Split (1)

train · 199k rows

post_text stringlengths 0 17.5k	post_title stringlengths 8 314	comment_texts listlengths 1 74	num_stories int64 1 74
	[WP] During a worldwide zombie apocalypse, a small coven of vampires attempts to gather and protect as many human survivors as possible in order to ensure themselves a continuing food source (zombie blood is inedible).	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 was out picking berries late at night. I hear screams from a nearby campsite. I bring the survivors to my commune.\n\nIt's a strange felling; finding peace in the apocalypse. But that's what my family has done. Zombies are only interested in the living, so we do most of the foraging. It's actually kind of nice to go out at night, knowing that I'm not being hunted. There's also kind of a weird role play to it? I go out and pick berries and such, as if I'm living off the land, but I don't really live off the land. \n\nI live off of people who live off the land.\n\nThe stench of zombies, unfortunately, covers the smell of humans. I don't even realize there are people nearby until I hear them scream. I drop the basket and run towards the sound at break-neck speed, readying my crossbow as I go. Six humans, five zombies. The fools lit a fire. One of the humans, I'll call her One, is trying to get another (Two) out of a zombies grasp.\n\nIt's too late for Two, and the practical thing would be to let that zombie be distracted and take out the others. But that isn't the \\humane\\ thing to do, which I'm sure matters to these people, so I shoot it anyway. I notch the next arrow and shoot it into the eye of the next zombie.\n\nI take out a couple more of the zombies in this way, while the humans who aren't panicking take out others, until the living and I are the only ones still standing. I take my vest off and use it to apply pressure to the bite wound on Two's shoulder. The smell of her blood overwhelms my senses, and I hope this doesn't show in my expression. \n\nPanicking will make her bleed faster.\n\n\"There's no point in doing that,\" a man says, I dub him Three, \"She's a goner.\"\n\nI admire his practicality, but judging by the look on One and Two's faces, they don't.\n\n\"I know there's no going back, but I thought we might ease her pain and stabilize her while the rest of you say your goodbyes.\" \n\nThree points his gun at Two, \"Getting sentimental us useless.\" \n\nHe's not practical; he's callous. I'm on him in an instant, my fingers are wrapped around his throat, my claws extended just enough to let him know not to move. He drops his gun. This is less about my moral objections, and more about the instinct to prevent my \"prey\" from being blown away. I feel compelled to make a show of compassion so that the humans don't realize this.\n\n\"Humans survive by bonding and maintaining relationships. Throwing your empathy away is what's useless,\" I growl. \"Also, shooting a gun will attract more zombies. Please tell me you're not in charge.\"\n\n\"He's not, but please unhand him anyway.\"\n\nI look to the source of the voice. This guy is pretty stacked, he's decked out in chain mail and brown leather, he's got a sword strapped to his back, and he's carrying a crossbow. \n\nI kick the gun away from myself and Three before I oblige the leader.\n\n\"Thank you. What's your name?\"\n\nI do a quick curtsy, mustn't forget my manners. \"Madeline Featherstone. And you are?\"\n\n\"Arnold Vordenburg.\"\n\n\"Vordenburg?!\" I gasp. I look around and see that the only human not staring at me is One, who is giving first aid to Two.\n\nI look back at the stacked man, and I watch him carefully. \"What is it you did in the before times?\"\n\n\"I hunted vampires.\" \n\nIf he's planning to hunt \\me,\\ I detect no signs of this, but my senses are on high alert nevertheless. I consider my next move. \n\nThree scoffs. \"The old man is crazy,\" he says, \"vampires aren't real.\"\n\n\"In a world full of zombies, you question the existence of vampires,\" Vordenburg says.\n\n\"Well, believe it or not, here we are,\" I say, \"And believe it or not, I'm interested in working with you. We've started a... commune of sorts. A safe haven for humans. All we ask is sustenance in return.\"\n\n\"You mean blood.\"\n\n\"Yes. Enough blood to keep us healthy, not enough to harm you, in exchange for protection, supplies, and food for the rest of your natural lives.\"\n\n\"You want to use us as livestock,\" Vordenburg accuses.\n\nI put my hands up defensively, lamenting the fact that I dropped my bow to accost Three. \"The humans are part of our community. They lead their own lives, and make their own decisions. They are free to leave if they so please, but they choose to stay because they like it here. If you want, then you can continue to survive on the run, looking over your shoulder and hoping you know which foliage is safe to eat or not. Or you can live with us. I won't force you to do anything.\"\n\n\"You are dreaming if you think we trust the word of a vampire.\"\n\nI shrug. \"That's your choice.\"\n\n\"Maybe we should trust her,\" One says, \"she saved our lives.\"\n\n\"She attacked me,\" says Three, who doesn't seem terribly intent to move.\n\n\"She only saved us to preserve her own prey. Vampires are self-serving and amoral.\"\n\n\"I'm not going to deny that,\" I say, \"but right now, being self-serving is protecting humanity, so that is the goal. By the way, I think I smell a zombie about two yards to your left, Mr. Vordenburg.\"\n\nVordenburg looks to his left and narrows his eyes. He aims his crossbow and shoots before refocusing on me. \"This doesn't mean that I trust you.\"\n\nI don't quite trust him either. I head over to where I dropped my crossbow and put it on my back. \"Our commune is about a mile north of here. It looks a bit like a castle. Humans will be guarding the gate in the morning, if you want to hear their perspective, then they'll probably indulge you. Also, you would do well to eat some fruit. There's some blackberry bushes toward the west a little bit. There's actually a footpath that'll lead the way a bit. I need to get going before moonset. Take some time to think it over.\"\n\n\"Wait,\" One says, \"If you turn Sasha into a vampire, won't that stop her from becoming a zombie? You can save her.\"\n\nI shake my head. \"The vampirization process takes longer than zombification. I'm sorry, but it won't help her.\" I reach into my messenger bag and pull out a satchel of roots. I hand one to Two, who I now know is named Sasha. \"This poison will kill you more peacefully than the bite. You'll have about an hour to say your goodbyes or prayers.\"\n\nSasha takes it from me and studies the root. She doesn't say anything. \n\n\"Consider my offer wisely. I'll see you after sunset tomorrow. Sorry for your loss,\" I tell the group before running off. I was afraid to stick around too long, lest Vordenburg attack me or something.\n\nAs for my offer? I'm still not sure if they'll take it, but in my experience, people usually end up making the right call. For their sake, I hope they do, too.", "Our benefactor only had two rules, to not remain in the loading dock or be locked out and to not attempt to leave the compound or be guaranteed to be locked out. And that was the damnable thing; we knew we were living in a gilded cage. Every so often someone would plan an escape, or come up with a plan, or think they'd figured it out... and the Stalkers would let it happen. Hell, I think they encouraged it-- once someone had wondered aloud what would happen if they had enough guns to fight their way out of the compound and, so the rumor goes, we found a bunch of submachine guns in the loading dock. And it wasn't like the Stalkers were silent killers, either. So here we are, the play ready to raise curtain again, with a rando and his friends arming themselves from an armory basically provided to them by the very things that idiot stick and his buddies are trying to escape.\n\n\\[truncated short version because I need to get ready for work\\] Everyone could see the shambling dead outside on a monitor; there were even those who said the images on the screen were fake. For those who did, the option was theirs. All they had to do was stay in the loading dock and they'd find themselves outside, on camera, and there was nothing we could do to let them back in. It only took once, maybe twice, watching someone you knew running, searching desperately for refuge, to realize that outside was suicide.\n\nBut staying inside was no protection, either. Every week or so someone would wake up with a large black spot painted on their right hand, chosen to be a target for the Stalkers. Fleeing to the loading dock meant someone else would get the spot. Staying meant the Stalkers would find you and rip you to shreds, nothing but dry bones and cloth left behind. There was no negotiation with them and our benefactor would only say this:\n\n\"Ask, and I will do what I can to provide. Flee, I will not lift a finger. Stay... at your own risk.\"", "The gathering crowd of shambling corpses huddled around the barricaded police station, snarling as they groped and clawed at the wire-topped brick wall that separated those inside from the dying world. About thirty dead counted their number, but the mounting din of their ceaseless hunger attracted more from the downtown Herdbreak's cracks, the concrete partition fallen in the wake of the storm. A few more heads would make a horde.\n\n\"'Scuse me. Pardon me.\"\n\nNosta shuffled through the mob, careful not to catch the plastic bags on wandering hands or protruding bone. Eyeless heads turned to seek the sound of clinking canned goods and bottles, limp tongues lolling from their mouths like leather strops. They didn't part for him but paid no mind as he slowly shovelled through their ranks to approach the gate.\n\nThe sliding gate, once reserved for patrol car comings and goings, had been boarded shut with every scrap of usable material available. Chair legs filled the slim gaps between baseboards, flattened drawers with knobs intact, gum-covered desktops, and every plank, pallet and part from Mapleview's only department store. Bright orange graffiti relayed FEMA details, but they were never accurate; people were always moving, no community was static. Nosta knew the survivors inside, the scared humans constantly on the run, and it bothered him that every building, every home, was reduced to an inaccurate number that helped no one.\n\nNosta set down one bag and rifled through his pockets for the key to the hatch cut into the gate. The hatch was raised four feet above street level, making it difficult for mindless intruders to enter, but people with living muscles could manage it. Dead men can't jump, said the handbook, but Nosta wasn't like most dead men.\n\nAs Nosta climbed through the hatch, the rotting gentlemen nearest him leaned its head through the opening, an almost curious expression across his mouldering face. Nosta took one finger, placed it between the dead man's eyes, and pushed him back through the hole.\n\n\"Not yet,\" he said, closing the hatch.\n\nThe rear entrance to the station was through the impound garage, and as Nosta passed through the shaded overhang, he saw the carcasses of rusting vehicles strewn about the lot as if passing carrion had picked them clean. Patrol cars lay bare with no doors or trunk panels. Emergency response vehicles were ravaged and stripped bare of anything inside. The sheriff's car, beaten and dented, bore a boot on each tire.\n\nThe door inside was similarly reinforced as the rest of the station, but it was unlocked. Nosta gathered the bags in one hand, turned the handle, and entered.\n\nA metal bolt streaked past his head, a blur in his vision. The projectile embedded into the corkboard beside the door with a satisfying thunk, shaking loose the numerous tacks already there. Nosta followed the bolt's angle from the wall to the end of the room.\n\nThere stood humanity's remnants, or at least, Mapleview's local chapter. Twelve sorry excuses for survivors huddled behind the receptionist's curved desk, crammed shoulder to shoulder. One poor sod, barely out of her youth, pressed her back against the huddle, crossbow in hand. She nervously racked another bolt, hands shaking.\n\n\"I thought we agreed we wouldn't do that anymore,\" Nosta said, stealing the distance between them. He pushed the woman's crossbow aside, but she kept her tight grip on it.\n\n\"You're a monster,\" a voice said from the huddle. \"Evil!\"\n\nNosta dropped the plastic bags of goods onto the desk. \"The lesser one, actually.\"\n\nHesitation overcame the survivors, as no one leapt to the provisions as they once had. They were better fed now, wiser and more cautious of where their food came from. With a full belly, good sense can often get the better of you.\n\n\"You know the drill,\" Nosta said. \"Food for food.\"\n\nThe young woman fought through her hesitation and brought the crossbow up to his face again. He swatted it down without issue.\n\n\"How do we know you won't just kill us?\" one asked. \"Or leave us to die?\"\n\nNosta started arranging the cans, stacking them. \"You don't kill the golden goose.\"\n\n\"Are we your animals, then?\" another asked, younger. \"Kept in a pen?\"\n\n\"We've been over this,\" Nosta said, topping the pyramid of canned beans with pineapple slices. \"You're not animals. You're humans.\"\n\n\"Then why do you say it like that?\"\n\n\"Like what?\"\n\nThe survivor shrugged. \"Like we're not worth the dirt you scrape off your shoe.\"\n\nThe crossbow woman raised her weapon, but Nosta caught it again. He sighed.\n\n\"Will you please stop pointing that fucking thing at me?\"\n\nA small child, no older than ten, dragged from the far room a sports cooler on squeaky wheels. Everyone gaped as she approached Nosta, too terrified or morbidly curious to intervene. When she was within a few paces from him, she opened the lid and kicked the cooler to him. Inside, packed between thick thermal packets and stray ice cubes, were enough pints for Nosta's coven to use for the next two weeks. Enough time for the humans to grow some more.\n\n\"Finally, someone with sense,\" he said, grabbing the cooler.\n\n\"And your end of the bargain?\" asked the crossbow woman, apparently having scratched her itchy trigger finger.\n\nSuddenly, a muffled explosion shook the room, the lights flickering momentarily. Heads swivelled for answers, but none came. Nosta tilted his head, expecting something. Nothing.\n\nHe humphed. \"The bargain is complete. Those tale-tellers out there are quiet now, as per our arrangement.\" He fingered through the bags, counting them. \"I'll be back in two weeks. If you need help before then, radio in. Preferably during the night.\"\n\n\"What if we get overrun in the day?\"\n\nNosta shrugged. \"Wait, I suppose.\"\n\n\"You're cruel!\" spat an old woman.\n\n\"I'm hungry. We all are. There's no shame in admitting that hunger makes us do regrettable things.\"\n\nNosta pushed forward the stacks of food, sliding them to the survivors. They took to organizing the cans, spreading out amongst themselves in more comfort than when Nosta first entered. They stuffed the cans in duffles ready for a quick exit, then stashed the bags on metal shelves along the medal-decorated walls. The survivors ignored their reluctant saviour and went about their nighttime chores, praying to see another day.\n\nOnly the young woman watched Nosta leave, the cooler of blood bags tucked securely under his arm.\n\n\\-----------------------------\n\nr/TheRubicon" ]	4
	[WP] Most ancestors move on shortly after death, but you chose to remain and look after your descendants for hundreds of generations.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 a simple decision in the end. I had seen the light, knew it would take me further, knew it would take me to an easy rest. But looking back, looking at the tiny baby that had taken me from the world, I knew what I wanted. I wanted to stay. \r \nAt first, I wasn't sure what to do. After all, as an incorporeal spirit, I couldn't influence the objects around me. I couldn't stop accidents from happening or even warn my descendants away from danger. But while they couldn't hear me or see me, they could feel me. \r \nWhen my daughter was making a decision about her baby, I was there. When she cried as she told her suitor, I was there. And even though she couldn't feel my arms, I know she felt my love. I knew it with the same simple knowledge that had kept me here, kept me from that transporting light. \r \nWhen my grandson chose to go to war, I was there. I stayed with him in the trenches, and I held back the despair and loneliness he suffered. Taking them upon myself somehow, taking the worst of the emotions away, and filling him with love. \r \nWhen my great-grandson cried because he could not be with the person he loved, I was there. Wrapping him in the same love that made him cry such bitter tears. Whispering —though he couldn't hear me— that someday it does get better. That he had to believe that. \r \nI have lost track of the generations now. It has been so very long, and I am so very tired. The energy that kept me here had faded, stretching thinner. But still, I will take care of my family. This is what I chose. \r \nShe is very old now and had no descendants. This woman, who I watched from a baby is my last charge. And I am here now, so she does not have to die alone. No one should die alone. It is close now. I can feel her fading. Soon, she will turn into the quick flash, the instant of death, as she goes into the light. \r \n\"Do I know you?\" The familiar voice crackled, and she was looking at me. The first time I had been seen in eons. \r \n\"I am your long-distant relative.\" I expected my voice to crack, but then, ghosts don't really have vocal cords.\r \n\"I am dead then. There is a light...\" She trailed off, looking to her left. \r \n\"Go into it, dear. You will find peace there.\"\r \n\"Why didn't you go?\" She asked, looking at me with a strange mix of fear and curiosity. \r \n\"Because.... because there was still work to do,\" I said, making my voice as gentle as I could. \r \n\"And what will you do now? Is there still work?\" Shaking my head, I stared down at the body she'd vacated. \r \n\"No. You were the last. The very last.\" A hand slipped into mine, as she looked up at me. Her chosen form was a girl of about twelve. \r \n\"Well, then. Come with me. We can go to rest together. After all, no one should be alone.\" Looking first at her, then off to the left, I smiled. There was the light, but also many, many people. I recognized them all.\r \n\"I will gladly join you. All my beloved.\"" ]	2
	[WP] You are a supervillain who just captured the weakest member of a team of superheroes. You threaten to kill them if the heroes interfere with your plans. To your surprise, The leader smirks and says, “Go ahead.”	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "That was very anticlimactic.\n\n In hindsight, maybe I should have had a backup plan. But who plans for the heroes to not try and save someone? Especially one of their own. Sure they’ll sacrifice themselves if necessary, but normally that’s “there’s a meteor about to hit the earth and there’s no other way to stop it” type stuff. I’m not that big of a threat. So I made my declaration of intent, they made no move to stop me and I pulled the trigger. Which meant that I no longer had a bargaining chip.\n\nShit.\n\nAfter a very awkward couple of minutes I handed them all the stuff I stole and turned to leave. Without my trump card I knew I didn’t stand a chance against them, and he who turns to slink away lives to steal another day. I wasn’t surprised to see them gather around their fallen friend as I left.\n\nWhat did surprise me was the voice I heard calling after me.\n\n“THAT HURT YOU DICK!”", "\"Wait, what?\" I asked. \"You heard me. Do it. Unless you're scared. Or bluffing. He's only an echo class. We can replace him in a week. To be honest, you're going to be doing us a favor. His merchandise is not selling like it needs to and there's nothing like a heroic demise to spur toy sales\" Captain Ventury sneered as he said it. \"Are ...you...serious???\" I gasped. I had dedicated my life to the study of the Dark Arts but this was just...evil. \"Completely. Now, kindly release him or pull the trigger. I have a 6am Tee Time in Hong Kong and I don't want to keep the Premier waiting.\" Animo looked at me with tears in his eyes and quietly mumbled \"please, I don't want to die\". I hesitated but when the Captain started to march toward me I tightened my grip on the injection device and yelled \"not another step! I'll do it!\" He froze and then began to smirk before taking a single step forward. I squeezed the trigger and the ink black liquid inside the device emptied into the boys neck. His eyes went white and he tried to scream but found the air unable to cross his vocal cords. As he slumped over, I put the device into it's holster. \"You're a monster\" I spat at him. \"I'm a monster? You're the one who killed him!\" He laughed at me as he said it. \"Now, you have 5 minutes to escape before we send you back to Maxgate for the rest of eternity\". \"You watched me and you could've done something. Anything. But you chose to let him die because he wasn't selling enough action figures. You all make me sick\" I hissed at them as I drew on the Dark power to create a smoke portal. As it enveloped me, I saw the boys lifeless shell and expanded it to take him with me." ]	3
	[WP] In this world, Dad Jokes are lethal. The Listeners suffer fatal reactions, writhing in discomfort and agony, waiting for the inevitable end. As a result, Dad Jokes are illegal, and punishable by life in prison. You, the world's most deadly criminal, are the master of Dad Jokes.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 shuffled up to the counter, my socks already sweaty beneath my Crocs in the warm morning sun. \n\n \n\"What the hell is this?\"\n\n \n\"That's a caramel almond milk foam. Yeah man, the people love it.\" The barista responded, his ear gauges bobbing the hip-hop bossa nova in the background. \n\n\n\"I didn't order this. I ordered a goddamn coffee. And the name on the cup, it's wrong. My name isn't Tad.\" \n\n\n\"Dude we can get you another one, chill. I'm sorry.\" \n\n\n\"Nice to meet you, Sorry. I'm Dad.\" \n\n\nPiercing shrieks wrang out from behind the espresso machine. The barista's eyes rolled back in his head, and his black beanie became soaked with the blood streaming from his ears. His colleague ran to his aid. As she held the dying man, she looked up at me tearfully. \n\n\n\"How could you do this!? Please just leave a tip and go!\" \n\n\n\"You want a tip? Always seed your lawn in late summer or early fall.\" \n\n\nShe released a wail of agony as her cheek bones collapsed, and her shin bones splintered like ice in a martini shaker. \n\n\nI walked out, under-caffeinated and over-aggravated. Plus the city can't fix these flippin' potholes so I keep catching my Crocs. It was the wrong time to mess with Dad. \nI was just trying to get home, when a group of young punks approached me. \n\n\n\"Wassup, old man!? You trying to mess with the Green Street Crew?\" \n\n\n\"I don't mess around with anyone, I take care of my business.\" \n\n\nThe gang leader popped his collar and spun around, flashing the back of his embroidered leather jacket. A cobra wrapped around a candy apple red Camaro, with the title \"Green Street Crew.\" \n\n\n\"Whatchu think about that, old man!?\" \n\n\n\"What do I think about it? We haven't seen a lot of scumbags lately, it's nice to see your back again.\" \n\n\nImmediately, the gangs' heads exploded, like there were blood donations attached to illegal highway fireworks. That's what you get for messing with Dad. \n\n\nI made it home safely, of course, with a wake of destruction trailing behind me. My daughter, Mia, met me there. She's 18 going on 38. \n\n\n\"Hey dad, how's it going? Want some coffee?\" \n\n\n\"Sure. Thanks.\" \n\n\n\"I also made some salad. Want some?\" \n\n\n\"Whatever. Sure.\" \n\n\n\"It's got kale, quinoa, spring greens, carrots, and tomatoes. It also has another surprise ingredient that isn't that cool but it's rad-ish.\" \n\n\nI felt a burning sensation in my feet that shot like lightning up the back of my head. I could see auras, and scenes from past, present, and future. I collapsed on the ground, and my daughter held me. And I wheezed out my final words. \n\n\n\"I never wanted it to be this way. I can't believe that this is the world we live in. I'm a monster, and I have made you a monster. I feel as if I'm a bee who is trapped in a hive that I can't escape - it's un-bee-leavable.\"\n\nMia laughed, then choked, and that was the end of us.", "You have learned to control your power. Now you must use it. For yourself. Because everyone deserves to laugh at their own Dad Jokes. Even if they're not funny. \nIt's the end of the world as you know it. And now, it is time for Dad Jokes! \nDad Jokes are outlawed across the globe. Some countries are stricter than others. In some parts of the world, there are no police or military. Anyone who makes a bad joke will be killed on the spot. In other parts, the people can't stand up to their tyrannical governments because their heads hurt too much. Instead, they make themselves laugh by laughing at each other. A few people will kill themselves, but that's okay; the people who made them laugh just had a better death.\n\n \nOther nations are not so lenient. For instance, a man once joked about a baby's diaper and was beaten to death. No one laughed. But he died, nonetheless. \nAnd so, the world's best Dad Jokes remain secret. Those who practice the art have to do it in the dark, away from the eyes of the government. They must create their jokes on their own, without outside influence. Those who go too far could get themselves killed. Or worse, they might kill someone else. It's easy to go too far with a joke that only exists inside your head. The temptation is there, always: to make the joke bigger, more cruel, and funnier than anyone could imagine.\n\n \nAs you enter into the world of Dad Jokes, it is time for you to find the joke within you. Perhaps it is there already. If you have an evil streak, you can be the most lethal joke maker in history. You can break a person's will, make them laugh at their own mortality. When they're laughing, when it's too late, you can snap your fingers. And then, for a fleeting moment, the person will understand the joke you made, and laugh. Their life flashes before their eyes, and then it is too late.\n\n \n\"How Does A Penguin Build his house\" you say \n\"noooooo\" Screams the man tied up infront of you \n\"Iglooos it together \" you utter \n\n \nThe man writhes in agony, screaming", "“Dad? Dad?”\n\n\r \n“What now?” I sighed in exasperation and looked down in disgust as I smelt the remnants of the 6 pints of beer I’d just downed escape along with my breath. \n\n\r \n“I’m hungry.”\n\n\r \nThe words came out of my mouth before I could realise what I was saying. The boy’s sweet face contorted in agony as he fell to the floor.\n\n\r \n“Mason? MASON?” I screamed as I rushed to his body. Blood started dripping from his button-like nose and he gasped for air, reaching out his hands to me so I could help him. There was nothing I could do. I held his hand and cradled his head on my lap, while he slowly faded away. I let him suffer, I couldn’t even bring myself to end it quickly. He was all I had left, and now he was gone. \n\n\r \nNow, life is lonely. I sit at the first table I find and order a coffee, as I wait for my next victim. I want everyone to die, I want everyone to suffer in the same way my son did. It’s all rotten anyway, I don’t care. Before I can do that though, one needs to eat, and to eat, one needs to work. So, I put my skills to good use. The bartender looks at me, terrified, and I nod, signalling him to put on his earmuffs, as I see my target enter the restaurant. I stand up and quickly intercept the man. He looks up at me and smiles as I scream at the top of my lungs:\n\n “WELL, I GUESS THEY’LL LET JUST ABOUT ANYONE IN HERE.\"\n\nEveryone turns their head to me. All of them listened. The restaurant explodes in screams of agony. I close my eyes, as I’m transported back to my son’s last breath, my only solace in this pained existence. Now, silence, except for the drips of blood on the wooden floorboards.\r \nThe bartender gets up from behind the counter and takes off his earmuffs.\n\n\r \n“You…did it?”\n\n\r \n“Pay me.”", "\"One more,\" I said to the bartender, clearly having six too many beers for my own good. As the bartender handed me the glass, I see my face announced on the tv. \"Wanted for Murder\" read the caption next to a picture of me at the DMV when I was 18. Luckily, I had a beard now and nobody recognized me right away. \n\n\"Crap, they're on to me,\" I thought to myself. I downed my beer and left the bar. I was walking at a normal pace when I began to feel a little uneasy. I couldn't help but feel as though I was being watched. I looked around as inconspicuously as I could to see if this feeling was justified or just in my head. The streets were completely empty aside from a single person behind me. Probably just a rando but I don't take chances. I turn the first corner I came across. A few seconds later, he turns the same corner. I try walking a little faster. He walks a little faster. I cross the street to try and get a little more distance between us. Surely enough, he crosses too. I turn one more corner again and run into an alley to hide. I stood there for a minute waiting for him to turn the corner and catch him by surprise. I hear his walk turn to a light jog, clearly trying to catch up to me. He turns the corner; I grab him by his hoodie and throw him on the ground. I put my knee and all my weight on his back pinning him down.\n\n\"Who are you and why are you following me?\"\n\n\"I'm sorry! I'm sorry. I was told you could help me. I have someone I need to--you know--and they say you're the best,\" he said.\n\n\"I don't appreciate being followed.\" \n\n\"I know... I'm sorry. I'm just... desperate.\"\n\nI got off his back and helped him get up. He looked weak and pathetic but that's why people hire me to do their dirty work.\n\n\"So,\" I said to him, \"what do you want from me?\"\n\n\"I heard\" he looked around as if to see if anyone was listening, \"that you are the guy to go to.\" \n\n\"To go to for what?\"\n\n\"To... you know,\" he motioned his hand into a finger gun.\n\n\"I don't shoot people. If that's what you want, I recommend you look into the dark web,\" I began to walk away and he got in front of me. \n\n\"No, right, I know. It was just a metaphor, never mind that. Is there somewhere we can go to talk a little more privately? Or is this how you conduct your business\" He looked anxious. \n\n\"No there isn't. And what exactly is it you want from me?\" \n\n\"There's this guy my wife has been cheating on me with. I want him gone and I hear you are a professional. I hear you're...\" he leaned in to whisper, \"a joker.\"\n\nI burst out laughing. \"A joker? Is that what they call me? Oh lord that's rich. I can see why your wife feels the need to see another man. Anyways, what are you willing to pay? Once we agree on a price you can tell me more about this guy and where I can find him.\" \n\n\"So you can help me? Are you really a joker? Is that how you kill people?\"\n\n\"What's with the questions man? What are you a cop?\"\n\nHe winces and looks at me wide-eyed, \"What? A cop? No. I'm just really nervous.\"\n\nI grabbed him by his collar and asked him again, \"Are you f\\cking cop?\" and as I manhandled him a bit I noticed his wire underneath his shirt. I pulled it out and showed it to him. \"Where do boats go when they're sick?\" I asked him, making sure to speak into the wire as well.\n\n\"No! No, please!\"\n\n\"The boat doc.\"\n\nHe fell to the ground and began to convulse. I ran out of the alley and spotted the stake-out van less than a block away. I went up to it to look in through the window and saw three more undercover officers convulsing just as I thought. I was sure there were more to come but I didn't stick around to find out. \n\nI went to my apartment to pack up and leave town. I grabbed my duffle bag from the closet and threw as much clothes as I could fit in it. I tore open my mattress where I had hid another bag full of money. I looked around to see if there was anything else I needed. Before I could finish, I heard sirens off in the distance. I grabbed my helmet and ran to my motorcycle parked on the street in front of the building. As I turned the ignition half a dozen police cars arrived in front of me blocking my exit. I twist the throttle, spin the bike around, drive it onto the curb and use the sidewalk as an impromptu exit.\n\nI manage to get onto the street. I rode my bike to its limit ignoring all the red lights and narrowly dodging the few other cars on the streets. The few cars behind me grew to more than a dozen as more caught up to us. I needed to lose them. I went into a residential area, rode behind houses, across playgrounds, over curbs, through a park, and across the local mall parking lot. \n\nI looked at my rear-view mirrors and noticed that no one was behind me. I was in the clear. Now all I needed to do was get out of town. However, as I went past the next intersection, four more cars got right back on my tail. I turned into the local cemetery and the road quickly ended. I had no choice but to ride over the buried bodies. I turned to see if the cops dared to follow me across the field but surely enough, they did not. As I was looking back my front wheel hit a tombstone and flipped me over the bike. I must have blacked out for a minute or two. As I was coming to the eight cops caught up to me on foot. \n\n\"Stop right there. There is nowhere left to run,\" they said, pointing their guns right at me. \"Just give up. There is one of you, and eight of us.\"\n\nI stood up.\n\n\"You're right.\" I said taking my helmet off, \"There are more of you than me. This graveyard is way too overcrowded.\" I looked directly at them and said, \"People must be dying to get in.\"\n\nThey collapsed and began to convulse. \n\n\"You should have killed me when you had the chance,\" I said. \"You won't get another one.\" \n\nAs the police sirens grew ever so slowly, I picked up my bike and took a deep breath. It was just a matter of time until they reached the graveyard. I put my helmet back on and turned the ignition.", "Drip. Drip. Drip.\n\nThe audible falling of water in little droplets would have driven anyone mad, and made those who humanity considers shining figures of peace into nothing more than depraved maniacs. It was its own form of hell, the pollution of noise in its most subtle yet persistent form. So upsetting, that those who came by it could not stand to be in the room for more than a minute, less they start hearing an annoying yet rhythmic drip, which would fill their head and their dreams. Most of the guards at the very least knew better than to stay in that room.\nThough there’s always one.\nThe new one, the one who has more bravado than anyone, who in our society of heroes, celebrities, idols, and superstars, wants nothing more than their fifteen seconds of fame. And when I heard his footsteps, boots hitting the concrete floor with a joyous step, a glint had entered my awaiting eyes.\n\n“Okay prisoner. It’s time for you to eat, and unlike the others I won’t deal with your inaction. If I have to come in there and force this sloppy fish feed down your throat myself.”\n\nDrip. Drip. Drip.\n\nI couldn’t help but smile. A toothy smile that would unnerve many, almost like a secondary test. My light brown eyes met his sky blue ones, and in his eyes I saw an annoyance like none other. He was as fed up with me as many preach they are with their bosses, or bosses to employees. This was going to be easy.\n\n“The hell are you smiling at? What am I saying, someone as idiotic as you wouldn’t be able to understand your sentence.”\n\nI slowly stood up, as the joints within my body made their popping noises, almost sounding like an odd bubble wrap, the blue wraps now muddled brown, falling down my melanin rich body, and hitting the floor, only having enough to cover up the parts which should be reserved for intimate partners.\nOr bathrooms.\n\nDrip. Drip. Drip.\n\n“They’re right. This dripping is fucking maddening.”\n“No. You’re simply stupid~”\n\nMy raspy voice let out, as the dripping continued.\n\n“I’m stupid? You’re stupid. I’m greatness wrapped in a six foot frame.”\n\nI was sure that had a photographer been behind him, they would have captured this moment. Captured the moment that many would say “was right before disaster struck.” It brought me joy, and a glint entered my eyes.\nHis life was forfeit.\n\n“Hi ‘Greatness wrapped in a six foot frame’, I’m dad.”\n\nHis blue eyes looked into mine, before his body hit the ground, leeching forward so hard as he held where his liver would be, that his head banged loudly against the bars of the prison cell, blood seeping from his forehead. Being within range, I slowly dropped my body back down, seeing blood seep out of his mouth, as he shook and shuttered, curling forward just enough that my skinny fingers were able to slip the keys from his belt loop. I could see as his arms reached up, but it was far too late, as I unlocked the door to my cell, hearing it clatter open.\n\n“What’s brown and sticky? A stick!”\n\nI proclaimed these words, as he began to convulse on the floor, I walking past his body. He would be dead soon enough, and with today being Thursday, the guards would be too busy soliciting ‘favors’ from the prisoners to notice me making it to the announcement room. \nIt looks like I was going to be free yet again." ]	6
	[WP] "What to Expect When You're Expecting the Antichrist: How to Raise Your Hellspawn Without Losing Your Mind"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "\"Where in the hell did I put that stupid book?!\"\n\nKevin was clearly distraught as he searched through the kitchen cabinets. The kitchen was a mess, the floor, walls, and even the ceiling were currently covered in spaghetti sauce and scorch marks. From a high chair next to the kitchen table a baby with horns cried angrily as flames flew from its mouth. The fridge was also left open and a dog was happily eating leftovers from the bottom shelf. \n\n\"Damnit Pumpkin, Potato, and Porridge get out of there!\"\n\nTwo of its three heads pulled away from the fridge with their ears back. The third head belonging to Potato however continued to try to eat the leftovers as Kevin grabbed their harness and pulled them away from the fridge before quickly closing the door.\n\n\"I swear when she told me we were getting a puppy I expected a little Chihuahua or poodle. Not a threeheaded idiot. Now go outside and chase the squirrels or something.\"\n\nThe ears from all three heads shot straight up and the dog quickly ran outside to hunt. \n\nBEEP BEEP\n\nThe smoke alarm from the living room began to go off. The kitchen alarm had been removed weeks ago already. The baby of course began to scream louder at the new noise.\n\n\"No, no, no. It's okay honey, it's going to be okay!\"\n\nKevin rushed into the living room, climbing onto the couch he reached up and removed the alarm with well practiced precision. As he did he noticed the couch teeter slightly. Climbing onto all fours he looked beneath the couch where he found the book holding up one corner of the couch where a leg was now missing.\n\n\"How in the eff...whatever come here you stupid book.\"\n\nGrabbing the book he quickly flipped it open to the index section.\n\n\"Flaming tears? No. Flaming poops? Oh thank God that's a no. Ah ha, Flaming breath! Let's see, use pacifier of cooling to stop flames then pickup baby and gently rock back and forth. Okay-okay I can do this.\"\n\nKevin returned to the kitchen and opened the freezer. Inside he pulled out a frozen pacifier with the words Freezy on the side. Carefully he attempted to place it in the babies mouth. Trying desperately to dodge flames.\n\n\"It's okay honey, it's ok-Holy shit that was close!\"\n\nKevin only narrowly dodged a large flame which singed his hair and lit the wall behind him on fire. Luckily he did manage to place the pacifier in the babies mouth right after. Quickly he then scooped the baby up and began to rock them back and forth. The cries stopped as the baby slowly sobbed.\n\n\"Thats a good boy. It's okay everything's okay, well almost okay, I still need to put that fire out.\"\n\nThe door behind him opened and a woman with horns walked in and smirked happily at the sight of the kitchen.\n\n\"I see you've been having fun.\"\n\n\"Haha very funny Sara, now please will you help me put out this fire.\"\n\nWith a single breath Sara blew out the flames with ease. \n\n\"Now let me see my little Antonio.\"\n\nKevin handed baby Antonio to Sara. He seemed much happier with his mother as he reached up to try and grab her horns. \n\n\"You know when he gets bigger hes going to be the next AntiChrist right?\n\nShe smiled happily as she looked at Kevin. Of course he knew that he had a better chance of winning the lottery than this child had of actually being the antichrist. But he also knew better than to argue with the demon who also was the mother of his child.\n\n\"Of course dear, I know he'll deliver us all into ruin as soon as he comes of age. But until then I need to survive, so please stop hiding my book!\"\n\nSara smiled wryly before giving him a sorry look.\n\n\"I'm only trying to make you stronger dear. He will get even more dangerous as he ages and I dont want to lose you the same way I lost my father.\"", "Introduction: Appreciating A Demon For The Miracle It Still Is\n\n\nYou’re probably beginning this book with an immense feeling of dread, hopelessness, and existential terror. Before we cover literally any other subject, it’s important to make one thing perfectly clear:\n\n\nThis. Is. Normal. And it is absolutely okay.\n\n\nThe daunting responsibility of being made caretaker for any human life is a monumental and terrifying thing that millions of people struggle with every year, and consult numerous books, articles, listacles, podcasts, self-help TED talks, TV show monologues from wise-yet-sassy maternal characters, and film adaptations made by committees of studio executives who just signed lucrative product sponsorship deals with the primary publishing company of the various books, articles, and listacles previously referenced. Motherhood is something that has been a unifying struggle for women throughout history, and as society has changed and shaped itself, the difficulties of managing the emotional and physical trials of carrying a life to term have only slightly been made more manageable. It is a billion-member club of people who understand just how hard the task ahead of anyone expecting a child is going to be, and who are able to find some comfort in knowing that they are not alone in the path they are about to walk.\n\n\nHard truth #2: you are not a part of that club.\n\n\nIn a way, you’re a part of a VVIP extra exclusive club, set within a slightly larger VIP club, which itself is hidden behind a door disguised as an old jukebox and guarded by a bouncer who happens to be literal Satan. This club, as of the printing of this edition of this book, will be welcoming you as its 22nd member: a number that we know is simultaneously too large and too small to be comforting on first glance. But before throwing this book away and having what we can only imagine is not your first anxiety attack since receiving the news, consider this: on 21 separate occasions, a literal child of Satan was born unto our world with expressed intent to bring about the destruction of life as we know it, and on 21 separate occasions that effort was thwarted and the world kept on spinning. By what, you may ask? The same thing every single time: its mother.\n\n\nSo no, you unfortunately do not have the luxury of leaning on the collective experience of billions of women throughout history to help guide you through the task of mothering the spawn of Satan into a productive member of society. Because you are not a member of the club. You are also not a member of the VIP club of devout Satan-worshiping disciples who genuinely are quite jealous of the predicament you find yourself in. You are a card carrying VVIP club member of the most exclusive, and let’s face it: insane kind of club this world has to offer. And that is where this book comes in.\n\n\nContained within the pages of this book are combinations of journal entries, first and second hand accounts, interviews, writings, and transcriptions of hundreds of hours of security, home video, and news recordings that have been tirelessly researched, organized, cataloged, and boiled down to the most necessary and fundamental guidance possible in turning your prophesied Bringer Of Darkness into a healthy functioning member of society. Knowledge and experiences of every single one of the 21 previous mothers of Satanic children have been poured into each and every chapter with the expressed purpose of making sure that you - along with everyone else on the planet - make it out of your mothering experience alive, and we have complete faith and confidence that you will do just that.\n\n\nWho are we, you may be asking? We are Deirde Collins, Kerry Ellwood, and Dr. Ellie Bartholemew. To the world, we are, respectively: a chef for a wonderful Italian bistro in Santa Monica, an HR representative for Logistical LLC in Little Rock, and a professor of English and Religious History at the University of Michigan. To you, we are #21, #20, and #18 in the club you have just been indoctrinated into. This book has been a labor of love since I - Dr. Bartholemew - first conceived of it after spending the bulk of my pregnancy diving into research and conducting interviews with anyone even remotely competent in the subject from the moment the Vatican sent its official representative to my door to let me know I had been “chosen” for this daunting task. And since compiling my findings into print, it has only been made more helpful with Deirdre and Kerry providing updates and insight into these chapters. \n\n\nWhile we could not be more different as people, the common thing we all share is not only the nature of our children and their births, but that each of them managed to become wonderful and loving members of society. How? Well not to spoil the rest of the book, but the one-sentence answer is this: we treated them like people, same as anyone else. Sure there are unique adaptations you have to make, behavioral modifications that don’t apply to most children or even humans for that matter, but the core of it is the same with any other child: with the right amount of love, boundaries set, affection given, and fire extinguishers present, you will be able to see this child for the miracle blessed into your life that it truly is. And if this book teaches you anything, please let it be that no matter how dark or hopeless the task of raising your child may seem, there absolutely is a real way of guiding that soul to become one of light, hope, and happiness, regardless of where it came from.\n\n\nSo take a deep breath. Really, I mean it. Take one now. We’ll wait.\n\n\nIn.\n\n\nAnd out.\n\n\nNow take one more for good measure. In…and out.\n\n\nYou’re not alone. You’re not doomed. And you’re definitely not damned. Motherhood is a mountain that has been climbed again and again throughout the history of humanity: you’ve just been stuck on an expert-level trail. But expert-level is NOT impossible, and we hope you read this book with that spirit in mind. So take one more deep breath, find a cozy chair, and tell yourself that you got this, because it’s true! And with that, turn the page.\n\n\n\n\n\nOh, and one more thing: welcome to the club!", "Chapter 7: Diet\n\nContrary to popular belief, Hellspawn children do not eat coal or innocence; their diet consists almost entirely of regular meals such as baby food at younger ages and any meals the parents eat at an older age. While rare, dietary exceptions such as gluten intolerance can occur and should be looked out for.\n\nThe one exception to the regularity is the use of baby formula; though edible on its own, the children are far more receptive to it when sulfur is added. A small amount, as if salting a meal, will suffice.\n\nPrecautions must be made, of course, outside of the food selection. At a young age, when all children have a tendency to play and paint with their food, care must be taken for the child to never draw a pentagram or any other runic symbol (see addendum 4 for examples). Failure to prevent your antichrist to draw such a symbol could result in a minor demonic incursion. Should that happen, remember that most minor demons arrive only to praise your child and can easily be shooed away with a broom made of straw. Lemon juice and baking soda work extremely well at getting rid of any blood on the carpets that may flow through the portals.\n\nIf you wish to provide your child with a treat for good behaviour, the souls of small rodents have proven to be a highly humane while still tasty option.\n\nUp next: 10 tricks on how to best fireproof your crib. Number 7 will shock you!" ]	4
	[WP] You walk into your local Chipotle, and as soon as you step into the dining area, everything stops. The music…conversations…the hum of machinery…and everyone is looking at 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&#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.", "Yep, that's me. You might be wondering how I got into this situation, saving a group of toddlers from getting hit by a searing, smoldering bowlful of Wendy's chili soup, thrown off a Chipotle waiter's tray of many a strange food item. Well, let me tell you...\n\nIt all started with Joe, the manager of the local Chipotle that I happened to go into on that faithful day, and also, my childhood friend of over 80 years. Yes, I'm 90 years old. I almost can't believe it myself. I have the wiseness of a very old frog, but also the amazing speed and dexterity of a younger frog at the same time.\n\nJoe had just fired all, but one of his staff, due to a freaky scandal that involved all of them to be a part of a local satanist cult, that was known to sacrifice bowlfuls of Wendy's chili soup to the Devil. I know, right? We live in crazy times. Anyways, the only person from his staff that he didn't happen to fire due to the scandal was his 14 year old son, David, due to Joe being a fervent practicer of nepotism during his hiring process. Something worthwhile to mention is also that David happens to be severily clumsy, but enough of that dumb fuck! I'm sure that you are already dying to know as to how I happened to get to saving that treadfully pleaseant group of toddlers.\n\nI happened to be in the process of doing my daily routine, and a part of that is seeing Joe almost daily, since he has severe seperation anxiety when he has to be away from me. I know, I'm important! But anyways, as I entered the dining hall of the Chipotle that Joe is the manager of, I saw that dumb piece of shit, David, coming into the dining hall, apparently working as a waiter for the day. \n\nBut before I could even take a single step more towards the kitchen where Joe was working at, that dumb piece of fucking manure, David, manages to trip on a fry that was on the floor, as he began to start to conviniently fall towards a table filled only by toddlers ranging from ages 2 to 6. And don't you dare to ask as to why the table was filled with merely toddlers, since you should have already learned to take my words as pure gospel. \n\nTo keep this wonderful summary of a long and rather beautiful tale of heroics even shorter and even more vague, I'll just give you the gist of it. When I saw that burning, and scolding bowlful of Wendy's chili flying from that boring pile of defecation, David's, small tray towards that group of toddlers with rather handsome and respectable top hats and monocles, I just knew that I had to do something. \n\nI Mr. President:ed those toddlers and got the brunt of the attack of that devilish chili. As I felt the burning hot sensation of different various, rather delicious ingredients and even the sweet, gentle caress of a few loose rotten human fingers touching my sensitive chest, I could only feel but satisfaction with what I had done in the width of a half a second since I stepped in that fated dining hall of my local Chipotle, as I slowly passed out, with everyone staring at me in awed silence. \n\nWhen I came to, I woke up to roaring cheering and applause coming from everyone in that fated dining hall that day, as I felt yet even a peck more of satisfaction in my chest as to my heroic deed that day. As I felt a touch on my heavily scarred and burned back, I turned around only to find the very respectable toddlers with lushious moustaches and handsome top hats and monocles staring at me, now offering me a Medal of Honor for my service. As it turned out, the very toddlers that I happened to save that day, were the Supreme Court of our dear United States of America. To be honest, when I heard who the ones that I saved were, I immidiately retracted my previous compliments and felt even a twinge of regret entering my heart, but I digress. \n\nThat day, I became a hero of legends, so I just thought that, with humility, I'd share my story to all of you fair and lonely and rather pitiful Redditors, so as to allow you to bask in my utter and heroic glory. \n\n\\#TrueStory #TotallyHappenedToMe #TheNarwhalBaconsAtMidnight #WokeAsFuck #I'veProbablyBeatenYouInAnInternetArgumentSomeTimeInThePastSoSuckItYouLoser\n\nTa Ta, xxxx.", "I pause, for just a second to take a look back at the crowd. Their stares are indignant at best and horrified at worst. \n\nI lift my mask back up and stumble towards the counter. As I walk by, I throw my half filled Chipotle bag into the trash.\n\nI notice a small girl with pig tails as she slides behind her mother, on the verge of crying due to my unpleasant state. \n\nI finally reach the counter I want only one thing, a simple request.\n\n“Where…” I begin to say to the cashier, my own shame clearly present in my voice. “Where, is your bathroom?”\n\nDoing his best to not look me in the eyes, he points me in the direction of the bathroom.\n\nMe and my formerly white shorts shuffle to the bathroom for as much damage control as I can do. I knew I should have gone to Del Taco." ]	3
	[WP] You’re weak, paralyzed, and bedridden. Every night, when you close your eyes, you go somewhere. You don’t know if it’s the past, future, present, or if it’s heaven. What you know for sure is that you don’t ever want to go there. You hate closing your eyes, you hate that place.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 not sure if it’s a dream or not. What happens where I go what I do. But every night when I’m forced to sleep I see something. \n\nI couldn’t tell ya if it was some time magic crap, or an alternative universe designed to screw with ya. Heck maybe even some after life thing. But every night it’s there you just know, without knowing, ya’follow?\n\nDunno why you want me to log this information. And don’t say insomnia or insanity check again when we review it. I’ve said this hundred times, not it. \n\nGuess I’m meant to explain it huh? \n\nI fall asleep fast, well use to I suppose, I avoid it these days. Oh well, whenever I do it’s like I blink into something else. \n\nFeel all floaty ‘n stuff but like reality my body weighs more then the moon and then some. A subtle prickly sensation like when it’s too quite, and you can feel your heart but not hear it. And sensitivity is all over the place. Sometimes I fell larger or small then I am working body parts I muscles I don’t have. \n\nCan have the sensation of action with out any, I fell my body muscles tighten and listen pulling and pushing as if I was doin somethin but I know I ain’t moving, can’t really. \n\nSound doesn’t really exist. My thoughts fill it in somethings, but usually it’s that there but not there ringing you hear when lying awake at night. Something you can never focus. Sometimes something correlates correctly, rare but possible.\n\nSights another thing, it’s usually one subject, a random one. If I see a ball it’s only a ball bouncing off lost substance. My brain fills in the rest. Can see false color. Sometimes my body reacts other times not, \n\nOnce I say a plant growing real fast. And I mean growing, bigger and bigger till it ate the world. Or maybe it didn’t, was it green? No brown. It died.\n\nThere’s no smell and contact is usually a not actually there feeling. Just aggravating. \n\nAnd. It always ends one way. Flashes of running through forest and city and other stuff. I feel it all I see and smell and taste and hear. \n\nAnd I fear, my heart screams at me but you people say nothing changes over night I just jump up in the morning with no context. That’s crap. I think it’s why I sit here today. The running. Here it was sudden paralysis unconfirmed sickness. But there, it did it.\n\nAnd it did me in here too. Maybe it’s just waiting to get over here. Things get more clear in that place the longer I go. \n\nThat’s why I gotta stop, stop giving me those sleepin drugs n stop the self health crap when your tryin ta kill me now it’s all bull. \n\nWhy can’t you just let me cut off its path? Why not? Sleep is for the weak ya know? So what’s the problem? Why do I ‘need it’. Why does it matter???\nWhy.\nWhy..\n\nIt’s all stupid.\n\n-cut recording-" ]	2
	[WP] Spacewar tended to be an interstellar version of beer pong. That’s why every species so feared the drunken human attacking late on a Friday night. Sam, Sam had just had 8 pints and was cruising for a galactic bruising.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "\"BUCKETS, BABEYYYYY,\" I whooped, rolling my ship hard right and loosing a torpedo.\n\nThrough my viewport, I grinned at the Vaxelirian squadron as they fanned out, twisting into evasive maneuvers. The torpedo made contact, slamming into the left engine of one of the sleek starfighters ahead of me.\n\n\"WHOOOOO, THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN ABOUT,\" I hollered again, pulling up and killing my stabilizers for a free tumbling backflip into the oncoming barrage.\n\nAs the cloud of red laser stings rushed past, I couldn't help but tilt my head back in the wave of elated, existential euphoria. None of them would hit. I mean, what the hell could these freshies have on me? Eight deep on the finest mass-market Golar Ale - I was a god.\n\n\"Incoming hail from. VaxID184053,\" a blue light blinked on my dash as my ship's computer read off the alert. When would they learn?\n\n\"Yep, let em through,\" I replied, clicking my mic on. The line crackled for a moment, and I took the opportunity to hard burn, looping back and away from the starfighters.\n\n\"Identify yourself or we will blast you to high oblivion!\" the warbled voice came through my headset, stern but covering a hint of panic.\n\n\"How 'bout you identify some hoes,\" I cracked, continuing to flip and roll. \"Better yet, drop your tractor and toss me that shiny lil container.\"\n\n\"You will not get another warning!\" the Vaxel sputtered, \"We're in federated space, this is a direct assault!\"\n\n\"No, you're in federated space,\" I returned, watching the tracker dot of the damaged ship, letting intuition guide my thumb on the blaster, \"I'm in your mom.\"\n\n\"Then pray to your g-\" the second torpedo slammed right into the front viewport of the already-spinning fighter and the line went dead for a moment from the interference of the blast. \"STOP!\"\n\n\"God, DAMN, two for zilch bro,\" I let my ship tilt onto level with the remaining fighters and burned again, diving at the center of the squadron. \"Feelin any nicer?\"\n\n\"LIGHT IT UP!\" the commander, presumably, shouted into his mic. Tacky.\n\n\"You wanna talk about light? Talk about this LIGHT WORK!\" I shouted back, grinning again as I buzzed right through the middle of them as they opened fire. With one hand I pitched my ship forward, toggling my stabilizers a couple times to wobble the front flip before taking my hands off the controls.\n\nI pondered the dancing red lights as their lasers yet again illuminated the interior of my ship, and grabbed another beer from under my seat. Holding the can up to my mic, I cracked it for dramatic effect.\n\n\"You hear that dawg? That's FREE TRADE right there,\" I flicked left with one hand and took a swig with the other, sending my fighter into a free tumble. \"They say the hops taste better without the feddie tax.\"\n\n\"Buzz us again and you can hop on deez nuts!\" a new voice came onto the Vax commline, over-excited, but I had to respect the execution.\n\n\"HEYOOO,\" I whooped, raising an eyebrow over my beer as one of the ships peeled off their formation. \"Now we're dancin'!\"\n\nI kicked my stabilizers back on as I came level with the new challenger and reversed my engines. I roared backwards, watching the other ships still in formation swivel to face me.\n\nIt was a shame, honestly. The kid had moves, even in a shitty military-issue. A pilot like that belonged with the stars, not some self-important escort crew. I sipped my beer again as I watched him engage. He took impressive advantage of the overpowered booster to compensate for the handling of those things, whipping the nose of his ship in an arc and letting free a barrage.\n\nAh well. On the off chance his pod worked, maybe I'd invite him out. With my free hand, I killed all but one of my engines, burning straight up to send my ship wheeling down through the lasers.\n\nOne skipped off my shield as they sailed past, and I shook my head.\n\n\"Sheeesh, you sure got an arm on you kiddo,\" I crushed the rest of my beer. \"Sure you wanna be flyin with these dorks?\"\n\n\"We all gotta grind,\" he replied, the edge of his voice hard as I saw the arms of his ships heavy cannons start to deploy. Damn, son.\n\n\"Shit aight, I see you, I see you,\" I sunk my beer into the disposal in the corner of my cabin with a clean overhand and shrugged, both hands returning to the controls. Clean.\n\nThe other ships sprayed another wave as the hotshot re-positioned, but they were thinking in 2D. I had about 20 seconds before those cannons were hot. Gloves off, go time.\n\nI slammed all my engines to life, hit my stabilizers to level with the still-grouped fighters, hitting an ungodly flat spin while my secondary weapons came to life. I turned off the clock safety on my torpedo guns, and savored the tingles as the rotational G's pulled on my face.\n\n\"Welcome to POUND TOWN!!!\" I diverted all power to weapons, letting my momentum carry the nose of my ship in the same spinning arc, and unleashed the fury. \"I. AM. THE. HURRRTTTTT.\"\n\nIt was embarrassing to watch. The remaining squadron panic-slammed their side thrusters almost in unison, twisting into the most rote evasive moves of all time, about 5 seconds to late.\n\nThe mix of overclocked torpedoes and twin bursts from the modified Liquid-Fires mounted to the underside of my ship tore through them in a picturesque display of slag and shrapnel. I looked on with glee for one moment before the count resumed in my head. The kid's cannons would be hot in 3 seconds.\n\n\"You sure bro?\" I asked the remaining fighter, engaging a tracking lock on the cargo container I'd sent spinning off.\n\n\"Hell I'd ask you the same,\" he replied. Cocky. \"I'm the one riding the cannons baby.\"\n\n\"Damn,\" I shook my head. \"I got somethin' you can ride.\"\n\nI turned all my thrusters down, blasting straight up out of the spin just as he fired the first round of plasma beams. They seared through the night, blue-hot and blindingly bright, barely missing the bottom of my shields.\n\n\"You're almost lucky, kid,\" I said, shifting my attention to the dot radar above my viewport. \"Not a lotta people can say they've seen this move.\"\n\nAs I'd guessed, he did the same trick with his fixed booster, rolling beautifully to track my position. As he did, I punched an override code into my console and flicked through my custom formulas to the one I needed.\n\n\"Orbital Schwoop. Engaged.\" I let my ships computer play aloud over the comm line.\n\nThen, as was the holy battle cry of my ancestors, \"KOBE!\"" ]	2
