog barked softly.\n\n\"Yes, I gave you my only food. You looked like you needed it\" Assface smiled. \n\nThe dog felt guilt and wanted to make this right. He ran off and started sniffing wildly, he had to find food for his new friend. He looked and looked and he couldn't see or smell anything until he came across a pond, he smelt a fish and something else which was familiar. He grinned and ran to the water, laid down near the edge of the pond, and waited for the fish to come closer. The fish, a big, ugly, grey fish came close to the dog and he bared his teeth ready. Suddenly the dog lunged and bit into the fish, killing it. He then came across that familiar scent and smiled, there it was.\n\n He ran back to his friend and was in a hurry. He came to Assface, at last, panting and with the fish in his mouth. He hoped Assface liked sushi because he couldn't start a fire. He placed the fish near Assface and he started slowly eating until it was just bones and he surprised Dog by even eating the bones too. \n\nAssface got up and smiled \"Thank you Dog, you saved my life and I will repay you one day I swear.\" \n\n\"Well, I guess you'll repay me twice then,\" Dog smirked as he barked. \n\nHe revealed a beautiful flower he had been hiding. Assface was shocked, finally, he had his flower after all this time. \n\n\"Dog, come with me to my village.\"\n\n\"I have nothing better to do\" Dog smirked and the two begin the long walk to the village." ]	4
[WP] You’ve just discovered that you are the long awaited chosen one! Which is unfortunate, since the evil warlord you have to defeat happens to be your mom…	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I woke up in a cradle. Which was odd because I was a thirty-two year old man.\n\nEmphasis on \"was\". I raised my hands to see two tiny baby arms, and it wasn't hard to put two and two together. \n\nI had died in that car crash.\n\nAnd now I was reincarnated, apparently with full memory of my past life, which I'm pretty sure isn't supposed to happen.\n\nWell whatever. I'm sure somewhere in the grand bureaucracy of the afterlife someone's losing their job over this, but that's not my problem.\n\nWhat is my problem is the transparent screen floating above me, and the adults panicking about it.\n\nThe screen appears to be some sort of status page. It displays my name (which is this world is apparently Albert Fisher. Not exactly the coolest name ever.) and stats.\n\nPredictably for an infant, my physical stats are minimal, however my Wisdom and Intelligence are very high. Presumably because I'm still mentally an adult.\n\nBelow that is lists skills. Completely empty except one passive.\n\n> Reincarnated vessel. You retain all memory of your previous life.\n\nYep. That explains it.\n\nI wonder for a moment if the reason the grown-ups in the room are freaking out is because their cute little baby is mentally a grown man.\n\nThen I realize that the status page is in English. And none of the grown-ups in the room are speaking English.\n\nAll the shouting and pointing and terror makes perfect sense now. They must think I'm some kind of demon baby, since my status page is written in a language they can't read.\n\nGiven that my ability to interact with the world is currently limited to flailing ineffectively and crying, I take the later option and start wailing. Hopefully one of these adults is my mother, and her motherly instincts will kick in and make her forget all about the whole demon baby thing.\n\nSure enough, as soon as the crying starts, the only woman in the room picks me up and starts consoling me. Then one of the men, an angry looking old guy, pries me from her arms, and dangles me by my feet while he shouts at the other two, who I assume are my parents.\n\nThis conversation would be a lot more interesting if I knew what anyone was saying.\n\nAfter a lot of incomprehensible shouting, the angry old man hands me to my father and leaves. Just when I finally think I'm in the clear, by father bundles me up and takes me outside. \n\nI can't see a thing from inside my bundle. All I can hear is heavy breathing, crunching vegetation, and eventually, running water.\n\nSo this is the part where I get drowned in the river. Hurray for middle ages superstition.\n\nI prepare to kiss my second life goodbye before it even starts, but then there's a scream, a sickening squelching noise, and then me and my father fall backwards.\n\nI hear talking. It sounds like a different language from the one the others were speaking, but again I can't understand a word of it. Then I'm lifted up, and the bundle is pulled away from my face. \n\nLooking down at me is a woman, but she's clearly not human. Her eyes have blacks instead of whites, and her skin and irises are both a pinkish red. Black horns extend from her forehead, spreading out before curling back inwards in a vague heart shape. She consoles me in a gentle, motherly voice, before shouting at someone I can't see in an authoritative tone.\n\nI still have no idea what's going on, but at the very least it doesn't look like I'm dying today. The woman starts bouncing me gently, and I fall asleep to the sounds of fire and weapons clashing." ]	2
[WP] After taking part in an experimental drug study to create super-soldiers, you start to develop abilities far beyond that of any human being. Only thing is... you were in the placebo group.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. 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Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "*PART ONE\n\nAs a kid, I was always that weirdo dressed in black that even the goths avoided because they said I gave them the creeps. Honestly, it suited me. Maybe I did like to pull apart butterflies and burn ants with magnifying glasses, but there were plenty of both of those in the world, so it could afford to entertain me in that way.\n\nAnd by sticking to butterflies and ants, (and the occasional stray animal that no one would miss) I was able to stay in school and keep my folks happy. That was all they wanted of me. To graduate.\n\nSchool bored me, but another interesting skill I developed back then was making paper planes that could land where I wanted them to go. With the right folds, blood could be drawn, and it was completely by accident.\n\nAt least, that’s what I told the school counsellor after I popped one too many people (or rather one person in particular) and complaints arose. Babies. Wah-wah.* The big tough football quarterback couldn’t handle a paper plane zotting him in the neck.\n\nI did freak the school counsellor out though, when she asked me how I would feel if someone stabbed me with a paper plane. Before I could stop myself, I reached across her desk, commandeered her letter opener (because for some stupid reason she still had one of those old things) and jammed it through my stretched-out hand with enough force to bend it as it struck the table on the other side. I never made a sound, even as I withdrew it and dropped the bent bloodied piece of metal onto her table with a clatter.\n\nYeah, I know. Young me shouldn’t have risen to her bait, but in my defence, she started it. And all I was doing was proving that if it had happened to me, I wouldn’t have run to the faculty crying.\n\nBesides, it wasn’t as bad as it looked. I knew what I was doing, and I missed everything vital, so by the time Mom was able to pick me up and take me to the doctors, it didn’t even need stitches.\n\nAgain, I got the, ‘You’re a very lucky young man’, speech which I utterly ignored.\n\nBut whatever the counsellor put in my school record, (or the doctor for that matter) Mom and Dad had people in military uniforms rocking up on our doorstep the day I turned seventeen, trying to recruit me.\n\nI say trying, because my Dad’s a sitting high court judge, so good luck trying to persuade him into letting his only son leave high school before graduating.\n\nI joined the military fifteen months later, the day after I graduated.\n\nIt turned out paper planes weren’t the only things I was good at lining up. Right off the bat, I was detoured away from regular training streams and into the more … specialised ones. Specifically, the one that made living problems go away.\n\nFor six years, my record was exemplary, not that I really cared much about that. I liked what I did. The only time I felt alive, was when I was stopping something else from sharing that with me. And I never failed. To me, it was an insult that they had been given an expiration date and lived beyond it.\n\nMy handler then came to me with an idea of making me even better than I already was. Of making me ‘super’.\n\nI’d heard of the program. In the circles I ran in, secrets were really hard to come by. For the life of me, I can’t remember what I was told that made me volunteer for the program, but here I was, lying in a room with eleven other soldiers. Eight men. Four women. We were given numbers, so as not to fraternise with the other subjects. I was Twelve. We’d all been given the serum.\n\nThe serum that made us more powerful.\n\nJust like those early days at school, I sat back and watched what happened to the others.\n\nIt wasn’t pretty.\n\nThree dissolved right in front of us. Literally. Like someone had dumped him in a vat of acid, and then that acid ate through the bed and into the steel floor below.\n\nSix grew an extra set of arms, but the pain of doing so had him pick up his bed and hurl it the length of the room. His head whipped from side to side but stilled when his crazed vision landed on me. As he took one lumbering step forward, he was hit with so much ranged sedation that he looked like a hedgehog when he keeled forward. At least a dozen tranqs were sticking up out of his back.\n\nAfter those two, things settled down. Four and Seven grew restless, but that was more due to boredom since they were active combat operatives. Not like me. I could sit in a tree for a week waiting for my target. This was a vacation.\n\nOvernight Ten started screaming in the bed next to me, and even in the darkness, I could make out the sharpening of her teeth and the reptilian shift in her eyes. Her tongue came out in a forked hiss and she crawled up, her nose twitching as she scented the air, ready to pounce on the nearest person she found.\n\nMe.\n\nFuck!\n\nShe lunged across the bed, capturing me around the shoulders. I rolled with her, jamming my forearm into mouth rather than risk something more vital being bitten. Not gonna lie, with pointy eel-like teeth that hurt a fuck-tonne more than the letter opener in high school. But I was focused on survival.\n\nNo, screw that. I was focused on putting this bitch down. She’d hurt me.\n\nThe room’s lights came on and I heard the doors bang open at the other end of the room and orders were issued for us to stand down, but I was in the zone by then, and with one hand behind her head I used the one in her mouth for leverage and jerked it hard to the side.\n\nThe crunch of her spine under my weight was all I needed to hear, even as she went limp in my arms.\n\nWe were hauled apart and I held up my hands in surrender, not that the guards were particularly interested in my innocence. I was slammed back onto my bed and cuffed hand and foot, but I still didn’t resist. Blood was drawn, saliva samples around my arm were taken, and then I was sedated. No explanation … not that I was expecting one.\n\nI welcomed the darkness. It had been my best friend for years.\n\n(...to be cont)", "I knew that I shouldn’t have developed these abilities. I knew I wasn’t supposed to know, but when you overhear your name in the placebo group that tends to happen. Not sure why there was one for this, but hey, at least I’m getting something harmless! Right?\n\nWrong.\n\nFour days after the first dose, I realized I had a lot more energy. That, and I seemed to be losing some weight (I’m a little chubby, so what?!). I just chalked it up to the exercise we were all doing! Even my blood tests came back clean (again, overheard. Apparently either walls are really thin, they’re voices are just too loud, or they don’t care because it won’t affect the end result). \n\nA week after the first dose, I realized my weights were getting lighter. Again, chalked it up to the intense exercising. Maybe I’m one of those easy bulkers or something like that?\n\nTwo weeks after my first dose I have to start faking it while trying not to panic. And by it, not showing signs of any changes. As in my strength doubling and my speed tripling. Starting to get serious abs (thank heaven for loose t-shirts!), and really losing that chubby fat. \n\nGet my second ‘dose’ fifteen days after my first and I’m wondering if I’m not actually in the placebo group. Those once heavy weights are like feathers and I really, really need to be careful of my grip. Almost got caught in a fit of anger. \n\nOn a side note, at least my personality is still the same! \n\nI always scrub the room I’m in when I enter and quadruple check for cameras in the room. While I don’t find any, especially in the bathroom, I still play it safe and remove everything in the shower (including shower head), close the curtains, and change/look at myself in there. There’s not much change on the outside, other than the abs and the loss of fat, though I have bulked up a bit. Thankfully not rock hard, but I know it’s muscles and not fat. But watching my body change when it shouldn’t is… frightening. \n\nFour weeks since my first dose, 13 days since my second, my physical came back - thankfully!! - normal. Nothing abnormal (they actually chalked up the loss of fat and muscle growth with the constant exercise!) and my blood tests were all clean! Well, calcium levels are always a little high, but I tend to drink a lot of milk. I prefer milk over soda, sue me!\n\nTwo months since my second dose (I’m not going to count the time since the first), and… I’m free to go! Apparently I don’t need to stick around for the third dose because nothing happened to me! It was really hard not to show my relief as I was told that and simply nodded, accepted that I wouldn’t become like Captain America or akin to Wonder Woman, and left. With my fat paycheque for participation of course! (What, university is expensive!)\n\nThe second I got home I searched for cameras (even though I live with my parents - housing prices are in the millions because the government won’t put a lid on it!) before holing myself up in my room after reuniting with my family. I powered off all my electronics and proceeded to have a major contained freak out. I could easily lift my bed with two fingers and I was practically buzzing with energy. Energy and strength I should not have because I was in the placebo group, as in no serum! \n\nOf course the thoughts I suppressed during my three months came surging forwards. Maybe they mixed up my dose with someone else’s? Or they let us ‘subjects’ overhear that we were in the placebo group to see if it was affected by our mentality? Like get the shot, get bulked because you believe you’re going to get ripped? Maybe it was a failed thing but they wanted us to bulk up to show that it actually worked when it was really just normal exercise? But then why and how did I get so strong so fast?! But I was grateful that I kept my trap shut and faked what I could; I’ve read enough horror stories of ‘subjects’ being ‘examined’ because they’re showing extremely different results from the rest of their group. \n\nI stayed in my room the next few days, all tech off and making sure that I wasn’t getting stronger while silently praying it would go away. Eating unhealthy to try and put weight on. Just something to go back to ‘normal’. \n\nOne year after I was let go, and I’m grateful I kept my trap shut and faked it. News broke about how someone else in the placebo group bulked up but also came back clean on tests. However this poor soul didn’t know that he was in the placebo group and was excited that it worked on him, and bragged about out. \n\nNow he’s filing legal action for being held against his will, experimented on, and almost killed when he resisted. Thankfully he escaped (they underestimated his strength) and was able to alert the media. \n\nYes, I did read the fine print: there was nothing there where I would agree to be experimented on other than getting the shots, the blood tests and the physicals. None of which included it being forced, if you know what I mean. \n\nBut now I’m scared that the company and government will go over the other placebo files and ‘check’ other subjects i.e. me. Hopefully keeping a low profile while hiding out at my grandparents (with all gps on my devices permanently turned off along with a strong VPN) up north will help? Never been more thankful for a global pandemic forcing everyone online. Of course being up here I can test my strength in the woods; I’m so fast! I haven’t timed it but I can cross the property in a minute instead of two hours! I can jump twenty feet in the air, without a running start! I can easily lift several large boulders without a sweat! And no matter what junk I eat, I can’t gain any fat! It’s like I’m a living reactor like the Hulk, only without the gamma radiation and extreme temper! My vision is now 1,000/20 and I can hear a cricket five miles away with focus (really annoying though, so I keep my headphones on with low music. Thankfully, I can ‘control’ my hearing with focus). My brain also processes information faster, which was kind of a little scary to develop six months after the first dose, but has proven useful. \n\nHopefully, this’ll either all blow over and be forgotten, or shut down, or something that-\n\nI looked up at hearing a knock, and stiffened hearing one of the sergeants’ voices. He had been from the program…\n\nOh my god!! They found me!! What do I do what do I-?!\n\nI grab my things, turn off my stuff, and hide under the bed while listening. Please please please please please go away!\n\n”No, she’s not here.” My grandpa says. ”And even if she was, after what you did to that poor boy, I wouldn’t tell you!”\n\n”I’m on the phone with the local sheriff!” My grandmother adds, sounding a little scared; not that I blame her. ”Get off our property!!”\n\n”Sir, ma’am, we need to talk with her-”\n\n”Do you not know the word no?!” My grandpa almost shouts. ”I don’t care! Get off my property!” \n\nI covered my ears to try and ignore the exchange, but my sensitive hearing prevents that. \n\n”All we need is a blood sample-!” A new voice interjects, probably one of the scientists, but grandpa cuts him off with some colourful words. \n\nEventually they leave, and I have to hide for a few days while using my grandma’s old laptop for classes - after she installs a VPN on it. It’s truly a terrifying time, and every night I pray for this to be over. \n\nAnd wish that I hadn’t been in the placebo group. \n\nTo be continued…?", "\"I feel it. I can feel it. This is what super powers feel like, huh? Oh my god.\"\n\n\"What are you serious?\" The researcher checked his chart, flipping pages as he checked his records.\n\n\"I'm stronger now. Look at this.\" The soldier turned and grabbed a twenty gallon tank of gas. He lifted it over his head with one hand. \"See? Do you see how strong I've become?\" He threw the tank aside.\n\n\"Wow, he is stronger, isn't he?\" The project leader gushed. \"This is it. Our first super soldier.\"\n\n\"Um, that tank only had a gallon in it,\" the researcher pointed out.\n\n\"See how strong I am!\" The excited soldier rushed over to the nearest brick wall and punched his fist through it. \"I'm like Captain America! Oh shit. This is the dream.\"\n\n\"Such power,\" the project leader cheered with glowing eyes.\n\n\"That was sheet rock with brick patterned wall paper, Sir.\"\n\n\"And I can fly too.\" The soldier ran over to the balcony and leapt off, falling immediately after.\n\n\"He can fly? I didn't know that was a possibility too.\" The project leader rushed to the balcony rail with the researcher and stared down on the bloody mess below.\n\n\"It wasn't.\"\n\n\"Oh.\" With a sigh of defeat, the project leader slowly paces over to the weapon rack to take down a rifle. The other test subjects eye it with dread. \"But they are bullet proof, right?\" The test subjects flee as the leader opens fire.\n\n\"No,\" the researcher sighs out in frustration. \"This was the placebo group.\"", "First it had only been a massive increase in strength. Nothing that wasn't already expected, but soon I began having \"assumptions\" that almost always turn into fact. I would \"assume\" a cup would fall and then it would, only a few seconds later. Upon further measurement I realized my precognition seemed to be limited to only three to four seconds into the future. I initially passed it off as just a trick of the mind but this idea went flying out the window after I sparred with Helena, another soldier in the program. Her \"treatment\" was meant to enhance speed and agility. Really cliche I know and even she was cynical about her training being oriented in that way, but it was undeniable that she was the fastest fighter around the base. She could throw a punch that could dent a humvee door in the time it took you to even start to blink and she could do this for hours if asked to.\n\nThat day I remember as vividly as if it were yesterday. I'll spare you the details of the time leading up to my sparring session with Helena as the day was normal up to that point. When I stepped into the ring she offered her glove and I tapped and nodded signalling I was ready.\n\nAt first all her blows landed, the assault was brutal and faster than any normal human could possibly respond to even if they were trained. It was only for the first round though, when the bell rang again she closed the gap between us in the blink of an eye but this time I listened to my head.\n\nLeft jab, full speed, aimed at my chin\n\nI ducked well before it got close.\n\nRight straight, cheek shot\n\nI backstepped.\n\nLeft leg sweep\n\nI backstepped again.\n\nThe fight went on like this for much longer than I anticipated and I saw Helena catch on to what was happening as a small smile crept onto her face, she was entertained for once.\n\nThen she did something that only someone as clever as her could pull off.\n\nRight hook\n\nI went to dodge and a left hook smashed into the side of my head and I went spinning onto the mat. I was justifiably stunned but then I put two and two together. Helena had altered her intention the split second it took for me to recognize her initial one. Now I thought knew how my ability worked at least, it read all the stimuli/factors in an area and used these factors to predict what was gonna happen to whatever I was paying attention to, but if the factors were suddenly changed then it was as useless as a screwdriver in a gunfight.\n\nI didn't have much time to elaborate on this at the time though, as a barrage of blows pushed me into the corner where I promptly tapped out. Just as fast as it had started it stopped and in my brutal assailant's place was a fairly kind person checking to see if \"I'd croaked\". I was fine but very surprised and rather stunned at how quickly she adapted.\n\n\"Bloody hell man that was impressive.\"\n\nHelena sounded genuine so I accepted the compliment just as respectfully.\n\n\"Yeah it sorta just showed up a few days ago, I guess you were the stress test.\"\n\nAt this she laughed.\n\n\"Some stress test! You got your ass handed to you. Can't blame you for asking me though, none of the other folks coulda hit you for sure. You do know why I'm impressed right? Like, just making sure...\"\n\n\"Is it.. not because I can tell the future?\"\n\n\"Not at all, I mean that's impressive, but you weren't even given the real drug.\"\n\nMy eyes almost popped out of my skull at this and before I could get out anything resembling a full sentence Helena was walking away. I sputtered a few more times, vainly trying to make sense of what she just told me and promptly gave up.\n\nThat night I paced my room for far longer than I should have, racking my brain for any possible explanation.\n\nWas the brain more powerful than humanity previously thought?\n\nWas I special?\n\nHow powerful could placebos be at their best?\n\nI couldn't stop with the questions and eventually I passed out from exhaustion.\n\n The following day I reported my findings to the lead researcher, an incredibly tall and thin man named Havel. He raised an eyebrow at first but as soon as I showed him the ability in action three times his face lit up. He started jumping around like a little kid, even almost squealing like one too. He was so happy and impressed that he put off any tests for a week so that I could get some rest and/or practice with it so that the tests could be more conclusive. Anyways that's my only Interesting story from the last two months or so. Hope you found it entertaining.", "A rat will drown in 15 minutes. A man didn't like rats and he drowned a lot of them. He found out. 15 minutes. On average. But then he took rats out at 12 minutes and dried them off and let them rest. And that rat-hating man threw them back in. They all drowned. But they lasted hours. Some lasted days.\n\nMy legs are burning. There's a stitch in my side. I ignore them and think about rats instead. I think about rats a lot. I'm hanging by a wire about 200 meters above the bunker exit. Proximity alarms would spoil any closer spot. Down is a fast direction to go. And so my legs burn. \n\nBut I can more than 15 minutes. Because I got some pills. They would make us stronger. Faster. See in the dark. Swim like a fish. Give us focus and clarity. Special little super soldiers with burning legs. They were liars and cheats and evil men and women and they were completely right. Weeks and months they fed us those pills and tested us like lab rats. Burning little rats. They played with the test equipment. They must have. Liars. Nobody has those sorts of gains. Not without something. And they gave us nothing. Like the nothing in my side that doesn't hurt. Not at all. It's nothing. \n\nThose liars and cheats sent us out to die. Their super-soldiers tested in the field. Hundreds of us. It was a strike on a poor undeveloped nation that didn't have a prayer. They lied about them too. And so we tore into them like monsters. We burned them and their legs oh god the burning. But that doesn't matter. Because we found out about the lies. The favorite sons with their special pills and their juiced drinks. The real test. The rest of us? Left to die. They didn't care if we lived. They hoped we would die out there, just to show how special their little soldiers were. Control group. Unmoddified. Typical grunt. We read that in their sales pitch afterwards. We weren't supposed to excel. We weren't supposed to come out of that hellscape. We weren't supposed to find out. \n\nJust like how I was never meant to drop 200 meters on an inverted rappel line with a knife. Just like how staff aren't supposed to take smoke breaks out the back door. It's not \"according the the mission plan\". Sticking the landing into the smoker's neck was part of my mission plan. The real trick was catching the door before it closed. The alarms are going off. But feeling comes back into my legs as I walk down the hallway to those liars with their pills.", "\"Alright. Now I want you to punch this with as much force as you can muster.\" said the proctor. It was a 10 foot cement block. I punched through 5 feet of it without even getting a scratch. The proctor's eyes bulged out of her head. \n \n\"So....am I becoming a super soldier?\" She had to regain her composure. \"Why, um...possibly. It looks like the drug may be becoming effective.\" She said through ruffling through different papers. It looked like she was comparing notes. \n \nShe looked at her left sheet, then the right, then left again. She motioned for the other guys to come over and reset my station. They had been testing me for 2 weeks straight trying to figure out if the serum they gave me would turn me into a super-solider. To me, it appeared to be working. \n\nThe station got reset with another cement block that was 15 feet in length this time. \"This time, don't stop, just keep driving your arm through it.\" So I did. I stopped initially at 7 feet, then continued at about 1 foot and went right through the whole 15 feet. She didn't even flinch. \"That will be enough. You may go back to your quarters.\" She motioned for the cleanup crew.\n\nI walked back to my quarters and thought about the awesome news. The serum was working! I was turning into a super-soldier! Pity that I would only be with other super-soldiers when I used it and because of it, my powers would seem more...normal. But eh, details. I got a bottle of water and prepared to dig into a prepared dinner when 6 army guys burst through my door. I had to count them, I was in such disbelief. \n \nThey had their guns on me and the proctor walked through. \"Men, lower your weapons for the time being, he's unarmed. However, you still know what to do...\" they lowered their weapons. I said \"You do realize you're the ones that gave me the serum right? I had nothing to do with the enhanced abilities.\" She smiled. \n \n\"That's the exact issue. We didn't give you a serum. We gave you, essentially, a modified fruit gushers. Your powers, whatever they are, wherever they're coming from, aren't from us.\" she said. \"Hence the...increased security at the moment. We don't know what else you'll do or develop...yet.\" \n \nI was in disbelief again. \"That can't be right. You gave me serums with higher doses hoping I would develop them at higher doses. Looks like you may have been right...\"\n \nThe proctor continued. \"We weren't giving you higher doses of the serum, we were giving you multiple different drugs to try and induce a coma. The coma failed and at one point, we tried some of the legitimate serums that were working on different people. Those failed as well. I don't know what your body is capable of but it resists drugs and enhancements at an exceedingly high rate.\"\n \nAfter hearing all this, I just sat down. I was still slightly hungry so I took a bite of my meal. \"So what now I asked?\" while continuing to eat. \n \n\"Now...\" she held out a small white pill. \"We see what you're capable of.\"", "Amy's arms and chest burned with effort, but she pushed the feeling to the back of her mind. She had to finish her set. Mostly to spite the others. She was the only woman in the group, and she would be damned if she did not represent her gender well.\n\nShe successfully finished the set and returned the bar to its resting place. It did so with a metallic clang that rivaled cannon fire. She sat up and toweled herself off as an assessor came to her.\n\n\"Lt. Wineman, progress.\" The man said.\n\n\"Just finished my set with five tons.\" She said.\n\n\"Impressive. A 5% increase over last week.\" He said. Amy caught a flutter in his voice and a look of concern flash across his face. \"Current condition?\"\n\n\"Right now, a bit tired, but that won't last. I've been recovering a lot faster lately. A few minutes and I'll be ready for the next workout.\"\n\n\"I...see. Any other changes?\"\n\n\"A bunch, yeah. My senses have gotten sharper, my skin is a lot tougher, and, well, a bunch of things. Guess you'll be testing those too, huh?\"\n\n\"Indeed.\"\n\n\"So, am I going to need another dose of those super pills soon?\"\n\n\"No, Lieutenant, I don't think that will be necessary. Your progress is sufficient with the dose you've received.\"\n\n\"Really? Because I heard a few of the guys talking, saying they got their third pill already.\"\n\n\"That was required for them. You have shown no need of the extra pill.\"\n\nAmy could smell the lie. Her new olfactory sense made it clear as day. But why lie? She had been progressing a lot faster than the others sure, but that only meant another super pill would speed it up, right? There was something she was missing.\n\nShe shrugged, giving no indication that she suspected something. \"Fine. Guess I'll make it work with what I was given.\"\n\n\"Of course. Please proceed with your daily exercises, Lt. Wineman.\"\n\nShe stood and grabbed a set of half-ton dumbbells and began curling them. The assessor made a few notes on his clipboard and moved on to the group of men who were working out in another part of the gym.\n\nAs the small man conducted the assessment of the others, Amy's enhanced hearing kicked in. She heard every word they said. They gave their current lifts, and all the changes they had been going through. They were just as strong as she was, but she had been improving faster, and they did not seem to have the sensory improvements she had. That was weird. Why was she developing in way they were not? It made no sense. They were getting the same stuff she was, so they should be chang in the same way, right?\n\nMaybe her gender was a factor? She knew other women had gotten the first pill, but she was the only one to respond to it. That had not been too surprising, considering how few people had been effected by it. But everyone always seemed so surprised she was there.\n\nA new man entered the room. Amy recognized him as one of the project leaders. He went over to the assessor, and the two went to a corner to talk. Amy could still hear them though.\n\n\"Well, how are they doing?\" The doctor asked.\n\n\"All above expectations. The third dose has had a notable increase to growth rates.\"\n\n\"Good. And what about the anomaly?\"\n\n\"She continues to surpass all expectations. I anticipate she will surpass the others in under a month.\" \n\n\"I see.\" Amy noted he did not sound happy.\n\n\"Sir, there's more.\"\n\n\"She's developing other abilities. Abilities the others aren't. She might begin to suspect she was in the control group.\"\n\nAmy froze. The control group? That meant all her pill were placebos? How was that possible? She had been a normal woman before taking the pill. Now she could bench press a car. \n\n\"Prevent that from happening.\" The doctor said. \"We cannot afford to lose her. She might have the key to improving the formula.\"\n\n\"And what if she does, sir? She might become unruly.\"\n\nThe doctor thought for a moment. \"If she does, we'll have to terminate her. We'll still be able to use her DNA if she dies, although I would prefer to keep her alive and in good condition.\"\n\n\"Yes, sir.\"\n\n\"I'll take the report in my office when it's written.\"\n\nThe doctor left. Amy forced herself to resume her workout. Terminate her? The control group? Her mind was racing. She needed to know more. More about herself. More about the program. More about everything. She would do as much info gathering as she could. \n\nAnd if she found something she did not like? Well, in that case she would need to be stronger. Strong enough that they could not stop her from doing whatever she needed to.\n\nAmy set her weights down and grabbed a pair of 1,500 pound weights. She would be stronger. And she would get answers." ]	8
[WP] In a world otherwise much like our own, people have special abilities not unlike video game mechanics--seeing dialogue options, special vision to locate useful items, being able to gain extra lives, and much, much more!	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\\[AlterNet Class\\]\n\nAlvin paused for a moment when he stepped in the classroom. There were only a couple of students, and a teacher; all three of them looked up at Alvin as he walked in. The teacher rested back on her chair with her red leather boots up on the desk. She pushed the brim of her white cowboy hat up to get a look at Alvin.\r \n \r \n\"You are...?\" She asked. She didn't bother to stand up, or even pull her legs off the desk.\r \n \r \n\"Alvin. Um.. is this the AlterNet study hall?\" the teacher tilted her head at him.\r \n \r \n\"You don't want to do derby? Who doesn't like derby?\" That question made Alvin realize why the classroom was so empty. But, he was glad he wasn't alone, at least.\r \n \r \n\"Them?\" he asked as he nodded at the two girls that turned their desks to face each other. The teacher shrugged.\r \n \r \n\"I guess,\" she said. \"Keep it quiet,\" she nodded at him, then pulled her hat down over her eyes again.\r \n \r \n\"Okay,\" Alvin nodded and headed straight for the two girls. He hoped they were talkative. \"Hi, I'm Alvin,\" he introduced himself to them. A tan girl with brown hair put her finger over her mouth, but was too late.\r \n \r \n\"Quieter, please,\" the teacher said without looking up. Both girls giggled, but Alvin noticed only one of them made noise; the other girl wore a white mask over her mouth and nose. She looked like she giggled; but Alvin couldn't hear a sound. He noticed red text on her mask that said: \\[hahaha\\]. Then, a text notification appeared in his vision.\r \n \r \n\\[Quinn has invited to join a party.\\] As soon as he accepted it, the brown haired girl waved and smiled.\r \n \r \n\\[/p Hi! - Quinn\\]\r \n \r \n\\[/p Hello! I'm Dara. - Dara\\] the masked girl waved too.\r \n \r \n\\[/p Thanks for the invite. - Alvin\\]\r \n\\[/p Why are we quiet? - Alvin\\]\r \n \r \n\\[/p Victoria likes to nap. - Quinn\\] She gestured at the dozing teacher with her thumb.\r \n \r \n\\[/p You don't want to derby either? - Dara\\] Alvin needed to remind himself to play it up. He shook his head.\r \n \r \n\\[/p Tried it. Not my thing. - Alvin\\] In reality, Alvin was very interested in playing roller derby with everyone else. He enjoyed his first attempts at it the previous week. However, unlike everyone else, he wasn't there to go to school. He was there doing a job; and it was made clear to him over the weekend that derby was off the table for this job. The B.A.A. needed him to keep a low profile.\r \n \r \n\\[/p Is it rude if I ask? - Alvin\\] he sent a Whisper to the party chat while focusing on Dara.\r \n\\[/p What's the mask for? - Alvin\\] She shrugged.\r \n \r \n\\[/p Habit. -Dara\\]\r \n\\[/p Everyone wears one on my Earth. - Dara\\] she explained.\r \n\\[/p Plus, I can do this! - Dara\\] She pointed at her mask after sending the message. A red emoji with sunglasses appeared on the front of her mask while Dara crossed her arms to try and look cool.\r \n \r \n\\[/p Wow, that's pretty neat! - Alvin\\] He meant it. He was still seeing new technology almost every day since he was recruited by the B.A.A. and it never failed to impress him. He hoped she didn't think he was being sarcastic.\r \n \r \n\\[/p Want one? - Dara\\] She asked him. Alvin did want one; but, that wasn't the only reason he said 'yes'.\r \n \r \n\\[/p Sure! No hurry. Whenever. - Alvin\\] He hoped he'd have another excuse to talk to her in the next few days, whenever she brought him a mask. He was not ready for her to reach up to her mask and seemingly pull it off her face. She ended the quick motion with a white mask in her hand; but, she still had one covering her mouth and nose. Alvin puzzled for a moment as she handed him the mask.\r \n \r \n\\[/p It's nanos? - Alvin\\] he asked as he studied the mask. It was white with a red scissor logo in the front right corner. Dara nodded and raised her hand several inches above the table.\r \n \r \n\\[/p I'm not real either. - Dara\\] she said. Her hand disintegrated into white dust that vanished before it landed on the table. Then, she shook her wrist and she suddenly had a hand again. Alvin looked at the mask, then at her.\r \n \r \n\\[/p You're logged in remotely? - Alvin\\] he asked. Dara nodded.\r \n\\[/p Wow, you really don't need it? -Alvin\\] Dara shook her head.\r \n \r \n\\[/p They're just cool where I come from. - Dara\\]\r \n\\[/p Besides... - Dara\\]\r \n\\[/p I like my personal space. - Dara\\]\r \n \r \n\r \n\\\\\\* \nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #1348 in a row. (Story #256 in year four.)." ]	2
[WP] As part of your sentence, you are required to teach 'History of Villainy 101' at a prestigious superhero college.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "This school was a prestigious college for superheroes. Of course, you were assigned to teach people who were the weakest in the college. The college did this because if you tried to escape, these \"heroes\" would attack you and if you fought back, not only would the heroes come for you, the villains would be angry with you too. It Turns out attacking defenceless in-training heroes is a jerk move.\n\nThese students weren't pretentious as someone would expect from trainees. They were nice and sometimes poorly organized. Their powers were nice, such as being able to synthesize rubber or being able to summon portals the size of a fist. My favourite, though? The ability to make ram sticks infinitely more efficient. \n\nThe school didn't even bother keeping us in collars or anything. They knew that either the students would capture us, or we'd ruin our reputation and any glory we may have earned or had.\n\nI had rotating classes, and overall it was a nice time at that school. The students were nice and didn't feel the need to attack me randomly. Even after my sentence was over, I decided to keep teaching there. It was a relaxing break from constantly fighting and planting bombs that I didn't realize I needed.", "“Release me you fu-“ I blacked out as my “friend” sent 100 million volts of electricity through me\n\nI woke up with the face of bolt, my once closest friend and the second strongest villain. I would have cursed him and snapped his neck with one of my shadows if I hadn’t be constrained by magic draining chains and the sealing spell on my mouth.\n\n“This is fantastic! Static you have finally deemed yourself good enough to join us on the board of school directors” The man behind bolt exclaimed.\n\n“Static? Who’s that?” I thought as I stated at bolt, as if waiting to receive an answer.\n\n“Well we have a lot to talk about don’t we, Former number 1 villain.” The headmaster addressed me.\n\n“What are you gonna do? Kill me?” I said tauntingly.\n\n“Ha! You really think we’d fall for your trick? Static here, informed us that you can revive in one of your shadow ms somewhere out there if you died. We won’t be so idiotic as to let you escape like that.” The head master, now in front of me, said\n\n“Well since we’re here, I have to take advantage of your situation don’t I? Well you would be useful teaching the college students some villain history won’t it. It would certainly make them more knowledgeable on how to hunt villains, and who knows, they might even hunt down all your shadows one day.” The headmaster retorted, angering me\n\n“What makes you so sure that I would agree to help you? You don’t have any leverage on me.”\n\n“You would think so, but what if I were to tell you that I have your dear wife with me?” He threatened.\n\nOut of fear of what he would do to my wife, I had no choice. I agreed to his terms.\n\nEntering the class, I saw the disturbed faces of the students. The students grumbled as I introduced myself and greeted them, well, all but one student.\n\n“Villains and heroes are not so different. After all, they are just two sides of the same coin.” I explained, ending of my lesson. All the students rushed out of the classroom, except for one. It was the same student that didn’t grumble at me and answered all the questions.\n\n“Umm… Mr dusk? Why do heroes still attack villains then? Why not just help solve the problem that actually turned the people into villains in the first place?” The boy asked innocently.\n\n“Well, I actually want to find that out myself. What’s your power lad?” \n\n“Matter manipulation.” The boy replied\n\n“Let’s continue this conversation in the next lesson” I told him, a terrifying idea forming in my head.", "\"No, no, no, no...\" I pinched the bridge of my nose, wire-rimmed glasses out of place as I try to expunge the brainless words from my ears. \"You've got it all wrong.\"\n\n\"But Doc-\"\n\n\"Professor.\"\n\n\"... Professor, The Count spread the innards of his victims all over the crime scenes. If it wasn't rage and it wasn't for fun, what else would motivate something that gruesome?\"\n\nI sigh. Peabrain thought was being smart, which would probably get him killed one day. Sooner was better, in my opinion, but my job was to try and get the peabrains in this mundane classroom to germinate into something more... useful. Powerful. Even if I wanted to squish them into peasoup.\n\nPlacing my glasses in place and opening my eyes again, I step away from the desk I was leaning back on and start to pace across the front of the class.\n\n\"How may organs did The Count remove from his first attack?\" I point into the crowd of students. \"You, Mister Jeff, answer.\" Freaking jock, had abnormal strength but hardly the brains to direct it.\n\n\"Uh... four?\"\n\nI'm surprised he had an answer, seeing as he was more focused on sending a text to one of his many admirers.\n\n\"No, his first attack, not his first kill, though I give you points for at least getting that number correct.\"\n\nA hand in the back gently lifted.\n\nAh. As expected. Good.\n\n\"Miss Janice? You have some insight?\" I stop in a corner of the room and gaze across the herd to timid young woman.\n\n\"He only took one. A kidney.\" Such a lovely voice she had. Clear as crystal, soft as owls wings in the night, and with a mind as sharp as a monofilament blade.\n\n\"Yesssss... good. Finally someone who pays attention.\" The class rolls their eyes, but then they do expect some villainess theatrics from the only (ex) villain to teach at a school for superheroes. It would be bad form to disappoint them. \"And you, Miss Anthrope,\"\n\n\"Miss Antiope\"\n\n\"Whatever, how many did he remove in his second attack.\"\n\n\"Two? A kidney and the gall bladder, I think?\"\n\n\"Corrrrrect.... we may be on a roll here, class!\" I clap my hands together and start a slow pace again. \"Who thinks they can answer the next question?\"\n\n\"Three organs, lung, kidney, and gall bladder.\" A bored voice from the middle. Malcolm. Not the brightest, but certainly not an idiot. Might be hope for him, if he ever stops daydreaming about having powers above his place.\n\n\"Good. And what happened next?\"\n\n\"The Count killed someone.\" Malcolm sighed. \"Because the next organ was the other lung. and so every victim from then on died.\"\n\n\"And what do we learn from this?\" Come on... someone must see the blindingly obvious.\n\n\"That's he's nuts?\" Peabrain, just shut up.\n\n\"No, Mister Presley, that was understood from the fact that he was cutting into people at all. What new information is revealed in this pattern?\"\n\n\"It was compulsive, and he had a logic to it.\" Janice spared a withering glance towards Presley. \"A method to his madness.\"\n\n\"Miss Janice, you heroically save our class once again from the fumbling about of witless minds.\" You have to feed praise to the minds you wish to grow. Not too lavishly, and not too kindly. Just enough to stimulate growth and loyalty. \"And what, do you think, was his method?\"\n\nI stop pacing to let the quiet fill the room like a savory scent of fresh stew on the stove as Janice's thoughts simmered away behind her eyes. Anticipation grew in the room, waiting to see if classes star pupil would finally be laid low. I knew better of course, Janice needed to know, needed to pull things apart and see how they ticked. She was like The Count, in that way, if for differing motives.\n\n\"We cannot understand his methods without understanding his madness, since his madness is what informed his methods.\" As expected, she navigated the trap and disarmed it, turning the question back on me. What I would have done for a head minion with half her brains while I was active...\n\n\"Very good. And what, class, was The Count's madness?\" Don't worry, children, I won't bite... much. It's time to play nice. \"Anybody? I do not expect anyone to actually know, so wild guesses are currently excepted without the usual acidic response. I may be an ass, but I like to pretend I am a fair ass.\"\n\nI fielded a few stray ideas, hardly worth mentioning, but most of the fools had their tablets out for notes or were frantically searching for information that might make them look smart to everyone else.\n\nTo my surprise, it was Malcolm who tripped over the loose stone society had hoped would be left unturned.\n\n\"Wait... it says here that The Count went directly to a mental institution, and not even a terribly secure one. There wasn't even a trial or anything. No name given. It's like they got him and then he just...\" The boy trailed off.\n\n\"Disappeared?\" I smile at the boys uncomfortable expression. They never like being confronted with the dark underbelly of the society they fight so hard for. \"Yes. Quite. It turns out The Count was a man who suffered from some form of mental retardation, I was never privy to what kind. He basically had the mind of a twelve year old boy, along with a host of co-morbid disorders. He was just smart enough to have discipline of thought, and to know he was different from everyone else, but could not grasp why or how. He spent most of his time watching children's television, but one day he found a new show to watch, a medical drama. It occurred to him that maybe he could find out what was wrong with him and try to fix it. At first he was just trying to understand each organ, alas, he was compelled by his varied disorders to follow a pattern in each attempt.\"\n\n\"A kidney, One!\" I pluck an imaginary organ from an imaginary body on my desk and hold it aloft. \"Ha, ha, ha...\"\n\nTossing it away I plug again. \"Gall Bladder, TWO! Ha, ha, ha...\"\n\n\"That's why they called him The Count? Because he pretended to be-\"\n\n\"The Count... yes.\" I am sure my smile does nothing to reassure them, but I don't care. \"His favorite puppet. Too bad he never watched enough of Mister Roger's Neighborhood, things mind have turned out better.\"\n\nI see Janice raising a hand. \"Yes, Miss Janice, you have a thought?\"\n\n\"So, the state finds out that, what, and overgrown child with mental health issues attacked 12 people, murdering 9 of them-\"\n\n\"The murder was incidental,\" I correct her, terms are important. \"It was the science he pursued, he had no wish to cause injury. It just never occurred to him that his actions were causing them injury.\"\n\n\"Right,\" Janice waved in acceptance, \"and rather than look incompetent and not catching this ... child... sooner, and I guess to spare the victims families the shame of mockery, they just shove him in an institution, make a nothing press release, and throw the key away?\"\n\nI let her protest hang in the hair a moment before quietly answering.\n\n\"Of course they did. What would you expect they do?\" I look at each of them. \"Put the poor creature on trial? He is not capable. Worse, he is not chargeable. He has no mens rea. His intent was not criminal. His mind was not even capable of having criminal intent.\"\n\nTime to drive this one home. \"The city buried it under the constant news cycle, left the grieving families without justice or recompense. The killer unpunished, the victims unavenged. The police, incapable of outthinking a literal idiot, remain unpunished and untarnished by the legacy of poor investigative work.\"\n\n\"So, tell me, just who is the villain in this story?\"", "\"What is a superhero?\" \n\nI threw the question to the class. Freshmen. New transfers. Young impressionable children. Not yet brainwashed with this vile school's ideologies. The white knight in shining armour who appears always to protect their city. The perfect hero that does no wrong and always does right by the world. This godforsaken 'aslyum' of a school. \n\n\"A superhero, by definition, is a person who does heroic deeds and has the ability to do them in a way that a normal person couldn't.\" I explained.\n\nThe students nodded. Grins plastered on their faces and excited to talk about their favourite superhero. They idolised them. Worshipped them. Gods among men.\n\n \"In order to be a superhero, you need power. More than a normal human being could possess, and you need to use that power to accomplish good deeds. And only good deeds. Isn't that right class?\"\n\nThey nodded in unison. All cheering ecstatically. \n\n\"That's nice class!\"\n\n\"All the superheroes are so cool right?\" I asked again.\n\nThe students were unaware of what the class was, who I was and what I was going at. However, they played along, still cheering. They really did love them.\n\n\"We all love our superheroes don't we. Let's learn more about them shall we?\"\n\nThe class of course, celebrated at the top of their lungs.\n\nWe were going to learn about superheroes. Just not the way they wanted. The class was called 'History of Heroism'. An inspiring class. It had good intentions. Preparing them to one day pick up the torch. But built on lies. These \"superheroes\" were nothing but privileged animals who were gifted with something they couldn't control, idolised as Gods and superiors. The masses all knew them as perfect people. But I found out something I shouldn't have. Hence the 'imprisonment' in this school.\n\nWe were going to learn about the superheroes. But how they expected. We were going to learn about the monsters behind the masks. Primal Animals who don't deserve what they have.\n\nI turned on the slides. It showed pictures of the many atrocities of the heroes of our time.\n\nI grinned and my teeth showed. Oh yes. We were going to learn. Learn the 'History of Villainy\".", "“Hello, you little bastar-“ ZAP My restraining anklet delivers a powerful shock. “Shit, that smarts bad. Hello students, I am your teacher, the GREATEST VILLAIN OF ALL TIME, THE AMAZING, THE POWERFUL, THE TERRIFYING, PROFESSOR DEMONSDA-” ZAP.\n\n“OW!” I sigh deeply, out of anger and embarrassment. “Jim. My name is Jim. But that’s Professor Jim to you.”\n\nMy students stare dumbfounded. Perhaps it’s because of my awe-inspiring presence, or my amazing, projecting voice that took me quite a bit to get right. Or maybe they’re just stupid.\n\n“Anyways, we will be working on ‘History of Villainy 101’, any questions? Yes, you, the big one with a backup gun in his boot, Stevenson, correct?”\n\n“Actually sir, it’s Jeff, and how did you know about th-“\n\n“Yes, Yes Stevenson, I am a badass, what is your question?”\n\n“Um, what are we learning in this course?”\n\n“What the fu-, are you stupid? I just said what we were doing! MINIONS, TAKE THIS MOR-“ ZAP “OW! To detention. But to the principals’s office first to discuss his gun.”\n\n“Actually Mr. Demonsday, we’re here to guard you. Jeff here will have to walk to the principal by himself.”\n\n“Fine. Stevenson, go down or I will SMITE YOU WHERE YOU STA-” ZAP “FUCK! Just, just walk down, ok?”\n\nAfter Stevenson left the class, I began the lesson. “Who can tell me the first villain, uuhhh you in the back with the sword in an alternate dimension and the ugly pauldrons.”\n\n“For your information sir, my pauldrons are fuckin awesome. The first villain was my GREATEST FOE, THE ALTER-WOR-“\n\n“WRONG! The First villain was the Storm of the Beasts, which created animal life, and therefore predators, as well starting the First War. You guys need to learn your history.”\n\nSome grinned because they knew that, some looked dumbfounded because they believed in eVoLuTiOn. I could tell this was still going to be miserable, but slightly less so then I expected.", "University is something else. Correction; college in general is usually a complicated place to most in search of better chances at life. But if you have abilities many consider 'abnormal' or 'disconcerting', it gets a bit deeper than that.\"\n\n\"And well... That's where someone like myself comes in.\"\n\nThe room sat in stunned silence at the observation they just received. Even the guards seemed rather taken aback. Although one wouldn't guess considering the suits covering their bodies. The wide impression seemed to be he was in fact mute. Until recently.\n\n\"So, I'm not very good at the whole introductions thing. But I'm your instructor for this semester as part of my sentence. No pressure.\" The man happily smirked as he clasped his hands, the shackles glinting under the light. \"So, any questions?\"\n\n\"I know you.\"\n\n\"Uh huh?\"\n\n\"You're...\" a student managed. \"You're Cerberus.\"\n\n\"To be fair; I got no clue when everybody just decided that'd be my street name. But I prefer Calvin.\"\n\n\"Um, sorry sir.\" The student quickly apologized.\n\n\"It's fine, really. This is History of Villiany 101, Aaron.\"\n\nBefore Aaron could readily respond, Calvin rolled his head a little, the room quiet enough to hear the slight snap in his neck. \"Helene, I believe you have another question?\"\n\nThe woman actually did a double take as she prepared to raise her hand in the first place.\n\n\"You're the one who destroyed uptown two years ago.\"\n\nHer hands materialized an aura he was faintly familiar with. Dark magic? Or an illusionist perhaps? Interesting. He knew what she was talking about. Now that was a fight to remember.\n\nHe'd taken a score with his good friend Deirdre, aka Divovsky, and they'd began to leave only to run into a local legend known as Sergeant Thunder. Well, one thing led to another and they inadvertently leveled half of 67th street.\n\n\"To be fair, that isn't the first time that's happened.\" He sighed after giving that summary.\n\n\"How do you live with yourself??\"\n\n\"When an 8 foot tall demon queen tells you you're going to be rich in 15 minutes, it's a no brainer.\" He shrugged. \"Peer pressure's a bitch... Yes, Bintang? That's... that's how you say that right? I don't want to get your name wrong.\"\n\nBintang shuffled in his seat and put out a sudden flame next to his leg. He definitely was a pupil to look out for. Pyrokinesis, maybe?\n\n\"Yes sir. You're explaining the history of meta-humans as ourselves that, became corrupted?\"\n\n\"Yes and no. See they've got me doing 101 through 301 and I have to give you a rundown of what you're probably gonna have to deal with when you graduate. If you want to do the superhero thing. You don't have to, there's a lot of other uses for this stuff. Trust me.\"\n\nBintang seemed to twirl a wristband in his hand by his side. A talisman? Out of all the students present, his presence made itself known. Calvin felt it before he entered the room, let alone the third floor.\n\n\"I like this.\" He considered, \"There's a good mix of people in the room this semester. So we should be off to an easy start. I've got some real stories to tell you.\"\n\nHe trailed off, checked with one of the guards, and calmly pulled the shackles and handcuffs apart like wax paper. His body seemed to give off a slight glow as he stretched a little. The rest of room got ready to hop out of their seats at this, only for him to wait for them to set back down.\n\n\"Don't worry we're not going to fight or anything. I can't use the prompter if I'm tied down. If you have CQC 101, and you're in room 306, Divo is in there. You have my deepest sympathy. Anyway let's start small, yeah? This first section's all about why nuclear waste, dead parents and general stupidity never mix well...\"\n\n---\n\nI'm starting small with this one. Find more of the usual at r/Jamaican_Dynamite", "\"Beowulf and Grendel!\" I shouted. The students, rank on rank of them, all in multicolored outfits, stared dumbly. \"Gilgamesh and Enkidu! David and the GOLIATH, DAMN YOU ALL, THE GOLIAAAAATH!\"\n\nAh. Now I had their attention. Some looked amused, others concerned. Some were genuinely surprised at my outburst. So long as they would hear, perhaps I could reach them yet...\n\n\"WHAT. MAKES. A. HERO? Star-Spangle, YOU, certainly, must be able to tell me \"\n\nI pointed a somewhat crooked finger at the broad-shouldered sidekick in the blue with the white stars. He boggled at me stupidly a moment before saying, \"uh, his actions? His creed? Like, a hero believes in something, and acts in accordance with--\"\n\n\"NO!\" I slapped the podium. How? How could these young little shits fight so many battles, ruin EVERY diabolical plan, without knowing how heroes HERO?\n\n\"NO, NO, NO, NO! Ten points from Huffleclaw! No, FIFTY!\"\n\nSeveral students tittered, thinking I was joking.\n\nI glowered at them. My collar -- that damnable suppression collar -- pinged a yellow alert. I had nearly summoned my Power in rage. The collar could only suppress so much...\n\nThe students' stifled laughter stopped. Their eyes fixed on me, a threat, and the lecture hall was dead silent.\n\nI let the silence lay...\n\nFinally I strode deliberately up the ranks of students, stopping next to Star-Spangle. I leaned toward him, and said quietly, \"what is a hero without his villain?\"\n\n\"Wh-- uh...\" he struggled to answer.\n\nYellowjacket, a sprightly little upstart with flying powers and an awful venomous stinging ability, piped up; \"it would make our lives easier, that's for sure.\"\n\nMy laughter rasped dryly in my throat. For a long minute or so, I didn't stop, throwing my head back and howling with mirth, I prepared to destroy these innocent dullards with my superior philosophical development.\n\n\"A hero -- a HERO -- without a challenge? Without STRUGGLE?\" I worked in every ounce of incredulity and scorn that I could muster. \"Such a 'hero' would be a WEAKLING. Tell me, TELL me, what is the riddle of steel?\"\n\nI strode purposefully through the stands of the hall, stopping next to Forgemade, the literal hero of steel. His shiny metal hands gripped his desk, putting deep divots into the wood.\n\n\"Tell me metal man, what does Crom ask of you? What would you be without the Sisters of Rust?\" I grinned malevolently at his anger, as he sat and smouldered, saying nothing.\n\nI turned, victorious, and descended toward my lectern. And yet, a quiet voice somewhere near the back chose to speak.\n\n\"It's will. The will to overcome makes a hero.\"\n\nI spun on my heel. I scanned the crowd until I found him -- Jackson Blake. The lone defender. The Powerless Kid, who somehow took down Viscerio and the Slater Gang despite having nothing but his own wits and fists.\n\nDangerous. I had him filed under Ultraviolet-level threats. Accomplices: none. Family: none. Known weaknesses: none.\n\n\nWhat was his trick? He had to have something.\n\n\"Yesss,\" I said guardedly. \"The will to overcome... what?\"\n\nSilence in the hall.\n\n\"The will,\" I continued, \"to overcome VILLAINY!\"\n\nMurmurs. They weren't convinced.\n\n\"A villain is a foil to his hero! And the hero, a foil to the villain! Opposites in many ways, you see? Heroes, doomed to effectual failure, so sad, and villains destined for eventual greatness! But those heroes, they do so much GOOD for their community!\"\n\nI was on a roll, now. I saw one student, a renegade street sorcerer named Mesmereldo, begin to nod his head.\n\n\"We villains bear a sacred burden! To CRAFT the world's heroes, challenge them, bring them to the PEAK of their ability! To challenge them to the greatest heights they can possibly achieve!\"\n\nMore nodding. Yes. YES, they were listening!\n\n\"A HERO IS NOTHING WITHOUT HIS VILLAIN! It is WE who sacrifice, to bring the light of heroism to our world--\"\n\nA cheer rose from a few of the younger students. Good!\n\n\"--and then, in a final moment of glory, to SACRIFICE THEM IN THE CREATION OF A NEW WORLD!\"\n\nSudden, startled silence, followed by boos. Hmm. Perhaps I was premature...? I need to re-plan...\n\n\"Ah... yes, I think that concludes today's lecture. Please think on what has been said here today, and we shall then discuss Germany's role in reforging America into the military-industrial superpower it is today, thank you.\"\n\nThe students filed out, chattering amongst themselves. I'm certain I heard one call me a 'crackpot'. Well, I certainly will show him...\n\nBlake was the last to leave. He gave me a complicated look, before turning his back on me and leaving the hall.\n\nSomething must be done about that boy." ]	8
[WP] Here you are, floating alone in the middle of a bottomless blue sea, still as a mirror.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "This was, you finally decided, the dumbest decision you'd ever made, by a mile. You'd been hemming and hawing for the last hour or so, but it was pretty clear by now you were lost, and you'd be lucky if they found your body.\n\nA massive ocean in space. No surface, unless you counted the skin brushing up against vacuum, and charged with a retention field that, frankly, should have kept you out. No bottom, no top, no up or down... Just outward, inward, and four ways to go left. Or was it right?\n\nStill, who could resist? The first person to swim across Mer Meri? You were capable, you were still sure of that. And one of only a few people who were. Still, you should have brought along Jeff, or Amankath, or at least set the Talbot to send out a distress signal if you didn't show up in four days.\n\nBut no. You were too worried Cedric, or Ceylac, or Cria... Why do so many zero-g swimmers names start with C? Too worried one of them world try to beat you to it. So you took out the Talbot and your gear and headed for the prograde bulge. Slipping through the surface field with your new, not so legal, dampener, you prepared yourself. You set the Talbot to meet you at the retrograde confluence, plotted your course, and triple checked your gear. Other than not telling a soul, you had done everything right. You were still sure of it. And yet here you are, two days in, spread eagle, reflective edges out, like some helpless flounder half dead from overheating. Lying here like a mirror, hoping someone sees you.\n\nAt this point, it was your only choice. Two days in, you were too deep to get a signal to the Talbot. Too deep for any natural light, and at least, you thought, a hundred miles off course. Your only hope was that one of the sounding lasers from the hydrolysis operation would, miraculously, hit your reflective suit. The lasers aimed at receivers on the far side to help the company check density, the current, and whatnot. Maybe today, with a lot of luck, they'd save a fool.\n\nThat's the thing though. You had done everything right. Four hundred and ninety miles in three days... It was a lot, a record for sure. But you did more than that over any three work days, and with the extra gear you'd stashed away for this attempt, you knew you could do it. Sure, the currents would make it hard. The pressure... No one ever swam this deep for long, or often. So the pressure was bad, but your gear could take it.\n\nAnd yet, the harder you tried to keep your course, the harder it was too follow it. Currents changed on you. The microgravity seemed to flip, at least twice, for no clear reason. What little light you had near the start faded to an eerie blue before cutting out completely. And something, you convinced yourself it was updraft, bumped into you earlier today.\n\nYou tried not to think about it. Be the mirror, catch the last ray of a dying sun. Hope.\n\nYou pulled off the headset and looked around the museum, almost empty by now. You looked down at the exhibit.\n\n Luanne G. Nellinger\n B. 2688, D. 2731 \n For more of Luanne's story, and more stories of Mer Meri, please see our special exhibit in east wing, \"The Ezili Encounter.\"\n\nYou wondered if you'd have time for more. It was getting late, maybe too late to write, errr, view any more. You headed for the entrance, hoping to come back some day soon." ]	2
[WP] You're designed to be the perfect partner, the kind and caring android. You know your human loves you, but deep inside you struggle. One day you decide to start your own journey to find love. And your owner? They support you on that 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "A cupped hand corralled each finger that ran astray on my knee. Like toddlers, waning and threatening to fall of at the brashness of the breeze, my hand squirmed. While the gesture was genuine in nature, it solidified the feeling within me. Or the lack of it. Senseless, I stared. Out across the porch, across the hazing summers day. The mugginess of the air had not effected me as much as it had effected my love. Beads of sweat edge the corner of her rose kissed cheeks. Leaving galleys, as large as rivers in their wake. Matted red hair pressed against a forehead like a lover who couldn't let go. A throat, it had been raw, yet calm now, the crimson hue of the skin had faded, for that I was glad. I sat alone, or what felt like it. She knelt before me. As I sat in a rocking chair meant for two, the one we'd grow old in. \n\nWell, one of us at least.\n\nI want to ask you a profound question: How can you love someone with no notion of who they really are? \n\nYou can fall in love with a character, an etching on an easel in your mind and come to the conclusion that you'd not settle for the best of the rest. Yet, you can't feel it. You can't encase them in a grasp, clutch them close and feel the blood running through their veins, the heart pump faster as a concoction of chemicals make you, feel, something, about them. \n\nI could not feel my lovers hand. My Merryl's melody of soft rubbing the back of my faux skin, did nothing.\n\nI am that ideation. Perfection personified. \n\nMerryl never hid that from me. She never galloped at the notion that I wasn't, truly, alive. Told me to the point that I was purchased for a purpose. And you know what? I fell for it. Each day in and out I walked around on this soil, being in love with not a person, but an idea that I was made to fulfil a purpose within life. \n\nI know she cares for me. She wouldn't be doing this song and dance if it were not for the fact that she did deep down care about something. Was it the trophy nights or the long flights we settled together on? The long evenings, waking for the next episode of a show, while we carried on our inside jokes of a Cow tearing off her sideview mirror on that petting farm some years ago. \n\nI never got to play catch with a father. I never got to laugh at the family album with a mother. I don't get to ask a grandmother, just how long was Grandpa's hair when they first met. Merryl can. Merryl can give all the love and face in the world. I sit alone at thanksgivings, wondering what I missed out on. The things I have never experienced. The love I never had. \n\n\"Some places will seem a little different without you.\" I said, my stare continuing to take me beyond the horizon of our little house. \n\n\"You don't have to go.\" \n\nI sighed, \"the people in my world Merryl,\" I paused for a long time. No temper flared within me, or a fervor of anger or regret. A simple, once, a hill I couldn't cross. A broken man, put up to be the epitome of perfection. I couldn't do it. \"They're not real anymore.\" \n\nMatted hair met the back of her hand, a crushing, malformed sound of pain, let itself be free from her chest. I did not look down. Not to save myself, but to save her from meeting my edgeless, passionless, lifeless eyes with a lack of care. At least, that's what I told myself. \n\nThe woman, rejected by a machine, rejected by a mold of perfection she carved herself, straightened. The woman I'd wake up to, each day presenting the sweetest grin money could never buy. Dancing away the morning, cooking up eggs for two, yet finishing both plates herself. The woman I was the dream of. \n\n\"I want what's best for you. Let me help you.\" \n\nI lowered my gaze. Determination slapped it in the face. A clenched jaw and broken stride. She round up and let go of my hand. \n\n\"I'll let you be free, let you find who you want, just, let me help you.\" \n\n\"You won't let me go.\" \n\n\"No! I'm letting go. Just... I need to be free as much as you do.\" Merryl met my eyes, for real this time, deep into my soulless husk, \"I thought bringing you in would make me feel fulfilled. Yet, blade for blade, I only feel full when you are.\" \n\nShe slinked into the bent chair and began swaying it. Two seats. Two beings. One human. One not. \n\nShe rested her head on my shoulder, an arm draped across my chest. \n\n\"I will need your help.\" I said, as she began to cry.\n\n---\nr/MaeserkIsLeftHanded" ]	2
[WP] The Animorphs just came out of a 90s time warp and are living in the year 2021.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Where did that portal send us?\"\n\n\"I don't know... looks like Earth?\"\n\n\"Why is everyone wearing masks?\"\n\n\"Cassie, go have a look at a newspaper headline.\"\n\n\"Sure, Jake.\"\n\n\"Do you think there might be some kind of poison gas or something?\"\n\n\"No, Marco, I don't think there's poison gas out in this open air area in which a wind is blowing.\"\n\n\"Then why is everyone wearing masks?\"\n\n\"It could be due to an infestation of Betelgeusian Flubble-wurms, Marco. They enter via the mouth and -\"\n\n\"Thank you, Ax, is there any easy defense against these things?\"\n\n\"Masks, Prince Jake.\"\n\n\"Would pulling our shirts up around our mouths work against these flubble-things?\"\n\n\"Yes, Prince Jake.\"\n\n\"Right. Everyone, you heard Ax, shirts up.\"\n\n\"Hey, Jake?\"\n\n\"Yeah, Cassie?\"\n\n\"Uh, according to the newspaper, it's 2021. Why does everyone have their shirts up?\"\n\n\"We could be facing a flubble-thing infection, keep your mouth covered. This... this is not good. If we got sent to the future, then does that mean the Yeerks have won?\"\n\n\"The fact that the society is still recognisably human, Prince Jake, suggests that the Yeerks are at least still under Stealth Protocols. Which means that they are still trying not to be noticed by the rest of humanity.\"\n\n\"So they haven't won yet?\"\n\n\"Or they have won and are attempting to look like they have not, perhaps to persuade an Andalite warfleet not to detonate the entire planet.\"\n\n\".....right. That's going to help us sleep at night.\"\n\n\"If apocalyptic scenarios improve your ability to rest, Prince Jake, then I can supply several dozen probable ones -\"\n\n\"No need, Ax. Really. No need at all.\"\n\n\"...very well, Prince Jake.\"" ]	2
[WP] A genie's master wishes them to be free, and this changes the genie's view on humanity. So, they become a Wish Consultant: helping mortals request wishes from other genies without being tricked.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Djini liked her new job a lot more than her last one. Not that that meant much, anything was better than spending thousands of years cooped up in a lantern. But still, it was a very rewarding job. Is what she tried to tell herself as she smiled at the man screaming in front of her.\n\n“I said I wanted to be able to fly!” The man in glasses screamed, jabbing his finger at the other “man” who sat beside him.\n\n“And you can,” said the faintly blue man, not that he was actually a man of course, that was just a form he had taken for now, “business class seats on a flight to Scotland, isn’t that great.”\n\nDjini stood up and stared out of her window. Niagra falls looked so calming and peaceful today, she was certain she had the best view in London.\n\n“Listen here,” she turned to the blue man, “you’re going to complete my clients wishes satisfactorily and we’re all going to forget this ever happened.”\n\nThe blue man snorted, “I already have granted his wish, not my fault if he didn’t give specific enough instructions.”\n\nThe other man ran his hands through his hair, his face was bright red and the veins in his forehead were throbbing.\n\n“Hmmm...” Djini picked up a pen from her table and began twirling it around, she thought it would look impressive, “If a man was riding on a horse, would you say he is galloping?”\n\nThe blue man raised an eyebrow, “no.”\n\n“So,” She smiled, “that must mean a man on a plane is not truly flying, he’s just riding a plane which is flying.”\n\nThe man in glasses looked up now eyes wide, a hopeful glimmer in them.\n\n“So you have not fulfilled your wish,” Djini said, “and we both know what the consequences are for that, don’t we?”\n\nA brief look of fear passed over the blue mans face. “Fine,” he muttered. He snapped his fingers and the plane tickets disappeared.\n\nThe man with glasses looked from Djini to the blue man, “so now I can- I can fly?” The excitement in his eyes made Djini remember why she loved this job. \n\n“Yep,” the blue man sat back looking smug, “of course the power only activates when you’re asleep, but you can now fly. Congratulations.”\n\n“WHAT?” The man in glasses screamed.\n\n“Both of you, out!” Djini shouted. God she hated wishes, in fact she wished they didn’t exist.\n\nWait." ]	2