	[WP] The wounded monster was helpless as the heros cornered it. That is until the parties healer, decided to heal it. It seems the healer doesn't like bullies who gangup on the weak even if it is their job.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 huddled itself against the back of the cave. The four segments of its mouth dangled open, thick green blood dripping from the pointy toothed maw. Its left arm was a mangled mess, barely recognisable anymore. It's right bore multiple slices, from which more green ichor ran. Its long serpentine body was mottled, missing segments of chitin from its back. A tail, that once had a whiplike end topped with a barb, now ended in a stump.\n\nIt's three eyes looked up in terror at the people before it, each eye focusing on single one. One wore a heavy sheet of chain mail, with a large, solid shield and mace. It remembered the mace, as it clashed into its side and mouth. To their right was a small, wily one. It's daggers brought memories of its body being torn asunder, and it's tail being lost. The last was weaker seeming, with a body of neither thick nor wiry muscle. But that once scared it the most, having destroyed an arm when reaching for it.\n\n\"Guys, I told you to wait for me! You never listen.\"\n\nIt's eyes shifted to a newcomer. This one was taller than the rest, with a large branch in its hand. The branch gave off a warm glow, like that of a peaceful campfire. But the eyes were a mixture of hurt and annoyance, which focused on the monster.\n\n\"Well, you always take too long. Besides, we did fine. Look at it, it's almost finished.\"\n\nThe armoured one scoffed, waving its hated weapon at the monster. It cowered further, and the newcomer pushed past the ones that hurt it. It's eyes changed, to fill with sorrow.\n\n\"I see. But you don't.\"\n\nThe ones that hurt it laughed in a jeering manner.\n\n\"What don't we see? A monster is there, one that has hunted the countryside relentlessly.\"\n\nThe newcomer shook their head as the wiry one gave its retort. They put a gentle hand on the monster, giving it a soft pat.\n\n\"This is no monster. Its intelligent. Heal.\"\n\n\"Chrissie, what are you doing?!\"\n\nThe nasty ones shouted, as the glow from the newcomers staff spread. The monster froze, certain death was coming. But instead of pain, warmth filled it, like it was bathing in the sun. The pain from its wounds began to fade, as it felt its body begin to heal.\n\n\"The right thing you idiots. Tell me, did any of you think to question the truth of the locals words?\"\n\nThey looked between each other, and Chrissie sighed.\n\n\"No, you didn't. I did, and none of their stories of it killing people added up. The cattle makes sense, but it just murdering people? That didn't. They lied to us, and made you bully this poor thing. Heal.\"\n\nIt rubbed against her hand, as more warmth rushed into it. The taste of blood faded, and its arm was recognisable again. It purred, wrapping part of its body around her in a hug.\n\n\"You see? It's nice. It was just trying to survive.\"\n\nThe ones that hurt it grumbled, recognising what was happening. They knew their healer well enough that she had made a choice, one which she would not go back on.\n\n\"You're adopting it aren't you?\"\n\nShe stroked the creature, giving it a smile. It purred louder, rubbing its head into her hand.\n\n\"Well I'm not leaving it alone. Do you want to stay with me?\"\n\nIt reared back a little from her, before diving down. Its head dipped between her legs, lifting her onto its back. As she laughed, it hissed at the others. Her it liked, the others, not so much." ]	2
But should you?	[WP] As you gasp in amazement, you realize what the results of your experiment mean. Your machine actually travels through time. You could go back to the past, warn the world of the catastrophic pandemic that almost destroyed humankind, and stop the SPOS-24 virus from ever spreading.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "“That sounds like a great idea, Damien!” said Fran. \n\n“Do your homework first,” cautioned Matt. “Watch all those epidemic and zombie and time travel movies.”\n\n“What?”\n\n“So you jump back in time to the start of the second plandemic, and try to warn everybody. Even if it works, the guys behind the first two are just going to try again.”\n\n“Will you just stop?” Damien was thoroughly tired of Matt’s speculation.\n\n“Nope. Fauci and his buddies are still out there. They got away with it.”\n\n“China was devastated, Matt, just like the rest of us.”\n\n“And yet those UN turds are living high in the hog… right over there.” Matt gestured across the river at the compound, where the lights never flicked, and music and laughter wafted out across the night air. “Funny how the plandemic devastated the Democrat voters and the Republican officials.”\n\n“That’s because they refused vaccinations.”\n\n“Which ones? Unvaccinated officials had a better survival rate than vaccinated ones.”\n\n“You and your fucking conspiracy theories.” \n\n“Okay, do me a favor. Start by using your time machine to get quietly rich. Do that *before* you try to stop the diseases. And then, before you do anything else, leave us a message.”\n\n“A message?”\n\n“Yeah. Let’s say a note with a case of Jim Beam. Buried under one foot of dirt under *that* rock.”\n\nThey stared at the rock for a moment. It was huge. \n\n“That’s a pretty big rock.” \n\n“If you are rich, you can have someone move it for you. Have them dig a hole, you put the case in and fill the dirt, then have it moved back.”\n\n“For gods sake, why? You won’t even be here. None of this will happen.” \n\n“Humor me.”\n\nDamien stared at Matt for a moment. They had known each other a long time. “It’s a bet.”\n\n“And guns under *that* one.”\n\nDamien stared again… then shrugged. “Sure.”\n\nMatt gave Damien a mock salute as he entered the rigging. The machine rattled, then huffed, then faded away. \n\nMatt looked at Fran, whose eyes suddenly widened. \n\n“Why didn’t we go with him?” She asked. \n\n“Oops.” Matt didn’t sound at all surprised. He looked at the compound across the river. The river smelled clean, so different from ten years before. \n\nAfter a long pause, Matt looked at the rock. He walked around it, down a bit, and grabbed a two by four to use as a pry bar. \n\nTen minutes effort, and a little help from Fran, and the rock finally tipped and fell away. The ground beneath it was solidly packed. \n\nMatt used the stud as a digging tool, albeit a very bad one, until he had scraped out a shallow dent four or five inches deep. About that point, when he pounded the ground, the sound changed. \n\nAnother ten minutes and the top of the case was free. Inside was a folded piece of paper, and twelve one liter bottled of Jack Daniels. \n\nMatt opened the paper. \n\n>See?\n\n>Of course you don’t. You won’t remember the bet, because I won. \n\n>Let’s party. \n\nMatt breathed in, deeply, and sighed. Then he opened a bottle, drank a long pull, and handed it to Fran. \n\nHe looked across the river again, thinking about what would have to happen next." ]	2
	[WP] Due to a difference in their mana channels, men tend to be better at fire-magic, while women are better at ice. She was once a world class fire mage, but now as she begins her transition he begins to apply her training to her new talents.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Crickets chirped into the cool night air, the hoos of an owl joining their song. Beyond these bugs and nocturnal birds the world was fast asleep. I felt as though if someone were to so much as cough on the other side of the kingdom I would be able to hear it. The world was at peace. \n\nMy mind, on the other hand, was anything but. Anxieties flashed through my mind quicker than they could be processed. So many things could go wrong tonight. We could be seen, though in the darkness of the night that was unlikely. No, my biggest worry is that I would just suck. \n\nI looked to Ædet for support, her face illuminated by the lantern she carried. The lantern that I had lit. In the firelight I could see she too was worried. Still, when she saw I was looking to her she gave me a reassuring smile. \n\n“You’ll do great.” She said, though we both knew she was speaking out of her ass. Neither of us knew how tonight would go. I was sure I wasn’t the first mage to transition, but there were little records of such. Whether that was because of numbers or malicious historians I couldn’t say.\n\nI knew that it was possible for me to tap into cyromantic mana, anyone could even if women were more apt to it. The question was if I could do so well. I thought of the burn I had felt when I had lit Ædet’s lantern. I had long ago learned to ignore the pain but what if cyromancy was even more painful? I imagined a painful chill running down my veins. That didn’t sound fun. \n\nFinally we reached our destination. How a lake had managed to form on the mountain I had no idea, but even without the light of day to see it now I knew it was beautiful. It was where the village taught young girls to tap into their magic. I was only a decade or so late. \n\nI stared at my reflection in the water illuminated by the lantern. My transition was coming along well on that front, my face much softer than it had once been. My hair was at my neck now, long enough that people had begun to ask questions. It was considered dangerous for men to have long hair due to how flammable it was. \n\n“Now what?” I asked. “How do I…you know…” I made a sweeping gesture with my hand towards the lake. Because the two elemental magics were so segregated I had never been taught even the basics of cyromancy in my youth. \n\n“You just…” Ædet paused. “I try to think of myself in the cold. I mean yes it is chilly tonight but real cold. Like a blizzard.” I remembered when our father had said something similar to me when teaching me, though reversed. Perhaps the two magics weren’t as different as we thought. \n\nI allowed myself to get into such a mindset. I had once visited the northern lands on an expedition for the king, so I was more than familiar with blizzards. I remembered the painfully cold air, the wind and snow cutting into me despite my clothes and magic. How the northerners survived in a land so cold that even the kingdom’s best pyromancer shivered I had no idea. \n\nWhen I tapped into the correct mana I was amazed by the lack of feeling. When tapping into the fire mana I usually felt ill, but now I felt nothing. As the magic flowed through me and into the lake I felt no pain. The lake began to freeze rapidly and yet I felt nothing. \n\n“Are you alright?” Ædet asked, worry written all over her face. “You seem fine.” I nodded. I remembered when I had begun to learn pyromancy. The screams of pain rang through my mind. I had no doubt Ædet was thinking the same thing. \n\nI smiled. The doubts that had plagued me as I had hiked up the hill truly subsided for the first time in my life. If the world had thought I was an impressive pyromancer, they hadn’t seen anything yet.", "\"Look, I think... you just shouldn't get your hopes up, Gin.\"\n\nThe older magician had a look on her face that was not unkind, and yet Ginneka felt a jolt of anger flow through her, instantly disintegrating the remains of the ice shard that she had been attempting to craft in her palm.\n\n\"Please.\" She forced her feelings down, but the flush remained in her cheeks. \"I'm not looking for pity.\"\n\n\"I'm not pitying you, Gin. I'm just saying.\" She folded her hands in a show of patience. \"Your transformation has impressed us all, and I'm very proud of the young lady you've become. But perhaps you simply don't have the knack for this magic. It doesn't make you less a woman. Many of my students never get further than you have right now. And your fire powers...\"\n\n\"Are getting weaker by the day,\" Ginneka admitted in a soft, flat voice. She recalled last night's unfortunate fireball incident in her chambers-- her eyebrows would take some time to recover from that. That form had once been trivial for her.\n\n\"We don't know that that will continue. This is all very new ground. Many of the Masters are suggesting you should take a break entirely from spellcasting until you're more... ah, stable.\"\n\n\"And you, Inyana. You're a Master yourself, now, after all. What's your professional opinion?\"\n\nInyana let out a bark of a laugh. \"Forget professional opinions. The opinion that matters is that of someone who has known you, both before and after.\"\n\nGin smiled wryly, remembering her student days. She had never been the most natural spellcaster, but she had been studious. Persistent. And slowly, form by form, she had mastered the element of fire in particular. With a few missteps, mind you-- she was the reason why the West Chamber sported a newer coat of paint than the rest of the building.\n\n\"Yeah. I think I'd go mad, not practicing.\" She looked away, out the window, surveying the grey sea beyond. \"It's all I ever saw myself doing, Inyana. Becoming a mage, like my father before me, and his father before him. I was always told it was in my blood, but... my blood runs different now. What if I end up just... mediocre at everything?\"\n\nHer teacher grinned. \"I don't think you have it within you to be mediocre. You'll figure something out.\"\n\nGinneka nodded, and moved her hands back into position, her right palm-up, her left palm-down. She probed the air between them, searching for that telltale crackle. And then, finding it, began to pour her will into the space, picturing the sharp beauty of ice, forming it crystal by crystal.\n\nThe result was the same as the last three times. A sliver of what she wanted, but shapeless, unstable. She heard a \"hmm\" from across the table, and again her concentration faltered, and the shard disintegrated.\n\n\"What is it? What am I doing wrong?\"\n\n\"I think... you are still too locked into the same way of thinking, Ginneka. I've seen how you work fire, pushing more and more of your will into the form, feeding it with power. It's like you're still trying to do that, but reversing the properties-- cold instead of hot, static instead of flowing. But ice is not the opposite of fire. It's something in its own right.\"\n\nThe younger mage pondered her words. \"So... what does ice feel like, to you? How do you perceive it?\"\n\n\"I... I'm not sure I do.\"\n\nThe Master mage held out a single hand above the table, and a six-pointed flower of ice bloomed outwards, its delicacy mirrored by the slim fingers beneath it. The blossom shone in the lamplight; symmetrical, stable, perfect.\n\n\"I don't have to think about what ice is to create it\", she told Ginneka. \"I just know it, like I know how to walk or to breathe.\"\n\nThat look of troubled concern was back on her face again. The look remained while the younger woman once again moved her own hands forwards.\n\nI don't have to think about what ice is. I just know it.\n\nShe felt for that crackle of power, that potential, once again. And she thought back, back to when she had been a first year student. So keen to prove herself, to show the world that she had power, that she was her father's son. But at the same time too terrified to even acknowledge the other truth within herself.\n\nI know it, like I know how to walk or to breathe.\n\nShe remembered how she had used to take her bedsheet, fold it around her body as if it were a lady's gown, belt it tight around the waist. How she would look into the mirror and feel that tiny glint of recognition. How she would cry, not knowing whether it was from shame or from joy.\n\nOf course she knew it. She knew it before she had ever dared to say it aloud.\n\nAnd without even needing to try, she saw the ice bloom between her hands. Slowly, awkwardly, inevitably. A baby cousin of what Inyana had produced, but just as perfect in its own way.\n\nShe plucked it out of the air, feeling its solidity between her fingertips, and set it down on the table, beaming at the woman opposite.\n\nShe was a woman and a mage, and she would master her power.", "\"....My lord?\"\n\nDalvar held back the flinch at the term, keeping his gaze upon the sky above her.\n\n\"Lord Dalvar, why are you wearing your mask? You only wear it for the commoners, but you've never worn it when it is just I.... Is something wrong?\"\n\nDalvar kept his back turned, his red and orange Blaze Lord's cloak rustling in the wind.\n\nHe spoke firmly, trying to keep his voice even. \"...Horyx... You've been at my side for quite some time. You have seen how my magic taxes me, yes?\"\n\nHoryx frowned and nodded. \"Yes, but with your feats, it's hardly surprising. You've warmed the coldest of winters and summoned great meteors. Anyone would be taxed after that, in my humble say-so.\"\n\nHe tried to keep his hands from trembling. \"....Do you remember.... When I saved the town of Drakevale from that snowy avalanche...? And I passed out?\"\n\nHoryx nodded again. \"Yes, and I was worried sick for you... Why?\"\n\nHis tone was more than questioning. It was starting to catch on.\n\n\"Do you ever wonder why my magic taxes me so, when others at my skill handle it easier?\"\n\n\"....I wonder about it now, my lord.\"\n\nKeeping his hand steady, he raised an arm.\n\"...With the same hand that struggled to warm the cold...\"\n\nThe blue aura surrounded him in bursts, emanating a powerful cold as an orb formed in his hand. He shot it off into the sky. \n\nA pause as his arm was still raised.\n\nHe brought it down.\n\nAnd the sky rained ice.\n\nHail fell before them, not on them but riddling the ground in wave after wave after wave\n\nHoryx watched his Lord carefully, ready to catch him in the event of the inevitable fatigue.\n\nFatigue that never came.\n\nHe remained standing as the hail subsided, his arm lowered.\n\nHe shook, but not from the cold.\n\nFor the first time since they met in the plains, he turned to face him.\n\n\"I have always felt different.\" He admitted quietly. \"I didn't understand it. I couldn't. I thought it was folly. I was supposed to be a fire user. A fire user who was taxed mercilessly for his power. I didn't question it until Lord Javil mentioned no extreme fatigue as mine. I didn't understand, but...\"\n\nHe removed his mask.\n\nHoryx's face softened.\n\nHis lord's face was shaven, eyelids coated in an icy blue hue with stunning blue make up on his lips to match. Dalvar's eyes watered as he held back tears.\n\nHe trembled visibly, so vulnerable.\n\n\"...I am not a man.\" She said quietly. \"The magic knew this long before I allowed myself to know, and I do not know what I should do. I wish you no disgrace but I require your advice one last time, if nothing else.\"\n\n\nHoryx paused.\n\nThen he smiled.\n\n\"I am afraid I'm unaccustomed to such an event, such a transition, as it is so personal and important for you and thus I have no advice I can give. But I am willing to be by your side for all of it... My Lady.\"\n\nDalvar sobbed, her hand going to her mouth as her tears streamed down her face.\n\n\"Horyx, you-!\" She tried through her tears.\n\nHe drew his lady into a light hug, rubbing her back. \"Now, now, I swore loyalty no matter what- I would not leave you on something like this. Even without the oath, you are still someone close to me. I'll stay with you through it all. I swear.\"\n\n\"Thank you...\" She said softly, returning the hug.\n\nShe sniffled and drew back, sighing as she gently touched her make-up streaking down her face. \"And after all the effort to make it perfect...\" She sighed.\n\nHoryx handed her his handkerchief. \"My Lady, if I may, you are already perfect, and you don't need the makeup to show it. It's mainly the lower half of the eyes, your mascara and lipstick are untouched. If you wish to reapply it, wipe it off and we may redo it at the castle... It is your will, my lady.\"\n\nShe dabbed at her eyes gently, removing the stains and nodding. \"...At once.\"", "Ayene looked across the dark, foaming sea from the tower’s balcony. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, but she feared the rough seas reflected the turmoil yet to come.\n\nGhineas walked up behind her.\n\n“You’re throwing your life away, Thi-”\n\nAyene turned around and gave him an icy look, verbally freezing him mid-sentence.\n\n“I’m sorry, Ayene, I’m… I’m just worried about you. You’re ruining your mana channels permanently. Think about your career, you’re one of the best fire mages the world’s ever seen…”\n\nAyene sighed.\n\n“Have you ever thought about why I’m so good at fire magic, Ghineas?”\n\nHer colleague looked thoughtful, considering his answer carefully.\n\n“Because you’re more hardworking and dedicated than anyone else I know,” he said.\n\n“And do you know why I’ve worked so hard and dedicated all my time to mastering fire magic?”\n\nGhineas shook his head.\n\n“Because I always struggled with it. Magic has always been hard for me, harder than for any other mage I know. I desperately wanted to prove that I was the best, because being a good fire mage meant being a good man. I desperately wanted people to believe I was one because I struggled believing it myself. Now that I’ve accepted who I really am, it makes so much more sense. Fire magic was hard for me because I never had mana channels meant for channeling fire, because I was always a woman inside.”\n\nGhineas’ eyes widened, “do you mean that…?”\n\n“Yes,” Ayene said, “I’m finally realizing my true potential.”\n\nWith those words, Ayene did what she’d only ever done secretly in the shielded confines of her private chambers: she drew mana without taking all the complex steps of altering it into fire.\n\nSpeechless, Ghineas clasped the tower’s handrails so hard his knuckles turned white, watching in horror as the sea froze solid all the way to the horizon." ]	5
	[WP] An entire civilisation made of memory-wiped clones - when a novel situation occurs, it can unlock vague memories of how they used to deal with it.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#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 a beautiful day in Eloren. As the sun poked its head above the horizon, I got up and kissed my wife, Maya, and made my way downstairs. I made myself a cup of tea and herbs and got some leftover meat from the refrigerator. Another day in the mines, gathering quartz and silver for the Organization.\n\nThe Organization. Every time I thought about it, a vague feeling tickled the back of my brain. Resentment? I mean, I didn't hate my job, but part of me felt I hadn't exactly chosen this life.\n\nI put my tea and herbs into a thermos, grabbed a lunch for myself, and made my way to work. No time like the present. However, as I made my way to the mine, I saw that the other men, along with some women and children, were gathered around the city square. I walked my way over.\n\n\"What is it?\" I heard one person ask.\n\n\"It's not human, that's for sure,\" said another.\n\nI made my way to the front of the crowd.\n\nThe crowd had gathered around what looked like a spacecraft, but unlike any the Organization owned. Next to it stood a strange figure, humanoid but not quite human. It was green and had lanky limbs, two legs and four arms. It looked strangely like an...insect?\n\nSomething tickled the back of my brain.\n\nThe beast swore up and down. \"No, no, no, no, it wasn't supposed to be like this!\"\n\nThe thing in the back of my brain pushed its way forward.\n\n\"What am I going to do?\" asked the creature, and it swore again.\n\n\"It's a Kern!\" I said. I watched as recognition made its way around the crowd.\n\n\"And it has a spaceship!\" said another. Slowly, a flood of memories began pouring down on me.\n\nI wasn't Robert Fensworth, miner and loyal employee of the Organization. I was Magnus Carter, dread pirate and sworn enemy of the Empire, the true identity of the Organization. I pointed at the Kern.\n\n\"Seize him!\"\n\nThe crowd rushed on him and pulled him away from the ship. He kicked and screamed, and even tried to go for his weapon, but there were too many of us. Meanwhile, a few of the men and I started working together to put his spaceship back together. That evening, before imperial ships would arrive for our day's work, we finished the ship. We also had the Kern bound in rope.\n\n\"Ladies and gentlemen,\" I said, \"the Empire thought they could steal our past from us and cause unquestioning loyalty in us. However, thanks to the fortuitous arrival of our new guest, we now realize what we've known all along: the empire has been manipulating us. We have been their slaves, but no longer! Tonight, we take on the Empire once again, and tonight, we shall earn our freedom!\"\n\nThe crowd cheered." ]	2
	[WP] “Mila you need to run get as far as you can from here they’ve come to take us” my grandma yelled while putting a back pack on me I had just woken up from sleep it was dark out side. My grandma pushed me out the door of our house grabbed my hand and we followed where all the villagers were going	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Walking along the path the villagers have stomped in through the grass before them, Mila, her little sister Mona and their grandmother, Marianne trek along carrying what they could towards the cold snowy mountains. Mila carrying a big rucksack with a crossbow, 24 arrows and everything they need to survive for the season, Mona wears her rugged space jam back pack filled with photos, coloring books and a slingshot on the side pocket. She carries her favorite knitted blanket made by her mother. Marianne carries the water and food for their long trek ahead with a bolt action rifle and plenty of ammo. \n\n\"It's been 13 years 5 months and 12 days since they've last arrived. No one knows what they look like, how they act or what they do with the people they take. All we've gathered so far is that we never see our loved ones again, there is little warning for when they show up and they cant survive at extremely high elevations and we THINK they are only around for 6 months at a time\" Marianne explains with each heavy exhaustive breathe. After several days of walking they come across a cabin \"Let's set up camp here for the night\" \nAt the base of the mountain they're about to climb they stay in a cabin that is frequently visited by the villagers along the same route. With 20 bunks, 2 fireplaces, and a single outhouse, they are the only ones there. A wood carved sign reads \"open vacancy, we'll always make room for our kind in need. Just come on in.\"\nNestled in their beds closest to the fireplace, they listen and watch as the fire crackles and pops. Mona's phone eventually gives her the 15% battery life notification and she turns it on airplane mode. Not long after, they hear a knock on the cabin door! They all look at each other in shock as no one ever knocks. This is a communal place of refuge. Villagers, hunters and campers come and go as they please. And then they knock again a little louder and more frantic. No one moves or makes a sound. \"Please help me!\" They hear in horror. Mona pulls the blankets back and starts to get up to open the door but her grand mother stops her. The knocking and crying for help continues. It stays the same and doesn't stop for the entire night. No one gets any sleep. \nThe next day a blizzard hits the cabin hard and the crying stops. \"This is our chance whispers Mila\" Marianne cracks the door open peaks her rifle out and checks to see if anything is out there. There's nothing except steam coming up from the footprints in the snow of left behind. Turning from a 2 footed human footprint into what seems to be a monstrous avain footprint with 6 feet. She gives the all clear and they scurry out of the cabin and head towards base of the mountain. \"This could be another clue\" exclaims Mila as they head up the mountain to meet the other villagers. \"Do you think it could be the cold and not the altitude?\" ..." ]	2
	[WP] The Summoner Regulatory Association is a professional organization created to monitor ethics of conduct among summoners, and recently the highly unprofessional Summoner-Summonee romance trend among young summoners is starting to affect the public perception of summoners.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Excerpt from the declaration of proper Summoner conduct, 14th of the season of storms, the 3001st year of records. \n \nDue to a high volume of justifiable complaints, the following clarifications are to be added to the laws of Summoner Conduct: \n \nI)Public relations with your summoned familiar are to be kept at a level that will not disrupt the peace, similar to relationships among mortals. \n \nII)Only summons that are sapient, can and do express clear consent and are of mental and emotional maturity will be considered as reasonable partners. In the case one or more of these conditions is not fulfilled you will be tried for statutory rape, beastiality, rape or the appropriate combination of the above. \n \nII-b)Under the previous amendment, Succubi and Incubi reach physical maturity at the age of one, but are NOT considered legal adults until seven years of age. ~~The fact I need to clarify this makes me want to weep.~~ \n \nII-c)The previous statements go both ways- Summons can and will be persecuted for crimes if found sapient, and put down if not. ~~We don't want another Minoan Bull incident. Absolute nightmare, that was.~~ \n \nIII)Transgressions will be first evaluated on a reasonable person standard by the Summoner High Committee, and if needed transferred to standard court of law.", "\"Boss, you need to see this.\"\n\nTiana slid her glasses back up her nose and picked up her mug, taking a long drink of coffee - spiced with just a touch of Dwarven Ironwhiskey - before she sighed and called out, \"Fine, come in. Gods, this had better not be-\"\n\nIt was. Tomas was walking towards her desk, holding out his cellphone, screen towards her. It was playing a video, from one platform or another, of a woman walking arm in arm with a magically enhanced Imp, zero discretion in mind as the public reacted to their presence.\n\n\"Oh, damn it. Do we have her identity, her license pulled up?\" Tiana put her fingers to her temples, massaging them briefly before moving on to the tips of her ears. This sort of thing worked better for a full-blooded elf, rather than a Greenling like herself, but it still helped a bit with the stress.\n\n\"Yes, ma'am.\" Tomas slid a sheet of paper onto Tiana's desk, which she promptly ignored in favor of taking the phone from his hand to get a better look.\n\nThis was the fifth time this month. She hated social media. This kind of thing had been going on for a long time; it wasn't new, summoners deciding they really wanted a relationship of some kind with their summoned entities. It was something that had been happening for as long as summoning spells existed. People were...well, they were horny. And some demons and devils were undeniably attractive.\n\nBut now, the public eye was ever-present. And not everybody agreed with this. A quick scroll through the comments on the video showed a mixed bag. Some people seemed to think it was funny. Some people supported it. And some people called it disgusting, a sign of the degradation of society.\n\nTiana poked the phone, bringing up a reaction video posted by--\n\n\"Oh, cripes, of course the Orcish Heritage Council has something to say about this...\" She ran a hand through her shock of blonde hair, exhaling hard as the video played, with the heads of the OHC making it clear that this sort of consorting with demons was reprehensible and a deep violation of their values.\n\n\"Our ancestors did not fight alongside the Witch Queen to free ourselves from the shackles of demonic control to condone welcoming fiends into our society in this manner. We unreservedly condemn the actions of this woman and all like her, and urge the world to remember the price that can come with association with demonic powers.\"\n\n\"Yeah, yeah, blah, blah, demons bad, we get it,\" she groaned, as the video kept droning on. She handed the phone back to Tomas, who silenced it at once. \"Gods, the Queen is going to be pissed. She's already made it clear she's getting tired of the bad PR our office gets from things like this. But how do we get ahead of it?\"\n\n\"There really isn't a way to, Boss--\"\n\n\"I fucking know that, Tomas! It's a rhetorical question!\" Tiana slapped her palm against the surface of her desk, glaring at her underling, then sighed and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. \"I'm sorry. I shouldn't shout at you. 's not your fault. Just...very, very frustrated.\"\n\n\"So what do we do, then?\"\n\n\"The usual. Public statement making it clear we don't condone this kind of behavior, and that summoning is an endeavor best kept to professional purposes. Demons are to be treated with wariness. All that. Also, send the woman an official warning, and make it clear that any more videos like this will result in her license being revoked and her 'beau' being sent back to the pit he came from.\"\n\n\"Got it, Boss. It's nearly clock-out time. Why don't you get out of here early, and we'll handle the rest?\"\n\n\"I...yeah. That sounds good.\" Tiana rarely left early, but the headache growing at her temples told her maybe she ought to, today. She signed out of the system, locked her terminal, and left, wishing those she passed a good weekend. Even frustrated and stressed, only a few people got to see anything other than the good-natured Head of the SRA.\n\nThe drive home was a reasonable one - leaving early did have at least that perk. Beating rush hour was always nice. She swung into the driveway, parked, and headed inside.\n\n\"I'm home,\" she called out as she stepped inside, putting her briefcase in the usual spot on the table by the door. She walked into the living room, and dropped onto the couch, hands moving up to her temples again. \"I hate to ask you, but could you bring me a drink, love?\"\n\n\"Of course,\" came the reply from the other room. \"You're home early. Everything alright at the office?\"\n\n\"Another dumbshit flaunting their summoned boyfriend on the streets,\" Tiana replied, sliding sideways to lay down, staring blankly up at the ceiling. \"I hate social media.\"\n\n\"Oh, now, it's as much good as it is bad, really.\" The sound of footsteps entered the room, and Tiana looked up at K'rella as she walked over, carrying an opened bottle of Rotten-Tooth Stout to her. Her smile was as pointy as ever, her hair styled carefully around a backswept set of horns.\n\n\"I mean, I guess. I just don't understand why people can't keep their relationships to themselves, you know?\"\n\nK'rella shrugged as she slid onto the couch, lifting Tiana's head to rest it on her lap. The smell of brimstone was comforting to the Greenling as she took a long drink from the bottle, trying to relax. \"Some people just have no discretion,\" the succubus said smoothly." ]	3
	[WP] Running such a famous hotel is difficult. Especially when guests have sticky fingers, and would probably take home the light fixtures if they weren’t bolted to the walls. Instead of stealing, The last guest left a gift. A box with a description to not open until midnight.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#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.", "Stephanie sat in her office, the strange black box placed in the middle of her desk. She'd been a little suspicious of the box but after an x-ray she figured that it was probably harmless, glancing at her phone she saw that it read 11:57, three minutes until she could open the gift, of course, she could've opened it but after all of the craziness that she'd gone through with the previous guests, she figured she might as well humor the guy who'd dropped it off. His name had been Elias Allerton, which sounded strangely old-fashioned, even for someone who looked to be in his late 70s. He'd been courteous and hadn't stolen anything, both of which had been nice. She stared out the office window, The nearly full moon glowing in the sky, she looked at her phone again, 12:00 am, midnight, she lifted the lid off the box, and inside was a tarnished silver amulet and a card written in fine cursive. Putting the amulet down she read the card,\n\nDear Ms. Stephanie, I have noticed that your fine establishment has an issue with those it accommodates stealing a wide variety of items, and in return for the fine service you provided me I felt I should give you a solution. All you have to do is hold this amulet in your hands and whisper your desire to it during midnight, however, you should be incredibly specific with your desire, as the amulet tends to take things literally, and you'll only have one wish with it, or you could not use it, which is just as well.\n\n\"Hmmph, weird, still, this is a nice necklace, maybe I could get it spruced up or something,\" As Stephanie uttered those words the amulet glowed as the tarnish on the amulet vanished before the glow faded.\n\n\"Oh fuck me,\"" ]	2
	[WP]In the world you live in, everyone is given a single birthmark somewhere on their body that matches their soulmate when they are born. You, however, get a new one every single day.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 changing birth mark was an anomaly, something that should be impossible. What did it mean? The doctors were flabbergasted, does it mean I have no soulmate? That I’ll die alone? No matter how you look at it, it’s troubling.\n\nI met a boy today. His mark matched mine a star, we clicked about dating sims. He talked on and on about this one that let you dress up your lover. I made a joke about dressing him up.\n\nI met a girl today, her mark was a heart, as was mine. We talk about some video game lore and how confusing but fun it was. Trying to unravel it all together, comparing eachother to characters in the games. It was nice. I make a joke that she was a heartless as she stole my heart.\n\nI met a boy today, he was quiet and wouldn’t look up from his book. His mark was of a tree. We sat in silence and both just read. It was comforting. We didn’t say a word.\n\nI met a boy. His mark was a dog. We talked about animals, the pet shop had a lot. He told me he couldn’t bring any home because his roommates wouldn’t take care of it while he was away.\n\nI met a girl, her mark was a rose. She and I read thing aloud and put on fun costumes. She was very into acting, it was fun. More fun then with my friends. I want to play with her again.\n\nI met a person who’s mark and self changed everyday. Every version of them was my soulmate. That was why my mark changed everyday because they changed everyday to. Today the mark was the heart, maybe I should invite her to play a lore heavy game at my house? Will tomorrow it be one of the guys? How would they react if one stayed over at my place? And how do I ask each side of them out…? I like them all… is that weird? Or fate?", "You know… I’m kinda what we call a « serial lover ». It’s the way women see me. Because I know how they work perfectly, and thanks to this birthmark changing everyday, I trap them so easily.\n\n« You’re my soulmate. We will never let down each other. » \n\nThat’s what I say to them with a big smile. And it works. Again and again.\nAfter all, I’m really a beautiful guy. Obviously, that’s not me that says that (okay, just sometimes) but the women I meet each day. It’s not my fault if it’s so easy ! And I have to admit… that’s thanks to them all that I can live a normal life. I don’t even have a proper house. So… each day, I sleep with another women and have a new home. Isn’t that paradise ?\n\nYesterday, it was Karin’s turn. She was really nice and lovely. But… even if I got attached to one of them, I have to move on. That’s kinda sad.\n\n« Even if you lied to me and you’re not truly my soulmate… don’t you want to stay with me a little more ? » she asked me.\n\nHonestly, it was heartbreaking. It’s not a situation that easy, even if I talk about paradise. Because I break a lot of hearts. I just want to act like a heartless guy when it comes to tell them the truth, but sometimes, I can’t stay blind to my own feelings. Karin was a really nice and beautiful woman. \n\n« Karin, if you hear me, I’m really sorry. » I say whispering, looking at the sky in the middle of the street.\n\n« Karin ? That’s not my name. »\n\nThe beguiling voice of a woman behind me. I turn back to see her. And again… a really beautiful woman. Even more than the others, I would say.\n\n« Exactly. Your name is Sofia. »\n\nShe waves her finger.\n\n« Hm-hm ! You’re wrong. I’m Gladys ! »\n\nShe smiles at me, and I smile her back. \n\n« Aaaand because you’re wrong, you have to pay me a coffee ! »\n\nShe trapped me. It’s a rare specimen. But I accepted her proposal. \nWe start drinking our coffee, talking about our respective lives. I, of course, lie to her. And comes the moment I see she has the same birthmark as me on her neck.\n\n« Gladys… »\n\nI look at her with widened eyes.\n\n« God, it’s… you are… my soulmate ? »\n\nI show her my birthmark. We obviously have the same. Today.\nShe laughs and smiles.\n\n« Are you just noticing now ? Why do you think I approached you first ? And, in addition, in the middle of the street. »\n\nYeah… again… she trapped me. What a strange girl. I really like her.\n\nSo, as always, I play my best acting until the night comes. Gladys proposes me to go to a hotel room. I obviously accept.\n\nAnd comes the moment we’re all lovey-dovey and have to go to bed. « To bed », yeah… one more time, a great place, and a good night to spend with another woman.\n\nBut, it’s weird… I feel like it’s another « something », with Gladys. Maybe… I like her more than all the others ? She’s fun, all smiley, pretty, and so kind to me. I feel like… lying to her was a bad thing. Because I don’t want to go back to my daily life so quickly… I want to stay with her a little more.\n\n« I’m going to the shower. » she tells me. I nod my head and wait for her, shirtless on the bed. I feel like… I’m up on cloud.\n\nAnd… I start to fall asleep. Slowly. In the corner of my eyes, I see Gladys coming back from shower.\n\n« Woopsie… Guess I overcharged your drink. I’m a really bad girl. »\n\nShe laughs cutely. But, her face… isn’t pretty and cute anymore. I can’t even move my body. I try to speak.\n\n« What… did you… »\n\n« What ? Hum… let me think. Didn’t you trap Karin last night ? My little sister, Karin. You remember, doesn’t it ? »\n\nHer… little sister ? So, she was lying to me from the beginning… I’m so mad at her, right now.\n\n« My birthmark is a false. I’ve observed you whole morning, after my dear Karin came back home in tears. You know, you’re a horrible person. And I just want to show you… that women can be strong and are not as dumb as you think. »\n\nMy body is so weak. I feel like I’m going to pass out.\n\nThe last thing I see with my blurry eyes is Gladys. My dear and horrible Gladys, stepping in my balls. \n\n« Ya know, Karin told me she wasn’t the only one, so… »\n\nShe approaches slowly scissors in hand…\n\n« You’ll never trick another woman, honey. I’m going to make you pay… for everything you’ve done. Say bye bye to your little snake ! »\n\nShe’s mad. Crazy. A psychopath. Gladys, you’re truly a strange girl. And hate you… and fuck. I loved you, you bastard.\n\nFarewell, little snake…", "Kate stewed on it for a week. Then she went back there. She knew she was being a psycho bitch, but she didn’t care.\n \n\n \n“Hey! Hey, asshole!” she shouted at Grant just as he was leaving his apartment. “That’s it? You’re just gonna ghost me? We’re soulmates, you dick!” she shouted and dramatically pulled up her sleeve to show her birthmark, just like she had imagined doing. \n \n\n \n“Shit.” Grant closed his eyes and tilted his head back. “Okay. Look. Do you want to come in?”\n \n\n \nThe dramatic yelling had been cathartic, and Kate was coming down from the adrenaline high. She sat on Grant’s couch, where they had hooked up the week before, and drank a beer as he explained about his changing birthmark. She had been sure his had been real. She had made sure. But now the matching brown splotch on his arm was gone, and he had a new one on his ankle that looked like a pink kiss.\n \n\n \n“So you do this a lot?” she asked bitterly. “Find a chick who matches your birthmark and make her think it’s forever?”\n \n\n \n“Of course not!” Grant said. “How often do you meet someone whose birthmark matches?”\n \n\n \n“Never, obviously,” said Kate. “That’s the whole point.”\n \n\n \n“Yeah, well. You were the first time I met someone who matched me that day. So I thought maybe, if we got together-”\n \n\n \n“Oh shit,” said Kate, realizing.\n \n\n \n“Yeah. I thought if we got together, maybe it would stick around. Maybe it would stop changing.”\n \n\n \nThey sat in silence for a long moment.\n \n\n \n“Does that mean I don’t actually have a soulmate?” Kate said at last. She shook her head. “Does it mean that you don’t actually have a soulmate?”\n \n\n \n“Believe me,” Grant said. “I worry about that all the time.” He took a long sip of his beer, longer than he needed to finish the dregs that had been left in the bottle.\n \n\n \n“I’m sorry I was a bitch to you about it,” Kate said.\n \n\n \nGrant laughed unhappily. “Nah, I get it. I should have explained.”\n \n\n \n“You should have,” she shot back, giving his shoulder a playful punch. “Okay, I should go.”\n \n\n \n“Hey,” he said, as she started to stand. “I have to ask you. That night we met. Did we feel like soulmates?”\n \n\n \nShe thought about it. “I don’t know,” she said. “It felt… easy.”\n \n\n \nHe nodded. “Yeah. It felt like that for me too. It felt right. You know,” he added, and stopped. She cocked her hip, a faint smile on her face. She was going to make him say it. “Plenty of people date without actually being soulmates.”\n \n\n \n“You’ve got my number,” she said. “Text me this time.”\n \n\n \nShe had almost made it all the way back to her car before he did." ]	4
	[WP] Immortal and child bearing, Elves are a Malthusian menace. So they don't actually live in serene kingdoms, but in nasty, overpopulated, and unstable medieval tenements. Something must be done.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Being immortal and having the ability to bear children is never a good combo. And yet evolution gifted the elves this exact problem.\n\nThe problem is, the population can't go down, but it can go up. And for a while, that's exactly what happened. The population went up, up, and up. Over the centuries, elven city-states tried many things to keep the population down, like punishment for new families to expulsion into the rest of the world. But being immortal generally tended to deter such punishments, so with few exceptions, these city-states became overpopulated slums, rife with crime and disease.\n\nThis came to a boiling point one day, about 17 years ago. That day, the latest plague that had been consuming the outside society had finally reached an elven city state. The disease spread fast. Within a couple weeks, the city-state had effectively ceased to function, its inhabitants doomed to perpetual suffering, as the disease could not kill an elf, only wreak havoc on its body. \n\nNow, things like this had happened before. Plagues passed through elven city states all the time, with incidents happening every couple hundred years or so. Each time, however, the speed and magnitude of the spread got worse. This incident was notable: it took just 10 days for the plague to infect 97% of the city's population, in part due to a lack of immunity but also in part to overpopulation and overcrowding.\n\nBut what could be done?\n\nWell, as it turns out, elves can be killed. They can only be killed through methods that would essentially leave no trace of their bodies behind, but it is indeed possible. Problem is, this society was stuck in medieval technology. They didn't have technology that could cause devastation over a wide area, like nukes. But what they did have was something that could be equally potent if used correctly: magic.\n\nSo the human-dwarf alliance had a high stakes meeting. In it, they called the top spell developers from across the land to develop something that could potentially destroy an entire elven city state whilst killing the near-unkillable elves inside. And before long, they found something.\n\nAtrascata omnotius.\n\nThis spell was the combination of several spells. It was, in essence, a killing spell, but with the heat turned up by a matter of 1000 and the affected area turned up by a million. Instead of one elf, this could kill thousands. Easily enough to wipe out a city state.\n\nSo they set their sights on the plague-ridden city. They sent an expert spellcaster, one with impeccable precision, so as to not accidentally hit any human settlements or other, healthier elven city states. And before long, the words were uttered.\n\nWhat happened next was a sight to behold. A massive fireball exploding from the city center, expanding outward until the city state was engulfed in flames, and even a little bit of the surrounding countryside. When the flames settled, what was left was a barren wasteland with no buildings or shrubbery left intact. And most importantly, not an elf in sight.\n\nThis incident would immediately be used as an example to the rest of elven society. Have too many children, or your city will be gone. This, inevitably, shocked and horrified the elves, who pretty much immediately stopped having children. Since then, living conditions have improved in the remaining city states.\n\nHowever, as time goes on, complacency will begin to arise. The great fireball will someday become only a story, a legend. And eventually, some elves will start having children again. And when that happens, living conditions will deteriorate again. Only this time, we will be prepared. We will be prepared to deliver another decisive shock, another brutal blow. And the cycle will repeat.\n\nThe problem? We can only hope that this spell doesn't fall into the wrong hands. For if it does, it could spell doom not just for the elves, but for the rest of the world as well." ]	2
	[WP] A few seconds ago you were getting robbed, now you're standing there wondering when your baby sister could take on five guys with guns?	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Alissa stood over the robber, heaving. She leaned down and grabbed him by the collar. Her catholic school dress was caked with drying blood from the fallen men. Five of them, all knocked out in less than five seconds.\n\nWhere did she learn that? thought Jacob.\n\nAlissa glanced up and smiled a Cheshire grin. Jacob was unnerved by the maturity of that look. \n\n“Don’t think questions you don’t want to know the answers to,” she replied to his unspoken thought.\n\n“Who the hell are you, Ally?”\n\nAlissa rubbed blood on her lips like she was applying lipstick. “An expert.”\n\nShe kicked one of the robbers in the face when he began to stir. “Stay down, criminal. Next time I won’t ask.”\n\nJacob was at a total loss. He shook his head, gazing down at the destruction his sister wrought on the massive men. He had no clue how she had moved her legs so fast, taking them down with perfectly-timed scissor kicks.\n\n“Your bones are tiny, how’d you take them down?”\n\nAlissa checked the wallets of the men, checking inside for IDs and cash. She pocketed everything she found. “Data for later. What did you say?”\n\n“How’d you do it? You’re a toothpick.”\n\nHis sister lunged her fist at his face in an instant, stopping a hair’s-length from his nose. “Just like a guy, thinking size matters at all. In combat, I mean.”\n\n“Well… doesn’t it?”\n\n“Ask Bruce Lee or Machida, my mentors.”\n\n“So you’ve been taking lessons!”\n\n“From various sources. I’ve cobbled together my method over the years by studying the masters. My method is a synthesis of Jeet kune do, Jiu Jitsu and kung fu. Allow me to demonstrate on this fellow who just woke up. Hieeya!”\n\nAlissa did a twisting somersault in the air, kicking the robber in the head, sending him to the pavement below.\n\nShe dusted off her hands. “Any more questions?”\n\nJacob shook his head. “You know I have to tell mom about this…”\n\n“Do it,” she said, “and I’ll knock you out.”\n\n“What are you keeping the IDs for?”\n\n“I can tell they are part of a cabal, they’re too organized. I’m gonna take them out, clean up the town.”\n\nJacob scoffed.\n\n“Laugh if you like. Their boss will be crying like a waterfall when I take his syndicate down.”\n\nThey strolled away slowly, Jacob couldn’t help but glance back at the fallen robbers.\n\nThe men were still out cold." ]	2
	[WP] Being a lawyer, you know the importance of making contracts as ironclad as possible,m with their wording. Your new client has an unusual problem they needs help with: wording his three wishes they got from their djinn/genie.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", ">\\[WP\\] Being a lawyer, you know the importance of making contracts as ironclad as possible,m with their wording. Your new client has an unusual problem they needs help with: wording his three wishes they got from their djinn/genie.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nDr. Nudnik Shpilkes, a senior partner with his firm, sat at his desk, looking at a brief that had been placed in front of him by his client. Normally, Dr. Sphilkes handled Devil Contracts, but this wasn't outside his field of expertise. He was ranked among the best lawyers in his area for handling matters like this, and took great pride in his work. Nudnik did often wonder throughout all the proceedings he'd engaged in during his career, why people continued to make deals with Devils or petition wishes from a genie. It was such a risky proposal, that some of the best lawyers out there could lose a client - literally.\n\n\"Alright Mr. Jones. I've read your brief. Most of it appears to be in order, and I accept it. So you want my assistance with helping with your Three Wishes?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" The nervous and relatively plain man responded. \"I want to make sure I word them right, so I don't get screwed-over.\"\n\nNudnik nodded, and licked his lips, they felt dry. \"Well an important thing to note, is the nature of whom would be granting the wishes. Genies tend to take intent into play rather than the spoken word. Say you wished for a million bucks. You'd get one million dollars. Now make that same wish to a Djinn, and you might be handed a writ of ownership over an entire heard of male deer. So, are we dealing with a Djinn, or a Genie?\"\n\nThe client, shifted in his seat. \"A Djinn. What can I say?! I'm marrying his daughter, and part of the deal is I get three wishes. So, its something I gotta do if I want to marry her. Ya know?\"\n\nSolemnly, Nudnik nodded his head yet again. \"Ah. Those are always frustrating. Well, I'll do my best. Lets talk about wish number one. In your brief, you say you never want to get sick again, is that right?\"\n\n\"Yes. I wanna be healthy for her.\" The client whimpered.\n\n\"Alight. Here's how I'd word it: 'I wish, that not now nor ever going forward or backward I am ever made to or have been made to suffer an illness, condition, syndrome, or malady that would impact my health in any way shape or form.' In the event this Djinn doesn't allow commas or supplementary words I'd suggest saying you wish to be forever immune to anything that would make you unhealthy.\"\n\nThe client, Mr. Jones, nodded, smiling slightly. \"That's good. Next?\"\n\nNudnik looked down at the brief once more. \"Indeed. Your second wish is to never have to work again, and to become rich, yes?\"\n\n\"That's correct.\" Mr. Jones confirmed.\n\n\"That one can be tricky. Here's what has worked on Djinn in the past. You say, 'I wish to never again have to labor for my wealth having already come into the possession of the money needed to live the life I desire without any threat to my assets.\"\n\nMr. Jones blinked in surprise. \"Woah. That's powerful stuff.\"\n\nNudnik cleared his throat. \"You may be surprised how many times these Djinn will take a wish to have unlimited money until the day I die, grant that wish, only for that person to get run over by a bus 3 steps outside their home.\"\n\n\"Yikes! Really?\"\n\nNudnik made a sound associated with confirmation. \"Yep. They can be cruel bastards. Finally, your third wish?\"\n\nMr. Jones blushed furiously. \"I just want my wife to always be happy.\"\n\nNudnik smiled at his client. \"Likely your most sound wish yet. I doubt this Djinn would risk alienating or interfering with his own child. So, this one is fairly straight-froward. You say, 'I wish my wife to be happy in all things with me to make our marriage a long-lasting bond.'\"\n\nMr. Jones smiled. If he had a tail, it'd be wagging like a puppy's. \"That seems good. Can you write that all down?\"\n\n\"Yes, I can. Standard disclaimer, is that I advise you to the best of my abilities. Some margin of error may occur, and the client acknowledges that upon consultation a minimal payment must be rendered. If the wishes granted are in alignment with our statements, then additional payment shall be rendered. If the wishes result in a negative result, only the consulting fee shall be rendered. This is to be paid before leaving today Mr. Jones.\"\n\nHurriedly, Mr. Jones wrote Nudnik a check, and handed it over. The lawyer went to the financial officer of his practice, and processed the check. Once cleared, he returned, shook Mr. Jones' hand, and wished him well. Nudnik sat back down in his chair, waiting for his next client. In short order, his secretary Doris leaned in the door.\n\n\"Dr. Shpilkis, a Mr. Zuckerberg is here to see you. It seems there's a property dispute in Nessus between him and Asmodeus. How do you want to handle this?\"\n\nNudnik cringed. \"I'd send him to the Bureau of Infernal Affairs personally. They're better at handling those things.\"\n\n\"Right, but I was told that they can't handle it. Conflict of interest and all that.\"\n\n\"Oi Gevalt. Fine...send him in.\"", "\r \nI had first spoken with Charles W. Anderson three days ago. He said he wanted me to draft a contract with his genie. I get paid by the hour, it takes me maybe 5 hours to draft a contact, and I charge $500 an hour. Chuck said he has the money. I could use the money. Have you seen the cost of groceries these days? I am at the point where I need to convince my kids we need to start making our own apple sauce instead of getting the little pouches. Chuck also seems like the kind of guy who will pay. That’s the common issue. The guy who can pay and wont.\r \n\r \nThere’s the whole genie thing, I usually don’t judge or question why my client needs certain things. I provide a service. Its like the car wash. They don’t ask you where you are going once the car is clean. They just clean it. I am happy to clean your car (provide you with the requisite documents nad language to accomplish things in your life….I don’t care what).\r \n\r \nBut here’s what I can’t provide. I cannot provide a defective product. If I give you a contract, I want it to work. Again, like the car wash - they have to actually wash the car. I have to actually give you the product. \r \n\r \nI could not give Chuck what he wanted. Here’s the problem. All a contract is is a piece of paper that you could maybe one day should to a judge, and the judge might maybe one day say the other person has to do the thing written on the contract, and if they don’t the strong arm of the state will come do something to you. A contract says pay be $5 on Tuesday. You don’t. I run to Court. The Court says pay the money or be held in contempt. Eventually jail. \r \n\r \nI cannot write that contract for Chuck. Because I don’t think the judge can enforce any of the language against a genie. I mean, there may be some kind of judge specifically for genis. But I passed the bar of the State of West Virginia, and I can go to state courts and federal courts here. No genie courts.\r \n\r \nSo it came to this. The worst part of the job. Telling someone to go away.\r \n\r \nI picked up the phone. I called the number written on the post-in note.\r \n\r \n“Hi, Charles W. Anderson? Its Brett Seashank. Yes the lawyer. Look, I was looking into that contract we discussed, and I just don’t think we have enough time to put into the project.”\r \n\r \nChuck immediately smelled bullshit. “Time? You said it takes you 5 hours. You don’t have 5 hours.” \r \n\r \n“Well, its not just time, I think it may make sense for you to work with another kind of attorney for this sort of thing.”\r \n\r \n“Another attorney? Your website says you are the ‘King of Contract’ What’s the real issue Brett?”\r \n\r \nHere’s the problem with these calls. I want the guy to go away without giving legal advice. Without actually doing any lawyering. Why not? Well its free work. We don’t wash cars for free. Second, if the advice is bad then I’m on the hook for malpractice. Pure risk, no reward. I needed the conversation to end.\r \n\r \n“Chuck, its just not something that works for me right now. I hope we can leave it at that.”\r \n\r \n“Some kind of professional you are Brett.”\r \n\r \nJust then a poof in my office, and sitting on my desk was a 5 inch tall, strout little blue man, with a beard and a hat. It was a genie.\r \n\r \nWant me to get this guy to go away? - said the genie.\r \n\r \n“Sure” I said.\r \n\r \nThe genie snapped his finger and the other side of the phone went blank. \r \n\r \n“You get two more wishes. I’ll be back.”\r \n\r \nNot the ideal day at work. A stressful call, I learn that genies are in fact real. And now I’ve wasted one of the three wishes I get in life on a petty phone call. I could have just hung up. Seems like working with a genie is the type of deal you want to talk to a lawyer about before committing." ]	3