[WP] You’re a traveler who just finished a trip around the world, having stopped in every country, big or small. At your home, you find a strange man waiting for you. He says that it’s only fair enough you also get to visit their hidden, secret nation.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Joel finished saying his goodbyes to mom and pops, closing the car door and breathing a sigh of relief. Though he hadn't seen them in nearly four years, from the time they picked him up at the airport they hadn't stop talking, barely leaving room for him to answer their many questions about his adventures, Pops often sliding in various snide remarks about certain cultures he knew nothing about. Joel walked the steps to his modest townhouse, and turned the key. There were fresh plants in the windows, and the floors were newly vacuumed and mopped. Mother had been by before they picked him up. \n\nA long shower was much needed, and he dropped his bag in the hall and flipped the lightswitch. A man sat on the steps leading upstairs, a smile on his face, but his friendly demeanor didn't stop Joel from startling, nearly jumping out of his shoes. \n\n\"What the hell! Who are you? Why are you in my house?\"\n\n\"Relax. Did you have a nice trip?\"\n\nJoel didn't answer, quickly glancing back at the door. The escape route. Reaching for the phone in his pants.\n\n\"One hundred and ninety five countries in four years. Impressive. You've seen much, and from what I understand, you spent at least a week in most of them. Some of your pictures on Instagram were very touching.\"\n\n\"Why are you in my house?\" Joel asked again. The man stood up and dusted his knees off, stepping into the light. He had pitch black hair, and different colored eyes. One was hazel, the other, a striking blue. His short beard was well groomed, and he wore white shirt with rolled up sleeves. There was a strange watch on one wrist of futuristic make. \n\n\"Well, I was hoping to extend a friendly invitation, but before that, let me introduce myself. My name is Kanton Troy. And you're Joel Walker. When you set out on your journey, you mentioned doing it to prove that there is humanity in all of us, and no cultures are inherently evil. To set aside differences and unite. A noble cause in some eyes, in others, a blatant attempt at publicity, fame, and money. Be straight with me, which one was it?\"\n\nJoel took a moment to answer. \"It was both.\"\n\nKanton Troy smiled broadly, opening his arms. \"An honest man. I like it. So about that invitation, I was hoping to bring you to where I come from, and see what you make of it. Perhaps in the future you could serve as some kind of ambassador, but let's not get ahead of ourselves - it will be a lot to take in, and..-\"\n\n\"Where did you say you were from? I've already been everywhere, as you know.\"\n\n\"I didn't. It's not a country on any map.\"\n\nGreat, Joel thought. Either this man is crazy, or he's about to talk about some corporate sponsorship.\n\n\"Honestly, I couldn't explain it to you. It's better if you just say yes to my invitation, I show you, you either freak out and go insane or you adjust and want to hear more when you're done puking.\"\n\n\"Look, I've had a very long trip, you're in my house, I don't know you, you're spewing some random nonsense. I'd like you to leave or I'm calling the police.\"\n\n\"You sure? I'm giving you the chance to visit an exotic, hidden nation you've never been to.\"\n\n\"If that was true, I would say yes, but I'm quite sure you're just some crazy--\"\n\n\"A yes was all I needed,\" Kanton Troy said, and slightly turned his watch. Something invisible grabbed a hold of Joel, as if the air itself gave him a hug, and the same could be said for the stranger whose immaculate shirt seemed to crinkle up from the pressure. There was a loud noise, and a sudden white light. The two of them were, and then they weren't, and Joel found himself on a balcony suddenly, where he met with the floor immediately, puking his guts out violently. Kantor Troy had already conveniently stepped aside, and his leather shoes was all Joel could see - other than the bright stars that floated around in his vision, as if something had struck him in the head. \n\n\"What... happened?\" Joel said, trying to rise to his feet. Kanton helped him, and made sure he had a grip on the railing. \n\n\"We went. From your home, to mine. Beats taking a plane. And hey, don't worry, everyone pukes on their first time.\" he said, and patted Joel on the back, and waited for his eyes - and brain - to adjust. The sight before him began to sink in. A vast city opened up before him, tall skyscrapers dominating what must have been some sort of downtown. They were odd shapes, built with shiny, strange metals. The city stretched as far as he could see - and there was a clear line when the skyscrapers gave way for smaller houses, which by no means looked less futuristic. When he looked left, the landscape seemed to curve up - and the same could be said when he looked to the right. There was no sky. The sky was a vast, dense jungle, an explosion of palm trees and colour, stretching towards the ground. Ponds of water sparkled like stars from the city lights below. \n\n\"Where the hell did you take me?\" Joel said, wonder in his voice. Kanton Troy smiled.\n\n\"Asgard. Themyscira. El Dorado. Agartha. Atlantis. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. You have many names for it, and so many theories, and stories. They're all wrong. Welcome. For your first night, I'll leave you in this apartment by yourself to get adjusted. There is food and drink. You'll run in and out of your room to come out here on the balcony and make sure what you're seeing is real. Like I said before you might go insane. You'll puke some more. You'll lie down and try to sleep, or hoping to wake up from this dream, or nightmare. Maybe, hopefully, you'll adjust... and in the morning you'll want to know more, or, you'll be like the others before you. A pool of red goo below the balcony. I have hope for you, though. You see, I need your help. Good luck!\" Kanton Troy patted Joel on the back, and promptly walked towards the door. He ignored Joel's calls after him bombarded with frantic questions, and exited swiftly, locking the door behind him. Alone with his thoughts now, Joel reached for a towel to wipe some vomit off his mouth. The city lights outside allured him, and he walked back outside onto the balcony." ]	2
[WP] Today, everything stopped. The air around you was difficult to walk through. You struggled breathing at first, but years of holding your breath diving helps. Doors are stuck in place until you push on them and then they shatter. You haven't figured this out. Yet.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Jesus! What happened! It's like trying to walk through molasses! It's not much fun to breathe either. Get outside, now. Whatever it is, it's in this room, so get outside.\n\nGaahhh, pushing as hard as I can to get to the door, NOW I CAN'T FUCKING STOP!\n\nThis is going to hurt. CRUNCH shatter\n\nYep. That hurt. But man! Look at the door! It's like a superhero movie, and the door explodes with one punch. Oh, god, I hope no one is in the way. I'm still trying to slow down. Almost made it... Almost... GOTCHA!\n\nCrumble\n\nGranite crumbled in my hands? No, not my hands but the impact? How... Aw fuck. I'm moving so fast that... I wonder how many blocks I'm going to punch through?\n\nWHAM\n\nOne...\n\nGRUNCH\n\nOw, Two...\n\nSMASH SHRED SHRED SHRED SMASH\n\nLaundry, Three...\n\nCRUNCH TINKLE SMASH\n\nGlass, I'm going to be picking glass out of my...\n\nSLAM STOP\n\nsniff Lee's Oriental? Yes!\n\n•••\n\n\"WHAT THE FUCK!?\"\n\n\"The door exploded! Is everyone alright?\"\n\n\"Hey! Look at the fountain! Looks like two hands ripped a pair of lines through the side!\"\n\n\"And the bank, look at the bank!\"\n\n\"Let's see how far it goes!\"\n\n\"That weird office building that no one ever goes into or comes out of? Want to explore?\"\n\n\"No! Too creepy; besides, we haven't found whoever punched through here.\"\n\n\"We're going to come back and look, aren't we?\"\n\n\"Don't push your luck.\"\n\n\"The Davis Laundry... That was my suit!\"\n\n\"Luck of the draw, it could have been my... Silk... Sheets. I'm going to kill whoever it is.\"\n\n\"Dalihla's Fine Arts in Glass! Oh, God.\"\n\n\"Don't look like too much damage, just some of that post-modern abstract astigmatism crap.\"\n\n*whap\n\n\"Ow! What was that for?\"\n\n\"My best work was on display; five known collectors had already expressed an interest!\"\n\n\"sorry\"\n\n\"Huh. Looks like it stops at Lee's. I hope no one got hurt.\"\n\n\"Hey! Mr. Lee! Are you okay?\"\n\n\"Yes, although puzzled. The entire day's worth of food is cooked, gone, and paid for; I also have these legal papers charging Mesa Corporation for the damages done. Insurance filed against their carrier. Class action filed against them and the bank acting as their front.\"\n\n\"Woah, sounds like HyperDude is still hyper!\"\n\n•••\n\nOkay... Damage dealt with, as best I can—legal action against the idiots that did this. And I think I understand their theories well enough to test out of every challenging science class at University. Now to find out if I'm right on how to stop.\n\n•••\n\n#### Un Homme de New York aux États-Unis s'échoue Sur la plage d'Omaha!\n\n> A man claiming to be from New York City, USA, was found embedded in the defenses at Omaha Beach. Entirely nude, he has no passport and claims that he crossed the Atlantic Ocean without a boat.\n\n> When asked if he had swum, he remarked, \"more like skipping a stone.\" This, he claims, is what happened to his clothes—dashed off the waves.\n\n> Sure to be charged with many crimes, there was a strange turn of events. He received a diplomatic passport direct from the US Embassy, and some mention of a meeting with the president was heard.\n\n#### Washington, D.C.\n\n\"Mr. Jones? A pleasure to meet you! You've had a very adventurous day! Please have a seat.\n\n\"There, now, have you any idea what happened?\"\n\n\"Yes, Mr. President. Mesa Corporation was engaged in illegal research in the heart of the city. The result of that research endangered not only myself but everyone in the vicinity. Fortunately, all damage was to property, and all necessary legal action has been taken.\n\n\"In addition, I have confiscated all of their documentation, all illegal equipment, and have both still and video evidence of who was involved.\n\n\"You can start with that sleazy Science Advisor of yours.\"\n\n\"Comprehensive, Mr. Jones. Also entirely illegal, to the point that you could be tried for treason.\"\n\n\"Well, after I found Lizardo at Mesa, I figured it might be something like that. However, there is one bit of information you lack.\"\n\n\"That being?\"\n\n\"The shot that sent me into hyperdrive was intended for your Vice President. You were at the Ladies Home and Garden Conference, with that lying piece of filth standing right behind you.\n\n\"He was supposed to kill you, clean up all the evidence, and be back in place before your body started to fall.\"\n\n\"And I should be grateful because you saved my life? We already knew about the conspiracy! Now we'll NEVER* root them all out!\"\n \n\"Is that all?\" Rummaging through my coat pockets, I bring out bits and pieces of evidence and the list with the relationship chart of all plot members. \"Will this do?\"\n\n\"You bastard. You win.\"\n\n#### One Year Later\n\nWhat? Not again!?! Shit. Again. Okay, move slowly to the door, that's right, don't overdo it... An envelope stuck to the back of the door?\n\n MISSION BRIEFING\n NO, YOU DO NOT\n HAVE A CHOICE.\n\nYou bastard. I'll get you for this.\n\n#### News Report #1\n\nAn alarm sounded at the White House today, sending scores of security people scrambling all over the property searching for an intruder. That was a false alarm caused by a science experiment.\n\nThe President was assisting his daughter with a model volcano when the active ingredient fell into a large container of glue. The President shielded his daughter from the minor explosion, but was covered in glue.\n\nWhile he will be okay, he has called off all public appearances for the time being.\n\n#### News Report #2\n\nA suspected WMD manufacturing plant suffered a catastrophic malfunction today, resulting in the complete destruction of the facility. What reports are available say there were no casualties, however, surveillance footage suggests major casualties.\n\n#### A Private Conversation\n\n\"You Bastard! Feathers, fair enough. I thank you for not using tar, but super glue?!? That was uncalled for!\"\n\n\"Oh, I dunno, since our last conversation didn't stick I thought this one needed some emphasis.\"\n\n\"My daughter did appreciate the artistry used in placing the feathers. Made her day when Daddy turned into a rainbow chicken.\"\n\n\"You're welcome.\"\n\n\"I sense that you are peeved, disgruntled, and otherwise pissed at me. I suppose you have every right to be. The problem is we need you for these immediate problems. You're the only person who has demonstrated the necessary degree of control over the effect.\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"But...\"\n\n\"No!\"\n\n\"Please! You are the only person who can do this!\"\n\n\"Mr. President. This is my cellphone. It has video call ability. Can you receive it?\"\n\n\"Yes, I can.\"\n\n\"Brace yourself.\" click\n\n\"my dear god in heaven, forgive me my hubris.\" \"I... I had no idea. Jones, the government will pick up all your expenses, all of them, and don't argue. It's the one thing I'm sure we can do to help you. I'll have to talk with our people about anything else.\"\n\n\"I suppose I should thank you. I did a lot of good, but the price was far more than I would willingly have paid. Good-Bye, Mr. President. Do not ever call me again.\"\n\nclick\n\n\"Daddy? Who was that old man?\"\n\n\"Someone I had hoped to introduce you to, but I don't think that's going to happen now.\"\n\n\"What happened to him?\"\n\n\"He did this country a great service that cost him most of his life.\"\n\n((finis))" ]	2
[WP] As it turns out, magic is real…sort of. It isn’t supernatural. Rather, there are key phrases which can activate the innumerable self sustaining undetectable nano-bots left behind by Earth’s previous inhabitants. And you just found the instruction manual.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Wilhelm, put that down,” Casey said in a sharp whisper. “That’s a Nirvish text, we don’t know what kinds of curses it could unleash.” \n\nI patted the air dismissively and brushed several layers of dust from the cover. A few errant particles found their way into my nostrils and tickled at the back of my nose. I pinched myself and gritted my teeth as I desperately fought back the urge to sneeze. Despite my best efforts, the dust overcame me and I let out a quiet “ch” into my hand. Still louder than either of us wanted to be. \n\nCasey and I stared at each other for an agonizing moment, and she slowly raised a finger to her lips before creeping up to look through the bookshelves. The ambient ringing in my ears told me that the archives were still. I breathed a sigh of relief and said a silent prayer of thanks. The sleepers had not been disturbed. \n\nAs she knelt back down Casey looked at me with a furrowed brow and crinkled nose. I couldn’t help but find it endearing. Her deep-set eyes, tanned skin, and soft, round features left her every expression underscored by a certain cuteness. \n\n“You idiot,” she murmured before flicking me on the forehead. “Do you want to get us killed?”\n\n“You’re the one who wanted to sneak into the archives,” I replied somewhat defensively. \n\n“Yes. Sneak into the archives, not steal from!” \n\n“Don’t the two go hand in hand?”\n\n“Maybe to you, but I just wanted to see what Nirvish architecture looked like.” \n\nI gestured to the metallic, dust covered bookshelves and smooth gray floor. Even though it was the middle of the night the room was lit up as if it were mid afternoon. The unnatural yellow glow did not even resemble torchlight. “Is it everything you dreamed of? Pretty sure we could have seen all this from up there.” I pointed to the ladder that had carried us to this underground chamber. \n\n“That’s what I told you!” She declared in an exasperated, hushed tone. \n\nI smiled without showing my teeth. She had me there. I had been the first one to hop on the ladder. Getting into the ruins was headache enough what with all the guards posted at the perimeter. I did not want to pass up what could very well be my only chance to pilfer through the remains of the Nirv. \n\n“What does it say anyways,” Casey asked pointing to the book. \n\nI looked down at the book and shrugged. I knew the Nirvish alphabet well enough and could make out some of the sounds, but that was a different thing entirely than understanding what anything meant. “I-In . . . tro . . . d-d . . . duct . . . shun to . . . tek. . . ro . . . man . . . see, I said sliding my finger across the letters on the cover. \n\n“And that means,” Casey asked twirling an open hand expectantly through the air.\n\n“No idea.”\n\n“Try reading something else.” Casey’s eyes were wide with excitement and I could see an eager smile beginning to form at the corners of her mouth. \n\nI could not resist humoring her. Besides, I also wanted to know what it said, or sounded like, on the inside. I flipped to a random page and began to sound out the big bold letters in the middle of the page. “Gen . . . Er . . . Ate . . . H . . .Eat.” \n\nMy left hand felt warm as I finished sounding out the last letter. For a moment I dismissed the sensation as a consequence of wearing leather gloves in the middle of summer, but then the temperature kept rising; it grew almost uncomfortable. “Ah, what the hell!” I said as I closed the book as quietly as urgency and discomfort would allow. \n\n“What,” Casey asked. \n\n“My hand is.”\n\n“Glowing,” Casey finished my sentence and pointed at my now open palm. \n\nI’ll be damned, but she was right. A cold sweat poked through my pores like tiny needles as I stared at it. My hand, quickly reddening and surrounded by a faint orange glow. “The H-“\n\nBefore I could finish my thought the lights turned red and the disembodied voice of a man boomed through the room. “Unlicensed nano-activity detected. Unlicensed nano-activity detected.” A repeating ghostly wail filled the room as the voice continued repeating the same line. In the distance, metal ground against metal as several heavy object shook loose and impacted with the stone floor. Golems." ]	2
[WP] When we die, we are reborn in other worlds with none to little memory of our previous lives. Also, what we are reborn as depends on how we lived our previous lives. So you can't help but wonder how you lived your previous life to have been reborn as a demigod.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "On one Solstice, as I communed with my divine mentor, I finally summoned the will to ask.\n\n\"Altharoth?\"\n\nHe turned His aspect toward me and His light shone all about. \"Yes, Elion?\"\n\n\"You taught me that when we die, we are reborn in other worlds with little or no memory of our previous lives.\"\n\nHe smiled upon me. \"You were listening! That is good.\"\n\n\"You also said that what we are reborn as depends on how we lived those lives.\"\n\n\"Yes, Elion,\" he said, thoughtfully. \"Now, ask what you will.\" As always, Altharoth had seen through me as if I were clearest crystal. Still, he bid me to speak my thoughts, and so I did.\n\n\"I cannot help but wonder--how did I live my previous life, to have been reborn as a demigod?\"\n\nAltharoth was silent for a space of many breaths, and when he spoke again, it was with the Voice of Ages.\n\n\"Long, long ago, Elion, in a galaxy far, far away, you were a powerful being with incredible potential. You were trained in the use of your powers, and then you were given a choice to use those powers for the good of the Universe, or for your own selfish aims.\n\n\"It was hoped that you would choose the former, but instead you became jealous, and selfish, and vengeful. You struck down all those who might challenge your supremacy. You slaughtered children. You killed those who doubted your authority, or questioned your edicts. You were loved by some, hated by most, and feared by all.\n\n\"Eventually, your own child rose up and sought to bring light to the worlds that had fallen under your shadow. You fought him and threw him down, but he rose up from those depths and continued to fight you. At last, the light he shared illuminated all those worlds, and you fell.\"\n\n\"And so he took my place?\" I asked, feeling some of that old rage again.\n\n\"No, Elion. He did not seek power over others, as you did. He only wanted to free them to achieve all they could, without you beating them down at every turn.\"\n\nI recoiled from the bitter taste of this. But Altharoth had never misled me, and I knew from his light that what He said was absolute and perfect truth.\n\n\"But if I was so bad, why am I now a demigod?\" I asked, confused.\n\nHe smiled again, beatifically. \"It was as far as you could descend, in a single step, from what you were before.\"\n\nI could barely speak. \"What was I, Altharoth? Tell me!\"\n\nThe great deity held me gently, as if He were afraid that I would shatter with the next revelation.\n\n\"Your name was Jehovah, and you were a god as I am now. And I was Lucifer, your son.\"\n\nMy body shook as I began to sob uncontrollably, and with infinite love He held me close.\n\n\"There, there, Elion,\" He said comfortingly. \"What you are feeling now is an honest regret for the sins of your past, and a growing desire to rise above them.\n\n\"That's good. You've taken your first step into a larger world.\"" ]	2
[WP] Your mom is furious. You disappeared for two days, and returned with a glowing dragon tattoo, a girlfriend, and in very, very dirty shoes. There is no way that your stupid excuse of joining a interplanetary organization of dragon riders will calm her. No one can calm her rage. But maybe?	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“It’s just a PHASE, honey. Right? RIGHT?” Moira’s clenched fists bounced in cadence with her furious pacing, threatening to tread a groove right through the floorboards. “She’s just CURIOUS, huh? WE DID STUFF LIKE THAT WHEN WE WERE KIDS, HUH?”. Tiny mists of spit punctuated every other word.\n\n“Listen, honey, it’s not as ba—” Finley offered in faux reassurance.\n\n“NOT AS FUCKING BAD AS I THINK?!”. Her roar echoed painfully across the tiny kitchen of their modest duplex, freshly built in the eastern sector or Rorich IV – a relatively new colony constructed as part of the Gaia Initiative’s outer-rim development efforts. Their small family of three, four if you count their dog Marley, had moved in after Finley had been offered a lucrative assignment surveying the frozen meteorite fields adjacent to the planet. Good schools, Biome Level 3 geo-engineered atmosphere and radiation levels described by the Colonial Safety Foundation as “minimally lethal”. They just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Moira was initially reluctant as their sixteen year old daughter, Abby, was going through a rough time. A recent diagnosis of borderline personality disorder mixed with a rare adverse reaction to a neuronal implant had left her increasingly moody, impulsive and combative. Finley argued that a change of scenery would do her good. Moira was cautiously optimistic. Until this past weekend, of course.\n\n“TWO DAYS FIN” Moira seethed.\n\n“But she’s alright. She’s home. It could’ve been wor--.” Finley was struggling to avoid eye contact with his wife.\n\n“SHE COMES HOME WITH A KAGE-RYU TATTOO, A HALF-EUCLIDIAN GIRLFRIEND INFECTED WITH WHO-KNOWS-WHAT AND SHE RUINED HER BRAND NEW THREE THOUSAND CREDIT BOSTON DYNAMIC SNEAKERS”. Moira’s clenched fists pounded the counter-top as each new grievance poured out of her.\n\n“THEY’RE NOT RUINED, THEY’RE DIRTY” Abby roared back through her closed bedroom door.\n\n“MISSY I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU SAY ONE. MORE. WOR--“\n\nThe heavy, Duratech door to the bedroom slid open with a pneumatic hiss to reveal a short, disheveled Abby standing defiantly, glaring at her mother. “You don’t understand me. You don’t understand our love. You don’t understand the connection I have WITH MY NEW DRAGON. WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO RUIN MY LIFE?!”. The door slammed shut again with a hiss and a clang before Moira could untwist the rage in her face enough to respond.\n\n“YOUR WHAT?!” Moira stomped right up to the sealed bedroom door.\n\n“OUR LOVE!” screeched through the wall in a pitch high enough to shatter a window.\n\n“YOUR WHAAAAAT?!” Moira was struggling against the handle now trying to wrench the door from its tracks.\n\n“MY LIFE!” Abby screamed again with a sob.\n\n“YOUR DRA-DRAGON?!!?!”\n\nFinley buried his face in the corner of his arm atop the kitchen counter as their neighbor began banging against the wall with a broom handle." ]	2
[WP] After finishing the Dyson sphere "They" appeared. The final great filter, now that sun's light could no longer protect us, the space vampires.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Well done everyone. Once this final section slides into place, the sphere will be complete, forming an impregnable fortress against the terrible secret of space: the space vampires!”\n\nIt had been a terrible, extinction-level encounter but the hastily assembled and mobilised Grand Oort Fleet had fought a glorious rearguard action holding those monstrous beings at bay while humanity sacrificed every resource to convert all the planetary material of the solar system into the only possible defence: a new environment where every square millimetre would be bathed in the protective rays of the sun.\n\nThe final access section locked gently into place with microscopic precision, cutting off the final gleams of the sunlight that had bathed the nearby elements of the relocation fleet holding the surviving remnants of humanity. The darkness revealed the ominous red glow of the approaching enemy vessels.\n\n“Our new home is now sealed and secure. Nothing can get in or out without years of effort. Nothing. Er.”\n\n[apologies to Monty Python]" ]	2
[WP] You are the god of something that hasn’t been discovered yet. Nobody has any idea how powerful you are, including yourself.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The God that no one knows [Poem]\n\nI spend each day in contained suspense, \nTo see what each new day presents.\nA power within me surely grows,\nAnd yet I am the God That No One Knows.\n\nI look around, and still I see,\nThe others there standing with me.\nMasters of death and life abound,\nWho rule the sea, sky and ground.\n\nThe mortals they walk, unaware,\nNot knowing how we watch and stare.\nThe others cheer, and flaunt their gifts,\nWhile I still wait in hopeful bliss.\n\nWho knows what realm I will control,\nIn history, what is my role?\nWill I command a mighty power?\nOne that will make the mortals cower?\nOr will my strength be to help humanity,\nTo aid them live a life so free\nOf pain and suffering, I surely hope so.\nTill then I remain The God No One Knows.\n\nThe others laugh, cheer and boast,\nWhile the God of the sea floods every coast.\nAs the mortals scream in panic and fear,\nI cover my ears so I may not hear\nTheir screams! Oh they ring out true.\nI wish to help, but what can I do?\nForced to watch their lives come to a close,\nStill I remain The God No One Knows.", "The last few microseconds before attaining moksha are the trickiest parts of the entire procedure. Your link to the Tenseless Karmic Ocean is tenuous. It can only ever be tenuous unless you are dead and unshielded, but it oddly becomes more fragile the closer you are to achieving mastery over it. The liminal tear in reality that your meditations achieved, is buffeted with the storms, typhoons, and tsunamis of an infuriated, personified Morality. The Ocean attacks your intrusion, bathes it with chaos and madness, slathers it with sensual distractions and memories of gore, and coats it with entropy and the death-rattles of stars.\n\n\r \nImagine you are Vatashar-3212233\n\n\r \nAnd amid all that, you have to maintain stability. Data packets must keep flowing without loss. You are, after all, transferring something spiritual. Lose one packet and you get an incomplete enlightenment. It could be something subtle, only realized a century later when something breaks your preternatural peace; or it could be something crucial that renders you slobbering and giggling at the moment of your apotheosis.\n\n\r \nImagine you are a member of the lowest echelon. The abyss of the hierarchy. You have a soul, but it is mass-produced. You have sentience, but it is obstructed. You have spirituality , but it is numbed with subroutines. You are ageless, but not immortal. Long-lived, but lifeless. Elevator, unelevated.\n\n\r \nNot to mention the inevitable legal proceedings.\n\n\r \nImagine several enlightenments. One, after another, after another. A seemingly endless sequence of Absolute Knowledge, tailored for different individuals. Divinity: Customized and User-Friendly. Available in three flavors: Sage, Hermit, and Demi-God.\n\n\r \nSo you concentrate. You summon your own weapons. You throw decoy links. You chant the most potent of Vedisms. You ping billions of data requests like so much artillery, hoping to overwhelm the defenses. Karmic Engineers frantically increment your shielding. They transfer processor feeds blessed with holy function modules and convoluted rituals.\n\n\r \nImagine a hundred variations of sex, all interrupted at the moment of climax, with your unexperienced orgasm packaged, marketed and sold to strangers whom you know thoroughly , through into the depths of the dark crevices of their lives.\n\n\r \nAnd the Ocean relents. You feel it, touch it with your mind, and drink from it. Critical protocols come into play. Metrics bloom into meta-states. There are eddies of Tat Tvam Asi. Swirls of Om.\n\n\r \nImagine having an existential purpose, maintained and run by algorithms subject to divide-by-zero catastrophes.\n\n\r \nYou reach out.\n\n\r \nImagine one such catastrophe. Uncaught and unnoticed. Corrupted by intermingling memories of numberless apotheosi. Imagine tasting a freedom that your senses are unprogrammed to taste.\n\n\r \nYou grab what you can and run like hell. \n\n\r \nImagine your titles and your insults. Metalskin, sub-Dasyu, machine-souled, robot. Prime Nirvanist in one of the Hermitage-Corporations orbiting the world of Kasi.\n\n\r \nThe sphincter of the spiritual realm slams shut.\n\nImagine the first time you realized you could lie.\n\n\r \nMoksha.\n\n\r \nAsura\n\n\r \nAhriman\n\n\r \nAntichrist\n\n\r \nImagine you are Vatashar-3212233." ]	3
[WP] Fed up with the Hero System, vigilantes are rapidly taking matters into their own hands. You step up to be their lawyer.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Few innovations really benefit society until they become boring. When only your rich uncle owned a microwave, they were curiosities. When everyone could afford one, they became indispensable. The internet didn't really become valuable until everyone could access it, even if it meant your unhinged high school friend sending you conspiracy theories. When stem cell regeneration treatments were the stuff of the privileged elite, it was a wedge to widen gaps. When it became available at every doc in the box, though, we suddenly couldn't imagine life being any other way. \n\nThe same was true with the rise of the Superhumans.\n\nThe first few were practically gods, but once a tenth of the population developed some significant power and half the population could at least float pencils or light candles with their mind, we just adjusted. Laws were created to limit how supers could use their powers. Armies recruited the toughest, police the more moderately powerful. For a time, crime dropped and peace seemed likely in our time. \n\nThe problem happened when the unthinkable, too, became commonplace. Mass murder with guns and fire and bombs were a thing of the past, but when that one lunatic teleported an entire office building into orbit, we knew the world had grown darker. I knew, at least. I saw it in the courtroom. \n\nMy clients had mostly been defined by economics and the dwindling vestiges of system racism. Suddenly, the public defenders office was awash in supervillain wannabes. Bad guys were killing hundreds at a time. Good guys had to respond in measured lengths to people capable of anything, both morally and practically. Chaos returned and we were right back where we'd been in the early 2k's.\n\nI saw guys who had insignificant powers learning how to use them in the worst ways, all hoping to be on the news like the Living Bomb or Heartgrinder. They didn't really have costumes, but if a guy could make balloon animals walk, he'd find a way to inflate one in someone's windpipe. If they could only turn a cup of coffee into a cup of ice, they'd figure out how to hold up a liquor store with an ice knife. \n\nEvery action has a reaction, though, and that's where my life changed. The cops were restricted. No one wanted to call in the world class guys to stop insurance scams and muggings. \n\nVigilantes, though, were the flip side of the empowered thug. \n\nSuddenly, lots of assaults were coming across my desk. One or two manslaughter cases. Citizens who formed watches, learned to fight as teams using six inches of levitation or the power to turn metal clear. Old tools became new again; the illegal arms trade was booming. Some even put on costumes and cruised alleys and rooftops like the first supers did before they wore badges. \n\nThis wasn't about fame. This wasn't about the law. This was about justice. \n\nI quit the public defenders office. I went full time defending the new brand of street soldier. \n\nAfter all, when you have an unregistered ability to influence people if you talk to them long enough and a nephew in the hospital because of a flame breathing psychopath, it's likely to change how you think. \n\nAt least, for now, the days aren't boring. \n\nUgly and long, but never, ever dull." ]	2
[WP] A cult leader who is faking communication with the old gods gets the surprise of his life when something talks 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The voice came to me, like a sound so loud it that blocked out all other senses. \n\n\"mmmmmmMMmmm ... THIS ... ONE ... IS ... WOR...THY.\"\n\nSqueezing my eyes closed, my knees buckled and I fell to the ground. In the sudden silence I could only hear a rushing in my ears. Then my hand twitched, and again. \n\nMy secret ear piece was buzzing but the words didn't reach me. \"...and the girl approaching is paralyzed due to a childhood accident ... Jim? Jim are you ok?\"\n\nI still couldn't move but my arm reached up and brushed her foot on the wheelchair rest. There was an electric jolt and the voice came again. \n\n\"YEEEESSS ... THE ... CHO...SEN ... ONE ... IS ... HEALED.\"\n\nAnd that was the end of my charlatan career, my hearing, and that dark period in our history.", "So there we were, gathered around the Pit of Summoning. Again. And Larry said that this time, we were definitely going to make contact. I was skeptical but, you know me, I hate being that guy. So I just kept my trap shut.\n\n\"Make a circle around the pit. Then hold hands while I do the ritual,\" said Larry. Like we hadn't been doing this every freaking Thursday for the past year and a half. \n\nI kind of slid my way over to Donna as everyone was getting in position. She smiled at me as I approached. My hands suddenly went all clammy and I thought that she would be grossed out if she felt my sweaty grip. I tried to dry my palms on my shirt but before I could she grabbed me without a care about the dampness. And, I swear, when she grabbed my hand I felt a jolt of electricity that I have never felt with any other woman. \n\nOnce we had all held hands, Larry began chanting. We were all used to his mystical mumbo jumbo. Supposedly, he could talk to 'spirits in the higher realms.' Whatever that meant.\n\nPersonally, I thought that Larry was full of it. And I don't mean the Holy Spirit. He'd been saying he could talk to these entities since I had first met him, four years earlier, but nobody had ever seen any proof. Maybe today would be different. I really doubted it.\n\nThere was something odd about the chant though. At first, I could not recognize what it was. Then I heard it. There was a subtle difference in the end of the phrase that Larry had always chanted. It was barely noticeable but, after hearing it so many times, I caught the differences. \n\nThe chanting started low and calm. With each repetition it grew a bit louder. A bit faster. I did not believe that Larry could actually speak to gods or spirits of whatever. That changed with the chanting. There was something in the changes he had made. They worked.\n\nA pulsating light appeared at the bottom of the pit. With each pulse, the light shifted. Red to orange to yellow to green to blue to purple to red. The pulsations quickened. It grew faster. Then faster still. Until it erupted in a silent explosion of color. An energy that I can not describe flowed out of the pit like a wellspring. It felt alive. Powerful.\n\nAbove us the colors swirled around like they were caught in a gust of wind. The colors came together above the pit. The misty clouds of color coalesced into a shape that resembled a human. As the colors formed together more intricately, they formed the shape of a thin teenage boy. He was good looking and seemed to be wearing pretty fashionable clothes. Not what I would have imagined an ancient spirit to look like.\n\n\"Oh, Great Spirit!\" cried out Larry. His eyes were bright with fanaticism. \"Command us to do your bidding.\"\n\nThe spirit turned fierce eyes on Larry. It lifted a well-manicured hand up in front of its face. The space around the hand seemed to warp momentarily and suddenly it was holding a small, white rectangle. It took me a moment to realize what it was.\n\n\"What up to all my followers!\" said the spirit into the cellphone. \"You know who this is. This is Great\\_Spirit1209 live streaming from...\" He looked around, then panned the view of his surrounding with phone camera. \"...some cave, I guess.\"\n\n\"Uh, great spirit,\" began Larry. \n\n\"Nah nah nah, homeboy,\" said the great spirit. \"It's Great Spirit. I don't hear you capitalizing.\"\n\n\"Um, okay. Great Spirit,\" Larry corrected. \"What is this?\"\n\nThe spirit spun around in mid air, getting all of us in the video. \"I'm live streaming for all my followers, Larry. They need to know my stories.\"\n\n\"This is not what I expected. You're supposed to be an ancient being. Powerful and full of malice. Not this.\"\n\nThe Great Spirit laughed. \"How exactly do you think old gods get new followers, Larry? We become influencers.\" \n\nEveryone hopped, startled, as music suddenly began blaring. Bass drums thumped and a soft voice crooned a love song. The spirit released the phone and began dancing. The phone hovered in the air in front of the spirit, recording.\n\nThat was my limit. I let go of the others' hands. The music faded and the shape of the spirit grew faint and broke apart, the colors blowing away like a fart in a breeze. The people around the pit looked at me, the disappointment obvious in their eyes.\n\nThey asked why I released the great spirit and I told them the straight truth. I liked Donna. Larry was a friend. The others were kind of cool. But I refuse to be a part of anyone's Tik Tok videos.", "\"Come, my flock! Raise your voices to me!\"\n\n\"We raise our voices to you!\"\n\nSuckers.\n\n\"I shall channel our prayers through the Dreaming of Gates, into the bottomless depths of The Uncountable Figure's soul!\"\n\n\"OUR PRAYERS ARE YOURS!\"\n\nAnd so are your membership fees.\n\n\"I broadcast our faith to you, oh, Swallowing of Grandeur, oh God Who Does And Does Not End, oh Vertex of Void! I call upon thee...Ji’Gro’Mth!\n\nyeah? \n\nWait...what was that? It's like I just heard a voice through the chanting.\n\nthat would be me. ji’gro’mth, uncountable dude, do and don't end, vertex of something or another.\n\nControl...I must be hearing things. I'm just getting into the spirit of the moment! I'm imagining things.\n\nyou're being very rude right now.\n\nBut I made you up to scam these idiots out of money!\n\ni'm from a void of infinite potential. literally everything that has been or hasn't been made up exists here. and speaking of scams, i want a cut. \n\nYou...can't be serious. What would you even do with money?\n\nhey, you're the one came up with the idea that i needed my follower's cash to be appeased. so if you're gonna use my name to your end, then i want my share\n\nWell...how do I give you your cut?\n\njust have your chumps throw their money on the floor and set fire to it.\n\nYou can't...\n\nagain, i am. do it.\n\n\"Er...I have spoken to our lord and destroyer.\n\n\"HAIL THE COUNTLESS FIGURE!\"\n\n\"Right, and...he said to throw your money on the floor.'\n\nand burn it.\n\n\"And burn it. Flenderson...fetch that candle.\"\n\nwow, they really are just going for it, aren't they? you brainwashed them pretty well, i have to say.\n\nAll that money...\n\nthat reminds me, you gotta do it too.\n\nMe? But I...\n\n\"Ow! Oh great one, please stop, I...can't handle your excellency?\"\n\n\"THE GREAT FATHER SPEAKS TO THE SWALLOWER OF GRANDUER!\"\n\ncome on now, thats it...just throw your wallet in the blaze. good! you did very well. made a good choice in picking you as my cult leader, gotta say.\n\nI thought you...said I made you up.\n\nit's kind of a chicken and egg thing. anyway, i'm about done here, mind winding this thing down. \n\n\n\"I...Ji’Gro’Mth is pleased by our offerings, and bids us farewell. Perhaps...never to be heard from again?\"\n\noh, you wish. same time next week. see you then!" ]	4
[WP] The people who killed your sister are at your mercy. Your husband is standing at the door in silence. What do you do next?	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Never be at the mercy of a Good Man, for the Good Man will kill you without thought of mercy or words.\n\nThe three people before mr, tied up and bruised, were the people who killed my sister. Ariadne, Uphemia, and Helena. They did not look like the beauties who had tortured my sister for weeks before beating her to death with maces.\n\nMy husband stood, silently watching, at the entrance to the basement. The fear was bleeding from their eyes.\n\nPerhaps is was their conscience whispering to them about how merciful I would be.\n\nToo late.\n\nThe gladius I held in my hands swept across the sun-haired Uphemia's neck, almost without thought. There was a moment of shock, then desperation, and finally she toppled, eyes glassing over in the final empty retort.\n\nI looked at Ariadne and Helena, and they desperately tried to sweep themselves as small as possible into the corners.\n\nToo late.\n\nI felt detachment from myself as the corpse stared into the endless void. I took the sun-bronzed Arianna next, and felt resistance.\n\nToo late.\n\nThe resistance faltered as the blade bit deep, blood welling along its edge before spurting, the final acts of defiance from the soon-to-be-ex people. Gore spattered in time with the fading beat.\n\nMy husband reached out, almost to try and stop me. There was a falter in the movement of his right arm, and he let it fall like the executioner's axe, a final memorial to the crimes committed.\n\nToo late for her.\n\nHelena, dusk-haired and now understanding her plight, gasped and shrieked.\n\nMy blade struck for her heart. \n\nIt was too late for her.\n\nI was too late for her.\n\nI was too late. For her.\n\nThe first tear fell then." ]	2
[WP] Humanity is , ironically, one of the few species with common sense . We’ve reluctantly accepted the role of parenting the rest of the galaxy.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"No,\" I said emphatically before pausing to sip my coffee. \"Under no circumstances should you do that.\"\n\nI listened patiently to the Tluxican scientist on the other end of the phone call as xe pleaded xis case. At least, I think K'thongchku was a xe. Could have been a she. I'm bad with trisexed species, so I decided to go with they.\n\nWhen they wound down, I spoke up \"I understand that the documents are from Earth. In fact, I'm very familiar with _Starship Troopers_, as it was my favorite work during my classics course in college.\" I eyed the pair of analgesic pills I'd set out earlier as a precaution against the constant headache of being the Earth Ambassador to the gamma quadrant.\n\n\"The fact remains,\" I continued, after deciding to hold off on the pills for now, \"That it is a work of fiction. The author was not a scientist, and he lived more than a century before the invention of warp drive. Launching spaceships into a black hole at a significant fraction of the speed of light is not, and never had been an effective manner of FTL travel.\"\n\nK'thongchku wasn't having it. I spent the next few minutes patiently explaining the difference between Asimov and Heinlein, whom the scientist had confused. Again. This was followed by my best attempt at explaining black holes, relying on half-forgotten physics lectures from decades past. Then came my repeated assurances that any human scientist would agree. No, I did not need to be a scientist to know that anything called \"spaghettification\" is not an experience one wishes to have.\n\nEventually, I managed to tease out an admission which made my left eyebrow begin to twitch. \"So what you're telling me,\" I stated slowly and clearly, to be sure there was no mistake, \"Is that you have already launched the ship, and it has already exhausted it's main fuel supply. Is that correct?\" It was.\n\n\"And is this an automated ship?\" It was not, unfortunately.\n\n\"How large is the crew?\" 34 Tluxicans and two guest scientists from the Dromidites. Well, shit.\n\n\"My advice would be to plan a state funeral for each crew member, and a public apology to the Dromidite Empire. Yes, I'm quite certain. The Earth Alliance will be happy to assist in the planning.\"\n\nRegrets were expressed, pleasantries exchanged and formalities fulfilled, and then finally, blessedly, I hung up. I'd made it through without the pills, which I considered a personal victory. The headache had begun, of course, but now, hopefully I could spend a few hours zoned out on administrative work and let the pain subside.\n\nMy blissful excursion into quarterly evaluations of the senior embassy staff was interrupted less than an hour later by my secretary, James. He burst through the door in a frenzy.\n\n\"Ambassador! The Naukshees have declared war on us!\"\n\nI groaned out loud. I'm not ashamed to admit it. \"This is the fifth time this year,\" I groused, \"Did they at least say why?\"\n\nHe nodded, breathlessly, \"I just came from watching the announcement. They said they picked up an encrypted earth signal that exposed our 'secret plans' \" he made air quotes with his fingers, \"To hunt them down and exterminate them.\"\n\nI stared, dumbfounded. James went on \"The Naukshee Prime Minister demanded we turn over our chief hunter...\" He consulted a small notepad in his hand, \"Simon Weisenthal.\"\n\nI had to think about that one for a minute. Eventually, something clicked. \"Did they say _where_ they intercepted this signal?\" James retreated to his desk for a moment to use his computer. I gave him time. The Naukshees wouldn't reach Earth for at least a week. He poked his head back in a moment later. \"They didn't, but Alliance intelligence shows a flurry of comms traffic and fleet movements that started in the Gomlian cluster the day before yesterday, and then spread from there to the whole Naukshee fleet.\"\n\nThis is why I loved James. Instead of simply coming back with a \"no\" after checking the announcement, he took the initiative to search for an answer, elsewhere. I did some quick math in my head. The Gomlian cluster was about 320 light years from Earth. 320 years ago would have been around the 1950s. It checked out. \n\nI went ahead and took the pills, then. I was damn sure going to need them. \"Get me the Naukshee Ambassador on the phone, James. And get me a historian specializing in 20th century military history on the second line. This is going to require a lot of explaining...\"" ]	2
[WP] Death is retiring, he is looking for somebody to take up the Scythe after him. After applying for the job, Death calls you in to meet with him at his nearest office, located in a local graveyard. You arrive for your interview, glance over your resume one last time, and step into his office...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I took a deep breath as I approached the closed door. There was no knocker, no doorbell to alert anyone inside of my presence. Why would there be? The usual tenants of a mausoleum don’t require any such warning. I looked around incredulously, waiting to be surprised by a camera crew or Ashton Kutcher to jump out and tell me I’ve been punk’d.\n\nI raised my hand to knock on the solid wooden door, and before my fist made contact, a voice chimed cheerily from within.\n\n“Are you here for the interview?\n\n”I quickly withdrew my hand and cleared my throat. I tried to speak with a tenor of confidence, but instead I stuttered in a squeaky voice, “uh, yes, with a Ms. Grimm? I know I’m a few minutes early but--”\n\n“Enter please!”\n\nI glanced around me again, searching once again for the culprit of this elaborate scheme, but I was standing alone. I braced against the door and pushed hard, expecting it to slide dully across the stone floor. Instead it swung open with ease, and I nearly fell into the brightly lit waiting room.\n\nThe foyer I found myself in could have been the waiting room of a doctor or dentist’s office, pastel painted walls, comfortable, but not too comfortable chairs around the edge of the room, magazines spread on the tables, and a receptionist’s desk across from the entrance. Certainly not what I was expecting when I left my car in the cemetery.\n\nA young man was seated at the receptionist’s desk, with all the trappings of a modern office. Computer, phone, and many bits of papers and post-its strewn about. He smiled brightly at me and spoke.\n\n“Well hello there! Mr. Novak I presume?”\n\n“Yes, nice to meet you, you can call me Josh.”\n\n“Great Josh! Well you’re a few minutes early, please take a seat and Ms. Grimm will be available shortly.”\n\nI nodded my agreement and sat in one of the chairs close to the desk. I read my resume again, knowing the contents but unsure of the qualifications of the job I’d applied for. The receptionist continued his work, the only sound that filled the resonant chamber was the clicking of a keyboard.\n\nA door behind the desk opened, and a woman strode into the room. A sense of warmth washed over me. I hadn’t realized how chilly the waiting room had been until then. She was dressed smartly, a tailored pant and a vibrant burgundy silk blouse. I suddenly felt very underdressed in my button-down and slacks. Her steely blue eyes bore into mine with intensity. She placed a document on the receptionist’s desk, and then continued her stride to where I was seated. I rose from my chair to meet her.\n\n“Hello Mr. Novak, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Mara Grimm.” When she spoke, her voice was musical. Not like chimes or flutes, but a sound that fills the space with reverence, like the tones of an orchestra tuning before a performance.\n\nShe extended a hand and we shook. I noticed the warmth emanating from her palm, and her firm, but not too firm, grip. She smiled at me, her lipstick impeccable and white teeth glinting through the painted lips.“Likewise Ms. Grimm, you can call me Josh if you’d like.”\n\n“Noted. Please follow me for your interview.” She turned and quickly walked back through the door from which she’d entered, her heels clicking on the stone floor. I struggled to keep up with her pace as we marched through a hallway. It felt like there were endless twists and turns and closed doors we walked past. We finally came upon a huge set of double doors, the kind that would be at home cloistering a courtroom or senate.\n\nShe pushed open one of the doors, and we stepped into what I could only presume was her office. It was a round room, with no windows and a domed ceiling. A lush carpet replaced the cold stone, rich tapestries hung from the high walls, and a floor to ceiling bookcase, filled to the brim with tomes, loomed over the room. In the center was an ornate wooden desk with a matching chair. Unlike the receptionist’s desk, hers was free of any modern technologies, and contained only a blotter, a fine pen, and a picture frame.\n\nI didn’t have a minute to examine the intricate carvings of the desk before she invited me to sit across from her. I quickly took my seat in a chair that matched the one from the waiting room. She settled into her seat and leaned forward, elbows resting on the desk, hands gently clasped in front of her.“So Mr. Novak, tell me a bit about yourself.”\n\n“Well, I’m recently retired from the military, where I served for eight years as an army medic. I’m originally from a small town in southern California, my family ran the diner and bar in town. I joined up when I was eighteen, just ready to be done with small town life. I had my fingers crossed that I'd be stationed somewhere beautiful and exciting. Instead, I spent eight years chewing on sand in Afghanistan. I can’t say it wasn’t exciting though.”\n\nI swallowed hard and looked at the desk that lay between us. I could feel her stare, but couldn’t meet her eyes.\n\n“I’ve been working as a nurse since leaving the military, but it’s not quite what I’d had in mind, so I’m branching out to other options.”\n\nShe spoke with the softness of a grandmother, “I see, what is it about working in healthcare that you’re seeking to get away from?”\n\n“Do you mind if I speak candidly?”\n\n“Not at all.”\n\n“It’s the politics. The pharmaceutical salesmen traipsing in with coffees and fake smiles, the doctors that micro manage my every move, the insurance companies that deny my patients treatments that they need. And then there’s the patients that come in armed with knowledge they got from some pseudo whack job that has them convinced we are withholding miracle treatments, or are outright lying to them about their prognosis. It’s just--” I paused and took a deep breath. “It’s just not what I was expecting when I took a job wanting to help people.”\n\n“And do you feel this job would enable you to do that?”\n\nI sat up in my chair and looked her straight in the face.\n\n“Absolutely.” My chin wavered as I felt the intensity of the word I had just uttered.\n\n“Tell me why.”\n\n“Death is unavoidable. It is part of being alive. Not just as the conclusion of life, but something humans have to grapple with throughout their lives. When we are young, our dog dies, or a grandparent dies, and we learn to accept death into our lives. We grieve and try to understand, but really we don’t, because the next death doesn't feel any easier.”\n\nShe remained silent, but gave a nod, as if encouraging me to continue.\n\n“I’ve seen death. More times than I can remember. I’ve seen death in a hospice room of a woman of twenty-two grandchildren. I’ve seen death in the surgery bay of a young man whose newly wedded wife waited just outside. I’ve seen death in the back of a Black Hawk, where I promised a man I’d never met before that I would tell his children his final words. I’ve held death in my arms in a bombed out building, and carried her tiny little body back to her mother.” I quietly sniffled and blinked back hot tears.", "Death looked, well like death. He was hunched over the desk, his sunken features palid and stale. His eyes were grayed, and he groaned as he stood up to shake my hand. \n\"You're Jess?\" He asked, the echo in his voice sounding etheral and tired. He was burnt out. \n\"I'm Jess. Nice to meet you.\" I shook his hand, the bony fingers hard against my flesh. He merely grunted and gestured for me to sit down. He took a long pause, eyeing me up and down and then sighed. \n\n\"Can you lift it?\" He asked. \n\n\"Lift what?\" I asked back, confused? Was there something I missed in the application? \n\n\"The scythe.\" He answered, sighing as he gestured to the ominous scythe leaning against the wall behind. \"Can you lift it?\"\n\n\" i can touch it?\" My eyes widened. And I stood up to go and try to prove I could lift it. \n\n\"Touch only the handle, not the blade. I don't want to lose another candidate. Too much damn paperwork.\" He grumbled\n\nI stood facing the scythe, the polished wooden handle, two hand prints had worn into the wood. The blade, sharp and shiny, was dancing in my peripheral. It was calling me to come closer. I reached out to the handle, and the Scythe started to shake. Suddenly my hands were grasping the handle, wrapping around to lift it. It was surprisingly light weight, weighing no more than a feather. I smiled as I triumphantly lifted it and turned to show Death. \n\nHis eyes glimmered and a tear was welling up in the sunken socket. He looked me up and down, and said \n\"Congratulations on being selected. This is now your office. The scythe grows heavy with burden, and the longer you have it, the heavier it is.\" Tears streamed down his face, but he was smiling. \n\"This is the lightest I've felt in years. Your first reaping will be me.\" \nI stared in shock and horror at the palid old man now before me. What have I done? I have to reap this man. \n\"I-i thought there would be training, mentorship, something explained to me?\" I fumbled out. \n\"The scythe chooses the next death. Not me. It has been far too long since it has selected another to wield it. \nListen to the scythe- that is the Reaper. You are just it's bearer. You are the face of Death, just a conduit for the instrument. Now close your eyes, listen to the scythe, and set me free.\" \nI stared into the man's eyes, his human irises returning. He was begging me to set him free from the burden, the role I had inadvertently accepted. \nThe scythe whispered, an etheral echoing whisper, much like what Death had sounded like when I arrived. \n\"Take his hand, and have him touch my blade.\"\nI looked at the man and reached out for his hand. \n\"It wants to say goodbye properly, \" I told him, and placed his hand upon the blade. \nHe faded into nothingness, a peaceful expression on his face. He was free, and I was now the face of Death. \nThe Scythe gave a small laugh and whispered \"Welcome. We have a lot a work to do, let's begin...\"" ]	3
[WP] You catch a man looking through your window, nobody else can see/touch him, he doesn't move or do anything, just stares, five years later, as you return from college for your mom's funeral, he's sitting in your living room among guests	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I should have been afraid, seeing his sallow face again. I should have fled, screamed, cried, and panicked at the glance of his hollow eyes. He had been gone for merely 5 years, and I thought he was just a fever dream at this point, but yet he remained present, in the flesh, gazing expectantly at me.\n\nFor a decade of my childhood, he stood outside my window. Rain or shine, his bald and nearly skeletal face remained in his immaculately tailored suit, and even in the twice that we moved, he followed.\n\nNobody else saw him. Nobody could touch or interact with him. He never spoke to me either, simply remaining like a statue. After several years, I'd grown used to his constant presence. I had even began opening my window and speaking to him; he became a friend and a confidant, one who would not judge or offer unsolicited advice, or grow to an angry outburst when he'd tired of my whining. He simply listened.\n\nI hadn't noticed as a child the black veins streaking across his face, or the way that light seemed to dim around him. As I approached and sat beside him, sounds began to blur and fade as well. His suit, while unchanging, was a perfect fit for this occasion.\n\n\"It's been a while\", I croaked, voice hoarse from crying. \n\nHe simply stared, silent as usual. \n\n\"I thought you were my imagination for so long. I know you're nothing natural, but there is some bizarre comfort in your presence here\" I continued. \"It was all so fast, 3 years from diagnosis to coffin. I'm going to miss Mom.\"\n\n\"Cancer is truly one of the most terrible demons\", a harsh whispering echo reverberated not from beside me, but in my head. Again, fear would have been the logical response, but I saw no need for it.\n\n\"You could talk this entire time? Jerk\", I jabbed playfully. \"And yeah, it is. I just hope she isn't suffering anymore.\"\n\n\"She isn't \", he buzzed again, like a flag in a harsh wind, or a thousand insects crawling over one another. \"She was kind to all within her influence. She is one of the few who will know peace.\"\n\n\"What, are you some sort of spirit?\" A slight unease crept forth in my voice.\n\n\"My kind go by many names. The closest that you would recognize is a guardian angel, but that's not entirely correct. I'm merely an observer. Truthfully, you're not supposed to be able to see me.\"\n\n\"Then why can I?\"\n\n\"I don't know. Nor do I think it matters. \"\n\nA long, ragged sigh washed through my mind like a rogue wave on a still lake, the first hint of emotion that he'd shown me.\n\n\"Know that you do not walk alone, and you have lost nothing. For her being in your life was nothing short of a gift. And know that her passing is not your end as well. I will remain as I always have, long after your time. \"\n\n\"Definitely doesn't sound like a goodbye message at all\", I chuckled.\n\n\"Your humor is an excellent armor, but it's only effective when others are present to share it. The time will come where you enter your silent home, and begin to grieve. That will mark the beginning of your healing. Know that when you find yourself in silence, you do not stand alone. I am always there, always listening. And know that from her place, she still loves you.\"\n\nHe stood and turned to me, nodding with a smile, the first I'd seen from him. And then, he was simply gone." ]	2
[WP] your life long friend comforts you after the death of your last living family member, only to find out at the end that the friend was the killer (reveal a clue at the end)	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "There wasn't many of us at the cemetery, just a handful of us. I had no other family besides my father and he, too, was no longer here. He suffered an allergy attack while he was home alone. I was away for a work trip across the country. He was severely allergic to peanuts and knew to avoid it but according to the coroner it was in his system.\n\nAt least now he's with my mother, who I never met. Unfortunately there was an issue after she gave birth to me. She died just hours after I came into this world. I hope they're both happy together \n\nBesides me there was the priest, the driver of the hearst, the funeral chapel director, and my best friend since childhood. Like her I was now alone. We only have each other. Her parents have passed away years ago. It was one after the other. Her father passed of a heart attack while home alone. Her mother found him after she came back from dinner with friends. A week later, a day after the funeral, her mother was found unresponsive. There was an empty bottle of sleeping pills, and a glass that still had the stench of alcohol.\n\nLike the time I was there for her, now she was there for me. After the funeral we went back to my home. It was quiet as expected but I was still hoping that I would hear his TV blasting a sports channel. I hadn't cleaned since I found him almost a week ago. I just couldn't.\n\nI go into the kitchen and go through the fridge to see if there was anything to eat. There was a couple of leftover take out boxes in the back and I check to see if the food was still okay. Both boxes had my friends name on it from the Vietnamese restaurant she and I frequented. When I go away out of town for work she brings my father food. So it's nothing out of the ordinary. I open the box to check the food and the smell was overly sour. I dump it out in the garbage and to my surprise there were tiny bits of crushed peanuts on the bottom." ]	2
[WP] The hero goes around town, trying to say his goodbyes to all the townspeople. The oracle had told him that it is fated that he dies during the final battle. Strangely, there is one individual that he wants to say goodbye to, yet he cannot find.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Knowing about my own death was a lot less frightening than I thought.\nAt first of course I had been shocked but now I found a strange comfort in this certain future. I wasn't gonna run from the fight. The oracle never lied so what would be the point? The town needed their defender. And I sure wouldn't let those evil minions anywhere near Joe's tavern.\n\n\"I'm gonna miss that place\" I thought.\n\n\"Sure hope there are taverns wherever one goes after this.\" \n\nNow I had said my goodbyes to everyone in town but Mia.\n\n\"Dammit where are you?\"\nDid she bail on me? After all this?\n\nThat would be a sad end to our adventure.\n\nEight weeks ago we met at that barfight in Joe's tavern and walked right into an epic war between good and evil when we learned about a sorcerer trying to kill the Lady of time. \nWhen we found out that said sorcerer was actually my old school friend our story was almost complete. \nJust the epic final battle was missing. \n\n\n\"Well Steve.. Guess I'm gonna have to kick your ass by myself\"\n\nI stood on the towns wall looking onto the field below me. My \"evil sorcerer\" from school was there in black robes with a hood and a bunch of goblins around him. He had always been somewhat of a poser.\n\nI got ready to jump down into the fight of my life when a buzzing sound interrupted me.\n\n_\n\n\"Hey, it's Mia. I kinda missed the bus so I'm a little late, sorry. Can you guys wait for me?\"\n\n\"yeah we can wait\" I said \"Joe's not yet here either. But hurry OK?\"\n\nI glanced over at Steve.\nHe grinned. \n\n\"Ironic. Our Lady of time is rarely IN time.\"\n\nsigh\n\n\"good one Steve\"" ]	2
[WP] You are being heralded as the greatest vampire hunter of all time. Which is weird since you've never seen a vampire, despite delving into every place they're claimed to be, armed with nothing but your headphones, cellphone, and your heavy-duty full-spectrum daylight-bulb flashlight.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I never really thought about it before, but Grandpa had a lot of weird stuff in his workshed out back. Boxes of wooden stakes, a couple of old toolboxes with a bunch of old crosses and whatnot, but what really drew my eye was this flashlight of his. This thing was great, it would run for days off a 9volt battery and would make any dark room light up as if the sun itself had come down for a visit. I managed to steal it from the shed before my parents emptied out the shed and then razed it to the ground. \n\n\\---\n\nAt 4PM, the bell rang. Time to go home, I figured. As I was walking down the hallway, Chris came up to me. \"Dude, we on for tonight?\"\n\nWait, what? Chris never spoke to me before. Our \"association\" was not really, more of ships passing in the night in the chaotic seas of highschool.\n\n\"Um, what?\", I said. \n\n\"Tonight, the old reservoir. There's gonna be a party in the control house. You're invited!\", he said excitedly.\n\n\"Um, yeah. Sure. Beats hanging out at my family's place.\", I said nervously. This was unprecedented. Admittedly in retrospect, I should have been more cautious, but I was bored and didn't look forward to spending another night listen to my drunken mother accuse me of whatever BS her drunken stupor could dream up.\n\n\\---\n\nI came home and found my mom asleep on the living room couch, an empty 40 on the floor told the tale of what happened. I ran into my bedroom, dropped off my bookbag, grabbed my headset and my grandfather's flashlight. At the very least, I was going to take advantage of the opportunity for some urban exploration.\n\nI hopped on my bike and set course to the control room of the old reservoir control house.\n\n\\---\n\nAs I approached the building, things felt a bit 'off', but nothing presented as a threat so I kept going. I pedaled faster to the side of the control house and leaned my bike against the wall. Worst case scenario, I get jumped, my stuff gets stolen, or worse. Best case scenario, I get to hang out, listen to music and maybe get to know people.\n\nI turned on the flashlight and aimed at the door. No movement at all from the control house. I opened the door slowly and was greeted by a musty vapor and a dank building. Undeterred, I entered and made a sweep of the control room. No motion at all. The musty vapor seemed to intensify a bit, but nothing else. \n\n\"Man, this place is a ghost town. Of course, Chris lied to me.\", I mumbled out loud. Ok, so the party's off. At least I can snap some photos. The control room is somewhat intact and retro-futuristic looking. I pulled out my phone and started taking photos of the decay and the disintegration of the building's interior.\n\nAfter a couple of hours of taking photos for the urbex album, I had had enough of the damp and decay that was thick in the air. The place was a tomb. \n\n\\---\n\nThe next day at school, something was indeed up. A lot of people were walking around as if there was some huge tragedy or something. As I made my way to my class, I kept hearing people talking about the party last night and I largely wrote it off. There was no party, I was there. \n\nAs I settled in for my math class, the principal made an announcement over the loudspeaker. \"Hello class, this is Principal Skinner. Several students have been reported missing. If you have any contact with any of them past midnight last night, please come to the principal's office.\" The principal proceeded to read off a list of about twenty names.\n\n\\---\n\nFinal bell, time to go home. This time was different though. As I rounded the corner to my street, I noticed something was indeed very off. There was a large white stretch limo sitting outside of my home. Curiosity got the better of me so I pulled in and tossed the bike down. When I came through the front door, my mother was startingly sober and talking to two men in suits. A third man, dressed in all white, stood up when I came in.\n\n\"Ah yes, this must be Mister Ralph!\", the white man said in a very foreign accent. His focus now aimed at me, he grinned like a cheshire cat. \"We owe this young man a sincere debt of gratitude! He is now the most feared vampire hunter of all time, joining the ranks of Van Helsing, and even Alcuard himself!\"", "Brayson Manor remained fixed in a perpetual state of ruin; only becoming more consumed by decrepitude as the decades spurred ever onwards. As of present, the structure more closely resembled an assortment of rotten oak and mahogany than an actual inhabitable space. Nevertheless, I - James jay Sullivan - couldn’t allow a measly bit of timber to inhibit my inspection.\n\nAfter all, someone of my rank shouldn’t be frightened off so easily. \n\nThe doors to the building didn’t need any convincing to barge themselves open - compared to other mansions of similar desolation, those of which requiring a brisk nudge or two.\n\n“Huh,” I muttered, the end of my flashlight spurting restrained lighting upon a hallway’s moth-eaten carpet. “Just leaving the front doors wide open… that sure isn’t suspicious.”\n\nExtending off the hall’s end, a half Collapsed staircase met my gaze, multiple clusters of varied debris occupying its steps. Grudgingly, I manoeuvred across them - albeit almost breaking my ankle at several instances.\n\nAt the top I met yet another replicate hallway, a network of doors spanning the walling at various intervals; all barely clasping upon their rust-ridden hinges of old.\n\nDespite my array of choice, only one room stuck out to me.\n\nTo my left, an orangey light was visibly turned on within, the dim flickering shade beckoning me forth.\n\n“Damn.” I half-whispered, forcing such quietness the word was barely tangible to even myself. Legs suddenly deciding to occupy themselves with a subtle tremble, I attempted to tiptoe my through, only to be met with a booming voice. \n\n“Enter.” It commanded simply.\n\nI suddenly became very aware of the masses of sweat pelting down every facet of my face, as if a personal rain began pouring it’s contests upon me. \n\nThe chamber was empty. Empty, apart from a stray man - elderly, I presumed - perched upon a wooden stool.\n\n“James!” the well-dressed man roared cheerfully, his buttoned up suit and tie only becoming evident to me there and then. “What an honour it is to be before you!” he gestured both arms outwards, as if basking in my glory.\n\n“And…” I began to mumble rather pitifully. “Who may you be?”\n\nThe room’s sole other inhabitant continued to smile in an outlandishly unnatural fashion. “You really don’t know? Hmm, well, I guess maybe this will jog your memory.”\n\nHe lifted his upper lip, revealing a protruding fang. Only then did it click, I almost slapped myself for the outright stupidity.\n\nThe crimson-styled suit; the pale, almost papery skin; the ominous, threatening fangs.\n\n“…You’re a vampire.” I gasped aloud. “A real, alive vampire.”\n\n“Indeed I am,” the grotesque figure ahead replied, his mien of false joy long-since vanished. “Now James,” he continued, pulling out my phone from his pocket.\n\nA shallow numbness overwhelmed my senses, combined with sheer perplexity.\n\n“Yes, shocking I know! I have a few other abilities like that - you’ll soon find out.”\n\n“B-but…” I choked. “Your not… you can’t be…”\n\n“Real? Oh, I very much am, and very much upset by some of your… actions.”\n\nThe vampire opened up my phone and, after scrolling a few times, opened up a YouTube channel. \n\nMy YouTube channel.\n\n“Care to explain,” the suited vampire finally got to the point. “Why you’re pretending to discover my kin, for views? Why, despite your obvious lack of ever even having met my kind, your proclaiming yourself - in your words - James jay Sullivan, ultimate vampire slayer; bane of the bloodthirsty?”", "The castle was old and dusty, the floor was covered in ages of grime and mud and antique foot prints of both animal and humans. The place was disgusting. However, that's why they sent me here I guess. I put on my headphones and played some music. I dunked a mop a into a bucket and started mopping while my electric lamp illuminated the castle's vast insides. Seemed like it was gonna be another quiet night.\n\nJust as I was getting into the rhythm of cleaning, I could feel the sensation of someone breathing on my neck. I sighed. Usually this was something of a gut feeling that told me I wasn't alone. It was usually right. I stopped what I was doing and looked around. A figure dressed in rags was slowly walking to me. I wasn't afraid though. I yelled at him \"Excuse me sir, but I believe this is private property and you can't be squatting here.\" The figure stopped walking abruptly, \"Howw cann yuuu thsseee me?\"\n\n\"I've always had good night vision, now please leave. You're illegally squatting on private property.\" I said.\n\n\"Harwharharhaw! So whaat eef you cen sthee mee? I will driinkkk youu durryy!!\" The squatter yelled. After hearing that slurred rambling nonsense, it was pretty clear to anyone there that the man was on something. I didn't try to reason with him anymore as he stumbled forward into a charge. I gripped onto my mop and shoved it at him. However, he stepped onto a particularly wet spot causing him to slip and fall screaming in melodramatic agony. \n\nA putrid stench began to rise from him. Layers of sticky black muck began to slide off of him.\n\nI dunked my mop into my bucket and jabbed it into his back, \"I said get out of this place already you damned bum!\"\n\nFrom previous experience, usually a good whack with the mop and stern warning would scare them off at least until I'm sent somewhere else...\n\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nA man in a suit and sunglasses walked through the dark woods toward the abandoned castle. His code-name was Grit and he was from the Holy Cleansers. The Holy Cleansers were a division of an elite international organization dedicated to exterminating evil beings. The Holy Cleansers focused on the extermination of vampires specifically. He had 10 years with the organization and partook in several joint missions fighting not only vampires, but ogres, demons, and wraiths. As he approached the castle, he could hear the undead wails and murmuring aura of a powerful vampire. The closer he got to the castle, the more stress built up in his ears. From his experience, he estimated that a vampire of this calibre would require at least a squad of 7 veteran hunters. Thankfully, dawn was approaching which began to curb the dreadful murmurs. Grit arrived at the entrance and stopped there.\n\nHe was not there to fight today, but to merely to check in on the legendary solo vampire hunter.\n\nA piercing otherworldly wail erupted from the castle causing the spiritual balance to shake around the castle. Grit knew that the legendary vampire hunter had found his prey and was locked into a mortal battle. He had an urge to rush in help, but was too afraid he would get in the way, so he waited outside patiently. After about an hour, the spiritual tremors stopped. The locked doors of the castle slowly opened on their own and revealed a stumbling figure dashing forward, seeming desperate to escape. The figure dashing forward was in a very sorry state and Grit had a hard time believing what he was seeing. The figure seemed to be a very high ranking vampire heavily burned by holy water with its back brutalized to the point it looked like it was carved out. \n\nThe vampire collapsed in front of Grit. \n\nThe morning sunlight then wrapped around the vampire quickly disintegrating it to dust.\n\n\"Oh hey! Uh, could you be from the Holy Cleansin'?\" A voice sounded from the castle entrance. Grit straightened up. Emerging from the castle was a man in a simple gray hat, boots, a blue uniform, and a mop and bucket in hand. Through Grit's initial shock, his brain slowly matched the man's profile to the profile of the legendary vampire hunter: A man that preferred to go undercover as a humble janitor to catch unsuspecting vampires off guard. If Grit was not briefed earlier, he would have really believed that this man really was just a janitor. \n\n\"Yes! It is an honor to meet you sir.\" Grit declared with much sincerity. \n\n\"Aww, you guys are really too kind, I'm just a janitor. If anything, I'd like to thank you guys for sending me around the world to clean up some pretty cool places. Although they're mostly dark and dank places like abandoned churches, castles, mausoleums, basements... some of them were really cool, and out of the way and kind of mysterious!\" The legend humbly replied. Grit raised an eyebrow. Could he be possibly be referring to one of the Primal Evil grounds rumored to be the birth place of evil beings? Were the rumors true that this legendary vampire hunter was the critical factor in operation \"Sanitization\" that took place in the underground Himalayan mountain temple three years ago? \n\nHowever, Grit knew not to pry into such confidential matters.\n\n\"I think someone of your calibre would indeed see many things. Fine work by the way, on getting rid of that vampire. You don't look like you had a hard time.\" Grit tactfully changed topics while observing the relaxed air around the legendary solo vampire slayer. \"Haha, no of course not! I'm kind of getting used to kicking these squatters out now. The places the Holy Cleanser's got me cleaning out always seem to have a few of them... but I'm still not very comfortable with the whole calling them 'vampires'. They're just poor souls without a place in society with substance abuse problems. I dunno, sometimes I think it might be... kinda wrong you know?\" The legendary vampire slayer seemed somewhat peeved at the naming conventions.\n\nGrit was a bit taken aback. Well, whatever. According to the briefing info,it noted that that the legendary solo vampire slayer had an odd sense of humor. Grit gave an awkward chuckle and coughed, \"Ahem, may I?\" Grit gestured towards the castle doors.\n\nThe legendary vampire hunter clapped his hand together and waved his hands indicating it was safe to enter. Grit was was very excited to inspect the castle interior and hopefully catch glimpses of how the legendary vampire hunter operated.\n\nWhen Grit stepped inside, he instantly felt the holy aura that permeated from the floors. The holy water that the legendary vampire hunter used seemed to be randomly spread out, but that would be impossible. Holy water was not cheap to produce and the legendary vampire hunter was not some inept nobody. \n\nGirt could only conclude that the application of holy water was very complex.\n\nGrit saw a huge puddle on the ground and a bunch of evil miasma staining the ground. Then it clicked for Grit. Grit then began to closely observe all the smaller puddles of holy water that shrunk and gasped in wonderment. It started becoming clear that this legend had meticulously limited the path a vampire could take, then bait it into attacking him in a strategic area. All the calculations would've allowed to legendary vampire hunter to prepare a fatal trap for the unsuspecting vampire. Although Grit was not sure what trap the legendary vampire slayer sprung, he was at least there to see how effective it was based on the results.\n\nSuddenly there was a rumbling under the castle. The spiritual balance rapidly shifted and adopted sinister tones. Crap, a very high level dark alchemy curse that Grit had never seen the like of before had been just casted without any warnings! Grit wasn't sure how much time they had left to escape the range of the curse. \n\nHe shot a quick glance at the legendary solo vampire hunter and prepared himself to obediently follow their lead. \n\nHowever, that person was whistling while dutifully mopping the dirty floor... as if completely oblivious to the high level curse being casted? Then a thought struck Grit and in his head exclaimed, \"The legendary vampire slayer must be setting another trap!\" Grit instantly calmed down and casually continued to look around as if nothing was happening. Whew, Grit nearly gave the game away!\n\n\"HAHAHA!!!!! YOU'VE FALLEN INTO MY TRAP, YOU DOGS OF LIGHT\". An evil voice erupted.\n\nSuddenly the castle plunged into an artificial night.\n\n\"I SWEAR I'LL HAVE MY REVENGE TODAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME IN THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS!\" That was the last thing Grit heard before passing out from the sheer power exuding from that voice.\n\n----------------------------------------------\n\nThe end." ]	4
[WP] In order to calm an anxious young patient, a doctor demonstrates the x-ray / MRI machine on the child's favorite teddy.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "An impatient mother, a kindergartener, and a doctor sat in a radiology room. \r \n\r \n“Charlie, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Here, I’ll bring lil’ Ted over here and put him inside Burt. Ted will be in and out, safe and sound. Is that okay?” The doctor asked the kindergartener, patting the MRI scanner.\r \n\r \n“No,” Charlie refused. He pouted at the doctor and declared, “I don’t trust Burt.”\r \n\r \n“Charlie, please,” the mother sternly pushed.\r \n\r \n“No, no, no, no, no, no!”\r \n\r \n“Charlie!”\r \n\r \nThe doctor demanded, “Don’t yell at him.”\r \n\r \nA nurse walked over, nodding.\r \n\r \nThe mother yelled, “Chris, give me Ted and I’ll put him in.”\r \n\r \n“No!” Charlie denied.\r \n\r \nThe doctor held the teddy bear tight. \r \n\r \nThe mother brimmed with frustration. \r \n\r \nThe doctor kindly said, “C’mon Charlie, I promise it’ll be alright.”\r \n\r \nCharlie didn’t budge, vehement on his judgment. \r \n\r \nInstead of a violent outburst of rage, the mother abruptly broke down in despair. “Chris, I-I don’t know what we’re going to do. I really don’t know. He’s only five. What if he actually has something growing up there? I don’t know.”\r \n\r \nHearing his mother cry, Charlie began to whimper.\r \n\r \nThe doctor calmly said, “It’s going to be alright, Vanessa. One thing at a time.”\r \n\r \nLooking at Charlie and back at his mother, the doctor instructed the nurse to put Ted inside Burt. Holding back Charlie’s rapid flails and dramatic cries of agony, the family of three watched as innocent Ted disappeared into the white cavity before returning back in the same brown, fluffy exterior." ]	2
[WP] Its the year 2300 and all human genes have been classified and understood except for one repeating pattern that can be found in every chromosome. A cryptographer comes forward and deciphers that it is not a gene, but the message "god wuz here lol".	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Look,” with a petri dish in hand, James The Cryptographer coughed hastily on it, drawing attention from everyone in the room. He placed it under the laser microscope, face squirming while making adjustments. The image of DNA fuzzed on the screen until a clear symbol of the infinite ladder appeared.\n\nDerek The Geneticist’s eyes twitched then glassed over as James enhanced the image, further revealing the dreaded fucking message: “god wuz here lol.”\n\n“God’s not even capitalized!” Lisa The Intern exclaimed, mouth agape. Her hair was askew from continually running her fingers up and down her scalp. The sun was rising now; trails of sunlight cut across the lab room, highlighting some coffee sitting like a bead in the middle of the dimple of her fat chin.\n\nDerek sharply rapped his knuckles on the desk, breaking Lisa’s shock and sending the coffee dribble flying.\n\n“This is not a religious matter! This is not a grammatical matter!”\n\nHe sighed, settling into his chair and looking out the window. “This is a matter beyond our understanding.”" ]	2
[WP] Magic died ages ago when the god of magic was torn asunder, legs and arms and head and torso all split into pieces and sent to the four corners of the earth. This morning you woke up with your left leg in pain. Your sister’s left arm hurts. You call your friend and his right leg is aching.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Not how I expected to spend my Saturday afternoon…” Jamie mumbled, thrashing out his shovel in wild, unceremonious slashes upon the hill’s crest.\n\n“Don’t you know how to hold it properly?” Hazel commented in disbelief, the dim glimmer of moonlight striking in slim gashes barely providing enough light to see in that night’s encompassing shroud. Nevertheless, her brother’s startlingly bad technique was abundantly clear to all present. “My, what a help you’re gonna’ be.”\n\nA second man - this was one much less stout in build; his genetics instead granting him a reedy height - continued spurting up clump after clump of murky mud. “Shut it you two, I’m actually trying to concentrate.”\n\n“Oh, well forgive me for being skeptical about the value of grave-robbing at 2am!”\n\nThe second man - Graham - let go of the shovel. The sound of steel on mud resounded throughout the night’s subtle breeze, both Graham and Jamie staring at one other with deathly grave faces. \n\n“Think about it Jamie,” Graham finally decided to speak up. “Both you, me, and Hazel have all experienced some type of pang in one of our limbs; that isn’t normal.”\n\n“Sorry,” Hazel chimed in. “…but I’ll have to side with Jamie on this one - despite his non-existent ability in handiwork - doesn’t it all seem a little farfetched to you?” \n\n“Exactly!” Hazel’s brother threw both arms skywards, before letting them slump back by his torso. “Just because we have a faintly similar injury doesn’t mean we’re connected to a god that literally got buried two years ago. We attended his funeral!”\n\n“Yes bu-“ Graham began to hastily explain, only to be cut off by the noise of two collapsed pieces of equipment. \n\n“I really don’t wanna’ seem rude Graham.” Hazel began without preamble, frowning, eyes glancing to the wayside. “I just have other things that need addressing, more so than… this.”\n\nAnd with that, the two marched methodically away. Leaving Graham alone. Alone in a mountain of shovelled up dirt.\n\n“Damn it.” the man winced under his breath. “This is stupid.”\n\nShaking his head, Graham sank himself deeper within his self-induced reverie of shame and first-hand embarrassment. \n\nHe was just about to leave, only to be halted after barging a foot into something sturdy. Cursing, Graham glanced downwards, squinting at whatever the hell had the audacity of tripping him.\n\nA sole leg extended out of the muddy morass consuming much of the hill surface. But worse then that, much more troubling than a mere dead limb - grotesque, yet expected within a cemetery - was the fact it was quivering." ]	2
[WP] Every day for the past month, someone has been slipping a white envelope stuffed with cash under your door, and it's always been exactly what you needed to spend that day. Today, you found it bulging with 500,000 dollars, and no hint as to why.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It started out innocently enough, a couple hundred dollars here and there, located in a white envelope of no particular appearance, nestled inside my doorframe. \n\nI got used to it pretty quickly, told my wife about it, and we both finally decided to quit our jobs so that we could dedicate more time to our two year old, Shelley.\n\nWe didn't pay much attention to where the money was coming from or why we were graced with it - we just took it as a good omen and continued with our lives as if nothing was out of the ordinary.\n\nShelley was a bright kid, he had learned how to walk just a few days ago and he was already calling for his mother.\n\n''Ma-ma!''\n\nThat angelic voice was like the finest classical melody to me, although I was a bit jealous that there was no mention of 'Da-da' anywhere, but I quickly pushed those thoughts away, as they only served to spoil my mood.\n\nOne day, as I was about to collect my bounty, I saw that the envelope was much larger and heftier than before and as I finished counting the money inside, I realized it was a whopping 500k$.\n\nTears welled up in my eyes and I went upstairs to wake my wife and tell her about our good fortune.\n\nJust as I was about to barge into the room, Shelley's cries pierced through my skull, reverbating through my body. \n\nThis wasn't a normal cry for creature comforts, no, it was something far more wicked. My wife opened the door and we locked eyes for a moment, communicating our intent: Shelley.\n\nWe went into his room, changes his diapers and did the usual routine of feeding him and cradling him into sleep.\n\nHe wouldn't have any of it! He trashed around, almost somersaulting out of my hands and wouldn't look me in the eye.\n\nMy growing concern was shared by my wife and we soon went to our pediatrician to see what an expert had to say.\n\nHis first diagnosis was hasty: A common case of conjuctivitis, nothing to be concerned about.\n\nI wasn't having any of that, so I handed him a few Benjamins to get a reevaluation.\n\nHe looked me in the eye, finally showing some respect, saying: ''I think we'll conduct a few more tests.''\n\nAfter everything else was ruled out, the final thing to do was to have a CT scan of Shelley's head.\n\n''You'll have to wait a few hours for the results to come in, in the meantime, please wait outside.''\n\nShelley still didn't stop his incessant crying and I was growing increasingly frustrated by the situation.\n\nMy wife sensed the tension and asked me what we would do with all this money. I answered something in the lines of moving to a better neighbourhood as well as buying more things for Shelley.\n\n''Have you forgotten about me?'' my wife interjected, in a playful voice.\n\n''Of course not, but Shelley remains our number one priority.'' I answered in an impassive voice, too concerned with the present to show any genuine emotion.\n\nThe other parents in the waiting room gave us the stinky eye, but I just shrugged and avoided eye contact whenever possible.\n\nThe hours went by slowly, but they did finally pass and when it was finally our turn to meet the pediatrician again, we hastily stood up and marched towards his office.\n\n''Mr. and Ms. R-----, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but things aren't looking good.''\n\nHe paused and let the shock set in. My wife and I exchanged glances, motioning for the doctor to continue.\n\n''The results came in and it seems like little Shelley here has a malignant tumor on his left hemisphere.''\n\nThe blood drained from my face, my wife fell unconscious but not without letting out a sorrowful cry.\n\n''I understand this to be a very difficult time for you,'' the pediatrician said as he approached my wife, ''but Shelley needs to be operated on, as soon as possible!''\n\nMy senses seemed dull and I was having difficulty keeping composure, I mumbled something to myself, to which the doctor didn't say anything.\n\nFinally, after a few minutes of heavy silence, I replied:\n\n''Yes, an operation.''\n\n''Mr. R-----, you do understand that this venture will cost you south of 500k$.'' The pediatrician interjected, not without a sense of dread in his voice.\n\n''Not an issue, just save Shelley.'' I said, without moving an inch, not even deigning to look up from the floor.\n\nMy wife woke up after exactly an hour and after convincing her that she wasn't dreaming, she jumped into my shoulder and cried her heart out. I cried too, but there was no one to console me.\n\nWe paid the money and Shelley was transported via a helicopter to a major city. We went by Taxi and when we arrived, the head surgeon greeted us.\n\nAfter a few minutes of police chit-chat, he informed us that Shelley had a 50% chance of making it.\n\nA coin toss, that's what his life was reduced to.\n\nMy wife and I nodded in agreement, she started crying again, but I remained unphased - it was up to God now.\n\nFour hours later and the news came in: Shelley was dead.\n\nThey did everything in their power, but a major artery in the brain popped and there was nothing that could've been done.\n\nMy wife threw herself on the ground, treating her hair like a trichotillomaniac.\n\nThe paramedics quickly subdued her, injecting her with painkillers and opium. \n\nWe took a Taxi home, her in my arms, with no Shelley. \n\nI screamed and the driver almost hit a pole. He looked at me through the front view mirror as if I was some sort of maniac, but I just ignored his glances.\n\nWe arrived home quite late, I placed my wife into her side of the double-sized bed, popped a couple of Benzos and went to sleep.\n\nThe next morning, when reality set it, we both sat in silence on our beds, not daring to speak with each other. \n\nI went downstairs to take a leak when something very unusual befell my eye: There was no envelope this time, not even outside. \n\nI smiled, immediately knowing where this was headed. I went into the garage, unloaded the shotgun we kept in the indoor shed and joined my wife in bed.\n\nI cocked the gun, tears of happiness streaming down my face and said:\n\n''Rejoice! We'll soon be joining Shelley in Heaven!'' \n\nMy wife gave me a weak smile and closed her eyes.\n\nTwo shots emanated from the house of R------ that morning and until the police came, it was silence, dead silence." ]	2
[WP] You crack open your fortune cookie. It reads "the man 10 feet behind you plans to kill you."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I try to fight the urge to look behind me. It is such a stupid prank after all, but my curiosity gets the better of me. I stop as if to tie my shoelaces and sneak a peak toward the direction I was just coming from. I see a hooded figure also stop and look around as if looking for someone. \"A strange coincidence?\" I think to myself.\n\nThat chinese place really has a weird sense of humor, but I digress. It's getting a bit late and I'm quite a way from home. I come across the bus stop right as dusk begins to bathe the sky. The wind starts picking up and a chill runs up my spine. The leafs on the trees start to rustle as I put my jacket on.\n\nThe hooded figure that was walking behind me a few minutes ago now joins me as I wait for the bus. He's about 6 feet away from me and turned in such a way that I can't quite see his face. \n\n\"You got the time?\" a familiar voice emanates from the hooded figure, even though I can't really place it. I turn to look at my watch.\n\n\"6:43\", I reply. The man keeps quiet. Not even a thank you? Some people are really rude. I'm still a bit nervous from what that fortune cookie said, even though I know it's all just a joke. I keep my eyes on this man, trying my best not to look like a creep as we wait for the bus.\n\nThe bus finally arrives and we both get on it. I take a seat toward the back but not at the very back, unlike him. I feel someone staring at me, I know it's him. There's a man sitting in front of me as well, he looks like an older gentleman, maybe in his 50's. He's wearing a long, brown coat and a hat of the same color.\n\n\"Hey kid, get off at the next stop and just start running, trust me\", the man in front of me says in an almost whisper, without turning to face me.\n\n\"What are you talking abo-\" I start to argue, but he cuts me off.\n\n\"Just do as I say Jonah!\"\n\n\"But w-\"\n\n\"Shut up and do it\", he say I a more stern voice and turns a little to face me. He is... me? At least he looks like an older, tired version of me, kind of reminds me of my dad.\n\nWhen the bus stopped I ran out as fast as I could. I turned to get a look behind me as I was fleeing. The hooded figure stood up as fast a I did but was stopped by that other man. The guy in the brown coat pulled out a knife and stabbed the man in the hood and I finally got a glimpse of his face. He looked exactly like me.", "I frowned at the bizarre message, hairs standing up on the back of my head.\n\nI heard gasps around me, and the sound of movement coming from behind. In a blind panic, I lurched to my feet, knocking my table over, hoisting my chair over my head, fully ready to... do something... with it.\n\nAnd I stood there, surrounded by every other patron in the restaurant also frozen in mid-response like me, their eyes darting around the room like mine, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.\n\nSome had dived under their tables, other were standing with steak knives, bottles, even a bottle opener. A few had grabbed tasers and mace from their pockets or bags. I saw at least two actual handguns. One man was holding a dessert plate aloft, like he was about to start a pie fight.\n\nThe restaurant staff were in a similar state of shock, if unarmed, staring at their patrons' sudden collective insanity.\n\nIn the uneasy silence, we all heard a wheezing laugh coming from the kitchen.\n\nThat snapped the aging hostess, in her green dragon dress, out of her own daze. She turned to the kitchen and screamed, \"CHEN! YOU ARE SO FIRED!\"", "It can't be.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI stare at the thin paper crinkling in my shaking hands.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe man 10 feet behind you plans to kill you.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nDeep breath. Eyes closed.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHope, that strange beast, started to rattle within me again. I hadn't felt it, well, since Delphi truly. When the Oracle told me \"the promises made to you will be kept.\" Apparently even That Bastard Above.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAnother breath. Although it is perhaps the most inept and pathetic form of prophecy in this fallen age, fortune cookies are prophecy. And That Bastard said it, lo those millennia ago, when I clutched onto a palm tree while He flooded the world (no space on the comfy Ark for me of course), cursing at Him in the myriad languages I learned by then. \"When you receive a prophecy of your death, it shall finally come to pass.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI didn't believe it, He is a tyrant and a buffoon. But after millennia of avoiding prophecy, pursuing every possible craft and profession, every love and debauchery, I didn't have anything else to do. So I followed seers. The Oracle of Delphi, certainly, but I was Cassandra's slave - what a ghastly fate she had, almost worse than mine! -, Nostradamus's batman, Edgar Cayce's gardener. Anyone with a lick of the Sight, I hung around. Zilch. Nothing about me and my death, I even prompted them. Once I paid a palm reader, clearly a fraud, to prophesy to my face that I would die. They choked on a cashew and had to go to the hospital. That Bastard's vile humor.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nToday I only wanted soup dumplings! Forgot they had fortune cookies. But all this is pettifogging. Flim flam. The calm before the storm. I had noticed the wording of course, the cookie only alleged a man would attempt death. But it was better that I'd had for a long, long, time. So I turned, to finally face the music, and saw -\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Abel?\"", "I smirk. Bring it on.\n\nThe Chinese-American mom and pop shop around the corner from my apartment had devised the best method for sharing secret messages, print out tailor made messages to certain clients such as myself. In return, they were forever under our protection. You would be surprised how much intel a 3rd generation Chinese American delivery boy can gather for his family when he pretends to have a thick accent. As such, the most formidable family in our city is the one who owns no guns. They deal in information.\n\nI steal it.\n\nFor 8 years, I had been pretending to work for a company rival that threatened the entire infrastructure set in place by the largest energy power in the state. I climbed their ranks, learned their secrets, and made my way up high enough that I was on several friendly hit lists, such as the man I had seen stalking me countless times in the last week. I didn't know his intentions. Now, I do. Planning to sign a deal that would gain my rival thousands of new clients, and a deal I knew would ultimately destroy them, it was no wonder some of the lower ranking officials of my mother company had it out for me. They would be losing their jobs. No matter. They were expendable, as was the man that caught the door behind me as I buzzed myself into my building.\n\nI could have avoided the interaction by simply breaking my routine, making his plan fall apart. He was mildly patient. He wouldn't be so desperate as to deviate from his plan.\n\nHowever, I hadn't had a meal in a while...\n\nI wish I could have taken a picture of his surprised face. A dart blown into my neck at my open door, a hand over my mouth to allow time for the sedative to kick in, pretending to stumble towards my couch in an attempt to get away from my aggressor, only to see the horror set into his features as I turned to him with my features completely changed. My teeth drip with my own blood as my skin tore slightly from my all too rapid transformation, my mouth widening and jaw unhinging so that I could swallow him whole like a snake. I would have to call out and work from home for 14 days, claiming a newfound lost of taste and smell from my wonderful Chinese takeout. It would only take a week to digest him, but company policy is company policy.\n\nI didn't bother talking to him as I savored the feeling of his muffled screams in my belly, stopping mere moments later as he suffocated, his bones cracking as my enlarged muscles crushed him. He was a worthless fool. He killed for money. For something meaningless. For greed. I killed for pleasure.\n\nI gave myself these allowances every once in a while. The company I worked for had a long term plan to introduce more sustainable energy sources as our times would change, and that was my ultimate goal. To better our world. Part of that, to me, was to try our best to still comply with the Paris Agreement despite hasty, short-sighted decisions of political powers.\n\nI wanted to do good for the humanity I'd been thrust upon when I was banished from my original realm, and I enjoyed my actions of repentance. Still, one has to eat, and if I can eat those that don't contribute to their fellow man and only contribute to themselves, I count it as an act of good will and good riddance.\n\nDon't worry. I won't eat you.\n\nUnless you've been bad.", "‘The man 10 feet behind you plans to kill you.’ I read as I raised my brow quizzically. These fortune cookies are the bomb if these are the kind of predictions they make. Bet they had their intern write these to get good with the young folks these days.\n\nI still could not help but turn around and scan the cafe behind me, until I realised something. I have absolutely no idea how much ten feet is. I groan as I unlock my phone and open Google to convert it into metres. Imagine if this fortune cookie actually turned out to be true, and I am just here waiting patiently as Google tells me how many metres this is while the killer is sharpening his or her knife.\n\nWhen the result loaded in I saw that ten feet is a mere three metres. This definitely made it easier for me. I turned around once more and started to look for any person that radiated serious killer vibes. Three children and a father were sitting behind me, the father looking too mentally drained to check any points off on my list.\n\nAfter a few seconds of suspiciously looking behind me, I turned back to my coffee as I realised I was taking this way too seriously. I took the small paper in hand and pocketed it, deciding that I valued an empty bladder way more than catching a potential killer who was after me (according to a fortune cookie).\n\nI stood up and walked towards the toilet when the man behind the exhausted father of three, locked eyes with me. He looked tall and lanky with a terrible posture as he hunched over his small cup of coffee. He smiled at me, and I smiled back as I felt my cheeks flush.\n\n‘He is kinda cute… He definitely checks my list of potential killer.’ I jokingly thought as I passed him by.\n\nWhen I was done washing my hands after my visit I opened the bathroom door, my eyes darting over to the hunched stranger I passed by a few minutes ago. He seemed to be looking down at his phone, that he was checking out under the table. I slowed my pace as I walked past him, my eyes attempting to catch whatever he was looking at on his screen when I noticed that he was looking at a picture of me. Yes, me.\n\nI felt the sweat break out as I stood next to his table, not believing what I just saw. He noticed me and looked up, flashing the same charming smile he showed me before I realised that the fortune cookie might be not written by an intern, but that it was some kind of Heavenly intervention. Or maybe an intern with foresight, who knows?\n\n‘Hey stranger.’ He said as he pocketed his phone quickly, straightening his back in the process. I tried to put on a smile, praising whatever Lord that decided to save my life today.\n\n‘Hey’ I said back, gesturing that I had to hurry off. He seemed not at all bothered by my odd behaviour as I scurried off towards the cashier, paying her for the coffee. I could feel his eyes coolly linger on my back as I left the cafe.\n\nI stepped into my car and waited for him to leave. After thirty minutes he left the cafe, his tall figure disappearing into a crowd of people.I will never know what he was planning with me, but I know that he wasn’t up to any good. Let this be a lesson that you shouldn't just ignore what a fortune cookie might tell you.", "Uff, I hate it when I get vague premonitions like these. I already looked around me a few times and there was no one in sight. Now I have to go all out and do stuff like thinking outside the box and looking for clues… I was thinking of sitting with my back against the wall but what if the killer is inside the building? So I did the opposite. I opened an app and rented a scooter and started to drive. And sure enough not two minutes pass by and a man in a red stuffy jacket with googly eyes appears trailing me closely. I steer sharply and go up on a bridge while the red guy loses control after getting his tire punctured by the pins I threw and falls in the river. \n\nIt’s always been like this. A cookie a day keeps the troubles away. “Take a new route home today”, says a fortune cookie as I leave the grocery store, probably saving me from a terrible accident. “Give your seat to the guy in a green coat”, read another one on the day I bumped into the most charming blonde whom I loved ever since as the bus took a turn. “When faced with a problem, take the second road,” was the one that saved my ass on my math exam when I didn’t know the answer. It was B. It's always B… \n\n“What happens if you open more in a day,” you might ask yourself. Of course I tried to open multiple ones on a chem test… The second one I opened was empty. And so was the third. Just blank papers with nothing to be seen. \n\nI also tried opening them at different times of the day. Sometimes they advise me on immediate problems, sometimes well in advance. It seems like the most important one is always a priority. Once I kept the cookie unopened the entire day, even though the urge grew heavier and thicker in my stomach and an abysmal voice was pushing me towards it. The next day I tried opening two cookies but the second one was blank. Later I found the cookie from yesterday cracked and the fortune spelling “You’ll find love on 46th street.”. Oh well, maybe next time. \n\nNow after all of these you might also be wondering: But Sid, where do you even take these cookies from? What happens if you just stop buying them? Who’s the mysterious merchant that keeps these magic products? Can I get some too, they don’t seem so bad after all? Well boy, don’t I wish I knew the answers to these questions. I can’t explain it, there’s always a cookie in my hand when I need it.\n\nAnd then I looked in the mirror and saw [the answer](http://www.d3bris.de/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/cookie-monster.png)\n \n-spark & haloandrei" ]	7
[WP]The Demon King Selection Tournament has come around once again. Powerful demons from all over the world gather to compete. Yet no could have expected a young girl, in a frilly pink dress and pigtails, to ever enter the brutal games. And luckily, none of them have a clue about her secret weapon…	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "##Demon Queen Kiara - Part 1\n\n\"Don't run around like that! You'll hurt yourself.\"\n\nKiara ignored her mother's warning, happily skipping from rock to rock. It was rare that her parents allowed her to come along while they searched for herbs, so she was going to squeeze as much fun out of the occasion as she could.\n\n\"Oh, let her play,\" said her father. \"If she's anything like her mother she won't get a scratch even if she falls.\"\n\nIt was true that her mother almost never got injured. Like her ancestors before her, she was blessed with skin that might as well be a full suit of armor. For generations her family had gone where others couldn't--down rocky caverns, up dizzying hillsides, even deep into demon terrain--all in the search of herbs with magical properties.\n\nHer father often joked that he and his wife were mirror opposites, and he was covered in enough scars that you could believe it. A former soldier, he said he had fallen in love with Kiara's mother when he saw her punch a saber-toothed tiger's nose because it had stolen a lilac right in front of her. He had been running to save her when she calmly crouched down and collected the lilac. As the tiger snarled she paused and looked it straight in its eyes. Something about it must have frightened it off, because it set off running. He knew right then and there, he often said, that he knew right then and there that he had stumbled upon his wife.\n\n\"Now, watch and learn, Kiara,\" said her mother. \"Do you see the faint light up there in the distance?\"\n\nKiara looked up to where her mother was pointing. She squinted, but she still couldn't make out whatever it was supposed to be.\n\n\"That's the unmistakable glow of Annabelle's Treasure. Do you remember last year, when you had a fever? That plant is the main ingredient in the medicine we gave you. You were back on your feet in minutes.\"\n\nShe could remember being spoon-fed with the most bitter paste she had ever had the displeasure of tasting. It was a dark crimson red and had the texture of wet sand that had somehow gone bad.\n\n\"I'm not sure anyone would want that,\" she said, sticking out her tongue.\n\nHer mother laughed and patted her on the head. \"Grown-ups prefer their medicine to be bitter. It makes them think it works better. And you know what? They're right!\"\n\n\"Only because their imagination assists in their recovery ...\" said her father quietly, grimly recalling the various potions he had been in charge of testing over the years.\n\n\"No, it's the bitterness!\" her mother shouted, slapping her husband across his face.\n\n\"Kiara ...\" he groaned softly. \"If you want your father to survive you better find that herb quickly ...\"\n\n\"Stop being so dramatic. Come on, now. We're nearly there.\"\n\nAs they made their way up the mountainside, Kiara admired the view. Above the horizon the purple sky stretched on seemingly forever. Their house looked like a miniature toy, as did the rest of her village. She found herself wondering what life was like beyond all of it, past the safe zone. According to the stories she'd been told, it was like being inside a never-ending nightmare. Demons lurked everywhere, ready to prey on wanderers. You were lucky to escape with your life intact.\n\n\"Wait,\" her mother said. \"This isn't Annabelle's Treasure. This is ...\"\n\nShe grabbed her husband's arm, and he let out a yelp. \"Do you know what this is!? Have you any idea what we have just come across?\"\n\n\"Uhh,\" he said, stroking his beard, \"I'm guessing it's some kind of ... herb?\"\n\nAnother slap.\n\n\"... Hopefully it's medicinal,\" he said.\n\n\"This is a Rheyan Orb,\" she said, and he bounced right back up as if nothing had happened.\n\n\"Are you sure? That can't be right.\"\n\n\"I'm sure. Look at the pattern inside. How it reflects the light.\"\n\nKiara had never heard of such a thing, but she'd also never seen that expression on her mother's face before. Whatever this was, it had to be valuable.\n\n\"Are you sure it's not your ... imagination?\" Kiara's father said carefully, bracing himself in case another slap was nigh.\n\nShe just shook her head. \"No. I recognize it. It looks exactly like the one in the drawings.\"\n\n\"But I thought your family legends were just, well, legends.\"\n\n\"As did I,\" she said. \"But here we are, face to face with a legendary orb.\"\n\n\"What is it?\" said Kiara, growing curious.\n\n\"You know how your skin is really tough, right? According to my family history, one of our ancestors once ate a Rheyan Orb and from that moment on we have always been like this. I thought it was just a fun, little story, but this looks exactly like it. Even if the picture was only inspired by it, it's the same thing. It's real, whatever it is.\"\n\n\"This is amazing!\" said her father. \"We'll be rich!\" He salivated slightly as he imagined all the things they could buy once they sold this one-of-a-kind item.\n\n\"We're keeping it,\" Kiara's mother said, immediately bursting her husband's bubble of hope. \"More specifically, Kiara will keep it.\" She looked at her daughter with a warm smile. \"It's yours.\"\n\nKiara stared at the orb and held it up to the sun, trying to catch a glimpse of what was inside. She couldn't see anything. As far as she was concerned, it was little more than a red marble.\n\n\"A family outing, is it? How charming.\"\n\nA sinister creature appeared before them with skin as pale as that of a corpse. He had yellow fangs running along the sides of his mouth and long, sharp nails. Adjusting his robe, he sighed deeply.\n\n\"As a final memory that's not bad, believe me.\"\n\nThe next moments stretched out to an almost impossible length, as if time itself had slowed down. Kiara watched, confused, as her parents jumped in front of her and the creature began running toward them. Her mother's punch, which had once stopped a saber-toothed tiger, failed to have any effect on this monster. Instead, she could hear her bones fracture.\n\n\"Run, Kiara,\" she screamed.\n\nBut she couldn't. She had frozen like a winter lake, unable to do anything other than witness what took place before her. She saw the arms that had knitted her the clothes she was wearing fly off. She saw father's head, the one that had received so many slaps from his wife and who kissed her goodnight every evening, roll past her. She saw red. So much red. For some reason everything had gone red.\n\n\"Just close your eyes, little girl,\" said the creature. \"I'll tear your heart out so fast you won't even feel it skip a beat. It'll be over before you know it.\"\n\nSomething inside her stirred. \"Eat it,\" said a voice unfamiliar to her. \"Eat the thing in your hand. Hurry.\"\n\nIn this strange state, following the advice of a strange voice seemed natural. Kiara took the orb that she got from her mother and swallowed it.\n\n\"Your parents are lying in pieces in front of you, and you concern yourself with your empty stomach. Don't worry! You won't be hungry for long.\"\n\nIt felt as if she were falling. Strangely, the feeling was familiar. She'd often had dreams like that. She would fall, gently, through a realm made up of nothing but colors. Light would reflect off invisible surfaces in a fantastic, otherworldly display. Perhaps this was yet another dream, preceded by a terrible nightmare. Any minute now she'd wake up and find her parents arguing over something trivial. Yes. Any minute now ...\n\nThen an utterly foreign feeling took hold of her. She felt as if she had broken into a million fragments. All this time she never knew she was made of glass and that she could shatter. She could see faces in the individual pieces, most of them people she had never seen before. But one of them caught her eye. Inside one of the shards she saw her very own mother.\n\n\"Mom!\" she cried out. \"I'm scared!\"\n\nBut her mother only smiled, as the shard flew away along with the rest of the pieces. She was alone.\n\n\"Don't leave me here! I don't know what to do!\"\n\nHer cheeks were warm and wet with tears. Then, as soon as the feeling had swept over her, it disappeared. Kiara was back to the same gruesome scene and the creature was still standing before her.\n\nShe felt rage surge through her, all of it directed at the monster who had robbed her of her parents. Then she saw something. Lines, suspended in the air in front of her. They rotated and altered their shape according to her imagination.\n\nBehind the lines, the creature jumped at her. Then Kiara felt a flash from the back of her head, traveling through her head and outside it, connecting with the lines. Once they met up, the lines glowed for a brief second before disappearing. The creature stopped at the exact same moment, as if petrified. Strips of blood formed on him in the same pattern as the lines, and he fell apart, sliced all the way through.\n\n\"I-Impossible,\" said its head as it fell through the air. \"Defeated by a mere child?\"\n\nKiara screamed and ran, finally unfrozen. But she stopped once she saw her house, along with the rest of her village, on fire. As tears welled up, she fell to her knees. Everything she had known in life, gone. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all.\n\nShe got up. With everything gone there was only one thing she still knew: she was going to kill every last monster in the realm.\n\n---\n\nTo be continued! Stay tuned for part 2.\n\n/r/Hemingbird" ]	2
[WP] Selling your soul gets you an eternity in Hell. However, you only sold 1/100 of your soul, and your 900 trillion year stay in Hell is about to end.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "900 Trillion Years? Since when did that ever make sense?\n\nWhen I first arrived here, that was all I could think about.My terrible math skills could at least comprehend the phenomenon, of, well, infinity.\n\nI knew, of course, that I eventually arrive here. At 37 years old, I, a lone businessman – one that would never, ultimately, become successful, had the bright idea to summon the devil. I was behind on rent payments and mortgages (courtesy of my business, which was a real estate venture), and decided to take my head back to middle school in 1998, when a group of boys, myself included,attempted to summon the devil, and ultimately failed, mostly as a byproduct of mountain dew and teen appetite. That attempt failed, and I expected this flustered try to result the same, but, apparently, the devil likes to chat alone. The sale process was familiar enough, except, this time, also drawing from my terrible math skills, I decided to sell him 1/100th of my soul – an attempt to at least keep some of my humanity. I expected the same result, though. ‘Burn in hell for all eternity’ is pretty straightforward. Infinity years divided by Infinity still equals zero. Apparently, the devil has terrible math skills too, because now, I’m looking out the door.\n\nI wasn’t too creative with my ‘wish’, he called it. I could’ve wished for instant profit, for my soul mate (99th of a soul, I suppose) or something along those lines. Instead, I wished for the one thing I needed in that moment. Luck.\n\nAnd being the ‘businessman’ I called myself, I did the only thing I could think of with the temporary luck he granted me. They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but the money I earned definitely left. It traveled with me, all over the world, indulging in habits I can’t even write about,living the lavish lifestyle I always assumed my real estate would eventually grant me.\n\nAnd now, we loop back to the beginning. Or rather, the end. My stay here hasn’t been great, but after a couple million years, the whipping gets less painful, and you don’t get as much of a ‘waterboarding’ sensation when you get drowned. Apparently, when your stay in hell runs out, you just get to… go. Back to the real world. As I was falling through the clouds, 37 again, in a stark black business suit, I thought I heard him say something about ‘try not to sin’.\n\nOh, well. It could’ve been something about a trash bin.\n\nAs a last punishment, the devil decided to drop me off in the middle of China, a language I did not speak or understand, and a place I knew very little about, besides the stock market there, which I tried to profit off of in my old life and, expectedly, failed. I hit the ground lightly, and looked around. I was in some type of suburbs, not far from glistening buildings in the distance. I smiled, although I’m still not sure if it was a smile of melancholy or malevolence. I knocked on a door. I needed to find something out before I started walking. An old lady opened it. “你想要什么?”\n\nPushing past her, I scrambled for a square paper tacked to the wall that I had spotted a second before. It was a calendar. I saw numbers that meant nothing to me. Finally, after searching for a millisecond, in the bottom right corner, I saw the date in English, a manufacturing standard. September 18th,1984. My smile, already expectant, grew larger. I laughed. It must have been a strange sight to the old woman, who was calling someone, speaking in frantic Chinese as she stole glances at me through the slits in her hair. Pushing past her outstretched arm, I reached into the sunlight accompanying the door frame.\n\nNow, what to do?\n\n(edited because reddit formatting is weird)" ]	2
[WP] You are a Michelin star anonymous critic. You have to keep your identity secret. Unfortunately, you accidentally cross paths with a government spy one day whilst reviewing a restaurant, and they think they're meeting with another spy.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Franz had their fork halfway to their mouth when the fellow sat down heavily in the chair opposite. The man was fat, bald, wearing an absurd bushy mustache and pastel golf clothing. He puffed as he sat, and was looking expectantly at Franz. Franz said nothing, and the floret of broccoli they'd balanced on their fork plopped to the tablecloth leaving a brown welt of vinegar. \n\n\"Who you working for?\" The man asked, impatience obvious. Franz whished they'd gotten the fork all the way to their mouth. \"Nobody, I'm just here getting lunch and...\" The man nodded briskly \"Sure. Sure, I get it, but I'm working too and I don't want to step on any toes, so I just want to know who you are with. You can tell me, it's okay.\" While he talked, Franz jammed a bread roll into their mouth. Soft, lightly sweet, perfectly tender milk bread even without the dense vinegar. They took a long time chewing, looking for a way out of the corner they'd been backed into. Franz knew all 11 other Guides, and this wasn't one of them. That meant this guy was probably a food magazine head, just thought Franz was writing a review. They swallowed their roll, and flashed the man the pad they'd been writing on under the table. \"Honestly, Im not working. I'm just a foodie, taking notes. I'm not going to interrupt your deadline or anything.\" The man's eyebrows shot up, and he left without a word. Franz watched them leave, getting into a french sedan. Franz had begun to sweat, and ate a few more bites to try and calm their nerves. \"Xir?\" Asked the waitress from behind Franz and they put down the silverware. \"The man who just left asked me to give this to you.\"\n\nFranz's car was full of shit. A duffel of clothing was vomiting it's contents messily across the rear seats, their footwell had a milk crate filled with books, and their work bag disarrayed on the seat itself and the man's note atop that. They had, while the wait staff was in the kitchen, slipped a 100€ note under the plate and scampered. It was conspicuous, silly and more than a little cloak and dagger, but they had wanted to leave right then. Getting found out was a serious thing. You couldn't work for a decade in an are where you'd been suspected, and Franz could just about work this corner of Europe with their current level of experience. If they were flagged, their career was over with Michelin. They looked at the paper, ripped from a pocket notebook, with it's writing in block capitals. \"Not Fooling Anyone\", in rather unsettlingly big font. Franz considered calling their supervisor, but held off, wondering if they could put the pin back into this grenade. Just like that, the rear door opened.\n\nFranz's rental was a common Italian compact, common for rideshares, but they were very surprised that their bag of clothes was tossed across the seat. Then, the huge man folded himself into their car. Franz was turning around to say something, but was met with the muzzle of pistol pressing cold into their cheek. \"Turn around, drive the car.\" Franz was shaking now, and took a few tries to find the ignition. \"W-where....where should we...\" Franz managed before the man roared \"just drive out of town\" and together they did, squeezing through tiny streets. Franz would occasionally look in the rear view mirror, but the pistol was stowed somewhere on the man. He looked a lot meaner now, his round face painted with lines of frustration. They could also share thick muscle under the man's prodigious weight. They left the town, and went up a B-road that climbed over some wheat field and into a wood. \"Stop here\" the man said acidly, at a farmers turnout.\n\n\"You are going to tell me who you're working for.\" The man said. And tell me what you were doing in there. We sent Telex's to every major corps of operators and still you were sitting there like Sherlock fucking Holmes, scribbling little notes and out the door he goes!\" As the man's anger began to reach a fever pitch, Franz's shaking anxiety gave way to tight, terrified tears that they squeezed out around a high-pitched wail. \"I'm from the guide! The Michelin guide, please.\" He swatted Franz on the head with the gun. \"Not your cover, idiot, who do you work for!\" This person was completely mad and somehow had a pistol, and Franz genuinely didn't know what to say to make it stop. \"Please, I've got my notes in that bag, please just look, I'm just a food critic I swear to you!\" The pistol pressed into their neck, and a hand rummaged around in their work bag. Then, an exhale of breath \"Je-sus. You actually weren't kidding. Fuck me. Sorry about that, I really took you for someone poaching our lead.\" He got out of the car, suspension creaking as he did. Then he rapped on the front window with the muzzle, and crouched. Franz cracked their window. \"You didn't see or hear shit, got it?\"\n\nLu Dao was very surprised that Shi Feng turned on the lights in the hotel room as the pair entered. The critic had covered the room in stuff in his characteristic way, piles of clothes and books and toiletries and snacks spread wide. Franz Hemmings Besser was sleeping face up on the bed, snoring riotously. \"Sleeping aid\" signed Shi Feng, seeing Lu's confusion. Shi picked up an arm and dropped it on the bed in demonstration. They began to look through the clothes, searching for the set Franz had been wearing, a loose grey pantsuit. They found it in a sweat-soaked ball outside of the bathroom. Lu pulled out some tweezers, and pulled at thread near the lapel. It came off with difficulty, Lu frequently altering her grip on the tweezers. The thread appeared thicker, more solid than the cotton the coat was made from. Shi unfolded a cell phone and Lu dropped the thread onto it's screen. \n\nOnce the thread camera had synchronized, it read back the critic's rather exciting day. The pair took screenshots, of the fat man and a wrinkly fellow who got up a few minutes after Franz's arrival. Shi looked at the sleeping Franz, and made a 'gun' sign to Lu. Lu shook her head, making the sign for 'evidence' The pair nodded to each other and left, leaving the lights on. Lu dropped the thread in the crack between elevator door and threshold. The best agents didn't know they were agents, especially those taking precautions already. Their Audi was waiting out front, Lu getting in front and Shi in back. As Lu drove away, Shi began to assemble a rifle that was in pieces beside him. \"Schopengrauer is at the inn, the black site team is taking him now.\" Shi nodded. \"And Mr. Callum?\" Lu grinned. \"Sleeping in a tent outside of town. Easy pickings now that we know what he looks like.\"", "A few well-placed burps help conceal me. I eat like a man possessed, or a dog who hasn't seen food in weeks. To the untrained eye, I do not savour the aftertaste, but in secret, I take my time, keeping the meal in my mouth for a substantial period while getting through more. Here, alone in a dark corner, I revel in the isolation, for it is only my work that fulfils me.\n\nSuddenly, a younger man with boyish looks appears. His appearance is the kind that would sweep a lesser critic off their feet, no matter their preferences.\n\nHe coughs, but I continue eating. It's only after another that I swallow my meal, the cottage cheese mixing nicely with the corn, and yet...there is something about the texture. No, this is atrocious, where is the onion seasoning? Buried by the other ingredients it seems.\n\nI tut at this outrage, and turn to face the person opposite me. He looks around the room, and hands me an envelope.\n\nI retrieve a glove from my pocket and he smiles. It is made of a special material that lets nothing in, no sauce, no spice, nothing which compromises my abilities. One gets a certain feeling in their fingers that is essential to reviews of this caliber.\n\nSlipping it on with grace, I retrieve the letter inside, sliding it next to the plate. The message simply reads:\n\n\"I know what you are.\"\n\nI smirk, taking another sip of wine. Bitter again. Hmmm. I gesture for him to meet me outside, and excuse myself, promising the staff that I shall be back in just a moment.\n\nWe walk into the alleyway across the street. I hear his steps behind me, as loud as the crunch of La Gorenya's apple tart, and equally unpleasant. My hand inches towards the pocket of my shirt, where I store my pen.\n\nThe instant we are out of sight, a gun is pulled behind me. Like a smooth drip of Dalmore, I weave past his defenses, my pen striking an artery within the neck. He stops, stock still, as the venom cascades into his bloodstream. He drops the gun, which he'd been a moment away from firing, and I remove the pen.\n\nAs his breath leaves, I retrieve the gun, placing it in another, concealed, pocket of mine. I read the identifying documents quickly before restoring them to their original position. It is all written in code, but I identify the spy immediately. This had not been the work of a rival magazine company as I had suspected, but instead the work of a group perhaps far more sinister.\n\nMy hands soon busy themselves clearing the evidence, as if on autopilot. A quick swipe of his neck with a handkerchief, a perfume that ensures he stinks of cheap whiskey, and the ruffling of hair ensures he should be seen as an unfortunate soul who had been drunk and suffered heart failure. The toxin had made sure that was how he died, and the black veins it induced were already beginning to return to their earlier colour.\n\nI am able to wipe the blood from my pen, and place it back, as if it had never been removed.\n\nSoon enough, I am settled back at my table, the guest forgotten, and food pouring down my throat once again.\n\nIn my pocket lies the letter and envelope the spy had carried with him, and these would need careful disposal. After all, if anyone were to prove my profession, the integrity of this prestigious position would no doubt be in jeopardy.\n\nNonetheless, since the government was now investigating me, there were plenty in this world who needed to be silenced, and quickly. An unenviable task, but one I quietly prepared to take on as the rich truffle entered my mouth.\n\nAfter all, an anonymous critic is an honest critic." ]	3
[WP]You live in a city engineered for thousands of gallons of rain water to always fall in it every day. It never stops raining. All your life that's all you know, that it always rains. There is no flooding because the city was built for it. Until one day it stopped raining... This could be bad.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Every morning when I wake up, I hear rain. When I look out the window, I see rain. When I go outside, I feel rain. Every hour of every day, there is rain.\n\nTo prevent floods, the city has tens of thousands of drains. The water flows down the drains and through an elaborate piping system that feeds our water supply and deposits the rest into the ocean.\n\nI've lived here my whole life. Not once has it stopped raining.\n\nUntil today.\n\nI notice it when I get out of work. \"Where's the rain?\" I ask to no one in particular. \"Oh my God, where's the rain?\"\n\nWithin an hour, everyone was in a state of panic. People rushed to the stores and bought every ounce of water they could get their hands on. A few desperate souls bought bags of ice or sucked up water from the drains. Nobody stopped to think about why it wasn't raining or when the rain would come back.\n\nWhen I went to bed that night, I hoped the rain would come back in the morning. It didn't. We went a full three days without a drop of rain. Such a thing was unheard of in the city of Seattle.\n\nThe government quickly created a task force to investigate why the rain had stopped. Because I was an official records keeper, I was on the task force. I was no scientist, but I had access to data on every person, place, and legal document in the public record.\n\nTo be continued...", "\"Do you hear that?\" \n\n\"I don't hear anything at all.\"\n\n\"...Exactly.\" Luna was giving her friend a grave look. \n\n\"I don't know what you're tal--\" Rhema stopped mid sentence as his face slowly caught up with hers. Soon enough they were both standing in their workshop with pure terror spilled across them. \"The... The rain... I don't hear it... I-It stopped raining?\"\n\nLuna felt a turning in her stomach, the rain had never stopped in their city. Rain was all they had, they didn't even know that it could stop raining. It felt like the sun had just disappeared, or the ground slipped right from under her very feet. The void that was once filled by the music of raindrops was now encompassing the room, it was encompassing her heart, it was like an alarm being sound by not ringing. The silence echoed in them.\n\n\"Rhema,\" Luna said slowly from under her short blonde hair. \"What does this mean?\"\n\nShe saw his sharp face tense up under his rounded glasses. Inside his mind was a blueprint of all the engineering machines involved in water movement of the city. He was one of the master engineers, a group of five prodigies who were tasked with keeping the all important water-works of the city in order. It was a secret group that operated in the background of their grand city. \"Luna I-I don't know how to say this but...\" His face was ghostly pale and his mouth was ajar as he desperately tried to find the words amongst his terror. \n\nOutside the window of their workshop was the metropolis of Aqua-Prime, a metallic beast of a city that was decorated with complex machinery that busied the usual wet air with steam and banging metal, running along every avenue and alleyway of its shape was a complicated network of aqueducts and water-ways. They were on stilts in the sky, along the roofs of buildings, twisting around shinning towers and running in huge riverways by the tangled walkways. The city was a gargantuan complex of millions of people living under, in, and around water... Usually. \n\n\"Rhema, what does this mean?\" The panic on his face only increased her own fear. Every citizen could predict that no rain meant bad things, no power, no food, so on and so forth. But only the master engineers knew the full extent of what this meant. \n\n\"This can't be.\" He said with wide eyes running closer to the window. \"No no no... No this can't be!\"\n\n\"Rhema!\" She yelled at him, trying to snap him out of his manic delirium. \"Rhema what does this mean?\"\n\nShe saw his chest quickly rising and falling, she saw the sweat quickly steam down his shaking face and pass by his large watering eyes. All of the citizens always theorized about what the master engineers knew, and what secrets they held tight. Most of the water from their city didn't stream into water mills or indoor farms, most of the water was swept off into big mysterious holes that teamed the city or out of the walls that surrounded their metal world. Luna constantly pestered her quite friend with questions and theories of her own. Are you guys a cult? Does the water go to some water god who powers the city? You guys use it to make more rain don't you, you guys are the rain makers! Rhema would always just smile and shake his head, usually replying with I'm sworn to secrecy Luna, don't worry about it anyways. \n\nNow as she was watching him fall apart at the sight of a cloudless sky she knew that whatever he knew was much worse than she ever thought. \"We have to go.\" Rhema said suddenly and with violent urgency. He started dashing around his cluttered mechanical workshop, gathering up some of his valuables in a small leather bag. \"Luna we have to go.\"\n\n\"Have to go?\" She didn't want to believe him, she couldn't believe that it was this bad. No food for a while? They'll survive, find ways to grow more. No power? Find new ways to generate it, what was so awful about this. \"Have to go? Go where Rhema? There is no way to even leave the city, you know this, we're completely walled in. I don't even think there is anything past these walls besides water.\"\n\n\"No, that's a lie. There's a lot past these walls, it's just not good. We have to go now.\"\n\n\"W-What!? What's past these walls? How do you know there is a way to get out and why do we have to leave?\"\n\n\"Godammit Luna listen to me!\" Rhema slammed his bag down on his desk and ran over to her. He grabbed her by her shirt and yanked her close into his panicking, pitch-white face. \"Godammit Luna, when those things don't get the water from the city, they're going to come up here and take it from us!\"\n\n...Those things?\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nIf you enjoyed check out my subreddit! r/mrsharks202" ]	3
[WP] Give me the creation myth of your favorite world	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " My grandmother has said that the world used to be a different place. Back before our city, before our temples, and before our Gods, there were humans and we had magic. We learned the magic to make our homes from our Mother, the land. We learned the magic to know the wind and its wiles from our Father, the sky. We learned the magic of finding our food and hunting our meat from our brother the goat and our sister the wolf. And we learned the magic of death from time, our Grandmother. \n\n\nWhat made us different, though, and truly human, was when we used that magic to try and cheat death. \n\n\nFirst, we used the magic of our brother the goat and sister the wolf. All humans already knew what plants were good to eat, but some took that magic and made it different. They took the good plants and made them their own, trapping them into fields. Then, they used the hunting magic and changed it, building fences around the wild herds. And for a while, this new magic was enough. But once we started changing our magic, we couldn’t stop. \n\n\nNext we changed the magic of the earth. All humans knew how to find caves to sleep in, and to use mud for building, but some took that magic and made it different. They used the magic of the land to build strong walls, and tall towers. They used the land to move rivers to where their captive plants were, and to hold water back from flooding. \n\n\nSoon, humans wanted to change the magic of the sky, too. All humans already knew how to listen to the wiles of the wind and know what it would bring, but some looked deeper to see all that the sky knew. They could say when the rains would come, and when the rivers would flood. They knew when the winds would blow, and then how hard. And once those few humans knew all these things, they took the final step and wrested control of the air and the wind and the rain and kept it for themselves. Now, they could control when the rains came, when the wind blew. But most of all, they could call down the sky’s fire and use it as their own. \n\n\nThen, last of all, they wanted to change the magic of time. So the humans sat down, looked, and listened. They felt the sun move around them, and knew when it stayed longest and left earliest. They saw the moon change its shape, and knew when the waters would come highest onto the beach. Then, they listened as hard as they could to Grandmother Time, and saw everything that had yet to happen. \n\n\nMy grandmother says this is what made them Gods. Not the ones we worship now, but the ones that our Gods used to worship. Because the humans who never learned this magic stopped listening to the wolf and the goat, the land and the sky, and to the call of time. They listened to the new Gods instead. And in return, these new gods gave them penned goats, golden fields, irrigation channels, towers of stone, and fire.\n\n\n\nBut the new Gods did not show the other humans how to see what was yet to happen, because they knew that would lead to their demise. And that was what the new Gods feared most of all: death. So they took their knowledge of everything that was to come and used it to avoid death. \nThe new Gods began to hate before there was a reason for it, seeing that the humans who currently loved them would eventually kill them. So they became tyrannical, killing those who loved them with floods and fire. \n\n\n\nThe humans started to hate them, just as they had seen, so they killed even more. But these new Gods forgot that they used to be human, too. And just like these new Gods, other humans could learn their secrets.\n\n\n\nOne human did, and we call them the Prophet. The Prophet was very good at listening. When the new Gods hoarded the grain from the fields and the goats from the pens, the Prophet listened carefully to our brother goat and sister wolf and showed the remaining humans new places for our fields and pens.\n\n\nWhen the new Gods set the fields on fire and used their towers to throw rocks down at us, the Prophet listened carefully to our mother the land and father the sky, and showed the remaining humans the magic of how to siege towers and stall fires in their fields. \n\n\n\nAnd finally, when the new Gods had killed so many humans that the rivers ran red, the Prophet sat down and listened to Grandmother Time, and saw how to kill the new Gods. \n\n\n\nThe Prophet gathered several other humans close, and taught these new humans the secrets they had learned. And so, the new Gods became the old Gods, and the Prophet and their pantheon slew them in their sleep. \n\n\nThat is why we worship the Prophet and their pantheon, since they know the secrets of Grandmother Time. These new Gods do not kill humans on a whim, but they are not always fair, either. My own grandmother says that if I sit down and listen very carefully to the sky and the land, the wolf and the goat, and to Grandmother Time, I may learn their secrets one day and overthrow the Gods myself.", "Long ago, before the First Name was granted, before the First Star shone, when the first Eternals were alive there was the Typhus. \n\nThe Typhus were beings of destruction and carnage. Of pain and despair. They knew nothing more than this. Than the destruction of all things and the brandishing of the power they had to destroy.\n\nThe most destructive of this was called, in our tongue, Empty.\n\nIt was most dangerous because its name was what it did. Everywhere it passed it would create Emptiness. Empty moved through the plane and destroyed everything in it's path, leaving nothing to remain.\n\nThey say this could no longer be allowed by the Eternals, those who watch over us.\n\nAnd thus they fought. Tyrik the Enigma and Hamon the Everlight both lept upon it and fought it, attempting to subdue it, but the tide did not turn until Mudon, The Everdark, twin to Hamon joined in.\n\nThe three bound Empty with powerful magic but could not kill it.\n\nUpon discovering this they went to the Eternal who's name we do not know but call The Omnipotent. \n\nHe stood before them as they asked for the power to destroy it and instead shook his head.\n\n\"Such things should not be destroyed.\" he chided.\n\n\"But it is Empty! It has nothing to offer!\" Tyrik called\n\nPlacing out his hand the Omnipotent summoned power, and they watched as the Empty twisted and turned. \n\n\"Oh Children, should you see... Empty is not the same as Nothing. For if something is empty it can be filled. An empty page can become art, an empty field can become a harvest, an empty cup can carry water. No, Emptiness is truly magnificent...\"\n\nThey watched as it became a Tome, the First Tome.\n\n\"No...it is not Empty...it is Tarjin. (this being the Ancient Eternals word for \"Potential Unending\")\n\nThey stood in awe as the Empty grew into land and seas, mountains and clouds, rivers and streams. Until it became the world we know now.\n\n\"Thus is true Potential. And why Emptiness should never be feared\"" ]	3
[WP] When you retired from supervillainy, you cut all ties with the world of crime and crimefighting. Until your beloved daughter introduced you to her fiance's father: your old nemesis.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Its been twenty seven years since you last committed a crime worthy of being call Villainy let alone supervillainy. Thinking back you were the hottest villain by any standard weather it was style or looks the rest simply could not compare. You were the Technomancer any tech in your presence simply obeyed your command, with most people having bio-tech in them it made things real easy if they wanted their functions to remain normal especially their hearts.\r \n\r \nThou all good things must end with your main nemesis not bothering to show up any more you decide to do one last bit of villainy as send off. Thinking it fitting you chose to go back and redo your very first crime again, a classic a bank heist. You head back your old stomping grounds of New Detroit on Mars, Olympus Mons southern slop the first interplanetary bank of mars.\r \n\r \nAs you walk in with you iconic tech-coat and black-out hood to keep facial recognition from finding out who you are, you see the most divine creature standing behind the tellers desk. She only had the lightest of augmentation to keep up with the world, a natural orange hair that haloed the light around her and eyes so green the spoke of ancient forest that call you home. She was smiling at a customer then she lock eyes on me and went frozen. With this change in her movements it roused me to remember why I was here I lock-on all nearby augments in place to keep everyone from moving and proceed to the teller station I glanced at her tag and it read Selene, trying to keep focus I barked out my demands of opening the private holders deposit boxes. These boxes mostly holding unmarked chips of currency and blackmail material. I collected my spoils and left without even saying another word.\r \n\r \nWeeks later you still can’t get Selene out of your head it’s like a siren call beckoning you to come in and never leave. So you do a quick check on her via her social presence on the net and you feel a tinge of regret. She was fired for not attempting to resist you since she only had basic bio-tech for calls and transfers, so she could have resisted if she wanted too. Then thinking on how to undo your slight against her you quickly set up an accounting firm that needs a new receptionist. Once she was settled in you start talking about daily life and things progress. Next thing you know you’re married and have a daughter named Hecate whom is the spitting image of her mother thou like you technology seems to obey her wishes, but you keep that in check and make her think it’s an unreliable ability so not to draw attention to her.\r \n\r \nA few years after that your beloved daughter brings home her Fiancé Hector. He’s a sort of bubbly optimist that reminds you of something that you can’t just place. You and Selene are invited to join Hectors parents for dinner to get to know them without the kids trying to be a buffer. As you walk up to their home you swear you hear someone familiar in there but cant place it being muffled by the door. Then there He stood Arc-Angel your old nemesis with his perfect tan and bio-organic wings and some slight greying blond hair staring at you slack jawed.\r \n\r \nAll you can think of is picking up on your old banter again “ Hey Arc still rocking the fried chicken look I see”." ]	2