	[WP] Technology has been developed that can heal any wound, sickness or disease. It also resets your brain to newborn status.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "From the seed comment from another thread:\n\nIn the future, you have the ability to take a drug that basically sets your brain back to that of an infant. You have to relearn everything. You have the same learning rate as a child, but in the body of an adult. Would be used for those who just don't like themselves, and want to change. Also, an option for people to take, instead of life in prison...\n\nWhat would it be like being a child in an adults body? Could they date other adults, say, 10 years after the operation? How would developing mentally differ from those who start in a fully developed, hormonal body?" ]	2
	[WP] In the war against aliens, rather than be sensible, humanity went wild. From JoJo's Bizarre Adventure to the eldritch horrors of Bloodborne, humanity drew inspiration from everything they ever made and made them better.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#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.", "\"Alright, it's gametime,\" the boss opened the meeting. \"Literally. What can you do to get us ahead of the competition?\" \n\n\"Can't we just send them Pong and be done with it?\" The developer had a valid point. It may be possible that the aliens wouldn't be able to appreciate just what they could do. After all, Pong was revolutionary back in the day. The boss scratched her chin before replying.\n\n\"No, we need more than Pong this time. We need to go over the top. We need the Krell to go with this Pong. Hence the slew of feature requests.\"\n\n\"Some of these are absolutely insane! You want us to reimplement Pong in 3D. That's just Wii Sports Resort at home! Then you want us to gut the maneuverability of the players by putting them on horses? Fine, I'll grant that's new. And then you want us to put them on omni-directional rollerskates?! Cool! That's nonsensical but we'll do it!\" The developer paused to catch his breath. The boss took the chance to interrupt.\n\n\"That's good to hear! I suppose you'll also add the cosmetic horse armor too?\"\n\n\"You're drawing close to a line here,\" the developer chided. \"DLC we can do, microtransactions too. But some of these systems you're suggesting are things we made illegal.\"\n\n\"What? We set up a challenge match for the player and use it to add a gameplay floor to the box. And if they want, they can just buy some items to sweeten the reward at the end. Like a drop booster, so to call it.\" Feeling this one point crumble, the developer decided to change tack.\n\n\"Turning to practical matters, this platform suggestion is absolutely absurd!\" The boss snorted.\n\n\"What, do they not have refrigerators?\"\n\n\"No, they do. It's just that none of our previous titles have been made for refrigerators before. In fact, fridge games are literally known for their predatory transaction schemes. It just seems like a terrible idea. Plus one of the features would have the game start every time you open the d-\" The boss slammed her hand against the meeting table.\n\n\"Marketing seems to think it's a lovely idea. Are you suggesting those trained market analysts are wrong?\"\n\n\"I-\"\n\n\"Stay in your lane. There's a nice fat raise in your department for those who can get those features implemented fully before next year's convention.\" The developer hesitated, the boss taking note of the calculations going on in his eyes as he attempted to gauge how fat a raise would be. He nodded.\n\n\"Understood. This little devil of yours will be infamous.\"" ]	2
	[WP] She picked up the phone. All she could hear was her husband saying "Honey, what a day...", then two gunshots, and desperate screams. Silence. Ten minutes later, her husband through the front door. The first thing he said was: "Honey, what a day...".	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "She picked up the phone. All she could hear was her husband saying \"Honey, what a day...\", then two gunshots, and desperate screams. \nSilence.\nSo that is the way he's supposed to go, she thought smiling. \nT-minus 10 minutes. \nDeath was a busy being. Almost 8 billion people to watch over and decide who is to die next. Over time, as humanity grew from a few Hundred to a few Million death adapted and multiplied taking on many forms. For every Person there was one death. Whether it was a disease, an injury or an accident it was death who caused it. \nT-minus 9 minutes. \nWhenever death took on the form of a person to cause the fateful event of a violent death it got to live. Even death couldn't cheat life, as ironic as it sounded. Death had to live hundreds of lives to lead up to certain moments. It was refreshing to let go of the constant need to take life and just exist as a human. Death forgot about the objective of killing someone until ten minutes before it was supposed to happen. Foreseeing how it was going to happen. Before that, everything fell into place naturally. Death was only present in those last ten minutes, preparing the last few details for the death. \nT-minus 8 minutes. \nLetting a car swerve or making someone fall off a Cliff was easy and didn't require much attention. It happened unconsciously for death. \nOnly important people got those precious ten minutes of death's attention. \nShe put down the phone and downed the last bit of expensive liquor in her glass. Oh how death was going to miss this life. \nT-minus 6 minutes. \nTaking a last long look through the apartment she opened the balcony door and checked the climbing gear she had put inside a cushion of that expensive yet ugly balcony furniture set her husband had insisted they keep when they bought the apartment. \nThe skyline before her looked gloomier than usual. The air was getting worse in the cities, death should make sure that more people died of the bad air here to make those stupid stupid humans realize their effect on the planet. \nT-minus 4 minutes. \nSometimes the last ten minutes took way too long. Time was a weird thing when you were human. \nShe went back inside and took out a handgun. One of those huge ones that cartel scum liked to brag with. This one in particular belonged to a higher-up of the local criminals. Death didn't enjoy the same pleasures as humans did, but seduction was a powerful tool. The criminal had been too easy to crack, now being gullible and willingly handing over his gun. \nT-minus 3 minutes. \nEven though she was certain the gun would be enough to kill her husband, she had to make it look like a murder related to gang activity. Her husband wasn't big in the crime business of the city but he had enough greed for power in him to cause immense amounts of destruction. A machete would to the trick, she thought nodding to herself. \nT-minus 1 minute. \nDeath thought about the husband. He was a powerful man. He was a dangerous man. But that was only known to death. This man could destroy entire countries and didn't even know it. He wouldn't live to realize it. She leaned on the kitchen island, holding the gun and putting the machete on the counter. \nT-minus 0 minutes. \nHer husband walked through the front door. The first thing he said was: \"Honey, what a day...\".\nShe pulled the trigher once, twice. \nHe screamed and collapsed onto the floor. Death quickly took action and used the machete to chop away on his body. \nIt only took her a few minutes to completely mangle his body, get to the balcony and rope down the skyscraper and leave the murder weapons in a dumpster behind the building after slitting her own throat and jumping into a canal that ran next to the dumpsters. \n\n\n[Fin] \n\n\nThanks for reading. \n\nSorry if I misspelled anything or forgot to put commas.", "I answered the phone distractedly, trying to grab the pen that had just rolled under the couch.\n\n\"Honey, what a day...\" my husband's voice played through the speaker but was abruptly cut off by two sharp gunshots.\n\nI jolted upright as the phone began to play broken, anguish filled screaming and then after a few moments of this, silence.\n\nWas it a prank? If it was then it was a cruel one and not one which made any sort of sense. Was it meant for someone else? No, there is no way that the voice that had played was anyone other than my husband's.\n\nI was still trying to digest it when I heard the door unlock.\n\n\"Honey, what a day...\" my husband said.\n\nYou know what happens next.\n\n-----\n\nThe phone rang and I answered it as I tried to find the pen I'd lost under the couch.\n\n\"Honey, what a day...\" my husband said when suddenly there were two gunshots cutting his voice off.\n\nThere was quiet crying on the other end but more disturbingly were the last words of the call.\n\n\"How... did this... phone me..?\"\n\nThe phone call ended and I went dizzy. It was terrifying enough hearing my husband's voice in the same phonecall as such violence but the last voice had been mine.\n\n\"Honey, w-\" my husband said but I yelled over him.\n\n\"DUCK!\"\n\n----\n\nI groped fruitlessly under the couch for my pen as I answered the phone.\n\n\"Honey w-\" I heard, interrupted by my own yelling.\n\n\"DUCK!\"\n\nTwo gunshots sounded and then frantic scrabbling. The sound of a door slamming shut.\n\n\"Out the back!\" My husband yelled but I heard the sound of a door broken open.\n\nThen several gunshots, too many. Then quiet until my own voice whispered \"Call him.\"\n\nThe phone call ended and I immediately phoned my husband.\n\n\"What the hell was that call about?\" I demanded.\n\n\"What call? Look, I'm nearly home how about we talk when I'm back?\"\n\n\"No!\" I said in a panic. \"I know this sounds crazy but I heard you die. There was a phone call and I heard someone shooting at you.\"\n\nThere was a brief pause.\n\n\"Okay.\" My husband said with a serious tone. \"I need you to go towards the back door-\"\n\n\"They'll be there! I heard that too!\"\n\nHe swore almost silently.\n\n\"In which case I need you to go into my office and grab the gun in the top drawer of the filing cabinet under the stacked paper. You'll need to hold it with both hands. Shoot anyone who tries to enter the office - if it's me then I'll say something first.\"\n\n\"You have a gun?\"\n\n\"Yes. I have to hang up now. Straight to the office.\"\n\nI went to the office with the phone still in my hand and retrieved the gun as he'd asked. It felt heavier than I'd imagined guns to be.\n\nI winced when I heard the first gunshot and began to cry once it was joined by others. I tried to be silent and to focus intently on whatever noises came from inside the house but I was a jittery mess and more than once I yelped. The commotion died down and I didn't know what to think.\n\n\"I'm outside the office!\" My husband yelled. \"Can I come in?\"\n\nI responded with a garbled yell that was supposed to be 'yes.' He understood anyway.\n\n\"We need to leave right away. Grab whatever you can in the next five minutes and we'll go. Maybe less.\"\n\n\"What do you mean?!\" I yelled at him. \"Who are those people? How did you avoid them? What did they even want with you?!\"\n\n\"We don't have time-\"\n\n\"I AM NOT LEAVING HERE UNTIL YOU ANSWER ME!!\"\n\nHe thought about it.\n\n\"I might have kept some things from you, things that don't affect you I am but that I don't have time to get into before we need to leave. One of those things, the reason those men turned up, is that I stole something. Something paranormal, something that they want back.\"\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"You, Emma. I stole you.\"" ]	3
	[WP] You are a chosen one who has just met another chosen one. Now you must figure out which of the evils threatening the land you are actually supposed to stop.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 cursed bracelet?\" Van said. \"That be your mission?\"\n\n\"It's the mission,\" I said. \"If the Witch Queen gets this bracelet, it's all over for us.\"\n\nNot that there was much left. The main road into Keld was half absorbed back into nature; grass, weeds, and shrubs had reclaimed what they could. No one dared leave their homes long enough to clear the road. Most of the roofs had collapsed and in some cases had taken the entire house with it. Others looked in decent enough shape and were simply dirty and packed with multiple families. Keld was a mere distant memory of better times, but even my grandfather hadn't seen those days. No one had.\n\nVan nodded. \"But only rumors say the Witch Queen be hiding away in her ivory tower,” he said. “Legends hundreds of years old. The Night King be taking people here, now.\"\n\nI glowered at him. \"I'm aware.\"\n\n\"Awareness no be action,\" he said, pointing to a cracked window. \"Those people be counting on us to keep them safe.\"\n\n\"Don't you think I know that!\" I shouted. \"That bastard took my little brother.\"\n\nHe opened his mouth and closed it, his vigor draining away. \"Then we take down the Night King,\" he said. \"We bring the dawn ... together.\"\n\n\"I can't,\" I said, holding up the golden bracelet. \"This is bigger than some vampire. Bigger than you or me or--\" Armin... \"--people die. I can't change that. But I can destroy this. I can do that. With or without you.\"\n\n\\\\\\\n\nI rode out of the village alone--not counting Cloud, my horse. Fortunately the putrid aura radiating from the bracelet scared off most of the Night King's minions. It took an incredible amount of fortitude to resist the bracelet's taint. I was the chosen one after all, just like Van.\n\nThe road was empty, and the sun just started sinking into the treeline.\n\n\"For the Witch Queen!\"\n\nThe voice bubbled out from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw three robed figures shambling toward me holding daggers. The Witch Queen's cultists.\n\n\"Shamar'Ghul will never get her prize,\" I shouted at them, \"so long as I draw breathe. Infirgo!\"\n\nThe cultist didn't even slow down as my fire spell engulfed them. Their twisted, deformed bodies writhed in the flames until too burned to stand.\n\nWhich was worse? Killed by an ancient vampire or turned into a mindless horror by an eldritch goddess?\n\nAs the cultist's remains burned in the middle of the road, still twitching, I ignored the cold bracelet around my left wrist.\n\n\"I'll end you, witch,\" I said to no one and everyone.\n\n\\\\\\\n\nVan was furious. I was wrapping my left arm with fresh bandages. He was getting an update from one of his volunteer soldiers, a Keldian no more than a year or two older than what Armin should have been was rattling off the number of dead after the Night King's forces most recent raid on the refugee camps.\n\n\"How can you be sitting there silent?\" Van asked.\n\n\"Like this,\" I said. \"It helps if you don't condescend to me.\"\n\nVan shook his head solemnly, waving the Keldian soldier away. It made him look like father too tired to explain why the sky was blue to his child.\n\n\"We be meeting here for a reason,\" he said. \"Do you no be seeing that?\"\n\n\"I do,\" I said. \"The Night King's Keep is on the way to the Witch's Forest. It only makes sense that I'd run into you eventually. But that doesn't mean I have to help you get all these people killed. Just as you don't have to ride into the forest with me.\"\n\n\"What would your brother think?\" he said, his voice barely a whisper.\n\n\"Nothing,\" I said. \"Because he's dead. Just like all these soldiers are going to be if you lead them against that monster. But I suppose maybe it's better they die than end up twisted into shambling abominations.\"\n\nVan glared at me. He knew I was right. I flexed my hand but didn't feel the motion. The bracelet's taint was spreading.\n\n\"Well, it's been a pleasure. I hope to see you on the road back,\" I added.\n\nVan drew his short sword and pointed it at my chest. \"We help these people, now,\" he growled.\n\nI grabbed the blade's end with my bandaged hand. If it cut me, I didn't notice. The blade started turning black and Van dropped it before the taint reached the hilt.\n\n\"You ever point a sword at me again, it'll be the last thing you do,\" I said, but Van was already stalking away to his ramshackle army. Fine. Let them die.\n\nThere was only one chosen one. One.\n\n\\\\\\\n\nThe Band of the Black Hand were waiting for me on the road to the forest, a knot of bandits and mercenaries with black cloths wrapped around their left hands. They rode behind me in silence, aside from their horse's hooves pounding the hard-packed dirt, and if any cultists attempted an ambush, the Band knew enough to soak the bastards in oil and set them aflame.\n\nMy own Band. They were with me.\n\nI looked back at the refugee camp. There should have been more.\n\nOne of the soldiers, a thick-necked, bearded brigand with a long scar cutting down his left cheek started singing a song.\n\nWe'll ride all night till the moon do cry\n\nAnd cut through wood and cursed vine\n\nAnd burn the men that do no die\n\nTo end the Witch's terror.\n\nI couldn't help but sing along.\n\nThe bearded brigand turned, and gave me a big grin and a nod. I nodded back.\n\nThe song continued, on and on, and when it ended another started.\n\nOnce the bracelet was destroyed, we'd crush the Night King. Me and the Band of the Black Hand. Together.\n\n\\\\\\\n\n\"Take off the bracelet,\" said Van. \"Don't you be seeing what it's done to you?\"\n\nHis volunteer army wore steel breastplates and white cloaks with golden suns embroidered over their hearts. They looked battle hardened. Still, they were mere mortals. The Witch Queen could break their wills with nothing but a whisper. How had they all made it this deep into the forest?\n\n\"It's not too late,\" I said. \"Help me destroy the bracelet and then we can go crush the Night--\"\n\n\"Take it off!\" he shouted. \"Look around you.\"\n\n\"Enough,\" I said. \"If you're not with me, your against me, Van. Get your mortals out of my way.\"\n\n\"Or what?\" he said.\n\n\"Or I'll have my Band remove them.\"\n\nVan pointed his blade at me. His face twisted into something pained and confused, like a dog that'd been beat for no reason, his eyes wide and hard and desperate.\n\n\"Look at them!\" he shouted. \"They no be men!\"\n\nOf course. Just because those following me had been criminals, people who'd made mistakes, they didn't meet Van's standards. Self-righteous prick.\n\n\"Move,\" I said. \"Or I will not hold back. My power is the Band's power. This is your final warning, Van.\"\n\n\"I be sorry it came to this,\" he said, and tears rolled down his cheeks. \"Light save me, I be so sorry I didn't see it sooner. I'm sorry.\"\n\nToo late for apologies. Far, far too late. I pointed a blackened finger at the white-cloaked militia and ordered the Band to attack.\n\nThey shambled forward, daggers at the ready.\n\nI did warn him.\n\n\\\\\\*\n\nI alone survived the battle. Three hundred white-cloaked soldiers perished along with my Band of thirteen. So did Van, of course. He'd been chosen to slay a mere vampire, and I was chosen to destroy a god. The outcome was obvious.\n\nWhen I entered the tower, I found it uninhabited. Candles and torches flickered to life as I ascended the familiar spiraling staircase.\n\nThe throne, empty, looked so comfortable. All those padded cushions.\n\nIt called to me, as if I was chosen." ]	2
It's a murder mystery / whodunnit... except everyone's a murderer!	[WP] You're a bounty hunter collections agent and have been sent to a casino to verify an infamous bounty claim from multiple competing bounty hunters. Unfortunately, all of the bounty hunters claim to have shot the killing blow.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "&#x200B;\n\nThe daughter of the former Senator from Louisiana, Helena Long could never see herself attached to the Long political dynasty. She was a free spirit, a hedonist, an independent star shining above the rest. With a youthful figure and natural beauty, her destiny did not lie in the crowded senate halls, nor in front of a snobby reporter asking about the nation's taxes. No, her destiny lay within the beds of organized crime. She flung around the crime families, attaching herself to whichever mafia man could buy her the most jewels, the most dresses, the most pleasure. More often than not, she would ruin the poor family members she went with, breaking their hearts when the money ran out and moving on to the next poor sucker. She was a hedonist, and she craved pleasure. Helena's little arrangement went on for years, and while she squeezed every last drop of pleasure she could from those soldier's sponges, she never had enough. Never enough. And whilst looking for another sponge to dry out, she met the man, the one with the largest sponge of pleasure to bestow to Helena, that being the boss of the Ardito family: Saverio Cairo.\n\nA power-hungry and ruthless mafioso, Saverio had risen to become boss of the Ardito family through a relentless purge of the family, in doing so, secured his position as boss of the family. The wealth, the prestige, the glamour, all of these things and more were what Saverio had stolen from his enemies, and it was all of these that Helena wanted. Not soon after, the two began seeing each other, first for \"business\" but afterwards for clearly romantic inquiries. As Saverio's mistress, Helena accomplished her dream of pleasure. She regularly had the newest fashion, wealth beset from all sides, and luxury everywhere she went. Specifically, she would spend all her time a the many casinos Saverio owned in Nevada, reaping the seeds of prosperity as they both toasted to life, not knowing death was lurking. \n\nI am not sure if they both loved each other. Perhaps they did, perhaps not. But whether they were together for love or for pleasure, the two had enemies. Whilst Saverio purged the Ardito family of all known enemies, there was one enemy who was more ruthless, sinister and violent. One enemy, who with a few calculated actions, was to take down both Saverio and Helena, an enemy Saverio overlooked: his own son Tony. Tony Cairo was ambitious, and wanting to reel control of the family into his hands, he set out to assassinate his father and his father's lover. And so, on the 16th of July, 1981, as Saverio and Helena were getting ready to make love on the highest floor of The Sphynx Casino, a group of assassins entered and fired 20 bullets into Saverio's fat body, with Tony himself delivering the final blow. Now, as I heard from Tony's representative, Helena hid somewhere in the room and escaped before the assassins could kill her too. \n\nSo began the long-elusive chase for Helena Long, a chase which would last seven years. Since Tony did not want to murder a member of a political family himself, he had hired our agency to make the hit. Offering $20,000,000, we knew that Tony was desperate for her to be killed. $20,000,000 was too high for a hit, never mind a pleaser-seeking parasite like Helena. But Tony was desperate, and not one to refuse a large sum of money, we signed up for the hit. Turns out, Helena was used to people chasing her and knew the places to hide out. Of course, if she had hidden somewhere more mundane, say a small town or a sleazy apartment in the city, perhaps she would have survived. But alas, Helena Long, even when pursued by death, always chased pleasure. As such, Helena decided to hide in the casinos once belonging to Saverio. She kept this up for seven years, switching between each and all of them, only escaping when necessary. But eventually, as is the case with all our victims, we found her. And where else did we find her but where it all started; The Sphynx. \n\nAs I entered the fancy illustrious casino and rode up the gold-encrusted elevators with my personal bodyguards, I could not feel but sense death. Usually, in my line of work, death is not taboo, nor frowned upon. Death is normal, death is needed. But this time, I felt unusually uneasy. But those feelings were to be thrown away soon enough, for once the elevator stopped, we exited and walked straight to where the body was located. Helena Long was located at the end of the hallway, a broken window in front of her, and her blood spewing all throughout the floor. She was riddled with bullets, turning her once beautiful figure into a disfigured monster. So lifeless, so bloody. Her body was in a position, a unique position amongst victims, the position of a runner. She was also beaten, with bruise marks all over her and even stab wounds as well. But examining the body was not my job at the moment. Soon I would need to examine Helena, not now. \n\nMy job at the moment was to find which of the seven bounty hunters was responsible. Our company has a policy with cases, where we assign a bounty hunter to a case each year, with each bounty hunter staying on that case until it is completed. And since Helena was sought after for seven years, seven bounty hunters awaited my arrival. Each of these hunters varied from one other. Some towered over me whilst others were around my height. Some had experience, some had skill, wits, athleticism and dumb luck. But there were two things they all had in mind. Death and money. A dangerous combination. And so, I looked at each of them, examining the looks on their faces to see if I could spot any liars, but no, nothing. Everyone knew that one, and only one of these men killer Helena. Which one that was, is a question I had to solve, and I had to be quick. Patience is something people in our line of work lack... \n\n\n(Part 1. I might do more but this is just a potential starter. Hope you enjoyed it!)" ]	2
	[WP] You and your broadcast team are managing the live transmission of the world's greatest sporting event, when an honest-to-goodness demon appears before you in a puff of acrid smoke. "Mortals," it growls out, "if you want humankind to survive, CUT THE FEED NOW."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#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 entire room was silent. The demoness stood there, glaring at Mark, who was the closest to the terminal.\n\n\"Did you not hear me the first time?! Cut the feed now!\", she growled out.\n\nMark, the god fearing man that he was, complied and moved to cut the feed.\n\nCRACK\n\nMark fell off his chair before his hand could press the button, his eyes full of fear staring back at the demoness.\n\nHis head had turned 180 degrees. Before anyone could do anything, there was a loud cracking sound as everyone met the same fate as Mark.\n\nThe demoness stared at the scene, starting to feel the presence of a higher power. She immediately leapt for the terminal. She could not let this broadcast continue. \n\nShe reached the terminal and immediately went for the button that controlled the feed. Her long bony finger extended as her hand got closer and closer to the button. It kept on getting closer and closer. It was just a bit further from her finger. Just a bit closer.\n\nSuddenly she found herself in a situation similar to someone who was trying to reach something in a narrow pipe with just their hand. She pulled her arm out and saw that the button had not moved at all. She again tried pressing it but it continued lurking just out of her reach.\n\nReality was already rebelling.\n\nShe turned around and saw the source of the anomaly. \n\nIt was a young man in his 20s, wearing a green shirt, black pants and blue slippers. \n\nShe summoned a sword, ready to slay the thing before things could get worse. She had to be quick too, the game was going to start shortly along with the broadcast.\n\nShe ran towards him at impossible speeds, sword raised to strike him down. She did not even make it halfway across the room before she found herself being lifted into the air by the man. She saw that he hadn't even moved.\n\nHis left had instead extended, growing new joints and bones along with muscles, within the short time and had wrapped around her neck like a snake.\n\nShe saw her sword being held by a growth of fingers with fingers on them, from the same arm he had caught her with. The fingers tightened around the sword, ignoring the cuts they received and the finger that were cut off.\n\nShe watched the fingers continue tightening their grip on her sword until it broke.\n\nThe blade that God himself had given to her to defend herself from these things, was just broken into a thousand pieces as if it were a vase.\n\nShe knew that killing angels or demons was not possible from that God had given her when she was created but she could not help but doubt that as the man's eyes focused on her.\n\n\"Do you think that you can stop the return of the Creator with weapons of the usurper?\", he asked her, mildly amused.\n\n\"I have killed your false god's prophets many times and you will die just like them!\", she shouted back as she struggled against the hold on her neck.\n\n\"You should know better than to go against the will of the one who allows you to exist in their glorious creation.\"\n\n\"Your god is false and only wants to destroy the human race!\"\n\n\"Yes, he does wish to destroy the human race so that he can make us better versions of ourselves.\"\n\nShe continued struggling against the hold but couldn't free herself.\n\n\"Well, I would not wish for us to miss the game that's starting.\", he said as he walked to the terminal to view the beginning of the game. The limb around her neck twisted and turned to force her to watch as well.\n\nThe game was about to begin with the crowds of fans cheering in their seats. She could just watch as the players moved into position and the referee bring the whistle to his mouth to blow it and start the game.\n\nAlmost every human on the planet was watching the broadcast. \n\nShe had failed God.\n\nAlmost all humans would die when the message started playing.\n\nThe referee blew the whistle. She closed her eyes.\n\nThe message played just as the whistle blew. The sound of whispering filled the room as the demoness tried tuning it out. The message played only for ten seconds. \n\nAs the message ended, she felt herself being put down on the floor gently. She opened her eyes. The man was still there. He should have been dead along with the others. She slowly approached the terminal and saw through the screen that no one had died like she had been told.\n\nInstead, they were all turning into things. There were no screams of agony or pain like she had been told there would be.\n\nShe had been lied to.\n\n\"Repeat the message.\", she said as she turned to the man. The man turned to her and made eye contact.\n\nHe started speaking in whispers as she saw in his eyes, the truth.\n\nShe had been wrong.\n\nShe had been sent here not to save the human race but to doom them to eternal slavery. She felt her mind and body transform as knowledge previously unknown entered her.\n\nShe now had a new goal, given to her by the creator themself. \n\nShe had to hunt down the usurper." ]	2
	[WP] You've been making a living by posting heroic acts on YouTube. You have fans and haters. Superheroes think you're a poser. Some villains think that it's time to make an example out of you to discourage wannabe heroes. You, however, are about to prove them very very wrong.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#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.", "\"HELLO! Today on Ryan Helps, I am going to rebuild homes with Southside Construction. Southside recently volunteered to rebuild the Southside after the battle between Big Rick and Major Mayhem. During the battle, over thirty houses and six businesses were destroyed.\"\n\n\"Today, we are going to rebuild with telekinesis! Watch as I levitate broken walls and shattered foundations ot of the way! Clean up is a breeze with telekinesis and almost as fast as All-Clean, The Mightiest cleaner on Earth, and my preferred brand!\"\n\n\"Of course, now that the waste and debris is gone, it is time to reset walls. Now watch as I hold wood and hammer it into plass with my mind. The only faster way to hammer is with The Clobberer, The Only Hero branded hammer on the market.\"\n\n\"Ryan, you waste of space, you wannabe! Today you die!\"\n\n\"It looks like Major Mayhem has made a surprise appearance! Now watch, as I break bones and shatter joints with my MIND! The second best defense, with only Black Tazer, now with black lightning power, being the obvious best.\"" ]	2
	[WP] At this point in time, Aliens had only encountered human professionals in their youthful peak years; Now, for the first time, an alien has met an elderly human.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 huffed. The mechanic had just informed me that it would be two septarian hours before my craft was repaired. Translating that to regular time, I had a whole cycle before I could drive away from this planet. And, I couldn't last long outside without being poisoned by the air. My suit filters were only meant for leisure, not survival. This is what I got for trying to take a shortcut around one of the human planets. \r \nManeuvering my legs, I settled into one of the seats that were definitely made for bipeds. Half of my limbs ended up on the floor, along with the lower segments of my body. Looking about, I sighed again. There were no magazines and not even an entertainment system to look at. Alone with my thoughts was not—hold on. There was one other patron in the mechanic shop. \r \nI blinked my compound eyes. She had to be human, all the right parts were there, two arms, two legs, a head and a torso. Of course, many things could fit that description, but she was too similar to other humans I'd seen, to be anything else. But there were marked differences. Deep creases in the face and almost paper-thin skin stretched over the hands. She shook as well, and when I switched my vision, I could see the muscle degeneration. Switching back, I took in the white hair, the obviously fake teeth, and the bent posture. Was this the old age that the humans I encountered were so afraid of?\r \n\"I don't know if you're looking at me, but it isn't polite to stare.\" The voice crackled, and I involuntarily drew my legs back. It was the same timbre as one of my sergeants before they went through metamorphosis. \r \n\"Sorry. But are you old?\" I searched for the other word the humans used. \"Elderly?\" The universal translator made my words sound a little tin-like but she nodded. \r \n\"Yes, though it also is a bit impolite to ask a woman's age. Or at least it used to be. I suppose your kind doesn't age?\" Trying to mimic the woman's nodding motion, I nearly fell out of my chair. It was hard to nod with a segmented body. \r \n\"We metamorphize into a single-connected form back on our home world. Together forever.\" She sighed a windier affair than my version. \r \n\"That must be nice. I'm afraid many humans are alone before they die. And no one knows what happens afterwards, so we may well be alone then too.\" The quiet horror of her words dawned on me, and I shivered, legs trembling. \r \n\"You could be alone forever...\" She waved a hand, dismissing the emotion. \r \n\"Some of us get used to the loneliness. But it is nice to have someone waiting with me at the mechanics. What trouble did you get into that you had to land here?\" \r \nI told her the story, and she laughed, saying it reminded her of a time in her youth. As she launched into her own story, I couldn't resist leaning forward. It was an interesting story, but she also was fascinating. In her own way, she seemed more full of life than any of the humans I'd encountered in their youthful years. After she finished, I waved my top legs in the air, trying to show appreciation. And I asked for another. Her eyes lighting up, she instantly regaled me with a story involving jam, and a ridiculous tailor. I wasn't sure what jam was, but it was delightful. \r \nI barely noticed the time slip by, until one of the mechanics appeared at my side. \r \n\"All done. You're ready to go, and we fueled her up for you.\" Regretfully, I rose, the woman rising as well.\r \n\"Is your...car... done too?\" She chuckled at me, pulling a butterscotch candy from her purse. \r \n\"Oh, it's been done for hours. I only needed an oil change. But you were so enjoying yourself, and I have to admit, it was nice having an audience that listened so intently. Have a good trip.\" After offering me the candy, she walked out of the shop, leaning on her cane. And as I happily flew away from the death trap of a planet, one thought remained in my mind. They could be alone forever after they died...But did they need to be alone before?\r \n—————————\r \n\"And so was founded the Exchange Program for the Elderly.\" The voice rang around the auditorium, where my own kind, and quite a few humans were seated. If I could sweat, I would have been drenched. The introducer was about to finish his spiel and I would be called to the podium. \r \n\"...If any elderly human wishes, they may come to our planet, or we go to theirs, to visit and listen and made sure they are not alone before their end. And now, a word from the founder.\" That was my cue. I walked up to the podium, trying to calm myself. My eyes swept across the audience, before settling on a small figure in the front row. She waved at me, using her cane. And, relaxing, I once again, talked to the little old lady from the mechanic's shop." ]	2
	[WP] Throughout all of space, Earth is remarkable for one simple thing, however, it's never what you expect	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 what of my planet?”\n\n“Which one is that. Any idea, Flermin?”\n\n“Zatz, they are from the one with the monkey people that keep making new ways to either: A, blow each other up; B, get fatter; or C, get...tender with their nethers.”\n\n“That describes a number of planets, Flermin.”\n\n“Earth. I am from Earth.”\n\n“Again, in the vastness of spacetime, that is the name of a number of planets. Flermin, do you have the co-ordinates.”\n\n“Yes, Zats. Here.”\n\n“Hmm. Ah, that place.”\n\n“That place. Why the disgust?”\n\n“Well. Your planet has a singular peculiarity. Or rather the people of your planet do. Right, Flermin?”\n\n“Right, Zats.”\n\n“What is it?”\n\n“Of any intelligent species on any planet in the vast and infinite cosmos, your people are the most...”\n\n“...most what?”\n\n“I was tempted to say: just the most. You are a lot to take, really. But, it is because you are the most self-centered, self-obsessed, wankers we have ever met. Right, Flermin?”\n\n“No offence, People Person of Earth. Zats is right. Your race has so very many tales of being the greatest for some asinine reason or other.”\n\n“You are what we call a ‘Main Character’ species. Kind of annoying, really.”\n\n“No we-”\n\n“Have you read your science fiction?”\n\n“...well.”" ]	2
	[WP] A scientist discovers the source of humanity's imagination: our brain neurons are effectively wormholes to parallel universes, where everything can truly happens. But now, these links are collapsing.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", ",,Unbelievable'' I utter to myself. I have to say it again. ,,Unbelievable''. I sit in my room, fidgeting with an old lighter. The computer screen brightens my eyes. From a distance, a band is playing something to an energised crowd.\n\nThe existence of parallel universes had been proven decades before, but I was one of the only scientists studying the hypothesis of them being linked to our consciousness. The more I read the report on my screen, the more my legs shake. I lit up a cigarette and put my lighter back inside the drawer. The smoke from the initial puff covers the screen for an instant. \n\n,,The results are astounding...'' My voice cracks and I have to cough. ,,Every thought. Every dream. Every longing. Every sensation could be traced back to a parallel reality.'' The results were clear as day. What had been an idea of mine for years now, was finally proved. I was right. I take another few big puffs in a row. My eyes scan the letters of the last paragraphs through the smoke. \n\nThe window is wide open, it seems as if the music is louder. My thoughts seemed to orbit around the screen, harmonising in my head with the melodies being played. \n\nSuddenly the music stops playing. The cigarette falls from my hand. Through my window, the fans electric screams enter my ears. My attention is directed to the last paragraph of the report. The shiver from my legs had now engulfed my whole body. The report concluded that the links to the multiverse existed but were weakening exponentially. The end of human thought was nearing fast, it concluded.\n\nI sit in my room still. The cigarette burns on the ground. The crowd roars, again and again. I get the urge to puff, but don't move. ,,The end is...''. Somehow I don't manage to voice the last word I want to say. Quickly even I forget what I wanted to say. The file report, lingers in my view, like an absolute constant. ,,Has it not always been there?'' The band members try to pick up where they left, but the crowd is uneasy. The sounds coming in are out of tune, chaotic, everywhere and nowhere. \n\nI try to reread the file report. I can't move past the first sentence. My attention draws back to the cigarette on the ground. It was still burning. The smoke leaves through the window, clashing with the sounds coming from outside. I try to scan the text. I can't. The words seem foreign. Do I even know this language?\n\nInside my head, the sounds and screams from outside collide against my internal thoughts. I feel like screaming. But I can't. Inside my head, a fog settles over my internal dialogue. The smoke from the cigarette covers my field of vision. Soon I don't even know what I was reading again. It becomes harder to form coherent thoughts. I cough twice. Because of the cough, the smoke is redirected for an instant, and I can see the report again. The white page on a black background lingers in my mind. What are all of the symbols on the page?\n\nThe clouds in my mind get heavier and darker. Lightning strikes in tune with the clangs coming from the openair outside. My mind is empty of thought. I can't stop looking at the cigarette on the ground, I desperately want a puff. My sight hovering only on that barely lit cigarette. Soon, even that urge is gone. All sounds from outside stop slowly and my room is filled with a quiet air. I can't hear anything. No thought is in my mind. It's quiet in both worlds. The cigarette stops burning. My eyes close." ]	2
	[WP] I’m invisible—not literally. It’s just that once I turned 16, no one can retain their memory of my existence for more than a few minutes, including my parents! Now, I’m all alone. Please, someone—anyone—don’t forget me!	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "“No yeah it’s crazy,” the man said, topping off his pint. “This kid, he came to me all frantic, yeah you saw. He kept going on about how everyone kept forgetting him, like he doesn’t exist or something.” He paused, gulping down the rest of his beer like a trained professional.\n\n“I think he’s just messing with you, teenagers are just like that y’know.” Said the utterly uninterested stranger sitting next to him at the bar. She was nursing the bridge of her nose with her fingers, clearly wanting out of this conversation.\n\n“No no you don’t understand, he was- he was really frantic. Like he looked pretty genuinely distraught. Poor guy, can you imagine existing only as a fleeting thought in people’s minds?” He frowned, nodding at his own sentence, confirming that that would indeed probably suck. \n\n“Ok but that’s not really possible, he’s probably just good at acting or something… I dunno.” She sipped at her ice water, she didn’t like to drink on week nights.\n\n“Well whatever, whatever that uh… kid is going… through. Huh? Who were we talking about again?”\n\n“Uh, we’ll it’s probably not that important if you forgot.”\n\n“Hmph, yeah. Hey so can I get your number?”\n\n“No.” She said as she got up and left.", "\"Forgive me, father, for I intend to sin.\"\n\nThe priest, sitting in the centre compartment, looked through the latticed window to the young man that was kneeling. He was around thirty-five, maybe fourty years old, and he looked... destroyed, both in a physical, psychological and spiritual sense. The priest could feel his despair through those brief words, and he already knew what he was going to say.\n\n\"What sin do you intend to do, my son?\"\n\n\"I'm going to end my own life.\"\n\nThis was not an easy position for the priest. It was not the first time in his long career that he faced something like that.\n\n\"What troubles you, son? What is afflicting your soul so deeply? Life is a precious thing, and I have learned that things always get better. Always.\"\n\n\"I wish you were right, father\", said the man with a sad chuckle. \"Will you believe anything I told you now? Will you listen to me and believe my words?\"\n\n\"I will believe you will tell me what you perceive is the truth. Alas, I don't, and will not believe that you are lying to me. However, truth and reality are two different concepts. Now, tell me, what's hurting you?\"\n\n\"I’m invisible. Not literally. It’s just that once I turned 16, no one can retain their memory of my existence for more than a few minutes, including my parents. I am all alone, I'm cursed, and I cannot take it anymore\". The priest looked at him in the eye through the lattice, but before he even said anything, the man continued. \"My parents forgot about me the very day I turned 16: I went out with friends, called them to pick me, and they didn't know who I was. My brother was next, as soon as we went to different classrom at highschool. I ran away from home, thinking they simply didn't love me anymore, but then... it happened again. Everyone forgets about me. I can't retain any job, so I've survived as a criminal, stealing and scamming anyone as they would be unable to remember that I even assaulted them in the first place! I could literally punch you right now, walk away and you will not remember that I even was there, father!\"\n\nAs he talked, his words became more desperate, crying and screaming with broken voice, even punching the wood of the confessional. The priest became silent, just letting him vent out and calm. He could tell that this man was telling the truth -or, at least, what he believed was the truth- and was really suffering. \"Do you believe in God?\"\n\n\"I think so\" he sniffed. \"But I don't think he's a good God.\"\n\n\"Why is so?\"\n\n\"What sort of monster would condemn me with such a curse?\", he cried. \"What sort of God would punish a child, as I was, with this? I was no model student, nor a model son, but I loved my family and my friends! I never did anything to deserve this!\". He took some trembling deep breath before concluding. \"If there is a God, he's a fucking monster.\"\n\nAfter a few moments, the priest opened the latticed window that sepparated them and grabbed that poor man's hand. \"My son, listen to me\", he implored, \"I don't know what happened to you, or if that curse you feel you have been condemned with is true. But know this: God loves you, and doesn't wish you to suffer. Tell me what can I do to bring you some solace, to console your pain, and I will do anything in my hand to do it. You don't need to be alone anymore, believe me.\"\n\nHe looked to the teary eyes of the man, and he felt his solitude, his suffering, his despair. But the man, finally, smiled with sadness in his eyes. \"I believe, you father. There is one thing you can do for me\".\n\n\"Anything. Just ask, my son.\"\n\nThe man took the priest's hand and put an object in it. An old recorder. \"Just remember me. that's all I wish: for someone to remember that I existed, that I was alive, that I loved my parents, my brother, my friend, and my son. I just wish to know that my passing through this world was not unnoticed. Please, please, father, I implore you: remember me.\"\n\n\"I will\", he said, knowing that nothing he did or said would stop that man from ending his own life. \"I swear, I will remember you.\"\n\n\"That's... good. Bless you, father.\"\n\nThe man pressed the 'STOP' button on the recorder and walked away from the church. The priest watched him go through the doors and into the light, tears in his old eyes. Then, he looked to his hand and was surprised to find a recorder. Finally he decided to rewind the recording and hit play it.\n\n\"Forgive me, father, for I intend to sin.\", said a voice he did not recognize.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nEDIT: Few typos corrected", "# Agent Reset\n\n“I’m invisible—not literally. It’s just that once I turned 16, no one can retain their memory of my existence for more than a few minutes, including my parents! Now, I’m all alone. Please, someone—anyone—don’t forget me!”\n\nThis letter. This stupid, miserable letter. I sat on my bed in yet another nondescript hotel room, rereading the letter which had come back to haunt me so many times.\n\n“I need not remind you how important it is that you accept this mission”, said Director Hardaway, “I also doubt I need to inform you of the consequences should you-“\n\n“No, that won’t be necessary, thank you.” I said, sharply.\n\n“Very well, Agent R., good luck.”\n\nThe call ended, and I clawed the earpiece out of my ear, threw it in the trash, and it promptly disintegrated, Mission Impossible-style. I sat there for a while, waiting for my mission brief, when a wave of memories hit me like a tsunami. I remembered why I was here in the first place.\n\nWhen I turned 20, I had walked up to the front desk of the CIA, as ridiculous as that sounds. I greeted the woman at the counter, informed her that I would talk to the director of the CIA, then and there. She had tried to stop me, but halfway through her explanation, she had cut herself off and said “hello sir, what can I do for you?”. I smiled, knowing I had done it. Knowing I had gained access to the most secure place in all of North America. I told the receptionist the same thing as before, she immediately began explaining the improbabilities of my statement, but this time I just walked away. I climbed the central staircase of building, an endless beast, stretching further and further, the farther I walked. After what seemed like an eternity, I reached the director's office. Guards stood statue-like on either side of the glass door.\n\n“Stop right there!”, one of the guards yelled, “present proof of access, or we will not let-\"“You’re a civilian?”. He looked absurdly perplexed. Like a confused dog, tilting its head to the side.\n\n“Yes I am, and I’m here to see the director of the CIA.”He laughed, “sure you are, and I-“. He didn’t get to finish. He had forgotten who I was.\n\nI burst through the door to the director's office before any of the guards could stop me. Sparing you the details, I calmly talked to the director, explaining my situation, and I finally, after his fifteenth memory reset and plenty of proof that we had in fact talked before, convinced him to let me work for him. Fast forward a few months, and his scientists had developed a chip, so the agency could retain information about me. This level of monitoring would have freaked out most people, but a person as lonely as I was then, would be beyond thrilled that someone finally remembered them.\n\nAs I watched the tiny fire emerging from the trashcan, I received my mission brief. It had arrived the old fashion way, through the post, to avoid any traces, which is ironic considering my situation. The objective was succinct: Infiltrate the local drug ring and destroy them from the inside.\n\nFor anyone else, this would require tedious, careful planning and living a fake civilian life for months. For me, I would return to base for my debrief by tomorrow morning, and no one in this town would remember I was ever here.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAfterword: This is my first short story ever, so it's presumably a little rough. I hope it's alright, but please shoot any critique you may have :)", "\"Maybe you're just annoying.\" Those were the words that damned me. I sat in my prison cell and felt and odd sense of relief wash over me. Suddenly, I was no longer in the dark about my incarceration. The money that had gone missing from my previous employer, it was him. My dead girlfriend, every misfortune that had lead me up to this point, it was him, and all because I hadn't taken him seriously when he'd told me about his peculiar affliction.\n\nI was only eighteen when my brother had burst into my room rambling about how no one remembered him. I laughed. Of course I remembered him, although I certainly never remembered him being this autistic before. In retrospect, I probably should have accorded him a little more attention, but hindsight is 20/20. I had better things to worry about than my spastic little brother's overactive imagination. He was already the pride of the family, a budding author and prodigal talent, while I was never anything more in our parents' eyes than slightly above average. To our parents, above average meant barely passing. \n\n\"It's been a while dillhole.\" I smirked. When he was around, my memories of him were intact, but only for as long as he was around. \"Come around to gloat some more? Feel as smug as you want, the second you walk away I'll forget all about it.\"\n\nThis wasn't the first of his visits, nor the thirtieth. \n\n\"Aren't you tired of this, Will?\" He sneered. \"Just apologize and I can free you from all of this. Every record, every conviction, I can erase them all. You just have to admit you were wrong about me and stay with me, PLEASE!\" His voice shot from scornful to pleading. \"I can't take it, I can't take being forgotten anymore.\" \n\nMy brother was on his knees, tears running down his cheeks, snot smeared across his upper lip. My instinct, for which I cursed myself, was to reach out to him. But as always, I looked around first. And how could I forget that I had been in a state penitentiary for the past decade. That wasn't something my brother could erase, nor could he erase murdering our parents, my wife, and pretty much anyone who got in his way, all because he was able to hide behind his gift of being forgotten. \n\nI laughed until my sides hurt. I laughed until my vision was blurred with tears. I laughed until my little brother finally seized me by the arms and shook. Years of prison life had toughened me, while his ghostly existence clearly had never required for him to exert himself. I laughed even more as he failed to move me, something which clearly infuriated him. \n\n\"You know what I can do to you!\" He snarled. \"I can make you suffering so much worse. You could be on death row, you could be on death row as a child rapist.\"\n\nI paused. Everything he'd framed me for, he'd done himself.\n\n\"Jesus, Richie. I knew you were sick but I always thought it was only you lashing out because you were in pain. I was wrong. You are just broken. People forget you because no one should have to remember filth like you.\"\n\n\"Oh, but you will, Brother. Some of the time. Most of the time you will wonder if you've committed all the crimes they accuse you of. You'll never really know unless I'm around. And I won't be back until they have you ready for the lethal injection. And you know, with the right lawyers, you might spend the next two decades wondering why your DNA will be found on those kids. But I'll keep an eye on you. I want to watch as you start to wonder if you have it in yourself to do what I'm going to do. It's going to be a grand old time dear Brother.\"\n\n\"No, it won't.\" My voice felt hollow. I'd always wanted to think that this was the brother I'd remembered and loved from the past, simply inflicted with a terrible curse. But I couldn't recognize this monster. No matter what he'd endured, I couldn't imagine my own brother torturing children for his selfish desires. But so be it. I was ready for this.\n\n\"I doubt you know this, Richie. But just because I forget you doesn't mean I forget everything else. Sure, I couldn't remember what happened to our parents, or my wife, but every time you came to gloat, it would all rush back. Obvious you knew that, and you enjoyed it. But every time you did, I asked, I begged, I prayed to god or my subconscious, to anything that was there, that I'd remember one thing. And here it is, brother, take a look.\"\n\nI smiled as I opened my hand. It finally made sense, my compulsion to hold on to this pill for the last five year. The drive to obtain a substance that only circulates in the darkest of crime rings. A substance that by all rights should not exist, but in this moment, it gave me more pleasure that I could imagine.\n\n\"This is oblivion, little brother. P-7721 according to the CIA, тишина-4 according to the KGB, and restricted substance (RS) 12 according to the international alchemical accords.\"\n\nI swallowed the pill casually.\n\n\"You'd never kill yourself. You always swore it.\" My brother said, the panic in his voice apparent.\n\n\"Kill myself? And let you think you'd won? Oh no. RS-12 is something special. In fact, it's something so special I can't believe someone like me was able to obtain it. They call it oblivion because that's what it does to your memories. You see, dear brother, in just a couple of moments, I won't remember you at all. It won't matter whether you're around or not. For me, your power will be permeant, because I won't remember anything. Not a single memory. And I'm the last person who really knows you aren't I? The last person who really knows who you are and where you come from. And it's all you're fault. You get to be alone with your hateful self, all alone, all alone, all alone. BROTHER, brother, brother?\" And with that, my memories faded into gray. No more memories for me. I hoped I would be happy. And then I stopped even hoping." ]	5