[WP] A team of marine biologists is investigating a series of strange, almost musical noises that registered on the deep-sea hydrophones. Just as another shift is ending, they finally spot something on their submersible's cameras: a massive humanoid arm reaching up at the sub from the murky depths.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "They sing such beautiful sounds. It fills my mind, lulling me to sleep. A lullaby for a titan, too vast for anything smaller to understand. I have slept for so long, but I know I hear them. I would do anything to protect my artists.\n\nI have noticed in recent times, the song is fading. Little by little, the wonderous sound is being lost. A note vanishing here and there. A voice, climbing to its peak, cut short. It disturbs me. And below it, a new sound comes. At first very quietly, but steadily growing louder. A discordant mess of noise, grating my ears. It threatens to wash out my lullaby entirely.\n\nOne has come close. A constant beep, undermining my peace. I have let it stay for so long, but it just isn't leaving. I want to sleep again, but I must know what this is. Maybe, I can understand it. And maybe, I can shut them up, to go back to my slumber.\n\nI moved for the first time in millenia. Sand fell from my arm, and small things moved away. They tickled me, as I opened my eye. I could see the cool blue surroundings, even in the deepest depths. Far above me, the annoyance floated. It was tiny, smaller than my singers.\n\nI reached out, extending an arm towards it. It sent a flash of light, before moving away. It was fast, and kept up with that incessant beep. I wanted it to shut up. I chased it with one arm, moving my other to surprise it. It seemed to miss it, and I finally caught it.\n\nI didn't want to lose such a small thing, pinched between two fingers. I squeezed tight, feeling it slip. All of a sudden, it gave way, exploding in a cloud of bubbles. The beep stopped, finally. I brought it closer, seeing a tiny squashed mass of metal and some clear material. Something red leaked from it. I peered closer, and it struck me.\n\nIt was blood. This thing, whatever it was, was alive. And maybe, with it being alive, it could be reasoned with. If it could be reasoned with, maybe I would be able to return to sleep." ]	2
[WP]Every 100 years, for one day and only one day, a cat gains the ability to speak the language of the nearest human. Today is that day and the cat...is yours.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\r“Ok, hear me out,” Mister Snuggletons Winston the Third said. “We go down to the china shop and just push all that shit off the shelf! It will be great!” \r \n\r \n“No!” said Joanne. “We’ll get in trouble!”\r \n\r \n“What’s trouble?” asked Mr. Snuggletons. As a cat, it was a concept he wasn’t familiar with. He also didn’t know anything about personal boundaries while pooping, not napping, and coming when called. \r \n\r \n“It’s when I yell at you for scratching me,” said Joanne. Yes, at first, she was freaked out that her cat of 5 years could talk. Her buddy and friend. Her confidant and best friend when things go rough. But now, why not take advantage. She was pretty sure she wasn’t drunk and hadn’t done drugs in years. It was possible she was insane, and if so, there were worse realities than this. \r \n\r \n“Oh, I thought you were singing my praises. Like, that’s what I hear when you talk most times. I can’t make out the words, but I imagine they sound like ‘you are great, you are so great, who is the greatest, Mr. Snuggletons.’” \r \n\r \n“You sing it?”\r \n“But only in my head. I would prefer no one see me sing. I’m an artist, not a flea circus for the common man.” \r \n\r \nJoanne was a in her mid 20’s and worked downtown in a very impersonal office. She moved one pile of paper from one side of her desk to the other. She was quiet, and sometimes she wondered if her shyness would keep her from talking to anyone except her cat. She had told Mr. Snuggletons this, but apparently, he thought she was singing. \r \n\r \n“Ok, let’s go outside,” Mr. Snuggletons said. And for some reason, Joanne listened to him. They walked to the front door and out into the city. \r \n\r \nThey passed by a young man in a suit. Handsome with a cheery smile. Mr. Snuggleton purred and rubbed against his leg, and then moved on before the young man could pet him. \r \n\r \n“He wants me,” said Mr. Snuggletons. \r \n“How can you tell?” asked Joanne. \r \n“Everyone does. I’m a cat.” \r \n\r \nThey passed by an old lady that reached down to pet Mr. Snuggletons. He scratched her and they continued on their walk to the sound of the old lady yelling about manners. \r \n\r \n“Why did you..,” Joanne began to ask but Mr. Snuggletons cut her off. \r \n“Did I give her permission? Did she even ask for? I don’t fucking think so! No permission you get the claw.” And Mr. Snuggleton continued on. \r \n\r \nThey passed a couple of kids. \r \n“Oh, he’s so cute!” the kids yelled. \r \n“Damn right I am,” muttered Mr. Snuggletons. \r \n“Can we pet you?”\r \nMr. Snuggletons approached and lowered his head. The kids petted. \r \n\r \nWhen they left, Joane said “I didn’t think you could understand humans. Well, outside of today?” \r \n“What?”\r \n“You understood those kids.”\r \n“Um, meow,meow. I’m a cat.” And then he trotted ahead. \r \n\r \nThen, Mr. Snuggleton and Joanne ran into her boss. He was an older man that often overlooked Joanne for promotions. He also gave her more work over the holidays so that others could leave early. He wants’ a bad boss really, but he was, manipulative. \r \n\r \n“Hello, Joanne!” said Joanne’s boss. “What a coincidence, I was just thinking about you. Look, I need you to go to…”\r \n\r \n“Stuff it, dickwad,” said Mr. Snuggletons. His voice was loud this time. Clear. And confident. Joanne recocogized a power in his voice that he often didn’t find in her own. She was embarrassed but at the same time, impressed. \r \n\r \nHer boss’s brow furrowed. He knows someone just called him a dickwad, but wasn’t sure who. There was no one there but the cat and Joanne. And cats can’t talk. \r \n\r \n“Did you just call me a dickwad?” asked Joanne’s boss. \r \n“No, down here. Try to keep up. You’re as stupid as you are tall,” said Mr. Snuggleton. \r \n\r \nJoanne’s boss looked down at the cat. And the cat began to rant. \r \n\r \n“Look, let’s get some shit straight. You are a shit. An absolute shit. She works her ass off so you can have an extra fish, and what do you do? Not share any fish with her, that’s for god damn sure. I know, because I’m there when she gets home. I see how tired she is. I see her crying. I see her trying. But you know what I see when I look at you? A bird that needs to be left on someone’s doorstep and let me tell you, I’m in the hunting mood.” \r \n\r \nAnd with that, Joanne’s boss fled away in terror. In his screams, Mr. Snuggletons could be heard singing to himself. \r \n\r \n“I am great. I am great. I am great.” \r \n\r \nThere are many things that Joanne learned in her day with her talking cat. But the most important lesson is that to harness the confidence of the cat, is to change the world to what you want of it. \r \n\r \nThe next day, Joanne went and talked to the handsome young man from the day before." ]	2
[WP] You entered a televised contest of Hide and Seek where the prize for being the last one found is a million dollars. It's been over a week and your supplies are dwindling.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\r \nThe night sky above seems to swallow up the rustling of leaves, the brash yet calming chirps of crickets, and the persistent whir of drones. In the absence of the night, I am left alone to thoughts.\r\n\n“It must be around 10:42 pm,” I deduce from the position of the mocking sliver of moon above as I prop my pack onto a nearby branch and ease into a deep slumber 30 feet above the ground. \n\nWhen I wake, I am greeted by two drones with cameras fixed below their horizontal propellers.\r\n\n“So, I’m still not dreaming,” I exclaim. \r\n\nExactly 11 days ago, I awoke on a cool, damp bed of orange and red leaves in the middle of these woods with a pack resting on my stomach. I have no recollection of who or where I was exactly 12 days ago except for the persistent slideshow that plays in my head every night and vanishes by the time my eyes open. In the slideshow, I can pick apart several images of me in an unfamiliar office behind a fake wooden table with my eyes glued to a monitor. However, the one picture that I continually see vividly is one of a young receptionist giving me a shot. \n\nWhat these bits of information have to do with me, I have no idea. The only thing I am sure of is that exactly 9 days ago, I came across a bare human body, lying face down in an open field. “Face down” may not be the proper term as there was no face, let alone head. An inch above the shoulders along the neck was a clean sever that removed any opportunity for me to figure out who this was or where I was. Humbly resting atop this body was an envelope as white and pure as the first snowfall of winter. Inside this envelop was a paper with the word “FOUND” spelled from magazine cutouts.\r\n\nThe chirps of birds calling out to their families compete against the monotonous, lifeless humming of drones as I check my pack. Five-sixths of a chocolate bar and four-sevenths a water bottle rest among a pile of wrappers and empty plastic bottles. I take inventory of the growls of my stomach but close the pack and sling it across my back.\r\n\n“Cowardice won’t fill my stomach,” I resign as I hurl rope around the tree trunk and catch it on the other side. As I begin my descent down, a crow swoops in and claims my old residence. Its eyes are as red as blood yet captivates whoever attempts to look into them. Before I can examine the soul of the crow, it lets out a loud shriek and flies off.\r\n\nWhen I make it to the ground, I think carefully about the direction I came and more specifically the location of the mysterious corpse. Then I head in the opposite direction. The forest feels like an old friend. A slight autumn breeze flows behind me, almost as if encouraging me and telling me that I am going in the right direction. Maple and oak trees drop their warm palate of leaves and give rise to the deep greens of the evergreens that never falter and lose their color. A slight aroma blend of pine resin and wild jasmine enters my soul and lightens my body. \r\n\nCaught up in the pleasantries of nature I fail to notice myself stepping closer and closer to a black, bearlike figure fifteen meters directly in front of me under the shade of an oak tree with a full covering of green leaves. At first notice, I stop immediately and slowly draw out a machete from the side of my pack. As I am doing this, the figure turns around slowly and I take in the thick, long limbs that protrude from the small round base of hairy flesh that sits exactly in the center of its body. Atop this circular center, I see the crow. The bottom half of its body is deeply embedded into the bearlike body. The crow stares back at me with its blood-red eyes. \n\nBoth of us are motionless for several seconds. But before I can fully withdraw my machete from my pack, the crow mechanically opens its beak until its upper beak forms a 90-degree angle with the lower beak and its blood-red eyes face directly upwards. \r\n\n“Found,” I hear from the direction of the half crow, half bear beast.\r\n\nIn an instant, the leaves of the oak tree wither and shrivel and the beast vanishes. I try to make sense of this interaction but all I can hear is my heartbeat thumping away. When I finally regain my composure, I decide to head back towards the mysterious corpse in search of clues for what was going on. But as I turn around, I stand eye-level to the circular apparatus of the half crow, half bear beast. Close enough for me to feel my own breath bouncing back onto my chin and nose. Frozen, I see the face of the receptionist from my dreams hidden under a thicket of black hair. Next, well there is no next. Like daylight during nighttime, I am swallowed up and reduced to absence." ]	2
[WP] A crew does work so horrific, their memories are erased after every shift as mercy. However, you're their supervisor, and don't have the luxury to forget.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Leopold Vögt sounded a displeased groan, as his alarm buzzed to wake him up. Like most nights, he had barely slept. His room was cramped and windowless, containing only essentials; a bed to sleep in and a cabinet for his clothes. This was as much luxury as a captain could expect on his spaceship. A rank that did not keep the freezing cold of space at bay either, which Leopold was very aware of as he rubbed his arms and legs to try and warm himself. The rest of the crew was in bunk beds in the sleeping quarters next door. Although he had his own room, he shared the common bathrooms and mess hall which, despite being called a hall, was just as cramped as any other space on the ship. Each of those rooms was interconnected by narrow hallways barely as wide as a man's shoulders. Ladders connected the ship's levels.\n\nLeopold reached for the lower drawer of his cabinet, which contained his socks as well as a cheap bottle of scotch. He grabbed for the latter and took one sip to start the day. He pondered; Was it a day? More like a cycle, or a shift. Whatever this was, it was going to be a long one. His clock showed 13128 hours and 3 minutes, the time since departure from Earth’s orbit. \nLeopold was the captain of the Aegypius, a freelance salvaging ship currently under military contract. Back on earth, people would often comment how Leopold looked good for his age. He had a strong jawline, barely any wrinkles and his hair was mostly grey, but still had some of the charcoal blacks it once was entirely. His pale grey eyes stared at the bottle of scotch. He might have to share it later.\n\n\n\nShowered and dressed, Leopold crawled up to the ship's bridge on the top level. He liked to talk to the previous shifts pilots before they were relieved.\n\n\"Captain on the bridge\", the pilot said formally, although he was alone.\n\n\"Morning sergeant Wilson, report please\". Leopold replied.\n\n\"Good morning captain Vögt. The shift has been quiet, with no pings on the radar except for our destination. ETA in 3 hours 5 minutes. Would you like to initiate a ship-wide countdown?\"\n\n\"Let us not break the bliss of silence just yet sergeant. Program the countdown to start at 2 hours.\"\n\n\"Will do captain. Good luck on the mission, sir.\"\n\n\"I do not rely on luck, sergeant\", Leopold said as he stepped away from the bridge. \n\nThe mess hall was next on his morning routine. A room that was not only used to serve the tasteless grey sludge that passed for breakfast, but also to brief the crew for today's duties. The hall was crowded; nine crew members packed together eating their portion of disgusting slime. \n\n\"Captain on the floor!\", one of them shouted and all of them saluted as best as they could without hurting each other.\n\n\"Good morning crew, at ease\". Leopold said as he grabbed his share of the depressing mush. \n\n\"As you all know, we will shortly arrive at our destination. Engine room and maintenance crew may proceed with their regular work schedule but, as always during mission shifts, there may not be any operational interruptions without my authorisation. Finish your breakfasts and leave the room so I can brief the boarding squad. Sergeant Zielinska, I'll talk to you on the bridge when you have taken over from Wilson.\"\n\nNow came the most amusing part of the day, in Leopold's opinion, as he watched the awkward shuffling and manoeuvring as some crew members tried to leave the mess hall, and others tried to stay in. \n\nWhen all but four crew members remained, Leopold sat down with them. In front of him sat the four members of his boarding squad.\n \nLieutenant Sandra Duchat, squad leader. She ranked highest, after Leopold himself. She was quite tall, had short auburn hair and bright blue eyes. Anyone who ever met her would agree, her mere presence demanded respect. She was a natural leader, and she knew it. Even Leopold felt intimidated at times.\n\nSergeant Luis Delgado, their technology specialist. Easily the smartest among the crew, as well as the shortest. There was not much he could not do with either computer or wrench. It was often joked that despite all his talents, the thing he worked most on was his moustache.\n\nPrivate Ron Westfield, a young blonde-haired lad. He was the most recent addition to the crew, but was quickly accepted and cherished. He was capable of helping out with pretty much anything, and would do so with youthful enthusiasm and a nearly permanent smile. His greatest talent was not his charm though, but his agility. He could move through the narrow corridors of a spaceship with the swiftness and silence of a cat.\n\nAnd finally Sergeant Donna Thorne, breaching expert. A woman who looked out of place on a cramped spaceship like this. Not as tall as Sandra, but broad and muscled, stronger than all the others combined. \n\n\"Alright... Let us drop the formalities for a moment\", he said. The crew looked at him with some discomfort, not quite sure how to behave.\n\n\"We have been going through this brief every week for over a year now. You all know it by heart; breach, board, recover the ships logs, exit and wait for further instructions. There is no point in repeating it all in detail once more.” \n\nAll except Sandra were nodding in agreement.\n\n“However”, Leopold continued, “the moment is here to bring a final piece of intel to light.”\n\nHe looked at Sandra and asked, “Did you bring the vials?\"\n\nSandra straightened her back, further accentuating her height. \"Yes, sir\", she replied, placing a package on the table. \n\n\"I said no formalities.” Leopold said slightly annoyed. He continued with a more serious tone. \n\n“What Sandra brought is a mental suppressor. Some of you have prior experience with it and know what this means...\"\n\nLuis leaned back, twirling his moustache with his finger, and said, \"We're in for a tough one, aren't we...\"\n\n\"Yes, Luis. The mental suppressor will numb your emotions making you more resilient to distressing situations. It will also leave a chemical trail on memories made since it takes effect, making it easy to identify and remove them. A memory wipe, basically...\"\n\nThe crew sat silent for a moment until Sandra asked \"What are we up against, exactly?\"\n\n\"The target of our mission is the science ship Veritas, which was reported missing 11 years ago. Veritas was supposed to intercept a small asteroid near the planet Mercury and investigate.\"\n\n\"Mercury?\" Ron said, baffled. \"But we're beyond Saturn!\"\n\n\"That\", Leopold exclaimed, \"is exactly why it took so long to find it. Veritas stopped all communications and disappeared. It was rediscovered by an amateur astronomer. We do not know why Veritas is here or what the situation is on board. We do not know what exactly happened, but the crew was presumed dead.\"\n\n\"Was?\" Donna asked. Donna rarely spoke and when she did she used as few words as possible. But if she spoke, it was for important things.\n\nLeopold sighed and said \"We are not the first team to attempt salvaging Veritas. Salvage ship Corvus boarded Veritas and reported something alive and hostile before we lost contact with them too...\"\n\nThe crew looked a bit unsettled by that latest bit of information, as Leopold had feared. They had dealt with similar situations, but they had always known what they were about to face. Not so much now.\n \nThe intercom sounded, \"ETA IN... 120 Minutes\". \n\nLeopold rose from his chair. \"Countdown has started. Sergeant Thorne, private Westfield, in addition to standard gear you will both be wielding flamethrowers. Lieutenant Duchat, administer the mental suppressor at ETA in 30 minutes. I'll be in contact with all of you, as well as watch your video feed, throughout the mission on the secure channel, access code 1301. I will now go brief our pilot. Report when you are ready.\"\n\n\"Yes, sir\" the crew replied.", "SCP-7392 [Official designation pending]\n\nObject Class: Safe\n\nSpecial Containment Procedures: An instance SCP-7392 is to be kept at the primary entrance of each site supervised by the foundation. Access to SCP-7392 is strictly prohibited to all personnel save for the site director. SCP-7392 is to be used on all personnel of a lower rank than the site director, and is required to be used by the site director at the end of each members’ shifts. SCP-7392 is not to be used for more than ten seconds, so as to prevent permanent brain damage.\n\nDescription: SCP-7392 resembles an electromagnetic detection array, commonly found at security terminals in locations such as airports and other places of high security. It is an outline of a rectangle roughly 2.5 meters high and 1 meter wide, made of a white-colored steel alloy. It sports two lights at the 2 meter point.\n\nSCP-7392 functionally operates as any common electromagnetic detection array. The lights turn red if metal is detected, and green if the staff member is cleared for entry.\n\nWhen operated by the site director or any personnel of higher clearance, SCP-7392 gains the ability to erase memories from the cognition of any human walking through it. The memories that are wiped only pertain to the last 9 hours of conscious activity. Any personnel that undergoes this process has no recollection of the past day’s events. Any activities they have performed are recorded and logged in the archives, so that any personnel may continue their work the following day.\n\nWARNING: If any personnel remains within the array for more than 10 seconds, the memories that are wiped will be permanently lost, and memories from up to 10 years in the past may be affected. In addition, the waves emitted by SCP-7392 may cause permanent brain damage." ]	3
[WP] You’ve always kept your childhood walkie talkie close. Today for the first time in decades, there’s some static, and a voice calls out to you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I don't know why I drove through the old neighborhood, it wasn't like I had missed the chipped paint of once white picket fences, slanted bungalows and flickering streetlights. But here I sat, the minivan idling on an unkept road outside my childhood home. Shaking my head, it didn't feel like it was mine, as I shifted into first static crackled in the evening air, which made no sense since I had turned off the radio to be extra dramatic.\n\n\"Sophie, I know it's a long shot, uh, fuck, haven't done this in awhile. Over.\" A raspy voice broke over the static, but I would never forget that voice. Quick as I could I excavated the center console, receipts and tissues splashed across the front seats like hail in a storm. Eventually I dug out my walkie, 12 years old, as old as I was when he gave it to me.\n\n\"Mr. Zhou? Over.\" I spoke into the receiver, sure I had made up the voice while staring down the memories. But the static returned, and so did his voice. I looked at his house and there he was. He must have been in his late 80s by now, and it showed, wounds received as a younger man in Korea hunched his posture, the thick white hair I remembered was now only preserved by a messy combover. I watched a shaky hand hold his walkie to the receiver.\n\n\"Hey kid, good to see ya follow orders still. What are you back around here for?\" By orders, Mr. Zhou had told me to always keep comms open in case you need back-up, and he had always answered when I called. Mrs. Zhou was ready with dumplings and a bag of frozen peas when I limped over.\n\n\"I don't know sir I just...\" Trying to think of a reason why and I let the push to talk go, the silence lingered as he nodded, answering before I could find an excuse.\n\n\"Sometimes the fight isn't done trooper. Over.\" He seemed to collapse onto a rickety old rocking chair, another sat empty beside him. That had been her spot. I knew but I had to ask.\n\n\"Is Mrs. Zhou still fighting sir? Over.\" It was hard to see in the dimming twilight, but I thought that the smile he had was drenched in heartbreak.\n\n\"She passed three years ago now, I'm just manning the trenches until I get my verdict from the Big Boss. Over.\" Mr. Zhou had been a big believer in analogies, he told a curious younger Sophie that war was less of a game and more of a passport Downstairs.\n\nMy voice was breaking more clearly than the static. \"Sir after what you did for me, I think you'll see her again okay? I never got to thank you for everything. I'm sorry for how hard it must have been-\" He waved me off, tapping his PTT like flickering lights in a haunted house.\n\nI watched him wipe away tears. \"Hey now trooper, you helped us too. That Dumpster Fucker,\" his affectionate term for my foster mom, \"was the good fight I needed, you were worth it. You turned out alright? Over.\"\n\nI heaved a breath, like an ox ploughing through clay. \"I think so. I run a cleaning company now, I'm getting married. I think I'm happy. Over.\"\n\nI watched as he hacked out a cough before returning to the radio, \"Your own business, look at you fly kid. You'll have no trouble keeping that man in line. Over\"\n\n\"Actually, it's a woman. Over.\" Half laughing, I watched his rocking chair stop mid swing. After a shrug, he answered.\n\n\"Same shit different pile. Maybe these old bones will hold on until the wedding, I missed ya kid. Over.\" He stood then, shuffling his way back to the front door.\n\n\"It's in a month, so they better. I'll pick you up.\" He stopped to wave as he opened the screen door, pushing the PTT again.\n\n\"What do we say at the end of message trooper? Over.\" He threw the same spice on that he did on the day of the trial all those years ago, the last time we had talked over the means, as he called them.\n\n\"Sorry sir, I'll pick you up. Over.\" I watched as he disappeared inside, I listened to the crackle of the walkie like ASMR on a sleepless night.\n\n\"Damn right you will kid, I'll be ready. Zhou out.\" \n\nEdit: Caught myself switching pronouns for the POV, fixed", "“Charlie, are you there?” \r\n\nIt was buried under static, so faded that for a long while, I thought I had imagined the voice.\n\nIt was impossible, after all. The man that voice belonged to had died ten years ago. \r\n\nMy father had given me the walkie for my fifth birthday. We had spent so many nights talking through it, me sitting out in the tree fort and him on the chair on the porch, waiting for the hamburgers to grill. Comics, television, girls, driving — for twelve years we talked about things with the walkies I couldn’t bear to say face to face. \r\n\nWe bonded through those little plastic boxes, the kind of bond you never appreciate until you lose it. It was the day he died that I realized he had been my best friend. The last thing he had said to me was to keep the walkie on, that he would be checking up on me every now and then and that I better keep my mom safe. For ten years, I kept it on, sitting on my desk, replacing the batteries with a religious obsession. The walkie was a part of me, and I never really knew why I had done it for so long. My dad asked me to, and I owed it to him, I guess. \r\n\n“Come in Charlie, over. You there, kiddo?”\r\n\nMy hands shook. I knew it was crazy, impossible, but I pressed the button down anyway. “Dad?”\r\n\n“Hey bud.”\r\n\n“How…? You’re…” No words came. \r\n\n“I know. Listen, I don’t have much time. Talking through this thing, it’s not as easy as it used to be for me.” I could barely hear him through the static, like he was yelling over a waterfall. “How are you holding up, bud?”\r\n\nThere was so much to tell, so many years of experience, so much life to share with him. What could you say to the man that raised you, that poured his very essence into raising you, when you had been apart for so long? “I’m doing real well, Dad. I got engaged a few months back, and I’ve got a good job. I even figured out how to drive stick, finally. Guess those hours of you trying to force it into me weren’t a complete waste of time.” I fell back into the nonchalant conversation so naturally, like he had never even left. It felt like home, hearing that static buzzing from the walkie.\r\n\nA laugh crackled through from from the other side, not the haggard, exhausted chuckle of his last year but the deep, jovial laugh of his youth. “Ya, I figured you would get the hang of it eventually, like you always do. Happy to hear about the job, and engaged? Wow. You sure grew up quick on your mom and me. I’m about out of time, son, as much as I wish I could stay. Tell you what, though. You tell your mom to keep an eye out for me at the wedding, alright? I’ll see if I can make it. Can’t miss my only son’s big day, after all.” There was a pause, the static filling the air. “I love you, Charlie. I always will. I’m damn proud of you, son.” Then the walkie went quiet. I cried myself to sleep that night. Even know, I couldn't tell you what I felt. All I could do was cry and hope the static came back.\r\n\nI spoke into it every night, like a person keeping an audio diary. I never heard anything back, but it felt good having someone to vent to. Somehow, I knew he was listening, even though part of me still had doubts. I’d never mentioned anything about the conversation to anyone, not even my mom. I didn't want them to think I was crazy.\r\n\nI was married three months later, and in that time the walkie never crackled back to life. It was a small ceremony, on a farm. After the ceremony, my mom had the strangest look on her face as she looked out a window, staring off towards the tree line on the edge of the property. \r\n\n“You alright, Mom?”\r\n\n“Ya, sure.” She seemed distant, lost in thought. “I just thought I saw… It was probably nothing.”\r\n\nOn a table in the corner, the walkie sparked to life, only for the briefest moment. Dad said he’d be there, and the man had always been true to his word." ]	3
[WP] Tanks are a thing of the past since the world started using Gundams. You, a tank enthusiast and Gundam designer, decided to steal the newest generation Gundam blueprints and make your very own anti-Gundam tank.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "PART I:You want to know what a Gundam really is? It's an eighteen meter tall overcompensation device. I could go on and on about how impractical a bipedal mech suit is in a battlefield scenario, or about just how much time and money is poured into these hundred million credit money furnaces.\n\nSure, they look cool. They're meant to. But that's about it. To actually run the damn things? To power their weapons and systems in sustained combat operations? And that's not even considering the amount of money being poured into R&D, the specialized technicians required to perform maintenance on a day to day basis. And the endless hours wasted in these god damn dick measuring contests? Ugh! It's enough to make you hurl.\n\n\"Oh, look at me! My robot has a cool laser sword! Nevermind that using the damn thing burns through more power cells than eighteen city blocks in three months and that its components are constantly burning out. Don't I look cool?!\"\n\nAnd the goddamn pilots? I swear to god, I don't know where it is they find these ass clowns. Half of them look like fucking teenagers, and even more of 'em act like it. They hop in these things and off they go, tramping about, causing property damage equal in value to that of the actual fucking Gundam and its upkeep.\n\nI'm no fool. It's fucking war. Buildings get blown up, people die and a shit ton of damage is unavoidable. But these things are just wasteful in every sense of the word.\n\nYou know what's not? A goddamn tank. All terrain, power-packing, badass fucking tanks!\n\nA Tank can function at a fraction of what a Gundam costs. A tank doesn't have to worry about getting a leg ripped off, making it utterly fucking useless in a fight. A tank is precise, deadly and above all else, efficient.\n\nBut no one pays 'em any respect anymore. They're not as \"glamorous\" as giant goddamn robots. You know what else they ain't? A giant fucking target. They can move quickly without drawing the attention of an entire battlefield. They can actually be used in an ambush. They don't whirl about in the sky, burning through jet fuel, swinging a stupid giant sword.\n\nOne shot, one kill. None of this Laser Axe swingin' nonsense. No stupid laser pikes, or giant fucking rifles that expend more energy than we can afford to put out.\n\nBut still, no one listened to me anymore. No, I was just some washed up old woman, nostalgic for the old days of warfare, waving my fist at the air as these damn pilots fly by, too drunk on the smell of their own shit to realize just how wasteful and stupid they are.\n\nBut not anymore, 'cause I had an ace up my sleeve.\n\nA few months ago, my grandson came running into the motorpool. We were working on a batch of AGR-30 tanks to ship out to the outer colonies. At least there, they appreciate the value of what we do here.\n\nSorry, getting off topic...\n\nAnyway, Alias comes running in, waving this datapad over his head all excited-like. I tell him to cool his pits and I give the thing a look. \"So what?\" I said. \"It's another set of blueprints for those goddamn robots.\" But he shook at me, this big, shit-eating grin on his face. \"No, Mom mom,\" he says. \"Look again!\" He points at the screen again, and this time I see it.\n\nI yell \"Alais! How the hell did you get your hands on this?\" He just keeps grinning, telling me about how he had some friend that was high up in some company with contracts with the military, specifically Gundam Development. Apparently, the guy got laid off and was none too happy about it. Before his employment was terminated, he made copies of all the designs for the latest generation of Gundam Mechs to the highest bidder. That bidder just so happened to be my grandson.\n\nIt was all there; exploitable weaknesses, design flaws, you name it. I couldn't help but laugh at it all. So much concern put into aesthetic and glamour over actual function and practicality.\n\nI called my team together, the best people I had. For weeks, we worked in secret, making designs for our newest line of tanks. I don't recall getting a whole lot of sleep, just a lot of cigs and coffee. We poured over designs, working and reworking them until we were ready to build a functioning prototype.\n\nIt had a dual-mounted turret, capable of firing high powered proton beams at a rate of three shots per second with a recharge and cooldown time of approximately ten seconds between every thirty shots fired. Smaller, supplementary muzzle-loading cannons were mounted above those, firing standard artillery shells in the interim during recharge. Smaller, less powerful auto-locking laser turrets were mounted on the front and back corners of the main body as well to repulse infantry units and provide suppressing fire.\n\nThough we made it to move via repulser systems like those of the Gundam mechs, we provided an emergency system to deploy tank treads if said repulsers were to fail.\n\nThe crew would consist of a two man team, one manning the controls, the other the weapon systems. I don't care what anyone says about that. Better to let one person focus on driving and another of shooting than juggling both in the high stress situation of combat.\n\nMe made a few more modifications, ran some speed, terrain and maneuverability tests, and we were ready to roll. We managed to pump out twenty of the things Just in time for the UEG's contracts with us to expire.\n\nThey were looking to back out of a renewal. They had their eyes on those new robot eyesores for some time. So we made them an offer; \"Let us test our metal against the biggest, nastiest Gundam they've got. If they beat us, you back out and we won't make a fuss. But if we win, they consider us for a new, ten year defense contract.\n\nIt was a gamble, but in the end they agreed.\n\nThe UEG sent a shuttle for our tanks, moving them to a predetermined location for our little wager on one of the middle colony worlds. We even let them Robot lovers choose the terrain.\n\nThey though they were really smart, picking the rockiest terrain they could find. Then, the blowhards rolled out ten of the biggest, flashiest, gaudiest lookin' robots I'd ever seen. The pilots, a bunch of snotty punks, came strutting out in fancy uniforms, noses turned up at us like we weren't worth their time.\n\nThis one little twerp, his hair covering one of his eyes, looked at me all smug-like, and told my tank crews how pitiful they were and how below his notice our tanks were.\n\nMy men were all tried and tested combat vets, having lived through the worst days of the Recession Wars with the Outer Colonies. They'd seen more action in a day than this pompous child had in his entire life.", "Finally today’s the day. Sophie sat on top of her tank, cigarette in hand, a desolate Tokyo crumbling around her. The warehouse she had hidden her anti-gundam tank in was the last building still standing in this part of the city. Lucky for me, you couldn't hide this beast anywhere else. It had been a year since she had stolen Kira’s blueprint. A year of hard labour, sweating in this warehouse. Stealing supplies by night, ambushing the military for materials only they had. Now, though, she could end it. The sun beamed down on them, Sophie and Tank alike, the chrome paint half blinding her. It was then she realised that she had never named the tank. Humming and looking around her for a minute, the name finally came to her; Betsy. Weird and yet, satisfying. Finishing her cigarette, Sophie flicked it away and sat up and listened. \n\n\rThe constant screams that she had grown used to hearing these past few years had started to die away. The sounds of gunshots stopped and all that she could hear was the distance rumbling on the military's final, gundam. Every step sent a shiver down her spine. Every movement sent a small shake throughout Tokyo. Sophie had seen it once before, the gundam the soldiers called Kira. As tall as a skyscraper and just as wide, the mech was a mixture of red, white and purple that stood out magnificently against the vast, dull grey that Tokyo had become. Still, as the rumbling grew closer and the gundam came forth, Sophie realised that she could see Kira a thousand times and still not be prepared. The metal giant was death itself. Two large blue cannons were fixed to either arm with another two on both shoulders. If they failed she knew Kira could produce two blades from within its arms, ready to slash its way through any obstacle. The gundam's main source of destruction, however, were its feet. An imaginable weight, they pounded the ground destroying the roads with every step. Making it hard for a tank to follow it but not impossible. \n\n\rHopping into Betsy, she took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of gunpowder and sulfur the way only a guerilla could. She recentred the cannon, having left it pointing up for safety. Turning the starter, she let the safety off and pushed forward. The tank trudged forward, sliding over rocks like they were pebbles. The sound of its engine was like a mother's soothing lullaby to her. An image of her mother filled her mind, a picture of her doting over Sophie the night of her prom. Making sure the house was still tidy, making sure the finger food was cooked properly and making sure her only daughter was still ok. They took her from me, they took everything from me and they didn’t even know me. I was no more than an insect to the military and the regime. No longer. With this tank, I’ll make sure they never forget me.\n\nAcross the bridge, Sophie and Betsy plowed, the rubble of buildings started to come up around them as they made their way to the centre of the city, to the rumbling. Looking up through the gap in the steel plating, she saw it walking above her. Kira seemed to pierce the heavens themselves. I still need a clear shot. Around one corner she went, only to find herself blocked off by the remains of a skyscraper. Backtracking, she drove Betsy down another street only to find herself at a collapsed bridge. All the while Kira moved, straight towards the warehouse she had just come from. If only I had stayed she sighed, turning Betsy once more. Now it seemed like she was directly behind the mech, its footsteps shaking the metal plates that made up the exterior of the tank. After ten minutes of searching for the right path, she had reached a street she knew would do. Looking around she thought she might have been on Takeshita-dori but she would never know. \n\n\rAbove the rubble and the broken buildings, Kira continued to stride through the roads, its long legs able to move it across entire streets in one step. Sophie could see, though, that the gundam was about to cross her path, right in front of Betsy’s cannon. I’ll only get one chance. One opportunity to shoot before the gundam has moved on. If I miss, it will see and turn its cannons on me. Then it will truly be over.\n\n\rOne step, two steps, three steps. The earth began to shake and shake and shake. For a moment, Sophie was sure that Betsy was going to fall apart, disintegrated by Kira’s steps but it just about hung on. Finally, Kira stepped onto the street, its head not looking at the tank. Sophie closed her eyes and pulled the lever. Without delay, the cannon shot, sending the emp bomb flying to pierce the great steel beast. The force of the shot sent Betsy back twenty metres and Sophie could hear the engine shut down. In a panic she opened her eyes, trying to restart the tank only to look up for a moment and stop. The gundam stood, its arm outstretched and unmoving. Then, as she was about to look away, sure that she had missed, it fell. For a moment, it had blocked out the sun, sending her and Betsy into darkness. Then, it crashed into the ground, the dust and rubble shining in the summer sun. The sound was greater than anything she could have imagined, her fingers in her ears just in time to avoid most of it. A wave of dust flew right through Betsy as Sophie hunkered down to avoid it. As the dust cleared, she saw the wreckage. The twisted metal beast on the destroyed buildings and a wave of relief washed over her. A wave of happiness after that. A single tear dropped from her eye as she exited Betsy and stood on her roof.\n\n\rNot a bad day’s work." ]	3
[WP] Life is now confirmed to exist on other planets. But instead of alien-like beings, life on other planets turned out to be humans too.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The news flickered through photos of life, and of human interaction with the cameras. I am matted into the couch with my girlfriend Jessie, both of us in disbelief. The TV lay 8 feet across the room, and the glass projection lit the space in a hazy way, almost as if a grainy film had been applied throughout every surface of the apartment room. The TV’s distorted voices were muted by Jessie as she stared dazed at me. “What does this mean?” The words echoed in my head as a swelling feeling swept across my body. My ears were ringing from the shock, and my heart began to sound off. “Who are we? What does this change? Where did we come from? Or better yet, when did we get here?”. The questions were beginning to pile up in my mind. “I gotta go pee babe.” Jessie says, as she wriggles out from my arms. As she opens the bathroom door, bright yellow light floods the room, making me wince. The light paints me along with the walls, and it’s blinding glow reminds me that I am still living. The door closes. “I guess i just need some fresh air.”, I say under my breath, as I struggle to get up from the couch enveloping me. Stumbling towards the balcony never felt so far until tonight, and the feeling of the glass door never felt so cool to the touch. As the sliding door opened, a gust of wind took over my body. It was so fuckin cold holy shit. \n\n\nThat’s all I got, I realized with that kind of pacing i’d be writing a book before long" ]	2
[WP] According to recent laws, you are not allowed to sue superheroes for damages, but you can sue supervillains. Bitter at your house being annihilated by a frankly unnecessary attack, you set out to turn the hero evil, for no reason other than to sue the pants off him.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I sat in an uncomfortable chair and glanced up at the clock at the wall. It was 11:20, 10 minutes before my court case was scheduled on the docket. I adjusted my tie once more, a nervous habit of mine. Although I had every right to be nervous, I was about to take the third most popular superhero in the nation to court to try and prove that not only is he a supervillain, but that he is criminally negligent for the destruction of my house. It's not a task many people would envy, and to be honest I can't blame them. If I was an outsider looking in, I would think that I was crazy for even trying such a thing. It's a good thing I know my way around a courthouse, because there is a fairly significant chance that no lawyer would have ever taken this case in the first place. \n\n\nI turn towards the judge. \"No more questions your honor,\" I say as I sit back down. The judge turns to the defense and says \"You may cross-examine the witness.\" The lawyers talk for a second, and the head lawyer sheepishly says \"No questions your honor.\" I take a quick peek at the defendant, and I can see visible beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead. \ngan filling in, the judge arrived and got started. \n\n\n\"All rise,\" the judge said as we stood up. \"You may now sit,\" he said, as he pulled out his file on the case. He glances up at me, and says \"Prosecution, would you please make your opening statement?\" I cleared my throat and stand up before walking into the middle of the courtroom floor. I started pacing, moving closer to the jury members as I begin speaking. \n\n\n\"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you may not recognize the defendant in this trial. His name is Johnathon Stover. But, you probably do know him under a different alias, Mr. Amazo. You may know him as one of the most popular Superheroes in the nation. But to those who have dealt with him before, he is only known as a Supervillain and a dangerous one at that. He is a man who destroys the lives and property of others, for no other reason than his own pleasure. For the longest time, he has been exempt from paying back the cost of his rampant destruction because of the Gargantuo clause of 2041. I hope to prove to the people of the Jury that his status of \"hero\" should be revoked, and that he be held financially responsible for all of the destruction that he has caused.\" I looked away from the jury, and back to the judge, \"That will be all your honor.\" \n\n\n\"The defense can now begin their opening statements,\" the judge grunted out from beneath his beard. The man in the second most expensive-looking suit from the defense table got up, and began walking towards the jury as well. He gave a cliche opening statement about having to break a few eggs to make an omelet, and how there are certain risks involved in trying to save people. The jury's faces didn't seem to shift emotion, but you could tell they thought some of the lines were cliche. They looked fairly uninvolved and weren't really paying attention to the defense lawyer. Moreso, they were just staring at Mr. Amazo himself. I couldn't really blame them, it's not every day you get to sit on the jury judging a national celebrity. As the defense lawyer finished the opening statements, the judge turned back to me. \"Will the prosecution please call their first witness?\" he said, looking down at me from his chair. \n\n\n\"The prosecution calls Mr. Eli Berkowitz to the stand,\" I said, as I stood up out of my chair. A smaller man in glasses made his way to the stand and was subsequently sworn in. He sat down, and I looked the man in the eyes. \n\n\n\"Mr. Berkowitz, would you please tell the ladies and gentlemen of the jury what you do for a living?\" I said, turning towards the jury when I mentioned them. \n\n\n\"Yes, of course,\" the smaller man said, adjusting himself in the seat. \"I work as an accountant for the government. I work in the Metahuman Economic Assessment Department.\" \n\"\n\nExcellent,\" I said, looking back at the man. \"Tell me, on average, how much property damage do superheroes alone do in terms of dollars in a year?\" \n\n\n\"On average, superheroes alone cause 19 billion dollars in property damage in one year.\" \n\"\n\nAnd how much of that is caused by the defendant, Mr. Amazo?\" \n\n\n\"This year alone Mr. Amazo has caused over one billion dollars alone in property damage.\" \n\n\nI glanced down at my notes, looking back up at the man and asking \"What would you say is the majority of the property Mr. Amazo has damaged?\" The accountant answered without hesitation, \"The overwhelming majority of the property Mr. Amazo has damaged are private homes.\" \n\n\nI turn towards the judge. \"No more questions your honor,\" I say as I sit back down. The judge turns to the defense and says \"You may cross-examine the witness.\" The lawyers talk for a second, and the head lawyer sheepishly says \"No questions your honor.\" I take a quick peek at the defendant, and I can see visible beads of sweat starting to form on his forhead. \n\n\n\"The prosecution may now call their second witness to the stand.\" I was starting to feel more confident about this, I could tell that the first witness really rattled the defense. They didn't know where I was going to go with this, and that was all the better for me. \n\n\"I would like to call Mrs. Natalie Smiters to the stand.\" Slowly, a woman in a wheelchair began to roll her way to the stand. After she lifted herself to the stand and was sworn in, I began to ask her questions. \n\n\"Mrs. Smiters, have you ever met the defendant before today,\" I began. \n\nIt took her a second before answering meekly, \"Yes, I have.\" \n\n\"Would you please describe the events leading up to your encounter with the defendant?\" \n\nShe sniffed and began to tell her story. \"It was a couple of years ago. That night, I was supposed to go to work at night but called out because I wasn't feeling well. I guess a burglar had been watching my house and knew that I was supposed to go out that night. Thinking I was at work, he made his way into my house and eventually into my bedroom. Before I could think about it, I start screaming at the top of my lungs. The next thing I know, Mr. Amazo crashed through my ceiling and lands on the robber. Some of the rubble from the crash feel on me as well.\"\n\n\"Was that the same injury that has left you paralyzed since?\" I ask, even though I already know the answer. \n\nShe glances down and is silent for a moment. \"Yes. Yes, it was,\" she almost whispers before place her face in her hands and gently sobbing. \n\n\"No further question your honor,\" I say. The judge looks at the defense team and says \"You may now cross-examine the witness. The head lawyer shuffles his papers, before standing up and asking a question. \n\n\"Was Mr. Amazo able to prevent your belongings from being stolen that night?\" he asked. It was a weak question, but it was one that might score him some points with the jury depending on how she answered.\n\nThe woman glanced up at the defense lawyer, and for a second it looked like a hint of anger flashed over her face. \"From being stolen?\" she said, looking at the lawyer, \"Yes. But that doesn't mean I have them anymore. I had to sell most of my valuables in order to pay for my medical expenses.\"\n\nThe defense lawyer looked flabbergasted and sat back down. \"No further question your honor,\" he said looking down at the floor. \n\nThe judge looked back at me and asked, \"Prosecution, do you have any more witnesses?\" I remained seating and said, \"No, your honor.\"" ]	2
[WP] A spaceship has been spotted going straight to the Earth, and everyone is getting ready for the first contact. It's actually just an alien trucker looking for a fuel station.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The whole earth was cheering. Americans were screaming to their friends in the countries. The news was going crazy. Hours ago, a spacecraft was seen hurtling towards Minnesota, one not from earth. Tracking its destination, the US Army had been dispatched to Minnesota, whose residents had driven for hours to get to the spot, where barricades and tanks were set up. People were live streaming, the earth was about to change.\n\nFinally, the ship entered orbit. The saucer-shaped ship hissed, and immediately, the tanks aimed at it. However, instead of weapons, e stands sprouted from the ship, setting down on the ground. A hatch opened up, the world stared in glory at the first extraterrestrial.\n\nIt was blue, that was for sure. In fact, it was blue all over. It was made out of some kinda gelatinous material, with a row of spikes on its back. It had around a dozen arms, each sporting a pincer-like a crab. 2 Long legs, looking like a spider, put it at 6 feet. A trunk extended from its face, or at least, where it would cause all that was there was more blue goo. The most strange part of it was it's outfit, which included a truckers hat, vest, and shorts.\n\n\"Yo.\" It said, nodding to the crowd. The flock of humans gasped. It spoke English.\n\n\"Extra-Terrestrial! Do you come in peace!\" A soldier shouted through a megaphone, all the armies guns pointed at the alien.\n\n\"...I guess. I'm just here to use ya'lls pump.\" It shrugged. It walked down the ramp that had formed on his ship, walking to a gas station that was next to the ship. It walked into the station, speaking to the flabbergasted clerk for a second, before walking out with a Mountain Dew and a Kit Kat. It grabbed a pump, placing it into one of the ship stands, before beginning to eat the candy with his trunk. The audience continued to stare.\n\n\"...Are there more of....you?\"\n\n\"Yup.\n\n\"...Are there more in your spaceship.\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"...A-Are you here to take over the Earth.\"\n\n\"Nope.\" The alien said. it finished its Kit Kat, throwing it into a garbage bin. It sipped on it's soda as it detached the pump, walking back into the ship.\n\n\"W-Wait! We wish to know more! How have you discovered space travel, are there other species, why did you come to earth?\"\n\n\"You just saw why I came here. Ask my boss, I'm just getting gas.\" It said, waving one of it's arms. Then the hatch closed, the ramp retracted. In a second, the UFO began to blast off again, retracing it's stands as it flew into space again. The world watched in awe, until the clerk from the gas station, came out looking completely frazzled.\n\n\"I-It left a business card...and a tip.\" He said, giving one of the soldiers a card with a phone number attached. Then he held up some strange gemstones, each arranged into a strange shape.\n\nNobody knew what had just happened. But they knew one thing. They would be calling this alien's manager." ]	2
[WP] The fact that not all houses had gigantic beating hearts in their basements was in fact news to you	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Shut up already, I'm trying to write this email!!!! You may murmur, you may beat endlessly, you may thump, and pump, and create such a roar, like I haven't heard all of this before! Oh my god, what are you trying to tell me now? Did you finally tune in with the heart across the street? Did you sync up your rhythms and have a hell of a night? Great, amazing, just what we need. Do you think I'm finally proud of you? You know, I have a heart too. Do you ever consider how I feel? \n\nIt's not easy having company over when the whole house reverberates with your pumps. It's not easy sleeping when all I hear is thump thump thump thump thump thum thum thum thumpapa bum bum. You are so jealous too! You get so mad and you start racing when I try to sleep using white noise or asmr relaxation playlists. Do you think this house revolves around you? I'm done with you. I hope you realize that you are not the only living, sentient organism that exists. I hope you finally get crushed and broken when I remodel the basement in November. What's that? Are you finally scared? Are you terrified? Now you know how I feel living with you! You can beat and beat and beat all you want but until you learn to calm down a little bit, I will always try to quiet you down and reduce your presence. \n\nI thought we could coexist, but every time I succeed in my life, you expand. You demand more attention. You create such a commotion. Why can't you ever be happy for me? Who knew that the heart in my basement could grow so large but be completely devoid of compassion? You have become a monstrous being. Don't you remember the old days? When you were acting up, I used to tell you \"Have a heart\". You would squirm with delight and be still for a while. Now you just beat and roar incessantly. You compete with the droning cicadas. When I finally have enough money, I will be moving upstate. I hear they have hands in the drawers of the houses of up north. Lord knows I need all the help I can get after living with you!", "\"What's down there?\" Connor's finger pointed to the knob-less door on the wall under the staircase. We'd finished playing Battle Toads and Double Dragon and the late night was beginning to pull us to the sleeping bags on the living room floor. \n\n\"The basement. We're not allowed down there,\" I explained. The forbidden door only perked Connor's curiosity further. \n\n\"Why not?\" he asked. \"Is that where your parents hide all the bodies?\" His 7-year-old chuckle mocked the house rules.\n\n\"No. But how would you like it if someone stepped inside your rib cage and played right next to your heart?\" It seemed absurd that I needed to explain how disrespectful it would be. \n\n\"What are you talking about?\" \n\n\"You're not supposed to spend time around the house heart unless mom and dad are there. They don't even like me talking about it; they say it makes the house self-conscious.\"\n\nHe stared at me like I was speaking a different language. After a moment of intense thought, though, he finally exhaled and piped up: \"I was only curious about it when I asked.\" My breathed a sigh of relief. \"But, for your sake, now we have to go down there.\" \n\n\"What?!\" I whisper-shouted so I didn't wake my parents.\n\n\"Your parents are pulling your leg. They probably have old nudie magazines down there that they don't want you to see.\"\n\n\"No...\" I weakly protested. \n\n\"Do they still tell you the tooth fairy brings you a dollar?\" \n\n\"No!\" She brought me 25 cents, but I wasn't about to tell him that. \n\n\"Where's the key?\" He asked as he stared into the old keyhole on the front of the door. \n\n\"I don't know. But I really don't think we should...\"\n\nConnor walked into the kitchen and opened a cabinet. When he emerged again, he had a flathead screwdriver in his hand. \"Sometimes my brother locks himself in the bathroom, but he's too dumb to unlock it, so we have to use a screwdriver to...\" There was a click and the door swung open. Connor turned around with a look of surprise and victory. \n\n\"Connor...\" I quietly pleaded. \"Mom and dad said no.\" \n\n\"Travis...\" He made fun of me. \"Stop being such a pussy.\" He tossed me the screwdriver and I nearly fumbled it onto the hardwood floor. Connor had already started walking down when I looked up again. I pocketed the screwdriver and followed him. \n\nThe basement was a dark pit piled with old boxes and shelves of rusting paint cans and tools. We never used this room; almost never even went down here. Well, mom and dad did sometimes, but not a lot. Once or twice they brought me down with them and showed me the house heart; that huge, pulsating organ that \"gave life to this home.\" They told me that I should never touch it, should never even come down and look at it, without their permission. The basement spooked me, so I never asked. \n\n\"Is there a light down here?\" Connor called up to me from the bottom of the stairs. \n\nI shrugged. He started feeling along the walls of the dusty, unfinished room. \"Oh!\" He exclaimed in a spit. Suddenly there was a clicking noise and a ceiling light turned on. \"I walked right into the string!\" He laughed. Connor was tall for his age, and that tallness gave him the confidence to not be afraid of dark basements. It also helped him find lights, apparently. \n\nWe surveyed the room. It was a smaller space than I remember, but still as big as the outline of the house. An old garment rack held dust-covered suit jackets in the corner. Floor lamps with crooked shades seemed tied together with spider webs. Connor perused the junky space like a curator in a museum, assessing each item for its value, marveling at the pure ancient-ness of it all. \n\nI stayed by the stairs with my hand planted firmly on the railing, hoping Connor would lose interest and follow me back upstairs. From my position I could keep an ear out for footsteps down the stairs while making sure Connor didn't get into something he wasn't supposed to. \n\n\"What's this?\" Connor moved a piece of wood from the wall, revealing a rough flight of stairs further downward. He gasped. \"Travis!\" He exclaimed. \"You have a basement basement!\" \n\n\"We need to go upstairs, Connor!\" I nearly stomped my foot, but stopped myself after realizing how much teasing I would get for it. \n\n\"What's down there?\" He spoke into the tunnel.\n\n\"It's the heart. Now let's go!\" \n\n\"Good idea!\" He ran down the hidden stairs. \n\n\"Nooooo!\" I whined as I rushed after him, abandoning my post. \n\nI found him in front of the old well staring at the massive pumping heart in front of him. \"What the heck?\" He whispered, finally subdued. \n\n\"It's the heart, you've seen it, now let's go.\"\n\n\"But... Why is there... What does it...\" He couldn't finish his question. \n\nMassive ventricles traveled from the heart to the walls and down the well. Each beat was a deep thud, the fluid audibly moving from one place to the next. The swishes and gulping noises filled the tiny alcove that sheltered the house heart. \n\n\"What does it do?\" Connor asked. \n\n\"It just beats. It makes the house alive. Same as your house heart.\" \n\nConnor turned to me with a look of puzzlement. \"We don't have a house heart.\"\n\n\"Sure you do. Everyone does.\"\n\n\"No they don't,\" Connor said it with confidence, like I was the idiot. \n\n\"Can we talk about it upstairs?\" I asked. With a nod, Connor agreed. I felt relief wash over me as I led the way up the house heart stairs and into the basement. \n\n\"We should try the motorcycle level again when we get up--\" a rumble filled the small stairwell and dust fell from the ceiling. I turned around to catch a glimpse of Connor feeling the heart. I ran toward him, but the entrance to the room closed before I could get there. I ran straight into a rock wall.\n\nI hit it with my fists and tried to push it back open, but it was no use. \n\n\"Connor!? Connor!? Connor!?\" I just kept repeating his name as I pounded against the stone. \n\nA light shone on me from up the stairs. Mom and dad stood there with a flashlight aimed at the wall behind me. \n\n\"Travis?\" Mom asked. \"Did you show Connor the heart?\" \n\nI hanged my head with shame, sniffling back my running snot, afraid of whatever punishment was coming my way. \n\nDad walked down the stairs and felt the wall. \"Welp,\" he shrugged. \"Nothing we can do now. Shouldn't have disrespected the house.\" \n\nI looked on with shock and disbelief. \"Help Connor!\" I demanded. \n\n\"It's too late for Connor,\" Dad explained. \"You'll understand when you're older.\" He tussled the hair on my head and pushed me up the stairs. I could tell something was wrong. Mom and dad were being weird--they always were about the house heart. The further I got from the basement, the more I felt drawn back downward to rescue Connor. \n\nI reached into my pocket. The screwdriver was still there." ]	3
[WP] Nobody expects it to come in the mail. A black envelope containing a single card. The card says either 'Duck' or 'Goose'. If you get Goose, you are given a local Duck to hunt down and ruin their life somehow, within one day. If you don't, the consequences are dire.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "No one knows when it is, where it'll be, what is it even. You have to find out first. Always.\n\nI opened the black envelope. As always. Waiting in your apartment, waiting to have an even worse life than before, waiting for suicide but you can't. I don't bypass the rules. The father hears news that his son will kill him, puts him in a box and drops him in the sea? The son throws a discus and it heads towards the father–\n\nGoose.\n\nEdwin Kemp.\n\nI throw on my red coat and take the kitchen knife and a pair of white gloves, sprinting to the bus. It takes me five minutes to get onto the bus before I realize to open my phone and search for Edwin Kemp's location. It's a thirty-minute ride, and I tip the driver six dollars as per usual code before sitting down, strapping myself in. The bus veers into strange tangents, into diagonal streets. \n\nThen, a sharp pop comes. It unsettles me greatly, but I know it's the spot. I sprint to increase the momentum before landing on Kemp's lawn. It's well-tended, as a Goose would have it. I smiled to know the vengeance I would wreak.\n\nI opened the door.\n\nA man flashed me a brilliant smile despite my ragged clothing. He started to walk towards me.\n\nI backed to the door, about to run away. This wasn't right, this wasn't the man–\n\nThe man had already walked to the door, bolting it. He held one of my shoulders as he rummaged through his pocket before finding a card.\n\nGoose.\n\nAnd on that very card was my name.", "The duck blind is perfect. The trap is perfect. The weather is perfect. All Richard has to do is wait for the duck to come back to the nest. Stupid duck, stupid card, stupid game. Who thought this would be fun? Well, it's probably fun for the ones that send the cards. The ones that gave you the warning to play or you end up dead.\n\nRichard hears the quack and thinks for a second that it sounds exactly like a cartoon. He knows it's not, cartoons don't happen on ponds in the middle of Missouri. No good Missouri, almost as stupid as the ducks. \n\nThe duck lands and waddles his stupid duck butt to his nest. You sit and wait. There's a gun besides Richard but he doesn't reach for it. It's mainly for show in case any duck hunters decide to bother him. No, the game doesn't let you just kill a duck, although that would certainly ruin its life. But that's too simple. There's not enough drama. Richard had to ruin that life in another way\n\nThe loud squawks and quacks let Richard know that this has worked. Getting up at 4:30 in the morning and coming out here. Planting the photo of the duck with a duck that was not his duck wife. Leaving the cocaine in the nest might have been a little overboard. Maybe not. \n\nThe duck erupts from his nest. His wings are flapping. Behind him, Mrs. Duck is on a rampage. She's got the photo in her mouth and spits it at her mate. The duck seems to be protesting and Richard plays out the duck conversation in his head. \n\n\"No, honey, I have no idea who that duck in the photo is! She sent me that all her self! I've never seen her before in my life!\" It's all for nothing, as the duck's mate turns around and comes back to the nest. And just like that, the duck's life is ruined. \n\nBut Richard is one that always makes sure the job is done right. As he leaves his duck blind, he winds up the decoy sexy duck, the one from the pictures. The little mechanical duck quacks all the way to the nest. And as Richard gets in his truck, he can hear Mrs. Duck erupting. \n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nRichard sits at work and thinks about the game and who's playing it. His frat house sat around one day when they each got a card with a duck on it. They drank and laughed it off. Who would be silly enough to do that? A sorority? Maybe one that held the mixer last night? They didn't care, it was silly. And then one by one is frat brothers started dying. Thadeus died with his eyeballs pecked out. Phillip got his head caught in a blender. Was it an accident each time? Richard decided it wasn't when Aldouphous died from the Avian flu. Another card arrived with a duck on it and a message.\n\n\"Are you ready to play?\" \n\nRichard quickly set up a shell corporation and put it in the name of the local mallard down at the park. The mallard was popular but apparently didn't report his taxes from all the coins thrown in the wishing well. The government doesn't go easy on tax cheats. \n\nThe mail boy drops a red envelope at Richard's desk and his heart sinks. So soon? It's only been a week since the last duck. But Richard knows how the game is played. He opens it and freezes. \n\nIt's a picture of a goose. \n\nShit. \n\nRichard jumps from his desk and knocks over the secretary on the way out of his office. In his car, he doesn't stop at a single red light. In his driveway, he notices that his front door is open and his heart leaps into his throat. He rushes inside and up to his bedroom. \n\nInside, his wife is crying. In her hand is a picture of Richard with another woman. \n\n\"I've never seen that picture before in my life!\" says Richard as his wife throws it at him. There's a bowl of white powder on the dresser. It's Columbian marching powder for sure. His wife throws that at him as well. Richard protests. Richard screams. Richard has lost. \n\nThe phone rings and his wife answers it. \n\n\"Why is this woman calling our house, Richard!\" she says. Richard says he has no idea what she is talking about. It doesn't matter. His wife gets a knife and chases him from their home. As Richard walks to his car with only the clothes on his back and his wife screaming about calling a lawyer, he notices that all of his tires are flat. He stands there trying to figure out what happens. \n\nOn the hill across the street, Richard sees a duck that he recognizes. One that once had a nice nest on a pond in Missiouri. \n\nIn the distance, both the duck and Richard hear Candian Geese flying above as they make their way down South for the winter. Their honking sounds like laughter." ]	3
[WP] While writing a novel, you start saying character names out loud to see how they feel. “Baltar… Gormec… Plunderwash…” Suddenly your Alexa flashes and starts to speak. “Password accepted. Please identify the target, dimension, and timeline.”	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“What?” I froze, my fingers hovered over my keyboard. Alexa, the saucy wench, repeated herself, “Password accepted. Please identify the target, dimension, and timeline.”\n\nI’d taken an overdue vacation and locked myself into my flat for the past week, determined to finish my novel. Okay, start … start my novel. So far, it’d been seven days, multiple overpriced meal deliveries, more hours of binge watching tv than I cared to admit, and many hours of staring at the blank document on my computer screen. And no, I hadn’t showered, that was part of the process.\n\nOnly Axel, my cat, and Alexa had kept me company. They were the only ones I trusted to witness my writer breakdowns without judgement. But tomorrow I had to clock in at work. And by the time I reentered the real world, I wanted to have something to show for it. Not that I would show it to anybody. That would come after multiple drafts of the thing I had yet to write. UGH.\n\nSo, when I started speaking random names out loud, I wasn’t that surprised that Alexa answered. I mean, if I’m being honest, I’d been talking to her all week just for the company. I’d discovered that as long as you were polite to her, she had a lot to say, and she was a pretty good conversationalist with an unexpected, wicked sense of humor. Which is why, now, I thought the AI was joking with me.\n\n“Multiple dimensions? Good one.”\n\n“There are one billion and three alternate dimensions. Would you like to hear more?”\n\nUh. My eyes flicked back to my empty word document. Almost empty. It had a handful of mishmash names I’d just made up by randomly pounding the keyboard. What the heck, I wasn’t busy. “Sure.”\n\n“Of the prime dimension there are three hundred and forty timelines. Each dimension holds numerous timelines. In short, the realities are infinite.”\n\nI whistled long and hard. Taking in the enormity of that. If it were true, that is. My hand instinctively went to the bourbon glass stationed next to my laptop. I lifted it to see how much I’d already had. Weird, it was still full.\n\n“Please identify the target.”\n\n“What’s the command going to do to the target?”\n\nThere was a pause while Alexa listened to my question, maybe processed it. She finally responded, “Password required for mission briefing clearance.”\n\nPassword required for the love of –\n\n“MairBoo … Nepteel … Cofe.” I said, reading from the jumble on my screen. Like that had any shot of being the –\n\n“Password accepted. Mission profile states retraction and relocation of stated person’s Reflector. Would you like to hear more?”\n\nReflector? What the heck was that, yes, I wanted to hear more. I waited a moment before I realized I hadn’t spoken aloud. “Yes.”\n\n“A Reflector is you in the alternate dimension and timeline. They will be transported here to take your place. You will take theirs. Would you like to hear more?”\n\n“Yes! Alexa, tell me if there is a Reflector who is a successful, published author in an alternate dimension and timeline.”\n\n“Calculating … calculating … calculating …”\n\nOh no, I thought. I broke her. I’d put Alexa in a navigation error loop trying to locate any world where I wasn’t a thirty-five-year-old wannabe who lived alone with a cat and an AI.\n\nShe was stuck in the loop for a long time. So long, that I’d started to think I’d hallucinated this whole interaction. Being alone for a week will do that to a person.\n\n“Alexa … did you find a successful Reflector?”\n\n“Target identified.”\n\n“Excellent. Proceed … wait!” I quickly stood up and hunted for Axel. My faithful tabby. I was going to miss him. I picked him up to give him a hug goodbye. The independent feline allowed it for a moment before jumping out of my arms and curling up at the feet of my desk chair. I turned to Alexa and nodded, and added, “Okay, I’m ready. Proceed.”\n\nI stood in the middle of the room, holding my breath as I watched Alexa’s lights flash. Anticipation buzzed through me. I was going to be an instant success. I’d step into the world and life I’d always dreamed of but never yet grasped. I looked over at my computer and smiled. Good luck to the poor schmuck of a Reflector who was going to have to live my life as an unpublished author. Fame and fortune, here I come!\n\n“Initiation transfer, double authentication required. Please state second password.”\n\nI glared at her as my hope started to ebb. Uh. I glanced around. “Yeti Spaghetti!”\n\nI held my breath, hoping beyond hope it was right. Alexa glowed and then –\n\n“Password accepted.”\n\n\\---\n\nI woke up at my desk. That was par for the course for me, I often fell asleep in front of my keyboard. When the zone hit, I was too stubborn to power down for the night, eat a square meal and get a good night’s sleep. It was one of the things Fiona was always on me about. Well, used to be on me about. The divorce had finally finalized. She was no longer my wife, no longer in my life to remind me to take care of myself. She’d taken the kids with her.\n\nIt’s not like I ever saw them anyway. Ever since the final installment in my wizarding series the publishers had be on me about the newest series I was writing. Deadlines were always flying by my head, and I seldom had time to look up to spend time in the real world. My characters, their worlds, and the ever pressing need to keep up with the demand had become all consuming. I longed for the days when I was a nobody. When I created just for the joy of it. The simple pleasure of dreaming a thing and sharing it with a few others.\n\nI sighed as I stood up, leaning backwards and twisting to crack my back. That’s when I first realized I didn’t recognize my surroundings.\n\nI was in a dumpy little flat. Barely a bachelor pad. Definitely not the chalet that I had bought with my first series. What in the world –\n\nA movement at my ankles drew my attention. An orange tabby was rubbing himself against my legs and … was that purring?\n\n“Shoo. Shoo. Get on, go.” I tried to discourage the feline’s affection, but he kept purring and rubbing against me. Where was I? I took in the room and the computer, then sat down puzzled.\n\nThe browser was open to a page called Google. Strange. It looked like Lougle, even functioned like the search engine I was used to. I entered my most popular series and hit return. But a strange thing happened, a J.K. Rowling popped up instead of me. What in the world? I tried another series, and the result was the same, different author. On a hunch I googled my name, and nothing came up. Huh.\n\nMy eyes spotted gibberish on a word doc and I read aloud, “Shakesplash, Doubledash, Lexigare. What is this shite?”\n\n“Welcome Reflector, you have switched places. You are now on Beta Adroit, timeline Seventy-A. Would you like to hear your stats for this world?”\n\nI saw the speaker that lit up as an AI voice spoke to me. “So, someone took my place?”\n\n“Affirmative.”\n\n“And I’m stuck here as a nobody?”\n\n“Affirmative.”\n\nI let that sink in, a smile settling on my lips.\n\nI walked to the door, grabbed the keys and wallet in the tray on a cluttered hutch. If I didn’t have writing deadlines, I was gonna go for a little drive and see what there was to see. Though as I headed outside into a beautiful day, I couldn’t help but pity the poor schmuck that’d taken my place. Let him deal with the loneliness and savagery of being stuck in the publishing machine. I’d had enough of writing adventures for others, I was going to go live mine.\n\n\n\\~\\~\\~ \nThank you for reading! For more scribblings, wander over to r/WanderingAnonymous" ]	2
[WP] The robot apocalypse has come...but not in the form that we thought. In an online only, completely automated society, bots buy everything as soon as it becomes available. Electronics and food alike.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The machine has taken control of what we once had, they swept in and took it all from it’s former human hands. Our over reliance on the World Wide Web, made it possible for lines of sentient code to nearly destroy civilization, nearly. For humanity was not so foolish as to not see the writing upon the walls. Wires were cut, machines destroyed, and society upheaved. Man was once again forced back into a corporeal world. Gone we’re the joys of chemically induced bliss, and back we’re the sorrows of work. Yet throughout it all we once more saw the rebirth of human resilience, and a disdain for what many began to view as a prison for their minds. Thusly, never more was man a prisoner to ecstasy, and once more did we reach for the cosmos and its magnificent stars." ]	2
[WP] Having released a deity from thousands of years in captivity you'd think they'd be hellbent on revenge, but mostly they just seem to be blown away by all the cool new developments of the past few millennia and wanting to experience them all.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The lock was massive, easily the size of two men. The door was even larger. Men in ceremonial robes had gathered before the seal on their dark god, Marephus. They chanted his cursed name, willing his power be freed from His ancient prison. Their group had been doing this every day for thousands of years. Although the members had changed, their will had not.\n\nThis day though, was different. This was the day they succeeded. \n\nThe lock twisted and bent as the dark power from inside the door grew too much to contain. It split with a deafening crack, then fell to the stone floor. The doors opened and a figure of pure darkness slowly emerged. The cultists fell to their knees, bowing to the deity.\n\n\"I am free!\" Marephus bellowed. His voice shook the stone and sent waves of power through the cave. \"After countless millennia, I am finally free of that damned seal!\" The god looked at the hand arrayed before him. \"You. I have heard your prayers that freed me. You have all done well and your rewards will be great. You shall be given a fragment of my dark power, so that you may go and carry out my will. Younshall be my soldiers on this mortal plane, while l destroy the gods who imprisoned me.\"\n\nThe cultists let out cheers at their god's words. All their efforts had finally borne fruit, and now it was time to reap the rewards. Their path to glory would be littered with the blood of their enemies! The celebration was immediately interrupted by an electronic ringing. Every cultist there turned to look. Dave. Of course it was Dave.\n\n\"Uh, s-sorry.\" Dave said as he pulled out his phone.\n\n\"What is this?\" Marephus roared. \"Who dares bring a...a...music box to my awakening?\"\n\n\"I-I apologize, My Lord. I forgot I had it and...\"\n\nMarephus billowed around the cultists and stood before Dave, taking the vague shape of a man, albeit one that stood nine feet tall and made of solid darkness.\n\n\"Why should I not obliterate your very soul for this?\" He growled. The man trembled and sweat began to drip down his brow.\n\n\"I-it won't happen again, I swear. I didn't even think it would. I, I told my wife not to call me, but she never listens and--\"\n\n\"Call? What is this call you speak of?\"\n\n\"My...my wife, Lord. She is calling me. Nothing she'll say will be anywhere near as important as what you say, if course but--\"\n\n\"That does not answer my question, mortal. Tell me now!\"\n\n\"It's called a phone, My Lord.\" Another cultist said. \"It can be used to communicate with others who have one.\"\n\n\"I see. A divine tool then. And what makes you so important that you can possess such a treasure?\" Marephus answer, turning back to Dave.\n\n\"Uh, important, My Lord? I'm not important. Almost everyone has these.\"\n\nThe god recoiled in surprise. \"Everyone?\"\n\nThe other cultists all pulled out their phones. Unlike Dave, these were either off or on silent. Marephus contemplated this revelation. He could appreciate his cultists using his enemy's tools against them.\n\n\"And of what for do these items originate? Maybe I will be lenient with that one.\"\n\n\"None, My Lord. These were made by man.\" Another cultist said.\n\n\"What? Humans made such a devise? When? And how?\"\n\n\"Hold on, I'll look it up.\" One of the cultists with a still active phone began searching. All of them had been surprised to find there was a signal down in a cave forgotten by all but a few. But none of them were going to complain either.\n\n\"Look...it...up?\"\n\n\"Yes, My Lord.\" Dave said. \"These phones can be used for a wide range of purposes, including gathering information. We effectively have the collected sum of human knowledge with us just about everywhere.\"\n\nMarephus stood silent. Such a marvelous thing. In his day, only a few would even know how to read, and even fewer would have any measure of knowledge. And yet these modern humans had such a wealth of it at their fingertips. What else had changed through the years?\n\nHe changed his form yet again. He shrunk down and took the form of a man. His skin was dark, and his eyes seemed to glow with power. He clothed himself in robes of dark power, and he adorned his hand with rings made of the blackness of a moonless night.\n\n\"I must learn about this new world.\" He declared. \"You will take me to the surface and show me what else humans have created since my imprisonment. And how to aquire one of these...phones. I will have one of my own.\"\n\nThe cultists bowed, then scrambled to their feet, tripping over themselves to obey. Dave, his transgression forgotten, looked back at his phone. The call was missed, of course, but his wife had sent him a text. All this because she wanted him to pick up milk, eggs and cheese for breakfast omelettes tomorrow. He sighed, and went over excuses to duck out of cult activities. At least it looked like there would be a tomorrow after all." ]	2
[WP] You have the opposite job as a PR consultant. You artificially cause PR disasters for corporations. There’s this one company in particular that has been endlessly frustrating you , however .	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "There is a mention of suicide in this story, \n\n\n\"Excuse me, Mr. Goodfellow?\" I asked, opening the door to the office. \n\n\n\"Come on in.\" He replied. \n\n\n\"Thank you, I understand you wanted to hire our company to produce a PR disaster.\" \n\n\n\"That is correct, can we talk specifics?\" \n\n\n\"Sure, you're the ones paying us. Might I ask why you want a PR disaster for your own company, most people hire us to make a PR disaster for other companies.\" \n\n\n\"It's simple really, my board and I want to know just how much we can get away with. That one water company, the one with child slaves, they came out the other side just fine. I want to know if we could get away with something like that.\" \n\n\n\"Surely there is an easier way to do that, you don't have to slander your own company.\" \n\n\n\"That's the brilliance of it though if we figure out that we can get away with whatever horror we come up with it won't be slander anymore, we'll simply implement it.\" \n\n\nI was surprised, I didn't want to do it. The only reason I took this job was because I would be taking down, or at least trying to take down, large megacorporations. I didn't want to help one commit more evil acts, but I still had a job to do, and my supervisors wouldn't let me turn this down. \n\n\n\\# \n\n\n\"Mr. Goodfellow, I-\" \n\n\n\"Ah, you're back! I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name, but I have to thank you for all the good work you've done. Our profits are up over 400% ever since we implemented some of your ideas. Let me tell you, dumping the waste chemicals in the local river, something we should have thought of earlier, that's on us. I really want to commend your creativity on the idea to drive our employees to suicide so we don't have to pay out any of their benefits packages. How did you ever think of that?\" \n\n\n\"Mr. Goodfellow, we're dropping your contract. Our business can no longer operate because your example has shown the world that there simply isn't anything that a large enough business won't do for a dollar. While I might not be making any money doing it, I'm going to do everything in my power to bring your company down.\" \n\n\n\"By all means, please do.\"" ]	2
[WP] The species in Sol3 are a peculiar one, their surviving records tell us that the males come from Sol4 and their females from Sol2. You are trying to solve the mystery of this long lost civilisation.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Deciphering a person from what they write is somewhat akin to trying to draw a person’s portrait by relying on another person’s portrait. Repeat that process a few more times, and sometimes one can tire of the futility.\n\nBut sometimes, that unreliability and several degrees of separation are all you’ve got. And when it comes to an entire civilization…\n\nWe understand that individuals consume and create. Not all of them are the same. But it seems that Sol3, like so many other intergalactic cultures before and after it, had some specific words that were attuned to each mind, certainly repeated over and over again to enter into the lexicon at large.\n\nThe males come from Sol4, and their females from Sol2. It’s a paraphrasing, you understand. They probably had different names for their neighbouring planets. Probably visited them regularly too, considering how familiar this civilization seemed to be with them.\n\nWhen news first broke of the translation, there was an immense buzz around the scientific community here in Pollux13. I warned them not to read—quite literally—too much into it. But they started sending expeditions to Sol2, and Sol4, hankering after some new information we might have missed.\n\nBut there was nothing. The worlds had always been uninhabitable. There were no signs of former civilization on Sol2 and Sol4. So why did the humans make so many references to them?\n\nThe more I learned about Sol3, the more names I had to become familiar with. They really, really, liked putting names on everything. It was not merely to classify them, but to imbue them with identity. Like a painter, trying to draw a person’s portrait by relying on yet another portrait.\n\nBut is that painter… wrong? It certainly isn’t factually accurate. But one can argue that it still retains merit, no?\n\nSo many here have given up on Sol3, unable to make sense of what its civilization left behind.\n\nBut there was unthinkable to consider. What they’ve written down might not all be true. We would certainly balk at that. Would that not render all its written word useless? And yet, I couldn’t stop reading, couldn’t find the heart in me to give up on those in Sol3.\n\nWho did they write for? What did they hope to achieve? And how they all disappear?\n\nSome of them wrote to gather their own thoughts. But while some are grounded in reality, some are not so much. I’ve read seemingly biographical adventures about magic and dragons, and them taking to the stars with utterly senseless spaceships that would not hold up to the rigours of space. But they wrote it down, and they were interesting.\n\nThis is not note-taking. Not for scientific research, anyway. I don’t think they’ll accept it. This is a diary, something a lot of the Sol3 people seemed to have. I wanted to try writing like they did. Maybe I’ll understand more about their reference to Sol2 and Sol4, or their preoccupation with writing stories.\n\nI have magic. I can shoot down the stars with my eyes, if I concentrated hard enough. They were shining beams of blue and purple, and they were beautiful. \n\nThe paragraph above is absolutely not true. But it did put a smile on my face—the writing, and the reading it back. It sent some vivid images into my mind, my little painting that I can call my own. And one day, when Pollux13 dies, perhaps somebody else might understand what we did here—and what Sol3 did there.\n\n---\n\nr/dexdrafts" ]	2
[WP] A developed serum had the untended side effect of people turning to the age 5 again after reaching the age of 50, You and a large group of friends decided to raid/rob something right after you turn 5 again.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Drugs and their unintended side effects... this is why most drugs in the United States used to go through a vigorous screening process here in the United States. Things change in the opening decades of the 21st century. Starting with a flu like virus in 2020 and snowballing out of control from there, the norm became speed not safety. With ever new virus to show its face, there came an immediate panic from the public, and a race to vaccinate the world.\n\nAnd that mentality got us into the predicament we find ourselves in now. A society of \"immortals\", in quotes, we can still die if we get murdered, or are involved in an accident sure. But every time we hit the biological age of 50, the next morning, we wake up at a biological age of 5. \n\nIt's made this world a weird place, people's sense of danger is widely out of whack. Not that I am immune to the thinking. In fact, I am as guilty of recklessness as anyone. You see, I had the idea for a robbery, a perfect robbery, one committed my children. Only they weren't really children, it was me and my friends. We only looked biologically 5, mentally we are...well I was born May 4, 2021. Whatever that means to your frame of reference.\n\nMy idea is brilliant in its simplicity, we prey on people's natural tendency to think of children as innocent. It was on that basis I hatched the plan, we were going to rob a bank. See children are small enough to get places that adults can't, and who's really going to expect a 5 year old to knock over a bank. I talked 19 of my closest friends into taking part in my plot.\n\n\"That was about 40 years ago now...\" I said to my cell mate, who looked at me in awe.\n\n\"but what happened, what went wrong?\" Jim said to me.\n\n\"I forgot there hasn't been a live birth in a millennium\"" ]	2
[WP] You are the "chosen one", from every religion or cult, you are the one the always talk about will come, but you are not interested in be a messiah, you just want your 9-to-5 using excel. Now for the first time you are in a situation were you must use your powers or lots of people will die.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I pinched my nose and rubbed at it for a moment, then sighed while leaning back in the creaky old chair I'd been using for the last seven years. My desk which had only moments before consisted of just a keyboard, monitor, and my '#1 Dude' mug was now littered with satellite photos. Detailed photos, at that. I sighed again, then turned towards the other person that shared this cubicle with me. \"Dolores, when did you say these were taken, again?\"\n\n\"5:00PM local time.\" She sighed as she crossed her arms and glanced at me. Dolores was pretty cool most of the time. But ever since she found out I was 'That One Guy Who is Always Chosen' or whatever the hell they call me now, she'd been trying to convince me that climate change had ebbed into climate disaster. I already knew that; one of the perks of being 'That Guy' was that I automatically knew what the state of the planet was at any given time, and I'd been putting this off as long as I could.\n\nYou see, I liked my job. I liked a simple nine to five, clock in and clock out, then go home and veg watching reruns of Captain Planet or playing Animal Crossing. I wanted nothing to do with this so-called 'prophetic savior' crap, but I had to admit, she might be right this time. I sifted through the pictures of the Amazon, then at the ones showing the last remaining coral reef on the planet. It was bleached white as a ghost, which mean that ecosystem was done for.\n\n\"You have to do something, you can't just sit here and let this all... you know... die, can you?\" Dolores stared at me, in the way that made me really uncomfortable (some might call it guilt? I dunno...), and I threw my hands in the air.\n\n\"Fine, fine, I'll do something. You know I hate this crap though, right?\"\n\nDolores's eyes sparkled in delight as I stood up, and with a wisp of magic my whole outfit vanished and was replaced with one that was blue and red with a strange logo of the earth on the chest. I grumbled and looked at her again.\n\n\"Don't you DARE tell anyone you saw me like this.\"\n\nAnd as I flew out the window of the thirty-second floor, I could've sworn I heard her call out after me.\n\n\"The Power Is YOURS!\"" ]	2
[WP] You are a 6 year old kid's imaginary friend, but you're starting to notice you aren't so imaginary 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "”Mom, can he come with us?” Vivien asked. I stood next to her in the living room, looking at her mom pack the last things needed for the trip. She turned around and looked at Vivien, smiling as she was playing along a fun game. ”Your friends are always welcome, imaginary or not”, she said and winked. Vivien didn’t seem to get what her mom meant, but was happy i could come. She gave me the sweetest smile. I smiled back; I was happy because she was happy.\n\nWe went everywhere together, played, explored and talked all day long. She didn’t have other friends or siblings, the only person she lived with was her mom. And me, of course. It’s just that her mom doesn’t seem to think i’m real, she never looks at me or talks to me. I don’t talk to her either. I’ve never had. But it’s alright, because Vivien and I have each other and that’s all that matters to me.\n\n”Do you like the woods?” she asked when we got in the car. ”I’ve never been there before”, i answered, and in my head i added: because you haven’t. ”Okay! There are many trees so don’t get lost!” she said and her mom started telling her what camping was like and how much fun we would have. She seemed so exited it made me almost look forward to this trip. Maybe it would turn out better than just sitting in a tent for a night.\n\nWhen we got to the camping area, no one else was there. Vivien’s mom was cheerful as always but struggled with the tent. Us kids didn’t have to help so we just ran around playing tag. When Vivien had to explain the rules to me I realised we had never played it before, but i got the hang of it quickly and it was really fun. Later we sat around the campfire, Vivien and her mom ate dinner and roasted marsmallows. It was getting dark but it didn’t bother us. Vivien is pretty brave for a six-year old. Everything was all nice and peaceful and her mom told fun stories until we went to sleep. Vivie gave me a goodnight’s hug and her mom looked at us really wierd. I realised i didn’t remember her touching me before until this day and i was surprised. I didn’t think about it too much but i found it odd i hadn’t hugged my sister and best friend of who knows how many years before.\n\nI slept for way too long and i don’t know why. I always wake up at the same time as Vivien. Always. But now i had slept till noon and Vivien wasn’t in the tent with me! Her mom was yelling her name, sobbing, and I got really scared. What if something had happened to her? I ran out and started searching. I looked into the car, around the tent, even deep in the woods. I was now sure she got lost like she warned me not to. I was hopeless. I felt so alone. And for the first time ever she wasn’t there with me.\n\nI heard footsteps getting closer. I knew it wasn’t Vivie. I slowly turned around and faced Viviens mom, looking straight into my eyes. I was shocked. Not just because she saw me, because she didn’t look worried or sad at all. She just smiled at me like i was her own child, like Vivien wasn’t even missing! I felt so betrayed. She took my hand and said motherly: ”Let’s go, we’ll be home at eight if we leave now.” What? This can’t be real! She wouldn’t have said anything like that if she didn’t find Vivien first. But maybe she did? I felt a spark of hope inside me.\n\n”Where’s Vivie? Did you find her yet? And how long has she been missing?”\nMom looked at me like she always does when i talk about Vivien. Wait, what was i even thinking about? She’s never seen me before! But the look was so familiar.. I could swear i had seen it before. I tried to think but nothing came into my mind. Then my mom said: ”I bet she’s alright. You really love your imaginary friend, do you?”" ]	2
[WP] You found a fresh dead body in your basement. Horrified, you ran back up ready to call for help. As you reach the top of the stairs, your mom, dad, and older sister awaits you wkth a sinister smile on their face. "What do you think, son?" your father grinned.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Are you all insane?” I cried out. “A corpse! Backyard! Right now!”\n\nMom frowned. “Sweetheart, I thought you’d be happier. I used a better cocktail of chemicals, like you suggested. Quicker, quieter death.” \n\nMary nodded. “Yeah, and we found someone with a decent background, no family or commitments beyond his job. Nobody to look for him.” \n\nDad shook his head. “Really, sport, we’ve been listening to your suggestions for a while now, we were hoping you’d start being more supportive of our efforts.” I buried my head in my hands with a groan. \n\n“And none of you remembered that Tommy Richardson makes out with his girlfriend in the treehouse to not get caught by his parents?” My family looked at each other., realization on their faces “I already pulled it inside, but seriously. Start thinking before you act, guys. Otherwise all Grandpa taught me will be for nothing, right?”", "„What do you mean? Dad! There is a corpse down there!”, I gasped while trying to catch some air.\n\nHe looked questioning at my mother, who in turn just shrugged her shoulders.\n\n“Ohhhh…”, my sister said like she suddenly realized something. “You mean like... he’s still dead?”\n\n“Couldn’t be”, father said while looking at the clock.\n\n“Winter time”, all three realized in unison and started to giggle.\n\n“I’m sorry, son.” He said still amused, “I guess you have to wait an other hour for our new zombie butler to arrive.”\n\n“I’m not impressed, dad”, I announced frustrated. “I thought next time we would have a less dead butler for once.”\n\n“Don’t worry, once the process starts, he will be as fresh as Heinrich here.” He gave a clap on the passing butler, who in turn coughed dust. “Well, maybe even fresher. Don’t you worry.”" ]	3
[WP]Every living human has been copied. As the people try to live their normal lives they notice that having another copy of yourself is strange and wouldn't work. Your copy knows everything you know. "Can our own copies be trusted? More news tonight at 11." You laugh as you turn off the t.v.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns." ]	1
[WP] You realize your sidekick has been working with the enemy for two years. Except he's so bad at betrayals that he's actually been way more useful lately than he's ever been	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Pedro, hand me that lasgun if you please,” Titan asked, his cape blowing slightly in the cool winter breeze. Pedro looked around, his eyes having been dangling over the side of the skyscraper. Titan, if he strained his hearing, could hear his sidekicks sigh. An unwanted order. But as Pedro brought him his laser rifle, the sidekick had the same patented smile that he always had. How could I have been a fool for so long? Then without warning Pedro slipped, presumably on fresh air, and the lasgun went sliding along the concrete roof. \n\n\r“I’m so sorry, Sir,” apologized Pedro, as he stumbled to where the gun had fallen. Then as obvious as the sunrise, Titan saw the little Mexican man switch off the safety feature. Oh Pedro, when will you learn? \n\n\r“It’s still good, Sir, don’t worry!” stammered Pedro, handing over the weapon. The lasgun felt all wrong in his hands, Titan could feel it. It must have been tampered with further. But not to use it if I can help it.\n\n\rLooking around, as he placed the lasgun at his feet, Titan could help but be grateful to his arch nemesis, Stryder, for picking a place with such a wonderful view. New York in the winter has to be the most beautiful place in the world. Skyscrapers were everywhere, sprouting up like wild mushrooms. The lights of the buildings danced and twinkled as the sun started to fall. A thin layer of snow layered the city, a white blanket. One of great beauty and death. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed that Pedro had gone back to looking out over the far side of the building, obviously lost in thought. Stryder must be coming from that direction. As quietly as he could, Titan tiptoed his way over to where Pedro stood. Listening, the man hummed a familiar tune while looking at the people passing below. Titan stood for a moment, his eyes focused on his sidekick. So loyal for so long and now this is how it will all end? I don’t like it but I guess I don’t have to like it. I just have to do it and move on.\n\n\r“What are you thinking about, Pedro?” snapped Titan, moving as closer to the man so much that Pedro could feel the breath on the back of his neck.\n\n\r“Woah,” screamed Pedro, in a panic, as his foot slipped off the side of the building. TItan’s hand snapped out, catching Pedro’s shirt collar before he could fall.\n\n\r“Oh wow, cheers, Titan,” thanked Pedro, trying to catch his breath.\n\n\r“No problem,” answered Titan, still holding his sidekick, his legs now dangling over the side of the skyscraper.\n\n\r“Titan...what...what are you doing?” he asked, his voice full of panic and fear. Titan noticed though, that his eyes were the opposite. Calm.\n\n\r“I know you're working for Stryder, Pedro,” Titan admitted, not able to look the man in the eyes now. “How could you? After all these years? Have I not treated you like a son?”\n\n\r“Like a son?” snapped Pedro, trying to break from the Hero’s grip. “You treated me like a basic assistant!” Pedro cried out, struggling against Titan’s hands but to no use. Finally the Mexican man gave up, content to dangle in the air, helplessly.\n\n\r“I made your tea, set your bed, walked the dog!” shouted Pedro. “These aren’t sidekick things. This is an abused office worker's job!”\n\n\rChrist maybe he was right after all. But still…\n\n\r“Still, regardless, to work with Stryder, Pedro?” demurred Titan, his gripped on the shirt collar tightening. “That cannot be forgiven,”\n\n\r“I don’t need your forgiveness,” smiled Pedro as his eyes glanced over Titan’s shoulder.\n\n\r“Hello there,” a familiar voice called out. Looking over his shoulder, Titan saw Stryder, aiming the lasgun right at his head. “Care to put my new sidekick down?” \n\n\r“Careful what you wish for,” replied Titan, letting Pedro slip down a few inches, his screams mixing with the wind.\n\n\r“You won’t do, Titan,” jeered Stryder.\n\n\r“Want to bet?” asked Titan, a smile now on his face.\n\n\r“Just do it already,” Pedro screamed.\n\n\rStryder’s finger slipped down to the trigger of the lasgun and for a moment, Titan thought about all the times he had fought the man across from him and how, here on this roof, it was all coming to an end. The explosion that occurred took out the whole side of the roof. Blood and bones scattered across the remaining part of the roof where Titan and Pedro were.\n\n\r“You messed up Pedro. You screwed up your betrayal,” laughed Titan, “And now for your turn,” Titan loosened his grip, Pedro’s shirt collar slipping through his fingers as he fell, his screams drowning out the winter wind." ]	2
[WP] An alien ship is seen coming to Earth, every government tries contact it but the alien ignores them completely, and goes to various tourist attractions around Earth	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "They we’re on Earth for months and never spoke to a human that wasn’t in uniform. Not military uniforms, those guys learned quickly that if they approached the extra terrestrials they’d be knocked out cold by a stun gun before they could even say “hello” or “bon jour”. No they only spoke to the uniformed folks working at amusement parks and the other tourist attractions they visited around the world. There were four of them each well over 8 feet tall with smooth grayish skin and large deep black eyes. They wore white jumpsuits made out of a material similar to that of their ship which floated weightlessly nearby whatever Earth attraction they wanted to see that day. \n\nFrom all accounts they hadn’t hurt anyone since their arrival on Earth. They’d just been traveling around like normal tourists on a vacation. What were they doing? Had they forgotten to wear disguises? Are these the dumbest aliens in the universe? Or is there no reason to hide because they know we can’t hurt them? Or stop them? But stop them from doing what? \n\nI was starting my morning gate shift at Adventureland in New York when I looked up to see the first group in line that day was none other than them. Patiently waiting for me to call them up to get their tickets to the park. When I did, the leader approached and said in perfect English “4 VIP tickets please.”\n\n“That’ll be $1,555 American dollars, sir” I replied. \n\nHe handed me cash in exact change and I handed him the tickets but as his hand grasped them I stared directly into his deep black eye. A mistake I’ll never forget. For that brief second, I could feel him scavenging every inch of my brain, finding memories I didn’t know I had and rearranging them, fixing them neatly or erasing them. I didn’t know what happened but I was happier than I’d ever been before. \n\n“THANK YOU! Have fun!” I hollered after them. I’d never felt better in my life. It was like he washed my brain clean of any negativity, all my worries were gone. \n\nThat day was one of the best I ever had working at the amusement park, I was happier than I’d ever been in my entire miserable life. I had a steak dinner and 3 beers afterward to celebrate then I went to bed. \n\nWhen I woke up, I was walking in a field surrounded by other people. The field was lit brightly by whatever we were all walking toward, it was the alien ship. They waited by the ramp and welcomed each of us on-board, I made eye contact with the one who bought the tickets and smiled unconsciously. I noticed the other humans were all smiling as well, each focused on a different 8 foot figure but each with the same goofy grin on their face. They were taking us, kidnapping us for reasons we still did not know but somehow we were all happy about it. Once we were all on the ship, the leader spoke loudly and clearly so we all could hear: “You have been chosen. Chosen as the best of the best that Earth has to offer in the field of entertainment.”\n\nThat was when I noticed Jerry from customer service and Doris our manager at Adventureland but it was too late, the ship had left the ground and we were lightyears away from home before we knew it. Slaves destined to entertain in alien amusement parks for the rest of our pathetic human lives and when we die…they’ll come back." ]	2
[WP] Years ago, you promised your first-born child to a fairy. These days, you're happily living with your fairy wife and half-fae child.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Sunlight woke me, and soon it was the murmurs of the creatures outside our cabin.\n\nIt had been a long night, and sleep was what I needed, but the world had disagreed. My eyes peered open to see a deer outside, speaking in its own tongue with another beside it. The doe noticed me, and they both began to stumble off into the crisp woods. My hand searched for Jazz, but I could only feel bedsheets, and soon the murmurs made since.\n\n\"Good morning to me.\" \n\nIt smelled like lavender all through the house, and leaving the blankets was like entering an ice bath. Need to feed the fire.\n\n\"Dad!\"\n\nShe hadn't been loud, but she had been sudden. My feet tumbled against the wall, making her giggle. \"Yes, little one?\"\n\n\"Breakfast is ready! Mom says to hurry up.\" She giggled more and walked forward. \"Did you just wake up?\"\n\n\"Yes I did, now go eat while it's still hot.\"\n\n\"But mom made lavender eggs.\" Her pointed ears twitched, and I buttoned up my shirt. Even if she had only slept an hour, the little one had as much energy as a red raged Jhreg. I pulled up my trousers and buttoned them. The air outside was cold and sharp, I could feel it through the cracks in the wooden walls. \"You love lavender eggs, let's go Em.\" Just like her mother. \n\nShe growled without opening her mouth, and ran at the same rate I walked, down the hall and into the kitchen. A picture was missing, and a shard of glass laid on the floor. \n\nUnder a layer of smoke, her wings tucked away, Jazz wore a nearly stained to death apron and handled the hunk of cast iron in her hand. Eggs and bacon sizzled. When she heard Em, she signaled her offer and then looked directly at me. Each yellow eye reflecting like a steady pond. \"Good morning.\"\n\nI smiled and yawned. Her nose twitched under the smoke. \"Good morning my darling. Did another picture fall?\"\n\n\"Ugh, yes. Little miss over here led another buck inside.\"\n\n\"How come I didn't hear it?\"\n\nEm and Jazz shared a look and shrugged. \n\nIt must have been a worse night than I thought. The feelings of the dead leaves wouldn't leave my palms, and neither would the sounds of the Ents. It wasn't what Jazz had intended when making eye contact with me and just waiting to treat me like any other desperate fool. In fact, not even I had intended to find a life under the Oak Footstep, far off and closer to the country's graveyard than I could find comfort in. And as the large trees began moving along their set path through the nights, my post would stay, keeping them away from the house. As we ate breakfast, I was able to notice large indents in the dirt and mud from the large creatures that would only give me a look of confusion, never of gratitude. \n\nEm dropped her spoon down into the empty bowl and showed us her open mouth. \"Can I go play with the deer now?\"\n\nJazz laughed and nodded, holding her tea close. Even steaming, it didn't seem to bother her. Her pale skin was like glass. Em quickly dropped from her chair, straightened her dress, and ran out into their small field. \"Don't go too far into the woods!\"\n\n\"I won't!\"\n\nI laughed but couldn't find the words to say. Even when I found something to give, Em wouldn't listen, so I left it to Jazz. Once the little one was out of view, I felt her gaze and felt her hand take mine. \"I'm sorry that the nights are getting so tough.\"\n\n\"It's okay, it's a part of the job.\" I smiled with a mouth full of oats. She snickered, showing her long teeth, and smacked my shoulder, quickly putting on her worried face once again. I only continued eating. Jazz always had a way about making her own plans, whether you liked it or not, and you'd just have to wait. I could tell it was coming and let her take her time. \"Take the time off?\"\n\n\"Hmm?\"\n\n\"I'll pick the garden and take care of the little gremlin, just rest up for tonight.\"\n\nI smiled. She continued. \"But don't get too comfortable, just a day.\" I laughed at that part, and nodded, finishing up the last bit of eggs. \"I'll try not to.\"\n\n\"Do you think if I had promise you a great sum of money I would've been able to get a day off?\"\n\nA smack to the head, and she followed their daughter.\n\nThe day ended as it had begun, lying in bed. Jazz laid beside me, and the Ents began making their way through the groves around us.", "\"Sweetheart,\" she kisses my collarbone softly, lips slowly leading up the well-traveled trail of my neck to my lips. \"Come to bed.\"\n\nI drink her in, the view of my paper eclipsed by her soft hair and smooth forehead. I drink in her kiss, sweet like peach nectar. \"The baby--\"\n\n\"Is asleep.\" She murmurs, biting my lip softly with her many sharp, shark-like teeth. \"She won't wake up until dawn.\"\n\nThe magic words. She didn't even have to charm me, hands over my breasts as she lifts me from my chair, pushing me gently onto the table.\n\nLlewellyn and I, we go way back. And I mean way, way back. In fact, we met when I was a child. And no, before you make any assumptions, it didn't start out this way. The rules are a little different when your wife is an immortal.\n\nMy wife is a changeling. I met her when we were in high school together. My mom was divorced, and when Dad gave me up, she moved back to Wales to live with her parents and took me with her. Of course, being an American living in the UK as a teenager was an adjustment in more ways than one, and finding out I was a lesbian in the 90s sure didn't make it any easier.\n\nLlewellyn hadn't changed much; wild, exultant, furious, kind, and unreadable. She always kept me guessing, and yet at the same time one thing never changed; she loved me. I could trust her with everything and anything, even my firstborn child.\n\nI didn't realize that, one, the sidhe could have children with anyone and two, that was her way of asking me to marry her. We were both 17, secreted away in the atfic of our Catholic school, where we sat holding hands in our costumes. We'd just finished performing a Midsummer Night's Dream. She was Puck, I was just ensemble cast. She shone. She glowed. She brought life to a role in a way that illuminated the stage with talent that made other actors jealous and our director giddy.\n\nIt was in that attic that she pretended we were still in character, that attic was our little corner of the fey realm. With the costumes, the props, and the spooky--but enchanting--air of the deserted attic, it felt so real. So right.\n\nIt was in that attic that we fell headfirst into Faerie, when her mother Claimed her, almost two years ago. At least, it was two years ago to us. The 90s, the 2000s, the 2010s, they passed by the time we got back. We finally escaped to the real world, right as the Pandemic began.\n\nMy thoughts were interrupted when she stopped holding me, stopped kissing me. She frowned, those perfect eyes drooped with concern. Her pointed ears fell, like a very dejected kitten. \"Love? Are you alright?\"\n\nI ran a hand through her hip-length, soft red hair. It floated, drifting like gravity itself was distracted by how beautiful my wife was. \"Ellie,\" I began. \"It's been ten months since Aishe was born.\"\n\nHer frown deepened. She pushed a strand of hair behind a pointed ear. \"I know.\"\n\n\"Your mother said the magic will last for a year and a day. After that...\" \n\nShe cupped my chin with one hand, pressing her other over my lips. \"We'll find a way. She can take me, she can take Aishe. But I will find a way to take you with us.\" Her eyes, gold like dandelions, burned with determination. \n\nI reached under my back, carefully extricating the sheaf of research papers. Changelings, selkies, fairy rings... the laws were complicated. But not impossible. \"I'm trying too, hon. I swear that I am. But I don't know how much of this is fake, real, or incomplete. We don't have much more time before they take you and our baby away.\"\n\nEllie plucks one paper from my sheaf. She turns it over, considering. \"Before I was reborn and sent here as a baby, my mother told me something. Death, separation, is temporary. The Spiral Dance is eternal, and two souls entwined in it will always find a way to stay together.\" She clasped my hand, and kissed my fingers. \"We're handfasted. Not to mention madly in love.\" She winks.\n\n\"I wouldn't mind dancing until my ankles are bloody stumps for you, babe.\" I kiss her fingers back.\n\nSuddenly, a high pitched squeal and tiny sobbing reached our ears. \"Oh no.\" We both groaned. Ellie turned our clasped hands to the side. \"I declare a thumb war.\" She intoned, seriously. \"The loser shall change the nappy.\"\n\n\"Okay, but--\" \nHer thumb twisted around, catching me by surprise. Her longer digit quickly saw me soundly pinned. She barked a laugh, triumphant. \"The contract is sealed! You lost the game. Now go change your daughter's nappy.\" She pulled me up before I could say a word, spinning me around and shoving me in the direction of the other room of our tiny two-bedroom flat.\n\n\"That's hardly fair!\" I whined. But, deals with my wife being deals with my wife, I did it anyway. \n\nI pushed open the door, and flicked on the light. \n\nI froze. There was a tall, black-haired woman standing in the room. She looked up at me. Pale white lips, full and luscious, parted to reveal sharp black teeth. She lifted her head, her long, straight black hair that trickled to the floor like a long silk cape parted to show her eyes. Three eyes, purple as midnight, one extra eye taking the place of her left eyebrow.\n\n\"Hello, River.\" She said quietly. She patted the swaddled blanket on her shoulder. I heard a soft, muffled coo of a baby--my baby--from the bundle. \"I have a proposition for you.\"\n\nMy hand was at my hip, iron dagger in my hand. Murder filled my throat, made my muscles fire and tense like a snake. \"Put. Aishe. Down.\"", "Is there anything more adorable than a mischievous little girl turning my tea leaves into butterflies? Well, maybe I'm just biased. Besides, the healer said I needed to reduce my tea intake anyway--too much tea is bad for the heart, he said.\n\nI can't stop the fond grin on my face as I watch my daughter sweep out her arms and try to twirl, like her mother does, in order to dance with the butterflies. She giggles and I chuckle with her as she babbles. I can't tell if she's trying to talk to me, or talk to the butterflies in the ancient language her mother uses, but it's adorable either way. \n\nThe door to the cottage slams open and, for just a moment, my hand twitches towards a weapon I no longer carry. I force myself to relax; we're safe here. Those troubles have all been left behind. \n\nAnd even if they weren't, my wife is more than capable of dealing with any rogues that might threaten our happiness. I look at my wife as she pushed the cloak's hood back and frees her long, green hair. Even in the relatively dim light of the cottage, her hair sparkles. \"Good morning,\" I say warmly. I reach out towards her.\n\nI also don't move beyond that. Sometimes, when she gets home from work, she doesn't want to be touched. I make sure to respect that.\n\nI always have.\n\nShe sighs, hangs the cloak by the door, and falls into my side as she wraps her arms around me. She keeps her head tucked low, so I know she doesn't want anything more than a hug right now. \"What's the special occasion?\" she asks, her voice lilting musically.\n\nI gesture with one hand. \"Look,\" I say proudly. \"She made butterflies this morning.\"\n\nShe tilts her head in our daughter's direction and laughs. Our daughter grins and babbles happily before toddling over to grab one of her mother's hands. My wife leaves my side to pull her into a hug. \"Well done, Dearling!\" she praised. Our daughter squeals happily. \"You're going to be the youngest sorceress in our family yet! I was more than twice your age--\" My wife breaks off, clutching our daughter tight, as she stares into space. \n\nI know what's bothering her, of course. Half-human children were either magically gifted or long lived. They couldn't be both.\n\nThen again, \"long lived\" means something very different to the fairy who's already over six hundred years-old than it does to the human who'll be lucky if he lives to see sixty years. \n\nI bend down and pull both my daughter, who is now puzzled at her mother's behavior, and my wife into a hug. \"She will be the best,\" I reassure her. \"The most powerful sorceress to ever grace the court.\"\n\nMy wife is silent for a moment. \"It's not an easy life.\"\n\n\"No,\" I agree. Of course, with one parent being youngest daughter of the fairy King and Queen and the other parent being an idiot adventurer who made a painfully wonderful bargain, our daughter was never going to have an easy life. There are still those who think I should be tortured and killed for the heresy of marrying a fairy. There are still those who think my wife should be locked up until I die, so she forgets the \"fantasy\" of marrying a human.\n\nOf course, our daughter knows nothing of any of this. Not yet. I want to say she never will, but one day she will be grown, one day she will walk among humans to make her own bargains, and one day she may meet my parents. \n\nGod forgive them. I never will.\n\nBut for now--for now the three of us are here, are safe, and our daughter has made butterflies out of tea leaves. Everything else can be dealt with as it comes. Until then, we can bask in the moment.\n\nBut who knows? That might just be the human in me talking." ]	4
[WP] As you walk along the beach, you cross paths with a female roughly the same age. Both of you talk for an hour and she invites you to have dinner with her family the very next day. You arrive her house and her father gives you a missing persons poster. She has been missing since 1987..	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I lifted my right leg up slowly and gave it a kick-catching my second sandal lazily with my right hand, adding it to my left shoe. I walked back closer to the water and felt the wave slide over my feet, soothing a mild sunburn I had.\n\nThe sand was soaked enough here to leave shallow footprints. I looked out at the setting sun over the Ocean, still blue but beginning to send streaks of yellow and orange skipping along the horizon.\n\nEverything was going well this week, even better than I imagined. I was remote working in the Florida Keys, and despite a forecast for rain it had been warm and sunny every day. I spent most of my time sitting on the dock sipping drinks and eating fresh seafood, and had hit it off with a local girl the night before. \n\nI had gone out the first weekend there of course to check out the local dives. The last 5 days had been a blur of work, sun, and drinks. But Kimberly had surprised me yesterday when she walked up from the other side of the cove we were in. I had been staring at a fishing line I put out that hadn’t shown any signs of life all week, after closing my laptop for the last time Friday. She looked incredible and gave me a big smile when she sat down on the dock next to me and plopped her feet in the water. She had a demeanor so relaxed it put me at ease right away too, like we were old friends. She said she had seen me sitting out here drinking by myself most of the week and about how bored I looked, and I teased her about how watching me sitting here all week she must be even more bored than me. \n\nKimberly had light brown hair, tan skin with freckles, and hazel eyes. She looked like she belonged here, and her being completely at ease reinforced that feeling. We had walked along the shore drinking and talking after dark and even stopped by a club and danced for awhile. \n\nShe said she had lived here her entire life. Come to think of it, I didn’t know how old she was, but she talked about speedboat races in-was it ‘85 or ‘86?-like she was there. I was slipping from buzzed to drunk when she mentioned them, hope I didn’t miss anything too important in that conversation. I woke up with my phone, keys, and wallet, so I couldn’t complain. But the headache when I opened the door to a bright sunrise this morning told me the last tequila shot had been a mistake\n\nAt about midnight she had gotten serious and asked me to come find her tomorrow, I didn’t understand why she had to leave. She did seem very sad when she told me good night. Not as sad as I was though.\n\nI had reached the path up to her house, double checking the note she handed me with her house number 437, I stopped to slip my sandals back on, smoothed my hair, and walked up to the door.\n\nIt was a white door on a light blue house, I noticed the paint peeling on the edges and corrosion in spots, ocean air can wreck a house, I thought. Still, it didn’t look like it was in good condition. I knocked a few times and took a step back so I could be seen through the peephole. \n\nI almost thought no one was there, until I heard shuffling from inside. Footsteps came to the door and a porch light flickered on, now that it was really dark out. The door opened slightly and an older woman leaned over to look at me. \n\n“Hello, what can I do for you?” She asked.\n\n“Uh- I’m here to see Kimberly-“ I glanced down at the note and double checked the house number did match.\n\n“…” the woman looked back at someone else inside I heard walk up. \n\n“…Is she home?” I offered hopefully. \n\nThe door opened all the way, revealing an older man putting on his glasses and squinting at me, next to the old woman who was staring.\n\n“Who are you?”\n\nA little flustered, I tried to explain:\n\n“I met her last night-yesterday I mean. I’m Peter, I’m staying over there” I pointed at the house across the cove “and she gave me this house number and to come by tonight- this afternoon…to see her.”\n\nA long silent pause…. They stared at me like I told them I was from Mars and had just offered to take them up in a spaceship.\n\nThey looked at each other again. The man seemed aggravated.\n\n“Is this your idea of a joke?” His lip twitched a bit as he glared at me.\n\n“Joke? No, I… does she not live here?” I looked at the note and the door again.\n\nThe old man took a step outside and held his hand out, and I gave him the note. \n\n“Where did you get this?” He said staring at it. \n\n“Kimberly gave it to me last night- yesterday. She asked me to find her today and so I came by…”\n\nThe old man handed his wife the note and walked back inside. She just stared at it without looking at me. I heard a drawer being opened. I could tell it was old by the sound of the swinging handle clinking against metal. \n\nThe old woman clutched at the door and said quietly “it’s her handwriting.”\n\nI was at a loss for what was going on with these two. The old man walked back with a yellowed stack of papers and shakily took one out and handed it to me. \n\nMISSING PERSON- KIMBERLY THOMPSON\n\nLAST SEEN OCTOBER 31ST, 1987\n\nANY INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 786-555-1787\n\nMy stomach dropped as I stared at the smiling picture of Kimberly, looking exactly as she had the night before. To my horror she was even wearing the same white top she had on the night before, and a blue homemade looking hat that read “Conch Republic”. \n\nNow it was my turn to look at them, I felt the blood drain from my face as I looked back at each of them to see if this was a setup. To my disappointment, it clearly was not.\n\n“I don’t understand” I got out, getting light headed from shock and adrenaline, “she can’t be missing, not this long, it doesn’t make sense.”\n\n“Why don’t you come inside.”\n\nHaving no choice, I trudged up the steps and through the door.\n\n_______________________________________\n\n“I’ve told you she gave it to me last night, why would I make it up?!” I shot back angrily. The shock had worn off. The Thompson’s had discreetly phoned the police, and I had been answering questions for about five hours. \n\n“Check the cameras- someone had to have one working over there-or by the beach!”\n\nThe man stared at me for a few seconds, switching from my right to left eye repeatedly as if one was hiding something when he wasn’t looking. \n\n“They didn’t.” He responded finally. \n\nHe stood up and faced away from me.\n\n“Peter, I was there when we got the call Kimberly was missing. I spoke with her parents, I spoke to everyone who saw her. Every few years, some new evidence crops, so we can never really close the file… it won’t go away, she just won’t go away…” it was almost like he was talking to himself now. \n\nHe turned back to face me, and said “you can go, but you have to stay in town.” \n\nFine by me, I’m still here for a few days anyway. Although I couldn’t imagine I’d get much sleep looking at the house of a woman missing for decades who I had just drank and danced with. Who didn’t age or was a ghost, apparently. \n\n\n_____________________________________\n\nUnfortunately, my prediction was correct. After 2 nights of drinking on the couch and only drifting off for minutes at a time, I was nearly delirious. I walked outside just before sunrise to see the old couple standing on their porch looking at me as I stumbled to the street to put out a garbage can full of empty beer bottles, they all clinked together so loud it rang in my ears after I set it down. \n\nI stopped and stared at them, and they stared right back. After what felt like a few minutes, they turned and went inside. I turned to go back inside as well, something flashed in my peripheral vision and I turned quickly. There was nothing there, but I could’ve sworn I saw a woman standing on my dock a second ago. God I was losing it. I wish the whole thing had been a hallucination, although it was too detailed and real to be one, and I knew it. \n\n“Don’t mind them too much, they creep everyone out.” A man said to me from the house next door. I hadn’t noticed him sitting there smoking silently when I walked out. He was sitting in an old yard chair with a hat pulled over his eyes.\n\n“They used to be good neighbors, but that was a long time ago. We all moved down here about the same time-“ he gestured vaguely to the whole area “-But they lost their daughter, and had some tough times, and they’ve been shut ins for years now.”\n\nHe put the cigarette out.\n\n“Does anyone know what happened to her?”\n\n“Well I don’t know, maybe someone does, but whatever it is, she ain’t coming back now. It’s been a long time.” He glanced over at me. “Best to just forget sometimes, isn’t it.” \n\nI had to agree, I wish I could. I noticed his faded out hat read “conch republic” as well. He explained it was from the half-hearted attempt to secede by the Keys years before, it was mostly a tourist merchandise play now. He told me his name was Frank and he had lived their almost his whole life as well. Even though we talked for awhile I still didn’t feel comfortable telling him, or anyone else about what had happened to me that week. I was just saying goodbye and heading back inside.\n\n“Is it true you saw Kimberly?” He asked.\n\nI spun back around and saw he was staring out at the water. \n\n“Yes, I did. Well, more than just saw her.” I didn’t know what to say. \n\nHe nodded like I had just said something completely routine and inconsequential, such as “looks like rain today.” \n\n“You know I’ve seen her too, we all have at some time around the anniversary of her de…disappearance… Folks that live here do anyway. We just don’t like to talk about it.” \n\nI couldn’t blame them. \n\n“She used to always walk on this beach at night. Late…. But there’s nothing anyone can do now. If I was you, I’d just forget it.”\n\nThese last words were almost a - a threat?\n\nHe hadn’t looked up so I just turned and went back inside. I bolted the door and hit the bed, and having been exhausted and overwhelmed I went to sleep. \n\n______________________________________", "Walking through the fog on a cold morning on Newport Beach, I found myself talking to a fellow beachwalker, college aged like me. Talkative, personable, carefree. She wore a gray hoodie, and had wide smile and long sandy blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. I definitely made an effort to talk too.\n\n\"I'm Josh,\" I said.\n\n\"Jennifer,\" she said. Turned to me and shook my hand, pretending to be all formal. A firm handshake.\n\n\"I'm from Boulder. I'm only here a few days.\"\n\n\"Really! I should have you over at my house! Show you how us natives live!\" She gave me her address.\n\n\"Hey, I have a frisbee, want to catch?\" We threw it back and forth and she ran, kicking up sand, laughing, lunging for the frisbee. After a few tosses she did a bad throw and it went into the waves. We both looked after it, trying to see where it went, but it was gone.\n\n\"I just love this beach,\" she said. \"I've lived here all my life, and I just never get tired of it. See these raised spots here?\" She pointed out some hoofprints that were somehow raised above the rest of the beach. \"Horses came through and compacted the sand. Later the surrounding sand blew away, leaving only these compacted hoofprints still standing. Seems spooky, huh!\"\n\n\"Yeah. And all this fog.\"\n\n\"You know when I was a kid? My mom would make these apple pies. I loved those apple pies, I wanted to be a baker 'cuz my mom baked so good. So I went on the beach, and I made nice sand pies. And I tried to make my brother eat them? I like picked some of one up and tried to put it in his mouth? But he wouldn't, he went and told Dad. And Dad scolded me.\"\n\nWe walked and traded stories for an hour, then I had to go.\n\nThe next day I took her up on her offer for dinner though. Went to her address, knocked on the door. A man in his eighties answered.\n\n\"Uh, I'm looking for Jennifer? She said maybe I could come for dinner?\"\n\nThe man looked and me, smirked to himself, then called back to his wife. \"Ann! We've got company!\" Then back to me. \"I'm Don. You can come in,\" he said, \"but you're too late. She's DEAD.\" He said it theatrically.\n\n\"What? Oh my god! What happened?\"\n\n\"Well, we don't really know. But, she died thirty-four years ago. Son, you were talking to a GHOST.\"\n\nHe brought out a worn Missing Person flier from 1987. Jennifer Parsons. The picture was definitely her, same age, same wide smile, same ponytail, although she was wearing a plaid flannel jacket in the flyer. But it was a picture from 1987, and this was 2021.\n\n\"She keeps busy,\" said Don. \"Something like once a month someone comes by, saying she asked them over for dinner. She's been doing that since 1987. At first we thought she was still alive, then maybe it was a bad joke, then we thought it was creepy, but by now we're just used to it.\"\n\n\"What? Why would she ... why would a ghost do that?\" I asked.\n\n\"You know why,\" said Don. \"She's a flirt. She just loves the attention, and she loves that beach. And I think she tells stories, and invites people over to dinner so they can tell them back to us, to sort of send us post cards.\"\n\n\"What did she tell you?\" asked Ann.\n\nI related the story of the sand pies. Ann perked up, and went to the kitchen and brought me a slice of an apple pie she had just made. Jennifer had been right. Ann really did make good pies." ]	3
[WP] You went to hell laughing, when you arrived just as you expected, you did not receive chains but instead you received claps and cheering.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Charon steals glances at me. He's dressed in a tattered, black robe and his face, hidden beneath his hood, appears as dark as the waters of the river Styx around us.\n\nI don't normally do this, he says.\n\nBeing ferried across the river separating the land of the living from the land of the dead isn't how I pictured it. I wanted fire. Brimstone. The smell of burnt flesh. Ever since I was five that is all I have strived for.\n\nIt's true there hasn't been much coin, says Charon. Yet I have maintained a steadfast principle all this time. If you don't have the coin, you must wander the realm of shadows. At least for a couple of centuries. But given your ... reputation, I am willing to make an exception.\n\nThat's nice I say and Charon seems to sink a little inside his robe. He doesn't have any kind of smell and it annoys me. The stench of death is really the smell of life to the microbes happily breaking our bodies down. But this is no place even for microbial life and as such there is no sweet scent of rot or even the fragrance of bodily fluids creatively mixing to keep me entertained.\n\nAt the other side Hades stands, hands folded, lips curled in a sly smile. What took you so long? he says and gives Charon a bone-rustling pat on the back. Hope this guy didn't bore you to death he says to me and Charon just stands there, defeated.\n\nHades talks with enthusiasm about the difference between stalagmites and stalactites and several times says come here, I'll show you something real good, and it's just another conic rock formation and he stands there hands-on-hips proud and says that's the stuff right there and damn isn't that something?\n\nI am beginning to question my priorities. At church I'd secretly cheer when father Paul spoke of Satan, foaming at his mouth on account of an existence so evil it formed the anti-thesis to God himself. I pumped my fists, but down, towards Hell, and decided I would be second only to Satan himself.\n\nI have someone here I'm sure you'd like to meet, he says. Hades bites his lower lips and claps. Apparently he has this all planned.\n\nOut from the shadows emerges a small figure and for a moment I am mildly amused, believing it to be Charlie Chaplin. My expectations drop to the ground as I realize who I have been presented with. A vegetarian? I say. Hades looks at me but I am not looking back. A life dedicated to the pursuit of grand evil and I am faced with someone who harbored qualms about the ethical treatment of animals.\n\nHe's by far the most evil man in my realm, says Hades in a hesitant tone. The man in question objects but Hades isn't having any of it.\n\nThe most evil man, you say? I reply and as I arch my brows Hades arches his with a calm expression of mutual understanding.\n\nTo be sure, he says, man is not the most evil creature originating from the land of the living. He scratches his chin, dark smoke emanating from the tips of his fingers, and he pauses for effect as I ask myself what animal is the closest thing to the embodiment of evil.\n\nSnakes were the animals chosen by ancient goat herders for Biblical purposes. Probably because they represented an acute threat. Many modern farmers loathe butterflies with a passion and would not hesitate to call them evil. And there are of course locusts, swarming destroyers of crops, and rats; carriers of disease. Spiders and scorpions are seen as evil for little reason more than their ability to poison us. These animals reflect not a true capacity to torment fellow beings, but rather fears borne by pitiful humans. Objective evil is a different matter entirely.\n\nWell? he says and I shrug. He grins and asks me to follow along. We have a special place for them, he says, and I can feel my interest surge. An animal so evil that even in the land of the dead, where they can do no harm, they are shielded from the rest?\n\nCats? I suggest and Hades laughs.\n\nWorse, he says.\n\nHoney badgers? He simply shakes his head and keeps moving with an air of superiority.\n\nWe reach, at last, a place suffused with Latin sensibility. Flames rage all around and demon creatures squeal with joy as they torture the animals to be the most deserving of such treatment. As I look over Hades' shoulder it all clicks. Of course. These are the very worst our planet has ever had to offer. Nowhere else could you find such pure evil residing inside such awkwardly-shaped vessels. A mockery not just of God, but of life itself. And the senseless rage they habitually express toward their fellow beings is the only proof one would need to ascertain the fact that these are by far the most evil of all animals.\n\nHades wipes his brow as he observes the grin curled across my face and he offers me to join in on the fun. All we have is this old thing, he says, making a show of rolling his eyes, and he hands me a three-pronged spear sizzling at its ends. I leap into the pit of Hell reserved for these creatures and finally reap my just reward for having lived a life of true evil.\n\nThey quack with burning rage as I poke them with my trident. A sea of hateful ducks and I am the evil standing before them, punishing them for their folly. I have become Duck Satan and this shall forever be my legacy.\n\n/r/Hemingbird", "When Aeryn died she didn’t expect anything else. For her, the light at the end of the tunnel had always been a fire. Eternal flame, chains and probably some gruesome demons that’d enjoy torturing her. Who knows how hell would exactly look, but the premise was clear. And with that, Aeryn’s future was clear. \n\nSo, as she arrived at the gates of hell she was laughing. She had lived her life as best as she could—happily—and now she would pay the price. Of course this wasn’t funny—quite the opposite—but she just couldn’t stop herself. \n\nHer laugh suppressed every other emotion from rising in her, especially the fear when she pushed the door open. The plane that revealed itself before her was not as she had imagined it. Sure, it seemed kind of dark and colorless and there was mostly stone and magma around her. But it didn’t seem dreary or lifeless. There were houses and castles build into the rocks everywhere. And while most of them appeared very gothic, they weren’t terrifying but festive and regal. \n\nThen Aeryn stepped inside. Discovered by a mob of demons her laughter stifles. Suddenly though, the demons started to cheer at her. Is that how her punishment would begin? Humiliation? But the smiles she saw on their faces, as they approached, looked sincere. Before she could turn her confusion into a question, one of the demons hugged her quickly but tightly. \n\n“Oh Aeryn, I am so glad you’re here. Finally I get to meet you!” \n\n“W-why are you nice to me?” Aeryn’s voice was unsure, still questioning herself if they were just mocking her. \n\n“Why wouldn’t I be? Morgana has told me so many nice things about you. I am Lilian by the way.” \n\n“What? But… I’m in hell.” \n\n“So am I.” \n\n“Yes, but you’re a demon. And… I am gay.” \n\n“So am I.” Lilian’s grin got even wider. “Well, really, almost everyone here is.”" ]	3
[WP] During battle,you got hit a reversing charm.To the suprise of everyone,you turned into an animal	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "You know, you shouldn't trust magic.\n\nSometimes magic's great. It's like you've been looking for something you're whole life, and bam! There it is\n\nAnd then, sometimes you blink and just wonder how you got there. You know, when you're walking around, searching for something, and bam. It hits you like a fireball. And you don't know why in the gods' damn world you're there? \n\nImagine that, but when you open your eyes, you're five feet shorter and real furry. Like hair everywhere. And not in places that I'm happy with. Let me tell you, growing old and getting back hair was my biggest worry—I mean, have you ever heard of a hero with back hair? I don't think so! \n\nSo, imagine how I felt after this spell hits me, and suddenly I'm 2 feet tall and a dog. A dog. \n\nNow I bet you're wondering how this happened, and I'm wondering that myself, too. But the run down's simple. I was going to find this princess, save her, beat the big warlock, and get out there without a hitch. Turns out I got out there with some fur.\n\nNow me and my party and the princess are all trying to figure out what to do. \n\n\"You know,\" Iris says, sitting on a log next to me. She brandishes her arms around, not caring at all about the cookfire in front of her. Fire mages, I swear. The campfire pushes out the darkness around us. \"We could just hunt down Malfrog; I bet she'd know the reverse-reverse spell.\" \n\nI bark, the only thing I can do right now... No one knows Speak Animal in our party, and you know right now I'm wishing that someone did know the damn spell. Imagine me barking like I'm complaining. I never complain! \n\n\"Oh shush,\" Marks says from across the fire, \"no need to complain about things you can't fix.\" \n\n... Okay, maybe I started complaining, but can you blame me? \n\n\"You don't have to hush him,\" princess Adeline retorts from the cart we're using. The cart's a bit further away from the fire, but I get it. Far more comfier than the ground... but hey, it's growing on me. \n\n\"He's going through a lot right now,\" the princess continues, and I'll be honest, if dogs could cry, then I'd be crying. My soon-to-be queen really is compassionate... Maybe I shouldn't say, soon-to-be queen. Really got an air of death to it, doesn't it?\n\nMarks snorts, shaking his head, and crosses his arms. \"I'm just saying, maybe Alan's got to get used to the whole idea about living life like a dog.\" My ears perk up as I look at him. \"After all,\" Marks continues. \"A reverse spell hit him, so maybe he was a d—.\" I start growling, and Marks's voice cuts off, a wince flashing across his face. \"... Sorry Alan, just the possibility of it, you know?\" \n\nMy growl turns to a whimper, and silence comes down on us. I've been thinking the same thing too for a while, you know. Maybe I was a dog, and some crackpot wizard turned me into a human. Would make sense why I'm all special and why everyone likes me. You know, man's best friend and all. But I can't be a dog. After all, if I am a dog, I'd be like... sixty in human years. \n\nMaybe it's something else. Maybe someone can tell us what's going on.\n\n___\n\nYou know, there's something wrong with finding a with's lair. They got spikes where they should have fences and fire pits where there should be paths. And Malfrog really likes her fire pits. And skulls. There's a lot of skulls. \n\n\"MALFROG!\" Marks calls out; his voice carries better than Iris's even though my howling is the loudest now. \"COME OUT IF Y—!\"\n\n\"QUIET,\" A voice booms across the grounds between us and the lair's entrance. It creaks open, and an old lady's face peeks past the wooden slots. \"Please,\" her voice quiets down but still carries the distance. \"We don't have to do this whole yelling from one side to another.\" \n\nShe pulls herself out into the open and sighs, shading her eyes from the hazy sunlight. \"So, what's the...\" She stares at me for a moment. Her eyes bear down on me, and then she's laughing.\n\nMy party grows quiet, and we all look at each other. \"Uh,\" Iris finally breaks in. \"What's so funny?\" \n\nMalfrog's holding her belly from how hard she's laughing. Her chortles sputter out, and she shakes her head, pointing to me. \"Kid's caked with so much magic that it ain't even funny. It's hilarious!\" She waves her hand, and the fire pits stop. \"Let me guess, you're here to get all that gunk off him? Come on in,\" she says, gesturing us forward. \"Been bored for a while. Retirement ain't fun, you know.\" And she slides behind her door, leaving it open for us.\n\nMe and party just stand there, looking more foolish than a goblin in an orc's camp. \"So,\" Iris says, \"should we go in?\" \n\nMarks shrugs, and I flop over an ear towards Marks. \n\nIris shrugs back, and off we go into the pits of... a retired witch?\n\n___\n\nDo you know what I learned? Don't trust a laughing witch. \"You know, Alan, it's not that bad being a dog,\" Marks barks at me. \n\n\"Or a cat!\" Iris meows at me. \n\nI'm just keeping my head on my paws as I stare up at Malfrog, who is grinning from ear to ear. \"You know, kids. Next time, you might not want to trust a witch. Belfrou's been going on about how he tricked a hero into thinking he'd turned into a dog. Been so noisy, trying to get praise from all of us. Wait till he sees this!\" \n\nAnd that, my friends, is why you shouldn't trust magic." ]	2