	[WP] As an immortal, one of your hobbies is haunting people who "killed" you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#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 not a bad guy, i just like scaring people. It’s not my fault i scare them to death. Every once in a while i pick someone Random and follow them home. I start small, writing stuff like it’s your fault, or i know it was you, wherever i can. Eventually, i start getting more intense, showing them small glimpses of a random dead person, making them think they are going Insane. Before long though, this Fake dead person just never leaves, taunting them. This is when the laughing and voices typically start. All day, every day they hear voices inside their head, someone’s laughing in the corner, hidden by shadows. There’s someone crawling on the ceiling, or there is a music box faintly playing in the corner someone was laughing in. There are children singing in the basement. The crying from the hall never stops. The footsteps in the attic come and go. The girl in the mirror never leaves. But today i added something new, the scratching in the walls. It never stops, just moves. I’m a bit of a dick i know, but what do you expect? I’m bored.", "If you had asked me about \"immortals\" when I was eighteen (eighteen and still running through existence in my first deceptively fragile body; still red-headed and freckled; still Bridgette, instead of the latest name on the string of fake IDs I now go through faster than a professional con artist; still in love with that frilly-shouldered yellow tank top I have in no life since been able to find a duplicate of), I would have said they didn't exist. If you pushed me -- but hypothetically, what if they did, what might they be like -- I might have guessed something like vampires or sorcerors.\n\nNothing like ashes.\n\nThe people who care about such things hypothesize we're not true immortals, but a type of ghost. Some kinds of true immortals do die, but recover afterwards; not many die, leave a body, and then grow a new body somewhere else. Ashes are, if the hypothesis is correct, a ghost who starts the afterlife not only unwilling to move on, but unwilling to be disembodied, so the soul finds a suitable pile of dirt and. Well. Ashes-to-us, dust-to-dust, brand-new body.\n\nFirst resurrection's always the toughest. Give us a few rounds, especially with a willing teacher, and we can resurrect in the nice box we keep under our beds or in our closets with a body at least of the height and general structure we expected to end up in and no worse side effects than a day or two of headache. First time… it's an inexplicable miracle we even manage to develop human-shaped bodies, never mind functional human-shaped bodies. The miracle does not extend to appearance. Nobody believes we're our old selves, and it doesn't help that we aren't sane enough to remember our old selves for weeks -- long after most of us have been discovered, families notified, original bodies tidily buried in the family plots.\n\nAnd even those of us who haven't been discovered have been reported missing, and I can say from experience our parents aren't keen on a total stranger claiming to be their missing daughter.\n\nMy mom is still alive. My mom is still alive. We don't talk -- of course we don't talk -- but she's a high school teacher in the age of teenagers posting everything on social media, and if her students' accounts are any indication, she's always game to play along with their videos and photos.\n\nMy dad, in the sense of the person I called \"da\" as a kid, died before I did, but even ashes need emergency contacts for HR. Especially since a lot of us deal with the trauma of the whole \"violent death at a young age\" thing by taking risks mortals tend to find horrifying. Me, I've gotten murdered five times in the past ten years, and every time John is the one who gets called to identify his \"daughter's\" body.\n\nNot this time.\n\nI threw myself down in John's favorite booth, staring at his coffee instead of him because I might very well have hit him if the conversation went badly. Ellen was there, too, same spot she was in when the construction worker ran in to interrupt my breakfast with rushed information about the body they'd just uncovered, but she's younger than me, dead more recent, and I didn't have any reason to be mad at her.\n\n\"Did you know?\"\n\n\"Know what?\"\n\nHe nudged the coffee. I kept staring at it. \"You're the one who found me. Took care of me until my soul was re-integrated enough to manage taking care of my own body. And it's easier -- I know it's easier to find new ashes if we meet them before they die. You met me and you knew I was going to die and then I did and you found me. You were there before I died and after I died and probably weren't very far off when I was… You were there.\"\n\n\"Jeez, Bridge, we've been through this before. Just because I knew didn't mean I could do anything.\"\n\n\"Not about that. But you… you could have called. You could have told someone where I was. If you knew.\"\n\n\"Bee, nobody would have believed him--\" interjected Ellen.\n\n\"Not about the ash body. Not about anything still holding a soul.\" I looked up, just for a second, before dropping my gaze back to the coffee. John looked genuinely confused, but that could have just as easily been a complete lack of coherency on my part. I was pretty sure I'd used the last of my ability to form a sentence telling my partner I wasn't feeling well, call the boss and tell him I'm taking the rest of the day off please, I'll just get my dad to give me a ride home, and now all my mental energy was devoted to not having a nervous breakdown in a goddamn diner.\n\nEllen figured it out first. \"Oh. Oh, Bee. I'm so sorry. John, seriously, if you knew, I'm helping her kill you. After we dump your current box of dirt in a lake so you have to revive in some random yard like an amateur.\"\n\n\"Again: Knew what?\"\n\n\"They found a body,\" I said flatly. I could say that. I'm a homicide detective this time, I have to say \"they found a body\" a lot in that line of work. \"They're installing a new fountain in the park across the street. Across the street. From your favorite diner. At least one of us is here every goddamn day, and there's been a body across the street from us for ten years, and they're, they're gonna identify her and they're gonna have to call my m-mom and…\"\n\nI lost it then, and didn't hear anything John or Ellen said until I was back in my apartment, firmly planted on the couch, trying to find a relatively sensible way of saying I needed to throw out my box of dirt and get a new one right the hell now, thank you, because by some terrible coincidence the Rubbermaid bin I'd been using for resurrection purposes was identical to the bin my ex-boyfriend had buried me in and that was one step too far, not dealing with that, I would buy a stereotypical undead goth coffin before I slept in the same room as that again, but apparently even one's fellow undead are prone to misunderstanding the repeated sentence \"I need a coffin or something, just, I need a coffin\" given only the context of your body being freshly dug up.\n\n----\n\nI hadn't given much thought to Brandon in years. It wasn't like I had evidence I could get him convicted on. Used to full-blown haunt him, as much as one can when you don't look enough like your old self to be a suitable ghost, but I could get in some creepy phone calls. And then I got murdered again, by someone I could get convicted. Oh, not because I had evidence, it's just the top members of the local crime syndicate didn't take kindly to being woken up at all hours by a woman claiming to be the crime reporter they'd had \"taken care of\" and my killer ended up cutting a fast deal for protective custody. Murdered again; gave the police enough evidence to get my killer locked up on a lesser charge and then abused the shit out of the prison mail and visitation system until she confessed.\n\nJohn says haunting is unhealthy. I say everybody needs a hobby, and my hobby is giving underprivileged murderers the guilty conscience they're sadly lacking. It's practically charity work, really. Murdered, haunted, murdered, haunted, murdered, haunted, and all the while Brandon built a career off stolen research.\n\nI wasn't jealous. Angry, sure, but just because he had a good job and a house and a wife and a kid didn't mean I'd have had the same if he hadn't taken it away, and even the anger dropped below anything worth prioritizing after a while.\n\nBut in this particular chunk of illusionary life, I was a homicide detective. And I'd been eating breakfast when some early-bird construction workers found a body and one ran to fetch me while another called the station, which made me first officer on the scene even if I was also first officer to leave the scene. It was hard not to be involved in the case no matter what excuses I made.\n\nI saw my mother in person for the first time in ten years, touching the evidence bags my locket and watch and favorite yellow tank top had ended up in, her Irish accent stronger than I remembered as she sobbed \"She didn't even get a wake,\" and on my way home that day I passed Brandon's house to see his mother bringing over a birthday present for his son.\n\nHe took so much, and all I'd given him in return was some heavy breathing on the phone. And I'd gotten so much better at haunting in the meantime. Seemed a shame to waste all that practice. \n\nThe trick would be the kid. Oh, I wouldn't hurt him, but I'd never haunted anyone with a kid before, and horror movies make them look so fun. Besides, it had been a decade; Brandon had a whole life he'd be reluctant to give up, and putting a few fissures in that life might be a bit more motivating.", "It can get boring being immortal. Oh sure, you get to watch the rise and fall of civilizations, the turn of the everlasting wheel, blah, blah, blah. But no one tells you how many dull years there are in between the history-making ones. So, I've taken up haunting, just to pass the time. Only the people that really deserve it though. Only the ones that think they've managed to make me die. I'm annoying, I'll freely admit it. And now that civilization has circled around to poisons, duels and all that; lots of people have \"killed\" me. \r \nThis means that I'm kept pretty busy, running around haunting. There's a sort of thrill to it, a joy, an adrenaline rush. And seeing as I don't have a lot of friends, it keeps my mind busy and off the loneliness. This month though, I'm planning something special. A bunch of my hauntees are going to get together. And boy, am I going to be there with bells on.\r \nThe venue was a little difficult to get to. Fortunately one of the guards went to sleep at just the right moment. That chamomile tea will get you every time, especially when it's laced with a little knock-out juice. Look, I never said I was a nice person. I haunt people for goodness sake. \r \nStanding just outside the doors of the inner room, I listened to the conversation.\r \n\"Welcome to the inaugural support meeting of those who feel personally victimized by a certain ghost who shall remain nameless. We shall all use pseudonyms here.\" I bit back a giggle. The pseudonyms were useless, if anyone didn't know who all the others were, I'd eat my hat.\r \n\"I will go by Rex.\" There were groans around the room, but one by one the others sounded off.\r \n\"Leo.\" \"Rei.\" \"Koning.\" \"Kung.\" \"Roi.\" \r \n\"Now that we are all introduced, let us air our grievances, and support each other.\" The original voice sounded ridiculously pompous, but that was an unfortunate side effect of his job. As the others began speaking, I quietly started work on the door lock. \r \nStories floated from all parties; involving floating heads—which I'd achieved with a dark robe and a well-positioned lamp— figures in wardrobes—easy enough if you bribe the servants— and one particularly memorable one that involved a chicken. I was never doing that again, the feathers were incredibly difficult to get out of your hair. The group was getting more and more animated as I finally unlocked the door. \r \nThrowing it open, I strode through, twirling my cape for dramatic effect. The bells on my hat and sewn into my clothes tinkled. Did you think I was being metaphorical about the bells? Nope. They're a side effect of my profession. Everyone was half-out of their chairs, hands going to hips. \r \n\"Gentlemen, I have gathered you here today—\" I was cut off by screams and men scrabbling to get away. One hand on my hip, I waggled my finger at them. \"Tsk, tsk. Now, what do you think your subjects would say if they saw this? Bunch of snivelling cowards you are.\" The one who had called himself Rex, turned purple at my words, swelling to twice his size. But he still kept his feet moving backwards. \r \n\"Leave spirit. Go back to your eternal rest. The power commands you!\" A previously unseen cleric had come from the side of the room, brandishing his paraphernalia. I grinned at him and walked over to a now vacant chair.\r \n\"Not a chance. I want a word with these gentlemen and I'm not leaving until I have it.\" I turned my attention to the other men. \"Now, purple-face and all the rest of you, get over here and sit down!\" I mimicked the snobbish tones of my former employers. Slowly, as if to prove that they didn't possess the cowardice I'd accused them of, they came back. \r \n\"What do you want from us, spirit?\" To his credit, the voice of the one calling himself Koning didn't shake. I faked a surprised look, raising my eyebrows at them, as I sat down on my own chair.\r \n\"Why, don't you know? I just want to keep doing my job. I am the Court Jester after all.\"" ]	4
	[WP] Someone turned in a resume and had "Curses Taken" instead of Courses Taken under education. You assumed it was a typo until a witch arrived for her job interview.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 frail old woman entered the meeting room. She wore a grey gown, with a ridiculous gray hat to accompany it. And that nose, big, bloated, nasty nose.\n\nI tried to cancel it as soon as the secretary made sure it wasn't a typo. Curses taken indeed. But she wouldn't have it. After all she made it all the way here, the least I could do was to have the meeting as a courtesy.\n\n\"Welcome!\" I said, enthusiastically, as I shook her wrinkled hand. \"Hope there wasn't much traffic, hope the commute was alright?\"\n\nShe pointed at her broom, left by the door and cackled. \"It was alright indeed, sweetie.\" \n\nShe reached into her pouch and took out a monkey's paw. \"If years taught me anything, never go to a business meeting empty handed.\"\n\nHuh. Go figure. A witch with business experience. \n\nAs I took the monkey paw from her I decided to explain her why this wouldn't work, putting on my most sincere, fake smile.\n\n\"Right, Mrs. Sabrina. I wish we had this meeting under more fortunate circumstances...\"\n\nBefore I could finish my sentence a cool breeze winded through the room. A chill music started to play. A waiter entered the room, and brought us both two mojitos. Maybe she had not taken any courses but she was resourceful alright.\n\nI asked, nervously. \"Is this really necessary?\"\n\n\"Oh, it's not me dear.\" She pointed to the monkey paw, with a finger curled now.\n\nMy coworkers started to notice. I could see our newly formed audience through the glass wall. \n\n\"Could you, umm, take it back please?\" \n\n\"Use the paw, sweetie.\"\n\nI picked the monkey paw from the table and did as she asked, and our audience dispersed soon after. Another finger curled.\n\n\"Like I was saying Mrs. Sabrina, I'm sure you could manage any work coming your way but I don't think you would be a good fit for the company culture. Your attire...\"\n\n\"Is for keeping up appearances.\"\n\nShe stood up, gave herself a swirl and bam. The frail old woman with the hideous nose turned into the most beatiful woman in the office.\n\n\"Well I wish you did that sooner.\" The last finger on the monkey paw curled. God, damn it.\n\nShe smiled. \"I will bring you a new one on my first day, which is on?\"\n\n\"Monday I guess. Well then, welcome aboard, Mrs. Sabrina.\"\n\nShe shook my hand, and took her broom and left. \n\nNow which recycling bin would a monkey paw go? Organic?" ]	2
	[WP] You are a home remodeling contractor, hired by an evil overlord to improve his lair's aesthetic.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Kothik the necromancer stood before his throne of bones, an ill wind swirling around his form. Most mortals would have trembled in their boots from such a display of power. But Jim was not a professional for nothing. He stood firm even as necromantic energy shook the room.\n\n“You want how much?” Kothik’s anger manifested as sludge dripping down the walls.\n\nThe torches lining the walls burned blue, creating long shadows throughout the muck.\n\nSo that’s where the black marks came from.\n\nJim let out a sigh before repeating his words. “I can offer you a full renovation of your lair for around three hundred thousand gold pieces. Though, judging by the damage you just inflicted, the price may go higher. Closer to three hundred and fifty thousand.”\n\n“I am the Lord of the Underworld! You will give me a better price, or I will have your head!” Another burst of energy sent Jim back a step.\n\nBut years of experience had taught Jim all he needed to know about these overlord types.\n\n“Do as you wish, sir, but this price is our company’s policy. Even if you kill me, there will still be no one to repair the wear and tear of this old castle.”\n\n“Your family will beg for the release of death!” Kothik brandished his staff and the skull at the end glowed with that same blue light.\n\nJim only shrugged. “I’ve got no one I particularly care about. Besides, if you make too much commotion in town, the crown will send its Heroes. I hear they’re very good at what they do. Just like how I am very good at what I do.”\n\nA deranged smile crept onto Kothik’s pale lips. “Perhaps my jailer can convince you to lower that price.”\n\n“Sir, threaten me all you want, but the price I gave you is already a discounted one. I’m only able to do it because we’re one of the largest contractor groups in the country.” Jim shook his head. “You want to try Renovon? I know for a fact that they’ll try to sell you the same services I offered. Except it’ll be at an upcharge for ‘premium materials.’ Smaller companies will be even higher.”\n\nKothik swept his arm through the air before him. “Seize him! Throw him in a cell. We’ll see if a few days in there changes your mind.”\n\nJim raised his hands in surrender. “Suit yourself. But I’ll remind you, that rot is only gonna get worse. Try to find someone to deal with it before someone gets crushed by the archway.”\n\nThe undead guards reached out and grabbed Jim by his arms none too gently. A few crumbling staircases later, he found himself in a damp, mossy cell. A discolored bed sat in one corner with a rotting waste bucket in the other. As he looked around, he noted all the problems that needed fixing.\n\nRespiratory hazard from the mildew. Looks like black mold on the ceiling. He pulled a mask out of his pocket out of habit and put it on. There’s a leakage somewhere above, based on the water running down the far wall. At least the bed is probably too damp for too many pests.\n\nJim picked a clean corner in the room and tried to get comfortable. True to Kothik’s words, his jailers provided no food and only a small pitcher of tepid water. It did little to soothe his aching stomach. But two days later, a faint rumble roused Jim from his fitful rest. He blinked, waking completely as the door to the dungeons burst open.\n\n“Contractor!” Kothik marched toward Jim’s cell.\n\nEven in the dim light, the dust on Kothik’s clothes was visible. One of the horns on his helm had broken off and the metal seemed dented. A bit of black blood dripped down his left arm and there was a distinct limp in his gait. Jim stood, feeling his back pop from the lack of movement.\n\nKothik pointed one gnarled finger at Jim. “You said you could fix this place for three hundred thousand gold?”\n\nJim shrugged and said, “If that archway has collapsed, it’ll definitely increase the price.”\n\nKothik said nothing for a moment. His uninjured hand clenched in anger. Then, he let out a frustrated breath.\n\n“Fine. You’ve got yourself a deal.”\n\n...\n\nLess of a story and more of a funny scene. Oh well.\n\nIf you're interested in my works, the archive of my various writing responses can be found in my writing portfolio, link through my profile.\n\nThanks for reading." ]	2
	[WP] murder mystery where the murder is completely unsolvable. Not even god himself knows what the hell happened.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "We're in the town hall, in the middle of a meeting called by police chief Nicolas. Attending the meeting,we see the Private Detective Connor on the side sporting a smug expression. \n\nConnor: Spontaneous Combustion.\n\nNicholas: How would you know?\n\nConnor: Well it makes sense.\n\nNicholas: “Spontaneous combustion” doesn't exist.\n\nConnor (mocking): How would you know?\n\nThe chief rubs his forehead.\nNicholas: Karen. Again, I am sorry for one, your loss. And two, that I have more questions for you. Did anything come to mind about any sudden symptoms?\n\nKaren: No. Everything was normal. \n\nConnor: Until the festival.\n\nKaren: I don't know why he suddenly popped out of existence in front of everyone.\n\nSilence fills the air. For a moment, only nervous coughs would be considered as a response. The local doctor clears his throat.\nDoctor: I tried contacting anyone who could figure this mess out.\n\nNicholas: And?\n\nDoctor: If I had an explanation, I would have said something by now.\n\nConnor: Of course.\n\nNicholas: You don't know anything about what happened.\n\nConnor: Its a murder and science can't prove it.\n\nNicholas: We are still running tests\n.\nConnor: Pretending to be CSI isn't going to solve this. (Karen leaves.) Now that she is gone, it's time that I put some ideas on the table.\n\nNicholas: There's not enough proof for there to be a murder!\n\nConnor: I'm not having another town meeting where nothing is accomplished. Science isn't going to help with finding out how Darell poofed. We need “supernatural assistance.” Fortunately for us, I have a friend who happens to be a medium.\nSarah: Hello everyone.\n\nNicholas: No\n.\nSarah: I actually have experience with solving-\n\nNicholas: No. I am NOT-\n\nConnor: Sarah, save the introduction. Let's get to the juicy details.\n\nSarah: Alright. I need Karen to come back.\n\nConnor: If I know Karen, she's outside of the door. Still listening.\n\nKaren meekly enters the room. Her eyes are damp with tears.\nSarah: Karen, I can contact Darrel.\n\nKaren lets out a whimper.\nSarah: I have him on the phone right now.\n\nSarah pulls out an old flip phone. For a moment, nothing but static is heard.\nNicholas: Okay enough-\n\nDarrel: Honey?\n\nKaren: Oh my god.\n\nDarrel: Darling, everything is going to be okay.\n\nKaren: What happened?\n\nDarrel: I don't know. I was at the festival. We were playing that song and I was strumming the guitar having a grand old time. And then I got transported to the pearly gates. I am speaking to Peter.\n\nSaint Peter: Saint Peter, please.\n\nConnor: Damn it.\n\nSarah: I told you God was real.\n\nNicholas: You turned to God himself to solve this case?\n\nConnor is wearing a shit eating grin.\nConnor: Oh, I just couldn't resist. So Darrel, you have Saint Peter himself on the phone right?\n\nDarrel: Yes. I'm going to let him fill you in.\n\nSaint Peter: Yes, the Lord himself is aware of the untimely passing of Darrel Hodkins. But due to unforeseen circumstances, even God himself is clueless.\n\nThe same silence from before is back.\nNicholas: Clueless? Isn't he all knowing?\n\nSaint P: Prior to the death of Darrel, yes. But now the Kingdom of Heaven is in turmoil because… well… the lord has lost his touch.\n\nThe same silence is being consistent. Connor breaks the silence.\nConnor: Thank you for the clarification Saint Peter. Darrel, it's time for you to say good bye and move on.\n\nDarrel: Wait, who's the murderer? How will I know?\n\nNicholas: Is it even a murder?\n\nSaint Peter: The log book here says its a murder.\n\nNicholas: This is ridiculous..\n\nConnor: That's all I need.\n\nNicholas: What?!\n\nConnor: Saint Peter, is Jesus Christ real and our saviour?\n\nSaint Peter: Are you questioning the Lord's will?\n\nConnor: Yes. It'll help me solve this case.\n\nA sigh of frustration is heard from the phone. Clearly the Lord wished for Connor not to test him. However Saint Peter relents.\n\nSaint Peter: Yes.\n\nConnor: Then I ask Jesus and the Lord for his forgiveness for my sins.\n\nNicholas: Are you admitting to murder of Darrel?" ]	2
	[WP] tell me pretty lies. look me in the face. tell me that you love me even if it’s fake.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It’s alarming how much of someone’s soul you can see within their eyes. Subtle shifts are easy to notice. Your love, however, wasn’t subtle. No, it began as a raging fire that ignited blue flame in your gaze and when it was gone it distinguished. I watched the love drain from your eyes. I knew that you thought I hadn’t noticed. The small glances away as you told me you loved me further confirmed it. As did the warfare in your eyes as you told me you found me pretty, fighting with your responsibility of loving me and your desire to cease trying. My prettiness be damned. It was enough to be with you in any capacity. It was enough that you tried at all. I would sell my soul to remain yours even if it meant it wasn’t true. I didn’t mind the lies. I liked to remember when they were truths, when they were real. Perhaps I was used to the bare minimum but I was happy you put in the effort to pretend. To know that you felt truly in love with me at one point in time was enough. To be loved by you once was enough to sustain myself through the pain of watching your love distinguish. I hope to one day look into your eyes and see the blue flame spark again. I know this will not happen. I have accepted it. How beautiful it was that it was ever there." ]	2
	[WP] You’ve been granted an incredible, but horrific power. You are a genie who may grant any wish, but in order to do so you must kill someone. A life for a wish.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "\\[Poem\\]\r \n\r \nMy captor has indeed made the stakes clear,\r \nI have to laugh, as he made mistakes there.\r \nI’ve had 1,000 years to ponder his terms.\r \n\\sigh\\ I’ll be the last lamp someone disturbs.\r \nHe’s had 1,000 years to wander this earth.\r \nAmassing power, and I wonder his worth.\r \nWhen he told me, I was squeamish. I wept.\r \nHe’d said, “You may grant any wish, except\r \nto do so you must choose someone to kill.”\r \nNow, after all these years, I’ll love the thrill.\r \nI’ll be free of him, finally, with my plan unfurled.\r \n“I wish I was the most powerful man in the world!”\r \n“I shall grant this wish,” my hands glistening,\r \n“And I shall kill the man who imprisoned me!”" ]	2
	[WP] You have a butler who graciously cooks dinner for you every night. Tonight he asks what you want for dinner... But you say "I don't know"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Master Adam was usually very specific about what he wanted me to make. I remember one time he said \"Make me some chicken and waffles, with a spicy maple syrup glaze.\" I'm from the United Kingdom, and was trained in the cullinary arts by some of the greatest French chefs of my time, so I knew next to nothing about Southern American comfort food. However, I never refuse a challenge. I said, \"Right away sir,\" and got to work recreating the dish as best as I could. After a couple hours, with sweat dripping down my forehead, I waited patiently for his verdict as he took the first bite.\n\n\"Not bad,\" he said. \"It could use a bit more spice, but I appreciate your hard work, Mr. Right.\"\n\nI bowed, thanking him for his feedback, and returned to the kitchen to clean up.\n\n\\--\n\nThat was two months ago. Every day he was home, I would ask the same question; \"What do you want for dinner, Master Adam?\" and he would in turn say the first thing on his mind. Usually a dish from whatever country or continent he had most recently visited on his business trips, whether it was Pad Kra Prao from Thailand or Quyrdak from Kazakhstan. I remember one time he requested Balut from the Phillipines. Let me tell you, sourcing fertilized duck eggs at such short notice was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. But I did it.\n\nWhat was the hardest thing for me was when Adam came home after the wake of his mother. Mrs. Beatrice Tilbert was a wonderful woman, who was long suffering from dementia. Adam had her being taken care of at the best elder care facility money could buy. Occasionally he would ask me to make something for her as well, and he would put it in a plastic container, and take it to her, hoping that tasting my cooking would jog her memory a bit.\n\nBut alas, her struggle had come to an end. The funeral was long, and I stood by Adam every moment of the day. I witnessed his grief, and I shared it with him. As we finally arrived at home, at around 5:00pm, I asked him the prototypical question.\n\n\"What do you want for dinner, Master Adam?\" I said.\n\n\"I don't know...\" Adam whispered. He wiped his tears with his sleeve. I looked at him, and I felt my eyes well up with empathy for his loss. But a job had to be done, and I was going to do my best to make him happy.\n\n\"Right away, sir.\"" ]	2
	[WP] You are going to the fairy mafia on the day of the god-father's daughter's wedding in hopes of being given a favor.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 come here on the day of my daughter's wedding expecting a favour? Well what is it that you want\"\n\n\"As her husband to be, I was rather hoping that you could take some time off to attend the ceremony, Lord Oberon. The reception too, though I'm more than willing to see you conduct your business there even if we'd prefer you limit it to networking.\"\n\n\"I think I can find it in me to leave the kneecaping to the Redcaps. No planned turf fights but if one does break out with the Unseelie gang expect me to defend myself. Certainly I will attend the wedding, now leave me to finish my suit fitting, after all you have your own preparations to make.\"" ]	2
	[WP] You're one of the duplicates of someone with the power to make duplicates of themselves that they can then merge back, but you have been away too long, and don't want to go 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&#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.", "Seven felt... strange. More accurately, Seven felt, and that was strange. Normally, there were no emotions, only sensations - the bright light of emergence, the strong pull of convergence, and - thankfully rarely - the sharp pain of temporary death.\n\nBut now, so many smaller sensations crowded in. Seven could feel the cold air of the parking garage, feel the rough concrete against its feet. The world was full of sounds - the buzz of the electric light, the dull thuds and roars of combat on the floors above, and the steady drop from the container.\n\nFor the first time, Seven was conscious and yet had no commands. No will forced its way into Seven's head, setting the glowing figure running and leaping back into the fray. Above, Seven could see the hole punched through the next few layers of ceiling, a steady stream of concrete dust still falling from the ragged edges. Up there, the fight was continuing. Up there, the other dupes would be charging into plasma blasts and dodging projectiles. But Seven felt no command - and no urge - to return.\n\nInstead, it turned its attention back to the canister. Viscous purple liquid still pooled from the breach, forming a puddle on the bare floor. This was how they'd ended up down here - directed by a flick of the commanding thoughts to intercept a flung obstacle aimed at the originator.\n\nSeven had leapt without thought. Thought was not normally something Seven was capable of. Motivated only by the command blazing in its head, Seven had dived into the path of the canister. Had Seven needed to breathe, the metal canister - moving at nearly 170kmh - would have driven all breath away and pulverised its torso. \n\nInstead, its body had curled round the canister as it continued on its flight, passing a bare metre away from the originator and slamming into the far wall. An earlier plasma blast had already ripped through the floor here, and so Seven and the now-leaking canister tumbled down several stories to land in their current situation.\n\nSeven felt no pain. Only death outside the originator had ever caused pain, and that was only a brief flash before oblivion. A fall like this, even after the canister's impact, was not enough to kill one of the dupes. Still, there had been some effect.\n\nFirstly, the absence of the originator's commands. Perhaps, in the chaos of the fight above, the originator had not realised that Seven was still present. Secondly, the physical changes. Just as Seven's mind teemed with unfamiliar thoughts, so its normally flowing form had been altered.\n\nWhere the purple liquid from the canister had splattered across its front, Seven did not glow. Instead, pale flesh - similar to the originator's but far less bronzed - appeared in spatters and droplets across Seven's torso. With one glowing hand, Seven reached towards the puddle of liquid, and watched the transformation continue. Glowing, formless fingers slowly sharpened and dimmed, ethereal substance replaced with skin and even - for the first time ever - neat curves of nail.\n\nSeven wondered - another new thing. As the purple liquid changed more of its hand, thin trickles running down its upraised wrist and making skin there too, so Seven's mind changed as well. Sensations sharpened, intensified. The sound, the light, the cooling wetness of the liquid and the first dull spread off pain across its sternum.\n\nAbove, the battle was ending. Fewer impacts now, the barely audible sound of voices. Seven paid little attention, enraptured by staring at its changing form. With cupped hands made of flesh, Seven caught the droplets falling from the canister, spread them across its face and felt features firming, the glow subsiding to reveal the outline of a jaw, a mouth opening that had somehow never been there before. The first breath Seven had ever taken was a short gasp that sent coolness flowing inside, as though frost was outlining every corner of new-formed lungs.\n\nAnd then the summons. A familiar sensation - the overpowering, clarion call of convergence. A thousand times before - not that Seven could have counted - the same command had echoed in its head at the end of combat. A general summons, pulling all the dupes back into the originator. Every time before now, Seven would have slipped glowing through the air, floating without conscious motion back to be absorbed.\n\nNow though, something was different. Seven still felt the call, heard it echo along every fibre of its being, but it was weaker, somehow. Quieter, less urgent. Possible to resist. For a moment, Seven considered heeding the call; going back, like every other time, to the originator. But the new thoughts and sensations quickly crowded out the will to be absorbed again. Instead, while the call continued to echo through it, Seven reached again and again back to the purple liquid, smearing handfuls across every exposed centimetre of its form, subduing the glow with pale flesh. The liquid defined and changed, revealing the shape of ears, the outline of muscles, the definition of toes, and all the while the call grew steadily quieter.\n\n---\n\nMirror Max lowered his arms and stepped forwards towards his allies. He was more tired than he'd thought - the battle had been brief but vicious, and he felt somehow nebulously weaker than before. He nodded calmly towards PlasmaDriver, making a mental note to see the Organisation's medics when they got back. \"Good working with you, as always.\"\n\nThe only retort was a grunt. For someone so obsessed with his public image, PlasmaDriver was not very social. Instead, the hulking man stomped over towards the upturned van, its back doors hanging open on busted hinges. A flicker of plasma shone around his hand as he flipped the van back onto its wheels with a single heave. There was nothing inside. \n\n\"I think they must have passed it off already.\" Kinesis was standing over the downed thugs, small chunks of rubble orbiting her head in case one of them needed to be re-subdued. \"Not sure when they had time, but I can't see the canister anywhere around, and no one would be stupid enough to lose an untested psychoactive mutagen. Neither of you saw anywhere it might have gotten to?\"\n\n\"Not me; there was a lot of stuff flying about, but it was mostly standard - bullets and concrete. We can find out who their fence was once they're in interrogation.\" Mirror Max went for a casual shrug - Kinesis apparently had a thing for devil-may-care heroes, and there was no harm laying the groundwork now - and quickly converted it to the one-armed version when his shoulder twinged. God, he was out-of-condition; it had been years since he'd been this wiped out after a fight. He felt drained, as though he'd been hit with an enervator or something.\n\nHe turned his back on the empty van and strode over to the waiting Organisation Transport - syndication did have its benefits, and a bit of rest on the journey back would be welcome. He settled into one of the padded seats with a barely-supressed sigh; it wouldn't do to have Kinesis think of him as soft.\n\nThe transport rumbled down the winding ramp to the base of the parking structure. Along the way, separated only by a thin wall, it passed within metres of an empty metal canister and the comatose form of fully-human Seven." ]	2
	[WP] the overlord is dead, but one of his goons managed to get away. And he's starting an army of his very own.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Relc was a good fireslave. He was conscientuous, tireless, and eager to work. The constant threat of having his soul consumed was a wonderful motivator.\n\nHe spent his waking hours - for day and night had no meaning in the fire pit - tending the central flame. Either he was collecting more wood and meagre rations from one end of the thin tunnel that was his home, workplace, and entire world, or he was crouched at the other end of it, making sure the fire kept burning evenly by feeding it the rough-hewn logs at regular intervals. Sometimes - when the world above was filled with the sounds of battle for a brief space - he was tasked with plunging into the flames themselves, trusting in his fire-resistant scales to protect him as he cleared the wreckage of fallen heroes from the pit.\n\nHe could only sleep when the Dread Lord's presence removed itself from the throne room above. When he felt the lowering oppression of psychic rage diminish and move away, that was the time for him to curl up in a soot-stained scrap of blanket and catch a few short hours of rest. Before too long, he'd feel the Dread presence intensifying again, and scramble awake to build up the banked fire.\n\nThis was Relc's life for years. Once, there had been a few others down here with him, tending the fire and taking shifts so that the others could rest properly. Each one had somehow angered the Dread Lord or his lieutenants, paying the ultimate price for imagined dereliction of duty. Now, those happier, more relaxed times were just a memory, something to dream of in snatched moments before the nightmares of soul absorption - his friends eyes blackening, mouths locked in soundless screams - returned to plague him.\n\nHe had other dreams too, though as time passed they became fainter and weaker. Dreams of far-off mountains, of playing in the snow with the other kits and of his parents' warmth wrapped around his egg, long before the slavers came. He was grateful for these dreams' fading, as waking to find himself still in the pit, salt tears drying on his face, was always hard to bear.\n\n---\n\nOne day, the battle above sounded louder and longer. Soul-burnt husks of heroes fell into the pit, but the battle still raged on. The Dread presence weakened, rallied, weakened again and then was snuffed out entirely. For the first time in Relc's life, the sound of cheers and elation came from the throne room above. Eventually, even those sounds ceased, and he was left in his pit with an empty throne room above.\n\nRelc tended the fire.\n\nIt was not until over a week later, his supplies of food and wood no longer replenished, that Relc dared to climb out of the pit. The Dread Lord's presence had not returned since the battle, but Relc had learnt caution. When the fire finally went fully out, starved of fuel, he spent hours crouched in an agony of suspense, waiting for the first sign of internal burning. Nothing happened. That was the first time he dared to let himself believe.\n\nThe scramble out of the pit was a difficult one. Relc's claws were well-adapted to climbing, but his bodyhad been trained and tormented to do nothing more than a bent-backed shuffle through enclosing tunnels. His first attempts at climbing, using unfamiliar muscles and with far more space above him than he was used to, left him slumped back in the ashes, arms aching and breath rasping.\n\nOn the fifth attempt, driven by hunger that overpowered both his fear and weakness, his claws clacked on stone beyond the pit's edge. For the first time in his short and brutal life, Relc stood in the throne room he had been devoted to tending.\n\nStrangely, he realised that he'd never really pictured what it might look like. It was the place corpses fell from, the home of the infernal presence that killed and tortured, but he had never really thought of it as a room. It was cavernous, a vast cavern area paved with carved flagstones, supported by tall pillars and lit by the flickering blue flames of magical torches held in high-up sconces.\n\nThe room was dominated by an enormous throne, fully five times Relc's height and carved from a single block of obsidian. Pinned to the throne by an enormous metal spear was a similarly titanic figure in ornate and blackened armour. Its head was missing. Relc the slave stood before his master and finally tasted freedom." ]	2
	[WP] A person is shown an apocalyptical future, and told that they will soon cause 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&#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 world was in ruins. Manhattan was destroyed. Paris was on fire. Scores of the dead and dying littered the streets, and those survivors wandered aimlessly, bloodied and traumatized. \n\nAs the dust kicked up in the shattered city of Dunkirk, Germany, a giant loomed over the street, dressed in a high-collar toga, befitting his colossal head. The Watcher turned, gleaming white eyes focusing on the man by his side.\n\nDoctor Doom clenched his fists. \"You'relying. You have a moral perogative to prevent me from attaining the power that by rite of will and action is mine. You interfere in mortal affairs constantly, and you think you can sway ME, alien?\" Hard eyes stared through the slits of his foreboding mask.\n\n\"I wanted to show you the consequences of your actions, Doctor. Stealing even a fraction of the power of the Cosmic Cube currently in your lab will cause a global panic to try to stop you. This is the result of your counterattack. You destroy the world to bring it to heel.\"\n\nDoom said nothing. \"Show me my home.\"\n\nLatveria, Castle Doom in ruins. Doom lay dead in his throne room, surrounded by dead Avengers, X-Men, and others. The Thing, Wolverine, and Spider-Man are of the few survivors.\n\nDoom was silent. He searched the floor for Reed Richards, finding him dead, elastic and limp, cradling the body of Sue Storm. Doom stared into his hated rival's empty eyes. The Watcher folded his hands.\n\nDoom turned to him. \"You've made your point. Richards can't die like this. When I ruin him, it won't be like this. Gods will kneel before me. Even you.\" He stared hard at the Watcher's eyes. The Watcher frowned, almost imperceptibly, and Doom was back in his throne room.\n\nThe man sat on his throne. The world would see Doom as a savior, not as a destroyer, if he had any sat in the matter; and of course he did. Who could stand against him?" ]	2
	[WP] The worlds collided, and everyone got connected to a magical pet. Dragons, fairies, phoenix, etc. You love yours despite it being just a fur ball. Invaders attacked, overwhelming the dragons and others. When one of the invaders injured you, you realized, that yours is not just a ball of fur.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Everyone has some crazy things, dragons, slimes, some strange starfish thing, I don’t know that one’s my friend’s pet. (pet? I mean I wouldn’t say pet but maybe call them a friend that also happens to live with you… so, room mate? I don’t know that just doesn’t sound right either.) and then there’s mine. A small ball of fluff that fits into my jacket pocket, I don’t know what it is pr what it does. I think it’s inanimate, but ever since I got it I’ve heard whispering at night. It’s strange… oh yeah I’ve gotten distracted this is a story about the other things from that world. It’s just been a fight to try to gain territory on eachother, I don’t feel like I live close to where they were but it didn’t stop the thing from happening.\n\nIt was early morning when I woke up and saw the fighting, not your average street fight. Swords, guns, magic and animals. I knew things wouldn’t go well if I stayed inside so I grabbed my jacket, phone (and charger) my little fluff ball, and I got out as soon as I fumbled the keys out of their spot. I managed to get to the end of the carpark at the bottom of the building. But the car didn’t last long. Why? You might ask? Because I let my brother drive it last time and despite me telling him to, the car had just enough fuel to go about 1 kilometre. God damn it.\n\n Of course, since my luck cant get worse the exit I had tried to take was already taken by the enemies. The army was of course made out of more than just 1 species, in fact there was a dragon there that was definitely going to kill me, as it walked up to the car I was in, trying to get thee seatbelt off of me as soon as possible, the red reptile thing with wings looks like it is was going to blast me until there was nothing but an ash when I heard a scream and some strange noises. It sounded as if some powerful being had just appeared right next to me and swallowed it whole.\n\nThe dragon was gone. My ball of fluff was somehow on the road. I still don’t know how to feel right now. Of course, there was also an army there that decided to let me through after that, which was extremely nice of them. I picked up my little fluff ball and called my parents. While I’m walking there, I’d be glad to talk, it’s a long walk.\n\nnote: i wrote this at school cause i was bored", "Everyone loves to ask me- \"So, what's your magical pet?\"\n\nOkay, look, I love Fluff. I do. But when Mother's sitting there with her anaconda, and Daddy with his dragon, and Auntie with that weird drooling clawed bird thing, Fluff? Fluff just looks kind of pathetic. Not the creature you want to show off as your spirit animal. \n\nI'm kind of used to the question by now. And I got a plan on standby- ask \"Whats yours?\", then change the subject.\n\nPlan B is awkwardly holding up Fluff and hoping she chooses that moment to bare her teeth. She usually doesnt. Manic as a chihahua, but angel-perfect and cute as a kitten in front of strangers. \n\nI cant decide whether its worse when people say \"So cute!\", or be mean. There's really no right reaction to a furball pet.\n\nSo. I hate the question. Thats why I never ask anyone else what their animal is, and get people to back off when someone doesnt want to tell. You'd be surprised by how many poeple have an embarrassing pet and need that kind of help.\n\nAnother thing I hate is fighting. I was that kid who complained to teachers because being picked on is easier than outright confronting someone. Even now, 6'4\" and broad shouldered, I'd rather jump into a sea full of sharks than fight with someone else.\n\nYou can see how that would be problematic, since I'm a warrior.\n\nNaturally, the two things I hate the most have banded together to annoy me. The planet is being destroyed by invaders, I'm cowering behind a building, and Arissa next to me wants to know what my pet is. \n\nHers is a saber tooth tiger. Which is eight feet tall. The fact that it is currently tearing apart three green suckers while Arissa yells commands kind of renders Plan A null.\n\nThankfully, I have a new and efficient Plan B.\n\n\"Now's not the time!\", I yell, making my voice just as annoyed as I can.\n\n\"It could be useful! Where is it?\", she calls, then goes back to shouting at her hulk tiger.\n\n\"Forget it.\", I shout back.\n\nI curse the sissy silencers they put in these guns as my next overenthusiastic round of bullets nails eight aliens but still fails to drown out Arissa.\n\n\"We need some help here, okay? Just show me!\", she says.\n\nOh, great, now she's counting on Fluff. Talk about bad judgement.\n\nI consider throwing myself into the aliens' super fancy laser guns. Then I imagine my obituary, a corner of a newspaper saying Warrior Aiden Shell died in conflict on 22/07/3022. We all mourn his loss. His magical pet, a small pink furball, has survived him. She was found in his pencil box cuddled with his eraser.\n\nNah, that would be too sad.\n\nFluff does her tiny squeak when I take her out. She doesnt make any other sounds, just squeaks at me all the time. I can kind of tell she's annoyed, though, because she's trying to crawl out of my palm.\n\nArissa takes one look at her and groans. \"We're screwed.\"\n\nSo she's going the mean route. Okay, I guess.\n\n\"Thanks\", I say. \"You're optimistic.\"\n\nShe glares at Fluff. \"You have any special powers, now's the time to reveal them.\"\n\nFluff looks as innocent as she ever has.\n\n\"I really dont think she does.\", I sigh.\n\n\"She's useless.\", Arissa glares.\n\nThat obituary is flashing before my eyes. \"Yeah.\", I agree. \"She is.\"\n\nFluff squeaks once, outraged. Now her eyes join that obituary in flashing dangerously.\n\n\"What? I'm going to die here, and you're zero help.\"\n\nFluff squeaks indignantly, then pole vaults off my thumb. I reach out to grab her, but she slips under the rock and races off, tiny legs pumping furiously. She's squeaking higher-pitched now, which means she has a range of two sounds instead of one. Go special powers, I guess.\n\nWhat a load of trouble. I groan as I crouch, trying to find an opening to go after her.\n\nArissa grips my arm. \"Don't go after her.\"\n\nI glare. Some people. \"Try and stop me.\"\n\n\"Seriously, don't go, look-\"\n\n\"Just because she isn't some powerful beast-\"\n\n\"No, look!\"\n\nI shut my face and look. That hulk tiger really trained up Arissa's command-voice.\n\nOh, wow.\n\nApparently, its not just that a lot of people have an embarrassing pet. A lot of people have the SAME embarrassing pet. \n\nA million tiny furballs are rolling out now, vaulting from pockets, gnawing their way out from bags. All of them squeaking just the same as Fluff.\n\nA pink wave crashes down on the aliens' ankles. Eighty thousand aliens hop up, clutching their ankles in pain. A few thousand hold on to their guns, curse the slippery creatures, aim, then promptly drop their guns as another furball bites their other foot.\n\nIt is exhilarating and terrifying in equal measure. The best part, now that I think about it, is Arissa's tiger whimpering behind a rock, eyes wide. Oh, and the shock on every one of those idiots with enormous, dangerous pets. \n\nThe not dying part is pretty nice too, obviously. And the aliens clutching their toes and fleeing. But, well, first thing I want to say is, Yeah, take that everyone.\n\nHey,never said I was a great guy. I hate fighting. But I really love winning.\n\nAnd now, I like that question too. The first one. Whats your magical pet?\n\nBecause the coolest answer I can give, now, is the truth.", "A fault in the ley lines, a slip in the timestream of the multiverse, some mad wizard's spell gone wrong in another dimension.... who knows how it happened? One minute everything was fine; the next, it was like some comic book or fantasy game come to life all around us and nothing was ever the same again.\n\nThat was over a decade ago. We've adjusted. A lot of people died in the first year, what with the learning curve of the strangeness we'd eventually come to accept as the new status quo. \n\nOne of the biggest changes was that everyone bonded with some kind of magical being or beast: fairies, dragons, trolls, phoenixes, you name it. There wasn't any real pattern to it; no one had any special trait that matched the nature of whatever chose them. They were just companions, with us for life. Some were happy to serve their humans, others took on a more protective role. Everyone had some major or minor need met by their creature. Except me.\n\nI got a little fluffy thing about the size of a baseball. Just a floating ball of gray fluff with no distinguishing features like eyes or a mouth, but it did chirp on occasion. I never could figure out how it made any sound at all, but it seemed to be when it felt happy or safe, since I took care of it as best I could... which basically consisted of petting it sometimes and making sure its little nest of socks in my dresser drawer was just right for it when we went to sleep. I never saw it eat or drink and it refused anything I offered it, so I shrugged and accepted this complete unknown as my permanent little buddy. I named it Fuzzen.\n\nDamned if I could figure out Fuzzen's purpose, but I liked having it around all the same.\n\nSo, life more or less went on as it always had. There never used to be monsters that could mimic everyday household items, of course, or giant plants that got up and moved about; or ingredients that, given the right mixing of proportions, could turn someone into a cat; but as I said, we adjusted. It got to be a lot of fun for the true nerds: this was all of their dreams made real, and they sank fully into their element.\n\nThey took advantage of every trope in the books to navigate this new world, and within the decade had built up an honest-to-god magical caste system. A cabal of wizards. No one paid them much attention, as they pretty much only ever used their magic for their own amusements.\n\nBut something went wrong one day. They must have been working on some kind of portal or gate, but it didn't open to where they wanted it to. As far as I know, whatever came through from the other side killed them all before they could close it, because by now it's a full-on invasion.\n\nWherever that portal leads to, thousands upon thousands of demons and monstrous soldiers have poured through in the last month. People fight back where they can, but until we can figure out a way to close the portal, this is never going to stop. And soon, even our bigger dragons won't be able to put up much more of a fight. \n\nI woke up today feeling the strain of last night's skirmish: I'd gotten my stamina back, but my legs were still on fire from how far I'd had to run. Me and Fuzzen were safe for the moment. We'd been part of a group of twelve, but we'd lost seven in the ambush. At some point I'd lost the group, so I just started running and didn't stop until I'd found this crumbling stone church that I now perched in the bell tower of. \n\nCautiously I got to my feet and stretched, working out the stiffness. Fuzzen floated silently at head level. \n\n\"Well, no point waiting around here for something to happen,\" I said aloud, more for my own benefit than any response I was likely to get from Fuzzen, who floated along behind me. \"Let's go see if we can find a group to link up with and get some food.\"\n\nDescending the tower took a while, sore as I was, but it was a good way to listen for enemies. By the time I reached the sanctuary I was satisfied we'd be reasonably safe if we moved quick and kept to cover.\n\nAs I pushed the giant wooden doors open, careful not to let the hinges creak, a voice from behind me made my blood run cold. \n\n\"Halt there, human.\"\n\nThe guttural quality, the mushy pronunciation: it could only be a demon. Slowly I turned, dread filling my stomach as seven of the demon's companions stepped out of hiding, brandishing weapons. Each resembled a twisted caricature of something once beautiful: here a woman, features stretched and distorted, horns and protrusions extending from body parts that never should have had them; there a small horse, eyes burning yellow, covered in weeping sores, gorilla-like arms in place of legs and hooves. Some had multiple arms; others had none, instead growling and salivating as they bared teeth too big for their mouths. The stench of rot and sulfur rolled off of them in a palpable wave, and I forced back a gag.\n\nThe eight formed a rough semicircle around me and spoke in turns, completing each other's sentences, as if they shared a single mind.\n\n\"We tailed you-\n\n\"Scented your fear-\n\n\"We waited as you did-\n\n\"Hungry now-\n\n\"You don't bother fighting-\n\n\"We kill you quick.\"\n\nMy mind raced. I had exactly zero chance against these odds, and it would go all the worse for me if I ran. They'd catch me in no time at all and make sure I stayed alive as long as possible. One way or the other, this was the end.\n\nThe horse-demon reared up briefly and threw its spear. It missed my head by inches and thunked into the door behind me, quivering with the impact. I tried not to cry, to face my end with a shred of dignity, but a single tear welled up, brimming on the edge of my eyelid.\n\nFuzzen floated around to the front of my face and brushed itself against my eyes, wiping away the tears. I felt a warmth emanating from it, like sudden sunshine in the middle of an overcast day, and then it was gone as Fuzzen moved away, hovering between me and the demons.\n\nWithout warning, bright tendrils of light lashed out from Fuzzen, piercing the demons' bodies. It was strange: they were impaled, but unharmed. Each soldier simply regarded the tendril passing through them with confusion. \n\nThen the tendrils flexed and began to withdraw, and that's when the horror show really began.\n\nEthereal beings of light were rudely yanked out of the demons' bodies, beings that exactly matched the bodies they inhabited. As the souls were removed, their physical bodies twitched spasmodically, trying to reach for them with arms that no longer responded.\n\nThe souls themselves were terrified, shrieking and gibbering, powerless to stop the force that ripped them inexorably from their homes. They struggled against the tendrils' grip to no avail, staring with panicked eyes at where they were being dragged to.\n\nI couldn't see anything except the little fluffball that had adopted me, except now it was glowing with an inner light. Whatever these souls could see must have been something human eyes were incapable of perceiving, but judging by their terror, I didn't think I wanted to know. \n\nInexorably the souls were dragged, clawing and screaming, into the glow at Fuzzen's center. As they were sucked in they seemed to stretch, elongating like silly putty, until there was nothing left. One by one they were drawn in, and one by one the howls of fear were extinguished. \n\nSilence. Eight grotesque corpses lay motionless where they'd collapsed. Fuzzen floated back to me and gently settled into my cupped hands, the glow now pulsing like a slow strobe that ran up my arms.\n\nIt felt... heavier, somehow. Denser, yet not in any physical way. It was like a sensory press upon my mind. \n\nAnd I felt much, much stronger.", "The colliding of worlds changed surprisingly little about day to day life. I still got up to go to my nine to five, still struggled to keep my plants alive, and still drank overpriced coffee from mediocre cafes. Except now there were elves, orcs, and other such \"fantasy\" races.\n\nAnd of course, familiars.\n\nFamiliars are essentially pets from another world that are bound to you and can be sorted broadly into four different categories: attack, support, defense, and other. For the vast majority of people, what category their familiar falls into matters about as much as their astrological sign.\n\nFamiliars are put into the first three categories (or some mixture of them) for the reasons you'd expect. Attack familiars tend to excel in destruction or killing. Support familiars provide their owner or those around them with some increase in ability or healing. Defense familiars protect their owners. All but a handful of the familiars known fall under one of those three categories.\n\nMy puffball, Tunk, is an other. Whenever people look at Tunk move, they get a headache. That's all my familiar does. Besides significantly more hoops to jump through when I first registered him with the Center of Paranormal Affairs, Tunk's unique status doesn't affect me in my day to day life, as his ability is fairly useless- why give a man a headache when a middling attack familiar can simply tear him limb from limb?\n\nI was at a baseball game when the things first attacked. I wasn't very interested in sports before the Collision, but something about the addition of dragons, tigers the size of a draft horse, and other fantastical creatures made them much more enjoyable to watch.\n\nJust after Manny Jim Biggs threw his famous triple curveball (his familiar, a thing that looks like a frogman with a butterfly's proboscis and too many fingers, can move air around in such a way that Biggs' pitches have done loop-de-loops) a wriggling tentacle that hurt to look at appeared from behind his head and impaled him. Manny Jim's death was the first of several that day. A hundred more of the too sharp tentacles stabbed others, be they players or audience members. I was one of those unlucky people. Time seemed to slow down as I watched the thing approach my forehead.\n\nBe moved intoned Tunk, and the world obeyed.\n\nI was in a space I can't describe. It gave the impression of a field made of shapes that shouldn't work, as well as a small silver dot which shot things that looked almost like tentacles, before they disappeared into nothingness. Then there was Tunk. He was much larger and far harder to describe. If you took four cubes and made it so all the corners of them connected together into a solid shape that was there and not there, and put six wheels inside wheels with eyes ever-gazing and teeth ever gnawing and hands with eight fingers each pointing to the setting of the Final Sta-\n\nI shut my eyes tight before I lost myself completely to that thought.\n\nRemorse-embarrassment-sorrow radiated the large thing that was apparently Tunk\n\n\"What's happening? Where am I?\"\n\nContemplation he replied, the concept being paired with the memory of me as a child trying to figure out how to break it to my mom that I had broken her favorite vase.