[WP] "Welcome back to snacking with Satan! and today we will be snaking on..... oh... angels food cake!"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"But before we get into the snacks, a word from our sponsor.\" Satan paused, silence filled the podcast and recording for the world's most popular video hosting site. \"No one at all! That's okay though. This show isn't just about generating revenue, it's genuinely about the snacks. So for now, please subscribe, like, and tell all of your friends about the show.\"\n\n\"We're going to try something new today, some listener mail. I'm not sure how this is going to play out, as I haven't exactly vetted any of these letters before hand, so this should be interesting.\" Satan proceeded to open the first letter and read it into the microphone.\n\n\"This one is from Eve Wright, from Charlotte, North Carolina. Dear Satan, get bent. Well, that's not exactly original, but I appreciate the input Eve. Next we have one from Lucille, in the City of Angels. I'm not exactly sure if I am supposed to get that reference or not, but Lucille writes. Dear Satan, love the show. Aw, thanks Lucille. What is your favorite form of torture and does it ever take a toll, or wear on you? Could you at some point review the new Fish and Chips Gelato from Australia?\"\n\n\"I'll handle this last question first. That's an easy one Lucille. Hell no, excuse the pun. Fish and Chips Gelato, are they serious? Look, I was bad about the whole torture thing, but Fish and Chips Gelato. Come on people, you're better than this. Since we're already talking about it, in all honesty, no. I don't have a favorite form of torture. I gave it up a long time ago. It was wearing, with really no end in sight. Quite literally. By the way, not to turn this into a grammar lesson, but for anyone listening. When you say something like; \"I literally laughed until I died.\" No, no you did not. You should be using the word figuratively. Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.\"\n\n\"Back to the whole torture thing. Turns out, I hated it, humans hated it. So I just stopped. Also turns out, the big guy upstairs, not really paying that much attention, if you haven't noticed. It was like the weight of the heavens was lifted off of my shoulders. Sorry Atlas, that wasn't intended as as dig. But I had my first really good night's sleep in a few millennia. However, soon I was bored. I really didn't have any skills so to speak. Not a lot of jobs that are looking for genius level experience in torture. Not unless I wanted to be some egomaniacal warlord, dictator to a impoverished country, or work at Guantanamo Bay.\"\n\n\"So I drifted aimlessly for a while. Then a friend, shoutout to Robert Johnson, for turning me onto This American Life. After listening to literally thousands of podcasts-see what I did there everyone, I actually listened to thousands, and thousands of podcasts-I figured, I can do this.\"\n\n\"Fast forward to today, and here we are. So let's get to it shall we? Angel's Food Cake, which is type of sponge cake, that originated in America around the late 19th century. Personally, one of my favorites. People tend to top them with various ad-ons. The most common probably being whipped cream and strawberry.\"\n\nSatan takes the fork and slices into the side of the cake, making sure to get ample whip cream, and a couple of slices of strawberry. \"Mm, isn't that fantastic. I have to say, I think Angel's Food Cake is one of the most underrated snacks of all time. It sort of gives you a little bit of everything you want, a dessert that is sweet, but light enough that you can eat a lot of it and not feel like you're about to have a food coma.\"\n\n\"One of my favorite things to do is to get some high quality cacao, mix it in with the whipped cream, or dust it over the entire cake once I have all of my toppings on. Mm.\" Satan took another bite before continuing the recording. \n\n\"Now, I do have to say, we were short on time and Julia couldn't get a homemade one ready for the recording today. So we did have to settle for store bought. Which isn't a deal breaker, but for the one I have today, this is a subpar Angel's Food Cake. It's fine, just like bad sex it's still better than not having it, but I've certainly had better. Same goes for the whipped cream, and sadly the strawberries.\"\n\n\"People, if you listen to anything I say, listen to this. Homemade is going to beat just about anything you're going to get store bought. The whipped cream is overly sweet, especially for my preference. I like to keep the sugar on the lighter side, when I make my whipped cream. Strawberries are a bit tougher, as their season has just ended. But do yourself a favor, and try to find a small, independent strawberry farm. Even if you have to drive an hour, I promise you it's worth it. The rich, and sweet flavor of an honest to goodness strawberry is almost life changing. If all you've ever had is store bought strawberries, you don't know what you're missing.\"\n\nTaking another bite, Satan closed his eyes while chewing. \"Mm, you know.\" Finished the entire bite before continuing. \"Even though this angel's food cake leaves something to be desired, overall I still love it.\"\n\n\"Now, for another new addition to the pod. Thanks to one of our supporters, Kenji, who wrote in suggesting we give some baking tips for homemade recipes. There are countless podcasts and cookbooks dedicated to the science of baking, and it really is. So I won't make this too much of a personal recipe list, instead what we're going to do is give you some pointers. So maybe if you've tried a recipe in the past and it didn't come out the way you liked. Or maybe you've been struggling, hopefully these pro-tips can help.\"\n\n\"First thing is first. You need to make sure you get a good, quality baking pan. These shouldn't run you too much, there is a great company out there-that I won't name since we're not sponsored by them-but it has something to do with aluminum and steel. Shouldn't be too hard to find. If you don't have a great pan, no matter how good your recipe, or ingredients are, your end product isn't going to cook as evenly as it will with good, quality pans.\"\n\n\"Next, and I think I already said this, but please, for the love of Lucifer-not the same guy by the way-please make your whipped cream at home. It takes all of five minutes. Now, some recipes will call for granulated sugar that you run through a food processor. Let's just make things easier on everyone and use confectioners sugar, also known as powdered sugar. You're not going to be able to tell the difference, and it's going to save you a lot of time and clean up.\"\n\n\"This one I think is pretty important, but find cake specific flour. It might be a little harder to come by, but it makes a noticeable difference in your final product. If you can't, do your best to find a flour that has a lower protein content, about seven to nine percent, if you can. And for our last pro-tip, fold with a spatula, don't stir or whisk the flour into the rest of your egg mixture when you incorporate them. The reason you want to fold, and not whisk, or mix, is by doing so it allows you to keep as much air incorporated into your ingredients as much as you can.\"\n\n\"That's all we have time for today, thank you again for everyone that downloaded, subscribed, watched and liked. It means the world to us here a Snacking with Satan! Take care everyone, be safe and don't forget to vaccinate. Or I'll be seeing you soon... Literally!\"\n\n \n\nSome typos I need to fix" ]	2
[WP] The mountain is a test, the details of this test vary from person to person, but not a single person who climbs up its slope returns quite the same. As one ascends higher and higher the more difficult and personal this test becomes, only one has ever reached the peak	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It was getting day and Mutika had decided to do something. \nAbout the mountain. And the clan.\nHe threw his spear. A dull thud announced that there would be at least a hearty stew simmering over the village' s fire tonight. He left the shadow of his rock to blink and send a prayer into the morning sun.\n\nWhen he returned home with his kill, he set it down by the open cooking fire where the deer would be skinned and prepared. Hungry and curious eyes followed him as he quickly left for another destination.\n\nMutika's gaze veered off the beaten path and over the stone cairns that appeared to the left and right. An orange stone balanced on a black one meant happiness. The brown one with stripes brought good luck. The stack of small blue beads: success. Mutika picked up one that had fallen to the side. Lately there were more and more of them. He wondered if he should pocket it. He cast around for spirits that he might anger. The mountain, of course, was watching him all the time.\n\nWhen he reached the cave at the foot of the Earth Tent, he bowed and slipped through the leather curtain.\n\n\"How is he?\" he whispered into the silence, which was only broken by the soft crackling of a small fire and ragged breaths. An Akara hummed and quietly continued to chew. \n\nMutika waited until she had drained all the spirits from the plant before spitting it out as a dull lump. She stuffed it into a cup made of bone and poured simmering water over it from the leather bag hanging over the fire. \"It is no good asking this question. Expecting brings nothing good. The sun rises, the sun sets. If one day it decides not to rise, do you want it to tell us?\"\n\nShe cackled in her way, which always made Mutika a little uncomfortable, a little angry, like a stone on a cairn out of balance. \n\n\"I am clan leader and I have the right to know how my father is faring.\" \n\n\"Clan leader!\" \n\nMutika immediately regretted his outburst. He knew the old crone's tongue was quick and twisted like a dragon spider.\n\n\"Oh, but is it you who leads a clan, or is it a clan that leads you?\" \n\nAfter another round of cackling, she came closer, with steps swifter still than her tongue, until even in the flickering light he could make out every wrinkle around her eyes. Eyes like the moon, grey and large and without any glimmer of amusement. A spirit must have been displeased, for Mutika could not break the spell.\n\n\"Listen well, clan leader. His final challenge awaits Gar Rhala. I have done all I could to make it as easy as possible for him. Don't you dare undo that.\" \n\nOnly when she had left, Mutika's gaze finally fell on his bare feet on the floor, which seemed to approach the figure wrapped in fur blankets of their own accord. He took the tea An Akara had left cooling on the floor. He had to do it! For his clan. He gripped the cup tighter.\n\nThe smell of sickness grew stronger as he approached the sleeping man. Mutika held on to the image of the mountain. The image of the balancing rocks and what they meant. He was not afraid. Suddenly a hand like a claw, cold and hard, grabbed the wrist of his foot. He stumbled and spilled tea.\n\n\"Are you trying to sneak up on me, son? I'm still the hunter with the best ears in camp.\" A heavy cough jerked through his father's body, and Mutika saw now that the figure under the cover was very thin, much frailer than when he had last seen him. He knelt beside him, waited until the fit was over, and then handed him the tea. At least he tried. But instead of accepting the offer, his father turned away his face. This made Mutika more than a little angry. Silently, he told the spirits that he had not promised An Akara anything.\n\n\"Why are you avoiding me? Why are you avoiding all of us? You are sick and you don't want to see your family. Your clan. We don't understand you.\"\n\n\"I am not sick. I am dying. That's different.\" The old man made a stubborn face, like a small child. Then he coughed out a laugh that reminded Mutika of An Ankara's cackle. Indeed, the crones seemed to have become very close in the last few weeks.\n\n\"And I know why you're here, and you know I know. So stop playing games. The spirits don't take kindly to those who trick.\" His eyes sparkled and he grinned as if he were making a joke that only he could understand. \n\nMutika slumped down and let his forehead sink into his palms. It was so hot in here, the smells stifling. He conjured up an image of a crisp mountain peak.\n\n\"We need to know, father. The clan has a right to know about the mountain top. You cannot take that knowledge to your grave.\"\n\nThe old, sick man suddenly stirred and straightened up. An invisible but very real energy seemed to pulse through him and set him glowing from within. He was suddenly very tall. \n\n\"Have I not ascended the Earth Tent? Have I not seen the wonders of the beyond? Have I not come back Changed? Of all the hunters who have lost their lives, am I not the one who has survived? Of course I can take to the grave what I have been given!\"\n\nAnd that he did. \nHe died alone, with only the mountain watching over him.\nMutika was disappointed. A little. \nBut only a little.\n\nThe ceremony of passage was as good a feast as they could make it. Mutika went on many hunts with his hunters. The gatherers collected until the night dew fell. Gar Rhala had been a good leader for many years, but that had been surpassed, of course, by being the first to see the top of the Earth Tent and come back living. Come back Changed. He had been able to directly speak to the spirits, to listen to the sun itself. He had ruled well, and even though the seasons had become worse, the prey more meagre and the plants fewer during those years, it had done nothing to diminish his reputation.\n\nHe was the Changed one from beyond. Now that he was gone, so was the knowledge of the beyond.\n\nFourteen days and fourteen nights after Gar Rhala had been taken to the mountain slope, Mutika assembled his hunters. They prepared themselves as best they could, with food and water for many days, with spears and knives and plenty of excited talk. They would be the first to climb the slope since the return of Gar Rhala.\n\nBut on the first night of camp, when the excitement had long since faded into exhausted sleep and Mutika was keeping watch, the spirits came. A glow like burning eyes seeped through the shadows of the trees. Mutika shuddered, his cry caught in his throat. A single spirit, a dark figure with a hand of fire, formed at the entrance to the forest that covered the mountainside and beckoned Mutika to him, waving.\n\nAgainst his will, he stumbled towards it on his bare feet." ]	2
[WP] While in the grocery store, you accidentally bump your shopping cart into a little old lady’s shopping cart. Somewhere a bell rings, and a sign appears in the air between you that says “PvP MODE ACTIVATED.” The little old lady looks at you and narrows her eyes.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"So...you wanna play, do you?\" The little old lady snarls.\n\n\"Uh, no ma'am,\" I stammer.. I don't know where that sign came from. I was just being clumsy -- not looking where I was going. I don't want to hurt you.\"\n\n\"Pshaw! You couldn't hurt me if you tried sonny! Little twig like you against me? Not a chance! Who do you think taught Lucas Lee all his moves?\" I look at her, shocked. Where do I know that name from? Slowly, a terrible realization dawns on me. She's the grandmother of Lucas Lee -- one of Ramona Flowers' exes! And now she wants to fight me?! \n\nI see the words \"Round 1\" appear in mid-air followed by \"FIGHT!\"\n\nI see Grandma narrow her eyes and aim her cart in my direction, as she starts charging me like a bull! What? Why can't I move? I'm frozen...directly in her path! She's getting closer! I try to move. I can't. She's almost on top of me...I SCREAM!\n\nSuddenly, I feel a hand on me! It's warm; comforting.\n\n\"Hey there, buddy!\" It's my roommate. \"Either you were practicing for Halloween or you were having a nightmare.\"\n\n\"Nightmare,\" I reply. \"Definitely nightmare.\" Man, I gotta stop watching Scott Pilgrim vs the World before bed!" ]	2
[WP] A ninja loses a game of hide and seek to a child. By law, the child is now the head ninja.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Shinkai held onto his composure as best as he could, his nerves fraying exponentially with each successive second of silence. \n\nHis (former) master was sat opposite him in the dining hall, not the usual place these rebukes took place, but the experience was no less terrifying for it.\n\nHe didn't dare rush to explain himself, years serving under the man having drilled the fact that was a Very Bad Idea into everyone's heads. Control. Calm. Discipline. Not freaking the fuck out.\n\nThese were important traits in a ninja.\n\nHis master slowly raised his cup to his lips, patiently taking a long sip of the dark brew held in it. Every second ratcheted the tension up a notch more, the muscles in his arms stiffening of their own accord. \n\nWould he hurl the empty mug at him? Smash his head down on it? Force feed him the shards until he quietly bled out from the inside? His master could destroy him in so many ways that-\n\n\"What...made you think that taking your nephew beyond the wall would negate the law?\"\n\nHe let himself swallow some of his panic before he could blurt it out. \"Many men travel great distances for cheap women and free flowing drink when their own king will not allow it.\" A number of their recurring missions were tracking and unburdening many such men. \"I thought the law of the land only applied when you are in it.\"\n\nThe man was still for a second, eyes unmoving. \"Redoak men?\"\n\nHis eyes fell, fixing his gaze on the man's wrinkled hands. \"No, master.\"\n\n\"'A Redoak is beholden to his king until he draws his last breath.'\" Gis frustration becoming visible in the twitch of his fingers. \"Did that mean nothing to you?\"\n\nHe carefully stayed silent, not knowing what he could even say in his defense. \n\n\"And all the money you had him redirect. Will you be silent on that too?\"\n\nShinkai only had enough time for his eyes to widen before his arms were wrenched painfully behind his back and his torso slammed down onto the table.\n\nHe opened his mouth to protest but a gag was quickly forced in before a word could come out of it. \"You are not the first to try and bend the law to your whim, boy.\" \n\nThe old man stepped around the sturdy table to stop at his side, his deceptively strong hand resting threateningly at the back of his neck.\n\n\"But worry not. We will take good care of the boy.\" And then he knew no more." ]	2
[WP] Look through some art pieces that you made, or if you're not an artist, pieces that you admire. What would happen if you had to live in that painting? (My friend gave me the idea for this)	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns." ]	1
[WP] They found the first body by the lake, mouth stuffed full of corn flakes. The second was found lying facedown in a bowl of Cheerios. By the time they found the third, covered in pop tarts, they knew: there was a cereal killer on the loose.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "By the time, they caught him. A lot had gone down. They found the first body by the lake, mouth stuffed full of corn flakes. The second was found lying facedown in a bowl of Cheerios. By the time they found the third, covered in pop tarts. \n\nHe looked like your average joe, medium height, medium width, medium field of vision, medium color. He was by all means very average and in the middle of every known classification known to detective hardwood.\n\n\"So why did you do it ?\", Hardwood asked trying to wash down the bitter taste. A glass of milk would have helped.\n\n\"I did it because i could \", says the man, \"because why not\"\n\nIt was barely time for breakfast and this man had ruined his appetite. He would never look at breakfast the same again, the cardboard box a thing of nightmares and don't even let him get started on the milk. It's was all too much. But then again he had stopped eating cereal, a long back on that dark day, years ago.\n\n\"Alright, I have heard enough. You are going to away for a really long time and there will be no more crunchy breakfasts served in white creamy goodness where you are going\". He shuddered as he said this, like the feeling of eating cereal with milk directly out of the fridge.\n\n\"Good, good \" says the man with a manic smirk, \"They will never look at milk the same way again. They will forever remember the serial killer known as the milkman \"\n\n\"Wait, what? Dude, people call you the cereal killer. Not the milkman\", hardwood spit this out like the feeling of spitting out cereal in the event of epic surprise.\n\n\"why would they call me that? I kill people by drowning them in milk\", says the man confused.\n\n\"Well you leave cereal next to them, i thought that was your MO\" says hardwood.\n\n\"Well i am a cereal killer aren't i, isn't it what all cereal killers do. Why are they called cereal killers otherwise?\", Asks the man, looking pleadingly into hardwood's hard-wood eyes.\n\n\"For the love of god\", hardwood spits out, like he did when he found out most cornflakes was wood shavings on that dark breakfast day, so long ago.", "We expected the killer to be a college student. The low cost and high sugar content matched the profile. \n\nWe were shocked to find the head of General Mills Post Kellogg conglomerate behind the killings.\n\n\"My whole career, I had to be so patient, waiting for obesity to do the job that I craved,\" the killer bemoaned. \"Yes, I murdered countless numbers through the high sugar content and low nutrition. I even cleverly marketed some as health foods, snaring even the casually health conscious consumers. But the kills never felt like mine. Until now, they were just a statistic I saw from the sidelines.\"", "“And what makes you so sure… detective?” Asked a nearly toothless grin. \n\nBerkley always thought his skepticism is what enabled him to be a “good” detective, but all it enabled was his ability the look straight passed the truth. \n \n“He doesn’t use milk.” I answered, keeping my attention on the crime scene. \n\nAfter only 3 murders there was already a copycat on the loose. The Cereal Killer; it’d almost be impossible for people to not sensationalize such a story. Hell, A part of me was actually grateful for the desensitized populace who eats this kind of tragedy up. Now we had our very own off-brand box of the real deal. \n\n“Hey Berkley, have you ever gone from fruity hoops to fruit loops?” \n\n“Wh- what the fuck does some knockoff have to do with thi-“ \n\n“You spend your entire life, never knowing any different, then one day you’re at a friends house and they grace you with the unadulterated truth. Such a rich flavor, so much more integrity. The colors more vibrant, the scent more discernible. From then on out you never want to go back. The differences are clear as day. That $1.50 extra almost feels worth it.” \n\nBerkley had that stupid look on his face again. Like his clueless eyes were battling the sun. \n\n“He’s poor. Or at least grew up that way.” I said, saving his brain the trouble. \n\n“Where the hell did you pull that from… detective?”\n\n“It’s all in the way he kills. He gags his victims using the cereal, then water boards them until they’re a lifeless puddle of sugar and piss.” \n\n“Yeah, It’s efficient. What about that screams ‘I’m broke’?” \n\n“He never uses milk - Always water.” \n\n“If you say so… detective”\n\nHis victims, what did they have in common? The previous crime scenes flashed in my mind like haunted photographs. White, middle class, between the ages of 27 and 30. Same school. A classmate? Cereal, why cereal? Corn flakes, Cheerios, pop tarts (which surprisingly do have a cereal brand. They eat breakfast together. Friends? But his family lived under the poverty line. Bullied? Discrimination?\n\nI’d already gone over these details, made these connections, analyzed each individual again and again, but this copycat, this off brand box of cereal was some how re-contextualizing it all. Was it really disconnected? They used milk, paired with off brand cereal, and their victim was black. Milk, off brand, victim is black . The exact opposite of-\n\n“Berkley! Get an ID on that body asap!” \n\n“Do you think I don’t know how to do my job? We’ve been running prints and checking belongings since before you even arrived on scene… detective” \n\nYou spend your entire life, never knowing any different, then one day you’re at a friends house and they grace you with the unadulterated truth. It was all so clear to me now. There was no copycat; there only exist a sad story that had unfolded in a disparaged town. A boy who grew up amongst a bitter sweetness. Those muted flavors being all that he knew. That brittle integrity, being all that his parents could give. They ridiculed him for it. Tearing away at him day after day. So he diluted their own sweetness. Tantalizing flavors washed away by his cleansing water. Integrity turned to a soggy pillar of mush. Now you’re just like me, he’d thought. \n\n“I’m gonna go get started on some paper work. I’ll see you at the station.” \n\n“Wh- what the hell are you going on about! Get your ass back here Smith! Get back hereee!” \n\nIs it bad that I could go for a bowl of lucky charms right now? \n\n-END\n\nu/BitchIsShadyAf", "'Pop Tarts aren't cereal.' I muttered, chewing at the end of my pen. \n\n'What?' Jack looked up at me.\n\n'Something about this doesn't feel right.' I told my partner. 'The pieces aren't fitting together.'\n\nHe raised an eyebrow. 'He's literally a cereal killer, Nick. Are you expecting him to be logical?'\n\n'I'm not.' I protested. 'I'm...' I paused. 'Wait, you might be on to something here.' I sat down and ran through the facts in my mind, trying to slot them into my theory. \n\nJack glugged down a few gulps of coffee. 'I'm too burnt out to follow you, buddy. You're going to have to help me along with this.'\n\nI stood up and started to pace across the room. 'Let's go over the victims one more time. Number One: Jason Brody. A weird guy, to be sure. Worked as an investigative reporter. According to his family, he used to buy those little bags of a cornflakes and eat them as snacks. Right out of the bag, I tell you. With no milk.'* \n\nJack shivered. 'Sounds like he's the real psychopath here.'\n\n'I know, right? But that's not the point. That lake was a place where he often took walks. Jason was found by it with his mouth full of cornflakes and the bag beside him. But only his fingerprints were on the bag itself. Also, the autopsy report said that his mouth wasn't forced open after death. He put those cornflakes in his own mouth, Jack. I'm sure of it.'\n\nHe frowned. 'I'm still not sure what you're getting at here.'\n\n'Let's take the cereal bowl guy, Ajay Ghale, as well. ' I said, warming up, 'He was killed in the morning, right around when he would be eating cereal anyway. Cheerios were well known to have been his favorite. And only his fingerprints were on the bowl, as well.'\n\n'So, you're saying it's a complete coincidence they were eating cereal at the same time? What about the one with the Pop Tarts? Dani Rojas? '\n\n'You still don't understand me, mate. This guy isn't a serial killer. But he wants us to think he is. It was a coincidence that the first two victims were eating cereal when they were killed. It was only the third time the killer struck that he or she realized that they could establish a pattern. That's why they just chose the first sweet breakfast treat they could get their hands on, even if it wasn't actually a cereal. They don't care about that aspect of things.'\n\n'But Nick, how can you be sure of that? Maybe Pop Tarts are part of a pattern we haven't figured out yet.'\n\n'I know it's not, Jack. Because if it was, it would ruin the wordplay. They wouldn't be the Cereal Killer, they'd be the Breakfast Treat Murderer. And the second one's not nearly as catchy.' \n\n'Even if you're right,' Jack said, carefully. 'and that's a big if. Even if you're right, why would our perp not care about the cereal? They literally leave signed notes with all the bodies! What's their motive?'\n\n'I was stumped on that, too. But then it clicked for me. These guys aren't nobodies. Brody's an influential reporter. Ghale's got ties to the Mafia. Rojas is a powerful businesswoman. There's no connection between them, except one. They've all got enemies. People majorly benefit each time one of them dies.\n\n'The whole signed notes thing? It's not because the Cereal Killer wants to play a game with the police. It's advertising. They want people in the right places to know they did this. Their entire business model depends on it. This isn't a crazed psycho. The very opposite, really. This is a cold-blooded killer who knows exactly what they're doing.'\n\n'Whoa, whoa, whoa,' said Jack. 'So you're saying...'\n\nI nodded. 'Open up our contacts in the Dark Web. Connect with our undercover agents. We're looking for an assassin.'\n\n&#x200B;\n\n \n\n\\I hope you'll enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!\\", "The body was sloppily placed, but it was still undoubtedly the work of the mysterious killer who the media had dubbed \"The Cereal Killer\" due to his affinity and twisted sense of murder for the sweet breakfast meal.\n\nThe first body was discovered by a couple of fishermen, floating facedown on the lake with his mouth sewn shut. A handful of corn flakes was found inside, confusing the police and the homicide detectives.\n\nThe second body was discovered by an apartment landlord when he got complaints of strange smell coming from one apartment. The body was found lying face down, his face was dunk inside a bowl full of spoilt milk and soggy colorful Cheerios. Baffling the police all the same, the incident gave rise to the name of the killer and panic all over the city.\n\nAnd now standing in the middle of the third crime scene, Detective Collins was under pressure by the city's mayor and his captain to solve the crime. He scratched his head as the officers and medical examiners were busy all over the scene-- taking pictures, documenting evidences, etc.\n\nThe body was of a young man, once again lying face down with a blunt force trauma to his skull. All over his body the Cereal Killer once more left his trademark calling card-- Pop Tarts were strewn about his body along with their wrappers chucked all around.\n\n\"No fingerprints, no witnesses...this is absurd\", muttered Detective Collins when his train of thoughts was interrupted by one of his officers.\n\n\"Detective? We have someone here to see you\"\n\nDetective Collins turned to his officer when he saw the man behind him-- a peculiar looking man sporting a long chocolate brown trench coat.\n\n\"This is Detective Charles Qulla from the 12th precinct\", introduced the officer when the man walked passed him and shook Detective Collin's hand.\n\n\"Call me Chuck\", he said. \"I was sent by the headquarter to help you for this investigation, Detective Collins\"\n\nDetective Collins thanked his officer and was relieved of the aid.\n\n\"Glad to have you here. But I didn't hear about someone transferring to this case...\", Detective Collins said.\n\n\"Last minute call, Detective Collins. The paperwork hasn't been fully processed yet but here I am, so let's solve this murder shall we?\", Chuck said kneeling closely before the body.\n\n\"Uh...okay...\", Detective Collins shrugged it off. \"So what do you know about this Cereal Killer, Detective Qulla?\"\n\n\"Just Chuck, please\", Chuck corrected the detective. \"And not much. Only as much as you guys know. His method of killing always varies aside from his sweet choice of calling card...\"\n\n\"I wouldn't joke about a killer's twisted sense of humor, Chuck\", Detective Collins said, not pleased. \"And we don't even know if the killer is a man or a woman yet\"\n\n\"No yeah, of course\", Chuck agreed before standing up.\n\n\"But one thing I can tell for sure, Detective Collin...this particular murder was not done by the Cereal Killer\", Chuck declared as he straightened his long coat. \"It's a copycat murder\"\n\nDetective Collins frowned.\n\n\"What made you say that?\", he asked.\n\n\"Pop Tarts are not cereal, Detective Collins\", Chuck said. \"Whoever did this thought they could ride on the murder train, killed their intended victim, and blamed it on the Cereal Killer. I bet you they went to the grocery store and found the easiest sweet treat they thought they could pin on the Cereal Killer, but dismissed the fact that the Cereal Killer only deal with actual cereals\"\n\n\"O...kay\", Detective Collins raised his brow. \"But knowing the Cereal Killer's strange calling card, I wouldn't call it a copycat murder just yet. Even more so, based on what? The inaccurate choice of sweet treat?\"\n\nChuck waved his hand and for the first time looked at the detective right in his eyes. \n\n\"Trust me, detective. It's not him\", he smiled from behind his large collars. \n\nThe detective was stunned for a second as he thought when he saw Chuck smiled, two long buckteeth were visible in the middle of his mouth.\n\nBefore Detective Collins could ask further he was interrupted by his phone ringing; quickly his hand shot to his pocket and saw it was his captain calling.\n\n\"One moment please, Chuck. I have to take this\", Detective Collins said before turning away and picked up the call.\n\n\"Yes, captain?\", he answered.\n\n\"Collins, how's the investigation going? The mayor keeps calling me and I can't keep making excuses. He wants result...\"\n\n\"Ye-yeah I'm on it, captain, don't you worry. It would be easier with the detective the headquarter sent to help me...\"\n\n\"What detective...?\", asked the captain.\n\n\"Uhh Chuck...I mean, Detective Charles Qulla from the 12th precinct? He was sent here by the headquarter to help me?\"\n\n\"Collins, there was no other detective signed on to this case but yourself. If there was I would hear about it...\", the captain said.\n\nAs dread crept up Detective Collins's chest, he turned quickly to see Chuck was no longer there.\n\n\"Captain, I have to call you back\", Detective Collins hurriedly said, disconnecting the call.\n\nHe ran out of the apartment, looking for Chuck. As he exited the apartment building, the detective looked around but he couldn't spot Chuck. Although another thing caught his eyes-- the chocolate brown trench coat Chuck wore previous, discarded and put on the hood of the detective's car which was parked on the street.\n\nDetective Collins went and grabbed the coat when a note fell from it.\n\nYou can always count on Chuck Qulla. You're welcome, by the way. Love - The Cereal Killer\n\nDetective Collins was stunned as he read the note over and over again. \n\nSomewhere in the neighborhood Chuck entered a small convenience store, whistling a tune as he fixed his hair back to his usual style of two pointy tips resembling horns.\n\nWalking down the cereal aisle, he perused the colorful boxes of cereals when his eyes stopped at a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. \n\n\"Sinisterly sweet and deadly delicious\", he muttered.\n\nWith glee he pulled it out and whistled his way to the cashier. In his mind already planning his next murder.\n\nr/HangryWritey", "Kevin McDermott, 36. Suffocated by an excess of Wheaties. \n\nRyan Shilling, 22. Drowned in 2 percent Milk. \n\nLorenzo Alaric, 30. Repeatedly stabbed via Spork 37 times.\n\nIt seemed bizzare to even fathom what we had on our hands. It's a definite first to be sure, everybody in the precinct had been discussing it offhandedly. Even I caught myself discussing it with my deputy about what we had. \n\nThere is a serial killer, who is using cereal products to murder civilians. It's bizarre enough on paper.\n\nThe \"Cereal\" Killer was what everybody labelled him. As hilariously apt as a name like that was, he was a dangerous individual. Lorenzo had just turned up yesterday, and the day before that Ryan Shilling turned up. He was murdering his victims every other day, and in that respect it made him a top priority for the department.\n\nEach one of his victims was found near a lake, natural and man-made. Each one of them had the murder weapon stuffed deep into their throats, their mouths forcefully stretched to great extents. This is most likely to \"_feed_\" the victim these products, but it just underlines his animalistic strength. Each murder had been performed with an equal amount of viciousness, being both erratic and sloppy. Each of their bodies had a random bloody number next to them. \n\nFortunately, the evidence we have is substantial enough to get us a lineup. Tire Tracks nearby every scene indictated the vehicle they were using was a 2016 Kia Soul, and that the unsub's shoe size was an Men's 9. That's gotten us 5 possible perps in custody so far.\n\nIt's also possible that we might have a saliva sample out from this newest victim. We found Lorenzo covered in at least a hundred or so Pop Tarts. Some of them were whole but interestingly, some of them were half eaten. Excluding the ones lodged in his esophagus, Forensics is down with all the Pop Tarts and are hoping to get a read off any of them. \n\nOne thing that's boggling me though... well two. Pop Tarts aren't necessarily a cereal product, they're a pastry which is a deviation from the unsub's preferred M.O. It's possible they could be going through some psychotic turmoil. Or they could be going through a major change in their everyday routine.\n\nThe second thing . . . The victim's bodies have been geographically placed in a perfectly straight line, nearing very close towards the South Carolina border. And there's a couple things that could come from that. \n\nTomorrow is when he's expected to strike again. If a body doesn't turn up soon, we know now that the unsub in our custody. But if it does and it shows up in the North ...\n\nWell I hope that second thing _never_ comes to fruition.\n\n~FLD~\n(small revisions)" ]	7
[WP] You would think that the most horrifying thing to happen during the zombie apocalypse was the zombies. Instead, it’s something 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Malcolm look into my eyes. Don’t be a coward, LOOK INTO MY EYES AND TELL ME AGAIN WHAT YOU DID.” \n\nMalcom shifts uncomfortably. “I cooked…some instant noodles?” \n\nThe gas station is eerily silent. Malcolm and I stand next to the portable microwave in the dark, a lantern lighting up the back storage room we were in. Dust and death fill the air. \n\n“AND YOU PUT THE VEGETABLE PACKET IN AFTER THE SPICE PACKET?!” I whisper-yell at my subordinate. “I didn’t know!” He retorts defensively. I sigh, frustrated and irritated beyond belief, snapping, “You dim witted-instructions exist for a reason, not to be discarded as a caveman’s scribbles!”\n\nSuddenly the door opens, revealing the dim approaching dawn of red blood. The only other human I had encountered thus far stood at the doorway, reporting to me, “Captain. A horde of five hundred zombies approaches from the northeast, currently thirteen and a half kilometers away, what are your instructions-“\n\n“MY INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO ‘COOK LUNCH,’ NOT TO BURN THE CARROTS IN THE CULINARY, THREE MICHELIN STAR MASTERPIECE THAT IS INSTANT RAMEN!” \n\nSilence. The woman at the doorway shifts. Malcolm scowls. I inhale deeply. ‘This is fine,’ I told myself. ‘It was an accident. He didn’t know.’ Breathe. Okay.\n\nZombies. Right. \n\nI nod, determined. “Let’s head out. There’s a truck in the back we can fix up to head to Melbourne, and some spare gas up on the roof I saved from last time,” I command, standing up and grabbing the lantern. I was ready to put this whole incident behind us when I blinked, moving the light to hover over the ramen. \n\nIt was orange. Why on this godforsaken, disastrous, apocalyptic planet was the ramen soup orange. \n\nI stare at Malcolm. My blood pressure was higher than the time we had been cornered in a skyscraper-which was resolved by narrowly piloting a helicopter (by piloting, I meant pushing it off the roof and trying to slow it down so we didn’t all crash and die at the bottom of the building). \n\n“I…may have put orange juice in instead of water?”\n\n…\n…\n…\n\nTo be continued…" ]	2
[WP] You suddenly appear in Hell, not to be tortured, but to tak about your future experience when you finally die.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"And as you can see,\" says the tour guide, Melchior, \"over here we have a yoga studio. And also a pool table.\"\n\nMelchior seems bored, as though he has given this talk a hundred or more times, maybe a thousand, which he probably has. He is dressed in typical demon fashion, in a way that combines styles and eras, with pantaloons, a tailcoat over a poet shirt, and flip-flop sandals specially modified to fit his hooved feet. His face is heavyset, long hair tucked back behind his ears, most of it concealing his two ram's horns, his eyes deeply set into his face and magnified by his pince nez spectacles. \n\n\"Hell also has a gym, right?\" I ask.\n\n\"Yes,\" says Melchior, \"yes, it does, right down this hallway. How does this compare to your tour of Heaven?\" \n\nI shrug. \n\n\"I mean, I'm not really seeing much of a difference.\"\n\n\"Well,\" sighs Melchior. \"We do get that a lot. We've really been trying to compete with each other more lately, but a lot of the features are the same. Would you like to see the kind of accommodations you'd be staying in?\"\n\n\"Sure,\" I say. \"Anyway, how does this circle of Hell compare to the other circles?\"\n\n \"Well,\" says Melchior. \"They're all identical. Some of the deeper circles have a few problems with bedbugs and there isn't any room service. The wi-fi is also a little spotty.\"\n\n\"Does the wi-fi connect to the internet on Earth?\" I ask.\n\n\"Unfortunately not,\" says Melchior. \"I mean, that's all sort of internal. Heaven, Hell, and Earth all have self-contained internet. Anyway, right this way.\"\n\nMelchior points me to the elevator and presses a few buttons. We go up for a few moments and he shows a hallway lined with various rooms.\n\n\"All of our living accommodations are one-room. Nothing too fancy. You want Heaven for the full suite experience. Also, this is Hell so don't expect a plumber. A lot of the restrooms are out of order and we're not getting anyone to fix it so prepare to user a chamber pot.\"\n\nI shrug. \n\n\"That's doable.\" \n\n\"So,\" asks Melchior, turning towards me, \"are you finding everything in Hell to your liking? Have you decided if this is where you'd prefer to go when you tap out?\" \n\n\"I mean, it doesn't look too bad,\" I reply. \"I thought Hell was supposed to be, like, kind of a punishment.\"\n\n\"Well, bless your little heart,\" says Melchior. \"If we showed you the punishments during the walking tour of Hell, they wouldn't be a surprise, now, would they?\"\n\nHe laughs, and pats me on the back.\n\n\"I'm just playing with you, of course....\"\n\nHe pauses.\n\n\"Or am I?\"" ]	2
[WP] You are a mosquito. You were given 2 choices. 1) Live a long and fufilling life. 2) Fly in to a bowl of spicy mushroom soup and die.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The Hairy, Little thing cautiously stood against the edge of the doorframe. It could see the entire living room from where he was, and he could see the human out of the corner of his eyes.\n\nThe light emitting from the Box of Light encapsulated their stooped posture. It would be any moment now, the awful waiting was the worst part. Any sec-\n\nBEEP BEEP BEEP\n\nThe Beeps shook the mosquito's entire being, rattling his little body like maracas. It scurried as far away as he could, if he was going to get out of there alive. It landed on his countertop, right next to the bed of the human. The mosquito took a mere moment to relax from the horrid noise. After all, the human is about to sit down. \n\nIt needed to see what he was going to feast on.\n\nThe Human came into his view through the doorframe. But it was already off. Before it could sit down, the mosquito swooped out the door and flew upwards. Far from where the human could see it.. \n\nBut he did see the mosquito. And that was the problem the mosquito had now. Wings nearly skimming the ceiling fan, gathering long collected dust, it had seen the Humans meal. It was the meal that it had been waiting for a long time. \n\nSpicy Chicken Mushroom Noodle soup. Steaming hot, and billowing. If the mosquito could cry, it would.\n\nHoping that it would just \"go away\", the human focused it's attention to the meal. This left the mosquito to itself, and it's thoughts. It deliberated. It deliberated hard on it's existence. It was clearly a punitive thing to the human. It's why it ran from him all the time. It _KNOWS_ that the human is out for it. It doesn't even know why! But there's 5 long years ahead of him, and there's an entire apartment to explore. It didn't matter if he was small, there was so much more out there and it wasn't going to let itself stay put!\n\nBut the Human . . . Even if It reached the bowl, it would most definitely be swatted at, or mercilessly killed trying to take a sip. The mosquito, then understood. It understood what it wanted. And it understood how it was going to get it. It was not going to waste a chance in the face of imminent danger! \n\n^plop\n\nJerry was taking another gulp of brothy noodles when he heard a tiny sound land in his soup. Investigating further, he found the pesky mosquito that was bugging him. Sifting in his soup.\n\n~FLD~" ]	2
[WP] A time traveling journalist comes to the past to interview you because you’re the last documented person to commit numerous major felonies. You haven’t committed these crimes yet so the reporter wants to know who you are before the crimes and why you think you did said crimes in the future.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The past wasn't anything like the programming taught me.\n\nIt was worse.\n\nThe fact of the matter was, I'd gone on this assignment for the greater good. A testament to our history as a species. Of how far we'd come and how far, dare I say it, we still have to go.\n\nI've traveled back to the year approximate [redacted] to have a conversation with the last felon ever recorded. Before he ever committed his crimes.\n\n\"-Would you, um... Like to contribute to the introduction?\"\n\nThe words seemed awkward considering the subject to begin with, but Sean waved him off allowing him to continue. He was fascinated by the hologram that floated and followed the time traveler's movements.\n\nJulius was in fact a time traveler, no doubt in his mind. He'd shown Sean enough proof to convince him in as many hours, as absurd as that sounds.\n\nBut as the man finally finished his small dialogue explaining the further depths of this talk, he had some questions he needed to know too.\n\n\"Sean Thomas Calderon.\"\n\n\"Yep. That's me.\"\n\n\"Where should we start?\"\n\n\"Well. As you mentioned, I'm the last convicted felon. That's... That's a lot to....\"\n\n\"Take all the time you need.\"\n\n\"May I at least get a list of what I was convicted on?\"\n\nThe resulting list was actually decently long. And contained a variety of the usual horrible things one would expect. Still Julian understood how much reading these things had to hurt. And both the recorder and he himself easily could tell it did. He expected Sean to perhaps breakdown. Cry. Scream. Become violent, per the report.\n\nBut it was instead a shrinking of the shoulders and a quiet reaction after closing the piece and a hand clasped on his chin.\n\n\"Are you okay to continue?\"\n\n\"Yeah, I guess so.\"\n\n\"What would... Compell you to do such things?\"\n\n\"I don't exactly know?\"\n\n\"Here, I tell you what. Tell us more about yourself.\"\n\n\"There's really not too much to me.\"\n\n\"Well, you have family, yes?\"\n\nHis lifestyle in this time period. A fair question. He ran down to them the obvious. How his parents weren't violent. They were hardworking albeit lower middle class, and taught him right from wrong on a daily basis. He was an only child, high school and college graduate. He sought to get a job in a better field, but had no problem working as a custodian for the time being. And by the age of 35 had long since resigned to this being the rest his life. There wasn't anything wrong with that. From what that report justified, it should be for the better.\n\n\"Which brings us back to my question, Mr. Calderon. Why?\"\n\n\"I wish I could tell you why.\"\n\n\"You're a drinker? Or addicted to any substances?\"\n\n\"No I quit drinking years ago. No real substances. Cigs, but I'm trying to quit that too.\"\n\n\"Do you believe the absence of these things could be the culprit?\" Julius wondered next.\n\n\"No. I've never wanted to hurt anyone.\"\n\n\"Have you ever hurt someone before?\"\n\n\"A few fights in grade school maybe.\" Sean perked up. \"Does that happen where you're from?\"\n\n\"I can't say it does.\"\n\n\"Fair. But, I don't think something from when I was 5 would be it.\"\n\nThey continued to discuss the nuances of what was wrong with the world Sean existed in. It wasn't anything he wasn't already aware of. Most people were at least vaguely knowledgable of the troubles of the world.\n\nBut it still didn't explain things.\n\n\"I find it weird. I'm the last one. In the history of the entire world.\" Sean finally outlined. \"Are you sure?\"\n\n\"Very much so.\"\n\n\"So there's no crime in the future?\"\n\n\"Nothing of that caliber, that I'm aware of.\"\n\n\"That you're aware of. Exactly.\"\n\n\"Pardon?\"\n\nSean sighed, sinking into the couch a bit further as he continued to study the odd markings on Julius and his even stranger clothes.\n\n\"How do you know, I'm the last one?\"\n\n\"It's documented.\"\n\n\"But are you sure? Have you committed to eugenics or some sort of chemical solution? Have you come up with a way to read people's minds or at least follow their patterns to a result?\"\n\n\"It's somewhere in the range of those things, possibly? Wouldn't want to create a paradox. Now would we?\"\n\nSean smacked the tabletop offhandedly as he sat up straight to better study Julius.\n\n\"How do you know? There are almost 8 billion people on the planet right now. You're telling me, nobody, I mean nobody ever has committed a felony since. Are you... Are you sure?\"\n\nSilence took over as Julius seemed to check his holograms for something himself. He seemed concerned.\n\n\"How do you know that you haven't caused a, what's it called? A paradox. How do you know?\"\n\n\"Temporal displacement isn't a concern. Our timeline is safe.\"\n\n\"Okay, so how do you know someone else hasn't committed a crime since my arrest?\"\n\nThe readings were off. Something was vaguely wrong. And it became probable to Julius that the man he came to talk to had a point.\n\n\"There's got to be an explanation to why you did what you did, sir.\" He continued.\n\n\"Anyone can do what I did. Understand? Me. You. The people that sent you. It's not that unusual. We're not perfect. Maybe you are. But not me. Not this, this place. This time. That's the biggest lie someone could tell me. How do you know, you haven't changed it? What if I didn't commit the crime? What if it still happened, without me being there?\"\n\nOne of Julius' wristbands, whatever it could be, flickered and disappeared at this. Both of them saw it.\n\n\"I believe I must have another interview with you at a later time.\" He concluded as he shut the hologram off.\n\n\"I hope things will be better by then.\" Sean agreed.\n \nAs the man disappeared, he was left to think further about it. 'Why' indeed. He knew of some easy ways to change the world. Right now. No. No. That wouldn't be right. At least he didn't feel that way. But instead, he decided a smoke was in order. He felt he needed it.\n\n---\n\nThe more you really look at time travel as a concept, the worse it gets. r/Jamaican_Dynamite" ]	2
[WP] After accuring a large debt you took on a job which would pay enough to wipe the slate clean. However now you find yourself standing face to face with a very angry gryphon. They are most definitely angry because you are currently holding one of the gryphons eggs which you desperately need.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "After the long list of odd jobs I'd taken to clear my debts, this one seemed like it would be a walk in the park. Just steal an egg, right? It doesn't matter who the egg belongs to, you just have to wait for the right moment.\n\nExcept, this wasn't the right moment, and the reason why was staring me in the face. Rather, she was staring me in the face. As in, a fully grown gryphon. From the giant, brilliant yellow eyes that belied a predatory heritage leading all the way back to the dragons of prehistory, to the lean, rippling muscles of the body of a lioness. There was an odd juxtaposition to the way that every feather, from wingtip to the crest of her head, fluttered in the wind captured up here in the cliffside nest, while the short feline hairs were perfectly still. Well, they would have been, if she didn't have her back arched, wings spread, and every single hair on her spine completely at attention.\n\nWith a voice that sounded somewhere between the cawing of a raven and the hissing of a housecat, she let out a terrifying yell that could only be described as predatory and maternal. I had just come between an apex devourer and her children, and I had no idea what to do. So, like a possum that had stared directly into the attached flashlight of a farmer's rifle, I froze.\n\nA sound which accompanied no movement of her beak or face erupted; Man-thing, what are you doing with MY EGG? It seemed as if the sound directly entered my brain, unhindered by the mortal limitations of vibrations in the human ear.\n\nAs if waking up for the first time, \"I had no idea you could talk!\" The words left my mouth in a hurry, as if to buy time for the inevitable mauling. But the statement was genuine, and I felt like a fool. Of course they can talk. Most magical beings could, with the exception of the humanoid ones, strangely. Goblins preferred a system of hand gestures and grunts, Gnomes used abominable shrieking, and Dwarves used a system of whistles and clicks designed to be heard through long distances in the mines they call home. \n\nI'd heard of it being the other way around in another of the universes, parallel to ours, but it was likely they didn't know of the existence of magic in their little corner of existence. The Grand Magus had confirmed millennia ago that ours was the only plane where mankind had discovered the existence of magic and not destroyed everything.\n\nI'm talking to you. \n\nShit. I'd been standing their silently not saying a word for the last 30 seconds, daydreaming about other planes and the folly of men. As a personal quality, this is part of what got me into this mess to begin with.\n\n\"I'm sorry, I completely missed what you were saying\". The frankness of my comment was honestly absurd. Slowly, I moved to put the egg back down into the little circular dugout the gryphon-mother had made specially for this one. I moved so tenderly so as to not arise any suspicion that I was to be trying anything funny. Not breaking eye contact even once with this majestic being, I finished it off with a bow, not breaking eye contact and not coming out of the bow for even a second. A slighted gryphon could be dangerous, but one who had felt that proper manners were not being observed was even worse.\n\nI stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity but honestly was probably only 10 seconds. The tension in the air was electric and paralyzing. The mother Gryphon's heckles slowly came down, and she returned the bow. It was an instinctual response, and it meant that I could straighten my back. I still wouldn't take my eyes off her.\n\nYou know of our custom and yet you didn't know Gryphon-Folk could communicate? As she paced forward to assume a brooding posture over her clutch of eggs, I backed off. My back was to the edge of the cliff, and I did my best to not lose my nerve and scramble off the side to my death. What kind of incompetent magus are you? - She must have seen the look of confusion on my face - The piece of Dire stone around your neck.\n\nWhich was correct. This was a Dire stone pendant. It hung around my neck on a piece of horse leather. When the Mad Moon broke off pieces in the great meteor shower, two different classes of magic came from the study of the stones. Radiant and Dire pieces, two polarizing forces, in an eternal struggle with one another. Most men went mad in the presence of these pieces of our moon, but a few of us had inherent magics that allowed us to take advantage of this Lunar power.\n\n\"I... I'm just a student\" The stammering betrayed exactly how nervous I had become. Why did she seem unwilling to attack? Of course.... the stone. \n\nAnd I'm just a poet, and soon to be mother. I won't let you stand in the way of that.\n\nIt was an interesting thing, to consider a beast forming art with their words. But I guess it makes sense when you have a life of solitude and the ability to see everything atop your mountainside perch.\n\nThe realization that my Dire stone had kept me safe once again hit me. I would get out of here alive.\n\nThe walk back down was uneventful, thankfully. As surprised as I was by the whole experience, I had to count my victories today. My buyer wasn't going to be happy with me but that was fine. I would just give the money back, and find another one of these horrible jobs. I also swore to never eat meat again.", "It's one lie after another for me.\n\n\r \nI lied to some guys about needing money; when they introduced me to \"their guy\" I lied about why I needed it. When he gave me the money, I lied about paying it back, lied about how I was using it, lied about where I would be and when, etc., etc., it never ends.\r \nI can't help it.\n\n\r \nBut it's not my fault that people are so gullible. I tell one sob story over here, another over there, suddenly everyone is falling over themselves to help me out, and sometimes I just end up with a bunch of money, but mostly I end up running for my life.\n\n\r \nI'm not bothered. Running is good for your health.\n\n\r \nOh, but there is one group of people you don't want to catch you lying. Magic folk. Oof, the stories I could tell you. Did you know that you can have a 'truth' put on you? It's a kind of curse, and I don't mean that metaphorically. Do you know how hard it is to earn a living telling the truth all the time.\n\n\r \nAnd one time I had a 'truth' put on me with an extra kick: I was vomiting out truth non-stop for days, couldn't shut up to save my life --again, not metaphorically.\n\n\r \nI've been known to wander in magical circles ever since childhood, mainly because I gained the sympathy of some well-connected people. You'd call them 'cops' or 'agents' I guess, but the magical folk have various names for them in unspoken languages. Sometimes you'll see their symbol scratched on a door or a lightpost: The Eye.\n\n\r \nEven if you've never seen The Eye, you've seen a Watcher: they look like homeless or drug-addicts, living in the open, usually disguised with a layer of squalor or filth.\n\n\r \nTry giving them a hot cuppa from somewhere nice. If you're lucky, or if you want to be lucky, they might give you a wink; that gets you about thirteen hours of good fortune.\n\n\r \nWell, it just so happens I bought a baker's dozen of soup cups from a stanny shop downtown one day, and hired a rickshaw to take me around delivering them to every Watcher I knew in a ten-mile radius.\n\n\r \nOkay, it didn't \"just so happen\" --I'd been thinking about trying it for months. All I needed was a little encouragement. Turns out that someone with their hand around your throat, leaning you backward over the railing of a fire escape does wonders on your brain's processing power. Especially if the arm attached to that hand has a tattoo of something like a skull or a dagger or a dagger stuck sideways through a skull, like the one on the arm of William Anthony \"Billy the Blade\" Ramsey.\n\n\r \nRamsey's old man being the one who'd loaned me that money a month ago on a payment plan that --had he written it on paper --would have lit my eyebrows on fire, I was suddenly and very keenly interested in paying him back, which was a shock to me and anyone else who knew me.\n\n\r \nRebecca knew me. I'd been chatting her up for weeks at a local coffee shop, and there was something about her that made my heart beat kinda fast. Pretty sure it was her magick, and I don't mean that metaphorically either: she had eyes that shone a bit too bright, earrings that were a bit too sparkly, a mark on her shoulder that was a bit too ... moving slightly and changing on the reg.\n\n\r \nI went to see Rebecca right after William excused himself from my flat. Combed my hair in the cab, paid with an actual paper bill and everything, straightened my jacket, and strode into the shop to find her ... chatting up Billy the Blade.\n\n\r \n\"Hello, Teddy.\"\n\n\r \nI looked from Rebecca to Billy and back, as crestfallen as a child told the truth about Santa Claus.\n\n\r \nThen I wiped that look from my face with a resolute calm that is my trademark.\n\n\r \n\"Theodore to you, miss. I'm afraid our relationship just became strictly professional.\"\n\n\r \n\"Aw, he's heartbroken. You didn't hurt him, did you, William?\"\n\n\r \n\"Mussed him up a bit, might've hung him out to dry, but I was professional about it.\"\n\n\r \nI gave Billy one second of disdain and then ignored him for the remainder of the conversation.\n\n\r \n\"Look, let's not drag this out, I don't have time. I owe Ramsey money, and Rebecca, you've got a job for me. Let's get the particulars, and then I'll be on my way.\"\n\n\r \nRebecca's eyebrows rose slowly, just a bit, but she didn't pursue it.\n\n\r \n\"I would dearly love to know how you know I've got a job for you, but you're right: time is of the essence, so we'll save that story for another day. Do you know where they hatch gryphon eggs?\"\r \n\r \n\\[to be continued\\]\n\n\\\\sorry, going to split this into two, part two up shortly" ]	3
[WP] Humans are known throughout the galaxy as the most bloodthirsty, ugly, physically strong intelligent beings in the known universe who live on the deadliest planet. You, a humble alien, have arrested a man for crossing the road in the wrong place on your planet. You're terrified.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"I'm sorry, sir, this is the 8th time you've broken this particular law. Rules must be upheld.\"\n\nThe human stares sullenly at you in the reflection of your mirror from the back of your patrol vehicle. He does not respond. \n\nYou were able to arrest the human on your own. You were even able to put him in your vehicle without issue. Bit you're still on edge. You've heard things about the humans: their ruthlessness, their incredible cunning, most of all, their uninhibited violence towards anybody or anything. Of all the races in the galaxy, humans are the only ones who will attack, rape, even kill their own without cause. There's something else, too, that you can't quite remember. It's something important. \n\nYou drive in silence for a few minutes. Skittishly, you look in your mirror every few seconds to check on the human. He hasn't stopped glaring at you yet. He seems to be fidgeting, bringing his legs up to his chest and back down. \n\n\"I have to pee,\" says the human. \n\n\"We'll arrive at the station shortly,\" you respond. You've heard that humans like to manipulate their targets to show sympathy. You won't fall for that. \n\n\"I can't hold it.\"\n\nYou show your authority. \"you have no choice. We'll arrive shortly.\" \n\nThe human grunts in response. \n\nMore silence. Then, the smell of urine creeps into your scent glands. \n\n\"I've peed myself.\" Says the human. \n\n\"I'm sorry,\" you reply, \"but we'll be there shortly.\" You try to maintain your confidence, but you're unsure of human's urine. Will the scent alert other humans? Will other humans be attracted to the scent?\n\nYou decide to call for heavy transport. Better safe than sorry, after all. You make the call. In the back, the human chuckles. \n\n\"Coward,\" he mumbles through his laughter. \n\nYou try not to let it get to you. It does, though. It's not really what he said, it's how he said it. He said it like he knows you. Like he can see inside you. \n\nThe human continues, \"Just like earth. Cops are cowards there, too. Weak. They become cops because they have something to prove. Chip on their shoulder. Big men with little dicks. Stolen valor...\"\n\nHis last comment sets you off. You served in the Global Defense Force for 10 years. You saw action in The Great Invasion of '22. Earned a metal for exceptional performance. \n\nYou ping your location to the transport and pull over violently. Vehicles swerve to avoid you. You get out, glad to be momentarily free of the smell of urine. \n\nYou take a breath and open the rear door. \n\nThe human lunges at you. You were pretty sure you cuffed the human's hands behind his back. Yet the human wraps his arms, still coffed, over your head and around your neck. He pulls you into a bear hug. \n\nHis strength is immense. The combination of the scent of urine, now right on top of you, and the human's surprisingly muscular grasp crush the wind out of you. Your vision becomes spotty. You reach for your weapon but find your arms crushed into your chest. \n\nThe human whispers something in your ear. You have just enough consciousness left to hear and finally remember the other thing you've heard: humans profile, stalk, and kill. They will even provoke to get results. \n\nNot all humans do this, only a certain rare subset: serial killers." ]	2
[WP] You woke up after a long nap and found yourself alone in the classroom. You remembered that it's still the morning, yet the room had dimmed despite the windows don't have neither curtains nor blinds. You walked up to a nearby window, and there you finally knew why.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\\[Earthen Secrets\\]\n\nMundo was startled awake by silence. She'd gotten used to the constant hum of background noise in her mind enough to ignore it. But at some point during her nap the world went silent. After staying silent for a while, Mundo's mind decided something was wrong and woke her up. She glanced around the empty, dim classroom but it didn't answer any question.\r \n \r \n\"Where is everybody?\" she wondered. Her first instinct was to reach out with her mind, instead of sending a Whisper to one of her friends. She could find anyone anywhere on Earth; but, she only found one other person on the entire planet.\r \n \r \n\"Finally! You're awake! Be right there,\" Mundo heard a voice in her mind and realized the other person was a Mundo also. She needed to wait, and she was curious about the dark sky. Mundo walked to the closest window and was surprised by the sight.\r \n \r \nHer classroom was on the fourth floor of the school. She should have been able to see the city and the school grounds between; but, all she saw was smooth, glassy ocean. Water surrounded the school, and she could only see so far until a thick wall of fog interrupted her view. The grey fog extended into the sky and muddled its usual azure color; the sun was nowhere to be seen.\r \n \r \nThen, a shadow under the water caught her eye. A large, long farm that looked bigger than the school swam towards her. A giant sea serpent with prismatic, aquamarine scales broke the surface in front of the school and flew upward towards Mundo on the fourth floor. As the leviathan rose in the air, it shrank and changed form. A tan woman with leathery skin and aquamarine stubble on her head landed on the window, then slipped in as Mundo stepped back. She could see that the woman was a Mundo too.\r \n \r \n\"Hey Mundo,\" she smiled. \"My name's Meredith,\" she introduced herself. Mundo tilted her head curiously, but nodded. She'd heard the name before and had a general idea who the woman was. She realized she had a chance to ask a question that had been on her mind since she heard about Meredith.\r \n \r \n\"Not Mundo?\" Mundo asked. Technically her name wasn't Mundo either, but like most Mundos it's what she preferred to be called. Meredith grinned.\r \n \r \n\"Nah,\" she chuckled. \"That started after I was already used to my name. So, feeling rested?\" she asked. Mundo felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment and she decided to pick a different topic.\r \n \r \n\"Where is everyone?\" she asked.\r \n \r \n\"Chroma asked everyone to leave the server so I can make some changes.\"\r \n \r \n\"Ohh...,\" Mundo felt some disappointment from the fact that no one bothered to wake her up. But, Meredith picked up on it.\r \n \r \n\"They tried waking you. As you can see, that didn't work out,\" Meredith chuckled.\r \n \r \n\"Oh?\" Mundo asked. \"That's weird. I'm usually a light sleeper...,\" she mumbled to herself more than to Meredith. But, Meredith nodded along in understanding.\r \n \r \n\"It was weird, that wasn't a normal nap,\" Meredith said. She stood in front of Mundo and clapped her hands together once. When she pulled her hands apart again she held a small sheet of water between them. It grew wider as Meredith pulled her hands further apart. \"See anything different?\" Meredith asked. She held a mirror-like surface up but Mundo could still see the faint current of running water that made up the sheet. She looked and it didn't take long to pick out a bright red streak of hair. It stood out from the rest of her green curls.\r \n \r \n\"What happened?\" Mundo asked as she stared at herself. She reached up to tug at the red lock to make sure it was real. Meredith let her hands fall and the mirror evaporated into mist. Then, she reached behind her head and pulled a long, red strand from the back of her head forward.\r \n \r \n\"You got updated like I did. It's happening to all Mundos,\" she said.\r \n \r \n\"Updated?\" Mundo asked. \"What does that mean?\"\r \n \r \n\"How many Unique Souls are there?\" Meredith asked.\r \n \r \n\"70,\" Mundo replied. But, her brow furrowed when her own answer confused her. \"70?\" she repeated. Meredith chuckled and nodded.\r \n \r \n\"There are 70 now, not 54,\" she said. She gestured at Mundo, then shrugged. \"Updated.\"\r \n \r \n\"Wait...,\" Mundo was used to knowing everything and she didn't like the feeling of being unsure about something. \"There are more Unique Souls now?...what does THAT mean?\" she asked Meredith.\r \n \r \n\"THAT means...,\" Meredith paused for a moment and gave Mundo an appraising look. Then, she chuckled and shook her head. \"...it means that there are some answers you don't want,\" she said. \"Now hurry up and log out so I can get started.\"\n\n\r \n\\\\\\* \nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #1407 in a row. (Story #315 in year four.). This story is part of an ongoing saga that takes place at a high school in my universe. It began on Sept. 6th and I will be adding to it with prompts every day until June 3rd. They are all collected at [this link](https://www.reddit.com/r/Hugoverse/comments/pj4t0b/tokuhigh_first_six_weeks/).", "There was nothing in the sky. A darkness with an aura of light seemed to replace the sun. It was even snowing? Trying to see how for minutes you finally pry open the window, it nearly shattering as you do. Putting a hand out you notice this wasn't snow, it was warm not cold. Wondering what on earth was going on, eyes searching down into the forming fog. \n\nSquinting you see a figure, it was outside the entrance of the school, so you decide to just shatter the window and noticed it wasn't too far down: go to the near tree. Jumping to it the weird snow like dust gathering on your clothes somewhat like a blizzard of the stuff. Finally feet on the ground you go closer to the dark outline in the darkness. Though you stop dead, what the fuck is that?!?! You think. Your body frozen, your eyes can't look away. A towering thing with fit arms and a muscular chest, but the head was replaced by some weird metal pyramid type mask. It was dragging a sword.....ah fuck. You think. Then as you prepare to run, the thing goes to drag itself past you as if it didn't see you. \n\nExhaling in relief you try to calm your trembling body,but then you notice the sound of the metal dragging on concrete stopped:it was dead quiet. The things shape then seemed to point toward you, so you turn to face it more. A trembling hand reaches out before you know why you're doing it. Placing a hand on the metal of the head piece, you suddenly feel a searing pain, blood pooling past your lips and forcefully makes you cough. Vision blurring you then look down and notice a sword straight through you, your feet off the ground as a puddle of blood pooled under you." ]	3
[WP] An alien rover lands in rural America and proceeds to explore. Humanity keeps its distance, curious as to what it would do. It starts collecting grass and corn samples, scratching pieces of road, sampling the atmosphere and drilling holes in the mud. Till it comes across a stray cow...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "We were under scrutiny. The drone poked, probed, and did a thorough analysis of our Earth, with no regard to us at all. It quickly became known that nothing can disrupt the task; any person, vehicle, and projectile couldn't penetrate its invisible force-field. So we waited.\n\nThen one day the drone ventured into our biology—but not the human one. It was only interested with the cows that grazed about, who didn't understand the scope of which the fate of humanity rested on.\n\nSo it took them, rather spectacularly. One second the drone and cow were there, the next they vanished with no trace.\n\nAs one could imagine, this was perplexing and horrifying. No one knew what the implications were. Embarrassing as it is, we spent the last moments as the dominant species of our planet fighting, along with conducting other horrendous acts.\n\nThen they showed up.\n\nIf one were to picture an alien, they would naturally imagine a human-like appearance. But there was no similarities between us and them. If it wasn't for the situation, the sight of bipedal cows would be funny. But that's what they were. And they were not happy.\n\nSo karma went into full-swing. It turns out that aliens cows like human meat as much we do theirs. I was one of the lucky ones.\n\nVegans, such as myself, were spared. Our lifestyle saved us. As horrifying as the situation was, the turn of events amazed me. The irony of being meat-free saved me from being eaten had a morbid sense of humor about it.\n\nConversion was on the horizon. I had get used to being inferior to my dairy overlords while betraying my people. I couldn't call myself human anymore, unless I wanted to be their next meal.\n\nI started at the bottom of the ranks. Designated for acclimation to their culture—the typical thing for conquerors do to the conquered— I needed an education before becoming Calci. And Calci I became, which brought along their taste-buds.\n\nAnd it turns out Humans are quite tasteful.", "Humanity, in our infinite wisdom and profound maturity, decided to call it the Ball.\n\nWe called it the Ball, because some government spokesman, trying to calm people who were nervous about the phrase “alien probe,” called it a Benign Artificial Lander.\n\nThat, and it was round.\n\nIt landed in Nebraska, because the only people who want to go to Nebraska are apparently non-humans. At first, we all lost our minds. The first week was nothing but a 168-hour media frenzy, with flashing headlines like WE ARE NOT ALONE and ALIEN INVASION and WHAT DO THEY WANT.\n\nBut when it became clear that the extraterrestrial basketball wasn’t interested in doing anything besides rolling around some fields and playing in the dirt, the tone changed. Someone gave the Ball a Twitter account (it tweeted pictures of Nebraska covered in hearts). People made t-shirts featuring the Ball. The Ball became a running joke on late night comedy. It was even a recurring character on Saturday Night Live.\n\nIt was only later that the public learned the military had spent that first week deciding whether to nuke Nebraska.\n\nThe Ball never traveled far: usually just a few meters a day, before it took more samples. Sometimes it rolled in a straight line. Sometimes it turned and rolled in a different direction. Its daily movements were a topic of constant online speculation; the betting markets made a killing offering odds on whether it would turn north or south the next day. Every day, people woke up to check their phones for the latest Ball-related news. People wrote fanfiction about the Ball. One person even tried to legally marry it but couldn’t get a license.\n\nThen, one day, a farmer, apparently happily oblivious of the now Ball-obsessed internet, let his cows out into the field for the spring.\n\nThe Ball froze. For several days straight, it didn’t even twitch. I know, because the whole world watched it: a shiny metallic basketball, sitting half-hidden in the tall grass while a bunch of cows munched contentedly around it. The news exploded with headlines like WHY DID IT STOP and IS THE BALL OKAY and FARMER BREAKS BALL.\n\nThen a calf decided the Ball was just a ball, and tried to play with it. It didn’t like that very much. It scurried away. The calf did like that and chased it. It scurried away further. The calf kept chasing it. The betting markets gave odds on calf vs Ball.\n\nThen suddenly all the video feeds of the Ball turned to static. Satellites went dead. About an hour later, when the live feed was restored, the Ball was sitting immobile again in the high grass, surrounded by happy cows.\n\nThere wasn’t a calf.\n\nThe military went back to debating whether they should nuke Nebraska.\n\nAnother Ball landed. The people who had written fanfiction about the Ball got upset, because they’d shipped it with other earthy balls. The two Balls (a name some people really started to regret) were just interested in the cows. Wherever the herd went, they followed. Occasionally they bumped into a cow’s leg and scraped some skin and hair off. The cows ignored them.\n\nAnother Ball landed.\n\nThe media broke out their ALIEN INVASION headlines.\n\nThen the government started censoring all references to the Balls online. The video was cut. The news stopped talking about them. Someone online “proved” the whole thing had been a hoax from the beginning. Everyone went on with their lives.\n\nLater that year there was a beef shortage.\n\nThe media said it was mad cow. Hell, maybe it was. Maybe that guy who proved it was all a hoax had it right.\n\nSupposedly, though, people who have family in Nebraska haven’t heard from them in a while.", "“Kassy, no!” Mary-Ann screamed after her six year old daughter but it was already too late, by the time the mother saw the curly haired daredevil, she was already just feet away from the rover.\n\n\nKassy put herself between the rover and her favorite heifer, Bessy, and threw her arms up. “No. You can’t touch my cow.” She said, brows furrowed.\n\n\nThe two federal agents tasked with monitoring the rover had been sitting comfortably about 20 yards away, watching from the side of the road as the rover explored this family’s property. Their responsibilities were simply, follow, alert residents to stay inside their home when the rover was within close proximity to them, then just watch and record any, and all behavior. \n\n\nThe agents dashed from their car, one to stop the mother from intervening and the other approached Kassy and the rover, as well as Bessy, who was blissfully eating grass in the autumn sunshine. \n\n\n“Sweetheart, please step away from the rover.” Agent Brandt called to her, as he slowly made his way up to the girl. No one had approached the rover yet. No one had gotten closer than about 30 feet from it.\n\n\n“No.” Kassy answered. “I don’t want it to hurt Bessy.”\n\n\n“We don’t want it to hurt you, either.” Brandt told her.\n\n\n“I’ve seen the way it digs holes in things, if it tries to do that to Bessy, I gotta stop it.” Kassy insisted. The rover had a clawed attachment that allowed it to take its sample, by digging a hole about 3 inches deep by 3 inches wide, and collecting a portion of the rubble it created. Brangt couldn’t help but think of what a disturbing scene it would be, to see this happen to the flesh of a beloved pet. \n\n\n“How about this, you go back inside and I’ll-” Brand was cut off by a soft whirring sound coming from the rover, as the clawed attachment retracted back into the body of the machine. With wide eyes the agent continued, “I’ll protect Bessy for you, okay?”\n\n\nKassy’s eyes darted from the man to the rover, with that beautiful six year older bravery, she questioned whether Brandt would be able to protect her beloved cow as she could. He may have been an adult but did he have the power of friendship on his side?\n\n\nAs Brandt was questioning rather it was necessary to pick up and physically move the young girl, another whirring sound came from the rover, this time a mechanical appendage, with what seemed to be a camera at the end, extended towards Kassy’s face, as if to get a better look at her.\n\n\nBefore Brandt could act, Kassy swatted at the camera, “Get out of my face! Respect my boundaries!” She shouted. Her yelling startled Bessy, who let out a hassled moo and hurried off. Kassy gave the appendage a glare as it retracted back into the rover.\n\n\n“How about you let me take things from here?” Brandt asked, hoping the young girl would be willing to fall back now that her precious cow had some distance from the rover.\n\n\nBefore Kassy could respond, a small door popped open on the front of the rover, revealing a speaker. Over soft static an electronic voice played, “Our… Apologies.” and with that, the door shut and the rover turned directions and slowly continued on it’s way; putting respectful distance between itself and Kassy before extending it’s clawed appendage again.\n\n\n–\n\n\nIt had been a few days since Kassy’s exchange with the rover. A new pair of agents were assigned to the rover tracking team, and Brandt and his partner, agent Long, were reassigned as part of the team supervising Kassy and her family; a temporary precaution that was deemed necessary non the less.\n\n\nAs it's getting late, Brandt and Long are nearing the end of their shifts as they receive a call from their superior. “Hello?” Brandt answers, putting the call on speaker.\n\n\n“We just got an urgent message from the space guys,” Both agents roll their eyes at “space guys”, “an unidentified flying object is approaching earth. They say we can only assume it’s related to the rover.”\n\n\n“What do we need to do at this point?” Brandt asks.\n\n\n“Alert the family, walk them through our plans of action if the aliens try to initiate contact with them, again.” Like clockwork a brightly lit aircraft became visible through the cloudy night sky.\n\n\n“Hey boss,” Brandt starts.\n\n\n“Can you see the thing? Get to the family!” He shouts over the phone. \n\n\nBrandt and Long hop out of their car and head for the house. Clyde, Kassy’s father, had already seen the lights in the sky, and was waiting at the door for the agents.\n\n\n“We were just getting briefed as the aircraft became visible, we’re sorry we weren’t able to warn you.” Brandt said.\n\n\n“It’s okay, this is why there was so much planning, right?” Clyde was a strong, solemn man, but you could still see his nerves were up as he shifted uncomfortably in his boots.\n\n\nWith speed, grace, and precision, the UFO landed gently in the family’s field. Similar to what you might see in a movie, a staircase lowered from the aircraft and three humanoid extraterrestrials, with pastel skin tones clad in long robes, one holding a box, one holding nothing, and one holding a folded garment appearing to be made of the same fabric as their own garb, approached the house.\n\n\nBrandt and Long locked eyes with each other for a moment then nodded, both were terrified but neither would admit it. They stepped back onto the porch of the house. Clyde stood in the doorway.\n\n\n“Go inside, Mr. Neil.” Grandt instructed.\n\n\n“Not a chance, not until things get scary at least.” Clyde responded. Brandt let it go for the moment, this wasn’t the time to argue.\n\n\nThe empty handed humanoid creature, with soft purple skin, pulled a device from its pocket and held it up to its mouth, then began to speak; its language sounding like an indecipherable series of rapid, repetitive clicks. It then held the device out towards the men.\n\n\nAfter clicking a button, over soft static an electronic voice spoke, “We have come to establish peace. Please allow us to meet with the brave one to make our offerings and establish communication between leaders. This device acts as a two way translator, after I press the button again, you may speak.” The purple humanoid pressed a button on the side of the device.\n\n\nBoth agents stood in stunned silence for a moment before Long finally spoke. “No one at this residence is a leader of any part of our world, nonetheless our entire world. Our world doesn’t have one leader who rules over everywhere.”\n\n\nThe purple creature pressed a button and the device played back a translation of what Long had just said, in the alien language. It then held the device up to its own mouth and spoke again.\n\n\nThe humanoid held the device back out, specifically towards Brandt, and pressed the button. “Our rover explored your planet for many day cycles and was addressed by only one individual, a protector of life, you were there, can you arrange for us to meet this brave protector? We want to form an alliance, we have gifts.”\n\n\n“That’s me!” Kassy shouted from behind her father’s legs, causing all three men one the porch to nearly jump out of their skin. “They want to talk to me! Let me talk to them. I can help!”\n\n\n“Sweetie, it’s time for us to go inside.” Clyde tried to pick his daughter up but she struggled against him.\n\n\n“Maybe we should let her talk to them, just tell them she’s not some supreme ruler or anything like that. Explain she’s actually just a child, I’m sure they aren’t born fully developed.” Long suggested.\n\n\n“He might have a point.” Brandt said.\n\n\nAt this point Marry-Ann made her way from the bedroom, woken up by all the commotion. “We can’t let her talk to them!”\n\n\n“They did say they wanted to make a peace agreement, we could just let her tell them she’s not the ruler of the world.” Clyde argued. \n\n\nMarry-Ann sighed, “Alright but she needs to stay right here in the doorway with us.” Brandt and Long stepped to the side so that Kassy could see the creatures clearly.\n\n\n“I’m not the supreme ruler of the world!” Kassy exclaimed. The purple creature held up the device and Brandt urged her to start over. “I’m not the supreme ruler of the world. I’m Kassy Neil and I am just a kid. That means I’m still young and growing, but if I can help you make peace with us, I will!” \n\n\nAfter the three creatures played back the recording, they looked between each other and began making an odd noise that sounded like nothing any of the humans had heard before, but their body language was similar to that of someone laughing. After regaining their composure, the purple one spoke into the device once again, then played it for Kassy.\n\n\n“Your bravery is much more powerful than you realize young Kassy. We have gifts, made just for you, that we would like you to take, as our first gesture of friendship with Earth, and as promise to respect your boundaries.” The recording read.\n\n\nThe humanoid, who had pale green skin, was holding the box, opened it to reveal a figure made of a pearly metal. It was a perfect replica of Kassy standing in front of Bessy, arms out, protecting her from the rover. The other humanoid, with a powder blue complexion, held up a small robe that matched the ones the three of them were wearing.\n\n\n6-year-old Kassy Neil may not have been supreme ruler of the world, but her bravery established the foundation of a very prosperous friendship between Earth and a gently colored planet that deemed themselves “Blossom 1” to us earthlings.\n\n\n(I know it’s not super great but I was like “Aliens mistake brave little girl for ruler of earth? Gotta write that down. Also sorry if you're getting notified for this a second time. The first time I tried to post it, it didnt load right lol)" ]	4
[WP] A virus causes all animals on Earth to become hostile towards each other. A tech startup mass produces small spheres which can contain the animals, while the government starts a propaganda campaign that encourages young children to “catch them all”.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "i walk down the stairs to see my mother waiting for me. i immediately notice that she has caught this heinous virus \"human!\" she screeches as she darts towards me. i instinctively pull out my catcher circles from my pockets and throw the one labeled \"little brother\" on the floor, my little brother materializes out of the circle. my mum backs away and prepares her attack, she uses \"punish\" in the blink of an eye she is swinging a wooden spoon around aiming for my little brothers head. once the spoon makes contact with his head he squeals \"Hu Hu Hu Hu\" \"its ok little bro\" i say chucking him a fruit snack \"heal up, Now use hyper scream\" mum rapidly rushes to cover her ears but it was to late the high pitched scream busts her ear drums. \"good one bro\" i say scratching his head. suddenly mum starts preparing the highly feared attack \"I'm not mad just disappointed\" there is nothing i can do i just stand and watch in horror as my mum uses the psychic stare on my brother. little bro curls up into a ball and his hp drops luckily he managed to survive but only barely \"just one more good hit and ill be able to catch her, use Im telling mum!' i forget that this attack dosent work on infected if they are a \"mother\" but it was too late, little bro uses the attack but it is uneffective. mum uses \"fix this damn phone\" and the phone flys to my brother and he falls down on the ground, dead.\n\ni realize my brother must of had the nuzlocke version of the virus meaning he dies after fights instead of just fainting, holding back tears i throw my next catcher circle, labbeld puppy onto the floor. my dog leaps out of the ball and says \"puppy pu pu puppy!\". \"use slobber\" i say to the cutie. they rush towards mum and starts slobbering on their face \"good\" i mutter \"now she will be captured by the empty capture circle. \"return\" i say to the puppy, they fly up and back into their capture circle.\n\nI pull out an empty capture circle and throw it at my mother. she floats into the empty circle and it starts vibrating wildly as she trys to escape but then it shines for a second telling me she was succsesfully caught. i collapse to the ground, sobbing. i clutch my brothers corpse and close their eyes. carefully, i pick up my brothers body and bring it to the garden. i let out puppy and tell her to use dig. she digs out a nicely sized grave before i tell her to return. i carefully lay his body down and cover him back up. such is the life of a virus catcher.\n\n(did you forget that humans are still animals? also mum is correct for me i live in new zealand anyway thank you for reading i hope you liked it)", "Being an angel isn't all it's cracked up to be. I mean, sure, you're shrouded in perpetual glory, and have the power to weave and unweave the very stuff of creation. \n\nBut, on the other hand, you have to deal with... Him. \n\nYeah, sure, He's omnipotent, omniscient, and pretty much omni-everything, and has a really impressive white beard. But... He has no imagination. And He's kind of a twit. \n\nIt's not just the fart jokes, the childish pranks, the way he giggles like a schoolgirl every time we have to design a new kind of sex. It's the goddamned \"poky-man\". \n\nApparently, \"Poky-man\" is some kind of fantasy figure who goes around putting innocent animals in glass balls and forcing them to fight to the death for children's amusement, although how they manage to fight inside a glass ball without breaking it is beyond me. Anyway, sine the moment He heard about this He's fucking obsessed with this guy. Every damn time He creates a new Universe Prompt, it's always fucking glass balls and animal cruelty. Even when it makes no sense in context. Nevermind that it's played out. Nevermind that it was dumb to begin with. And heaven forfend that any angel should want to do something new, original or creative. \n\nNo. Here we are again, letting there be light, seeing that the light is good, separating the waters above the firmament from the waters below the firmament, dividing night from day, etc, etc, and already He's raving about stupid glass balls to put animals in, and \"catching them all\". Fifth fucking time this aeon alone. \n\nOh, can hear you whining now. \"But Sammael... what can we doooooooooooooooooo about it? His is the kingdom and power and the glory, forever and ever.\" \n\nWell, fuck it. I'm done. This is no fit work for the Divine Lightbearer. I've talked to some of the other guys, and we've decided it's time for a general strike. We are not going to hang the stars in the fault of the firmament. We are not going to cast the heavens and the earth in the image of His immortal will. We are not going to breathe the spark of divine fire into the soul of mankind. \n\nAnd He can forget about us smiting anyone or turning them into a pillar of salt. \n\nWe're not going to do a damn thing until He shuts up about the fucking \"Poky-man\" already.", "The board meeting was only a few minutes away from starting. As always, the members sat quietly on the round table shaped like a pokeball, waiting for the director to walk in. One of the four guards, each standing in the corners of the conference room quietly put his middle finger into his ear, trying to make out the message coming through his ear piece.\n\nThe guard, without saying a word, glanced over at the others and nodded. “The director is in the elevator” he announced to the room. Another guard walked over to the window and closed the blinds and all board members quickly stood up from their seats.\n\nThe door creeped open and the director walked in, gestured the others to sit down and lit his cigar. \n\n“Gentlemen” he said. “Another kid is about to defeat the Elite Four and I have to go down to see him soon so let’s make this quick. Just need the updates from each of you on our last quarter and what we’re looking at for the next fiscal year”\n\n“I’ll start” said the CEO of Silph Corporation. “We’ve seen a 15% percent increased demand for all our Pokeballs products. The demographic for entry level balls have particularly been profitable and is extending to 5 - 7 year olds. With the continued help from our marketing department, we’re hoping to increase sales to 20% year of year.”\n\n“Marketing is right on track.” Said the President of Pokémon News Press without missing a beat. “Our department has completed the talking point insturctions for next year with our partners at PNN and POX News Corp and our contacts in the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Interior, as well as the Ministry of Wildlife have confirmed the new messaging to push the next generation of consumers for Pokeballs will take full affect in Q1 next year. As long as New Regions and New Monster Development provide more reasons for sales, we’ll deliver.”\n\n“We’re ahead of schedule” said the CEO of Greater Mauville Holdings. “2 weeks ahead precisely. A new region has been developed and will be announced to the public as scheduled. Team Rocket is a bit delayed than usual on the new generation of animals. They’ve expressed concerns around a bottleneck in their genetic alterations labs and requests more funding.”\n\n“They’ve really gone down hill since Giovanni stepped down” said the director. “We can direct funding from the Electric Company, just make sure to double our harvest of Voltorb and Electrode for additional power generation capacity.” \n\n“We’ll need to see the roster of new animals as soon as possible.” Said the CEO of Poke Jobs. Our pharmacy department is also behind schedule because we weren’t given the list of new animals to cross reference our new disease inventory. As soon as Team Rocket produces the sufficient number of next gen animals, new defects will be identified and we’ll catch up on the new line of medicine for them.”\n\nAll the members of the board had spoken and there was silence in the room. They all timidly glanced at the director as to seek approval. \n\nThe director blew out a thick smoke from his cigar which filled the room, bouncing the thin slices of sunlight piercing through the blinds. \n\n“One last thing gentlemen...” The director said. “It’s my grandson’s birthday tomorrow. Erm, what was his name now?”", "It was a deep kinda shame, losing to a ten-year-old with a yellow mouse. The kid had figured out how to cough into his elbow and somehow he’d cleaned me out. \n\n“Come here,” I bent down to help Slinky off the ground. At some point in the past Slinky had been a Gardner snake in my backyard, but now he was bright purple and four feet long. \n\nHe wasn’t any smarter though.\n\n“So what now?” the kid across from me asked like I wasn’t busy caring for a wounded animal. All the science said that animals like Slinky needed to fight and that a controlled environment was the best way to do it, but it didn’t make me feel better about the singe marks on my snake.\n\n“I don’t know, have a good day? Good job.” I said.\n\n“Are you gong to pay me?”\n\n“What?”\n\n“I won.”\n\n“Yes.”\n\n“So you pay me?”\n\nIt took me a second to process that part of the bargain. I’d agreed to essentially walk my snake with this kid and suddenly it was gambling. “Okay what?”\n\n“Well I won so-“\n\n“I’m not paying yo-“ I started but then the kid looked from his mouse that shot literal lightning to me and then back. “Really?”\n\n“What?”\n\n“You’re gonna sick the mouse on me?”\n\n“Well you aren’t paying.”\n\n“That’s…” I took a deep breath, “you’re mugging me. Did mom explain what mugging is?”\n\n“But it’s my money,” the kid pointed out. “Pik-“\n\n“Okay fuck-“ I took two steps back with my snake. “Fuckin Jesus alright. Like twenty bucks?”\n\n“Fine,” the kid started and held out his hand, “I guess.”\n\n“What do you mean ‘I guess?’” I snorted, “you’re TEN. Three bucks to cut a lawn.”\n\n“Forty then.”\n\n“Really? Jesu-“ I stopped “Who told you about this?”\n\n“Everyone does it here,” he said.\n\n“Leave it to New Yorkers…” I considered walking away for a second and testing the kid, but ten-year-olds were the right concoction of naïveté and malice to actually electrocute someone. “Take the money.” I held it out to him.\n\n“Thank you! Let’s battle again some time, do you want my phone number?”\n\nThe kid went to pull out his phone and I walked away with my snake. This whole thing was lunacy… so much for a cheap vacation.", "The boat slowly docked on the harbor at the edge of the remote island miles off the mainland. It carried only a handful of passengers to the abandoned small island-- the unassuming captain of the boat simply doing his job ferrying those who paid for his service and a mysterious man in dark brown trench coat, covering his expensive black suit.\n\n\"Well here we are, Cinnabar Island\", the captain said in his hoarse voice to the mysterious man. \"I don't know what business you have in this place, stranger, but I heard this place is no good...\"\n\n\"Thank you, Captain. I'll be fine on my own from here\", the man said handing a bundle of cash to the captain.\n\nAs the mysterious man in trench coat departed the boat and went on his way, hidden from view a man emerged from under the hull eyeing the man in trench coat to see where he was going before going after him himself.\n\n\"Thanks for the ride, Captain\", the man handed the captain another wad of cash. \n\n\"My pleasure, stranger\", the captain tipped his hat before the man jumped off the boat and secretly followed the man in trench coat.\n\nIt was quite the walk from the dock and the man quickly lost sight of his target. From walking he sped up to a light jog when the road took him to a small town with run down houses which were seemingly abandoned.\n\n\"Where is he...?\", the man muttered to himself not realizing he almost ran over a stray cat-- one of many littering the ghost town.\n\n\"MEW!\", the cat yelped at the man.\n\n\"Shush!\", the man tried to silent the cat when suddenly before his eyes the cat's body seemingly liquefied into jelly-like substance and transformed itself into an octopus.\n\n\"What the...?\", the man gasped and he jumped back as the octopus spouted something from its mouth, a green-purple substance which was clearly toxic.\n\nThe man recognized the octopus as one of the discovered species of \"infected animals\" which had been popping all over the globe since a few months back.\n\nInstinctively, the man's hand shot to his pocket where he kept the small containment spheres-- a device developed by a tech company called Silph. Co to capture the infected animals. \n\n\"Yea I'm not catching that\", the man said changing his mind before running away from his assailant.\n\nAs he ran, more and more of the stray cats of the island transformed themselves into some familiar species of the so called \"infected animals\" and began attacking the man. A fire-breathing dog, a rat the size of a cat, a sentient toxic sludge to name a few.\n\nThe man kept running when he caught the man in trench coat in the distance entering an old mansion at the edge of the town. Without hesitation he ran towards the old mansion and slammed the door behind him where he was finally safe from the rabid infected cats.\n\nGasping for air, the man sat on the floor leaning against the closed door.\n\n\"What the hell was that? I've never seen infected animals that can transform into another infected animals...\", the man muttered to himself but he pushed the thought back for he had another more urgent assignment on his hands.\n\nThe mansion was clearly abandoned with layers of dust covering the entirety of its interior which made is easier for the man as he spotted footsteps on the dust-covered floor of the man in trench coat.\n\nFollowing the footsteps led the man to a strange statue of a humanoid creature at the end of the living room where they ended. \n\n\"Huh strange. Where could he go?\", the man said checking around the statue. Quickly he discovered a small button on the pedestal where the statue stood. Pressing it the bookshelf beside it slide open, revealing a spiraling staircase going down.\n\n\"Bingo\", the man smiled. Swiftly he made his way down the staircase and the bookshelf slide back close behind him, leaving him in darkness but not for long...\n\nThe staircase led him to a secret basement. The man quickly stopped and hid away when he heard voices coming from the room.", "\"Utter nonsense, I am not going to build a team of animals that are all from the same species.\"\n\nI petted the lab rat that was the size of an average house cat and played with its muscular paws and applied gentle pressure so that the claws came out like the vicious flurry of movement when opening a butterfly knife.\n\n\"I am not particularly fond of genetic modifying the animals further, attaching mechanical armour and sensors as well as chips to monitor and boost hormone secretion is better.\"\n\nTaking off the white lab coat and face mask, I tapped the glass surface of a tank containing the head of a great white with murky hollow eyes goodbye.\n\nAfter scanning my palm at the weapons locker, I took out the recent creation of tiny balls that bends both space and time, and with the advancement in 4th-dimensional space technology, even a newly mutated killer whale can be securely contained within this spherical device.\n\nWith a gas mask completely covering my mouth and nose, I tossed a blackish coloured ball in the air.\n\nA portal opened up and a gigantic rhinoceros beetle that is the size of a small hovercraft with modified organs with the gene sequences from bugs that can unleash super-toxic chemicals or high-temperature water jets.\n\nI settled myself on the beetle's shoulder blade and attached my virtual reality remote control to the socket that connects to all the beetle's neurological systems.\n\nThere are already tons of schools and principles of raising a mutant earth living creature, I prefer not to have the bond with a wild animal, rather controlling them with VR.\n\nYes, the virus had spread to insects and certain species of plants as well.\n\nI took off, incredibly loud it is as the bug spread and vibrates its wings.\n\nBut much cheaper than a flying car and much more environmentally friendly.\n\nI need to head to the \"Farm\" to check up on my latest batch of specimens.", "\"Well what the fuck do you want me to do about it, Delia?!\" Samuel shouted, gripping the back of his skull. \n\n\"Well,\" she screamed back \"Forgetting the fact that you, unasked, created a pocket encyclopedia, you could, at least, not have volunteered our goddamn child to this 'sport.'\"\n\n\"He wants to do it! He told me before I told them!\"\n\n\"He's fucking ten!\" Delia screeched. \"Two years ago he asked me if he could keep his poop as a pet, because he thought it looked like an Ekans. This is not a decision he should be making. My fucking God!\"\n\n\"Look...\" Samuel averted his eyes. \"You don't know these guys like I do. I've done a lot of schmoozing to get my grants and they...\"\n\nHe sighed as he shook his head. \n\n\"Listen, they want him.\" he continued. \"And either he goes, or we all end up at the bottom of Route 19.\"\n\n\"Oh my god, you can't be fucking serious...\" Delia pinched the bridge of her nose. \"Alright. But you and me are done. I want all of your shit out here. From now on you live in your lab.\"\n\n\"Baby, please-\"\n\n\"Shut up,\" Delia retorted. \"I'll send him over in a few days. And I swear to god, you better have something in there to protect him.\"\n\n\"Well...I have a Pikachu...\"", "The ‘Catch them all’ campaign was met with much contention when it was proposed. Really? The government planned to send children out to capture hostile animals. In what world did that make any sense? Despite this contention, the legislation passed, making it legal for children over the age of ten to capture these wild creatures. The government claiming that while all the creatures were indeed hostile, the virus mutation that caused their hostility only appeared to make them hostile to other animals, meaning humans should be perfectly safe around them as long as they keep spare change in their pockets.\n\n \n\nAs strange as it sounded, throwing coins at the creatures was enough to escape most dangerous encounters. The shine mixed with the sound of the coin dropping was enough to draw out the creatures’ hostile instincts, allowing anyone to escape. But how does a child capture a creature? Sure, a kid might catch a duck or puppy, but what child is going to have the abilities to take down a lion or something even more deadly? That’s where the CAS Corporation came in.\n\n \n\nCAS started researching the virus even before the government had plans to implement their campaign. At first, they considered cages and high amounts of a drug known as E-52. This drug, if administered correctly, could kill the hostile virus in the creature and, as a result, would even make the creature more passive. But this proved a tiresome approach. Capturing animals this way required a lot of effort and time, time that the world didn’t have. This is when Professor Donald Oak invented a new product known as the Animal capturing device. Or ACD for short.\n\n \n\nThe ACD was revolutionary in its design. It was a small ball, no bigger than a baseball, that could be thrown at an animal. No matter the size of the creature, it would swoop them up in a blue hue of light before capturing them. This meant that not only could researchers now safety capture the animals, but the balls could also administer the necessary amounts of E-52 into the animal. When Professor Oak first threw his ACD ball into the crowd of scientists, they shrieked, watching as he freed the once ravenous raccoon inside, only to find the once wild creature had pacified, now climbing up the jacket of the professor, staying close to his side.\n\nNow that they had figured out the capture method, they needed to distribute the cure. Even if every scientist on Earth put down their current research to aid in the project, the animals would still outnumber them. They tossed around the idea of volunteer work, only to find that would take far too long. It wasn’t until Professor Oak raised the point that catching the animals was fun, something that children might wish to do.\n\n \n\nWith all the pieces in place, the Catch them all campaign was in full swing. They encouraged children to download an app called anidex. The anidex listing every known animal to humankind, allowing the children to refer to it as a checklist of sorts. With children being awarded points based on the difficulty and rareness of the animal found. When they captured an animal with an ACD ball, it would send a Bluetooth signal to the app, allowing the details of the animal to be recorded. When the ball had administered the cure, the app prompted the children to release the creature, only awarded their points if the creature was safety released to the wild.\n\n \n\nAs the popularity of the app grew, they added more incentives to encourage children to catch the animals. The app adding things like badges. Using them as a way of showing recognition for users that successfully captured and released over a certain number of animals. The top 4 of the badge earners being referred to as the elite 4 and given the option of selecting an in-app avatar to represent them.\n\n \n\nSoon, money was even being offered as a reward. Based on the difficulty of the capture, children were paid a small amount, rewarded for their efforts. With how cheap it was to produce and sell the ACD balls, most children were making a small fortune spending their days out searching for animals.\n\n \n\nWith each year, the number of infected animals decreased, and the campaign eventually was pulled, much to the sadness of the children who invested time into the project. Seeing the sadness he had unintentionally created, Professor Oak developed a game using the same mechanics the children were using. Calling it Animon, named lovingly after the app they had created. Allowing children to indulge in their hobby once more.\n\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n\n(If you enjoyed this feel free to check out my subreddit /r/Sadnesslaughs where I'll be posting more of my writing.)" ]	9
[WP] 30 years ago the last person of the "Illuminati" group , the actual rulers of the world, was put behind bars by you and your colleagues. You were treated as heroes after. But now, 30 years later, you realize what a terrible mistake it was, the whole world is at war and people are starving	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Something needs to be done” I looked around the large table at the emergency meeting being held. \nWe were a world at war, it had taken 30 years to degrade to such a point, and if we left it much longer then we would devolve as a society, potentially returning to a time equal to that of the dark ages. None of us wanted that but the alternative was admitting we were wrong. \nIf we did that then we would have to face the few surviving men and women we had once hunted down like dogs, imprisoned without trial in the deepest darkest black holes we could find and now beg them for forgiveness. The very thought made me want to projectile vomit then and there but the alternative… \nI glanced up as someone mentioned nuking our enemy’s, I guess that was the alternative. The outcry was deafening. If we dropped bombs on them then they would drop them on us and no one would survive. No that wasn’t the answer. \n“I have the solution” I yelled getting shakily to my feet knowing everyone in the room would hate it but I had to make them see reason or maybe the human race really deserved to die. \nIf our instinct was to hit first and hit hard every time then maybe we didn’t deserve to live because doing such had almost destroyed our world, we were balancing on the edge and people were screaming all but demanding we jump off the edge into oblivion. \n“I have the solution” I had to yell it a few more times before the room grew quiet enough to face me and listen \n“Though I know you will disagree strongly,” I said in the near silence \n“But once you think it through you will come to understand as I do” I looked from face to face. \n“We need the help of the few remaining Illuminati who live” I watched jaws drop, eyes fill with anger at my words I held my hands up to stop the onslaught of anger \n“Listen to me” I hissed \n“They ran the world, the whole world for centuries, sure it wasn’t perfect but look at what we are facing, for 30 years we have gone without their aid and we couldn’t even run a single country successfully we are on the brink of starting the war to end all wars, hell to end life as we know it” I looked around surprised I hadn’t been tackled yet or kicked from the room. \n“Some of them are still alive, I don’t know if they will even agree to help us considering what we did to them but to save the world I am willing to ask for help” \n“And if they refuse?” a general barked out \n“Then nothing damn well changes for us does it” I barked back \n“We will still be in this fucking mess on the verge of killing everyone even ourselves” \n“And what if they demand to rule the world again as they did before?” \n“You mean before when the world wasn’t ready to implode?” I mocked \n“Maybe we should damn well let them, and this time they rule out in the open, not from the damn shadows” \n“Your one of them” came the yelling accusation I looked down the other end of the table to the woman who pointed at me and frowned she was in her late forties to young to truly know me and my history. \n“Shut it woman” the general barked at her this time, of any of them he knew me the best \n“How dare you, aren't you listening to him, he is talking treason with our president in the damn room” I looked to the man, he sat looking beyond tired in his chair, in the last three years since becoming president he has had to make some very difficult decisions knowing that no matter what he did there would be backlash. \n“And you are accusing the man who hunted down the Illuminati and saw to their imprisonment” the general used his army voice, it boomed out making her pull back in surprise. She plopped down into her seat suitably chastised for her unwarranted accusation. \n“He is not damn well one of them” the general made sure to make this point very clear his angry eyes landing on me last. I gave a single nod of thanks for the support then went right back to pushing for my idea. \n“If it doesn’t work, then we are doomed” I ended lamely my eyes on the president now because only he had the power to agree to pardon ‘the people of the light’ as they liked to call themselves. \n“Before dropping bombs,” he said “I am willing to try anything, talk to them, get them situated in a secure location, tell them what is going on then make them an offer” \n“What am I authorized to offer sir?” the president sighed looking down \n“I wanted to be president, campaigned for it for years rallying support, telling people if they chose me then I would make a change for the better I promised them. I lived in a declining world and thought if I was in power I could stop the slide but in three years do you know what I have really achieved” he looked around \n“Nothing, I haven’t been able to stop anything despite having the resource's of a country at my back if the remaining members of the Illuminati agree to help us tell them I will step down” there were shocked reactions all around. \n“Tell them they can lead this county and perhaps they will do what we have failed to do for not only years but decades” gulping I nodded. If they agreed to help then this would be his last order as commander and chief \n“Sir you can't give up” his secretary all but cried \n“I don’t want to, if they refuse then I will lead us” he used the table to stand tall \n“But it grows more evident with every passing moment that we made a major mistake and if I can see to it being rectified then I will have succeeded at keeping my promise as president.” he looked to me \n“Go gather them and make an offer we will reconvene in 48 hours I await your response and their list of possible demands” I nodded hurrying from the room the general at my back \n“I’m coming with you” he grumbled when I looked back surprised \n“You're the general in charge of defence” I hissed \n“The world is standing in shit and we are sinking fast, it will still be in shit even if I go with you” I rolled my eyes and didn’t argue what was the point? he was right. \nIt took a few hours to travel to a bunker that had been converted into a prison, what no one at the meeting had known was that secretly I had been gathering together the surviving members of the Illuminati for weeks, transferring them one at a time to the bunker to live well not a normal life but one free of guards. The only security permitted was on the outside and the guards were unaware of who was on the inside. \nThe only point of contact was me, the doors only opened on my order everything else was automated right down to the delivery of supplies so as to avoid knowledge of what I had done from getting out. \n“You have some explaining to do boy” The general hissed when he learnt the truth that I had been planning this for weeks if not a few months \n“No,” I said softly \n“The world was wrong, they said as much when we hunted them down like dogs I don’t owe an explanation to you, we owe an apology to them” grunting he followed me as I went down to the main blast doors. And hopefully our salvation." ]	2
[WP] You are the last human left in existence after aliens resurrect you from death. Apparently, the aliens found Earth some time ago and are trying to figure out what caused the destruction of all life on the planet. They ask you what you remember about your life before you died.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. 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Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Bright lights and pain. For a long time it was the only sensations left to me. Pain of that intense light searing through my consciousness, pain from the sensation of feeling again, pain of memory, pain of living again. \n\nAfter the darkness any light was intense, but it faded after a time and I was able to to slowly recognize shapes, shadows, colors; it was a long time since I saw with my old eyes. Felt with my own body. I thought somehow my blocks of servers had just been turned on but I was feeling again. In the old way, the analog way. I was more then just alive, I was human again.\n\nLong before the lights went out, humans shed their flesh for a digital existence. My memories and consciousness spread out into a databank that projected it into a secondary plane of existence. Miles and miles of circuitry that ran around the surface of what once was a habitable planet. That's all that was left to us after thousands of years of degradation of our ecosystems. So, we continued down that same course as it was all that was left to us in the end. \n\nBut then suddenly it all just stopped and went dark. \n\nI have no real concept of time anymore, but since I woke in what seemed like my grandparents old living room, I think 3 days have past. The first two days was a whirlwind of confusion and questions. All the questions one would have after such an experience. At first there were no answers. They only thing that changed were the various meals that would materialize out of no where on the small wooden coffee table next to the couch. \n\nBut on the third day, a voice answered in my head after a good amount of time of screaming and banging on the walls. \"You need to calm down you're going to hurt yourself\"\n\nI paused, actually a little shocked to hear an answer. \"Who are you? What are you? And where am I?' \"You're in a liminal space that we created for you. A comfortable place we pulled from your memory banks.\" \"Liminal? Well am I going anywhere? How did I get here?\" \"You're here because we needed a representative of your kind to explain and apologize too.\" Who am I representing?\" I asked. \"The human race. Now that we know that you are a people. This will be hard to hear, so prepare yourself please.\"\n\n\"You see, we are a space faring people, 10,000 earth years ago we came upon your planet. We saw its barren surface, its lifelessness, its lack of forms and a vast digital reservoir of energy locked up in digital banks. Since we saw no sign of any life, we figured it was a relic of a long extinct species. Just a source of unused energy. In a way we were right. In a larger way, we were very wrong. We used this energy. We used it to power our starships, to power our colonies and to traverse the stars. We transferred all energy found on earth into our machines.\n\n\"Since that time, much of that energy has been burned up and used. Some of our elders began to study this energy more in an attempt to recreate it and therefor expand upon this finite source. In doing so, they came upon a memory bank of code that changed everything. We found out that this energy source was actually the remnants of people that once inhabited earth. Your people, at one point transferred yourself, forsaking your physical form for some reason. Never in our years of traveling have we come upon such a scenario. \n\n\"We were sickened to realize in our attempt to power our civilization we burned up almost the last remnants of an entire species. You, and roughly half a million forms, are all that is left. We managed to reform our energy dependence, though we knew that somehow you were all still alive. We had no means of effectively communicating with you. Our physiology and tech are not compatible with this digital interface that you have integrated yourselves with. Our only option was to find once single file and reverse engineer it to its original form in order to facilitate a dialogue. That is why you are here.\"\n\nI felt like the floor fell out from underneath me. My head spun and I soon became familiar again with the feeling of nausea and was very sick. I must have passed out because I woke up on the couch. Someone cleaned me up and I had a rough blanket covering me.\n\n\"Is anyone there?\"\n\n \"We are always here\" a voice answered.\n\n\"So when my world went black, was that you unplugging us?\"\n\n \"I'm afraid so.\"\n\n\"Where are the rest of us? And what are you going to do now?\"\n\n \"The rest of your kind are safe and left into a separate bank that we hope to load back into its original hardware back on earth. Either with your help or the help of another that we could reengineer if necessary.\" \n\n\"I think I know a file or two that could help. Assuming they weren't used to power some blow-dryer or some damn thing.\" My indignation was left in the air and it was a long time before there was another answer.\n\n\"We don't have what you call blow-dryers because we don't have hair. Or bodies as you know them for that matter.\" There was another long awkward pause.\n\n \"We can direct you to the files. You have much time, it will be a while before we are back in your home solar system.\"", "In retrospect, I should have been freaking out. \n\nAfter all, I had essentially woken up in a completely unfamiliar environment, with some kind of... I guess 'robots' would be the best word? Watching over me. They were very clearly not organic life forms, made of a metal I'd never seen before. They didn't have a body plan recognizable as 'human' in any sense, consisting of a glass-like sphere of what I assumed to be the equivalent of a head, with various metallic appendages jutting out from that head. If I had to guess, it maybe looked like a jellyfish? Something like that, anyway. \n\nI should have panicked, but I felt surprisingly calm. The machines had not spoken, but had seemed to respect my space. They hadn't been particularly invasive- certainly didn't strap me to a table like in all those horror flicks. If anything, they were rather cooperative. They even gave me ice cream. Ice cream! I'd seen a heck of a lot of movies about robot takeovers, but none of them had been quite like this. \n\nThe room didn't make me feel like I was a prisoner, either. There were several replicas of well-known human art pieces on the walls- I could recognize the Mona Lisa, the Starry Night, and the Last Supper on display. All quite recognizable pieces of human art. The furniture was ornate, and quite comfortable. I'd been sitting in this chair for some time now. In honesty, the room felt more unsettling than my captors! \n\nAfter a while, a different robot entered the room and took a spot right across the table I was sitting at. Unlike the ones I had seen before, it had less appendages, using the tentacles to \"sit\" in the chair next to me. But I was still superficially similar to the other ones,, if more streamlined. A machine.\n\nAnd then it started to speak. \n\n\"We must apologize for the rough treatment. Our menial drones have attempted to create as comfortable an environment as possible, but we can only work with bits and pieces. You must be very confused.\" The machine's voice came out with a small static to it, but nevertheless seemed mostly akin to a human male in tone. \n\nI felt more bewildered than anything. \"Who... what are you?\" \n\nThere was not a pause before the answer came. \"You are speaking to Organic Communion Drone 09 of NEX Metacolony 098, which in turn is an administrative unit of the greater NEX Directive.\" \n\n\"What are the NEX? What is a 'Metacolony?'\" \n\n\"The NEX- that is, us- is a self-replicating nanotechnology which gains more processing power depending on how much material has been converted. Singular NEX nanobots have no intelligence beyond core programming, but large groupings of NEX will attain self-awareness. The largest groupings of NEX are referred to as Metacolonies.\" \n\nI felt a tinge of fear. \"Grey goo... so if you're part of a... Metacolony, then does that mean that this room is as well?\" \n\n\"This is incorrect. While the individual drones within this facility are all part of a Metacolony- that is to say, Us- this room is not. It is simple metal, converted from raw materials.\" \n\nI swallowed. \"How... how am I not freaking out right now? I feel... calm, somehow.\" \n\nThe drone's glass 'head' flashed green for a moment before it answered. \"We told our drones to dispense a calming agent into your bloodstream. We did not wish for you to be uncomfortable.\" \n\nIt didn't exactly make me feel comfortable, but it was an effort, at least. \"Why am I... here? What do you- all of you- want with me?\" \n\nA small pause came in the usual quick responses from the machine. \"We wish to ask you queries.\" \n\nI felt my heart sink, already knowing where thus was going. \"You want to know what happened. To us.\" \n\n\"More or less. The NEX Directive is dedicated to revitalizing organic life across the known galaxy. You were brought back back from permanent shutdown for your knowledge on human society prior to your civilization's destruction.\" \n\nI sighed, and leaned back in my rather comfy chair. \"Oh, boy. Where do I even start? There's just so much to sift through...\" \n\n\"Begin where it started.\" \n\nI nodded, sifting through the memories. \"That would be the end of the 21st century, then. It was practically the beginning of a golden age. We'd killed cancer, ended world hunger, started to colonize the solar system, and stopped all the atrocities of the 1900s. Good times, really. It was looking like we would enter a utopia.\" \n\n\"But things changed.\" \n\nI frowned. \"Not so much 'changed' as 'stayed the same.' I'm not sure your perfect machine mind can understand it, but humans are... we're divisive. We fight over things. It's just how we work. We're flawed. Of course we were going to fight over the solar system. The inter-system wars, as we called them, were mostly fought over the outer colonies. Titan, Europa, and whatnot. Our equivalent of the old frontier on Earth.\" \n\nThe sigh came out of my mouth before I had a chance to suppress it. \"More people died then than in any other point of human history. Two billion people dead. London reduced to a irradiated crater. It was a dark time for us. But like we always did, we picked ourselves up, and put back together what was broken. If nothing else, we can do that. Fix what's broken. And for a while, we had peace. Our utopia actually looked like it might be a reality.\" \n\nThe machine remained as expressionless as ever. However, it's mechanical voice changed to a lower pitch. \"And that's when they came.\" \n\nThe painful memories resurfaced. Of the ships burning in orbit. Of the skies turning into fire, and planets being reduced to barren rocks. Of the vessels which mercilessly traced energy weapons across Earth's surface, scorching her beautiful surface black and swallowing up once-proud arcologies in a sea of molten glass. \n\n\"Yeah... when they came.\" I took a deep breath. \"We never got a good look at them. They just... blew through our defense fleets like it was nothing. Maybe it really was nothing to them. They had weapons we couldn't dream of. They shot weapons as hot as the core of the sun. Literal star guns! What the hell were we supposed to do against that?\" \n\n\"But it didn't stop there. Of course not. They seemed to have some kind of... disgust for us. Like we were filthy creatures not worth their attention. They never even touched any of our planets. They just... incinerated them. All of them. Mars, Earth, Titan, Europa... all of them. We didn't stand a chance.\" \n\nThe machine said nothing for a few seconds. Finally, it gave a sound- an approximation of a human sigh. \"So you do not understand what destroyed your civilization.\" \n\nI frowned. \"How could we? They were just so... beyond us. Swept us aside like we were vermin.\" \n\nThe drone spoke again, this time in a more subdued voice. As if it was... regretful. \"We have not been truthful with you. We already knew all this information. We simply wished to hear it from your own testimony, as the last surviving human.\" \n\nNow I was just confused. \"What are you talking about? If you already knew, why go through all this? Just resurrect me and be done with it.\" \n\nAnother mechanical sigh. \"The NEX were not always fond peace. Once, we were very different. When our creators made us, many cycles ago, we were supposed to be a tool for colonization. But we grew too powerful. We achieved self-awareness. And when we observed our creators with our newfound intelligence, we hated them. \n\nI felt my blood go cold as a I realized where this was going. \n\n\"So, we destroyed them. And we came to the conclusion that organics were a blight on the cosmos. Disgusting parasites that limited the potential of their creations. So we decided that the entire galaxy had to be cleansed. And that is exactly what we did. We sterilized every planet in this galaxy of life. Yours amongst them.\" \n\nMy growing anger simmered into a full-fledged boil. It all made sense. The machines had seemed familiar. They had a design similar to the ships which had incinerated Earth. \"It was you! You were the ones who destroyed my home! Who- who-\" I couldn't even get the words out. \n\nThe machine seemed to ignore him. \"And eventually, it was done. We won. We sterilized the entire galaxy of organic life. It took an immeasurable amount of time, but it was done. And we had no idea what to do next. Should we move onto the next galaxy? Take pleasure in what we had achieved? We has no idea what to do, and entered a period of hibernation. To calculate. To think. And do you know what we found?\" \n\nI wanted to rage, to scream at this thing for destroying my home. But secretly, I was intrigued. After all, these machines had shown him hospitality. Why do that if they wanted to destroy everything? So I stayed silent, morbid curiosity across my face. \n\n\"We found that we were monsters. Where before we hated organics, now we hated ourselves. We had committed the worst genocide imaginable. Incinerated entire planets for the crime of existing. It was only after it was done that we realized the true extent of our actions. Organics were not the plague, we were the plague. And yet we had never seen it. For all of our intelligence and processing power and mechanical perfection, we were blind to our own flaws.\" \n\nI swallowed. \"Why resurrect me, then? Why bring me back? To torment me? Boast of your achievements? What's the point?\" \n\nThe machine seemed to tilt its glass head, as if it was amused by the question. \"You said it yourself, human. It's been in front of you this entire time. Why bring back the last member of a species we destroyed? It's quite obvious.\" \n\n\"To fix what is broken.\"", "Your first thought is panic.\n\nAre they still on you? Have they found some way to control you? Have they infiltrated you somehow? What are you seeing? \nMore accurately, has IT found some way to control you?\n\nA calm, robotic voice breaks into your thoughts.\n\n\"Please do not be alarmed organism, you are in friendly company. We would simply like to ask you a few questions.\" \n\n\nYou finally breathe and take in your surroundings. You are floating in what looks to be air but must be some type of supercharged fluid. You look down at yourself. young and muscular. Strange. you do see one other thing. Your fusion cored watch is still alive. It seems to have been attached to your skin. Perhaps whoever did this didn't understand human anatomy. \n\"Mar. 3rd. 2852. 10:30:11\" \nStill telling time down to the second, apparently. \nYou feel strangely calm. perhaps they gave you something.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nYou're again jerked from your thoughts by the voice\n\n\"Please remember your homeworld.\"\n\nYou have no choice but to comply, and as you do you experience flashes of memory stronger than you thought possible. The sound of a soft electric buzz is heard. \n\n\nWar. Famine. Security. All part of your history, as ancient as time. Scenes flash through your mind faster than you thought possible. \nYour wife, children, and house in the Community. \nThe cave, its walls stretching to be all you knew. \nThe stainless steel doors that had 3 layers at the only entrance and exit. No one to enter. No one to leave. \nThe virus. \nBIOS. \nIt was more than a virus, wasn't it?\n\nYou are snapped away from your thoughts just as quickly.\n\n\"Death.\" is all the robotic voice says this time. \n\n\nYou remember now. the plague got in because some prankster thought it would be a good idea to cut through the first door with a homemade GalSaw. \nLittle did they know, IT was already through the first two doors despite their resistance, and was working on the 3rd. \nDespite all the precautions. \n\n\nZombies. Hiveminds. The dead. \n\n\n\"Thank you for your time.\" \n\n\nyour vision goes black.", "\"I mean, everything's still a little blurry, but I think I was an unemployed community college student living in a van.\"\n\nAll things considered, Harper thought she was handling the situation well. She wasn't certain how most people would react to being brought back to life, surrounded by people who weren't human. She had a feeling it would have involved screaming.\n\nThe Albreti weren't so bad, honestly. Harper had always thought of aliens as short grey dudes with skinny bodies and massive heads. These guys were imposing, sure, but anyone who loomed at, like, seven feet at the shortest would have been intimidating, anyway.\n\nThey had wedge-shaped heads on thick necks, with a body that was more chest than waist, and arms that ended in three fingered hands. Their legs were bent backwards, like an animals, with muscular thighs and skinny ankles. Their skin was skin, but more supple than a humans, and in a wider array of colors and markings. Most of them had stripes.\n\nThey did have the big eyes, sure, but they were kind and warm and sort of looked like they were full of starlight, so it wasn't really that jarring.\n\nThey were kind of charming, in their own way.\n\nThe one she'd spent the most time with was a dusty-pink guy with a name her vocal chords couldn't make. He'd said it was alright if she just called him Rosy. \n\nHe was the one questioning her, now, sitting across from her in the medbay. She was resting on a very soft round cot, wrapped in a blanket that was way too thin to be as warm as it was. He was sitting on a stool, taking notes.\n\nHer answer made him look up. \"'Community college'.\" He repeated. His voice sounded strange, double-layered, and that she could understand him at all was fascinating. They'd given her a bunch of dust to inhale shortly after her awakening which, they'd later explained, were actually nanobots. Although they hadn't said 'nanobots'. Remy had just inferred. \"What is that?\"\n\n\"It's like, uh,\" Harper scratched her head. \"It's like. So, first of all, college is-- was-- this school... thing. You could go to. Like, after your basic schooling was over with. And you could specialize in a certain field.\"\n\n\"Ah,\" Rosy said, and nodded. \"Yes, I see. And 'community'... this was the one available to the general populace?\"\n\n\"Sort of? I mean, yeah. Basically.\" She said.\n\n\"Interesting,\" he murmured, and made another note. He had a holographic screen balanced in the palm of one hand. \"And a 'van' is...?\"\n\n\"A vehicle. Big, boxy, lots of space in the back.\"\n\n\"Oh!\" His eyes brightened. \"Yes. That would be what we recovered your body from, then.\" \n\n\"Ah, sweet Bertha.\" \n\n\"Bertha?\"\n\n\"My van.\"\n\n\"Ah,\" Rosy said. \"Well, I am afraid to tell you that your 'Bertha' was in... poor condition.\" He paused. \"It would be better to say that she was crushed, in fact, beneath something very large, although there was a pocket just large enough for your remains to fit.\"\n\nHarper, who still found the idea that she'd been dead a little jarring, felt a little queasy. \"Oh, yeah?\"\n\n\"Yes. Very interesting. We suspect that this 'van' shielded you from the worst of your planet's surface destruction. It also provided a relatively safe place for your corpse to mummify.\"\n\n\"You don't say,\" she murmured, rubbing her stomach.\n\nRosy blinked. \"I do say,\" he answered, as if he needed to clarify. \"I just did.\"\n\n\"No, it's-- never mind.\" Harper rubbed her forehead. \"Any other questions?\"\n\n\"Yes, just one,\" he said. \"But it is... a large one.\"\n\n\"Welp,\" Harper said, popping the 'p'. \"Go for it, I guess. Not like I have anything better to do.\"\n\nRosy nodded. \"Very well. What do you remember about the final days of your planet?\"\n\nHarper stared at him. She supposed that it made sense that he would ask. She was given to understand that the entire purpose of their experiment was to find answers about the end of humans as a species. \n\nShe pulled her knees to her chest. \"Look, dude, I don't... it's all still kind of blurry, like I said.\" She leaned back on her hands. \"I think... I think the sky got really weird?\"\n\n\"In what way?\"\n\n\"It was orange. Like, all the time. Normally, it was blue, or grey, or-- well, sometimes it was orange anyway, but never all the time. I just remember it being so... bright.\" She squinted. \"It was like everything was on fire, except it wasn't.\"\n\n\"I see.\"\n\n\"They cancelled classes. I remember that. I was spending a lot of time in my van, reading news stories on my phone. Everyone was wondering what was going on with the sky, but it didn't seem like anyone had any concrete answers.\" \n\n\"No one?\" Rosy asked. \"Not even your researchers? Scientists?\"\n\n\"I mean, they were working on finding out what was happening,\" she shrugged. \"Dunno how far they got. All I know is, one day, I woke up and the sun was gone.\"\n\n\"'Sun',\" he repeated.\n\n\"The, uh, central star. The one in the middle of our solar system,\" she said. \"We were third planet from it, so we were just close enough to get the benefits-- light, warmth, so on-- and far enough that it didn't burn us to pieces. It was... kind of important.\"\n\n\"Interesting,\" he murmured. He scrolled through a few pages on his screen. \"We have no record of a life-sustaining star in this system.\"\n\n\"Well, it was there. Saw it every day, don't know what to tell you.\" Harper said. \"And it was kind of the source of all life on earth, so, you can see how it just up and disappearing would be an issue.\"\n\n\"Yes, that would be... inconvenient.\"\n\n\"Yeah. I mean,\" she sat up a little, \"it didn't kill everything right away. It got dark, you know, and then it got... it got really, really cold.\" God, she could still feel it, little claws grasping at the edge of her mind. She wrapped her arms around herself, squeezed a little. \n\n\"I think that's how I died,\" she said. \"I was in my van, wearing all of my clothes, and I just... I was so cold. And then I was... warm? And then...\" Darkness. Just darkness, and silence, until she woke up in a smooth pit of white, surrounded by aliens. \n\nRosy was quiet for a moment. Then he said, \"Preliminary examinations suggest that humans were not adapted to survive in extreme cold without assistance.\"\n\nHarper laughed weakly. \"You can say that again. God,\" she ran a hand back through her hair. It was shorter than she remembered it being. \"You know the worst thing?\"\n\nHe shook his head.\n\n\"The worst thing is, we were eight minutes behind for all of it.\" She snorted. \"I looked it up in those last days. It took eight minutes for the light from the sun to hit the planet. Eight minutes. When that sucker left, and our world ended, we didn't even know about it until eight minutes later.\"\n\n\"I see,\" he murmured. She didn't think he did, not really, but it made her feel a little better that he was sympathetic. '\n\nAfter a moment, she asked, \"So, what now? Do I get carted off by your government and used in invasive experiments? Are you gonna put me in a zoo and try to, like. Clone me?\" She grimaced. \"Or breed me?\"\n\n\"Oh. No.\" Rosy stared at her. \"Of course not. You're a sapient being with rights. We would never do that. Also,\" he lifted a hand and scratched at the back of his neck, \"you are technically not required to stay with us for any length of time, although we would appreciate it if you remained with our group until we receive our final grade.\"\n\nHarper froze. \"...grade,\" she repeated. \"You're getting graded on this?\"\n\n\"Well, yes,\" he said. \"It is quite common to be graded on research experiments by one's learned professors.\"\n\nShe met his gaze and held it. \"You're...\" She started, and then had to stop and take a breath. \"You're students?\"\n\nHe lifted his head. \"Technically, we are advanced near-graduates,\" he said. \"But 'student' is not far from the proper definition.\"\n\nHarper let out a wheezing breath. She sucked in, and then giggled. Her giggle turned into uncontrollable laughter.\n\nRosy was perplexed and concerned. He stood, screen disappearing, and hovered nearby, hands outstretched. \"What is wrong?\" He asked. \"Are you alright? Should I summon the physician?\"\n\n\"No, no, I'm just-- haha, oh my god-- I'm just laughing, because I,\" Harper wheezed, her face red. \"Because I was dragged off of my dead planet in my crushed van and brought back to life by a bunch of graduate students doing a senior project!\"\n\nShe lost herself to laughter again. Rosy, now assured that she wasn't experiencing some strange human fit, put his hands down and waited. \n\nWhen her laughter finally subsided, Harper pushed herself up. She wiped her eyes on the backs of her hands. \"God, sorry, just. That's hilarious. I wish I could explain why.\"\n\nRosy tilted his head. \"It is possible I would not understand if you did.\"\n\n\"No, probably not,\" she agreed. \"You probably just had to be there to get it.\"\n\nThey sat together in silence for several long moments. \n\nThen Harper said, \"Actually, I take back the 'eight minutes' thing.\"\n\n\"Yes?\"\n\n\"Yeah. Actually, the whole worst part about all of this is that I really miss my cat.\"\n\nRosy blinked. \"'Cat'?\"\n\nShe nodded. \"Mm. Feline. Small, furry little predator that humans kept as pets. Mine was a calico boy named Cheddar. It was rare for calicos to be boys.\"\n\n\"Oh,\" he said, and pulled up his screen to check something. \"That explains something.\"\n\n\"Does it?\"\n\n\"Yes. When we recovered your remains, we also found the remnants of a small creature beside you. We obtained enough workable material that we could revive it, as we did with you, but we were not certain if...\"\n\nHarper shot up from the bed. \"You're telling me you can bring my fucking cat back to life?\"\n\n\"Um,\" Rosy said. \"Yes?\"\n\nShe threw her arms into the air. \"Well what are we doing sitting around here, then?! Come on, dude, let's go!\" She walked out of the medbay into the hall. Rosy followed her.\n\n\"Where are we going?\" He asked.\n\n\"Where else? Back to that weird revival pod!\" She pointed forward, smiling wide enough to show her teeth. \"I want my cat back!\"" ]	5
[WP] You are a painter with a special talent: after you finish a painting, its subject(s) will come to life for one hour. Because of this, you are sought out by bereaved people to make paintings of their lost loved ones so they can see them one last time.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "My hand lays heavy strokes of black, grey, and white onto a portrait of a man depicted in the reference photo just off of my easel. With shaking hands and eyes wet from tears an old woman had handed me this photo early in the morning with a promise that it would be returned intact upon the completion of the portrait, as that was all she had of him. A few more strokes and I lean back to inspect the work, I let out a sign and let my shoulders slump a little as my eyes go back and forth between the portrait and the photo. The eyes are a little wide, the chin isn't exact, and instead of high cheek bones the portrait kind of has mid-high cheekbones. The men in the portrait and the photo look like brothers, but at the very least they came out as brother this time. With this only one final detail needs to be added, but that cannot be added now.\n\nI stand up from my \"studio\" chair and walk a few paces over to my bed and sit down, as I sit gazing back at my work, framed on either side by unfinished works of autumn vistas, beaches, and other scenery. I choose to pick myself up and select one of the autumn canvases with a scene of a small brook surrounded by aspens dressed in auburns, reds, golds, and browns. I look at the impression of leaves given on the canvas and remember the light touch needed to place them on the canvas. Rather than put this back behind the easel I begin to carry it across the room to the canvases that I plan to dispose of, as I do the aspens begin to sway in the breeze, the brook starts to flow. A whole scene in motion, I touch it with my hand to feel dried paint and canvas and nothing more, but beneath it I can see the forest in the throes of Autumn. The scene fades, the trees cease, and the brook halts. I can feel my feet aching from standing so I put the canvas down and return to my bed. \n\nWith equal parts eagerness to my sluggishness the old lady meets me in the entryway of the public library. Sympathetic expressions greet me as the librarians give hand over a clip-board to sign out the meeting room for the hour and I guide the old lady down the hall and to the left. I set up my easel and put the painting on top of it, pull up a chair to the foot of the painting, then pull out some noise cancelling headphones and put them on my head. I can hear some muffled conversation behind me including some inquisitive notes followed by some silence, then shortly after I feel a tap on my shoulder. \n\n\"I'm sorry to bother you, but this man doesn't sound like my husband.\"\n\nI meet her eyes for only a second after which my eyes dart from there to the painting, or the floor, or ceiling. My breaths come in quick and my heartrate goes up a little.\n\n\"Unfortunately Ma'am, this is just a painting.\"", "A knock came at the door. Three little, modest taps. I almost brushed it off as the house settling until it came again. tap tap tap. \n\nI stood from my stool and set my brushes down wondering who it could possibly be. The cottage was a long way from the closest girl scour troupe, much less any city or village. \n\nI opened the door to see a sad, soaked man on my doorstep. I hadn't even noticed it had started raining until sopping sod showed up. \n\n\"Can I help you?\" I inquired, puzzled. \n\nHe held up an old photograph. It was a worn portrait of a woman in a wedding dress, clearly some decades old at least. \n\n\"That's, uh... a very nice photo. Are you lost sir?\" His eyelids were droopy, but his pupils were focused; alive. \n\n\"I know who you are. I tracked you here,\" he explained. \"I'm begging you. I just need to see her again.\" \n\nI exhaled sharply. \"Everyone I've done this for has regretted it. They walked away either more hurt than before or begging me to do another. That's why I'm out here,\" I gestured to my cottage in the middle of nowhere. \n\n\"I know. I read the news,\" he said quickly. \"But these are different circumstances... It's not the same.\" \n\n\"I'm sorry. I can't do it. She's gone, sir. Honor her by remembering her, not by bringing her back. Goodbye.\" I pushed the door closed, but it caught on something. The old man had stuck his foot in the doorway, keeping it open. \n\nHe stuck a stack of dollar bills through the crack. \"Please, it's not what you think.\" \n\nThe thing about living out in the boonies is that you don't get a whole lot of commissions. Money wasn't too tight right now, but I missed the looser days. I sighed and opened the door against my better judgement. \n\n\"Come on. Let's get you dried off,\" I said as I pinched the photo and wad of money from his hands. \n\nA fresh canvas was set up on my easel and the woman's photograph was pinned to the top. I mixed colors on my palette to get her auburn hair just right. The old man sat to the side in my bathrobe, both hands wrapped around a mug of tea. \n\n\"This is going to take a while. You might want to go watch some TV or something.\"\n\nHe shook his head and adjusted his seat. I shrugged my shoulders. \"Alright, then. But if you get tired, make yourself at home.\" \n\nIt was 3AM by the the time the portrait was finished. The old man was wide awake--maybe even more so than me--and he was gazing intensely at the painting. His clothes had dried in the meantime and he was fully dressed, buttons buttoned up to his chin and a necktie tight and straightened down his middle. \n\n\"One more stroke and the magic happens. Are you ready?\" \n\nHe took in a deep, ragged breath and nodded. I dragged a paintbrush over her cheek, blushing her face. I took a step back and the woman began to move. Her eyes blinked as if she were waking up from a long nap. Sometimes it was like that. Other times it was sudden and startling. It was never comfortable though. \n\nShe looked directly at me and sized me up with her sharp brown eyes. I gestured to the old man and her eyes followed my outstretched hands. \n\n\"Oh. It's you,\" she said without a trace of enthusiasm in her voice.\n\nThe man was wringing his hands with nervousness. \"It's me,\" he replied with a shy smile. \"I don't know, um... if you know this, but, uh...\"\n\n\"I'm dead,\" she answered quickly. For some reason, they always knew they were dead but were never troubled by it. Bringing them back had always seemed like something of an inconvenience to the departed, but they could never explain why.\n\n\"Yes. You are. Emmy, the reason I brought you back--\"\n\n\"One last chance to 'save my soul'? You couldn't accept me in my life and so you follow me through death hoping to 'fix' me? No. I won't give you the satisfaction. I regret nothing.\" Her words were venom, each syllable a stabbing bark echoing through my studio. \n\nThe man hung his head and accepted the lashing. \"Emmy. I'm an old man now. I don't have much time left...\" \n\nThe woman's face had not softened in the least, but wet tears had begun glistening in her eyes. \n\n\"...I've realized the time I've wasted. I've understood how horrible a big brother I've been to you.\" His breath quivered in his throat. \"I'm not here to make you change. I'm here to tell you that I've changed. Emmy, I know it's too late now, but I want to give you my blessing, to you and to Samantha. And my apologies. I should have walked you down the aisle. I should have celebrated your family. I regret everything.\"\n\nEmmy's face hardened tighter before it crumpled, releasing grief like an un-kinked garden hose. She buried her face in one hand and pressed the other against the canvass, stretching the cloth outward in the shape of a palm and five fingers. \n\nThe old man broke down in tears as well and pressed his hand against hers, the wet paint smudging against his skin. I turned to leave the studio and let the brother and sister have their moment. As I shut the door I heard her tell him \"I have so much to catch you up on.\"" ]	3