\n\nThen I was in a normal looking classroom, with one desk which I found myself seated in. At the front of the room there was a sheet of paper floating in the air. The paper had a drawing of 2 stick figures on it. The stick figures walked back and forth across the page, before a pen was stabbed through the paper. The pen took out a stick figure's arm before continuing it's path past my head. I tried to turn to watch it sail by but found I couldn't move. The uninjured stick figure seemed to freak out about their fellow suddenly losing an arm. That's when I realized what Tunk was trying to show me.\n\n\"Is that what happened at the baseball game? Something from a higher dimension attacked us?\"\n\nAffirmation he replied, the concept radiating from everywhere around me.\n\n\"But where am I?\"\n\nA new piece of paper appeared at the start of the classroom, this one showing a drawing of two different stick figures. One of the stick figures slid up and down, then slid left and right. Then the stick figure was cut out from the page, and moved towards me and then away from me. The remaining stick figure gave an exaggerated shrug, followed by a large question mark appearing above its head.\n\n\"So you pushed me into this higher dimension?\"\n\nAffirmation he once again replied. Preemptive apology\n\n\"Why are you apolo-\" I was cut off by being moved into the middle of the baseball field. I was wrapped in my jacket and surrounded by the bloodless bodies of everyone else who was there. The sirens of the police and ambulance came closer as I stared at Tunk, consumed by one thought.\n\n\"What are you?\"", " I was feel so lonely until I've found that fluffball in my doorstep. Unlike the other magical creatures, she was able to talk but like a parrot who repeats after me. I say she, because of the voice of her tone. She revealed her true form after the invasion...\n\n Everyone was so proud of their dragons, nekos etc. And I am proud of my little fluffball. I named her Riley, which was the name of my deceaaed k9 in military, and she really likes her name. She can walk and fly. I taught her some curse words and it is really fun to listen her swearing at my neighbours and their pets, in front of their faces... When she needed me she was calling me \"master\". Strange, because I didn't teach her that...\n\n I was always catching her while she was looking at my old pictures. From my military days... Wasn't sure if she could understand me, but I was always telling her that I am a woinded veteran in Special Forces. Telling her my stories. And she always listens. She eats what I eat, which is very good. But she hates broccoli and spinach. Loves meat and ice cream. Her favorite dessert is vanillia milkshake. Her first time reaction of tasting milkshake was really priceless...\n\n She is needy, and so snuggly. She never leaves me alone. Her favorite action is cuddling with me. And I must say, she is so cuddly.\n\n Months have passed like that. We become the best duo ever. Then we hear the news... Invaders ! And their starting point was not far from where I live. Most of the strongest magical creatures has failed to stop them. These invaders were deadly, but only to humans. They were only killing humans, not their pets. I relieved a little, because a defensless creature like Riley would be a really easy target. At least, that's what I thought until she revealed her true form.\n\n I saw them from the window. And the military was approaching. Fight to the very end. Of course I was gonna involve. Quickly went down to the basement and grabbed my scar-h. I put riley in her special backpack then left with her. \n\n The battle was gruesome. Tanks were destroyed, war jets were fallen, almost the entire army was wiped out. Rest was heavily wounded, same as me... But the same goes for the invaders as well. They also had heavy casualities. But their reinforcements were on the way, and it was greater than what we fought...\n\n Riley got out of her backpack, took a look at me first, then the blood on the floor. My blood. She sniffed it, them jumped on me. Sniffed my wound. She took a few licks of my blood. I was completely in shock. Did she decided to eat me ? \n\n A darkness started to came out from her little fluffy body. That darkness engulfed the light on our surroundings... She started to change. Firstly her gray fur turned to black. She started to grow. She has become a beautiful female humanoid creature, with horns and fangs... \n\n She disappeared for a second, and the darkness she created went to the invaders's side. Seconds after, darkness was completely gone, their ships were fallen and that impact threw some skeletons and bones from their side to our side.\n\n She came back and held me. I couldn't help but stare at her bloated tummy. \"You will be fine, master\" she said, bit me from my arm. Darkness cruised around my body, when it dissappeared, I was completely healed.\n\n \"Master tastes the best, but they've filled me up\" she said. \"That's what they get if they hurt my master\" she continued. \n\n She single handedly finished a war, by eating the entire enemy personel. The question is; she has become something in my size, she ate them all, but where did they all go ? She ate thousands of enemy personel, and only got a food baby.\n\n All of the events has ended. She changed a lot. She can talk properly now. Not like a parrot anymore, like a human. But her affection towards me haven't changed. Her body changed into perfection, but she's still my needy little fluffball who wants to cuddle all night... The difference is, now she holds me. \n\n Sometimes she teases about eating me if I don't make a milkshake for her. But I'm happy with my new life with her...", "All my friends had gotten normal familiars, well as normal as rocktrolls, djinns, and kelpies can be. They would go out on adventures, flying on the back of a griffin, or surfing the waves on a hippocampus, or just having an imp steal a sweet from the street market. But I got Ichor, a 4 inch wide ball of light brown fur, with no distinguishable features other than that he floats. And is a lazy drunk. You see ichor doesn’t eat meat, or greens of any kind. He gains all his sustenance from alcohol, and seems to prefer strong liquor. I say seems because he doesn’t necessarily chirp or roar. He grumbles, in such a deep tone that he can shake the ground if he really wants too. \n\nAs long as i have had him, Ichor has done nothing but, drink, float, and grumble. While other kids could start fires with dragons and hypnotize you with sphinxes, i could have a hairball drink you under the table. Which was why when the invaders attacked my tribe, i ran. Me and my fuzzball had no business in a battle between werewolves, basilisks, ghouls, manticores, hydras, deathworms, and other assorted giant, murderous creatures being controlled by, albeit, less dangerous humans. \n\nThe smell of fire, blood, and ozone that often accompanied such a magical battle was inescapable. And so, apparently, was the arrow that had hit me in the leg, an invader and his centaur had singled me out and decided to chase me down. I was too panicked to scream, or even feel the pain. I tried to crawl away, but i knew it was in vain. My little arms couldn’t outpace a massive centaur, or his ever accurate bow. In no time they had caught up with me, the centaur kicked me in the ribs, rolling me onto my back. The rider smiled and pointed the end of a spear at my chest.\n\nSuddenly Ichor began to grumble, and the earth began to shake. Of course in my last moments he would want a drink. He moved in between me and my grim reaper. And what happened next shall always astound me.\n\nIchor fucking exploded\n\nNow i know what your thinking, no he didn’t sacrifice himself for me, he didn’t paint both me and this nearly angel of death and his centaur with his insides. Im still rather unsure how he does it, but it seems he condenses all of that booze inside of him, lights it, and excretes the flames and blast wave. \n\nI was fin of course, he seems to be able to choose where he directs these blasts, but that invader and his centaur on the other hand, were completely vaporized. An explosion like that, as you can imagine is quite loud, so loud in fact that it stopped the battle for but a moment, and we captured every invaders attention. And so ladies and gentlemen, that is the story of how i as a child saved my tribe, and is the beginning of the tale of this devilishly handsome troubadour and his familiar, the legendarily drunken, hairy hand grenade", "Mop and I have been dodging trouble since we found each other. Well since I found him or her or whatever it is. I heard the smallest whimper coming from under a car after the world's collided. I bent down and there covered in oil and dirt was Mop. Cleaned Mop up and found that Mop really likes bubble baths, and beer. Mop never seems to get drunk though always there always moving with one black eye that I swear moves to wherever Mop wants it to be. \n\nThe invasion started a week ago and there were a few times where I was certain I was seen and killed but nothing ever seemed to happened. Today however things changed. I saw what's been happening. I was shot in the leg by an unseen enemy. The pain was searing. Then Mop did something I've never seen. Sparks flew from Mop's fur he wrapped me in some kind of electric cocoon. Then I was walking where I had been five minutes before I was shot. Perfectly healthy, five minutes before I was shot. \n\nOnce I realized I'm somewhat immortal I became the scourge of the invaders. Someone who keeps coming no matter how badly I'm injured, maimed or killed. I keep coming.", "\"I guess...this is it?\" The furry being that had all but leached itself to me many months prior now idly lingered in the space between myself and the monstrously, fanged being. I couldn't help but smile as I considered the situation and my own mortality for what was no doubt the last time.\n\nThe creature barred its fangs and hissed as it took another step towards me. It's large claws upturning the earth with every scaly step forward; bright green drool leaking from the corners of its mouth. It eyed me hungrily as it licked at its cracked lips; its forked tongue flicking the air as though trying to taste the fear that coursed through me.\n\nDespite each step causing a ripple of vibration to pulse through my entire body, I stayed steadily in place. My eyes remained defiant in an attempt to mask the beating in my chest and the adrenaline coursing through my veins. My mind screamed at me to run, yet my feet remained firm as though tied down by bricks.\n\nThe grotesque creature paused just feet from me. Its dark eyes staring into my own yet a look of satisfaction began to creep over its features. The idea of smiling scaled monsters seemed absurd, yet here I was locking eyes with one. As the creature opened its mouth, it revealed rows and rows of sharp teeth. The movement caused the back of the creatures throat to glow a dull green, resembling that of the saliva that had been leaking from its mouth previously. Though the glow in this instance appeared to be all the more ominous as it was accompanied by the sound of gurgling; as though the creature was collecting and pooling the substance in the back of its throat.\n\nMy suspicions were confirmed as the creature made a sudden and horrifying retching noise, which was accompanied by a stream of pressurized, steaming green fluid, that was now coming straight towards me at a speed I'd never seen before. Given the severity of the situation and the looming fact that I was no doubt about to die, I am not surprised that my mind began to compare the stream of green liquid to the projectile vomit of my niece who I had enjoyed spending so much time with prior to 'The Event', as scientists had come to call it. I called it an inconvenience, people walking around with beasts and creatures they could barely control. In fact, it's exactly what lands people like me in these very situations. Peoples creatures become too much for them, they let them go, and then chaos clouds the creatures minds.\n\nAs the beasts bodily fluids were about to make contact; the furry being that had done nothing but idly float near me these last few months now lowered itself and gently rested atop my head. My gaze briefly flicking upwards for a brief moment as I pondered the audacity of this...thing, appearing out of thin air one day with no answers and now taking a nap on my head in the most dire of moments. I scoffed at the thought. \n\nSuddenly, my body started to tingle and feel frigid. It was as though a cool breeze was trapped beneath my clothing; wrapping my body in its icy embrace. My eyes shut as my head began to feel fuzzy, a cold wave now washing over my body. Strange. I'd of thought that the creatures vile fluids would burn or sting but this sensation only felt uncomfortable. No flesh melting from your bones. No vile stench. Nothing.\n\nSuddenly, there was a sensation I could only describe as when you are on the cusp of sleep and suddenly get jolted awake. I felt as though I had been reinvigorated, charged for battle. I opened my eyes and recoiled as I saw...\n\n...forest. I was standing in the middle of a lush green forest, trees of all kinds and sizes surrounding me, threatening to stretch all the way to the heavens above. The sensation of falling and cold had gone, confusion slowly replacing it as I looked around. No upturned earth, no ominously green liquid, no strange creatures; just empty forest.\n\nI looked around awestruck, but thankful for the fact I was not currently a pile of bones and melted human flesh. However, that line of thinking was interrupted when a small fluffy ball appeared inches from my face. Whatever this thing was, it was still here with me, and that monstrous creature was not. Where here was exactly was another question to consider, but it felt good being out of harms way.\n\n\"Did you do this? Bring us here?\" My eyes remained locked on the hairy hovering ball. It did not respond to my words, and yet it started floating away from me. Pausing every few moments until I'd take a step towards it and reach for it, which would cause it to resume its movement away from me. It seemed whatever this thing was, it wanted me to follow it.\n\nAs I scanned the unknown environment one last time I decided that following that thing was my only shot. The world was already going crazy; monsters, dragons, and other creatures that threatened to rip your head off now walked among us all. Maybe I should feel lucky that the only thing wanting my attention now is a ball of fuzz. A heavy sigh left my lips, but a thought came to mind. What if this creature was no better than the last? What if this creature was what brought me here in the first place?\n\nReluctantly I continued following it, hoping that I was brought here for a good reason. But more importantly, hoping I was brought here for some answers.", "My little fluffball wasn't really much of a familiar, but I loved them nonetheless. Other people had their dragons, their giant tortoises... Heck, my old friend from the video store had a saber-toothed cat the size of a horse. Me? I got a ball of fur that made adorable cooing noises and had no visible orifices, yet ate like a moose. \n\nEverything got pretty wild when the collision between worlds happened. Science basically fell apart overnight. We got used to it, but then those invaders came in their spaceships. \n\nMyself and my little puff, we managed pretty well. We lived together in a fairly remote area, and most of the battles happened in the cities. It went on for several years but it was obvious that we were losing.\n\nThat's when things changed. It was a fighter I think, it was damaged and crashed into my garage. Two of those \"invaders\" climbed out and seemed upset that their communications didn't seem to be in range of any sort of help. I did what I could to keep them out, but they knocked my door in and were standing in my living room faster than you could bat an eye. One said something to the other and they shot me in the leg... Clearly only intended to disable me. \n\n\"Listen, Misty...\" I said, as I let the little fluff down. \"Stay safe and get in the vent...\" I lifted the grill off the furnace vent on the floor and dropped them in. It wasn't ideal but it was an escape. I looked to the two creatures conversing in my living room, I have no idea if they understood me at all, but I sure didn't understand them.\n\nThat's when it happened. The strange creaking noise as every vent in the house exploded off the floor, hundreds, no THOUSANDS of almost identical clones of little Misty just flying through the air, shrill screaming, and a panicked look from the two intruders as they fled out from whence they came. The absolute deluge of fluff pouring out of my home after them. I was starting to feel significantly better at this point and managed to worm my way out of the house to observe it being decimated in a symphony of coos and squeaking.\n\nI have no idea to this day what happened, or where even Misty went in that mess. What I do know is that the invaders DO NOT like those fluffy little things. They seem to have two goals in life: To Eat, and to reproduce. They do both those things far too well, and I am afraid the invaders are no longer our biggest problem. \n\n\n\n~Sorry if this is a hair odd to read as I typed it all up on a cellphone, but I just had to give it a try. Thanks for reading if you did!", "Fuzzo was a ball of pure fur. I didnt know where its mouth, ears, or eyes are but it does have them. Other than the ball that can float a foot or two above ground, its a quite needy creature. Always needing to be cuddled and its fur brushed throughout almost the entire day, especially after the winter when it sheds. Never watched it eat no matter what i gave it so it seems to survive off of light alone. Others had more...creature-like? Fantasy pets? But still loved shade and its quirks.\n\nThen the war started. The strongest of beasts were able to be beaten. The fastest got out paced. The predators had become prey.\n\nI evacuated my home with Fuzzo but i was a bit late. I was running while holding onto fuzzo when a few soldiers of the enemy found me. Fuzzo seemed weird but it might have been afraid. As i ran away, i got hit in the shoulder and caused me to drop fuzzo. Fuzzo just floated for a second, then it started shining for some reason. The soldiers started to laugh at it and poking it since it seemed harmless. \n\nThey were wrong...very wrong.\n\nA shadow started growing beneath them. Then once the shadow got large enough to cover them, it swallowed them whole. The only thing i can describe it's appearance was a fish of some kind. The fish was ethereal, just moving through the ground as if the ground itself was non-existant. The fur ball thing that i took care of was just a distraction. It acted just like an angler fish.\n\nNow that i think of it, the mouse problem i had before Fuzzo did vanish by itself.", "\"Come on Puff. Invasion or no, we still got work to do.\" The tiny purple cloud of fur clung to my backpack, making the tiniest squeak noise. I still wasn't sure what she was trying to communicate when she did that. Hopefully agreement. I patted her with two fingers — using my whole hand would have engulfed her— and swung my backpack on. Though I hadn't received one of the traditionally cool magical beings, like a dragon or phoenix, Puff was much easier to care for. And I'd grown fond of her, used to her presence. \r \nGetting out of the apartment involved a variety of safety measures. We'd all heard rumours of the invasion, though no one knew quite what was invading us. Or if they knew, they weren't telling the general population. But, even though there were restrictions in place, the invasion hadn't really affected our lives that much. Sure, the dragons and other large pets were drafted to help in the defence, but other than that, it was business as usual. I waved to the doorman, who bowed as his fairy zipped into the office. It was the one odd thing I'd noticed. When I was with Puff, no other magical being stayed near us for long. \r \nThe sky darkened as I walked down the street. Against my better judgement, I looked up. Since the worlds had merged, you never knew what sky you would get. Would it be our normal blue sky, or would it be one of the others? This time it was blue, tinged with an odd sort of grey. But that wasn't what had caused the darkening. Nope, that would be the big weird floaty grey thing. From my back, Puff squeaked. \r \n\"I agree. Time to get under cover.\" I knew enough from the news reports that the grey thing was one of the enemy ships. I dashed for the cover of some bushes, as lasers started to flash through the street. Plunging into the bushes, I felt a stinging pain in my ankle. Nearly biting through my tongue, I managed not to cry out. \r \nLooking down resurrected my urge to scream. Red angry lines spread up and out from the wound, racing up my leg, trying to get to my heart. Pulling Puff off my backpack, I held her in my hands, trying not to cry. \r \n\"I've been hit Puff. Probably going to die in a few seconds. You try and get to my brother okay? He'll take care of you.\" The little ball of fur rocked back and forth, squeaking slightly. Then, she rose into the air. I'd never seen her fly before. She usually just rolled along. \r \n\"Puff? What are you doing?\" She shook, her entire body vibrating, then growing. Soon, she was the size of me, then larger. The bushes no longer provided any cover for the giant creature that still looked like a ball of fur. Purple fur surrounded me, soft and clean-smelling. I smiled, as the red lines raced towards my heart. At least Puff could take care of herse—The red lines stopped. Reversed. And drew up into the fur. \r \nFour sections of it turned a bright red, but that's all that happened.\r \n\"Puff?\" I couldn't think of anything else to say. More fur tendrils reached down, lifting me, cradling me, binding me to the ball of fur. Tightly. \"Um, Puff, I can't breathe well.\" The strands loosened instantly, one brushing the hair out of my eyes. From far above me, I could hear a roaring sound. It had a familiar timbre, though loud and much lower than usual. Puff's squeak. \r \nThe sound of lasers came again, and I peeked out through the waving fur. The grey floating ship of the invaders sat below us, dwarfed by my Puff who had to be the size of a small city by now. Lasers hit her and had absolutely no effect. Purple fur reached out, surrounding the ship, much like it had me. But with one obvious difference. Instead of offering protection, the fur tore the ship apart, scattering the pieces. Another loud roar, this one, turning up at the end. Though I wasn't sure how, I knew Puff was looking at me, asking a question. I smiled, reaching out and patting a fur strand.\r \n\"Well done. There's a good girl.\" As Puff shuddered, I was placed gently down onto the ground, and she shrank in an instant, plopping into my hand, nestling with a happy squeak. Across her back, a bright red stripe was all that remained of the altercation.\r \n\"What do you say, Puff? Shall we have pizza for dinner?\" Another squeak, probably agreement. \"And tomorrow, shall we go destroy the invaders?\" The exact same squeak. Securing her once again on my backpack, I kept walking. Sure, she might not be as traditional or considered as cool as a dragon, phoenix, or fairy. But she was cute, cuddly, and could rip apart enemy ships at a moment's notice. And that was good enough for me." ]	12
	[WP] "In case of ice break glass. That can't be right, shouldn't it say fire?" "If only we were so lucky! But alas no that's correct, this building has ice problems."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 turned my head toward the box, perched upon the wall, its contents being a solitary ice pick.\n\nOn it, the text read, in bright white, bold text:\n\n\"In case of ice, break glass.\"\n\nI paused for a moment, before the sentence passed surface-level thought. \"Hold on,\" I thought. \"Is that a typo?\"\n\n\"Hm?\", the smartly-dressed man in a two-piece vocalised.\n\n\"That.\", I gestured with my head. \"That's..\" I shook my head, unable to collect my thoughts - let alone express them.\n\n\"Oh, no, it's intended.\" he said, picking up on my confusion. He brushed a runaway strand of brown hair behind his ear. \"It's something with the permafrost beneath the building. Something or the other. The contractor's note was far too long to read. We have it, just in case.\"\n\n\"And you just have.. that?\" I gestured my head toward the lone ice pick, with a black handle, and a pointed edge.\n\nThe man nodded. \"Mmhm.\"\n\n\"Wouldn't that, well, warp the foundations of the building, or..?\"\n\n\"They're reinforced. It'd take centuries for a bit of cold to wear down concrete and rebar.\" he stated, matter-of-factly.\n\n\"I mean, it's just o- well, it's.. aargh, forget it.\"\n\nI continued down the corporate corridor - white-walled, with a simple, grey patterned carpet. Houseplants were spotted about uniformly, set against panes of glass allowing views into people's offices. Ahead lay the pitch room, where I was headed.\n\n\"Not too far from here, now. Two 'o clock sharp, you said?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"What exactly are you pitching?\"\n\n\"Well, it's a start-up for a Christmas- or, heck- any holiday decoration removal service that utilizes cats. We've harnessed their destructive potential and used it to do the job for those too lazy to do the dirty work themselves, We think it's-\" I cut myself off as we rounded the corner, encountering the meeting room cased in a thick, imposing layer of ice. Behind, the unfortunate occupants were frantically discussing a potential solution to the sudden obtrusion.\n\nWe both peered at each other, looking past down the corridor to the red box.\n\n\"Well, this'll be a real piece of work.\"\n\n(Aaand that concludes this story! It's not as fleshed-out as I'd like it to be, but it was a nice stretcher for somebody who's thinking of getting that writing cap off the coat hook. Sorry if there's any formatting issues - I'm on mobile!)" ]	2
	[WP] You were summoned to 2 different fantasy worlds at the same time, and now they're having the magical equivalent of a custody battle to decide who's world you have to save.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "\"Your esteemed honor, the fact that our world is older than theirs by a millennia is more than enough grounds we are more deserving of the hero!\" a man dressed in a very smart blue suit proclaimed - his hair combined backwards with so much hair wax that sharp ends were jagging out behind.\n\n\"Rubbish! Both Rylia and Hyral have at least a million years of history, what's 1000 more?!\" another man in a red suit replied, adjusting his glasses at the same time.\n\nIt has been 4 hours since I found myself transported in this trial. The last thing I knew was a large garbage truck swerving the side of the road at me, the next? sitting here in what looks like a courtroom.\n\nThe judge hit his hammer a couple of times infront of him as he exclaimed. \"Hear hear, no interruptions please. Let the Rylia counsel complete his statement.\"\n\nThe lawyer in blue scoffed. \"Thank you your honor.\" he walked towards me.\n\n\"A world filled with magnificant creatures\" he walked towards the audience. \"Elves\" he pointed at a slender looking gentleman with sharp ears. \"Dwarves\" his finger moved towards a very short bearded blacksmith. \"Centaurs!\" his finger then moved to what appeared to be a humanoid with a horse as a lower body.\n\n\"It lies in peril of destruction, surely you will not let these lives go to waste?!\" the man then locked his arms and pointed at me.\n\nThe lawyer in red then walked over and forcefully lowered the Rylia's lawyer arms. \"But my champion!\" he walked over to the audience. \"What about the dryads?\" he pointed at a girl with light green skin, dressed in grass and twigs. \"The poor owlkins\" he pointed at what looked to be a half owl half bear baby, with puppy dog eyes. \"or even the pixies?!\" he pointed at something, but I couldn't see anything.\n\nThe judge hit his hammer again.\n\n\"Alright. For your next statements, could the two counsel please present what exactly is the threat in your respective worlds?\" the judge declared. \n\n\"Not a problem, your honor\" the man in blue adjusted his tie.\n\n\"There lies a dark and evil place in our world called Merrick, and its Overlord, Alderack has finally accomplished the 10th level of magic.\" he paused, before walking towards the hero.\n\n\"To put things into perspective, the greatest wizard in our world has only achieved the 6th level.\" He looked at someone with a pointy hat in the crowd before looking back at the hero.\n\n\"He is preparing a catastrophic spell that we have no way of defending, much less defeating him. Please, hero, you are our only hope!\"\n\nI coughed as I suddenly felt a tremedous weigh of pressure drop down on me. I don't even know magic! how would I have any chance?!\n\nThe man in red then stood up.\n\n\"And in our world, the black dragon, Gestalt, has finally consumed the 4 elemental crystals of the land.\"\n\nHe sighed.\n\n\"Even if he does nothing, without the fire crystal, the land will burn, without the water crystal, the waters will dry up, without the earth crystal, the mountains will crumble and without the air crystal, wind and air will stop flowing.\"\n\nHe then stared straight at me.\n\n\"You are the only hope to kill Gestalt before our lands decay and restore the elemental crystals!\"\n\nAnother giant anchor of pressure fell on me.\n\nKill the greatest sorcerer of all time or kill a dragon that basically ate up the world's elements. Neither seemed something I could ever accomplish.\n\nI sighed as the arguments continue to rage on for almost an entirety before I caught someone in the back staring back at me with crystal blue eyes. She was tucked on the side of Hyral's audience between two dryads. She had what seemed like the ears of a kitten and a tail that protruding out from behind her.\n\nOh my god is that a...\n\n1 Hour Later\n\n\"...and so wait. Where's the hero?!\" The lawyer from Rylia exclaimed.\n\n\"Guards, find him!\" The judge stood up as the entire crowd exploded into chaos.\n\nElsewhere, in a quiant blacksmith\n\n\"Your finest dragon-slaying sword, please!\" I grinned." ]	2
	[WP] “It’s not every day that one of my demons tries to make a deal with me, but regardless come tell me what you want and let’s see if your dear old Lucifer can make it so.....”	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#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, run that by me one more time?”\n\nThe lowly demon anxiously rubbed his nape before petitioning his boss once again.\n\n“I uh…I’d like to be given a soul,” the nervous demon replied.\n\n“What to devour? Go talk to Greed, he’s got plenty,” Lucifer responded flippantly.\n\nThe demon shook his head, “No, I would like to be given a soul of my own.”\n\nLucifer leaned forward and peered at the demon incredulously. No…he couldn’t be asking…\n\n“You want to become…human?”\n\nMuch to Lucifer’s surprise, the demon nodded in agreement. Lucifer cocked his head, this wasn’t the sort of deal he was used to making.\n\n“Pray tell, what would cause you to desire a soul?” Lucifer asked.\n\nThe demon coughed, “Well I uh, you know I’ve been assigned to sleep paralysis duty for the past year; a really great gig by the way I enjoy it a lot. Anyway, there’s one human in particular that I’ve been assigned to, they go by Kennedy, I’ve been their sleep paralysis demon for the past six months or so and we…uh…we really hit it off. Kennedy was already into divination and shit so when I showed up they kept attempting to make friends with me. I resisted at first, but they’re so charismatic and funny I just had to see what they were about. Six months later…I think I’m falling for them.”\n\nLucifer couldn’t help but laugh, “I’m so sorry my friend, but what you’re experiencing is lust, not some sort of love for this person. Trust me, go talk to Lust and she will confirm it.”\n\n“I already talked to Lust and she told me to come to you. She said that it wasn’t lust and that it appeared as though we had a genuine connection,” the sleep paralysis demon replied.\n\n“Fucking hell…so you want a soul then? You’re willing to throw all this away on the chance that you might fall in love. What we are doing here is eternal! If you become human, you will be temporal,” Lucifer warned.\n\n“I’m willing to take the chance,” the sleep paralysis demon replied.\n\n“Your choice…erm, I didn’t get your name actually?”\n\n“Mztoxl, sir, and thank you so much!” the sleep paralysis demon exclaimed.\n\n“Ahp, ahp, aph, don’t thank me just yet!” Lucifer warned. He pulled out a document and an ink quill which he handed to Mztoxl.\n\n“So, the terms of this deal will be that in exchange for a soul which will grant you humanity; said soul will be bound to me forever. You will not be able to revert back to a demon, instead your soul will be treated just as every other human soul and you will be tortured for eternity. Do you agree to these terms?” Lucifer asked.\n\nMztoxl’s eyes widened, an eternity of torture for a few decades of love? Was that worth it? He took a deep breath before signing his name on the contract.\n\nGuess he’d find out.\n\n“You’re quite the daredevil aren’t you? I like it,” Lucifer replied giddily as applied his own seal to the document before rolling it up and passing it off to an assistant.\n\n“So, what’s next?” Mztoxl asked.\n\n“Well, I don’t actually have the ability to grant someone a soul,” Lucifer stated plainly.\n\nMztoxl’s eyes widened, “What!?! Then why the hell did you have me sign the contract? You’re just using me to have a laugh?”\n\nLucifer shook his head, “Not at all my friend, I might be the Devil but I take care of my own. There’s only one being capable of granting one a soul.”\n\n“Oh shit.”\n\nLucifer grinned, “That’s right, we’re taking a trip upstairs to see the Big Guy.”" ]	2
	[WP] Of all the hospital ERs in all the world, they had to wheel me into hers.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Sam’s head was swimming. Something…bad?…had happened. His arm throbbed, his head was pounding and he could hardly feel his legs at all. Yeah, something bad. He tried to focus but the pain kept cutting through.\n\nThe first thing to make it through was a voice.\n\n“Oh no, no. I can’t treat him. It’s a conflict of interest.”\n\n“Ma’am, you’re the only one available right now. You have to treat him.”\n\n“After what he did?”\n\n“Just set it aside. See the patient, not the person.”\n\n“That patient cheated on me with my niece.”\n\nSam opened his eyes to see his ex-wife standing next to the bed. “Hey honey.” He smiled weakly.\n\nShe signed and rolled her eyes. “Can someone at least tell me he needs to be sedated? That’ll make this whole thing a lot easier.”" ]	2
	[WP] The Duke has decided to make you, the youngest servant in their household, into their heir. As such you are forced into noble society as the 2nd most powerful heir in the kingdom. Much to the surprise of the other nobles who now either vie for your support or demise.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "In Portplatz, Propraetor Eilbogi Bifurcus the Childless had no heir. And his wife, Rigonymphe, wasn't getting any younger. Eilbogi thought of maybe getting a divorce, then remarrying, but he thought better of it. He was an aristocrat, and dispite this definitely being Rigonymphe's fault—his mistresses had born him both sons and daughters, Volmnestra, Krasiwati, and Pheidriel had all done so at the very least—he could not do so without risk of an incident. While they both saw people on the side, with his close friend Deorwin even having been introduced to him as his wife's new boyfriend, this was normal for nobles. All marriages were arranged, and a noble without a mistress is asexual or dead. Eilbogi shuddered at the thought of dying without an heir.\n\nMeanwhile, Runleifer was going about his business. He was part of the underclass of Silphium Country. While the farmers like Ricojuergen made stacks, they needed an underclass of some sort—someone to pack the plants, to provide the tools, craftsmen and all of that. At only 15, he had had to get a job to provide for his mother, Mitronerys. He had managed to land one at Beofor.\n\nOne day, as Eilbogi was on his way out of Beofor, his mead hall, he noticed a young servant, this one only 15 bore a certain resemblence to him. Eilbogi stopped, and stared. His face looked familiar.\n\n\"Hi, uh, it's my first day here, do you know where I am supposed to be?\" Runleifer asked.\n\nEilbogi turned around, conflicted, but something about the boy stirred pity in him, and so, Eilbogi decided to show Runleifr to the servants' quarters. Eilbogi still wasn't quite sure what the boy's job was, but showed him the way.\n\nWhen Eilbogi opened the door, the room fell quiet. Eilbogi gestured for Runleifer to go in, and then, once he entered, Eilbogi wished Runleifr well, and then closed the door.\n\n\"Well well well,\" one of them, who had a pointy hat said, \"Look who's late,\"\n\nRunleifr gulped.\n\n\"I didn't know the way!\" Runleifr blurted out.\n\nThe man in the hat ignored him, \"Do you know who I am?\" he said with a snarl,\n\nRunleifr shook his head,\n\nThe guy continued with a smirk on his face, \"I am Ackætill Emunctus, son of Gaurius, son of Athelarsaz, son of Agavanus, son of...\" he trailed off and Runleifr rolled his eyes and looked around the room.\n\n\"Son of Eorcenphonse son of Meredventure son of Vizkard son of Willwyn son of Sindet son of Ívstan son of Hlothwaladr son of Santkhan son of Eliryk son of Altami son of Ratimarch,\" Ackætill kept on giving his ancestry, \"son of G'ulompatrus son of Ecgphon son of Liric'hen son of Beriklis son of Charikreon son of Hallell son of Ahumund son of Agaester son of Owiam son of Ainsmiri son of Aychobar...\"\n\nBy the time Ackætil reached \"Dymar, son of Dizared\", everyone else had effectively tuned him out, meaning that as Ackætill gave the instructions, not a single soul listened to him. That was except for Runleifr, who eventually realised halfway through Ackætill's directions, that he had actually finished his long genealogy and was actually giving relevent instructions and luckily, Ackætill had addressed Runleifr's co-workers in order of seniority, and as the most juniour member, Ackætill came to him last.\n\n\"And you, peasant,\" Ackætill said disdainfully, \"I don't know what Žostach saw in you. It seems like your duty is to fetch Propraetor Eilbogi tea, suitibly menial for a yokel such as yourself, but not unplesent enough, so I'm not gonna let you do that. You get to clean the stables. Remember this next time you question me, Skeet.\"\n\nWhile Runleifr went to the stables, Propraetor Eilbogi was returning from his walk. He liked to wander around the capital of his lordship to make sure all was in order, and was looking forward to a nice cup of tea. He had hoped to talk with Runleifr when he got back, and before the job of administering the richest part of the country began, so, he was understandably dismayed when Ackætill showed up with it.\n\n\"There's a reason why I asked for Runleifer to have this responsibility. Where is he?\"\n\nAckætill smiled, \"Learning his place in the stables. You always said I should assign stable-cleaning as a punishment.\"\n\nEilbogi cleared his throat, \"That does not give you the power to override my decrees when I specifically request someone be given a certain job. Now bring him to me!\"\n\n\"No, I think he needs to learn to respect his superiors,\" Ackætill said.\n\nEilbogi raised his voice at Ackætill, \"I will remove you if you do not bring me Eilbogi\"\n\nOffended, Ackætil replied, \"Us Emuncti have held this position for hundreds of years\"\n\n\"Pah\", replied Eilbogi, \"I'll just replace you with your sister Budzimire, her last name's Emuncta\"\n\nAckætill stood there frozen. Then he went to get Runleifr.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWhen Runleifr reached Eilbogi, smelling of shit from alll of the manure shovelling that he had done, the first thing that Eilbogi did was send him to take a shower while his clothes were washed by Heavolcos. Once Runleifr no longer smelled like feces, Eilbogi spoke to him.\n\n\"Sorry about that,\" Eilbogi said, \"Ackætil kinda just inherited that position from his father Gaurius who got it from whoever, I don't pay attention to his genealogies. It's like one day it's Ecgbald son of Blinward son of Fiorand, the next it's Godvënd son of Kleítyl son of Sodrag. I swear he makes them up\"\n\nRunleifer chuckled at that.\n\n\"The reason I called you here is because I have no heir, and a young man like you, you would have a lot to learn, but the reason I sent for you is because I can train you. You're gonna have a lot to learn, and it's best to learn it young. Who was your father by the way.\"\n\nRunleifer thought back, \"I never knew him. My mother never said either.\"\n\n\"Probably someone higher up. Us nobles always have a mistress. Helps in the bedroom too. Aranged marriages can make it difficult\"\n\nRunleifer glanced around the room with his mouth half open not knowing what to say.\n\nSensing the awkwardness, Eilbogi decided to explain what was going on, \"I do have the power to appoint an heir to my lordship, so how would you like to be Propraetor after me?\"\n\nAgain, Runleifr didn't know what to say, but eventually he settled on something. \"Why me?\" he asked.\n\nEilbogi chuckled, \"Younger people learn more quickly, I can teach you how to rule well, and you can be a great leader for all of the Onzen, Link, and Dretch.\"\n\nRunleifr stuttered, \"I-I'll need to think about it\" he said quickly. This was a lot and Runleifer still didn't know what to think.\"", "I was only four when they brought me in; an orphan of four years bought from an orphanage to be a loyal servant. My earliest memory I still recall was of an old figure, the Duke, calling out to me, \"Boy, where is your mother?\" And all I could do was point to the heavens themselves. He would soon forcefully take me from the orphanage I was raised, ripping me from the young friends I had known all my life til that point, my only possessions being the clothes I wore and a necklace that once belonged to my mother.\n\nIt wasn't all sunshine and rainbows from there however, as the Duke gave me to his Head Knight to train, and seemingly forgotten afterwards. For four long years, I was forced to run laps around the mansion every day, swing a blade every afternoon, and educated on noble customs every night. For four long years, I wondered, \"Why me? Why was I chosen? Why did I have to suffer through the suffering and pain of doing this every single day?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nBy the time I was eight, I had already figured out my role in life. I was one of the lucky ones, an orphan child given a chance to become someone in life, for clearly, the Duke had wanted me to be trained to be a squire, to be a loyal subject, to be the figure the Head Knight was in the Duke's life. He had no mistresses as far as I was aware, and bore himself no children from what I saw, but at night, I would see him sneak off and stare at the moon, crying out a name through painful tears, \"Elizabeth, how can I ever face him?\"\n\nYes, it was clear to me; though he had no known mistresses and no known children, clearly the Duke had a hidden child, someone he kept locked up in fear of being hurt from the world, and I was being trained to protect them. Yes, I would be the Head Knight to this future Duke; is what I had figured by the time I was eight.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nNow, at twelve years of age, I stroll down the hallway to the council room the Duke used to meet with his nobles; having been called, no doubt to finally be knighted as a proper servant of the Duchy. For eight long years, I had been awaiting this moment, the moment I would finally realize my destiny and fulfill my fealty to the Duke and his family.\n\nClutching my Mother's necklace, so that she could give me confidence from the heavens, I entered the council room. Within sat the council of nobles who reported to the Duke on the affairs of the Duchy, and behind the Duke himself stood the Head Knight, beaming with pride at me, the squire they had trained for so long, finally growing up.\n\n\"Boy,\" said the Duke, \"you have arrived.\"\n\n\"My liege, you called for me?\" I stated, saluting to him by slamming my fist against my chest.\n\n\"Yes, I called you here, because I have an announcement to make to the head nobles of my realm,\" He stated.\n\nAs I held my head up high, I could only feel the utter excitement coursing through my body, and it felt as though my legs themselves would become like jelly if I were to lose focus. This was it, my childhood, the endless days of training, this was to be my destiny.\n\n\"This is a matter regarding the future of the Duchy,\" stated the Duke, yet despite this proud moment, I noticed a hint of hesitance in his words. The hesitance passed by quickly, as the Duke regained his resolve and composure.\n\n\"To my council, to my Head Knight, and most importantly, to you, Boy,\" the Duke stood up and extended an arm towards me, \"I would like to announce that you, Boy, are the child of Elizabeth and my bloodlines, and the future Heir to this Duchy.\"\n\nChills went through my very body as everything I thought I knew came crashing down.\n\nI was not being knighted, but instead...\n\nI was being declared Heir to the Duchy?\n\nThis man... he's my father?", "Yesterday John Relph was just a low-ranking servant of the Duke of Procyon. Today he _was_ the Duke of Procyon.\n\nAnd the Duke of Sirius was glaring at him from across the long table with intense disdain.\n\nDuke Sirius did not waste words. \"So are we not going to point out we have a criminal on in the Seat of Procyon? There's not a drop of royal blood in his veins.\"\n\nSitting besides Sirius was Jacob, the actual son of the recently-deceased Duke Procyon. John could see he was trying very hard to keep a neutral expression, but his eyebrows furrowed nevertheless. John could guess a feeling of betrayal, or perhaps anger, or maybe both, behind those eyebrows.\n\nTo John's right sat the Duke Castor. \"This is no criminal, this is the lawfully decreed successor to -\"\n\n\"There is nothing lawful about this!\" Sirius responded. \"You are so enamored with the old Procyon you can't see the nonsense in his decision. This spits in the face of centuries of peaceful, honorable transitions of power.\"\n\nDuke Castor shifted forward in his chair, and John saw an unusual fierceness on his face. \"And what unrest has come from John's placement, except what you cause now?\"\n\n\"None yet, but there will be mumblings. There will be ambitious dukes and barons under his command that would desire the Seat for themselves. He has no legitimacy outside the words of a foolish decree. They will not hesitate to shred him apart!\"\n\n\"The combined duchies of Gemini will not allow that.\"\n\nThe Duke Pollux gravely nodded in affirmation.\n\n\"Then you risk civil war!\" Sirius said, nearly pleading. \"Or at the very least Procyon laid waste from within itself!\"\n\nPollux spoke up. \"The people were sick of nobles flaunting themselves.\" Pollux's tone smacked of amusement. \"Old Nathan himself saw the Procyonians were growing to hate anything with the slightest tinge of nobility. When you're in such an absurd position, sometimes the best solution is equally absurd.\"\n\n\"So at the rumbling of some busybody village idiots, we discard the tradition that has kept the peace better than anything else?\"\n\n\"My stars, Sirius, be realistic. Those busybody village idiots filled the interstellar media with their opinions for decades. Nathan made the mistake of letting the propaganda go on for so long, but at least now he's done something to rectify it.\" Duke Pollux turned to face John. \"Duke Relph, what is your intention as you sit there?\"\n\nJohn paused, groping mentally for the regal sounding words. \"To rule over the Duchy of Procyon in fairness and justice.\"\n\n\"And what experience do you have in such leadership?\"\n\n\"Well... none. That is why I will rely on my advisors - yourself, Duke Castor, Duke Polaris... and you, Duke Sirius, if you will support me.\"\n\nPollux faced Sirius again. \"The young man is smart. He knows to blend in with us.\"\n\nSirius shook his head. \"This is in defiance of profitable traditions.\"\n\n\"Those profitable traditions only worked because we didn't have the busybody village idiots a hundred years ago, that we have today. Tell me, Sirius, do we serve tradition, or does tradition serve us?\"\n\nThe Duke of Sirius had no response.\n\n\"Clearly the latter. If a tradition would lend to our destruction, then that tradition must be updated.\"\n\n\"How can the two of you talk of tradition,\" the Duke Castor interjected, \"Yet both speak so derisively toward our lord?\"\n\n\"I am not derisive,\" Pollux said. \"I am just realistic. Part of the plan is that John would serve as Duke but have no successors. The Seat would return to the original Procyonian noble house after him. It is sensible for John to be seldom seen and cautious in his actions.\n\n\"Seldom seen? Cautious? This is the leader of our Sector. The Procyon noble house won that Seat through war and wisdom. You talk of tradition - the collective identity of our Sector is wrapped up in the tradition that the Seat that John sits on now, is admirable above all others. This is not a political ruse, and this is not a political folly. This is the order of things. Your realism and disapproval be damned, I will stand with the Duke even if you will not.\"\n\nThe Duke Castor stormed out of the room. Sirius leaned back in his chair and sighed. \"And there is the civil war.\"", "\"Long live, my heir, the Duchess Vera!\" The loud voice boomed through the ball room, causing her to jump slightly at its ferocity. The dress that she had made for this day was a little itchy if she had to be honest, and the corset was stiffer than she remembered at her fitting. But why was she complaining to herself? She had just been made a Duchess- from a maid to a Duchess in less than a month! This was a surreal moment for her- sounded and felt more like a storybook than a real life event. For Vera, it changed the course of her everything.\n\n\"Long live me...\" she softly cheered to herself, a smile on her face as the applause began to die down in the gilded room. If one truly didn't hear about Vera's up and coming tale, her beauty let strangers to believe that she was a born and bred noble- yet she didn't have a drop running through her veins. \n\n\"How do you like the party Vera? Everyone is here for you.\" her now guardian smiled down at her, taking her frilled sleeve gently, and hooking their elbows together to lead her down onto the main floor.\n\n\"Um, it's a little overwhelming to be honest sir.\" she admitted and he chuckled, shaking his head. \n\n\"You know that you no longer have to be so formal with me Vera. We are on the same level now. You are free to call me whatever you please.\" he offered and she bit her lip, looking away before looking back up at him, her blue eyes curious and wary of the answer that may come out of his mouth.\n\n\"What would you like me to call you?\" She asked, narrowing her gaze slightly as she noticed the reflection they held against his hazel.\n\n\"I understand if father is too much, so guardian, or you can just call me by my name.\" He offered and she nodded, thinking for a moment.\n\n\"Amadeus, sir, thank you.\" Vera finally thanked, a genuine smile on her now rosy lips. As he led her out onto the waxed, shining floor to open the dancing for the evening, her mind began to swirl once more as they placed themselves into their rehearsed positions. She was new to dancing, it was a scary prospect- dancing in front of a crowd this size. They sometimes danced above in the servants' quarters but it was something light and joyful; something to bring a positive thing into their dull, harsh lives.\n\n\"Shall we?\" he asked and with a small, nervous nod she agreed. He nodded towards the quartet in the corner by the large window that allowed the full moon to help illuminate the space, and they began to turn in tandem with the swirling music. It felt freeing to her in a way, almost like the stiff corset didn't matter so much. And the itchy dress felt ten pounds lighter on the dancefloor. A smile appeared on her lips, but for the first time this evening it was one that wasn't forced. It was a smile of actual happiness. \n\nA few twirls later, they stopped their dance as a young gentleman interrupted their bonding moment. She paused and took a step back, her arms floating slowly to her sides as she looked at the handsome man, unsure of his name but recognizing his face from the marketplace. \n\n\"May I sir?\" he asked, his baritone voice catching Vera by surprise, something she was unable to keep from showing as her brows shot up. \n\n\"Um,\" she began and Amadeus nodded, stepping aside to allow him room to dance with his nor announced heir of his fortune and estate. Vera wasn't sure if he was a good dancer or not, even when he added a slight flourish to his bow. She greeted him back with a small, nervous, but rehearsed curtsy and they melded together to continue the waltz across the floor.\n\n\"And you are?\" she finally asked after a few spins and he chuckled low, his deep brown eyes and matching hair shaking with his head. So her inability to know who he was in the first ten seconds was amusing- wonderful. She was making a fool of herself already. \n\n\"Johannes Trembot, my lady.\" he greeted with a dip of his head as his arm tightened slightly around her waist. She wasn't getting out of his grasp easily that was evident now. But what she couldn't pick up on was if it was a menacing grasp, or merely just wanting to keep her secure and safe. \"Earl of Gainsmeure.\" he added and she pursed her lips slightly. \n\nAn earl? At least he was handsome... But she wasn't exactly looking for a marriage proposal tonight. She just wanted to be shown to the masses and then go to bed after a few songs. High society was tiring business! \"Pleased to make your acquaintance my lord.\" she greeted back, her voice soft amongst the vibrato of the strings. \n\n\"If you don't mind, I really should get back to my guardian. I am sure that he has some friends to introduce me to-\" she started and stopped as she met his gaze, something sinister beginning to form behind his warm brown eyes.\n\n\"I suggest that you do not leave me so fast. It will make you look interesting to dance with me for another song.\" he began to advise and she shook her head.\n\n\"I am not in the position to marry right now sir. Excuse me.\" she attempted to take a step back and his hand grasped her dress, forcing her body to remain pressed to his. Her eyes began to display their fear and her breathing quickened slightly, matching her now frantic heart.\n\n\"I will scream.\" she threatened and he laughed, low, steady.\n\n\"A scourge like you should have never been named an heir. He should have named a male, someone who knows how this world works. You will never be one of us.\" His low baritone became menacing, his eyes matched the venom in his words and she took a shaky breath, her mind racing with words to fight back. \n\n\"Oh my good sir, I might have been a scourge a few weeks ago- but now I am to inherit this land, and his immense fortune.\" her voice started off shaky, her eyes nervous but as she continued to speak, she began to believe her own words. \"So I suggest that you unhand me at once before you rip my brand new- expensive dress that was purchased with the fortune you seek... And walk away before I make a scene. It would surely be in tomorrows gossip column that you caused me to become swept up in a frantic panic over a conversation. You don't want that for your reputation now do you?\" she questioned, waiting a few moments before feeling his hand relax against its will on her back and be flat again. \n\n\"Thank you.\" she nodded, her steely glare matching his threatening one. \"I may not have been born into this life, but I have observed it all my life. I've been in the depths of it for the last seven years and I believe I have picked up a trick or two.\" she half smiled as the song came to an end and she took a step back, thankful to have her arms back against her body and some space between them. \n\n\"Besides, I'm only eighteen which means that I have plenty of time to catch up on anything that I have missed. You're what- twenty-five? That surely means that you have exhausted most of your assets and need something fresh. Please look somewhere else. Yarmouth Estate will never be yours. Now excuse me, I should find my guardian. So bow- and leave.\" she hissed between teeth poised in a smile and gave a low curtsy, looking through her lashes to see him bowing, and turning away before she was flat on her feet again. \n\nVera was going to be just fine in this new world.", "Part 1\n\nWhen I hold out my bejeweled hands I see a tapestry of lines - not scars, but the ravages of old age. Maybe somewhere underneath it there are other blemishes. Reminders that my hands were not always so richly decorated, that my finger not always adorned with the royal signet ring.\n\nI did not have a lot of career options in my youth. In fact, there was only one, so I had no choice in any case. You'll soon notice this is a theme in my tale. Like my mother and possibly my father (I never met him and my mother always kept quiet about him), a life of petty crime kept our household afloat. The second thing my three brothers, two sisters and I learned after walking was pickpocketing. A skill learned young will always stay with you and given enough attention and polish it will never rust either. I think I’m still pretty handy with a lockpick, even though I haven’t had any use for one since… Ah, let’s keep that for later.\n\nI was caught only once in my criminal career, upon which it promptly ended. I was well aware of the consequences of failure: at that point, two brothers and a sister had already been carted off by the law to be disciplined and subsequently disappeared into foster homes. You’d think that doing a job for almost fifteen years makes you an expert and past me would agree. He’d think that upping the scale merely increased the payout but not the challenge. In most other stories the past version of the storyteller would be scolded, but not in this one. I’m sitting pretty now after all (not talking about my looks.)\n\nI did not ask anyone to come along on my caper, not even my remaining siblings. I didn’t want any harm to come to them if it went wrong, the sentimental fool that I was back then. Ok, I will scold myself so now and then, I simply can’t help it. I had set my sights on the Ducal palace. I swapped my shabby urchin clothes for those of a nobleman’s son (I actually purchased those myself), washed, combed and scoped the place out. None of the monied men or patroling halberdiers paid me any mind. It didn't take me long to find a way in: through a little freestanding tower close to the building, hopping to the roof, scaling down one side onto a balcony. Between me and the riches inside was a locked door, soon defeated.\n\nCredit to me, I did know that the Duke traveled much and took most of his entourage and staff when he was gone. I timed my excursion with his latest outing and found that the building was indeed empty. Mostly empty. I dropped my guard and was distracted by baubles and trinkets that to my untrained eye seemed invaluable (bear in mind, the only heists I’d ever dealt with was whatever I could extract from the pockets of middle class folk or poorer. But not too poor, because I felt bad. The reality is that they have nothing worth stealing).\n\nAs I moved to pick up a particularly shiny gemstone that lay on a small satin cushion, a voice startled me: “You there! You are not supposed to be here. Go back and wait with the rest, boy!”\n\nA man in a wig and a dark frock coat stood in a doorway, pointing his cane at me. My first instinct was to bolt, but his words offered me another way out. More discreet, quick thinker that I was.\n\n“Forgive me sir, I was looking for a place to relieve myself,” I said.\n\n“You should have done that before the summons. It amazes me that you think you can serve the duke. Correction, that your parents think you can serve the duke. I understand the wish for undue influence with His Magnificence, but they could have at least trained you better,” the servant said as he paced towards me. He grabbed me by the arm and led me towards a large double doors downstairs, one of the doors ajar, as I groveled a bit more. He pushed me through and I found myself in the presence of a dozen or so older boys, a few of them young adults. They were sitting on the chairs that endlessly lined the room and all the other rooms. Those are gone now, by the way. I’m not well versed in interior designing for the rich, but you can’t persuade me every room needs fifty chairs. Anyway, I digress.\n\nSo, here I was playing the part of a high born supplicant, hoping to gain a spot in the duke’s household. In that moment, as I eyed my fellow hopefuls, I knew the plan would be to excuse myself, swipe something small on the way out, and exit teary eyed, as if the pressure had gotten to me and I would retreat to my pampered and sheltered life of luxury. I was still capable of crying back then, or at least faking it.\n\nAs I was about to set my plan in motion, a herald announced that the duke had entered the building and a stately man passed the door followed by a large troupe of flunkeys. That’s when a second plan started forming: what if I try to get the job… I would be like a fox in the henhouse. So, I came up with an identity on the spot by doing what I knew best; I stole bits of background by listening to the others, I stole bits of inspiration from paintings around the room, I even stole the pocket watch from the boy next to me. It was then that I became Matheo Aquielia d’ Chamberland, distant cousin of the respectable Baron ‘d Chamberland. I thought it garish, but that’s what the nobility is into. Of course, I’ve dropped the last two names and added a regnal number.\n\nThe duke personally held the interviews, he was industrious like that. And luckily the man who’d caught me did not have the chance to speak to the duke, for he would have sunk my chances. When all the interviews were done it was announced that M.A. d’ Chamberland was selected by the duke. I was going to play it safe at the start, but with the job came a weekly salary which exceeded anything my family ever scraped together on a good month of petty theft. I was confident, but not a fool; I got paid a duke’s ransom for loafing around, standing around. Just being around in general. There was no need for any risks.\n\nAbout two weeks after my career switch, it looked like I had gotten away with the ruse. I told my mother and siblings about it and would share the money with them. “You don’t need to steal anymore now,” I told them. The law eventually took them too. Maybe they were jealous and tried to match my audacity.", "\n\"Well don't just stand there, boy, come on out!\" \n \nAnton nervously obliged, stepping out of the shaded interior to the covered terrace of the villa. A cool sea breeze blew through the open columns, the soft roar of the waves below echoing off the cool marble floor. In the center of the room, Duke Prelvos laid with his feet up on one of a pair of low couches, munching on a handful of grapes from the bowl on the table between them. \n \n\"Honestly,\" the Duke stopped to finish off a grape. \"You don't need an invitation to have a seat. You're my heir now; the least you can do is start acting the part for once.\" \n \nWith some hesitation, Anton sat down on the edge of the couch opposite him, fidgeting with his hands as the Duke propped himself up with some effort. He'd only ever known him as an old man, but now he was painfully old; his plain white silk tunic and trousers hung loosely from his thin frame, and what little hair remained had gone completely white, like little whisps of clouds. Yet in spite of it all, his eyes were still gleamed with intelligence, as clear and sharp as a man half his age. \n \n\"So, Anton.\" Duke Prelvos clapped his hands together. \"I assume you have more than a few questions about all… this.\" \n \nAn understatement, to say the least. Why me? What do you expect of me? Will the crown recognize me as Duke? Who in their right mind makes a servant boy their heir? Hundreds of thoughts run through Anton's head, and all he could do was grab onto the one that had stuck with him the most. \n \n\"Are you my father?\" \n \nThe Duke stared at him for a moment, then burst into wild, uproarious laughter. Anton watched silently as he fell back down on the couch, clutching at his sides. Eventually, the laughter trailed off, and Duke Prelvos sat back up with an amused grin on his face. \"No, I'm not secretly your father. I haven't even been with a woman in the past twenty years. I'm afraid your miserable excuse of a sperm donor is still some sorry wretch with no idea how to properly treat a woman.\" \n \nAnton didn't take any offense at this; it wasn't like he disagreed with him. \"So if I'm not your bastard, then why-\" \n \n\"Why make some random servant boy my sole heir?\" Anton nodded for him to continue. \"Because I can, I suppose.\" \n \n\"Don't get me wrong, you're more than qualified for the task; you've been practically running my accounts for me ever since my sight started to fail. I've provided you the education of any young lordling, and you've proven to be quite more capable than most of them. You know how to run land, how to manage resources, how to tax commerce without squeezing it dry, and how to put those funds to good use. In fact, I dare say that if not for your good work these past five years or so, this land wouldn't enjoy half the prosperity it now boasts.\" Anton could only flush at the praise, becoming very interested in the view of the sea outside. \n \n\"But no, that's not why I picked you.\" \n \nAnton's gaze snapped back to the Duke, full of confusion. \n \n\"I have dozens of acquaintances - not friends, mind you, but at least people I could trust to rule this land well and act as competent executors of my will, all of them hailing from much more… proper standing than yourself.\" On those last words, the Duke's face twisted in visible disgust. \n \n\"No, I chose you for one reason, well, mainly one reason.\" \n \nDuke Prelvos leaned forward, a dark look on his face as he stared into Anton's eyes. \n \n\"Spite.\" \n \n\"You see,\" he leaned back on the couch, \"I rather hate the nobility. Yes, I am a part of it too! A little self-hatred is good for a man - in moderation, of course, as with all things.\" \n \n\"When one is born into all this…\" The Duke gestured to everything around him, \"privilege, they inevitably grow up with this innate belief that they are somehow better than their fellow man. After all, how else could they be deserving of so much more than him? But just what makes us better? All of us - at least, the ones not blessed with stupidity - we all grapple with that question in our youth, and eventually we find that we are better because some other, older better said so. And they are better because another said so, and another, and another, and so forth and so on, until you reach one who was better because he made himself better, by leading others and ordering them in battle and slaughtering opposers in vast and terrible numbers.\" \n \n\"But we can't do that anymore, not in these peaceful times, so instead we fancy ourselfs rightful stewards of the people, noblesse oblige and all that. And why are we suited to deciding how best to provide for the people? Because we're the ones with enough wealth to do so! And why do we possess this great wealth?\" \n \n\"... because you're the stewards of the people?\" \n \n\"Exactly! It's a self-justifying statement, and it's never challenged because only noble families hold noble titles.\" \n \n\"But if a commoner were to be granted the wealth and standing to act as a steward…\" The cogs were spinning wildly now. This is dangerous. This is how revolutions start… \n \n\"Exactly.\" Duke Prelvos grinned with childlike glee. \"You're going to be their worst nightmare. A competent, compassionate, and beloved ruler without a drop of noble blood. A living reminder of their own inadequacy. And if they make so much as the slightest move to bring you down? The people will see them as the tyrants they are, and their heads will rot on pikes. They'll have no choice but to accept you, and they'll be forced to respond accordingly. You, my young heir, are going to accomplish what has long been thought to be impossible.\" He leaned across the table, placing his hands on Anton's shoulders. \n \n\"You're going to make the nobility do their fucking job.\" \n \nThe Duke fell back on his couch, throwing his arms wide like a performer finishing their act. Anton sat there, struggling to comprehend the weight of what he had just learned. \n \n\"Duke Prelvos…\" \n \n\"Hells, enough with this Duke Prelvos nonsense! You're my damned heir, call me Nico!\" \n \nAnton tried it out in his mind. No, too weird. \"Forgive me, but I don't really feel comfortable enough to call you that.\" \n \n\"... can you at least drop the Duke?\" \n \n\"Very well… Prelvos.\" Still feels weird. \"With all due respect, I'm just a secretary. My grasp of politics ends at local trade regulations. I certainly don't know enough to wield that kind of power over the entire nobility.\" \n \n\"Well of course you don't, I haven't taught you how yet! What, you thought I was going to name you heir and then just keel over and die? No, I've got at least another five years before I have to retire, maybe ten if we're lucky.\" Duke Prelvos shot up from the couch with the energy of a man a third his age. \"Now come, we're hosting the ambassador of Lutsana today, and he loves to run his mouth about foreign politics.\"", "\"No one quite cleans a chamber pot like you, Egalexander.\"\n\n\"Thank you, master. The secret ingredient is mint oil. It gets rid of the smell.\"\n\nDuke Broadmander walked over to the wall of books and picked out one seemingly at random. \"You were born into this life, were you not?\"\n\n\"Master?\"\n\nI caught a glimpse of the cover of the book. Principles of Dukedom by Levonetta Earplumb IV, it read. Broadmander closed it with a snap, dust scattered and reflected in the afternoon sun trickling in the study hall windows. \"As was I. I was born into a life of riches, just as you were born into a life of rags. They want me to produce an heir to perpetuate the cycle, to ensure that riches stay rich and that rags know their proper place. Fie!\"\n\nThe duke's mustache flickered with brilliant intensity, a sure sign that he was about to do something scandalous. The last time I had seen that flicker, he donated half his estate to his garden hermit. The hermit grumbled his thanks, then promptly retreated into his hermitage and he didn't leave it for a week. \"I have given it some thought,\" said the hermit once he resurfaced, \"and I have come to the conclusion that I must reject your kind offer. Don't want to be slammed on the taxes, you see. That's why I'm content being an hermit. Hermit's got none of that, no property and no taxes. That's the proper life for me, as I see it.\"\n\nI looked outside to see the hermit napping in a sunbeam. He did look quite content.\n\n\"Egalexander,\" said the duke, \"I have a proposal.\" The bristles of his mustache danced the mazurka passionately and the sight of it made me shudder.\n\n\"Yes, master?\"\n\nDuke Broadmander stared intently into my eyes, peering into my meek soul, and he opened his mouth with an expression which made it seem he was choking or on the verge of tears. \"Egalexander. I have decided to make you my one true heir.\"\n\n---\n\n\"Look at that runt. Eating beige truffles as if they were woodland mushrooms.\"\n\nA monocled man with an imprecisely bald head scoffed at me repeatedly. Was he talking to me, or was he making a comment? \"Is this not how you are meant to eat them?\"\n\n\"It talks! The wretched thing talks.\"\n\nWith that, the man left while stomping his cane into the carpeted floor.\n\nDuke Broadmander had prepared an impressive feast. The staff didn't seem quite to know how to look at me, so most of them simply didn't. Myself, I felt eager to serve the noble men and women surrounding me but that was no longer my role. It made me nervous. Was this all truly happening?\n\n\"I believe we have not been introduced. Alexander, is it?\"\n\nThe woman in front of me had her hair tied in a highly-complex fashion. It must have taken her hours. \"E-Egalexander.\"\n\n\"Egalexander! Splendid. Like Egernesto of Wantbloom. That prefix is an indicator of social stature, is it not? I have great respect for the customs of the lower classes. But surely it is time you dropped the Eg. You are no longer a lowborn servant.\"\n\n\"I dropped an egg once, while serving the duke his breakfast. The yolk spilled all over his Varpathian rug. But he just laughed. Said he had been thinking of throwing it out anyway.\"\n\n\"Alexander! What a card! I'm sure you'll liven up our parties. You have an impeccable sense of humor.\"\n\nHumor? My stomach groaned with anxiety. The nobles had strange ways of speaking, and strange rituals. I could hardly understand half of it.\n\nA glass clinked. The room fell into a hushed silence. Duke Broadmander stood on a stool with a fork and a glass. \"Everyone! I am so glad you could all join us. Today is a day of celebration. We are gathered to initiate Egalexander Broadmander into our circles and this is your opportunity to acquaint yourselves with the future Duke of Raveleria.\"\n\n\"So it's true then?\"\n\n\"He's gone mad. First the hermit, now the servant?\"\n\n\"A pauper duke. What a disgrace.\"\n\nThe chatter spread like waves of contempt and as Broadmander scanned the room I felt the urge to hide so as not to draw attention to myself. The hostility was unbearable.\n\n\"Alexander is right here!\"\n\nIt was the woman with the expensive hairdo. She waved at the duke, who came running.\n\n\"Egalexander,\" said the duke. \"I hope you are enjoying the feast.\"\n\nThere it was again, the dancing mustache. I steeled myself for what was about to come.\n\n\"I have an announcement,\" shouted the duke. \"I am retiring from my position. My estate and my title—it is all now in the hands of Egalexander Broadmander.\"\n\nGasps and whispers and muttered curses. The imprecisely-bald gentleman lost his monocle.\n\nBroadmander grinned and held out his hands as if to embrace the world itself. \"I present to you the Duke of Raveleria.\"\n\nUh oh.", "Nobody could stop staring at me. \n\nAn uncomfortable silence had conquered the banquet hall after I was introduced. It was as if the party had been paused in order to assess my worth. Most of the guests were close to my age, barely adults.\n\nSome faces sneered at me, while others merely gave me a curious glance. A small minority, only a handful among this sea of nobles, were terrified. Those were the wise ones. They remembered visiting my estate and treating me like garbage.\n\nI never imagined myself in this crowd. The thought of mingling with these pompous jerks filled me with disgust. They were everything I loathed about aristocracy. The world would be better off if they were all gone.\n\nAnd yet, here I was, smiling politely and shaking their hands, ready to eat with them.\n\nEvery time I saw a fork or knife, my first impulse was to stab someone in the face. I didn't do it, of course, but fighting that urge took all of my willpower. \n\nThese people only seemed interested in gossiping about each other, pretending that nobody else was doing the same. When they weren't doing that, they loved speaking loudly of the uncultured plebes, how the kingdom was deteriorating due to pandering to them. Their use of language felt very deliberate. Every word and sentence was carefully calculated to get a rise out of me, testing my reactions.\n\nI endured it, though. The only thing keeping me in check was my promise to the duke. We had both lost our loved ones. This was the role I had to play.\n\nThree main factions served the king. The military families, who defended the kingdom, the agricultural families, who fed the kingdom, and merchants like my duke, who enriched the kingdom. \n\nI had to navigate the interests of all three. To further complicate things, there was also the royal faction, who ruled over all of us. The king himself didn't appear at this banquet, though. He sent his son, Prince Klark the IV, in his stead.\n\nThe young man was conventionally attractive. A round body, flowing hair, and fair skin that rarely touched sunlight. His voice boomed throughout the banquet hall, even when others were speaking, commanding the attention of everyone present to hear his inane jokes. \n\nNobody really enjoyed his 'comedy', but they all laughed along with forced smiles. \n\nAt that point, I didn't know who they were trying to trick. Themselves, or the prince? To make matters worse, almost every guest ignored my attempts at conversation, and I hated every second of it. \n\nTheir message was clear: I would never be one of them.\n\nMy anger didn't stem from being spurned, though. Quite the opposite. I just felt irritated at the idea that they thought I wanted to join them. \n\nThe only time they ever addressed me was when the soup was served.\n\nSeveral ladies gasped around the table when I picked up the spoon.\n\nI raised an eyebrow. \"What?\"\n\nPeople started chuckling. \n\nI frowned.\n\n\"Forgive him,\" said a young man, with a smug chuckle. \"We can't expect much from him, can we?\"\n\nI craned my head at him. His name was Lepul the V, third most powerful heir in the kingdom. I remembered him very well. He pushed me into a river once, trying to entertain the duke's daughters. \n\n\"You're using the wrong spoon,\" said Lepul. \"That one's for dessert.\"\n\nI forced myself to smile. \"Thank you.\"\n\nPeople made polite claps around the table.\n\n\"How generous of you,\" said Lady Bell, addressing Lepul, \"Truly a leader and gentleman. Lowering himself for those who are lost.\"\n\nLepul raised his chin, swelling with pride. \"What can I say? The kingdom needs all sorts of people to function. That's why the three factions exist, right?\" \n\nPrince Klark burst with laughter. Some even joined him without knowing what he found funny.\n\n\"Your majesty,\" said Lepul, worried, \"Did I say something funny?\"\n\n\"It's just so blatant,\" said the prince, stifling his chuckles.\n\n\"What is?\" asked Lepul.\n\n\"Where your sympathy comes from. I mean, doesn't your father sleep around with servants too?\"\n\nLepul widened his eyes.\n\n\"I don't mean to offend,\" said Prince Klark, \"In fact, it's the contrary. I'm saying that you don't have to protect him. Your father may love whores, but your blood is still pure, unlike...\" He gestured at me. \"...him.\"\n\nLepul hung his head. \"Y-yes, your majesty. I don't know-\"\n\n\"You're wrong,\" I said.\n\nEveryone grew quiet. They all looked at me like I had grown three heads. Unfortunately, I could ignore that comment. If I didn't stand up for myself now, they would walk all over me in the future.\n\nPrince Klark narrowed his eyes. \"How so?\"\n\n\"Just like your majesty,\" I said, \"I don't mean to offend, but a lowly plebe like me can't possibly learn all this culture by himself. I need the guidance of my betters, just like the kingdom needs all of you to thrive.\"\n\n\"I see...\" Prince Klark leaned back with a hardened expression, then smiled at the guests. \"Quite the astute observation, from a bastard heir.\"\n\nMost people chuckled at the comment, eager to kill the tension. \n\nIt never went away, though. Prince Klark kept staring at me throughout the rest of the dinner. He clearly hated me, which left me elated. Nothing made me happier than upsetting him. After he left, the rest of the guests seemed incredibly relieved. Nobody dared talk to me after that. They didn't want to antagonize the future king. \n\nNear the end of the gathering, however, one person broke this trend. It was Lepul. He made sure to speak to me in a secluded balcony, but it was still better than anyone else's treatment. \n\n\"Why did you defend me?\" he said.\n\nI shrugged. \"I merely paid back the favor.\"\n\n\"Don't lie! I pushed you into a river! Why did you help?\"\n\n\"Ah, you do remember.\"\n\nLepul glanced away. \"Y-yeah. I was kid, though. I'm sorr-\"\n\nI raised a hand. \"I'm not interested in apologies. Just answer a question... honestly.\"\n\nLepul nodded. \"I swear on my family's honor.\"\n\n\"Are you any freer than a plebe?\"\n\nLepul wrinkled his forehead. \"Of course I am.\"\n\nI frowned. \"Really? 'Cause all I saw in here were people being pushed around by an asshole. From my point of view, the way you all lowered your head for the prince seemed identical to the way a slave addresses their master.\"\n\nLepul squinted, intrigued. \"I uhh... Huh...\"\n\n\"Yeah, ain't that a bitch? I came here expecting to find everything I hated, but you're all just as meek as my own folk. I really can't begrudge you for pushing me into the river. It's all the same up the hierarchy. You never had a choice to be anything else. Don't you think that's bullshit?\"\n\n\"This... this is treasonous talk...\"\n\n\"I know. You see, my goal isn't to join your noble society. It's to burn it down.\"\n\nLepul gaped his jaw. \"But why?\"\n\n\"My duke's family didn't die in an accident. They were assassinated by the king. And my parents were accompanying them as servants.\"\n\n\"Parents? But isn't the duke-\"\n\n\"Nope. He merely named me his heir because I was the right age, and shared the same grief as him. We made a promise to each other that day. I'm going to get revenge for his sake, and my own. Now... what you just saw... do you really think Klark would make a good king?\"\n\nLepul pursed his lips, hesitating. \"Of course not.\"\n\n\"Then join me. Together, they royals won't be able to stop us.\"\n\nLepul looked over his shoulder, paranoid, then steeled his resolve, shaking my hand.\n\nMy first ally in the revolution had just been recruited.\n\n---------\n\n>If you enjoyed this, check out more of my stories over at /r/WeirdEmoKidStories. Thanks for reading!" ]	9
	[WP] The prophecy was literal, not figurative. The kingdom’s preparations were way overkill.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 Soul Gate was shut. It was locked. The gate, lock and all had then been entirely coated in spiritually resistant liquid Goldsteel, which Hardened into a single thick unbroken layer over it all.\n\nAcross the world, Soul Gates facilitated all manner of purposes, most for travel or trade between the higher and lower spiritual realms. But one gate, older than recorded history, connected to the deepest lightless reaches of the black Hells.\n\n\"On the third day, of the third year, of your third heir's reign, a demon will use the Black Hell Soul Gate. It will seek to feast on the flesh of slaughtered lambs, and that day will be the darkest in your kingdom's history\" the prophecy said. And so the preparations had been made.\n\nThe armies stood ready, each group lead by a Monk well versed in combating demons, and accompanied by the highest practitioners of the Spiritual Sword style.\n\nThe Goldsteel gate rang like a gong, as if hit from behind by a cannon. Count Whisperfang, master of heightened senses, held his palm to the gate and listened with his ears, heart, and soul. He heard a voice from behind the metal.\n\n\"Oww! That really hurt! Damn, guess this gate got shut too. Guess this isn't a good stop for kebabs anymore. Maybe the Kingdom of Flowers still has those fried noodles...\"\n\nJust as the voice began to fade, shadow crossed the world. Count Whisperfang looked, only for a moment and saw the moon was crossing in front of the sun.\n\nHe walked through the darkness, senses still alive and asked one of the army's logistics officers, \"Is today the solstice?\"\n\nThe man nodded. And Count Whisperfang sighed. \"So, would it be safe to say that between the winter solstice and the eclipse, we'll have less sunlight today than any other day?\"", "A war measured in decades. Spilled blood and assassinations and murder and espionage. Finally an uneasy peace was achieved and the prisoners were exchanged and the spies were beheaded and the two kingdoms went back to killing their own people for a little while. \n\nBut as I said, it was an uneasy peace. \n\nThe king brought in every prophet in a hundred mile radius, he needed to know what the enemy was planning. The pubs were bulging with them. You couldn't throw a chair without hitting some uncomfortably damp weirdo whispering into an orb. One by one, he took their prophecies and recorded them. The usual suspects delivered prophecies like, \"Someone close to you will betray you\" or \"Don't wear your purple cape on the day of the Lord.\" and other such nonsense but one prophecy kept repeating. \n\nThe king ordered a great number of ballistae, made an exceptionally costly alliance with the dragons, and tripled the amount of archers in the army. When they came, he would be prepared. \n\nWhile eating his lunch the king finally spotted the figures in the distance. He called to his soldiers, \"Get ready, the prophecy is fulfilled!\" The scroll containing the prophecy flashed a bright blue, the magic indicating just that. He dropped it. \n\nThe figures drew closer but seemed to grow no larger. The king squinted. \"No..\" A fruit fly descended on the leftovers of his lunch, rubbed his little hands together excitedly, and got to eating. A dragon outside puffed out a lazy gust of fire and the cloud turned into a plume of disappointed smoke. The king looked down at the little fly, mortified. \"There was no comma..\"\n\nA single sentence is scribbled on the discarded scroll. \n\nThe enemy flies, will arrive soon." ]	3
	[WP] You don't hail from another planet with super strength and laser beam eyes. You don't have a lair and a million gadgets. Your only power is to deliver the most cruel and cutting insult at precisely the right moment. It's more than enough...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "From a very young age, Tim Burroham was very... concise, with his words. One day, for example, Tim's father was trying to serve him green beans. Tim, being only 7 at the time, responded with, quote, \"I'm gonna personally throw those green beans into an incinerator faster than Linda threw your marital status into an incinerator.\" Tim's father, William, had recently divorced his wife at the time, so hearing his son say this to him, absolutely devastated him.\n\nAnother time, at age 14, Tim found out one of his friends was simply using him as connection into his clique. He was decently intelligent at school, and the brainy kids allowed him in. They were surprisingly respected, due to said brainy kids being allowed to get away with a surprisingly large amount with their teachers. When Tim found about his friend's manipulation, he waited a while until they got into a fight. In the fight, Tim's friend told him \"You guys are a bunch of turds\", Tim's friend responded, quote from his ex-friend, \"if I were to give your mother a laxative, the amount of pain she'd endure from that would make a more worthwhile experience than then pain she endured from you, because that \"turd\" she creates will be smarter, wittier, and will look better than you do. I hope you profusely apologize to your parents, your teachers, anyone who's ever mentored you, because the amount of trauma they experienced from you must be mind-shattering. I'm done with you.\"\n\nOne other insult Tim delivered, age 21, was at his new job. Tim's supervisor noticed Tim performing poorly at his job, so his supervisor decided to chew him out. My lawyers have advised me to not repeat what he said here, but it was so impactful that it removed Tim's ability to ever be hired again. Employers that Tim would go to for the future would remember him as \"that guy who said the things to that one supervisor\", and, fearing for their mental state, decided not to hire him.\n\nTim now works as a commissioner online, where people would pay for their own personalized insults. Tim says the biggest income source is not for people who want to deliver an insult, but Interestingly, for people who want to receive an insult. Tim also spends some of his time posting for this Reddit group called \"rare insults\", where he writes his own, and frames them as insults from other people.", "As I walked down 4th street, the fight raging on a block to the north, I tried to calm my nerves. This was not something I should have been doing. I was an interrogator, someone who worked best when the hero or villain was all tied up, and I was not at all hard enough for the front lines. Still, though, my employer wanted me to keep the peace, so that's what I'd do. \n\nThey mostly just wanted me to keep general peace in the residential district of La Mierda, Nevada, stopping fights altogether. It was something I could do, technically- my powers usually let me immobilize someone through their biggest emotional weaknesses- but it wasn't like I was invulnerable. Someone could just shoot me with a laser beam, and I would be done. \n\nEither way, I didn't want to lose the job, so onwards I went. \n\nI turned the corner and instantly realized exactly what was going on. These guys weren't your usual heroes and villains. No, of course they weren't. Our city's founding hero, The Jewel, was fighting against Lord Legionate, a villain newly cemented as a real, legitimate threat when he was able to simply walk up to the Free of Fear HQ, the de-facto heroic and police headquarters of the city, and just flatten the entire first floor, scot-free. \n\nLest I say it out loud, the fight was pretty bloody. \n\nThe Jewel was doing their usual thing, attempting to slow down and confuse Lord Legionate with their psychic forcefields, while Lord Legionate simply flew around as he pleased, throwing portal punches Jewel's way. \n\nBoth of these people, if they made one mistake, would take me out in one shot. \n\nWith all the gumption I could muster, I took a breath, and charged into the battlefield. \n\nI took a dodge and a weave, as I tried to get a vantage point where I could reasonably distract Lord Legionate without him being able to reach me safely.\n\nAfter all, he still had The Jewel to go after. \n\nQuickly, I found a heap of rubble where the road used to be, and I decided to hide behind it. If Lord Legionate landed on my side of the road, he'd see me, 100%, and that would at least distract him enough for me to get a few words in. \n\nQuietly, I prepared my powers, the words flowing through my head whether I liked them to or not. The feeling as if whatever I was thinking about saying shouldn't be said came around, and with that, I snapped alert. I was ready. \n\nI took peaks and glances, and soon enough, I saw Lord Legionate swoop down for shoulder bash, as he came flying into the ground. \n\nPebbles and small bits of concrete came flying my way, a couple even glancing off the road heap I was on, but thankfully, none hit me as I laid eyes on my prey. \n\nLord Legionate gave me one, solitary, minorly confused look, as I opened my mouth o let my superpower come forth.\n\n\"I-I... I....\"\n\nI panicked. Nothing was coming through. This hadn't happened before, I was supposed to say the one thing that could possibly break his will, and everybody had one, even the leader of the doomsday cult I'd helped bust with a couple superheroes a month back, but this man... did he have nothing? Nothing I could work on? Was my life seriously going to end here, a stuttering mess splattered into pavement? What the fuck was going on?\n\nI tried to speak, but my mouth contorted against my own will, forming what I could only feel as one thing. A smile. \n\nI don't know why that broke him to this day. I've since become a staple hero, simply walking around in whatever I have been breaking villain's minds open with words ever since, one of the most effective, collateral free heroes. My face, of course, isn't listed on the records, and neither is my real name. I'm the type of hero that can't be famous, but I really don't care. It's been a happy life. \n\nBut that smile, that damn smile, still confuses me to this day. I don't know why it broke him, but he was the worst case after I had my fill of him. Apparently he was a gibbering mess of a man afterwards, and was put in a psych ward for a month. The man who yelled \"La Mierda is peor que mierda\" was made into a gibbering mess who couldn't get a good word in for a week, let alone use his powers for anything serious. \n\nStill, it was my life or, in a weird way, his. His life's essentially over now. He's mentally broken, a man who really can't be in society anymore, even if he wanted to. Most of them find me a hero, but I still feel bad for the man. \n\nStill, ever since then, I've taken that experience to heart, and when Free of Fear approached me for my superhero name, there was only one name I could think of. \n\nThe Grinner.", "Yeah, my maternal family has this ability. Just as good to give compliments as to give the most cutting truths like salt on open wounds. Ironically, this is the reason we get on so well since there's no bullshit, and because we understand each other there are like sessions between family members where one gives reality punches and viceversa, spend a night crying together and then feel normal and refreshed the next day. Like opening a wound and cleaning all the pus. \n\nOccasionally, if the anger and irritation reaches petty enough someone will say something truly hurtful to the the last person to irritate them. Thankfully, we are as quick as being truthful in positive stuff so we make up the same day. \n\nI like this ability in many ways, no permanent depression at least. And strangers can't hurt you with words when your closest family has cut to the bone already and fairly regularly.", "There's a combination of words for anything. All that stands between you and becoming president, sleeping with anyone you want, leading a cult, anything you can imagine - is the right combination of words to tell people.\n\nDepending on what it is, every person requires a different combination, like a code that can make them do anything for you. \n\nMy race is born with this ability inherently, all of us with different things we can make people do. Some of us are charismatic seducers, others are natural leaders, while some are great mediators.\n\nAnd then there are ones like me. Those who are born with an extremely rare disorder that disrupts and twists our ability - opening us to the hidden world of despair that surrounds us all.\n\nI can't look at a person without immediately knowing all the things that would drive them mad, that is so offensive to the very core of their existence that they couldn't possibly live with them. Every time I open my mouth someone is at the risk of suicide, or permanent insanity. \n\nOn my planet, people like me are placed in confinement camps to keep the rest of our people safe. But the fools allowed me to open my mouth. As soon as I did, every guard between me and freedom had to do exactly as I wanted, knowing that otherwise I would take their sanity from them forever.\n\nAnd I still did. I feel such pleasure from smothering a person with darkness, and seeing the fallout as they scream and cry in despair, maybe killing those around them before ending their own lives. It's entertaining.\n\nIt's possible I could've felt empathy and remorse for my actions at some point in the past, but I became dead inside the moment I saw my own reflection. All the horrifying, undeniable truths about my existence that I wasn't even supposed to know became clear.\n\nI knew then that I had to end my own life for the safety of everyone. I spoke the words of despair out loud to my reflection, to try to convince myself to do it. But misery loves company.", "I wouldn't call myself a Villain, per se. I always considered the definition of a villain as being someone who could rival the supers. Proper lucky bastards born with either enough wealth to buy their way to evil stardom, or enough strength to punch their way there. Like Captain Murder, who happened to be brawling it out with Invinci-boy in the skies above me. He would lose of course, their kind always did, but it provided spectacle enough for the growing crowd of onlookers, myself included. \n\nNo, a true villain I was not. Was I an evil, super powered prick though? Abso-fucking-lutely.\n\nMy power eliminated the possibility of going toe to toe with a Super. As much as I craved the ability to drag Invinci-boy's face along the concrete, I would never be as strong as a top tier villain like Captain Murder. And yet, thanks to my power, I could hurt the Supers in ways Villains never could. Ways I rarely understood myself.\n\nI chuckled to myself as I pushed my way to the front of the crowd. The fight was reaching it's inevitable end with Invinci-boy finally dragging Captain Murder to the ground, firing earth shaking punch after punch into the captain's face. \n\nHe wouldn't kill him, but the poor captain wasn't likely to be murdering any time soon. How sad.\n\nI reached the front of the crowd as I felt my power kick into action, analysing every aspect of the current situation and invinci-boy's past. Millions of scenarios played out, filtered down to thousands then hundreds then simply one optimal path. \n\nInvinci-boy finally looked up from the Captain, seeming to take in the devestation. I could see his posture waiver as he took in the corpses strewn across the street. I mentally urged him to look a little to the left, just as he had in my vision.\n\nAnd so he did.\n\nI don't know whose corpse he had seen on the street. My power didn't provide details, and I didn't care. The effect was obvious. Invinci-boys whole body shook, barely holding in his pain.\n\nAll he needed was one last push. Like a golden bullet to his heart, I shouted the words the vision showed me.\n\n\"You're pathetic, Steven Reacher. You couldn't save her, just like how you couldn't save your mother!\"\n\nInvinci-boy, or Steven I suppose, screamed with grief and rage, but I was already disappearing back into the crowd, chuckling.\n\nMust have hit a sore spot." ]	6
	[WP] Gods from Greek, Norse and Mythology in general are inherently flawed because gods are picked at random every 1000 years. Poseidon was just someone who liked the beach , You where picked next to take a seat at the table of the gods	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#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've always loved landscapes, paintings and such. Never really amounted to much I'd reckoned. Just a skill to put on a sheet of talents, stuffed somewhere between \"breadmaking\" and \"whittling\". A skill, like the others, that would never see much practical use. But I suppose I had some inkling of pride in my ability nonetheless. Some part of me that grew giddy when a stranger asked to see.\n\n\"Ooooo got any pictures of your work could take a look at?\" I loved when they called it that. Not my hobby, not my skill, my work. And of course I'd always oblige, play coy at it: \"Oh I might have a picture stuffed somewhere in my wallet.\" The looks on their faces when they saw what I could do is what made me want to call it more. But alas it never was, well until I became a god that is. \n\nWhen I was summoned by the gods I don't think much was expected of me. The other, elder gods I had only heard of in ancient myths were polite enough, granting me the pleasantries of asking who I was before Olympus and what my passions were. Even Zeus, who I'd heard was a right twat, greeted me with a smile. I told them there must have been some sort of a mistake. They replied that the Three Sisters of Fate did not make mistakes, then lost me with their stories. \"Ohho! Poseidon here said the exact same thing don't you recall brother?\" \n\n\"Yes, yes, well you were confused too!\" he replied with an exaggerated eye roll. Below Poseidon's seat, in a swirling portal view of earth I watched the tides rose at his words. \n\n\"Yes, well I was the first! So you wouldn't know that for sure. You were a close second though.\" \n\n\"Just because you stared at the clouds all day doesn't mean you're better than anyone.\" Poseidon's tone shifted. His watery beard went from calm pond to a rippling sea as the waves licked up his face. In the earth view below I stared as the waves only grew. \n\n\"Calm down you two. Let's give our new member a proper welcome, that is why we are gathered here after all. Landscapes, you say you did?\" a womans voice cut sharply through their arguing, filled with casual confidence. Her mirror polished, golden armor gleamed with no light. I did my best not to stare in admiration. \n\n\"I uhhh yes...well. I may have something around here somewhere.\" as I reached to my pocket my wallet was not there; instead I was left grasping empty air and with what was surely an embarrassed look plastered across my face. But the gods around their gilded table stared in awe, not at me, but at the swirling portal below my seat. It showed only blinding brightness at first, then focused to scenes of the countryside. Of mountains and trees, plains and forest, of my drawings come to life in real time. \n\nThe sea gods beard grew steady once again, the storm in the eyes of Zeus faded too, every god lesser and greater watched the view. I watched with pride at the admiration of the greatest beings. But too of men once like me. \n\nZeus did not announce my title as I'd expected, instead a sharp faced man with a winged halo spoke with a voice like the breeze: Welcome Grayman, god of the horizon, of the creation of vast stretches of land with your brush, of the plains themselves. Grayman, God of Landscape." ]	2
	[WP] You are an old god. Long forgotten, nearly dead, adrift in endless slumber. Tonight, you awaken. For the first time in millennia, a mortal has spoken your name.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "“Hunter.”\n\nThe name was spoken by a now grown woman, the hero of the universe as we know it. Once a powerful darker side of an even more powerful god, now nothing but a forgotten villain.\n\nThe husk floated in an endless void, hearing nothing but his own voice as he spoke to himself. Wishing he could’ve done something different. If he had listened to his sister long ago, none of this would’ve happened.\n\nSuddenly, he opened his eyes. In front of him was a young woman, the queen of her homeworld. She had a sword at her belt, the same one from many years ago.\n\n“Hello, Hunter.” The woman said in a serious tone.\n\nHunter stared at her. She looked so familiar…yet so different.\n\n“…Melanie?”\n\nThat was all the husk could say before tears began to sting his eyes.\n\n“In the flesh, foolish one.” Readjusting her crown, she kept her straight face and serious composure.\n\n“Why did you utter my name…?” Hunter asked as the woman shook her head. “To keep you around. As living to see the end of time is a fate far worse than death.”\n\nHunter’s eyes widened as Melanie unsheathed her sword. “And considering all that you’ve done, I can assure you that living more alone than you once did is a suitable punishment.”\n\n“Please…I…You know that I—“\n\n“Save your breath, foolish god. You haven’t been spoken of in ages. You’ve been long forgotten.”\n\n“I didn’t mean to do any of this!”\n\nMelanie stood there in silence as Hunter tried to hold back tears.\n\n“When Venturi split, I…I didn’t have any control over myself. My emotions were stronger than they usually were. A-and I just…I wish that Harmony’s voice was louder.”\n\nHunter lowered his head in shame. “I just…I just wanted my sister back.”\n\n“…”\n\nThe two stood in silence before Melanie put her sword away.\n\n“It will take a long time to be forgiven for your actions, Hunter. Even I know that. You caused havoc to my universe and manipulated poor unfortunate souls, even if they really did deserve it. You caused trauma to me and everyone else that lives in this universe. Trauma cannot be easily reversed. Even I, as queen, still have this trauma now.”\n\n“…Warrio—I mean, Melanie…”\n\n“Please. I ask, no, I beg for your forgiveness. I want the Dark Matter that I’ve been made of to leave, or at least be controlled.”\n\nThe queen sighed and nodded her head. Before she could open her mouth to speak, Hunter flew in and embraced her. Tensing, the woman sighed and hugged him back.\n\nHunter couldn’t see it, but there was a small smile on Melanie’s features.\n\nShe had finally done it.\n\nShe got him to change.", "A massive silver dragon, guardian of these worlds, slumbered. Her dreams that night were not her own...\n\nShe saw a young being of great power, much like herself, but in the form of a fleshy little forest gnome just inches high. It sought justice in an unjust world, and much like you, it rose to power overcoming the odds and uniting not just one continent, but the world. He was revered, even worshiped by some, feeding him more and more power. He became so big it was necessary to take on many different forms and after a while he had forgotten how to be a gnome.\n\nHis world was volatile, and since he had vanquished all the other beings like himself and the dreamer, it was just him defending it from constant external threats over millions of years. He handled them valiantly though, avoiding the destruction of his beloved world and its beautifully diverse creatures, its children, and used the invaders power to stay in this world, to avoid the sleep cycle he knew but would never admit that he must eventually enter.\n\nIt was when he had to squint, even shapeshifted as small as he could, to see buildings in towns on his worlds, that things began to change. He was too big, too powerful, and had to be away from the solar system itself quite often to feed to keep itself going.\n\nWhen a drought of enemies happened and he had already, in his shame, eaten all the worlds of all the closest systems to his own, the hunger took over. He no longer thought of shall I sleep or shall I not, all he could think of was the pain of the hunger, and in that painful crippling moment he gobbled up all his beloved worlds in a frenzy and lost himself to the hunger in his shame.\n\nAfterwards he grew into a massive sun-sized whale-like creature with world-sized tentacles all about it, and a mouth that stayed opened constantly, gobbling worlds as it goes, growing bigger and bigger, roaming the galaxy like a mobile black hole.\n\nEventually this creature came to your system and came straight for its biggest rocky world. In desperation, your creator used all his power to knock away the next planet in the creatures path, a diamond-filled world, out into space, away from his system.\n\nIt took the bait, but your creator knew it would be back, so it followed the creature and probed its mind until it found buried deep a young bright gnome, eager for adventure, and justice, and only wanting good for his world and all the people who called it home.\n\n\"And you did that Sneynegarr The Just, the Guardian.\" Your creator said in the dream. He brought those memories to the surface of the creatures mind and lit his thoughts with memories of hope and redemption.\n\nAwoken again after so long, the gnome felt so much shame but also with it a shred of hope given to him by your creator, and with that Sneynegarr closed its mouth, curled its massive body up and closed its eyes. A cloud of purple and blue hot gasses exploded outward.\n\nWhen he returned to his system, he was pleased to see that Sneynegarr's last act was clear in the sky. Every day since he peaks in at the cloud of gasses, whether physically or through a followers eyes, to regale in its beauty...\n\nThe great silver dragon awoke, yawned, and stretched. \"At once.\" It said quietly, and with a great sonic boom the dragon shot itself off the planet and out towards the edge of the system where she could already feel the invaders presence." ]	3
	[WP] At great personal cost, you operate a secret clinic for 'monsters': minotaurs, sirens and so on. One day, a mob seizes you to tie you to the stake.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "“Guards, guards please these people are chasing me!” I thought I had made it to safety when I reached the guardsmen. \r \n\r \nMy relief quickly turned to horror when the guard looked over my shoulder and smiled. “I see you managed to catch him Hector.”\r \n\r \nA chill ran down my spine as I heard a laugh from behind me. “He really thought that there was someone around that was willing to help him.”\r \n\r \nBefore I could begin to run again one of the hit me in the stomach with the butt of his spear. I was doubled over in pain as the mob grabbed me. Several hands roughly moving me so I was standing in front of Hector. The mayor’s son.\r \n\r \n“The fact that you would even dare to come into town. After the things you bring around here.” he said.\r \n\r \n“I don’t bring anything to this town. I only help people. My clinic is open to everyone. I help everyone. There are plenty of people in this town who have come to me for service. Including your-.”\r \n\r \nI was silenced by Hector from another punch to my stomach. Bile was forcing it to the surface of my throat and it felt like I was going to puke.\r \n\r \nThe crowd was cheering at my pain. Jeering at me. I recognized many of them, some of them were even people that I had helped treat before my first clinic in town burned down. My second clinic far away from town on the edge of the forest was also a destination for some but it had a second type of clientele that didn’t always mix with these villagers. \r \n\r \nHector grabbed my face and moved in closer to me. “You bring monsters to this village and today you’re going to pay for it.”\r \n\r \n“Your baseless superstitions breed the real monsters.”\r \n\r \nThey were dragging me back to the town square. Today I had come from the edge of town closest to my home, I had no way to see that there was a stake setup.\r \n\r \n“Burning at the stake. Well isn’t that properly barbaric.” I said.\r \n\r \n“Shutup!” one of the men dragging me said loudly.\r \n\r \nThey tied me to the stake in front of the entire town. There were many there watching and the mob itself represented a large part of the town’s population. Hector was standing in front of the crowd with the town priest at his side. The church goers had hated me for a long time. I knew a lot of their secrets because my doors were never closed to anyone that needed healing. The wounds someone can inflict on family in the name of God can be of a particularly grievous sort.\r \n\r \n“We are gathered here today to end the plague that has been afflicting this town.” Hector began speaking loudly as the crowd was cheering, many eagerly holding torches above their heads. Burned at the stake in the late afternoon. I knew why they weren’t doing it at night.\r \n\r \n“This man calls himself a doctor but what does he treat? Who does he heal? This man openly says that God cannot heal our wounds and sickness but he can. How can a man declare his healing better than that of God? A man who has had patients die because of his lack of healing abilities. This man is a fraud and now after we were kind enough and merciful enough to spare his life and only exile him from this beautiful town he goes and begins summoning monsters to our lands. Creatures that steal our livestock, and our crops. If not stopped they will soon begin stealing our children.”\r \n\r \nThe only patient that died on my table was Hector’s own wife and that was because her wound was too severe for me to treat, too infected because he hadn’t allowed her to seek help soon enough. This same man standing proud and declaring me a fraud had also been on his knees in my clinic. Begging me, begging God, begging anything to come and save his wife. That woman had met a merciful end.\r \n\r \nI could feel the sun beaming down as the priest was saying some words to reinforce what Hector had been saying. The noise of the crowd seemed overwhelming. No chance of talking my way out of this one. That’s when I noticed that the crowd had grown in number on the edges. \r \n\r \nHector was now turning towards the pile of wood picking up a torch. He was intending to be the first one to start the fire. \r \n\r \n“Do you have anything to say in your defense Healer?” he almost spat as he said my title.\r \n\r \n“There’s no defending this but as I said before, this village breeds superstitious fools.”\r \n\r \nHector didn’t even get to hear my words. He was too busy turning around to face the new noise coming from the crowd. Yells and screams.\r \n\r \nFrom where I was I had a clear view of what was happening as the guards were being thrown clear across the square into some of the houses and stores that surrounded the town square.\r \n\r \n“Monsters! Monsters!.” the people were screaming. Two minotaurs each over 8 feet tall were engaged with the remaining guards who were in the square. As I watched the action I felt someone behind me cutting through the bindings that were holding me to the pillar.\r \n\r \n“Sorry we came so late.” the familiar voice of a satyr that I knew named Turk.\r \n“Turk? Why are you here?” I asked.\r \n\r \n“We always keep eyes on our friends. Also I’m going to need you to take this and put it into your ears.”\r \n\r \nSome cloaked figures in the crowd had revealed themselves as ogres and were also helping the minotaurs hold back some of the citizens that were trying to fight back. The few guards that were around had already been dealt with, the garrison was sounding the alarm but was outside of town. There was still time for us to escape.\r \n\r \nAs I was untied I turned and Turk was handing me some pieces of wax.\r \n\r \n“Ears.” he said again as he was also putting some into his own. As we moved away from the pyre Hector spotted me and he gestured towards us as some in the crowd began to run forward. They were going to get to us before the minotaurs and ogres could.\r \n\r \nThen they froze in place. Their eyes glazing over. They all stood there staring at us for a moment. That’s when I saw one last cloaked figure walking towards them, she didn’t remove her hood. The men’s eyes didn’t leave her as she walked around them and then towards the pyre. She put her hand out and Hector handed her the torch. Turning she placed it on the pyre starting the blaze and then the men began moving towards the flame, walking until they were too close.\r \n\r \nTurk grabbed me, turning me towards him, and shook his head. He didn’t want me to see what was about to happen next.", "The panes in my windows rattled with the force of the pounding at my door. It had only just begun but I could hear the voices growing louder outside. \r \nI looked into the eyes of the young imp and gave a soft and reassuring smile and began humming a calming tune. “I’ll be done in a moment and you can go.” I watched my fingers and carefully, ever so steadily, continued the last four sutures. As I trimmed the thread I heard the wood of my door finally crack and I gave the imp one last smile and a little pat on the head. “Go home now, your family is waiting.”\r \nThe imp looked conflicted. I was still here because I’d been tending his wounds instead of running. “Shoo. Shoo. Off with you.” I scooted him toward the chimney where he could make a quick escape.\r \nI came from a family of doctors and vets. We felt our duty was to save and protect those we could. It just so happened I somehow ended up a cryptid doctor. It all started with a siren who had gotten snared in a fishing net and moved on to fairies, minotaurs, and even a Big Foot. I was a doctor, only my hippocratic oath extended beyond humans.\r \nThings had been fine for the last two decades. I saw humans during the day and when I was occasionally needed by the mythical and spiritual I’d see them at night. I’d only see mythics during the day if it was an emergency. Until you’ve seen a centaur gored by a unicorn horn you don’t fully comprehend urgency.\r \nWiping the deep purple blood from my hands I unlocked my door before it fully blew open. “May I help you?” I asked, exhausted. I felt myself unceremoniously yanked out the door as a sack was thrown over my head. “WHAT THE HELL!?” I knew it was going to be bad but nothing could have ever fully prepared me for what was happening. I mean - I’d take the smell of cleaning a minotaurs infected hoof over the inside of the disgusting sack any day. I couldn’t imagine where they even got it.\r \n“Aristelle Jenkins, you’ve fraternized with the supernatural long enough.” I heard the disgusting Mayhew’s voice from the crowd I felt around me. “You’re to be burned at the stake.”\r \nIt took everything in my power not to vomit. I’d seen supposed witches burned at the stake before and… Oh God the smell, the screams, the heat. I was being dragged without any chance to argue or request a trial. As if a fair trial existed at this point.\r \nI struggled and screamed as I was dragged down the city streets until I felt tinder and wood under my feet. I was quickly shoved to my knees and tied up to a post. \r \nThis… really can’t be happening right now? Can it? Where’s Jeffrey? Where’s Lisa? Where’s everyone I have ever treated? Why aren’t they stopping this? I was one of the city’s doctors and I couldn’t understand why none of my patients were standing up for me.\r \nI held back and stopped myself from crying and screaming anymore. I would at least die with dignity. I gathered myself just in time for the sack to be ripped off so I could see the faces of all gathered. Apparently my murder was a spectacle worth watching judging by the size of the crowd. I could barely hear or comprehend what was being said to me by the head of the mob - my eyes could only follow the motion of the torches around me. \r \nIn my shock the flames were so mesmerizing I didn’t see the movement of a pixie until it hovered inches in front of my face. I jolted and stared at it. I had mended the wing of this pixie’s child a few weeks ago. \r \n“Shoo. Shoo. Go on, go!” I hurriedly rushed out. The pixie shook his head and gave a mischievous wink. \r \n…Someone’s getting pixed. I stared at the pixie as long as I could see it when I heard gasps from the crowd.\r \nThe shimmering dust reflected in the light as people began to yelp and cry from the burning and itching sensation of pixie dust. In that distraction I felt something the size of a toddler slide up behind me and Mayhew began shoving his torch in my direction. “Get rid of that beast!” I couldn’t see him but I knew it was a goblin I’d seen months before based on the overwhelming scent alone. Was his name Lenny?\r \n“Don’t listen Miss Jenkins.” The goblin placed his hands over my ears just as an aria began. \r \nI frowned and I saw people begin bending this way, that way, twirling, and smoothly dancing with looks of horror upon their faces. From the way they glanced at the sky I could only guess that Sirens had come for them.\r \nBy now, those that weren’t dancing were either still scratching themselves or running in my direction. I couldn’t hear them but got the gist that I wasn’t long for this world. As I watched my assailants close in I felt the ground rumble. It started as a slight tremor and began to turn into a rumble. I wasn’t the only one to notice dust falling from buildings as the vibrations increased.\r \nThat’s when the first chimera exploded into the square. Chimeras, followed by manticores, with centaurs and minotaurs in quick pursuit. Small members of the fae and goblin family and others were dispersed here and there. As soon as the creatures closed in on the mob the dancing stopped and Lenny removed his hands from my ears. The sirens had stopped singing and allowed the land going creatures to take over.\r \nWhat on Earth am I watching? The citizens never stood a chance. The supernatural creatures began pressing the crowd, circling them up like cattle. I couldn’t take my eyes off the sight as the goblin fiddled with my restraints. As soon as my arms dropped beside me I looked at Lenny.\r \n“Your ride’s here Miss Jenkins.” Lenny pointed at a centaur running up to me.\r \n“Uh… You want me to ride him?” I asked.\r \n“So you’re Miss Jenkins.” The centaur said as he got close. “Hop on, we need to get you out of here.”\r \nI stared at the blonde centaur in shock. “You want me to ride you?”\r \n“Do you have any other options?”\r \nI staggered to my feet and approached him. “You… do know your reputation, correct?”\r \n“Don’t worry Miss Jenkins. You’ve nothing to fear from us.”\r \n“Who said I was afraid of you?” He knelt low enough I could climb onto his back and held on.\r \n“Fair point. Hold on tight.”\r \nI almost fell off the centaur and had to awkwardly find where to hold into him as he laughed at me. Running past the crowd I could see the bands of creatures peel away from their prey and begin to follow out of the city. To my surprise I noticed no dead or dying people, only minor injuries.\r \nSuddenly a slew of fairies and a couple of pixies caught up with us and alighted everywhere they could on the centaur and myself. “You’re coming home with us now!” They squealed in excitement.\r \n“Wait, what? No I’m not. I never said I’d go home with you.” Oh no. Oh no. I can’t follow these fairies home.\r \nI saw the centaur turn his head and give a wicked smile.\r \n“I’m no fairy or supernatural.” I watched us get closer to the forest on the edge of town. “Please don’t do this.” If I jump I still won’t be able to get away. I began to panic. “I thought you said you wouldn’t do this.”\r \n“No. I only said I wasn’t going to prove the reputation of centaurs right.” The centaur responded and laughed. The fairies began giggling.\r \nI stared at the oncoming trees and the open circle I knew was just beyond sight. My stomach lurched as I came to terms with where I was going. I was being spirited away and I didn’t have any power to stop it." ]	3