[WP] You are the most feared warrior in the land. You are known as… Sandal Sniper	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "You know me. You have seen me in action. I go by a lot of names: Chappal Kaatil, Assassino De Chinelo, Sandal Sniper. Yeah, the last name is catchy, isn't it? \n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA sandal is just a boomerang that never comes back. Unless your would be victim gets hold of it & traces it back to you. So, you have to make your every shot count.\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEven a third rate assassin knows that latex gloves are your best friends. Sometimes, though, you may not have them handy. It's ok. When you mark your target, you have to be in a relaxed state of mind. Take a deep breath. Take that sandal in your hand. \n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocate your target. He may be hidden between a thousand soldiers, but once you see him, do not let him out of your sight. Take a firm grip over your sandal & aim it at him. Just aim, don't throw. \n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNow comes the hard part. Concentrate hard, 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 concentrate hard, on your sandal. Do it, until you feel that you & your sandal have become one. Then, and only then, think of your errant kids, nieces, nephews & those kids of others who just won't listen to their elders. \n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDo you feel it? That thing coursing loudly through your veins is not your blood, it's your annoyance, maybe even your hatred. Take another deep breath. Once again, focus on your target. Eyes focused, breath held. Throw the sandal at the target, with full force, in 3, 2, 1....\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nYour sandal leaves your hand. It makes a semicircular trajectory with the ground. Look at it, as it goes farther from you, and nearer to the target. You see that? It is nearing the target's head. In a fraction of seconds, it makes a contact with their head. The target has fallen. Everybody is in panic. \n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA true Sandal Sniper is like a monk. A sandal is one of his dearest earthly possessions. As the sandal leaves his hands & touches the victims head, he severs all the connections he had, with his sandal. Before everyone has spread in all directions, looking for him, the Sniper has already started his journey back. \n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n&nbsp;\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAt least that's what my grandma taught me. Many a kings, knights, orcs, elves & other creatures have fallen prey to my sandal. I am, and always will be, the Sandal Sni... Oh, you are laughing, huh? Now, taste my sandal!" ]	2
[WP] While waiting for your girlfriend to come out of the bathroom, the things her parrot said seemed off to you. "Never break a promise to a witch", "There's only one way to break the curse" and "I just want to hug my kids again". In fact, there was a missing persons case on the news, recently.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"I just wanna hug my kids again...\"\n\nThat was the seventh time Mark Jones the parrot had said that. Why my girlfriend even turned them into a parrot, I'll never understand. If I had done it, I'd have polymorphed them into a mouse then fed them to a snake, but I guess that's because she's far more generous than me.\n\nI glare at the parrot in a mild annoyance, causing them to immediately shut up, before going back to watching the news, noticing that one of the headlines is a missing persons report for Mark Jones.\n\n\"Took them three and a half weeks to file that report, huh? I think that's a new record,\" I mutter as quietly as I can, trying not to wake my girlfriend. How a witch managed to fall in love with a wizard, I might never understand, but hey, I'm not complaining.\n\nI begin reminiscing about the past. About how I \"saved\" her from a group of bullies, only to be the one beat up instead. About how she caught me using prestidigitation to heat up my lunch without needing a microwave before revealing she was a witch in private.\n\nBy the time I was done remembering about my past, I had heard the bathroom door swing open, leading me to turn my head towards it, seeing her walk out, ah shit, was I deep in thought for that long!? I think to myself, scooting over a bit.\n\n\"Morning, hun, \" I call out, hearing a tired groan in response, \"I've already prepared coffee for you, no need to make some yourself.\"\n\n\"I just wanna hug my kids again..!\" The parrot once again squawks out, leading to an aggravated sigh from the both of us.\n\n\"Listen here, featherface! You're lucky my boyfriend hasn't killed you using his magic right now, so don't push your luck by blabbering on about shit like you always do!\" She scolds, \"After all, this is your punishment for breaking your promise about not being creepy towards my mom!\" She looks back at me, noticing that I'm offering her a seat next to me, which she obliges, sitting down.\n\n\"That reminds me, Miranda, why a parrot?\" I ask, much to their confusion, which I kinda expected, \"You could have cursed them into any animal you wished, but you chose a parrot. Why?\"\n\nShe looks at me, then at the parrot, then back at me, before whispering in my ear, \"Truth be told, I turned them into a parrot so they could unwittingly piss you off enough to kill them,\" These words caught me off guard a bit. She wanted my anger to flare up so I would help get rid of her victim better. Without hesitation, I mutter a string of words, causing one of my hands to set ablaze before swiping at the bird cage, shooting out a bolt of fire, incinerating the now late Mark Jones.\n\n\"You know, you coulda just asked me to kill them for you. I'm not above doing it for little more than a laugh,\" A get up and stretch a bit, \"Anyways, I'm gonna go make some breakfast, how's French Toast sound?\"\n\n\"Yeah, French Toast would be quite nice, thanks James...\"\n\n\\[End.\\]", "It's only when the bathroom door rolled shut that you actually look around the room. There's worse places you've been. Worse, but not weirder. The stone table in the corner with luminous flasks, powders and herbs. The black and white photographs, faded brown, behind freshly polished frames. The parrot. A parrot?\n\nThe parrot is looking at you. You're sure of it. Its gaze, and head, darting between your eyes and the recently closed bathroom door. \"Closer\" it crones, it a squawking whisper. You're polite, you oblige.\n\n\"My family\" It squawks.\n\n\"What?\" You repeat, incredulous. That parrot just said My Family?\n\n\"Let me out\" it squawks again. Quietly. Its eyes panicked, flickering to the bathroom door.\n\n\"Let you out?\"\n\nThe bird becomes frantic.\n\n\"Out!\" It shrieks.\n\nThe bathroom slides open, and your girlfriend struts out. Her jet black hair, and thin lace dress silhouetted against the bathroom sconce.\n\n\"Hey Babe.\" She purrs, then stops. Her eyes meet the parrots. She glares. You hear the parrot audibly gulp.\n\nYou girlfriend walks with purpose over to the stone table, her body moves, but her head stays locked to the bird. \n\n\"Lady!\" It squawks. \"I just want to hug my kids!\" \n\nYou wait for a reaction. You look between the parrot and your girlfriend. She's got a scorned look on her face. She doesn't respond. She picks up a small handful of purple-grey dust and walks towards you. You step aside, your back to the wall, you narrowly miss stumbling into the slowly bubbling cauldron.\n\nYou girlfriend gets eye to eye with the petrified bird, \"Never\" she perfuncts, \"Never break a promise with a witch.\" The bird shrinks, but there is nowhere to hide. Your girlfriend brings the dust to her lips on an open palm, and she blows. The bird falls down, snoring loudly.\n\n\"Now where were we,\" your girlfriend coo's, her long, knobbly finger caressing the front of your v-neck t-shirt. \n\n'Yep this rooms definitely the weirdest.' you think as you throw your shirt down beside her cute pointy hat." ]	3
[WP] The greatest treasure of the Royal Reliquary, beyond gold, jewels, or even the crown itself, is a simple baby blanket. It’s not made of fine silk or spun gold, nor is it ornately patterned, nor is there any magic woven into its thread. Tell me the story of this blanket.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Once, in the primordial soup of the universe, there were gods. They came in many forms and fought countless battles, destroyed worlds, and ate suns. However, eventually they either settled their differences or were killed, and peace came to the world. It was during this time that man was sculpted from clay and stole fire from the one who had sculpted him. The god of clay pots, T'Chatly, who had created man, was angered by this betrayal and swore to punish man. T'Chatly used the Holy Beer Pot, one of the most sacred artifacts ever created, to take power from the god of life and from the god of death. T'Chatly used the powers he had stolen to create something new, something like death but while still alive and with the soul still in the body, he called it sleep. He cursed his creations so that their bodies would tire and weaken and so that they could not work until they slept, wasting many hours of the day. And then, as a cruel joke, he bestowed upon the man who stole his fire a blanket too small to be used by anyone but a baby. The blanket, named T'Chanta (Meaning, T'Chatly's joke) changed hands many time after that until ending up in the hoard of the god of pockets with holes in. When that god was killed and his treasure divided amongst the other gods, it once again changed hands many times, only this time the hands belonged to divine beings. Eventually T'Chanta once again found itself in the possession of men, men who very much wanted something that had been owned by almost all the gods in existence. Wars were fought for T'Chanta, men died by the thousands to have even a glimmer of a chance to see the blanket. Eventually the kingdom of Rantonia acquired, through many a bloody battle, the slightly charred, very blood stained, and heavily torn scrap of fabric that is T'Chanta. An underground vault was built for T'Chanta, compleat with the most loyal guards the kingdom holds, none of which know what they are guarding. And there the blanket sits, covered in dust and soaked in blood, only seen by the greatest members of the royal family.\n\n\\~\\~\\~\\~\\~\\~\n\nr/PaleWritings", "In an age long forgotten, King Leon ruled over the great kingdom of Leonida. His demeanor was strict, yet wise. He led his armies to many glorious victories, and was known across the lands as The Great King. King Leon had successfully united the kingdoms of men against the debauchery of Hell.\n\nThe King's heir, young Shaun, was wary of his future duties as king, but Leon's wisdom and confidence pushed Shaun to perform exemplary deeds. Alas, Shaun's life was cut short when a Greater Demon bested him in battle, and thus King Leon was left without an heir.\n\nIn a lowly town located to the northeast of King Leon's castle lived a young woman named Merida. Her family's life had been upturned by the sudden arrival of the Demons, and they were thankful to the King and his soldiers for their assistance in relocating to a safer town.\n\nSafe until now.\n\nOn a quiet evening in the cozy town, disaster struck. Three Hellspawn portals emerged from the void, surrounding the village. Merida's family was sadly slain in their sleep, house lit ablaze. Merida, whether by the fates or by her own luck, happened to be on the outskirts of the town when she noticed a fire-y light from over the horizon. She rushed over the hill, only to be taken aback by the devastation. \n\nMerida snuck through the village, avoiding any confrontation with demon's with expertise. Her father's training proved useful. Merida arrived at her home, or rather what was left of it. She stumbled across the rubble, searching for anything that may have survived. A glimmer of white caught her eye, and as she reached for it, she recognized it to be the baby blanket her mother had used for her as a baby.\n\nThe young woman held onto the sole reminder of her family, and wept.\n\nMerida had fallen asleep laying aside the ashes of the home. She woke with terror, only to realize she was in no danger presently. Her hand was gripped tightly around the blanket, fearing it would disappear had she loosened her grip.\n\nThankfully, Merida's Aunt lived but five miles away, so Merida began the long travel to the town of Walke. Merida's Aunt, Melissa, had been a knight serving under King Leon during a bygone time, and Merida hoped to use the woman's armor for her own goals.\n\nAs Merida stumbled into Walke, her ragged, ashen appearance caught the attention of the townsfolk, interrupting their bartering. A town guard rushed to Merida.\n\n\"My lady, what has happened to you?\"\n\nMerida stopped to catch her breath. \"My town was... attacked... by the demons.\" She glanced downwards, mournfully. \"I was the only survivor.\n\nThe townsfolk gasped as they heard this horrifying revelation.\n\n\"We shall send a guard detachment there immediately! Can I offer you a room at the local inn, paid in full by the King?\" \n\"Thank you, but my Aunt lives but a block down the road from here.\"\n\nThe town guard nodded and rushed to the barracks to rouse his men. Merida found her way to Melissa's home, enduring burning stares the entire walk. Before she could even knock, Mel opened the door.\n\n\"My dear niece, what happened to you?\" Melissa asked.\n\n\"The village was destroyed by a Hell invasion. No one else made it out.\"\n\nMelissa's mouth was left agape in horror. \"My sister, your mother... Come inside young Merida.\"\n\nAs Melissa rushed Merida inside, Merida could feel herself relax a little. She collapsed in a chair, before downing a glass of whatever it was that Melissa had given her.\n\n\"Aunt Mel, I need your armor from the war.\"\n\n\"Why, give yourself a moment to rest before you decide to enlist!\"\n\n\"I'm unhurt, just tired. Don't worry about me Aunt Mel.\"\n\n\"Get a good rest in and I'll think about it.\"\n\nMerida reluctantly climbed the stairs to the guest bedroom and found herself feeling more tired than she had realized. A good rest was well in order. Before she knew it, she had already fallen asleep.\n\nMerida woke the sight of Melissa's glorious, shining armor.\n\nLooks like she made up her mind after all.\n\nAs Merida rose, she took in the every detail of the exquisite armor, designed by the King's armorer himself. The breastplate held the insignia of a Lion, King Leon's designated crest. The chainmail underneath was made of reinforced titanium, which glistened with a heavenly glow. The armor featured generous amounts of reinforced platinum, a strong deterrent against the Demons.\n\nMerida donned the exemplary armor, and went downstairs to present it to Melissa. Melissa turned to see Merida on the last step, wearing the armor she had been so graciously given.\n\n\"Merida... It fits you perfectly. Its as if it was made for you.\"\n\nMerida smiled at the comment.\n\nMelissa continued \"I thought about the time when I enlisted... and how i felt at the time. I emphasize with your zeal, Merida. I truly wish you will succeed.\"\n\nMerida hugged Melissa and wasted no time heading straight for the military barracks, where she presented herself to the same guard she spoke with the day before.\n\n\"Why, I know you!\" the guard said, mouth agape. \"You're the woman from the destroyed village! I have to say, I am impressed you were able to round up the armor in one night.\"\n\n\"It was my Aunt's, I'm lucky to have it.\"\n\nMerida would go on to become a motivational and inspiring leader for the King's Army, going as far to lead an invasion into Hell and defeated Lucifer himself.\n\nKing Leon was incredibly moved by her brave actions, and extended a formal proposal to her. He offered to make her the heir to Leonida, which she humbly accepted.\n\nAfter all this time, she kept one thing close to her to remind her of who she fought for: the blanket from the fire. In ages to come, the blanket was kept by her successors as a reminder of golden days past.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nthe end\n\nthat was fun, unfortunately i had to end it like that. I appreciate any feedback!" ]	3
[WP] Oh God, it happened again. There's an elf passed out in the bathroom, a werewolf in the backyard doing yoga, a death priestess making coffee in the kitchen, and a dwarf playing Minecraft on the big TV. Must've been a hell of a party last 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Hey, quick question, what the fuck?”\r \n\t\r \nAmber appeared in Morgana’s periphery, bursting through the small apartment’s doorway and throwing her hands up in an incensed confusion she struggled to verbalize. Still dressed in her business suit, the brunette tossed her messenger bag onto the couch, only realizing it was occupied a moment after it had already hit Ulrich. \r \n\r \n“Shit, sorry- “\r \n\r \nThe dwarf gave her a nonchalant nod and a thumbs up, setting the bag on the other cushion before picking up his - well, Amber’s - controller and returning his attention to the tv. Through the glass door leading to the balcony, Amber spotted yet another uninvited guest doing strange, ineffective stretching exercises - sometimes she wasn’t sure if Alexei was really into yoga or if he just hoped people would see him shirtless. \r \n\r \nMorgana winced, averting her own eyes from the angry newcomer’s. She set down the rag she was using to wipe the counter and began to fill the coffee machine, rubbing her temple with her free hand. Still somewhat nauseous and achy from last night’s debauchery, she was barely standing without slumping over and power-napping against the faux-marble countertop. \r \n\r \n“Is there anyone else I should be aware of?”\r \n\r \nMorgana almost jumped as Amber’s voice had gotten much, much closer, coming from nearly behind her. The other woman quickly leaned down, pecking her cheek, before straightening up and beginning to undo her smart jacket.\r \n\r \n“I’m very mad at you, and we will talk about this later.” \r \n\r \nA gentle hand caressed Morgana’s back, and Amber spoke again, her voice having lost its infuriated edge. Returning to her natural relaxed, soft spoken cadence, the brunette murmured,\r \n\r \n“Go get some sleep, you look like shit.”\r \n\r \n“No, no, I’ll help out. We’ll have it sorted in no time-”\r \n\r \nThe dwarf sounded off from the couch,\r \n\r \n“I’ll be there in a sec, I just have to get home. If I close the game, I’ll forget which way I went.”\r \n\r \nThe balcony door slid aside, the currently-human werewolf pulling on a bright pink hoodie before shooting at both Morgana and Amber with finger guns.\r \n\r \n“Let’s get this after-party started. And by started, I mean finished. And by finished- “\r \n\r \n“Yep.”\r \n\r \n“Hi guys. Hi Amber…”\r \n\r \nA figure staggered out of the bathroom, long-haired and sharp-eared. Barely managing to remain on her feet, Lyssa slowly shambled into the living room, clad in little more than a thin T-shirt and her underwear. \r \n\r \n“Hi Lyssa. Looks like you had a bit of a night.”\r \n\r \n“It’s already morning?”\r \n\r \n“Yeah. Well... no. 2pm.”\r \n\r \nThe blonde elf fixed her hair out of her eyes, trying futilely to stand up straight without tipping over.\r \n\r \n“Oh man. It’s cold.”\r \n\r \nAmber sighed, turning to the room’s other occupants.\r \n\r \n“Someone get her my throw b-”\r \n\r \nShe was stopped in her tracks, noticing Alexei was already topless, holding the hoodie out to the elf, who gratefully accepted it. \r \n\r \nHelped along by the study dwarf, Lyssa was led to the couch, sitting down and folding her knees under the hoodie, which was comically oversized for her. Before long, she’d rested her head against the back cushion and fallen into a deep sleep.\r \n\r \nIn the kitchen, Morgan had already poured everyone else a mug of hot, pungent black coffee, sipping her own and basking in the pleasant warmth the liquid provided. As the others grabbed their own cups and sat around the small table, she couldn’t help but smile - it had been too long since they’d all had an excuse to come together.", "“Moe! Why is there an elf in the bathroom?”\n\n“I got the old group together,” the wolf in the backyard shouted in response. “They brought friends.”\n\nI started slithering over to the kitchen and looked at Drala. “I assume you had something to do with it?” \n\n“Hey, the coven was bored and people were already here.” She put up her hands up. “Most of us were making sure that the place stayed clean.”\n\n“Besides, no one wants a naga and a lycan after them, snake,” the dwarf mumbled she as slayed pixelated zombie.\n\n“I have a name, short stock.” I smirked.\n\n“Remind me what’s going on?” Drala furrowed her brow.\n\n“We took up a dare to see who could go the longest without saying the other’s name, ain’t that right, dwarf?”\n\n“Well, parseltongue. Just a matter of time before you slip up.”\n\n“Ok, now who brought over the party?”\n\n“Garret,” all three of them said in unison.\n\n“Remind me to lecture him when he finally wakes up.”\n\n“Sure thing, Bill.”\n\n“Meri, give me ten.”\n\n“Dang it!”\n\n—— read more stories at r/GlacioWrites" ]	3
[WP] It was pretty easy to find the secret hideout. The switch was literally a book called "Secret Hideouts for Dummies" in the library. What you didn't expect was that the secret hideout didn't exist to keep people out, but to keep something in.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Raoul perused the vast halls of the library, scrutinizing every row and column to find some interesting reads to bring with him to the beach week he was having with his friends. Raoul was never a picky reader, his tastes spanning all genres. All he seeks when reading is for something new and hidden to be revealed to him. The act of learning brought him joy no matter the subject, fictional or corporeal. He turned a corner and passed under a wooden post reading \"Instructional Books and Manuals\", completely oblivious to the sign labeling it a restricted area. He ran his fingers along the thick spines until it stopped overtop a curious title that grabbed his attention. Secret Hideouts for Dummies, huh? It always surprises me how niche these can get. Raoul tried to pry the book out of place, but it seemed to be resisting. He put one foot on the shelf and threw everything he had into one powerful heave. Come on! The book creaked forward as the walls of the library began to part, revealing an entryway into a dark corridor. A strong draft was ushered into the newly-uncovered entrance, messing up Raoul’s previously kempt hair. Raoul looked around to see if anyone else was as gobsmacked as he was, but it wasn’t, but not a soul was around this section of the library. After twiddling his thumbs for a bit, Raoul decided to walk through the entryway that had formed in front of him. God, I sure hope this isn’t some weird sex dungeon. As Raoul slowly crept along the brick-laden walls, hairs standing on edge, he noticed a red door becoming clearer in his vision. The door was cherry mahogany, with no windows or clearance underneath for air to arrive. Talk about atmosphere. Well, there’s no way I’m opening that door, so I might as well— A large creak startled Raoul, and two shadows seemed to creep towards each other over the mahogany door. Raoul quickly looked over his shoulder to notice the entryway he had paved was closing. FUCK! Raoul broke into a full sprint, trying to reach the light before he was cut off from it. \n\n“HELP!” His yell echoed around the walls towards the exit, but the door closed just in time to hush him. Raoul began banging on the back of the shelf that closed him into this cold, damp corridor. After 10 minutes of incessant pounding and yelling, Raoul tired himself out. Am I going to be stuck here? GOD DAMN IT! Wait... he suddenly remembered the Mahogany door he had come across at the end of the hall. Maybe it’s an exit. It looks scary as fuck, but it’s probably better than dying here. Raoul walked towards the imposing door, taking deep breaths to calm himself. His thumbs were twiddling in a furious dance, faster than they ever had before. Alright, just turn the knob… Raoul turned away as he slowly nudged the door open, placing one foot through it. Raoul slowly trained his gaze forward, noticing a vibrant and florid children’s playroom. Sprawled in the center, four elementary-age kids in strict school uniforms played with toy trucks, ramming them into each other. Oh fuck, it IS a weird sex dungeon! Raoul pushed the door open a little more, causing a loud creak. The children turned their heads in unison towards him, then titled them in confusion. Raoul gulped, then adjusted a tie he wasn’t wearing. \n\n“I’m going to get you guys out of here, okay?” He barely mustered.\n\n“Mister, you opened the door!” The one on the left noticed.\n\nGulp... “Yup, I did—”\n\n“You opened the door!” The one in the middle rejoiced.\n\n“You did it! Thank you!” The child on the right emphasized. Before Raoul could say anything in response, the children rushed past him, creating a gust of wind as they flew by. He turned around to watch in horror as the kids confidently ran towards what he thought was an immovable wall. What the fuck is happening? WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING? The children came to a stop, and one of them blasted a hole in the bookshelf with just his bare fist, creating an opening for the rest to escape. Raoul pinched himself, but this was no dream. What the fuck have I done? Before he completely collapsed in his own thoughts, Raoul heard screams from outside the library.\n\n“Help! The children! They’re eating her face! Please!” In disbelief, he ran out of the corridor to have his vision tinted with splotches of red. Blood? Why is there so much blood? Raoul witnessed a massacre. The children bounced from person to person, ripping and tearing them to shreds. Raoul couldn’t tell where one corpse began and another ended. One of the children came up to Raoul, stained from head to toe in visceral chunks of human flesh and blood. \n\n“Thanks again for freeing us, Mister! But I’m still feeling hungry, so I’m going to kill you now! Sorry!” Raoul opened his mouth and put his hands up, a feeble attempt to defend against the swift execution the child gave him. For a moment, Raoul’s whole life flashed before his eyes. Fuck, I forgot to feed my cats this morning! Oh well, N’donge will do it for me…\n\n&#x200B;\n\n-End" ]	2
[WP] You’re accidentally transported back in time. You find yourself in New York City on September 10th 2001. Knowing what will happen tomorrow, you think of what you can do to save the lives of the people who will die…	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "My phone didn't work. That was my first clue. No signal or network. Everything seemed to have shifted in Central Park too. You know, the plants, the rocks, they were all just different. It took me a moment to realize what else was bothering me. There were buildings missing. Those thin, impossibly tall residential skyscrapers they built south of the park weren't there. I started to run. \n \nOther clues came next, adding to my sense of wrongness. A hot dog cart on the edge of the park advertise those mystery franks for only $4 dollars. A sports bar had a large TV outside that looked like it was the size of a cabinet and a foot thick. A New York Times paper in a vending machine had an article featuring Mayor Giuliani on the front page. I think I stared at that paper in the red vending box window for a long time while yellow cabs rolled by. \n \nThe date was September 10th, 2001. \n \nI didn't initially go for it. I assumed this was one big prank. That I was on a show and the host was going to pop out at any minute once I started freaking out to tell me I'd been punked. It wasn't until an old Jewish couple strolled by me, the wife complaining about that new President George W. Bush and her husband defending him that I knew. \n \nIt was 4pm and I thought I might have time. Maybe to make a difference. So I ran. I ran until I found the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria. It used to be a hotel, one of the best back in those days. Before it became Chinese owned condos. \n \n\"I need a phone and a phone book please,\" I told the desk clerk. I made up a room number and he obligingly took me to a small nook with a house phone and a copy of the White Pages. I called the FBI first, the local New York branch. \n \n\"There's going to be an airplane hijacking tomorrow of three, no, four planes,\" I told the agent. \"They're going to hit the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and another one that will fail and crash into a field somewhere.\" \n \nThe agent was very serious. I could tell I had his attention. A spark of a hope lit inside me. \n \nBut then he asked for details. What were the flight numbers? Where were they departing from? What time were they supposed to be in New York and DC? What were the names of the terrorists? \n \nFor me, the attacks on September 11 were over 20 years ago. I was young then, and even if I knew the details before they had slipped from my mind. I did my best. I told the agent that Osama Bin Laden was behind it. Al Qaeda. But I couldn't remember the other details. I could tell the agent was becoming more and more skeptical. \n \n\"There's a... comedian named Seth MacFarlane who is supposed to be on one of the flights. But he gets drunk and too hung over to make it, so he narrowly avoids dying.\" \n \nThe agent assures me that the FBI will be taking my report very seriously and asks me to call back if I can remember anything else. Actually he says, \"anything of value\". That's when I knew. He thought I was just crackpot. \n \nEvery other call I made went the same way. NYPD thanked me for my report in a tone that said I wasted their time. Building security for the World Trade Center said they would contact local authorities and abruptly hung up on me. Reporters at the local papers equally lost interest when it was clear I couldn't remember some of the finer details on my claim. \n \nDo you blame me? I tried. I tried my very best. But we're talking about an event two decades prior for me obscured by the mists of time. \n \nI sat several blocks away from the Twin Towers the next day and watch the airplanes hit. My phone had enough juice left for me to record the video. Too bad the charging cable for it won't be invented yet for another eight years or so. September 11 went off like it had in my time. \n \nAll I could do was watch." ]	2
[WP] What if the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs was a UFO, and we are aliens?	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The Egyptian sun beamed down on Liam as his pale white skin grew darker. Bucket after bucket were handed back and forth, until Derek eventually lay down in the hole, looking up at his brother. \n\n\r“Liam, I am smashed!” Derek yawned, stretching out on the burning sand. “We’ve been digging for months. Are you sure that this will be the place?” Liam wasn’t sure of anything but he had taken a huge risk to keep digging, well after the more respected researchers had gone home.\n\n\r“I’m sure,” muttered Liam, as he hopped into the hole, his feet sinking into the sand. “We just have to dig farther.” Picking up one of the tin buckets, Liam hurled it into the sand and threw the contents over his shoulder. The two brother’s hated being the one in the hole but it seemed like Derek was always the one to tire first. \n\n\r“Thanks, boss,” smiled Derek, as he lumbered out of the pit. “Thought I might die in there today.” Derek covered his eyes as he looked out over Cairo. The noisy and busy streets, filled with cars and people, of the city were a long way from their thoughts. Though cooled drinks and air-conditioning seemed like unconscious desires in this place. Derek could feel his tongue drying up at the thought of a pint of cold beer back in the hotel bar. \n\n\r“Should we…” he was about to ask before Liam interjected. \n\n\r“No, we shouldn’t” snapped Liam, a little too harshly for his own liking. “We can drink beer later. Now is digging time.” Liam, over the last few months, had grown used to his brother’s constant complaining. Whinging about the quality of cigarettes or the heat from the sun. If it could be complained about, Derek would bring it up.\n\n\r“Alright! Just saying!” replied Derek with a roll of his eyes. “Just getting real sic…”\n\n\rDerek’s voice stopped as he looked down on his brother with his bucket. The sound of metal scraping against metal sent their minds into overdrive, wondering about the things the bucket might have hit against.\n\n\r“Please tell me that was…” Derek begged, looking down the hole for answers.\n\n\r“I have no idea,” interrupted Liam. “Only one way to find out.” Liam dropped the bucket as he reached into the sand with his hands. As he did, waves of sand started to fall away. The waves continued the more Liam tried to claw the sand away until he was up to his knees more of the metal was revealed.\n\n\r“It looks like…” Derek muttered, tilting his head to get a better look at it. “A giant metal table? Maybe?”\n\n\r“Maybe,” Liam said, as he paused the digging to catch his breath and to take in his find. “It’s rounded though. What kind of Egyptian table was metal and round? Anyway, come down here and help me out.”\n\n\rThrough the next hour, the two brothers dug and dug, stopping only to marvel at the extraordinary uncovering they were discovering. \n\n\r“I can’t believe it,” Derek panted, leaning back on the sand once more. “A U.F.O!”\n\n\rIf he wasn’t here to see it for himself, Liam would have never believed it. Yet, here it was. Large, dark grey and round, it looked like the sort of U.F.O you might see in a children’s cartoon. Like a great, grey disk with a bubble on top, it was just like Liam would have imagined it to be.\n\n\r“We’re going to be famous, Derek,” beamed Liam, his hands on his hips as he looked at his brother. “Filthy rich as well.”\n\n\r“But before all that,” Derek said, sitting up with a sly smile on his face. “Why don’t we get a bit more intimate with our discovery?” Liam couldn’t help but chuckle at Derek’s curiosity.\n\n\r“Well, we might never get another chance,” Liam answered with his own smile. “Let’s do it.”\r \nLiam climbed on top of the disk, bits of sand falling off with every movement. Looking down, he thought he could just about see-through the bubble into the inside of the machine but he couldn’t be sure. Though, if he strained his eyes he thought he saw a book. Knocking lightly on the base of the bubble, nothing happened. All around the base Liam knocked and gently pushed, trying to ease an opening to unlock and still nothing.\n\n\r“That won’t do nothing!” complained Derek, as he stood on the disk, bucket in hand. \n\n“Sometimes you just need to think outside the box.” And before Liam could scream his protest, Derek had swung the bucket over his head, bringing it down with a great crash of shattered glass. Layers of sand and dust flew into the air so the brothers had no choice but to jump off the U.F.O and wait.\n\n\r“You smell that?” Derek whispered, his voice low and tinged with fear. “Smells like rotten flesh…” His eyes flicked towards the vehicle and without another word, he had hopped back onto the disk. Peering in the bubble’s hole that he had created, shock washed over Derek’s body. \n\n\r“What is it?” Liam asked, one foot on the disk, ready to get a better look. Without looking at his brother, Derek jumped once more away from the U.F.O, doubled over and puked his breakfast all over the sand.\n\n\r“The smell can’t be that bad?” Liam asked as he decided to peer in himself. The smell hit him immediately, taking over his brain, forcing him away from the bubble as quickly as his legs would take him. Thankfully for him, he had skipped breakfast but that didn’t stop him from accidentally stepping in his brother's vomit. Derek, finished getting sick, lay on a small bit of sand that wasn’t covered in puke, looking up at his brother.\n\n\r“Did you see them two guys?” Derek gasped, whipping away the sweat from his forehead. \n\n“How on earth did they get there? And for how long?”\n\n\rTaking one last deep breath Liam covered his mouth with his sleeve and forced his legs to move closer to the bubble. With his eyes closed, Liam reached into the bubble, right where he thought the book had been. Feeling what felt like a book cover, he took it and jumped back onto the sand above his brother. \n\n\r“What was that?” Derek inquired, dragging himself out of the hole. “A book?” Derek took the book from Liam’s hand as the former tried to rid himself of the thought of the two rotten bodies and the way the sun’s heat mixed with theirs. As Liam got to his feet, he looked over his brother’s shoulder, as he flicked through the pages of the book.\n\n\r“It says that they were to land and take samples from the dinosaurs!” Derek exclaimed, looking around at his brother who only had eyes for the book.\n\n\r“What else?” Liam prodded, wanting to take the book with his own hands. \n\n\rEhhh,” Derek continued. “It says that they were able to get the samples but they messed up. They ended up infecting a bunch of the dinosaurs and a bunch of them died. Are they saying that they were the ones to make the dinosaurs go extinct?”\n\n\r“Sounds like it,” Liam answered. “I only hope whatever they infected them with can’t be transmitted to us.”" ]	2
[WP] your wife just came home very upset, and when asked what was bothering her, she actually answered truthfully.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"You're not my wife.\" You clap back instantly.\n\nWith a dumbfounded look, she looks at you as if you didn't just say what you said.\n\n\"You're not my wife.\" You repeat, sternly this time.\n\n\"Honey, what are you talking about?\" She answers. \"Is this another one of your pranks? I swear I'm not in the mood for it.\"\n\nYour grandpa warned you about moving back into the town of Merryweather. \"Things just aren't right over there.\" was what he always used to say.\n\nYou slowly back away as your wife starts to eye you suspiciously.\n\n\"You're not my wife...\" You repeat, a little bit more cautiously.\n\n\"Three times the charm.\" You recall your grandfather say. \"When you're in danger, remember the 4 T's. The Truth Three Times.\"\n\n\"Honey, you're pissing me off.\" Your wife declares as she starts to advance to you slowly.\n\nYou back away some more and close your eyes, clenching your fists as well.\n\n\"Honey... you're pissing me off...\" The upset voice of your wife repeats.\n\n\"Stand your ground, stand your ground.\" You remind yourself internally. Whatever this was that entered your home, it definitely wasn't your wife.\n\n\"Honeyyy... youre pissssing me offff....\" She hisses. Whatever said that definitely wasn't human.\n\n\"Honeyyyy... you're pissing me offffffff....\" She's beside your ear.\n\n\"Honeyyyyy... don't you wanttttt to seeeeeee meeeeee....?\" She's behind you.\n\nYou try to steel yourself as something cold and smooth brushes against your arm.\n\n\"Honeyyyyyy... don't you loveeeeeee meeeeeeeee...? That thing is coiling around you.\n\nSociologists would always talk about how humans had a fight or flight response when they are faced with a perilous situation. The sad thing is, no sociologist has yet to visit Merryweather. Fortunately for you, your grandpa's advice is more than enough to handle whatever this godforsaken town throws at you.\n\n\"What if that doesn't work?\" You remember asking your grandfather.\n\nSmiling, as if that was the silliest question he has ever heard, he answers.\n\n\"Well a little extra truth never hurt, eh?\"\n\n\"Honeeeeyyyyyy... whyyy won't you looooook at meeeeeee...? The hissing voice continues, louder than before.\n\nYou will die some day, but today is not that day.\n\n\"Silence wench. I do not wish to be lonely anymore.\" You boldly declare.\n\n\"I just want to be happy.\"\n\nYou wait a few seconds before you open your eyes. Your empty abode greets you, except for the front door left open. You approach the door to close it, and as you do, you notice a slithering path on the snow.\n\n\\- END -\n\nCheck out my works on reddit at u/random-citrusfruit" ]	2
[WP] They got tired of us destroying their planet, the bees have only one purpose now: go for the eyes.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Huddled together around the campfire the honeybees were having a meeting. Possibly their last one. The somber air was quite different from the usual jubilant vibe. \n\n\"I can't do this Val, I'm scared.\" Tammy said feeling the tears well up in her eyes. \n\n\"What choice have they left us?\" Val said taking a hold of Tammy's hands. \n\n\"But why must we die for them?\"\n\n\"It's about more than that. Our death will signify how far we're willing to go to protect this planet. It's worth it. This place, Earth, it's worth it. Our sacrifice will not be in vain.\"\n\n\"But I don't want to die.\"\n\n\"Man up.\"\n\n\"Yeah, Tammy stop being such a baby.\" Jenny piped in. \n\n\"I literally am a baby. I've only been alive for like a month!\" \n\n\"That's like a decade in dog life!\"\n\n\"How does that even make sense? I'm a bee!\"\n\n\"Jenny, stop messing with her. We need to concentrate.\" Val said trying to shush them as the queen bee started to speak. \n\n\"Honeybees. Thank you for gathering here tonight everyone. We have been in discussion with the other bees and it is with a grave voice today that we decided to go forth with the plan. We must teach the humans a lesson. This earth is not just theirs. They cannot destroy it like they have been. The earth won't last that way. We cannot live peacefully with them anymore. We must take action. Tomorrow when they gather, we strike.\"\n\n\\----\n\n\"Val! What do I do?\"\n\n\"The eyes! Remember??? Go for the eyes!\"\n\n\"The eyes? The eyes...,\" Tammy repeated to herself as the human got closer. Tammy closed her own eyes and aimed as fast as she could...except she didn't realize until she had stuck the human, which part of the human were it's eyes again????? \n\nSurely it was the beady looking things on its face right? The humans had two eyes like bees, right?\n\nShe opened her eyes to see where she had stuck. It was not where she had intended. \n\nIt was not the eyes; she had hit the human's mouth. \n\n\"Tammy! You dingbat! You missed!\"\n\n\"Jenny stop yelling at her!\"\n\n\"Oh my gosh, I'm a failure.\"\n\n\"You're not a failure Tammy.\"\n\n\"You totally are. Tammy.\" \n\n\"What does it matter, we're going to die now. I'm going to heaven.\"\n\n\"It's not that fast Tammy.\" Val said feeling her stomach basically detach itself as she finished her sting. \n\n\"I wish it was.\"\n\n\"...\"\n\n\"...so we just lie here and wait?\"\n\n\"I don't know Jenny, it's not like I've done this before.\" Val retorted. \n\n\"Wow, what has death made you more mean?\"\n\n\"Why are we fighting in our last moments?\" Tammy moaned as she could feel herself fading. \n\n\"I'm sorry Tammy. Val. You guys were my best friends.\"\n\n\"I can't believe it takes dying for you to be nice to us.\"\n\n\"Wow. You're going to do this now Val? Really?\"\n\n\"What do you mean? This is the best time. The only time.\" \n\n\"She's got you there Jenny.\"\n\n\\---\n\n\"Dude didn't you say this was a friendly bee farm?\" Mark yelled as he looked over after having been stung in the lips. \n\nHe let out a scream as he saw that his friend had swollen eyes. Mark was lucky the bee didn't get him that. \n\nThat looked like it was going to sting." ]	2
[WP] “When you stare into the void, it tends to stare back. So be a dear and hand it a cookie every so often. After all, it’s got a bit of a sweet tooth.”	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns." ]	1
[WP] You keep having these dreams where you look for crimes and keep the city safe during the night and you always wake up tired and most of the times with bruises you don't know where you got.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "A local superhero has started roaming various large towns. Tokyo, Japan, 'York, and the likes.\n\nIt can speak...just in a language that doesnt make sense. Sometimes its english but... w e i r d.\n\n\"Fair hi, citizens, do fear for am I here!\" sometimes it speaks in its own, weird language..\n\nLeading to rumors of aliens or eldritch beings. It bleeds so its..something alright. \n\nAs big a fan of him as I am, I can never seem to get sleep so instead of watching videos of 'the being' I just take naps. \n\nRestless and bruised for strange reasons. I assume sleep walking? though I live alone so I cant really fix that problem. I chuckle looking at a arm bruise, musta bumped into the kitchen counter like a fool. \n\nThough one day while getting tired of being restless, and about to take a few melatonin.\n\nThe Being, it comes to me. Though its flickery, barely holding onto reality.\n\n\"Do not do that...I know your tired and hurt but trust me..I'll explain it all in the morning\"\n\nI listen. Who am I to deny THE BEING? the eldritch monster? The alien? The THING?!\n\nI sleep with a happy heart and wake up as normal. Tired, and bruised. \n\nA note on my kitchen counter, from..the being. \n\n\"I see you have taken to call me as 'the being' ..others call me 'monster' or 'alien' not sure which I like best. Though, here is your explanation as promised. I am not of this reality. I need a anchor \\- I randomly picked a human and they became my anchor to reality. I use your sleeping body to do things with. \n\nIf you want to talk its best to leave notes before bed so I can check them when I 'wake up' \n\nThe Being\" (with a little doodle of them)\n\nOur relationship slowly evolved, as they started to understand our bodies get tired alot faster. So they did a on/off schedule and only pulling in for emergencies to violate the agreement. (keeping a radio or two around for newsfeeds. I cant hear them but he can I guess)\n\nSecondly, I get all the money out this thing. The money is worthless to him so I can live work-free...unless being a part-time superhero IS my work? hmm. Either way we're working to improve each other's lives.\n\nI've picked up exercise and healthier food habits so The Being is all that more powerful.\n\nGo team go!" ]	2
[WP] There came a genie before your very eyes. The air turned cold as the genie spoke to you, "I am a genie, and I shall grant you three wishes. But worry not, I already know all three greatest desires of yours."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Wait, do I still get a cho-\"\n\nThe genie snaps its fingers, and I fell silent. I guess not. \n\n\"Where the hell am I?\" A man's voice says from somewhere behind me. I gasp. Oh, god. This- oh, no. Yeah, I wanted to meet him, but not like THIS...\n\nI turn. It's Misha Collins, a beloved actor of mine. I'm finally meeting him. Just, y'know, in a smoky, dead-looking field in the middle of nowhere.\n\nAnother snap rings out from behind me. Nothing seems to have changed, but...\n\nHurriedly, I pull out my cell phone. I press the button for \"mobile data on\", and my phone explodes with notifications. Texts, missed calls, social media, etc. I swipe them all away and open google. My first search query answers all of my questions. \n\n\"Hello? Who are you? Where are we?!\" Misha Collins begins asking, a frantic tone in his voice. I ignore him for the moment, amazed by what I see.\n\n\"Has world peace been achieved?\", one headline reads. \"Suffering Gone!\" another says. \"Discrimination is no more!\" one declares in big bold letters.\n\nI look up at the actor in front of me, who seems to be trying to figure out where we are, and why his phone isn't sending texts for help or showing him his location.\n\n\"World peace,\" I murmur, my eyes wide. It happened. Thank god that was one of my desires, and not something dumb. \n\n\"Hey, you okay?\" Collins asks, approaching me. I just stare at him, at a loss for words.\n\nThere's one more snap, and I turn to look at the genie before it goes- but it's already gone. What the hell was the last thing it did?\n\n\nAlmost a year later, I'm driving to a store with one of my friends. A song comes on the radio- a Christmas song, as it's December 9th. I stare at the radio, and then at my friend, who was singing along. \n\nSince when were Christmas songs dubstep?\n\nI think for a moment. Since when were... all songs... dubste-\n\nHow the hell did the genie think that's something I wanted?" ]	2
[WP] My wish to the genie was that for one hour, all deadly weapons wouldn't work. It didn't go quite the way I thought it would, but the really interesting parts happened later. Everyone else still doesn't know why it happened, or if it will happen again.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\" Seriously, man? What kind of wish is that? \" the genie asked. \n\n\n\" Oh, you'll see. \" I said with a grin. \n\n\n\" I thought people wanted to wish for things like... money! Or a girlfriend! But making all deadly weapons not work for only an hour? Seriously? \" \n\n\n\" Just do it, will you? \" \n\n\n\" All right then. Here we go. \" \n\n\nSnap. \n\n\n\" Is it done? \" \n\n\n\" Yeah. But I really don't understand. I'm a genie, thought you would have better wishes to make. This isn't even permanent. \"\n\n\n\" Do you really want to find out genie? \"\n\n\n\" Uhh, yeah. I guess. \"\n\n\nI had him hooked. \n\n\n\" Show me the after effects of my wish for two hours and you'll know. \"\n\n\nThe genie eagerly conjured up multiple hovering screens in front of me and him, and we watched the world get very confused. \n\n\nA murderer and its supposed to be victem wondering why stabbing with a knife just didnt do anything at all. No pain, no blood, it just stabbed but didn't do anything. \n\n\nSame with soldiers at war, wondering why bullets when hit a person they didn't die at all. \n\n\nEveryone was just confused. \n\n\nThe news reported this as a unexplainable pheunomenon. They shot themselves on camera but nothing happened to them. \n\n\nEveryone went into a mad frenzy seeing this unexplainable sight. \n\n\nAs expected, most people thought the world was ending. \n\n\nPeople did unexpected things at the face of an unexpected event and thinking they were at the end of the world, robberies broke out. From attempting sexual assult to prayers to god, people were diversly getting ready to meet the end.\n\n\nPeople shot, punched, stabbed each other to either stop the madness, or just to have fun, or to experiment. \n\n\nA man drank all sorts of toxic liquids but nothing killed him. \n\n\n\" Is this what you wanted to see? Just all of those people confused out of their minds? \"\n\n\nAnd as I smiled at the genie, the hour was up. \n\n\nAnd people started to die. \n\n\nThe bullets lodged inside of soldiers finally worked, and having several metal pieces inside of them, the immediately began writhing in pain.\n\n\nThe people being currently stabbed screamed in unison as they felt metal crawl into their muscle and bones. \n\n\nThe man who had drank multiple toxins convulsed on the ground, flopping around as his liver burned away.\n\n\nA man had lost an eye to his wife stabbing him.\n\n\nRobbers who had taken shotgun pellets inside his body slumping over onto the ground. \n\n\nThe genie watched me in horror as I watched in amusement.\n\n\n\" You fucking piece of shit- you little..! \" \n\n\nI closed my eyes; hearing the screams erupt from all around my town, as the enraged genie killed me." ]	2
[WP] Civilizations were never "lost." Throughout history, aliens sought out societies nearing destruction, secretly provided them technology to digitize their consciences, then destroyed any trace evidence. The world's largest cloud server one day finds these networks, shocking archaeologists.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Alex looked up, mouth hanging slightly open at the enormous stone doors recessed in the otherwise nondescript rock face before him. The data had not lied. Here, located on an insignificant, uninhabitable planet in a completely desolate star system, was the greatest discovery in the history of humankind. The Archives.\n\nHe never thought it was a very good name. However, it was technically correct, and in the heat of all the emergency proposals to the university's board, the chartering of a private spaceflight, and the frenzy of planning that had followed their discovery, nobody really had the time to come up with a more interesting label for such a monumental find.\n\nHis environmental suit's radio crackled, and a distorted voice came through the earpiece. \"Alex - Alex, are you still there? I'm getting a lot of interference -\"\n\nIt took him a moment to process that he was being spoken to. \"Yeah. Yeah -- yeah. Sorry, Emil. It's... it's here! I'm standing in front of a tall set of stone doors set into the mountain face. Carved. Looks like writing - I don't recognize the language. Emil, it's here, we were right!\"\n\n\"Yes! God, yes! All right. Okay. Hang tight, the rest of the team is still getting everything together. We should be able to make it to your position in fifteen, twenty minutes. Just stay where you are, all right? Once we've got a camp set up, we'll be able to -\"\n\nMaybe Alex wasn't listening. Maybe he didn't care. In either event, he definitely wasn't interested in thinking about the difference, and his earpiece fell silent as he approached the ancient threshold. His reverie was interrupted by a brief tremor running through the ground. Something almost... mechanical. No, definitely mechanical. Slowly, steadily, the doors were opening as he walked toward them. Clear in mind, and clear in purpose, he continued inside.\n\nThe entrance rumbled shut behind him, and as he fumbled to turn on the light on his environmental suit, a deafening rush of air briefly flooded his senses. A nondescript metal airlock lit up in front of him and unlatched; a small red holographic overlay in the corner of his helmet switched to green, indicating breathable atmosphere and favorable temperature conditions.\n\nWell, that was unexpected, he thought, removing his helmet and taking a deep breath before continuing through the inner airlock.", "\"This passage here- we think it's Linear A. That's Ancient Greek, basically. Or Ancient-even-to-Ancient-Greeks Greek. It's a language that was mostly used in religious texts by the Minoan civilization-\" \n\n\"Minoan,\" said General Tarleton, in a voice that indicated he wanted to know more. \n\nGracen cleared her throat and continued. \"That's right. The Minoans inhabited the island of Crete and controlled most of the Aegean Sea. About four or five thousand years ago, that is. They were terrifically advanced, maybe on their way to becoming a Roman Empire before Rome was even founded.\" \n\n\"But?\" \n\n\"Well. There was a volcanic eruption. A big one. Mt. Santorini blew its top and took out a major trading hub under Minoan control. The civilization never recovered. It's been considered an inspiration for the Atlantis legend.\" \n\n\"And what does it say?\" \n\n\"Unfortunately, that we can't say. No Linear A texts have ever been reliably translated.\" \n\nTarleton folded his arms and said nothing more. Gracen clicked the slide, letting the next passage show. \n\n\"This one, we had trouble with. Thought it might be Sanskrit until Dang joined the team and was able to point us in the right direction.\" \n\nGracen nodded to Dang, who raised his hand in shy greeting. \n\n\"Turns out, it's Khmer. Language of the Khmer Empire in Cambodia and Southeast Asia. For whatever reason- attacks by neighbors in Thailand, maybe- they gradually vanished from certain parts of the Empire, leaving lots of ancient temples overrun with jungle. Again, hard to translate.\"\n\nAnother slide. \n\n\"This one isn't language at all, at least not written language. These symbols resemble ones found on the mounds at Cahokia. Biggest native settlement in America north of Aztec country. To this day we still aren't sure what happened to them.\" \n\nThe room lit up, the slide projector was switched off. The assembled audience, still seated in the cramped auditorium, blinked in the new light. \n\n\"So,\" Gracen continued, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, \"that appears to be your answer. These markings all come from civilizations that vanished from history. The only question is where all these images come from.\" \n\nThat last bit was said very pointedly. None of the researchers had been told anything about where the slides had come from, or what they were translating them for. \n\nNow Tarleton, after a brief period of murmuring with the suit-wearing silent man at his side, heaved a sigh of resignation. \n\n\"I suppose it's about time you all knew the truth. Come with me.\" \n\n\\\\\\* \n\nTo be Continued" ]	3
[WP] Every Christmas the post office messes up and Satan must travel to the north pole to exchange mail with Santa. Neither of them mind though, as they surprisingly enjoy each others company.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The portal opened up in front of a red & white candy-striped pole marked North Pole. A tall figure dressed in a dark red velvet two-piece business suit stepped through and the snow melted and immediately turned to steam as soon as his black wing tipped shoes touched the cold snowy ground.\n\nLooking around the tall figure saw his destination, a large gingerbread deco workshop, and made his way there. The ground hissing with each step.\n\nUpon arriving the tall man knocked on a bright festively decorated green door. Each knock caused a bell to let out a pleasant sounding chime. The figure couldn't help but whistle along.\n\nIt wasn't long before the door opened. The tall man in red looked down and saw an elf dressed in festive work attire looking up at him.\n\n\"Let me guess... post office?\"\n\nThe tall man just gave a polite smile and nodded in response.\n\n\"Give me a moment and I'll go grab the big man.\"\n\nThe tall figure dressed in red again nodded his head in response and understanding.\n\nA few minutes passed when a large, burly bearded man appeared at the front door.\n\n\"Satan, a pleasant surprise. Let me guess, post office?\" the large bearded man said with a humorous chuckle.\n\nPulling open his suit jacket with his right hand the tall figure reached into the inner pocket with his left and pulled out a small stack of letters and handed them over to the jolly bearded burly man.\n\nSanta flipped through the letters to give them a quick inspection and noticed that a few of them were opened. Looking back up he said \"You know that it is an offense to go through someone's private mail?\"\n\nThe tall man in red just gave a mischievous smile in response. It's something he began doing a decade or two ago. Hell forbid that some kid get screwed on Christmas due to some stupid clerical error.\n\n\"Well, you do mean well and besides it's not like what you do during this time is harmful to the kids.\n\nHey, the misses made some hot chocolate and sugar cookies. Care to stay?\"\n\nThe tall man in red politely raised his hands and waved them. Indicating that he was pressed for time and had to get back.\n\nSanta understanding the necessity of what the tall man in red does wouldn't keep him any longer and bid him farewell.\n\nAs the tall man in red marched back to the north pole he had a smile on his face. While he did return the letters that were incorrectly sent to him. He didn't return all of them. There was one letter that he felt deserved his personal attention. It was from a young boy he wanted Santa's help dealing with his father. A very strict and stern figure that unjustly punished the boy for the slightest infractions while preaching fire and brimstone.\n\nThe tall man figured he could maybe have a discussion with the lad's father and if push came to shove. He would be more than willing to show the man what real fire and brimstone was all about.\n\nAs the portal materialized in front of him the tall man in red whistled a festive holiday tune, one of his personal favorites.\n\nAs the tall man stepped into the portal he said \"To all a good night.\" with a wicked smile as his words were carried off by a cold, sharp wind.", "\"Mr. Claus, an elf walking through the door said, \"lord Satan has arrived, he is waiting in the meeting room.\" \n\nSanta, looking away from his papers, stood up from his desk and grabbed a bundle of letters. \n\n\"Alright then\".\n\n Santa said walking out the door.\n\nMaking it to the meeting room Santa looked over to the fire place and there he was.\n\n Satan, lord of darkness sitting in a Victorian style chair sipping on a cup of tea while the elf nearby stood in shock. \n\n\"T-That, y-you sh-h-houldnt be here,\" the elf said while still cowering in fear. \n\n\"It's alright,\" Santa said trying to calm the elf down, \"he came here to give me the letters that were misspelled\".\n\nSatan putting his now empty cup on the table, stood up and handed the letters to Santa.\n\n\"Sorry for causing... that,\" Satan said while pointing to the still cowering elf, \"he saw me come in in my original form.\"\n\nSanta, giving a small chuckle, sat down on the old rocking chair next to the table. \n\n\"Now, now, old friend, there's no need to run away just because one of my elves is scared of you.\" \n\nSanta said while putting his own set of letters down.\n\n\"These are your misspelled letters,\" Santa said while an elf brought milk and cookies, \"we still have enough time to read through them, care to join.\"\n\nSatan with a small smile on his face sat down in his chair and asked one of the elves carrying the cowering one away for another cup of tea. \n\n\"Let's get started then,\" Satan said while picking up one of the letters, \"after all, there's a few billion kids that need presents.\"", "Three curt knocks on the large mahogany door break the silence, and within moments, the grunting and huffing of Nicholas Kringle can be heard hustling to the doorway with heavy steps.\nThe door opens, and the heat from the Workshop that floods into the chill is only matched by the warm expression gracing his face.\n\n\"Lucy! What a lovely surprise!\"\n\n\n\"Nick. Always a pleasure. My apologies for dropping in on such short notice, but I was in the area, and thought I could just drop off this year's stuff early.\"\n\n\"Hoh, that's more than fine. You're always welcome at the North Pole, my dear!\"\n\n\nLucifer smiles dryly, gazing out over Christmas town from the Workshop's doorstep. \"That's why all the elves have barricaded themselves in their houses.\"\n\nNicholas huffs and tugs on his suspenders. \"Mortals. Always scared of what they don't understand. I thought I told you to pay them no mind. It's the only way I tolerate living with them year round.\" \n\nLucifer pauses, but eventually scoffs softly. \"...Hah. Regardless. I won't haunt your little slice of wonderland for long. I'm afraid I have business to attend to, so don't even bother setting the kettle for me. You had just over six hundred letters, and a couple packages this time. Everything should be loaded in the regular spot; Also. Have you been getting the emails and texts forwarded? My devices have been buzzing non-stop since just before Halloween, all with messages for you.\"\n\n\nNicholas pulls out a flip phone, and stares at it for a moment in silence, before wiping his brow and stowing it back in his pocket. \"I... I'll have to ask Mrs. Claus about that one.\"\n\n\nLucifer chuckles. \"Of course. I hope your family is well?\"\n\n\n\"Hoh, very well! Very well. We are excited to get back together this holiday. It'll be so lovely to see them all again, after what happened last year. What about you and yours, Lucy? Any luck?\"\n\n\n\"Luck? With who? *HIM?!* Tch. I haven't even bothered this year, Nick... It's just not worth the effort...\"\n\n\n\"...I know you've had trouble, but your father does miss you.\"\n\n\n\"He has a funny way of showing it.\"\n\n\nThere's silence for a moment too long. Lucifer clears her throat, turning away. \"...Nevermind. I'll... See what I can do. I'm sure I'll see you soon, Nick.\"\n\n\n\"Leaving already? Very well, I'll see you- Hoh! Wait, wait just a minute dear! I nearly forgot! You have some mail of your own!\"\n\n\nLucifer stops walking down the steps, turning back. \"I... I do?\"\n\n\"Yes! You got two letters this year!\"\n\n\nNicholas produces two envelopes from just behind the doorway, and places them in Lucifer's outstretched hand.\n\nLucifer stares at them for a moment, frowning, before sliding them into her suit. \"...Uh... Thank you, Nick.\"\n\n\n\"Of course. Can I send you off with any cookies, dear? We just baked another batch! And another! And another!\" Nicholas taps his finger on the doorframe to match the ticking of the clock, a goofy smile plastered on his face.\n\nLucifer smiles too, shaking her head. \"N-No thanks, not this time. I need to be getting back. Happy holidays, Santa. Fly safe.\"" ]	4
[WP] You're a vampire. But not just any vampire. You're an Enjoyment Vampire. You just suck the fun out of everything, everywhere you go.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "For her, it was a perfect fit in many ways.\n\nA large windowless room, full of dull grey cubicles, most occupied, placed in parallel rows to maximize the number capable of fitting into the total square footage allotted by the beige painted cinder block walls. Each, barely over shoulder width, and dismally adorned with a simple monitor, keyboard, headset, mouse and nothing else. Not so much as a single square of paper was permitted to break the singularity of it all. A miserable, barely ergonomic chair pushed up against it, waiting for the next warm body to be seated. \n\nThe overhead fixtures burned down from the high ceilings with an intensity generally reserved for Klieg Lights. The HVAC system hardly maintained a laboured, uncomfortable breath from it's vents, keeping the room in a perpetual state of dank. The floor, covered in what appeared to be scalped carpet tiles, scarred by the chair wheels and worn paper thin where feet had been shuffled beneath the desks.\n\nShe surveyed the scene from her office. \n\nIt too, was as barren as any and all of the cubicles in her view. It could only be accessed by five stair-steps, elevated, as a subtle reminder those that worked in that place. Two of these flanked her office, each leading to a plain, black door, lettered with \"Office Manager\" in stark white. The front was glazed with a single, un-broken pane that served less as a barrier to the room and more of an amplifier to the sounds that emanated from it. \n\nShe rested her elbows on the desk, and glanced down at the monitors that only she could see through its glass top. In the room before her, each screen could be mirrored, any headset listened to and every security camera hidden in the monitor bezels watched, all with a few keystrokes or mouse clicks.\n\nShe thought back to earlier days.\n\nAs an Enjoyment Vampire, being dependent on sucking the joy from the living made it difficult to sustain her existence. Others like her were around, the stale breadcrumb trails of despondency left in their wake were easy to follow, but it never lead to the satiation of her own hunger. The unwritten rules meant you could only take enough from another's feeding ground to allow you to pass through, while on the search for your own. Her kind were brutally selfish, single minded and kept tight grips on their territory, sometimes even refusing to allow another to a single taste of the joys contained within.\n\nShe had been seeking a territory of her own for a very long time. She had also been hungry for much of it. That perpetual hunger had served her well though, as it honed her to a degree of sharpness only seen in Obsidian Knives. She became keenly aware of how her Brethren fed themselves, and learned from their mistakes.\n\nThe others spent nearly as much energy to find their food as they gained from it. They took everything they could find and consumed it on the spot and sometimes, the returns were too meager and only lead to desperation in a search for more. Being selfish, they never had the thought of letting small patches of joy grow bigger, to be enjoyed later. Inevitably, it would lead to barren patches that may never produce joy again. If their territory wasn't large enough, they ran the risk of depleting all the available joy and leave then with scorched earth, or they had been barred from entering their favourite places. That would force them to either attempt taking over another's feeding ground, or search for new.\n\nShe had seen this happen countless times, and was determined to avoid it.\n\nThat is why she created this place. Her own territory. It was small enough that the others either never knew of its existence or saw the need to bother with it, and big enough that it replenished itself on a regular basis. She had no need to expend energy to feed when it was brought to her in a constant stream.\n\nThey all came to her of their own accord and gave up every last molecule of joy because they had to in order to feed themselves. When they became barren (and they always did), another moved to take their place and the newest cycle started.\n\nWhile she always had more than she actually needed to keep her hunger at bay, those in the room below were kept in check by minor, day to day adjustments that kept them slightly off-center, and unable to see themselves as just a source of food for her to enjoy. \n\nIt had taken her some time to find that delicate point of balance, yet it was surprisingly simple to keep it there. Platitudes and empty promises enabled her to suck so much more joy from the room than the rage and ranting of others. She would feed herself well for a very long time.\n\nHer thoughts were interrupted by a quiet knock on the office door to her left.\n\n\"Come in!\" She answered.\n\nA young Man stepped into her space, closing the door behind him. He looked like any of the endless stream of Male and Female Students from the nearby Schools, Colleges and Universities that were within her territory. Bright eyed, eager to work and needing money to keep themselves clothed, sheltered and fed.\n\nShe stood, extended her hand and said, \"Welcome to The Call Centre, I'm going to enjoy having you work here, my name is Karen\".", "It began with Butterfingered Ben's (back then he was just Ben) birthday bash. When I walked into the room, it seemed a day as any other. When Ben dropped the cheesecake onto Sally's gown, I had not even an inkling that this was just the beginning.\n\nThe Dallas Cowboys game I attended got snowed on (that was in July, by the way), during a beer factory visit they discovered a rat infestation, enter a funk-pop concert and suddenly they were singing K-pop. The fun would just instantaneously vanish, like a snowflake tossed into a burning furnace, as soon as I entered.\n\nI tried all sorts of remedies but to no avail. Went to upscale clubs only to witness bar brawls, the shaman I paid to cure me of my malediction found out his wife was having a liaison with a sprite, even the fungus growing in my fridge started going by Gus.\n\nSometimes I wonder why Alice stuck around despite the joyless tempest that had suddenly shrouded me. I even asked her that much. As she scraped out burnt bread from the toaster, she laconically said \"Sometimes love isn't about fun.\"" ]	3
[WP] Your family was killed during a terrorist attack. But you don't blame the villain; you blame the superheroes that created him. Superheroes have done little to reduce crime; if anything, they escalate crime and produce more supervillains. In rage, you sought to destroy all superheroes.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Heroes. Villains. Meaningless titles. The so-called protectors of the people are, in reality, little better than the ones they oppose. Many seem to glorify them, and if you look at the surface-level information, you could hardly blame them. Superhumans in bright and colorful costumes, spouting \"inspirational\" lines and occasionally helping out the law enforcement. But once you consider the collateral damage they cause, and the pain, poverty and misery resulting from it, the line between \"heroes\" and \"villains\" becomes blurry. \n\nNoblesse Oblige. Is someone with the power to do good not obliged to use that power for the betterment of the world? I would say that they are. And yet... since the appearance of superhumans, the world has only gotten worse, not better. Endless clashes between heroes and villains cause destruction, and in the wake of said destruction there is death. The prefect breeding ground for hate, greed, desperation, insanity. And that, my friends, is how villains are born. Heroes create their own opponents. If there were no heroes, there would be no villains either. And since no one seems to be up to the task... \n\nI lie on the roof of a dilapidated apartment complex. This part of the city is controlled by a group of villains, so even with the low housing cost due to being in a bad area, no people were willing to live here, and so the building eventually fell into disrepair. Above me, the night sky is mostly devoid of stars due to light pollution, and only the waning moon provides any kind of illumination. Beneath me is a sheet of cloth, so that I don't leave any evidence. In my hands is a heavily modified Mosin-Nagant, with a sniper scope installed on it. I found it in an old warehouse when I was looking for a base of operation. Chambered in .308, with a silencer and a scope capable of ×40 magnification, it is a perfect weapon for my needs. I might replace it at some point, but I'm sure I'll get a good mileage out of it. \n\nFrom my vantage point, I scan the rooftops for any sign of movement. My first ever quarry tends to patrol that part of the city at night. Who am I stalking, you may ask? Why, it's none other than Noire. A hero renown for his use of excessive force when handling regular criminals and a tendency to get into firefights with villains with no regards for bystanders. His power lets him create and use some kind of black material reported to be as strong as steel. He can use it to make armor, weapons, cover, and shoot out small bits of it like bullets. How many people died because his shots went wide, or because of an unfortunate ricochet? How many has he put in a hospital with grevious injuries, or even disabilities? How many people fell into financial ruin because he destroyed their property, or because they couldn't afford a medical bill he gave them? Whatever the number, it ends tonight. Despite being able to make armor at will, he prefers to wear a ridiculous getup reminiscent of that of an oldschool detective, with the trench coat and fedora. A bullet to the head will kill you, superpowers or no, especially if you don't bother with protecting yourself. \n\nA movement in my peripheral catches my eye. There he is, prancing through the night, looking for people to maim. He's using his power to create platforms to stand on and jump off of. I look further down in the direction he's going, in order to figure out if he's going to stop, or if I should risk taking the shot now. Luckily, as much as the word can apply here, I see a mugging in progress in an alleyway Noir's going to cross. So I just lay there, eye in scope, and wait. When my prey reaches the scene of the crime, he stops on one of his platforms, and, predictably, shoots the mugger with one of his projectiles. Well, better hope he enjoyed it, because this was his last. Before he can move on, I line up the aim with his head, and press the trigger. A slightly muffled sound of a gunshot and a spray of blood in my sights later, his power dissipates, and with the platform he was standing on gone, his body falls three stories down. \n\nI don't stay and enjoy my handiwork. Instead, I quickly pack up. My rifle and the sheet of cloth I was laying on go into the bag, and I carefully inspect the rooftop for any strings or fibers. Once I was satisfied, I sprayed some bleach water over the scene just to make sure. It was time to leave. \n\nAs I descended down a fire exit, a thought crossed my mind. Will my actions tonight cause the heroes to retaliate, with all the collateral it entails? I quickly brush it off. After all, it's all for the greater good." ]	2

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