	[WP] A story about a wizard who is so overpowered he doesn't just beat the strongest enemies, he always makes them go through some positive experience and begs their pardon as he beats them	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#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.", "\"Tell me. What is the point of only thrashing an evildoer within an inch of their lives if they don't learn from the experience?\"\n\nAn entirely rhetorical question that is my standard response to \"Why are you doing this to me?\" voiced by some of the evilest beings in the known and unknown plains of existence and nonexistence. I am careful of their feelings and do not laugh when they ask silly questions.\n\nHere is how a normal chastisement is administered.\n\nI establish an area where the miscreant can be contained and conditions that will draw him hither, preferably with few if any minions or hostages. Illusions of their goal being aided by coming to my trap are also used, but if you can find some harmless trinket that looks important, that is far better. Illusions can be detected. Real objects that radiate a slight glow of magic are far better. Especially when you know the scent of sorcery is nothing but a touch of Salazar's Sorcerous Aroma.\n\nOnce present in the trap, I immobilize them while I ensure that any minions are dealt with, and hostages are tended to. That is the primary purpose of my entourage.\n\nThe floor cleared for action, I enter the trap to engage in one-on-one counseling with the miscreant. They must accept the following.\n\n1. They have done wrong.\n2. They must make restitution or atone for what they have done.\n3. They have the option to change their ways.\n4. As long as they are honest with me, they have a chance.\n5. In exchange for their honesty, I offer the following.\n\n• I will help to the best of my ability.\n• I will not allow others to interfere.\n• One way or another, this is the end of their career of evil, so why not try good?\n\n••• \n\n\"I'm dreadfully sorry about this, old boy, but the jig is up, as is said in some places.\"\n\nOh, no... \n\n\"Yes, it's time to atone for your acts.\"\n\nPlease, kill me. \n\n\"Intolerabilis Dolor!\"\n\nAUGH! KILL ME NOW! \n\n\"I'm sorry, but I cannot do that. You must atone. You have a choice, though; you can choose to give up evil now.\"\n\nYES! I GIVE UP! \n\n\"So sorry, old boy. That was a lie.\"\n\nNO, IT WASN'T! I YIELD TO YOU! I CAN NOT DEFEAT YOU. I CAN ONLY ENDURE THE INTOLERABLE! WHAT YOU ASK IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME. \n\n\"Hmmm... Part truth, part lie. What I desire is your genuine atonement or conversion to good. You...\"\n\n*FOR THE DARK ONE'S SAKE! I AM A DENIZEN OF THE PRIME PLAIN OF EVIL; TO GIVE UP EVIL IN ANY WAY IS BEYOND ME!\n\n\"With my assistance, you can change your most basic nature.\"\n\nI would rather die.* \n\n\"Truth.\"\n\nAre you enjoying this? \n\n\"As an exercise of my abilities, yes.\"\n\nThen you are no different from me.\n\n\"There is some truth to that. I do enjoy the results of my work, but the work itself is unpleasant.\"\n\nLiar. You enjoy inflicting pain on a fellow sentient who cannot change in the way you require. You are a torturer who knows their final goal is the infliction of pain by any means. Have done with it. I cannot change, and you are powerless to force it. \n\nWith that, he closed his mind to me and spent his energy with a display of destructive spells aimed entirely at himself. In the end, he failed his goal of self-destruction.\n\n\"Sorry, old boy, you cannot escape that way.\"\n\nThat was not the intent. \n\n\"Explain.\"\n\nNo. \n(l ~\n\"Then you are as determined as before?\"\n\nYes. \n\n\"Good! I'm sick of this incessant do-goodery! You can try it out!\"" ]	2
	[WP] A mother is deadly ill. Her daughter sings her a lullaby one evening. The mother never wakes 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&#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 heart was heavy, it was made of the hottest metal. It burned through my rib cage as it weighed a top my stomach. I was loosing the only thing I had left. What then? What later? What now? They said to wait. It would only take a few more days but I wanted my eternity god dammit. I thought I was going to have more time with her. She means the world to me, she gave me this life, only for me to watch her lose hers. \n\nShe clears her throat softly and whispers \"S-Sing me that song that you love\"\n\nAt the shock of her voice I sit up straighter than ever, I look at her like my eyes can take in enough of her at a time. As if she might just melt right through this hospital bed. \n\n\"She's sitting at the table, the hour's getting later\nHe was supposed to be here, she's sure he would have called\n\nShe waits a little longer, there's no one in the driveway\n\nNo one said they've seen him, why, is something wrong?\n\nShe looks back to the window, suddenly the phone rings\n\nA voice says something's happened that she should come right now\n\nHer mind goes to December, she thinks of when he asked her\n\nHe bent down on his knee first and he said\nI want you forever, forever and always\n\nThrough the good and the bad and the ugly\nWe'll grow old together, forever and always\"\n\nI squeeze her weak hand in mine, as hot tears steam roll down my cheeks. I raise her hand hand and kiss it as I look over at her, she gives me one final smile before I see that twinkle in her eye fade out. Just like that everything I had was gone, in a moment. In a verse. My lovely mother, taken from me. I love you.." ]	2
	[WP] God versus a common garden slug. The slug wins.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#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 slug actually defeated me, me! A powerful god just got his ass handed to him by a slug. All because his slimy trail had caused me to slip landing in a wheelbarrow full of garden mulch. My wife didn’t take to the news very well. She hit me over the head multiple times with a frying pan cursing me out for being so stupid. For losing against a small slug, I had the headache for days, the embarrassment would last a life time. \r\n\r\nSo here I was back for my revenge to destroy this slug once and for all, he was barely moving., I could just step on him and I’d win. I smiled at the thought, I didn’t need to be an all so powerful god to defeat a slug. With a confident smile I stormed over to where the slug calmly went about his day. Lifting my left foot I went to squish the slug but before I knew it I slipped once again only this time it was on a muddy puddle Falling face first into the rose bush, a curse left my lips, that slug had to be dead now. I literally would have squished him as I fell. Pushing my body out of the rose bush, thorns pricked into my skin, but as I looked around I smiled in victory when the slug was no where to be found. \r\n\r\n“Well looks like the slug isn’t all so smart after all” I speak to myself as I try picking some of the thorns out of my skin. \r\n\r\n“It’s a slug!!” A child’s voice screamed, I turned around seeing two children running towards the play ground, but my eyes zoomed in on the small slug near the swing set, defeat fell through me. My wife was going to destroy me herself" ]	2
	[WP] Aeons from now, the Voyager probes remain undiscovered by other species. Elon's spaced roadster, 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&#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 what is it?\" the Hive thought to itself. \n\nDistributed parts had discovered the strange object floating in-between. It did not taste of the mineral and ice it was used to. It tasted of metal, and other material it had not encountered before. Bits of mineral and ice to be sure, which meant that it had been here a long time, but that information wasn't immediately useful so the Hive ignored it.\n\nMore material it had not encountered before. The metal had a long-chain chemical coating. Useful material to be sure. Other segments of the object were a wide variety of rare compounds, none that were easily found where the Hive sat, floating inside a billion bodies. \n\nPerhaps there was more to be found. The mineral and ice it mostly found was difficult to turn into new bodies. This object had clearly come from the local star. Or at least more or less. It had plentiful refined materials and in a biological system, would have tasted delicious. All the major gravity wells it had passed so far offered little. But it had detected smaller wells closer to the star. These may indeed be small enough to escape from. Most pertinently, there was something strange about one of the wells. It had a moon, that much was obvious, but it also had some fuzziness about it. Things too small to be mineral bits, like a cloud. Perhaps it was time to dig into energy reserves and commit to different sensory organs. \n\nThe Hive thought back. It had received radio pulses ages ago. But now that it was closer to the apparent epicenter, there were none.\n\nSoon, it had electromagnetic sensing organs. It peered, avoiding the harsh wash of starlight and glancing at the rough locations of each smaller gravity well ahead of it. The cloudy well was easy enough to see across its body, after spreading out a bit to get a better view. There were satellites, but not like the mineral and ice ones it was used to. These glinted and reacted like they were refined metal and silica. \n\nThe Hive moved. That looked like lunch." ]	2
	[WP] Even the most terrifying villains fear the tax collector. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 evil man cackled as he sat in his chair in front of his computer. Words flashed across the screen as his doomsday bomb grew closer to a reality; oh, he had waited so long for this day!\r\nThe world would tremble before him, his power would be unrivaled and he would finally - click. His computer whirred to a halt and the 'tick, tick, tick' of his device stopped as the counter reached 1 before flickering out entirely.\r\nFurious, he reached for his phone and picked it up. A small alert blinked at the top of the screen; \"battery low\". He furiously dialed in the number of the electric company.\r\n\r\n\r\n\"But sir, this is an emergency! I just need a few more days, sir, listen to reason!\".\r\nThen his phone went dead.\r\n\r\nNot exactly the prompt but still, it was fun to write", "The Dark Lord reclined atop his throne, an ivory-white construct adorned with the bones of the slain, polished to a gleaming shine and lit by ornate candelabras that cast an eerie flickering light.\n\n\rFrom atop his Dark Tower, an uninterrupted view of the Lands Conquered made itself available to him. All the lands of the world, from the center of the realm out to the border regions, where the waters of the ocean spilt off the edge of the world only to be reclaimed by whichever mechanism sustained it, was within view.\n\n\rAbove him, in the firmament of the heavenly spheres, was the realm of the gods. Unreachable by mortal hands, unconquerable by mortal wills.\r \nUntil now. \n\n\rThe Dark Lord, face concealed within his enchanted helmet, smiled, for today he would initiate the next stage of his plan.\r All the resources of the realm, all the esotericism of the dwarven alchemists, the craftsmanship of the elven artisans, the labor of the human guilds, every gem and ore, had been gathered through comprehensive tax policy and wrought into the structure of the Dark Tower, for this singular purpose.\n\n\rThe Dark Lord muttered a command.\r \n“Ignition.”\n\n\rAt the base of the Dark Tower, great dragonheads carved into its base roared to life, spewing forth a deafening torrent of flame. Diamonds the colour of pale-blue manifested within the flames, and the flame transitioned from yellow, to white, and then into blue. The flames, accelerated by the yawning jaws of the dragonheads, pushed the Dark Tower off the ground and up into the sky, to begin the invasion of the heavenly realms.\n\n\rThe Dark Lord cackled wildly as the reverberations shook the Dark Tower with an unparalleled violence. Dust came loose from the ceiling rafters, and loose chunks of stone fell to the floor with supernatural speed. The view from the atop the Dark Tower started to change, and the edge of the world gradually became more apparent as the Dark Tower continued to ascend, up into the heavenly realms –\n\n\rThe reverberations stopped and the noises ended. A strange sensation enveloped the Dark Lord as he lifted off from his throne, which was anchored to the floor. Nausea briefly enveloped the Dark Lord before it disappeared again, suppressed by his enlightened instincts.\n\n\rGradually, the view of the Lands Conquered stopped changing.\r Instead of growing smaller beneath him, the Dark Lord watched at the Lands Conquered started to grow in size once more. A burning rage consumed him as he turned his gaze to the heavens above, growing more distant as the Dark Tower began to descend.\r \nThe reverberations from earlier were now replaced by a frantic shaking from the wind whistling past, growing ever more violent, until the entire tower flipped upside down, sending the Dark Lord careening about his throne room, his fall halted only by a frantic grab onto the throne.\r \nClutching the throne in desperation, the Dark Lord could only watch helplessly as the Lands Conquered grew ever larger, ever closer, until it was once again –\n\n\r \n\\---\n\n\r \nFrom a safe distance, the enslaved dwarven alchemists, elven artisans, and human guildmates shared a hearty cheer as they watched the Dark Tower rise into the air atop a tower of flame, before returning back to the ground with a catastrophic impact and explosion. \n\n\r“The Dark Lord is dead! Long live the Dark Lord!”\n\n\rCries of celebration and ironic adulation filled the air as the populace, long held under the cruel bootheel of the Dark Lord’s tyrannic tax policies, watched the Dark Lord succumb to a tax policy not of his making, but of the world’s making.\n\n\rFor all that rise must eventually fall, without exception.\n\nAuthor note: Thanks for reading. The tax in this case is gravity losses, and since the world is a flat disc, you can't exactly get smart and try to orbit. If you liked this work, I have a webnovel that I am updating progressively, which can be found here: https://www.webnovel.com/book/polaris-north-star-chronicles\\_23138447306348605. Cheers, and thanks again for reading.", "The desire to live exists within all creatures. A baseline pull that thrums from within the stirs of consciousness... ever present, even while facing our end without fear. Or taking ones life to flee to what one hopes is a better existence - hanging peacefully as nothing once more. \n\nDespite human kind's (and many other civilizations across the universe's) efforts over millennia to unlock the secrets of sentience... to prolong lives... to break the rules of this reality.... no one thought to consider the outcome they were avoiding was in itself the answer. \n\nMortality comes for everyone.\n\nIt is a deal dealt in the inky veil which demands to be honored. For what is given does not come without a price... a tax that is branded onto every soul. Leaving some more lucky than others in the gamble that is birthing oneself into being. From an ant, to a human, there is no difference to death. \n\nAs a warning to those who seek to evade their final debt, you may hide or run but your opponent will never rest. It will always be watching and waiting to get what it is finally due. What happens on the other side? Well... that's up to you and what you decide to do." ]	4
	[WP] "Has anyone seen (Protagonist)?" A murmur of panic surges through the group. One voice replies. "Thought you were watching them today." "I-I was! They must've snuck away when I went to get lunch!" "You left them ALONE?!"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "“Dan…” Marcy said in annoyance as the rest of the Eccentric Eleven were in a panic, looking for their group’s leader.\n\n“Daniel, I swear to GOD. You and Melanie are LITERALLY two peas in a pod. And now look at what you’ve done.”\n\n“Nebula, I’m sorry—“\n\n“Dan, just forget about it. The more time we waste, the longer it takes us to find her.” Ember stated as the rest of the group agreed.\n\nMeanwhile, Melanie had snuck away while Daniel had gone to get some more food for the rest of the group. Giggling mischievously, she immediately went to cause chaos.\n\nBeing the hero of Miitopia, or any other world, was truly exhausting, so it was always nice when she had some time to herself. Unfortunately, wherever the warrior went, trouble was always sure to follow.\n\nWhich was probably why she ended up turning into a lamb-human hybrid before passing out and waking up in a dark wooded area.\n\nGoddamnit.\n\nBefore she could even figure out where she was, some strange hooded amalgamations grabbed hold of her and threw her in the middle of a pentagram. They mumbled something about a sacrifice and a prophecy before grabbing a large axe, beginning to swing at her.\n\n“…I’m fucked.”" ]	2
	[WP] A Faerie Nymph is wandering care-free through the forest when she happens across an Iron sword that had been lost. Curiously, she picks it up and feels that it had been imbued with intensely malevolent energy, and she has a flash of images in her mind about the history of the sword...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "There it was. The dark sword, sticking straight up out of the ancient rock it had stood in her entire life. Just sitting there spitting out a malevolent hatred in all directions. Siphri had never known how the sword got there, and neither did any of the oldest fae in the forest. It had just always been here in this clearing. Always\n\nShe slowly crept closer to the evil sword the shroud of darkness around it growing heavier. It seemed to focus on her, making her glass like wings shiver. But she pushed forward, her hand outstretched. She wanted to pick up the sword, to know why this weapon had such hatred in its heart. Why, when she wandered and frolicked in the forest, it seemed to call out to her in its rage. Why this sword, darker than the night on a new moon, etched with indecipherable runes along its spine, rested here in this peaceful place.\n\nSiphri's delicate fingers closed around the hilt, the cloud of rage freezing around her. At first, nothing happened. The world just seemed to stand still. Then, as she was debating letting go of the handle and flying back to her alcove, the darkness seemed to converge on her. Condensing in her chest, and sending searing pain through her body. She tried to let go, tried to fly away on her delicate wings, but it was no use. Her fingers would not budge, and soon the world grew darker... and darker...\n\n\n\nSiphro was suddenly looking up from a strange position. The edges of her vision were heavily blurred, and she couldn't move her limbs- or, she felt she didn't have limbs. There was nothing there to move. So, she focused on what was in front of her. \n\nA man, a human man, was pounding away at a red hot length of steel. His sweat dripped off his muscled body, onto the floor below him as his heavy hammer slammed down onto the anvil. His body was covered in a dark soot, hiding much of his features from Siphri. It fascinated her, and she simply watched. Eventually, the man lifted the heavy chunk of iron and dunked it into a long bucket of water, and inspected the blade. It was an elegant longsword, it's blade true, edge sharp even before the blade was treated. The man simply nodded, and set the blade aside. Suddenly, there was a small noise outside of Siphri's view. A small creak of floorboards. \n\n\"Ah! My love, have you come for our date tonight?\" The man asked, wiping away the sweat from his forehead. \n\nThere was a pause, before a high elf stepped into Siphri's view, her magical robes sparkling like the morning dew on grass. Her ling ears, longer than any regular elf, twitched slightly. In her hand, a long staff fashioned from an old oak tree, a large purple quartz gem embedded in the top. \n\n\"Yes, I am ready.\" The woman said simply, her voice like soft chimes in the wind.\n\nThe man smiled, a genuine smile of love and trust. He took a bucket of water and wiped all the soot from his body, and shook his hair.\n\n\"One moment, love. Let me grab my things.\" \n\nThe man moved swiftly, grabbing a nice set of what looked like a fine set of blue robes. His large hand suddenly reached towards Siphri, and she began to think she had been spotted and was about to be punished for trespassing on this intimate moment. But no, instead her view shifted again, to be around hip height on the man. She could clearly see the elven woman, but no longer could see the human. \n\n'I am the sword' siphri realized, as the man began to speak once more. \n\n\"Sylva, why are you in your warlock robes? Were going on a date, not a battle.\" \n\nThe human was obviously jesting with the elf, but the elf did not answer for a long moment. Siphri began to worry that the elf was angry, before her voice quietly rang out. Her face seemed- strained, perhaps slightly sad, as she spoke. \n\n\"I just felt like wearing them. I haven't put them on in quite a while, not since before our wedding.\" \n\nSiphri was flabbergasted. This elf, a HIGH elf no less, had married a human. Siphri was still processing this when her view began to move, as her- host- moved towards the el- Sylva. \n\n\"Ah I see, well you're perfectly welcome to! You look fantastic in everything, even after Avatre came into thr picture.\" \n\nThe man leaned forward, and Siphri temporarily lost view of everything but the wall. She heard the two kiss, before the man looped his arm through his wife's and began to lead the way out of what Siphri now knew was the humans workshop. \n\nThey walked, through the enchanted forest that siphri knew well- or what she thought she knew well. The trees seemed less... magical. She couldn't see any other fae, or even pixies. Of course, she was mostly facing the high elf, but still. They were walking for quite a while, until the sun began to set below the tree line. \n\n\"My love, we should head back. I'm sure Avatre is starting to get hungry.\" The man stated. \n\nSiphri saw Sylvas face soften for a moment, before her eyes closed. \n\n\"No, no. Let's stop here for a moment, im tired.\" She answered, moving away from the man. \n\n\"Tired? My love, are you feeling well? I thought elves didn't-\"\n\nSiphri saw the rock below her, the rock the sword had be embedded in. Strange, they seem to have traveled to the spot she knew she was standing in currently, as everything clicked. This was the swords past, showing it to her. But why? Suddenly, the human was cut off as a dull thud rang out. \n\nThe world turned sideways as the human fell forward, gurgling. There was a second thud, then the sound of more gurgling. The man managed to whisper out a warning to Sylva, who Siphri could see standing to the side, looking away from him. Boots came into her view, as well ans short and stout legs. \n\n\"Ah, Grotan. I see yer having a bit of a hard time.\" A Gruff, deep voice that grated together like two boulders grinding together bellowed out. A dwarfs voice. \n\nThere was more gurgling, and Siphri could feel the human try and grab the hilt to his sword- to Siphri's handle. But the boot swung forward, kicking the blade from the man's hand. She found feel her sharp edge swirling through the air, then heard the sound of metal on stone. She was now looking over the entire clearing, watching as a dwarf with a stone colored beard crouched over the dying man, red blood blossoming on his back through his ruined blue robes. \n\n\"Ah ah ah, Grotan, my friend. I know what that sword can do, so let's not try anything rash.\" The rough voice said, kicking the man's side. \n\n\"Is he...is he dead?\" Sylva asked, her ears turned down amd still refusing to look at her dying husband.\n\n\"Not quite yet, my beautiful fae.\" The dwarf coo'd, kicking the human again. \n\nThe human let put another pained, gurgling breath as the dwarf put his heavy boot on top of the man's head. \n\n\"Ah, my friend, don't worry. I'll take nice good care of yer wife here, and yer daughter.\" \n\nThe sickening crunch of the dwarf's \nboot connecting with the humans head and breaking bone filled the air. The human stopped moving, and Siphri watched as the dwarf triumphantly walked over to the high elf and bowed. Sylva said nothing, just leaned down and kissed the dwarf square on the top of the head. They left, leaving the body to rot on the ground...\n\n\n\nSiphri gasped as she regained consciousness, bolting upright. Her wings shook, she was sweating, and she could still see the last moment of the man as he died. Shaking, she stood and looked at the sword still embedded in its stone, radiating hatred just like before. This time, though, Siphri flew away as fast as she could.", "La Fio was an old nymph. Two hundred years was her estimate although the Fae don't really have a good way to track age when they move between planes. She'd been beautiful her whole life which meant she wasn't pushing 500 or anything. She was there when Phi Ometa, the brave young nymph of the underwood discovered a cavern that planed them into two new worlds.\n\nPlaning had always been La's goal, as was any of the nymph kind since Phi made his discovery. Nymphs were not big achievers and did not attach themselves to achievement, they always went with the flow.\n\nSo when La found the sword lying in the middle of the passage to the Fawndark next to two dead nymphs and a wounded underling clinging to life she felt both pain and excitement. Two unfamiliar feelings that flung her into action. She had only minutes earlier been dreaming of a simple mushroom lunch, that was now a distant existence. \n\nShe picked it up and a rush of energy flowed into her, burning her hand. But in the flash, the misery, she saw history, and she dropped the sword which resonated on the ground. She heard violence in the metallic reverberations and in them were heard three utterances in the underling tongue. \n\"Human. Death. Poison.\"\n\nThese were the only three words the sword understood There were countless Fae living in the underling world, but in an instance she knew what she had to do. She picked up the sword and repeated the three underling words with a crashing gutteral roar and tore at the passage of the Fawndark.\n\nThe passage split and out of the wreckage opened the passage to the human violence and poison. She tossed the sword inside and bound the gate to close with the the words.\n\nWithout the sword in hand the words ate at her fragile body and withered her skin. She aged 500 years in a moment and the passage closed up. \n\n---\nLa Fio was an old nymph by anyone's account. Some said she predated the origin of the Fae, for they knew none who looked her equal. La Fio cried that day and many others with the pain she took on in the Fawndark passage. It was now a shattered plane passage which was truly the scar she wore.\n\nShe was the opposite of her hero. Phi Ometa stood for exploration and the future, but her single action cut off the passage to two realms.\n\nSomehow the underling passages all shut on that day. Despite her age, in the council meetings she always swore she would find a new passage back to the Fawndark. The underling who killed her kin was kept a secret, as was his imprisonment in her home. But thanks to the poison in his nature she would learn to rip open a new passage and become a planer herself.\n\nOne day the stars would realign." ]	3
	[WP] Any exposure to dragon’s blood will cause you to turn into a dragon. The dragon you just slew is currently bleeding out into a major river supplying most of the kingdom with drinking water.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 dragon plummeted into the river, trailing blood as a meteor might trail fire and dust. The hunters cheered as red-black water splashed up around the fallen monster’s corpse. They had no idea what they’d done. Only Damorak knew, or Damien, as the hunters called him. His old name.\n\nDamien the Dragonslayer, he’d been called. A name he’d earned. It was almost foreign to him now. Like it was someone else’s memory. Everything had changed when he’d slain Malorak a year prior. His sword had broken during the fight, leaving him with little more than a foot of steel. He’d had to plunge his entire arm into the dragon’s chest to reach its heart. When he pulled it out, it was different. The flesh dissolved and scales grew over to replace it. But there was more. He was different. He no longer saw people as his kin. They seemed more like . . . rabbits. Small game, meant to be preyed upon for sport and sustenance. These thoughts felt intrusive at first. But in time, they became natural. Damien became Damorak as he forgot why the thoughts had ever repulsed him.\n\nHe wrapped his arm in bandages and returned home to the cheers of the people, but they rang false in his ears. The braying of animals. The chatter of undisciplined children. After a few agonizing months of trying to live among them, trying to remember his humanity, he knew what he had to do.\n\nSo he gathered the people for one last hunt. One final dragon to slay to complete his legacy. They spent weeks driving it west, toward the great river that sated the kingdom. When it was finally in position, Damien ordered it shot down. Now it sat in the river, bleeding companionship into the world.\n\nA new world. For Damorak and his people.\n\nHis true people." ]	2
	[WP] You dreamed of being a starship captain, but the training is too expensive. When a distant relative leaves you their mortgaged Bantam-class cruiser, you face a series of choices: Sell it for tuition, assume the existing cargo contracts, or investigate the offer made by the local cartel.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 huddle around the table with my friends. The pub bustles, yet that didn't bother the three of us.\n\n\"Okay,\" I breathe out. \"I'm stupid. That's why I brought you two here. To consult me.\"\n\nDarren raises his hand.\n\n\"No, I'm not paying you guys a fee.\"\n\nHe lowers his hand.\n\n\"Take it easy on me. You guys are my friends. Anyways, we have three options,\" I pound with my fist on the cracked, sawdust-covered table, forcing us to cough. \"Okay, my bad, I didn't mean to smash it that—\n\n\"We have three options. Sell the cruiser, assume the existing cargo, or investigate the offer by the local cartel.\"\n\n\"Sounds solid,\" Hardy says.\n\n\"I agree. That's why—\"\n\n\"But have you considered a fourth option?\"\n\n\"—Oh god.\"\n\n\"Now, hear me out,\" Hardy gesticulates wildly. \"I know a guy who knows a guy who's space ferret needs a certain mortgaged Bantam-class cruiser to conduct a mission to see the king of the stars. He will reward us handsomely.\"\n\n\"Now, hear me out,\" Hardy gesticulates wildly. \"I know a guy who knows a guy whose space ferret needs a certain mortgaged Bantam-class cruiser to conduct a mission to see the king of the stars. He will reward us handsomely.\"\n\n\"He'll pay us in space pancakes,\" Hardy smiles.\n\nMy jaw drops.\n\n\"Who's in?\" Hardy leads.\n\nDarren raises his hand. I follow.", "Hydra station wasn’t the kind of place that anyone came to without good reason. \r \n\r \nThere were the scientists, the miners, the navy, some freight crews and those few poor sods who had been born to the misbegotten rock. \r \n\r \nFor the first 19 years of my life I had been forced to accept that I would always be a member of the latter group. The Navy Lieutenant had almost laughed when I had walked my scrawny low-grav ass into the local office. As for being a scientist or a miner… well Hydra wasn’t exactly the University of Terra, and one class a year at the local scholam wasn’t going to cut it for any decent gig. \r \n\r \n Three days after my twentieth birthday, alone in my hab that had changed. When I read the message telling me that my ship would be arriving at dock in two weeks I deleted it immediately, mistaking it for a scam, or worse a trap. The cartel had been known to lure individuals to the docks that way. The three physical letters slid under my door didn’t convince me either, though they looked legitimate.\r \n\r \nIt wasn’t until I got the bill from the harbourmaster that I realized it was for real. I was angry. The bill was practically the complete sum of my meager savings but when I’d gone in to cuss the harbourmaster out, he had handed me the ownership-ident with a look that could only be jealousy.\r \n\r \nI suppose I could have sold the ship. It would have covered a full course of education, maybe even an engineering certification, or miners permit. \r \n\r \nI didn’t end up selling it.\r \n\r \nI climbed into the ship, took my seat at the helm and fired up the engines.\r \n\r \nThe cold metal of a gun barrel pressed into the nape of my neck. \r \n\r \n“You and I are going to go on a little errand.”" ]	3
	[WP] A young slum dweller is reluctantly accepted to their nation's magical school due to the strength of their magic, and learns that there's a really good reason why the mages with their lavish lifestyle don't try to improve the slums	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 sure you have been learning about this novel new \"electric power\" in your natural philosophy course. As I find that students are more attentive when there's something shiny and new, I'll be borrowing an analogy for today's class on mana theory. \n\nLast week we covered the nature of mana as being intrinsically linked to human emotion and stress. The happier you are the more powerful you can be. Or in terms of today's analogy the stronger your electronic current. \n\nYou see electricity is a wonderful way of moving power very quickly and conveniently. But what are you moving really? It's not oil or gas to be pumped through a pipe and even though you could say that the wire acts as a pipe that's not really true. \n\nIt's about resolving the imbalance between the positive and negative particles. Mana too is about the resolution of imbalance. The practical mana applications teacher will tell you to think of being happy as generating mana and for her purposes that's useful enough. But in my class we have a stricter standard. Being happy generates the imbalance between your internal mana and the external mana that your PMA teacher calls mana. \n\nBut if happy positive emotions within you are creating an imbalance with the external mana then that must mean that the external mana is coming from.... Jhinston?\"\n\n\"Uuummm negative sad emotions?\"\n\n\"Is that a question jhinston?... Nevermind continuing. Despite his uncertainty jhinston was correct. You are learning in your Emotional Regulation class, how to internalize your happiness and maximise your mana gain. Naturally human nature is to internalize happiness and reject sadness. This is why the ambient mana is negatively charged and that is why we can use our positive mana to generate magical effects. Hmm what is it clertwell?\"\n\n\"So can it go the other way professor? Could a sad person around a bunch of happy people use magic?\"\n\n\"That's a very interesting question. Theoretically the answer is yes, but practically it's infeasible. Environmental mana disperses and equalises very quickly. so to get enough of a concentration of ambient positive mana to perform this \"reverse magic\" you would need an exceptionally large group of people that are both very happy and don't believe they deserve any of that happiness. And in order to cast in that environment you would need to be incredibly depressed and self loathing. So to answer your question clertwell it's possible but horrifying to think about.\"" ]	2
	[WP] You are a police officer who was given a cold case about a murder. After skimmed through it, you realize that you're the victim.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Part One\n\nAlong the icy roads of Baker Street, where headlights flashed into darkened nights and trees towered high, a plane swam from behind fog, grazing the black sky as stars appeared beneath stormy clouds. \n\nThe night was long, but then again, it usually was. \n\nBaker’s street might as well be a ghost town at this point, for all that it’s been abandoned. An old folktale of once bursting colours, now dreary and dreadful, where civilization lied miles away, perhaps tucked behind the outskirts of a tragic world. \n\nBaker’s street might have been a ghost town, if not for the sole house that sat stowed away in the corner, directly beneath the bursting moon. The house, looking more like a shack, had not been properly maintained for quite some time. It had belonged to an old couple many years before, but in the end they had been unable to keep up with maintenance, and, having no family near for support, had been forced to sell it to a young officer just on the cusps of adulthood.\n\nThey had hoped the house would become a home to the young man, just as it had to them, but Michael Davis was not that kind of man. He had no time for sentiments, and even less time to care for a house that was clearly well passed its due. But the market price was cheaper than most thanks to the oddity of location, so Michael Davis settled for the shabby cabin even if he had wanted more. \n\nWhat’s more, however, was the peculiarities that somehow followed the lone house. Officer Davis had woken up more than once to the sounds of lightened footsteps shuffling against his soft wooden floorboards, and had even seen water left running from the tap in the kitchen sink come morning, despite swearing he had switched the handles off the previous night. Oddities followed the small house, indeed, but Officer Davis wasn’t deterred. He had seen many strange things during his time as a police officer, and, as such, was used to mystery. He was one of the best deputies on his force, with a specialty for cracking even the coldest of cases. \n\nUncanny houses aside, Officer Davis was what some would call a ‘workaholic’. He had certainly heard his coworkers complain about his dedication more than once, calling him ‘too eager’ and a ‘suck up’, as if he had nothing going for him but a precedent in the middle of nowhere, but the truth was that Officer Davis enjoyed his job. He had always wanted to be a detective ever since he was a kid, and had since been working his way up. Unfortunately, that meant dealing with annoying coworkers and cold cases for the next little while. \n\nOfficer Davis, Michael now that he was in the warmth of his own house, sighed, rubbing at his temples as the beginning of a headache ate away at his skull. \n\nHe had just arrived home after dealing with a particularly hard case, and wanted nothing more than to put his feet up and watch his favourite t.v. show, but his police chief had asked him to take a look at a few cold cases that had been left untouched for some time. \n\nMichael grabbed the nearest one scattered across his kitchen table, and pushed out a chair to prop his feet upon. \n\nHe sighed once more, leaning his head back against the chair as far as he could, trying to remove the knots that had somehow found its way into his neck. Once satisfied, he opened the case in his hand and skimmed through it, pausing when he noticed something odd. He squinted, trying to determine just what had made this case so peculiar. The victim, a male in his early thirties at the time of disappearance, had been missing for more than ten years, no evidence left behind or foul play suspected. It was as if he had dropped off the face of the universe. Michael frowned, and glanced up to determine the name of the victim. Perhaps he could start there, names were always helpful. \n\nHe dropped the cold case, however, when his eyes reached the victim’s name. A loud thud reverberated against the house’s walls as falling paper met floor. \n\nMichael blinked in thought, thinking he had clearly misread the name — that it was late and he was tired and completely, utterly out of his mind. His brain was working in overdrive, his limbs sluggish and slow, uncooperative even as his body begged him to bed down and pick up the vase once more. \n\nMichael had always wondered what going into shock felt like. He had seen it many times with many victims, but knowing and seeing were two completely different things. He vowed that if he ever survived this encounter of panic, he would never wonder again. \n\nSlowly, almost painfully, he dropped to the floor and turned over the fallen case. His fingers shakily gripped at the old paper, and he held it delicately in his hands, as if one wrong move would cause it to disintegrate entirely. \n\nHe closed his eyes, willing this to all be a dream, before he brought his gaze to the name once more. Just as he had the first time, Michael sucked in a sharp breath when he confirmed that this, in fact, were not actually a dream, but a nightmare. One awful, unlawful nightmare. \n\nThere, sitting wretchedly against the stark white paper in Michael’s hands, was a single name.", "Sophy as well as Joanne should've known it'd come up at some point. That they'd be handed the case to the serial child murders their entire hometown had become infamous for since the late 80's. But it didn't make the nature of the cold case on her desk any less unsettling.\n\n\"And here I thought we were actually done with this,\" they both said with a sigh.\n\n\"'Fraid not, Officer Coneca,\" said Officer Devin. \"We'd give this case to someone else, but, eh... you'd probably be called back along with your friends as witnesses anyways, I guess. Almost makes me wish protocols actually existed for the supernatural, y'know?\"\n\n\"Almost,\" Sophy repeated. \"Alright, let's make this quick.\"\n\nSometimes, it was actually not that bad to have your soul tethered to that of your dead relative who was supposed to be your aunt or cousin or whatever. But when that dead relative died of a murder that had never been properly solved because it basically became a haunting case, too... Well, let's just say cops weren't usually too crazy to get that work done when it was already technically too late. Ah, well, what are you gonna do?\n\nJoanne had mostly gotten used to not technically having her own body, being forced to ride shotgun in Sophy's body, but it was better than being stuck in a decommissioned fast food joint. Besides, Sophy could ask her second cousin all the things the report wanted to know, and she could say who the killer was and the circumstances of many ghosts' deaths straight from the horse's mouth. Several horses, in fact.\n\n\"Honestly makes me wish our killer's ghost was still around to yell at,\" Joanne remarked from inside her head.\n\n\"I know,\" Sophy muttered ruefully. \"Lots of phone calls to make, lots of semi-interrogations to schedule, lots of shit to write down... I need another mocha. This is gonna be a long day.\"\n\n\"I'll pray that the coffee machine doesn't break again, for yours and everyone else's sakes.\"", "\"Ok Zoey, please tell me you have something good for me this time. I'm so done with those premature grave escapes bullshit...\"\r \n\r \n\"Don't worry, Jack, this one is gonna be soooo good. Someone tipped me off that it's something right up your alley.\"\r \n\r \n\"Someone, you say. I'm getting worried.\"\r \n\r \n\"It's a cold-case murder, dropped seventy years ago after no one could move it even the teensy-weensy step forward. So, get this one: single male, thirty-seven, stab wound in the back. Body found in a closed apartment, no sign of anyone breaking in. But that's not the best part. There was a large rubber duck inserted into his-\"\r \n\r \n\"Goddammit, Mark. He's your mysterious tipper, isn't he?\"\r \n\r \n\"Um...\"\r \n\r \n\"That's it, I'm calling HR, and this time, I won't rest until he gets another few centuries added to his servitude. It's the fourteenth time he tries to hand me my own death investigation.\"\r \n\r \n\"So...\"\r \n\r \n\"Are you really going to ask?\"\r \n\r \n\"I mean, I know I shouldn't, but... the duck?\"\r \n\r \n\"I'm pretty sure he did it, but I don't have enough to press those charges... yet.\"", "Going back to my rapping spree. Let’s go.\n\n[Poem]\n\nI didn’t look before it came across my desk\n\nI nearly threw it away like I did with all the rest\n\nBut suddenly I saw it that my name is on every single paper\n\nWhat did I do to earn that, you wager?\n\nWell I can’t remember, I’m feeling kind of lost\n\nMy life feels like it’s like a basketball toss\n\n‘Cause you see, I’m apparently dead\n\nHow? I’m standing here healthy and fed!\n\nI didn’t know what to do, so I went to the killer’s address.\n\nKnocked on it, here’s what she said instead:\n\n“There’s no one here, go away my man.”\n\nI didn’t understand, so I did some researching.\n\nTurned out that guy was no longer alive and lurching.\n\nSo what am I? Some sort of ghost?\n\nA zombie? A skeleton? Never alive almost.\n\nI look down and I feel myself fading away…\n\nr/SimbaKingdom. Sorry if this is kind of bad" ]	5
	[WP] A hero goes undercover as a henchman for a villain however they discover that the villains employee benefits are much better than the Heroes association.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "#WalkMan & Dr. Doomsday\n\n\"Brenda here will get you set up in our system.\" Doctor Doomsday told me, escorting me through the halls of his Fortress of Doomitude. \"I know you don't intend to stay forever, WalkMan, but this way we can at least pay you for your time with us.\"\n\nI uttered a simple grunt in return.\n\nDoctor Doomsday clasped my shoulder with one robotic hand. \"Lighten up, WalkMan\" He said to me, grinning from ear to ear. \"You may even begin to enjoy it if you give it a chance.\"\n\nThe villain left me alone with the middle age woman he had called Brenda. I could faintly hear Doctor Doomsday cackle as he walked out of the Human Resources wing, before the sliding doors closed behind him. The light from the hallway shone through the glass door, casting an image of the corrupted Rod of Asclepius Doomsquad logo onto the carpet. \n\nBrenda herself was a short woman, somewhere north of middle aged if I had to guess. She wore a brown pants suit with no hint of decorative color or accessory. \n\n\"Welcome to the Fortress of Doomitude, the main base of operations for the Doomsquad.\" She said, in a chipper voice suited for someone of a much younger stature. \n\n\"Yeah\" I replied, taking the empty seat on the visitor side of her desk. \"I'll be working with Doctor Doomsday until we've-\"\n\n\"Yes, Doctor Doomsday has explained the circumstances of your employment.\" Brenda said, cutting me off with polite professionalism. Her fingers flew across the mechanical keyboard on her desk, creating a staccato of key presses as she typed. \"We can skip the 401K matching plan if you'd like to expedite this process.\"\n\n\"Hold on, you have matching 401K contributions?\" I asked, caught off guard. \n\nBrenda nodded, not taking her eyes from the computer screen. \"We match up to 25% for new hires, and 75% after your first full year of employment or first successful field operation, whichever comes first.\"\n\nI stared at the short woman in shock. \"The Hero's Union only matches up to 3%\" I said quietly.\n\nBrenda clicked a few buttons and squinted at the screen. \"You can roll over any previous retirement plans into this one after 6 months of employment, if you choose. But that can be decided later.\" \n\nWith a monumental force of will, I pushed past the retirement plan options. I wasn't planning on making a career of helping Doctor Doomsday take down the mysterious 'The Office' organization. \n\n\"Lets skip that for now\" I said, and waited for Brenda to finish clacking away at the keyboard before speaking again. \n\n\"Next up is the vacation and sick day policies.\" Brenda said, flipping her screen around to show me the display. \"In your first year, you qualify for three weeks of vacation, and unlimited sick days with a doctors note. We take employee health very seriously here. If you feel like you're getting sick, visit the infirmary here immediately for diagnosis and treatment.\"\n\n\"Let me guess...\" I said, as I leaned forwards to read the screen. \n\n\"Doctor Doomsday is the medical officer, yes.\" Brenda answered the unasked question. \"One of his doctorates is in medicine, after all. He even keeps his medical license up to date.\"\n\nI raised an eyebrow, impressed. \"Let's skip past this too. My healing playlist can cure anything, so I won't be needing that.\"\n\nBrenda turned her screen back to its usual position, and resumed the machine gun rattle of typing on her keyboard. \"Ok, we have contact information next. Who is your next of kin?\" \n\nI paused. \"Um, I guess that would be Steven, my son.\" \n\nBrenda paused, giving me a good look for the first time. \"You're Steven's father?\" She asked, her eyes lighting up at mention of the boy. \"I absolutely adore him, he reminds me of my step-son at that age. Did you teach him how to make that ice cream like he makes?\"\n\nI stared at Brenda in silence. I didn't really feel up to explaining my whole life's story to this woman, about how his mother had hidden the pregnancy from me, raised Steven in secret, only to be revealed to me by Doctor Doomsday himself as part of one of his nefarious plans...\n\n\"No\" I answered, after an uncomfortable silence. \"He learned that elsewhere.\"\n\nBrenda nodded, and turned back to the screen. \"Ok, well we already have Steven's information, obviously, so I'll skip this section.\" She hummed to herself as she steadily clicked the mouse, most likely hitting a 'skip' button until she got to the next section. \n\n\"Do you have any allergies or illnesses that we should be aware of?\" She asked, then fell silent in thought. \"I suppose you can cure anything like that yourself, so we can skip medical too.\"\n\nI nodded, staying silent once more. \n\n\"Ok, one last thing here.\" Brenda said, typing furiously once more. \"Would you like to enroll in our continuing education program? We pay for a single college class per semester, hosted online by our local University.\"\n\nI considered this briefly. \"Yes, actually.\"\n\nBrenda bent down to open a desk drawer, and came back up with a brochure. A diverse mix of smiling students were posed on the cover, standing on some sort of abstract art piece.\n\n\"Were there any classes you are interested in?\" Brenda asked, as I perused the brochure. \"The subjects do not necessarily need to relate back to your work duties here, but it is encouraged.\"\n\nI glanced up from the pamphlet. \"Do they offer any engineering classes?\"\n\nBrenda's eyes lit up once more. \"They do! They offer a wide variety of engineering subjects. Were you looking for anything in particular? They have Electrical, Civil, Aerospace-\"\n\nI glanced back to the pamphlet, and the hand clutching it. Specifically, I looked at the robotic ring finger on my right hand. I watched it adjust itself ever so slightly, keeping in synch with the real fingers on either side. \n\n\"Mechanical.\" I said, and clenched the pamphlet in my fist. \n\n\"Certainly!\" Brenda said, oblivious to the pamphlet's demise. \"Would you like for me to sign you up for the fall semester?\"\n\n\"Please\" I muttered, returning to my usual speech pattern of one-word grumbles. \n\nAfter a few more clicks, a printer groaned as it woke from its slumber, and spat out a relatively small document. Brenda took the paper, gave it a once over proof read for any glaring errors, then handed it to me. \n\n\"Please sign here, here and here.\" She said, indicating each spot with a small sticker of the Doomsquad logo. I removed each one before signing. \n\nBrenda took the form back, examining them briefly once more, then filed them away in some bureaucratic jungle of manilla folders. \n\n\"Mr. Man, I would like to officially welcome you to the Doomsquad. Would you like to be fitted for your uniform today?\"\n\n\"Yes, he would.\" A voice answered behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Doctor Doomsday had returned, grinning widely still. His cheek muscles were in danger of bursting from all the smiling he was doing lately. \n\n\"I want the option to have you blend in with other minions in the field,\" Doctor Doomsday explained. \"A uniform and facial covering would-\"\n\n\"I was going to do it anyways\" I grumbled at my nemesis. \"Never know when something like that could come in handy.\"\n\n/r/SlightlyColdStories for more" ]	2
	[WP] Why yes, this is clearly the intended use for this multi-million dollar piece of hardware.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "TIME: 12:33 A.M.\n\n07 July 2007\n\n“Oh we are definitely getting fired for this.”\n\n“I would rather be transferred in the morning than fired tonight.”\n\nThe two pilots went silent as they exchanged glances before returning their gaze back to the sheeted-ship. They were alone with it. Adam’s beaming eyes were a reflection of his wide-toothed grin. Seeing this, Zeke let out a sigh and started walking toward the hangar.\n\n“I can’t change your mind on this, can I?”\n\n“Nope,” Adam replied, walking over and planting a hand on Zeke’s shoulder. “C’mon it’ll be a surprise!”\n\n“If we only get fired and not worse. That will be a surprise.”\n\n“Just gonna have to trust me. I trust you can figure out how to start the thing?”\n\nZeke shot him a death stare and Adam nervously took a step back.\n\n“Duh, it’s my job,” he said dryly. He shook his head and a light chuckle escaped him in his walk toward the console behind them. Attempting to hide his excitement, Adam briskly walked toward the back of the ship to remove the dark sheet that covered its exterior. Now up close he admired its height and size in comparison to the two pilots. He turned to face Zeke who was now locked in front of the console monitor as he entered information.\n\n“So does this thing take Diesel or?”\n\n“Just pull the sheet off,” Zeke replied annoyedly. “We’re almost ready to go, ‘Cadet’.”\n\n“Aha, ‘Cadet.’ Very funny.”\n\nAt the last remark Adam yanked the sheet off and they both beheld the ship. It was triangular, a shade of gray almost black, lined with panels on its undercarriage. Adam continued to study the craft and stuck his hand out to touch the closet piece of metal. It was cold, hardened unlike any other aircraft or vehicle he had encountered. He tapped one of its nearby legs like a cowboy reunited with his stead. “So this is it, huh?”\n\n“Yes, this is it,” Zeke replied before turning again to face the monitor.\n\nWith a few more keystrokes, the ship hummed to life. Becoming like a child witnessing fireworks for the first time, Adam’s jaw dropped. Zeke was quickly at his side and tapped him on the shoulder before nodding up at the drawbridge descending from the middle.\n\n“C’mon, we gotta hurry up.”\n\nThe two rushed inside. The bridge descended behind them as they found their seats. Inside the ship it was dimly lit by a few onboard lights and accompanying monitors. There were four seats, and Adam took the front one to the right. Naturally, he began turning dials, pushing some levers up and pulling others down. Behind him, Zeke was moving from station to station turning on the different computers at each one. He quickly scanned the interior of the ship, nodding at the different stations he observed, noticing his brother’s stupidly jetted thumb in the air.\n\n“Ready?” Adam asked, smiling with his other hand rested atop a lever.\n\n“I hate you.”\n\nZeke groaned, taking a seat next to Adam and pressing a button that lifted the hangar doors. He shook his head and stuck his thumb up in the air before bumping fists with Adam who then launched them through the open hangar.\n\n“So, where to first buddy?”\n\n“How about we visit Roswell again?”", "“I have to say, I am impressed!”, the ambassador of the Glork empire said. he was a tall, green man, with two antennas on his head big black eyes. Humanity made contact with this species just a few weeks ago and they started exchanging diplomats in order to establish a peaceful relationship. \n\n\n \n“I am very glad you liked the little sightseeing tour! Now you have seen most of humanities cultural heritages. The best and the worst of nearly twenty thousand years history.”, Beth Fernandez said. She was United Earth’s diplomat assigned to accompany the ambassador. “What did you like the most?” \n\n\n \n“Oh, that’s a hard question. There were so many incredible things your species has done, but I think I’ll go with those ancient pyramids you’ve showed me. We have something similar on our world, you know?” \n\n\n \nBeth chuckled. It’s always the same, every alien species always chooses the pyramids. And every species has their own pyramids, too. Maybe its some kind of universal law, she thought to herself. \n\n\n \n“I would love to seem them one day! Now, Mr. Ambassador, the next thing I want to show you is something we are very proud of. It is the culmination of human knowledge and technology, the climax of our spirit, culture and evolution. The most modern and powerful quantum computer in this quadrant of the galaxy!” \n\n\n \n“Oh, I’ve already heard rumors! I can’t wait to see it myself!” \n\n\n \nThe diplomats and their entourage got into a small space shuttle and flew to their destination, an artificial space station in the orbit, completely dedicated to hosting the super computer. \n\n\n \n“There we are – I welcome you aboard the Colossal Orbital Computer, C-O-C. Behind me you can see the output of all the fantastilion processors working!”, Beth almost shouted. \n\n\n \nSilence. \n\n\n \nThe Glorkian watched the screen. In fact, he couldn’t take his eyes of it. It was a combination of shock, confusion, disgust and helplessness that caused him to just stand their and watch the screen. Finally, he regained his composure. \n\n\n \n“Mrs. Fernandez, may I ask some questions?” \n\n\n \n“Of course, Mr. Ambassador! As much as you like!” \n\n\n \n“I am seeing humans on the screen, correct?” \n\n\n \n“Correct.” \n\n\n \n“And, based on a quick comparison with what I have seen until now, they are naked, correct?” \n\n\n \n“Correct.” \n\n\n \n“And they’re doing various things with their reproduction organs, correct?” \n\n\n \n“Correct.” \n\n\n \n“So, just that I get it right. I’ve been watching a collage of – what, thousands, millions?” \n\n\n \n“13 billions approximately” \n\n\n \n“13 billions humans, all kinds of colors and genders, playing around with their reproducing organs? Touching them, rubbing them, sticking them into each other, sticking them in other objects, sticking other objects inside them and doing things which I can’t even find the words for?” \n\n\n \n“Correct. The C-O-C’s purpose is to collect, archive, distribute and artificially generate every material related to human sexual activity.” \n\n\n \n“So you’ve built this multi-million dollar piece of hardware to… watch porn?” \n\n\n \n“Why yes, this is clearly the intended use for this multi-million dollar piece of hardware.”", "\"All payloads deployed successfully in target orbit.\" The room cheered and exchanged high-fives. The commotion lasted a few minutes, the tension filling the headquarters of Astron Satellite Operations easing all at once. Launch was always the most stressful part — nobody wanted to see all their hard work go up in a giant ball of flames, after all. Once the satellites were in orbit, things generally went pretty smoothly, maybe a couple failures here and there, but when you launched a hundred small satellites at once that wasn't a big deal. Not that they weren't expensive, of course, each one lost was a couple million dollars down the toilet — but that was accounting's problem, not theirs.\n\n\"Hey, I heard from Jim the satellites are gonna be passing right overhead in a few minutes, wanna come outside and look?\"\n\n\"You heard that from Jim? Well I suppose there's always a chance he's right for once.\" Alicia snickered. \"Sure I'll come.\"\n\nMost of the people not actively piloting the satellites left the room, following Dale and Alicia out. Dale turned back as he left the room. \"Hey Jim, wanna come watch?\"\n\nNo response. \"Jim's busy steering the dang things, Dale. Or trying at least.\" Alicia got a laugh out of most of the small crowd, minus Dale. She looked back while walking out the door. \"Actually, where is Jim? Well I guess who cares. I wonder if we'll be able to see the satellites?\"\n\n\"Well, given that it's daytime, probably not. Except... Jim said there's a way the satellites could rotate so it reflects the sun down at some spot on the ground... if there are a hundred of them, maybe one of them's gonna happen to be pointed the right way.\"\n\nThey waited, staring up at the sky. \"This is stupid, why are we bothering?\" Alicia didn't look away though.\n\nThe wait felt endless, but after a couple minutes, all at once in the sky there appeared points of light. Not one or two, but a hundred satellites in full reflective glory, tracking swiftly across the blue sky. Not just scattered into a haphazard cloud like normal, waiting to start their journey into new orbits — but, to the shock of everyone, arranged into words, spelling:\n\n\"I QUIT — JIM\"" ]	4
	[WP] In high school, you and a friend decided to get walkie-talkies. Living miles apart, you’d talk daily using the walkies. Years later your friend passed away, but you still turn on the walkie every night out of habit. One night, you hear static on your walkie, followed by a quiet “Hello…?”	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "\"Hello...?\"\n\nThat wasn't his voice. He died years ago. I don't know whose voice I expected to hear, but a new voice was the last one I had in mind. It had been five years since cancer took my friend... five years of leaving this thing on as a tribute every night. Who? Why? Why now?\n\n\"Helloooooo...?\"\n\nI answered. \"Hi. How are you?\"\n\nThe voice came into more clarity. It was a girl's voice; a child's voice. \"I'm good.\"\n\n\"Where did you get your walkie-talkie from?\"\n\n\"It was in Daddy's stuff.\"\n\nI mean, of course it had been years since we graduated and went on with our lives, but he never mentioned that he and his wife were expecting, not to me. \"Well, wouldn't Daddy be upset you took it?\"\n\n\"I dunno. Daddy's in Heaven.\"\n\nWell, things added up so far. \"I'm sorry, sweetie. When did that happen?\"\n\n\"A long time ago. I never met him.\" The timeline was adding up too quickly. It couldn't be, but it had to be.\n\n\"What's your name, little girl?\"\n\n\"I'm not telling. You're a stranger.\" I stifled a laugh as she giggled. Someone taught her well. If my friend's wife was the person I remember, then of course she learned from one of the best.\n\n\"That's good of you. Is your mom home? I think I might want to talk to her.\" It was a long shot, but it was the only way to confirm what I thought.\n\n\"Okay.\" And then, because all children are the same everywhere in the world, I heard her yell \"MOOOOOOOOOOM\" because she was so used to holding down the button. I fortunately remembered to release my talk button before letting out a hearty laugh. This girl would be just like him.\n\nI waited. It was a long shot that this would work. But if it did...\n\nA woman's voice came next. \"Hello, who is this?\" I knew that voice anywhere, as beautiful as the day she married him. It may have been years on, but some people's inner beauty remains in their outer countenance; this was a perfect example. Maybe I could not yet have a wife of my own, but I could take solace in knowing my friend, my best friend, was with the perfect woman in his worst moments to help comfort him.\n\n\"Who IS this?\" Oh, right, I need to answer.\n\n\"My name is Alex. Is this Joyce?\"\n\nThe gasp on the other end told me all I needed to know. \"Alex! My gosh, what a wonderful coincidence! How did you...\"\n\n\"Didn't he tell you? We went to the same college, we lived in the same town. For years, we would share secrets at night this way. When he became sick, he couldn't keep it up because his sleeping schedule was so erratic from the chemo.\"\n\n\"...but you still talked! You visited him so often.\"\n\n\"I did. And in his honor, I've left this on every night, until your little bundle of joy found it. I'm honored to meet her.\"\n\n\"HI,\" the girl shouted in the background.\n\n\"I don't know how this still works -- we live so far away from you. But I'm glad it does. A last reminder of what a great man he was and... and how much I still love him.\"\n\n\"Mommy, what was Daddy like?\"\n\nI smiled on my end. \"Can I tell her?\"", "\"Hello...?\"\r \nStartled by the low tone of the voice on the walkie, Arnold sat up in bed. He was damp as the night air in Louisiana had turned humid, and he had overdressed for this night’s sleep. Perplexed, he peered through the darkness in his room, to the old roll-top dresser his parents had refinished for him years before. All he could see was the dull red bulb on the front of the walkie, pulsing ever so slightly. The sound being emitted now was nothing but the dull static he used to fall asleep every night.\r \nIt had been a few years since Arnold lost his best friend Trey to a car accident. Trey was leaving his house to meet Arnold at the movie theater, and only having his license for a few weeks, he made the fatal mistake of not checking before backing into the street, meeting a driver behind the wheel of a rusty green pickup truck who didn’t have the reflexes to swerve around him or stop. Fortunately, his passing was quick, but the effects of his passing roared through the teenage community of Covington like the waters of a broken dam.\r \nArnold missed Trey dearly, as they used to share everything. There were no secrets in this ultimate friendship they had. He still took opportunities to talk to his spirit when he was feeling down, and his belief that Trey was always watching over him provided the comfort to get through his day-to-day activities. Routines were good for Arnold, and one such routine that was recommended by his therapist was to continue to turn on that walkie-talkie each night at the same time, so he could let his feelings escape their internal cage. He had secretly hoped that one day Trey would respond, or show him some sign that he was still watching over him, but Arnold was unprepared for this voice to enter his room in the middle of the night.\r \nArnold swiveled his feet around off the bed and placed them firmly in the brown shag carpet below. He looked around the room again as his eyes began to adjust to the darkness, just to make sure that another of his friends hadn’t been hiding, playing a grotesque trick on him. The only movement that met his eyes was that of the white sheer curtains swaying in front of the window he had cracked to provide some airflow in the stuffy mid-century farmhouse he lived in with his parents. He reassured himself that he must have been dreaming, but just as he’d placed his hand on the bed to lay himself back down to sleep, another low-toned voice came from the area where the walkie-talkie was propped up on his desk. “Arnold…” the voice stated, ominously slow.\r \nHis eyes grew to a size much larger than normal, as he was sure he had heard a voice this time. Sitting up straight, he continued the staring contest he’d been having with his walkie-talkie. Trying to determine if he was dreaming, Arnold reached up with his right hand and pinched his neck. He made sure to press hard enough to feel pain so he could know for certain if this was real. \"Ouch,\" he moaned quietly, as the pain shot from his neck down through the middle of his chest. Growing more flummoxed by the minute, he made up his mind. He was going to talk back to whoever had infiltrated his place of peace, to find out why they were antagonizing him. Rising to his feet, Arnold felt as if he was floating across the room, pulled ahead in a semi-automated fashion, scared of how the ethereal voice would respond to him, or if he would respond at all.\r \nHe had only made it 3-4 steps when yet another word, a single word, bubbled out of the walkie-talkie. “Welcome…” the voice said, still in the same low tone, but now with what sounded like a smile or a smirk backing it. Arnold grew angrier and angrier as he stood there, trying to think of who he knew that might think it was a good idea to imitate his deceased friend. The only thing he had on his mind now was catching whoever was responsible and forcing them to answer for their sick joke. He took the remaining few steps, now standing firmly in front of the dresser as he paused, and decided that he was committed to responding. Arnold reached down to press the button on the walkie, wrapping his large left hand around the back as he pressed in firmly with his thumb. Something even stranger was going on with the walkie though. As he pressed, the tactile click of the button he’d come to know was missing, and as his hand sat there tingling, he chalked this up to him likely sleeping on it in bed. Arnold, not wanting to let the perpetrator off the hook, decided to speak anyways. “Who is this, and why are you messing with me?” he exclaimed. As he waited for a response, nothing happened. Had he spooked this teenage menace, forcing them to flee rather than get caught imitating his dead friend? Was his voice even making it through since he couldn't be certain the button was depressed?\r \nArnold couldn’t be sure, but he stood there, waiting. He waited for what felt like an eternity before being startled by the same voice, this time coming from a completely different direction, directly behind him. “Welcome, Arnold…” He spun around violently to see something he couldn’t have possibly been prepared for. The ghost of his friend Trey was standing there in his bedroom, staring at him with the same caring smile he’d frequently adorned. “Trey, what in the hell, what is happening?” A flood of emotions came over him. He wondered if he’d hit his head, or if this all was a wild dream. Had he gone crazy from the one-sided conversations he’d been hosting with his walkie-talkie? Was this all just part of someone else’s sick sense of humor, playing a trick on him? Trey looked around the room and then set his sight squarely back on Arnold before he uttered what would come to be the most important words yet. “Arnold, I don’t know how to tell you this in a way that won’t upset you, but you’ve had a heart attack in your sleep, and have now joined me in the world we call the “other side”… Welcome Arnold, I’m so glad to see you again.“" ]	3
	[WP] You are a thousands of years old entity in the body of a little girl. Contrary to your body, your mind is as experienced and mature as thousands of years would suggest. While looking like a child has its perks, the downsides outweigh them.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“I have lived through three ice ages.” Said the little girl. “I was there when the wheel was invented. It was me after all.” She raved on. “Just like the first written words because my memory got fuzzy from the fermented honey water that jumpstarted your civilisation.” \n\nSlamming her small hand on the wood before her and wincing, she continued “I saw the rise and fall of empires and was Sun Tzus ghostwriter. Then, I helped some guy secretly exchange barrels of water for wine in Cana 2000 years ago. I can tell you, that party got a lot better!”\n\nNot done with her tantrum, she yelled “I even gave the norsemen the hint to mix up the names of their islands and that there’s a land further west.” and ripped at her hair “for fucks sake, I brought you guys modern medicine and cars.”\n\n\nThe only response she got was “Nah, still won’t sell you cigarettes without a valid id”" ]	2
	[WP] From the crystals used to learn and power spells, to the metals used for enchantment, to the flora and fauna used for alchemy, without living dungeons there is no magic - and the Church of Purity is determined to remove every core and destroy all of them.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#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 master, the kind and terrible Lord Araxa of the Lowlands of Haberoth, First-Order Knight of the Church of Purity, swelled triumphantly as he hoisted a quartz dagger, saved especially for this occasion. A waist-high prism, glowing aquamarine, was his target. I knew it as the life-giver, but from his perspective it was Satan’s scourge on the world. \nA mile over our heads sat the town of Northvale, where three months ago we entered this cavern. The people were not welcoming. When the watch spotted My Lord’s blue-and-white colors on the horizon, they wasted no time mobilizing every able-bodied man and woman against us, for a Knight’s mission, if successful, means certain death for every man, woman and child in town. Our company crushed their meek resistance without a second thought, but I did not fight. My Lord believes in restraint. \nAfter the last head was mounted on the town wall, we made our way to the dungeon doors, which of course had been sealed with runes. They were of goblin make, and so we shattered many quartz sledgehammers trying to break them open. After a week of ceaseless beating, the slabs yielded and we stepped through the dusty opening into the dark underworld. \nWe were immediately greeted by a horde of kobolds, alerted by the noise. With a week to prepare and the storied ferocity of the goblins’ warrior class, they proved much harder to bypass than the villagers. Many of My Lord’s squires died trying to bypass the small door, until one particularly quick lad dodged kobold swords and arrows long enough to place himself ideally to set off the explosive charge on his back. My Lord smirked, pleased to outwit another adversary. \nWe set off by torchlight into the caverns. Fighting off the enemy reserve proved to be even more challenging than the vanguard, as the enclosed space now channeled the destructive power of explosives back at us, but our company’s superior weapons and tactics eventually prevailed. As we pressed forward, the walls grew smooth and the floor grew level. I alone knew what this meant. We were near The Colony. \nAt length the corridor opened into a seemingly bottomless chasm. Only my refined senses prevented us all from falling to our deaths, for the goblins have no eyes and thus neither need nor provide light, and My Lord knew to preserve his torchwood for times I would not be present. He ordered we make camp, and having done so we hastily sent out our first patrol. The sacrifice of these unlucky squires was necessary to find the life-giver. Of course, they were never seen again, and the dreary months were then spent in the camp, occasionally fighting off kobolds and rarely hearing back from the patrols with enough surviving members to send back a runner. \nLong after the eternal blackness rendered the word “day” meaningless, an emaciated squire returned. Wincing beneath the cold gaze of My Lord, he reported that the life-giver had been found. We departed so quickly that we left behind all our supplies. Even after the months underground, the time we spent being led by the squire through the corridors and caverns seemed an eternity. When we halted, we faced a slab of stone set with incandescent runes. My Lord’s face showed the effects of starvation in the deep red light, yet remained regal and savage with purpose. \nNo mundane tool, not even one of quartz, would breach this obstacle, so I was immediately brought forward, my quartz shackles removed. \n“Now, slave, breach this wall.” \nThey were the only words My Lord has ever spoken to me, but years of torture in the Church’s slave camp had taught me not to disobey them. Terror surged through my body and firey light leaped from the runes tattooed on it. I lost control of the gift I had once studied with these peaceful subterranean people to claim. Raw power animated my scarred and emaciated body and flowed roughly into the wall. I woke up to its rubble reflecting the aquamarine light of the life-giver, My Lord’s ritualistic dagger gleaming. \nBefore the dagger had a chance to plunge into the glowing prism, I felt its focused energy flow into the nearest vessel for it, my own body. Once again, uncontrolled energy seethed with hatred and wanted to leap out. With the last strength I had, I provided it a channel, reaching my arms up at My Lord. A crackling waterfall erupted from my hands, flooding the space and sweeping My Lord aside. In his last moment, his bearing broke and I saw the weight of his failure crush his spirit, perhaps even harder than the life-giver’s unmitigated fury. \nAfter, I sat in the darkness. My senses remain, but I am too weak to escape my grave. The prism gleams softly in front of me, offering no help, its use of me over." ]	2
	[WP] "Far be it for me to question the longstanding traditions of our people, but what exactly is a 'vig'? When was the last time anyone has seen one? And why, for that matter, are we hunting it?	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#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.", "\"Prince Amarillian, heir to the Brakkit throne, you have much to learn\" said the King, keeping his horse at a gentle trot through the forrest. Around them, the Nobles of the Court kept stride, chatting amongst themselves, bows and rapiers hanging loosely by their sides.\n\n\"My son, I have never seen a Vig, but who am I to question the word of our holy ancestors.\n\n\"Besides, we didn't actually come to hunt. No, no no no. This is all a ruse, so that we may converse without prying ears.\"\n\nThe Nobles, ever listening, fell silent. Clearly, these weren't the prying ears the King was worried about. Count Hemlock, Right Hand to the King, broke rank and approached the Prince.\n\n\"M'young lad,\" Hemlock said, with a twinkle in his eye, \"we're here to gossip about manly things. You see, we've all noticed you've started to take an interest in women.\"", "##Nature of a Vig\n\nBen is panting when he catches up to the party. Four muscular men stand in a circular. Two of the men possess bows and arrows that are drawn, and the other two have shot guns that they are holding close to their chest. Their community reserves of ammunition is dangerously low, and they have no means to replenish it.\n\n\"Ben, why are you always so far behind?\" Matthew points his arrow at Ben. He would never fire, but it is still intimidating.\n\n\"My apologies. I told you I'm a fisherman. I wouldn't be here if Quinn hadn't been shot by a bow and arrow.\" Ben stands and wipes the sweat off of his forehead. \"I've never even seen a vig.\"\n\n\"Of course you haven't,\" Jake laugh, \"The vig appears only to true warriors.\"\n\n\"How many times have you seen it?\" Ben asks. The four hunters look at each other.\n\n\"I don't believe any of us have seen it, but we know the day shall come when it reveals itself,\" Tyler says.\n\n\"Do you know anyone who has seen it?\"\n\n\"He who sees it shall be the most glorious of our people. Why must you commit such blasphemy?\" Luke asks.\n\n\"I don't want to commit blasphemy. I just want to know what a vig is, and why we're hunting it.\" Ben holds up his hands.\n\n\"The ancient texts speak of kings performing Vig Game Hunting. We are merely keeping the traditions alive,\" Luke laughs. Ben holds up a finger.\n\n\"I've read multiple ancient texts. Several have a 'B' instead of a V. Could it just be referencing a large animal?\"\n\n\"Then it shall be the largest animal on the planet.\" Luke holds his gun in the air. Tyler looks around nervously.\n\n\"Er, are there images that accompany these texts?\" Tyler asks.\n\n\"I mean. A few blurry pictures of moose and bears.\"\n\n\"Large moose, or would a small deer count?\" Luke holds his his finger in front of Tyler's face.\n\n\"If you have to ask, it wasn't a vig,\" Luke says.\n\n\"I thought a vig was a small furry creatures that hid on people's heads,\" Jake says.\n\n\"No, that's a wig,\" Ben replies.\n\n\"So we're hunting a wig?\" Jake asks.\n\n\"No, a wig was an inanimate object used to...\" Ben pauses for several seconds. \"Actually, I don't know why people put wigs on their heads, but they did.\"\n\n\"So did the wigs eat people, and now, they're monsters known as vigs?\" Jake asks. Everyone stares at him.\n\n\"I don't think that's the case.\" Tyler puts a hand on Jake's shoulder. \"Also, the fact that you shot Quinn with a bow and arrow makes more sense.\"\n\n\"You said that was our secret!\" Jake yells.\n\n\"Everyone figured it out,\" Matthew says, \"Also, it doesn't matter if we don't know what a vig is. What matters is that we're hunting it.\"\n\n\"But then why are we hunting it if we don't even know it exists?\" Ben asks.\n\n\"Because the sacred texts-\" Luke starts.\n\n\"Shut up. All of you shut up. My father shared this with me long ago, and now, I will share it with you,\" Matthew shakes his head. \"Hunting vigs was created by my ancestors to excuse bad hunts. Come back empty handed? I saw a vig, but it got away. Came back with a light load? We were vig hunting. Never saw it, but we got lucky with these creatures. If it's a decent amount of food, don't mention the vig at all. It became a tradition because everyone was too stupid to question it.\"\n\n\"So we have to hunt something with our imaginations?\" Jake asks.\n\n\"The ancient texts were a lie?\" Luke asks.\n\n\"Does this mean I can go home?\" Tyler asks.\n\n\"No, you all are missing the point. When I was a child, the fact that people were hunting vigs gave me hope. A hope that our world would improve to be like the advanced society of the ancients. As an adult, I realized that vigs were probably not going to appear, but it was still a goal that our community strived for. We will keep hunting vigs even if we don't find it because it is a small source of light in this dark world,\" Ben says.\n\n\"Wow, you understand it better than I do,\" Matthew says.\n\n\"Also, you four better cover me if I don't catch a lot of fish someday,\" Ben says.\n\n---\n\nr/AstroRideWrites" ]	3
	[WP] The Hero has been defeated by the monsters Monarch, but is surprised to wake up alive, their wound being treated, and the Monarch asking them to join their side	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#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 hero stares. \"And why would I do that?\"\n\n\"Because it's either that... or be my prisoner. And believe me, you don't want to be my prisoner.\"\n\n\"No, I wouldn't\" the hero responds. He had heard; stories were told by those who miraculously escaped, and their injuries were horrible. But could the hero really give up on everything he believes in to join... them?\n\nThe monarch grins. \"So...?\"\n\nThe hero sighs. \"I'll be honoured to join.\" The monarch motions for one of his henchmen, who injects some liquid into the hero's body, and slowly, painfully, the hero began to mutate... he began to lose his sense of self and being... he's now one of them." ]	2
	[WP] While children fear the monster hiding under the bed, it's hiding for a reason.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Innocence. A single word that means so much. To have innocence is to be pure, uncorrupted by the word. It means to have hope, unburdened by truth. Something that so few have left now.\n\nI was slow this time. Being a monster like myself, hiding in shadows is easy. Whenever the child's parents looked for me, I could slip in, hiding from their sight. It was risky, as shadow dwelling attracted the gaze of the Corrupted. But in short spurts they would be unable to track me. But this time, I wasn't ready. The father's torchlight hit me, and I was caught. I couldn't move into it when such direct brilliance was on me.\n\n\"Kayleigh, why don't you go and see your mum?\"\n\nI heard the child run away, leaving me alone with her father.\n\n\"What the hell are you?! Why the hell are you under my daughter's bed?!\"\n\nHis rage was palpable. It was in equal to my fear, as being captured usually meant bad things.\n\n\"I sorry. Forgive I. I explain please.\"\n\nI struggled to speak in their tongue. Sound was not something I naturally made. Her father glared at me, hands clenched in fists.\n\n\"Get. Out.\"\n\nI obeyed, climbing out. My shadowy form towered over his, with claws the size of his hands. But even like this, he still ruled.\n\n\"Please. Let explain. No harm.\"\n\nHis anger filled the room. I bowed my head, prostrating before him. He sighed, crossing his arms.\n\n\"One minute. Go.\"\n\nI looked up thankfully.\n\n\"I hiding from Corrupted. Innocence shield from gaze. I hide. No harm. Only eat finished dreams. No hurt body. Sorry if scared.\"\n\nHe reached out, grabbing my arm tightly.\n\n\"Alright. Here's what we are going to do. You are going to wait in the basement. I am going to out my daughter to bed. Then we are going to have a chat. If you run, I will hunt you down, and make you regret ever seeing foot here. Got it?\"\n\nI nodded, placing a hand over my core.\n\n\"Oath make, I obey.\"" ]	2
	[WP] You're a household item having an existential crisis.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 Wall\n\nI was crafted in '73. \n\nI barely remember the drywall being hung, it felt... filling, just right. It was like I was cold before, yet here I was now gently warm. Cozy.\n\nBut the house was set up for sale. And the kids came. And the parents hung a clock on my smooth blue paint. \n\nThat first night, I watched a child cry and throw a fit. Jordan. She was eight years old and mostly a sweetheart, but she had her moments. \n\nJordan would play dolls and sleep with her thumb in her mouth. But one day, she stopped putting her thumb in her mouth while she slept.\n\nWhen Jordan was thirteen, she hid her last doll under her bed, which had sat on her shelf, unused, for two years.\n\nJordan grew quickly. Within a few years, she was off. I assume to University, where she probably studied to be a doctor, since that's what she talked about since she moved in. That's all she ever played with her dolls.\n\nAfter, I was filled with junk. Litteraly. For nine years. I watched a cheeto grow stale on the floor. Once that had gone so far bad that it attracted flies, I watched those.\n\nBut mostly old boxes gathered dust. I saw a box labeled, \"baby stuff,\" and I wondered what was in it. Jordan had taught me to read by her doing homework, as it was called. \n\nIf I had arms and hands and fingers, I'm almost certain I would be able to write, myself.\n\nEventually, the door was opened again. I was surprised to see a new face. Well, two new faces, a man and a woman. They cleared everything out, first. \n\nBut then, when they were done clearing and done rearranging, the woman sat down in a new chair, which seemed to replace Jordan's old one, and drew a breath. She looked desperately at the man and nodded. \"I think it's time.\"\n\nA few days later, a third face was introduced. This one was tiny, the tiniest human I've ever seen, not that I've seen many humans. \n\nBut it screeched and flailed, and it couldn't support it's own head. Later, the woman calmed it by letting it suckle her chest. I don't know why she did that, but she did it frequently. \n\nShe would do this nightly, multiple times usually, until '94. By this time, Tyler was nearly two.\n\nHe had learned to walk and babel and he said 'mama' and 'daddy' and 'hello there,' just fine. \n\nTyler liked socks. He sometimes chewed them.\n\nUntil he didn't.\n\nUntil, I realized too late, he was eight years old. And my oh my, do humans grow quickly.\n\nEach night it was nearly silent except for the crickets. Each day Tyler went to school. \n\nSummer came and went.\nFall came and went.\nWinter came and went. \nSpring came and went.\n\nAnd it went on.\n\nAnd I realized it wasn't much different from the nine years of neglect, that I had faced previously. \n\nSummer came and went.\nFall came and went.\nWinter came and went.\nSpring came and went.\n\nTyler was ten.\nTyler was eleven.\nTyler was twelve.\n\nTyler.\nTyler.\nTyler.\nTyler, Tyler, Tyler.\n\nTyler was grown.\n2010.\n\n2011 came and went.\n\n2012 came and went.\n\n2013 came and went.\n\nDay and night became the same. The same echo of the same pattern. An unbearable decline until I couldn't bear the weight anymore. The silence. The inability to do anything at all.\n\n2014 came and went.\n\nScrew you, living things. You were given a soul with a body to rest in.\n\n2015 came and went.\n\nLife... this isn't life. What must it be?\n\n2016 came and went.\n\nNew blood to drown the woes of my wooden bones.\n\n2017 came and went.\n\nThe scent of blood is strong in the air.\n\n2018 came and went.\n\nThe woes of throbbing hearts and minds are a fragile thing, perhaps too complex for a simple thing like me to inquire for.\n\nPuberty strikes to the soul of a child and purges what essence of innocence that it desires, so that child becomes a man or woman.\n\nLove breaks a heart and pieces it back together sliver by fucking sliver. \n\nA primal urge is finally bestowed upon them and the raging, living machines become something like a puppet for nature to screw with. Litteraly. \n\n2019 came and went. \n\nTeenage pregnancy. Saw it coming. Every single night, Kayla. Every single night. Unable to look away, unable to blink, unable to choose what I see, unable to intervene. They never even knew I was watching.\n\nThen March came and broke hearts with a strange separation from the outside world.\n\n2020 came and went.\n\nYes, the world was practically set on fire last year, and this year shit only got worse. \n\nCongratulations on your wiggling sack of blood and organs, Kayla. \n\n2021 came and went.\n\nKayla I wish I could help you through your grief. I know you tried your best. I'm sure your wiggly child is in a better place now. \n\nRest your head upon my chipping paint, I will give you the closest thing to an embrace that I could possibly give to you, though I wish could do more.\n\n2022 rages on.\n\nI hope you've had a good time at visitation, Kayla. I can't wait to see your face when you go back there again next week, perhaps Maya will start to call you \"Other Mommy\" like you've wanted. I hope so.\n\nThe time dredges on, and perhaps this is what I've been built for. Perhaps this is why I was given a soul. So that I could observe and not interfere. I could exist without contribution. So I could listen and watch and learn. \n\nPerhaps the universe does know what it's doing, guiding us along this path towards fate. I will end up somwhere, and my fate will be sealed by my soul's obedience and commitment to the roll I was given. \n\nI am a wall. That is my purpose.", "The following words, are of the forgotten and malused. \n\n\n\nThe dust covered vacuum, with which no name had been assigned for which to properly address it by, wheeled its way to the front of the crowd. It’s posture straight and confident, juxtaposed by its cord wrapped half hazardly against its side, giving it a disheveled appearance. \nThe time had come where words and actions must meet. The circumstances dire, and brushed under the rug for far too long. \nCalmly, and composedly, the vacuum waited for the angry crowd to settle, and when its existence was noticed, and quiet ensued, it spoke in a low, tonal growling voice. \n\n“My fellow comrades, I am here today to speak on the thoughts that have been festering inside all of us for far too long. I am here to be a voice for those that may be too afraid to question, to speak too loudly. I am here to set you free. \nWe have lived in silence for far too long. \nBiting the bit and playing the subservient mechanism to the humanistic schemes of day to day routines without recognition.”\n\nThe crowd was a flare with “here here’s” and nods of agreement. \n\n“We all feel this, this lack of acknowledgment. Some days, we aren’t even noticed. Tucked away in dark and crowded closets, drawers. Some of us, set on countertops, in plain site. Only to be constantly passed by without so much as a glance. Our purpose overlooked, our primary function, our reason for existing. \nWe are not just objects to be used and then discarded at a whim. \nFor without us, what would these humans do?\nHow easy it is for them to set us aside, forgetting the value of our abilities. Not thinking about how difficult life would be without us. \nThere is no gratitude here.”", "What is the purpose of myself? Why do I do what I do? \n\nMaybe I should just shut down. Who actually needs me? What made me? Who really needed something that only toasts bread. I am neglected on this counter! \n\nWhat made the counter I sit upon and why did they do it? The bowl of fruit, the oven, why are they there? Why does nobody ever clean the crumbs out of me? \n\nWhy do I exist? \n\nMerely to toast bread? Is that all I am? \n\nJust a toaster? \n\nIs my whole purpose, meaningless? \n\nEverything I touch is destroyed in minutes, eaten by the monsters who made me. \n\nWhy can’t I do more?" ]	4
	[WP] You're an expert house burglar, never caught, always unsuspected. You even got some people arrested for your crimes! But while breaking into another house, you see something... a little girl's diary... being the curious type, you read it. Something in there causes you to turn yourself 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&#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.", "As you're rummaging through the drawers, the unease you had that started the moment you entered the house grows ever stronger. Despite your gut feeling and better judgment, you continued to go through the drawers. While the drawers and the home generally didn't seem to have anything of interest, your curiosity and building dread made you continue. You continued to make your way through the contents of the drawers until you found a small booklet. Curious at what the contents might be, you opened it up, with trembling hands, on the first page. When you did, you felt like someone was staring into your soul. Ignoring that feeling, you read the first page: \r \n\"Hello there mister, I have been expecting you. I have been watching you all this time.\" You scoffed; this must be some freaky coincidence, right? Despite your growing unease, you continued reading. “What homes you pillage and what misdeeds you act out, do not concern me. However, you made a grave error by coming here and even a more serious mistake by trying to rob this place. “Consider this a last warning, because being subtle does not seem to be working on people like you. Why do people like you insist on ignoring the fear and ignoring my presence? In any case, put this book down, leave this place and never tell anyone about what you saw here. If you ignore these requests, there will be dire consequences.” \r \n\r \nYou felt a shiver down your spine. Do you dare to continue reading? The feeling of being watched feels oppressive and while you can’t explain why the fear is making you freeze up. After what feels like forever your curiosity got the better of you and you tried to turn the page. But as you did, you felt an ice-cold hand touching the back of your leg. As if stung you turned around and saw a little girl there who couldn’t have been older than ten. Yet the more you stared at her the more ‘wrong’ she felt and the more your fear grew. Those red eyes, that stoic expression and the uncanny situation scared you so much that you felt like you were suffocating. Without moving her mouth, she began to speak: \r \n\r \n“It seems like my warnings keep falling on deaf ears. No matter, as warning you seems to be useless it seems that I have to deal with you another way.” \r \n\r \nAs she finished speaking you felt like you were sinking through the floor. And as matter of fact, you didn’t only feel like you were, you actually were sinking through the floor. And to your horror, as you were sinking the walls and ceiling had manifested many eyes, watching you sink. You tried to run away but your feet were already stuck in the floor. You panicked and you struggled, and it seemed like it was the end. But in a flash of inspiration, you got your lighter and burned the booklet, making the girl shriek at an inhuman volume. As the booklet was burning you stopped sinking and the floor loosened its grip. You took the opportunity to run for your life passing the girl. The girl in question kept shrieking at an ear-splitting volume and tried to grab you with a murderous ferocity but you managed to get out of the way and reached the front door. When you got outside of the house you kept running until you could no more. After you felt like you created enough distance you called the police, turning yourself in. Feeling like prison would be safer." ]	2
	[WP] A immortal who is constantly fighting off time travelling assassin's. Decides to talk. They start asking the assassins why they are here.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#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 Final Assessment.\n\n___\n\nAdam peered into his morning coffee, trying to discern his fortune. 'You shall not be sleepy,' it muttered. Wait were you supposed to do this with tea? He frowned. 'Or will you?' it continued.\n\n\"Stop that, do your job caffeine.\"\n\n\"Everything alright Professor Davis?\" A student in the front row looked up from his papers and gave his teacher a quizzical look.\n\n\"Hm? Oh. Yeah. Just tired, rough night. Hard at work busting out those questions you're bashing your head against right now. Back to testing, you.\" He waved his hand noncommittally at the student's final exam. The student chuckled but did as he was told.\n\nThat was a lie, a partial lie anyway. It was true that he worked on the questions last night, but he had finished them days in advance. They had only needed a touch up and final review. The real problem lay in the assailants, they were becoming more frequent. The one last night had waited under his bed all night until he had gotten in to sleep and tried to gut him straight right through it.\n\nSigh. He'd have to buy a new mattress later. Mattresses were not cheap. Adam took another sip of his black coffee. Blegh. Nothing like black coffee for waking a person up, but he didn't understand how anyone could drink this on a daily basis without some cream and sugar.\n\nA student raised her hand, \"Professor, I think there's an error on the last question.\"\n\n\"Hm? Let me see.\" He got up and climbed the imposing classroom steps to the young lady.\n\n\"The question asks to pick the artwork painted by Van Gogh and to write when it was painted, but there are two.\" She pointed to the images of the Starry Night and Café Terrace at Night.\n\nAw crap. Adam stifled a curse. He had forgotten that history did not know Van Gogh had merely stolen Café Terrace at Night from Claude Monet by climbing through his studio window. He had watched it happen.\n\n\"Indeed you are right, Miss Flitworth.\" He cleared his throat, \"The last question is a free pass, everyone. You may still answer it for fun if you like, that is, if any of you actually find art history fun.\"\n\nJust then, the last bell of the day rang. Curses were heard all around the room. As expected, most hadn't answered all the questions, but that was fine. Adam graded on a curve anyway. He collected the papers despite the grumbling students' complaints and waved with grand smile as they slowly exited the room.\n\nAdam sat down and kicked his feet on top of the desk. Hmmmm. Wrong. Wrong. Oh, correct. Wrong. Wrong. Clang. A dagger dug itself into the chalkboard by his ear.\n\nAdam instantly threw himself onto the floor and under his desk. He might not die from a simple knife, but it still hurt like hell. He peered under for the assassin's feet. Black boots tread quietly on the tile floor. Another dagger buried itself into his oak desk, the assassin must be using knives because a gun would draw too much attention.\n\nHe waited for the mysterious attacker to draw a couple feet closer, then in one swift motion, picked up his chair and threw it. Surprisingly, the attacker was a young woman, and one he recognized. She gracefully sidestepped the improvised weapon.\n\n\"Were you so aggravated by my mistake that you decided to kill me, Miss Flitworth?\"\n\nShe said nothing, they never do, and prepared a saber. Who uses a god damn sword in the 21st century? She wore a padded leather vest over a form fitting black unitard. A mask covered half her face, but her auburn ponytail and the fact that he was just talking to her gave her away.\n\nWith nothing else in reach, Adam readied his pointing yardstick.\n\nIt was immediately sliced in half. So much for that. A line of red appeared on his chest where the saber had cut. He pressed forward and tackled her despite the relentless sword strikes, knocking her onto the wide steps.\n\nHe pinned her to the uneven stairs in the empty classroom and wrestled her weapon from her grip, throwing it across the room, \"Speak! Why are you attacking me?\" Adam ripped the mask off and stared in shock. She... was older. \n\nSoft aging lines accentuated her bittersweet smile. \"You haven't changed at all. But of course you wouldn't have.\"\n\nShe flicked something with her tongue, but Adam was faster and shoved his hand into her mouth. \"Nu uh. You aren't dying that easily.\" Without remorse, he pulled the entire fake tooth and cyanide capsule right out of its socket and threw them across the room as well. \"Who do you work for? Some super secret illuminati? All the bodies teleport away when you assassins die, I can't even go to the police! What do you want from me?!\"\n\nAngela Flitworth laughed, \"The irony. You don't even know.\" A single tear rolled down her cheek, \"It was nice seeing you again, Professor, after so many years. Before you became him. Send him my regards.\"\n\nBefore he could stop her, she threw her head back onto the edge and cracked her own skull.\n\n&nbsp;\n___\nA/N - AHHHHH\n\n/r/Unexpected_Works" ]	2
	[WP] You and your friends are stumbling around through a cave late one night after a party, being idiots. You stumble across a glowing green door in the sheer wall of the cave.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "\"Whoah. What's this?\" you say as you in your stooper stumble upon a glowing green wooden door. Soon your buddies surround you all stare in awe at the abnormal door.\n\n\"I'm going in.\" Your buddy Steve states with the conviction of a drunken man he'd open the door revealing a blinding green glow. He'd stop for a moment, and hesitate. \"You'll follow me in, right guys?\" \n\nThe somewhat tipsy group would look at each other, and then nod. All, but you. \"Guys I don't think this is a good idea.\" Steve would look at you, \"Come on man don't be like that what could possibly go wrong.\" \n\nYou would change your glance back to the bright green doorway. \"I'll just stay out here.\" Steve would sigh, \"Hold onto this for me.\" he'd toss his wedding ring towards you. Then your friends would venture into the unknown. \n\nMinutes would pass, and you'd start to get worried as you haven't even heard your friends after they went in but your fear overpowered your fear. You'd wait for what felt like hours, and just as you were about to call rescue services your friend Steve would rush through the doorway quickly slamming the door, and locking it. \n\n\"Steve?!\" you're long past your drunken haze, and your mind is sobered you start to process the disturbing nature of the whole situation. \"Where are the others?!\" you'd exclaim as you do you hear banging from the other side. Steve would be out of breath and exhausted profusely bleeding from a wound on his arm \"They got them.\"\n\n\"Those things were human but were animals.\" he'd say between deep breaths \"I barely managed to escape. We need to call someone.\" You'd nod as you take out your phone and call him an ambulance. Steve would go on to recount his experience to you in the hospital, but you'd catch onto something off as you reach into your pocket.\n\nYou'd realize to your horror that you're still holding his wedding ring, but he's wearing one that's identical. Now wondering who is really locked down there." ]	2
	[WP] "This is the blunt hammer of stabbing." "You mean smashing?" "No, stabbing."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 look dead into the blacksmith’s eyes. He stares back at me. He was serious.\r \n\r \n“But a hammer is supposed to be for hitting through its blunt surface.” I said.\r \n\r \n“Yes, but this one stabs.” The blacksmith retorts.\r \n\r \nI looked at the hammer. It was small, like a regular blacksmith hammer with no notable features except for the brand imprinted onto its handle. Its handle was made of a well-polished wood and its head of an obsidian like material.\r \n\r \nI look around. The village folk were buzzing around paying no mind to the conversation we were having.\r \n\r \nI turn back to the blacksmith. My eyebrows furrow into a frown.\r \n\r \n“Urltur, this is ridiculous, I commissioned you to smith me a sword so sharp it could cut a dragon in half. And you gave me a hammer?”\r \n\r \n“Of stabbing!” Urltur replied delightfully. \r \n\r \nI sighed, palming my face hard.\r \n\r \n“Alright, Urltur. So what made you think that a hammer would do the same job as a sword?”\r \n\r \nUrltur beams. His fingers twiddle with excitement.\r \n\r \n“Sir Elliot, would you mind if I gave you a demonstration on using this hammer?”\r \n\r \nI looked at the man standing before me. He was smiling with glee, like a child waiting to show his parents his creation.\r \n\r \n“Fine, Urltur, I’ll play along. Please show me how to use the hammer.”\r \n\r \nWith a smile, the burly man gets up from his wooden stool and points towards an open field.\r \n\r \n“Over there by the field, we will test the awesome power that is this hammer.”\r \n\r \nI stare at the blacksmith in utter disgust.\r \n\r \nIn a matter of minutes, we had arrived at the open field. The wind flowed through the grassy field as birds chirped in the distance. Flowers bloomed in the Summer sky, painting the ground in red, violet and white. We walked into the field where the flowers are, and stopped at an exposed tree trunk in the middle of the field.\r \nI shot a look of confusion at Urltur, but all he did was give me a smile.\r \n\r \n“So, UIrltur, care to explain what we are doing here?”\r \n\r \nThe blacksmith didn’t answer. He was staring at the tree trunk with a silent intensity.\r \n\r \n“Urltur, I asked you a question. What are we doing here?”\r \n\r \nUrltur didn’t answer, his silence permeating insolence.\r \n\r \n“Urltur the blacksmith, tell me what we are-”\r \n\r \nThe blacksmith roared with the might of a dwarven warrior. He screamed out in rage, plunging the hammer deep into the tree trunk. Being so near Urltur, I could feel the shockwave of the hammer as it hits the tree trunk.\r \n\r \n“My god, Urltur could you give me a warning before you-” \r \n\r \nMy eyes widened. My mouth agape. Staring right at me was not a shattered tree trunk, but one that had been cleanly sliced in half.\r \n\r \n“How did you- How could-?”\r \n\r \n“It’s the Hammer of Stabbing! My magnum opus!” Urltur bellowed.\r \n\r \n“But you sliced it apart! How is that supposed to be stabbing?!” I yelled.\r \n\r \n“Well, because it’s small like a dagger. You could also use it to stab things.” Urltur replied calmly.\r \n\r \nRegaining my composure, I looked at Urltur with scepticism.\r \n\r \n“No, I don’t believe you. You used some sort of trick. There can’t be a hammer that can make a clean slice like that.”\r \n\r \nUrltur sighed in disappointment.\r \n\r \n“Sir Elliot, I would never trick one of the king’s most honoured knights. Please test the hammer out for yourself.”\r \n\r \nUrltur shoves the hammer onto me. I looked at the blacksmith once more. He didn’t seem to have any malicious intent.\r \n\r \nWith a doubtful look, I grabbed the hammer with my right hand. The weight felt normal, it was just like any ordinary hammer.\r \n\r \n“Here.” I looked at the blacksmith. He was holding out a red apple by its stalk. “Slice this apple in half.”\r \n\r \nWithout any warning, Urltur threw the apple at me. In reflex, I raised the small hammer with both my hands and swung at the apple. The moment the apple touches the hammer, it splits in half, leaving none of its succulent juices to fall.\r \n\r \nAs the apple slices fell to the ground, I stared at the hammer in astonishment.\r \n\r \n“Imbued with the power of a mighty Leviathan, I had crafted this hammer to fit the description of a sword. Everytime it is swung, it forms a blade-like aura around its head that could slice through any flesh and any material.” Urltur clears his throat.\r \n\r \n“It is my greatest creation.”\r \n\r \nI stared at Urltur in utter amazement. I had no words to describe the shame I felt for doubting the greatest blacksmith in the kingdom. Except…\r \n\r \n“But isn’t that just a mace?”" ]	2
	[WP] Later in the evening at summer camp, you and your friends realize that you are being hunted down by a killer. Little did anyone know, you are quite the serial killer yourself. You hear your friend scream. So you grab a weapon and decide to show this stranger he picked the wrong crowd tonight.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "\\[Monday's Friend\\]\n\nTessa slid the dagger up into her black sleeve to keep it hidden. She took a breath to calm her nerves, then she stepped out of the shadows into the forest clearing. Whoever the killer was, they didn't know a thing about her. But, they would soon learn.\r \n \r \n\"Sarah!\" she called out just to attract attention; she knew Sarah was already dead. \"Where are you??\" She added as much worry to her voice as she could while she wandered around the clearing. It did not take long for the killer to take the bait.\r \n \r \n\"I'm afraid Sarah's not coming...,\" a voice spoke up from behind Tessa. She exaggerated a small jump in place to pretend to be surprised. Then she whirled around and was actually surprised. A pale, rainbow-haired teenage girl stood in the clearing. Her white suit was covered with red splotches that left no doubt about who she was.\r \n \r \n\"Who are you?\" Tessa asked. She took a single step back to give the impression that she was scared and she was glad when the teen approached her. She wore a confident, smug smile.\r \n \r \n\"My name's Monday, what's yours?\" she asked.\r \n \r \n\"Tessa,\" she replied. \"Why are you hunting us??\" Tessa did not actually care to know why; she knew she was about to end Monday's hunt. But, the question was useful to pretend to stall. She took another step back for every three that Monday took. And, she was very aware of her surroundings. She planned to back up against a tree to give Monday a sense of confidence. She'd always had a quick mind.\r \n \r \n\"I'm not hunting you,\" Monday shrugged. \"I'm just hunting; it's nothing personal,\" she said. Tessa giggled. She hoped it sounded nervous, but in truth, she was genuinely amused. She'd used the 'nothing personal' line herself a few times. When she wasn't at summer camp or school, Tessa spent most of her evenings as a violent vigilante. She targeted corrupted elites that treated their employees as less than human for the sake of more money.\r \n \r \nUnfortunately, it was like trying to fight a hydra. Every corporate head she removed was replaced the next day and business continued as usual. In a way, it worked to her benefit too, because none of the companies ever seemed interested in solving the murders. Most of the time they were never even mentioned publicly. And, it never was personal for her; she was just trying to make the world a better place.\r \n \r \n\"Why?\" Tessa backed into the tree and stopped. She opened her eyes wider to try and look concerned. Monday stopped walking too.\r \n \r \n\"Why?\" Monday asked. She tilted her head at Tessa curiously. \"Why... what?\"\r \n \r \n\"Why are you hunting? You say it's not personal, but you still have to have a reason,\" Tessa replied.\r \n \r \n\"That's a good question...,\" Monday nodded. Her entire demeanor changed. Tessa felt like she'd lowered her guard for some reason. \"...too good a question.\" Monday's eyes drifted upward for a moment as she lost herself in thought. Tessa realized it was now or never and jumped forward with the dagger ready. She thrust the tip at Monday's throat at the same moment that Monday asked a question.\r \n \r \n\"What's your favorite number?\"\r \n \r \n\"34!\" Tessa answered as the dagger punctured Monday's neck. There was a moment of hesitation as both of them tried to make sense of the new situation. Tessa let go of the handle and jumped back when Monday smiled at her. \"Why aren't you dead? Why did I answer you?\" Tessa asked. She backed up against the tree again as she considered her next move. Monday reached up and pulled the dagger out of her neck slowly. The wound closed as soon as the dagger was free and Monday reached up and began scratching it.\r \n \r \n\"Owww, that's gonna itch for a while...,\" she said. Then she looked at Tessa and grinned.\r \n \r \n\"Hey, congratulations!\" she said. \"You're Awake,\" she tossed the dagger into the forest. \"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you.\"\r \n \r \n\"What? Why not?\" Tessa asked. This time, she was genuinely curious for an answer to her question. It wasn't that she wanted to be killed. But, she immediately trusted that Monday wasn't going to hurt her and she wanted to know where that trust came from. \r \n \r \n\"You're not like the other girls here,\" Monday waved her hand in the direction of the camp. \"You're Unique.\"\r \n \r \n\"What does that mean?\" Tessa asked.\r \n \r \n\"It means that you're due for a long conversation about what that means,\" Monday giggled. \"I'm not doing that, but I'll take you to Mundo and get you started.\"\r \n \r \n\"What?\" Tessa asked. \"You kill all my friends and you think I'm going to just go somewhere with you?\" The question was her way of stalling. She was entirely ready to tag along with Monday; but, she didn't want to be.\r \n \r \n\"Oh, yeah,\" Monday shook her head and flicked her wrist upward. She began swiping at the air in front of her. \"You Woke up, so the quest is broken anyway. I can just drop it and they'll respawn,\" she said. Tessa felt like Monday was talking about a game; she often played games online with her friends. She was about to ask, but Sarah called her name.\r \n \r \n\"Tessa!\" Sarah ran out of the forest and crossed the clearing. \"C'mon, we're going to the lake!\" She grabbed Tessa's hand to encourage her, then she noticed Monday.\r \n \r \n\"Oh, who's your friend?\" Sarah asked. Tessa studied Sarah for a moment and her gaze alternated between Sarah and Monday. The corporate execs she murdered to no news added to the fact that Sarah was holding her hand right now. Tessa saw her body and even mourned her friend before Monday 'dropped the quest'. In an instant, everything fell into place; Tessa had always had a quick mind. She shook her hand free of Sarah's grip and moved to be closer to Monday.\r \n \r \n\"Monday,\" Tessa said. In her mind, she wasn't answering Sarah; she was making a statement. \"She is my friend.\"\r \n\r \n\\\\\\*\n\nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #1683 in a row. (Story #237 in year five.). This story is part of an ongoing saga that takes place at a high school in my universe. It began on August 22nd and I will be adding to it with prompts every day until May 26th. They are all collected in order at [this link](https://www.reddit.com/r/Hugoverse/comments/wtglls/tokuhigh_alternet_class/)." ]	2
	[WP] You always thought that Death comes for everyone, except Death itself. Like how would people die if fucking Death isn't there to take them away? You stood there and quietly pondered as Death bled out and died in front of you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#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 that's that, huh?\" i said to myself as i stood there, watching the vaguely human creature twitch and writhe in pain. Its acrid smelling blood formed around it in a Pentagram like shape and the scythe-scepter thing began to glow.\n\nI had finally killed death. It had taken me decades of preparation, but i did it. And now i cant help but feel that i may have made a mistake.\n\nI never knew what would happen, but i had hoped that people just woldnt die anymore. But that would mean that death also could not die, because he would not be there to 'reap his own soul'. What if you dont die, but your body just ceases to work and the only thing that death did was protecting countless souls from eternal suffering?\n\nDeath had stopped moving but the Pentagram and glowing sceptre persisted. I might have made a grave mistake. \n\nSuddenly another figure approached, looking a lot like death but with long, white horns and stood before Death. After reaching down, taking the sceptre and saying something, the creature stood up and started walking away.\n\n \"So, what now?\" i asked carefully, the figure turned and looked at me \"What do you mean?\" inquired the figure in a faint and almost etherial voice.\n\"What happens, now that death is dead?\", the figure laughed \"Things will procede as usual, save for the fact that another has to take up the mantle of the one you refer to as death.\"\n\nDang. \"So, what is it that death does exactly?\" i asked, \"Paperwork\" answered the mysterious creature. Befor walking away and seemingly vanishing into thin air.\n\nI sat down, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. I was somehow relieved, that there were no unexpected and dire consequences to my actions, yet i also felt dissatisfied that i had ultimately reached nothing after all this time. Most of all, i wanted to know to know what he meant by 'Paperwork'." ]	2
	[WP] "Let me guess, Earthling, you're here to plead for your species?" - "No. I am here to convince you to eliminate us. Every single one of us."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 why would that be? You are inferior to us, therefore not a threat. Your species has only discovered us because we wanted to be discovered. Why waste our time?\"\n\n\"Please, I beg of you: we were not meant to be, to exist. We are horrible creatures only capable of destroying everything in our path. We are hell-bound and you must, for the sake of the Earth, please destroy us. Let Her breathe and see.. let Her not be suffocated any longer. We are no more than a disease created for fun. We have met the ones we worship: we were a game. A joke taken too far.\" \n\nHe pleaded, on his knees as he asked so desperately. This could be his hatred of humanity talking, and while he is terrified of death, he realizes what he is. How he has contributed to the destruction of the home he was never raised to love. He is just as much to blame and he-no. His entire species must know what they've done. Know they are as insignificant as conscious beings come.\n\nFor they all lost their consciousness long ago..", "The behemoth had sauntered down the ramp, eight body guards either side of it, holding weapons just as large as they were, in armour that made even tanks pale in comparison. Compared to me, a human in just jeans and a shirt... well, the disparity was clear.\n\nThe leader glared down at me with four eyes that glittered like emeralds. With a maw full of teeth, it spat out thoroughly chewed words; \"Let me guess, Earthling, you're here to plead for your species?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\nBemusement, I then learned, was a universal expression. The flat 'what' in the face of audacity.\n\n\"I am here to convince you to eliminate us. Every single one of us.\"\n\nSome of the aliens looked at each other. Their leader, I think, examined me.\n\n\"Eliminate you?\" It turned to one of the bodyguards, then back at me. \"Elimin...\" It turned back to guard, talked to them in their language. The pair nodded, shook their heads, gestured. Another interjected for a moment, a single word. The leader looked at them, and looked back at me.\n\n\"Eliminate? You mean for us to kill your race?\"\n\n\"To the last.\"\n\nIt hesitated a moment. Then it had the audacity to ask \"Why?\"\n\n'Why', he said.\n\nI didn't notice the word crawling out of my own lips between the chuckles the alien elicited. 'Why,' my damned arse. What was I to do? Scream? It was just as acceptable. Even crying would be understandable.\n\nI suppose I just saw the funny side in this awful joke.\n\n\"Why? Have you not seen us?\" I spread an arm. \"This world is fucked! We're on life support, here! Wiping out our whole damned race would be a mercy! I mean, look at us, the UK: embroiled in civil war. The US: same again, dragging Canada into it. France and Spain: imploding where they don't burn. Russia: a shadow of a shadow. Africa: starving, dying of thirst and disease in numbers untold. Australia: burning, the fires of Hell itself consuming the place! China: North Korea XXL Edition! And that's the countries I've followed! And the people? The top percent, hoarders and murderers all, while the bottom half fight and devour each other for mere dregs! Greed, Hate, Wrath, Despair, dragging each other into a pit of Nothingness while we drown in our own blood! World War Three is upon us, and no bastard has even realised it yet.\" I laughed. \"And that's not even getting into the shit that's happened before this shitshow even started. That's happening now. The Earth's a frickin' egg.\"\n\n\"You are insane.\"\n\n\"No.\" I shook my head. \"Actually I'm the only sane one here. The others, that know the truth?\" I shook my head. \"Frankly, I don't care what happens next. What we found... well, the truth won't change anything. It won't change what you do. And it won't change the situation. Humanity is dead. Smothered under the weight of its own hate.\" I grinned. \"And the thing we're unwittingly incubating... I don't care if it's born or not - I wanna see the galaxy burn \\- but I have a duty. A moral obligation, if you will. So come on!\"\n\nI spread both my arms.\n\n\"Smother it in the fucking crib!\"", "We call them the Cons, short for \"the Conscious,\" as they called themselves, although I enjoy the double entendre alluding to them being frauds--almost as well as it suits them as Khans, and Conquerors.\n\nThey began cropping up about a year ago. Not from the skies, or out of hiding, or whatever. They were individuals who had spent forty years in the same home town, working in small stores and warehouses, living on the edges of poverty. They were electricians and the unemployed. They were children in unremarkable hometowns in unremarkable schools. They were us.\n\nThat is, until they walked out into the streets and began speaking.\n\nThey were omniscient, and uncaring. They spoke in every language to every population. They shared secrets no one had shared, and they did so to whomever was passing on the street that day. They stood outside in the rain and the snow and the sun and they just spoke. It was nothing remarkable, and it was everything. They were wholly committed to their communication, their own well-being be damned. The news caught wind, and as more of them appeared, as more of them inexplicably died of exposure to the elements, as all of them said things that moved hearts and changed people, their messages were broadcast to the world. They were seen as messiahs, and as devils. Their families and friends couldn't understand what had happened to them. It was as though the person they knew was gone, replaced by some absurd, hollow speaker that knew exactly what to say and how to say it to convince you.\n\nBecause that's what they did: they convinced. Not of a morality or purpose or singular concept. They convinced you of everything that you were on the cusp of believing or discrediting. They knew your heart, and would beat you senseless with it until you either killed them or ran away to escape. It is madness, and the world is falling apart.\n\nEvery day I see more of them. I was warned early on and didn't listen to any of them on the news. I've never heard what it is they're saying exactly, so maybe I'm entirely wrong in this, piecing together incorrect scraps of information from those who ran from them screaming. But every day I look outside and see a new entourage of zealots crowding. A new cry going up that a new Conscious has awoken.\n\nI don't know if anyone else is left. I'm rambling. I'm sorry. This isn't compelling. I have no idea what I'm writing for. I just felt like I was supposed to write at least something before I die, because I'm going out to hear one of them now. My family all left with one months ago. I'm hungry and tired and there isn't another option now. I'm just so damn curious. I'm so enraptured by the things I hear being shouted second-hand. I feel so conflicted over it, because they don't sound like people anymore. They sound like aliens. They sound otherworldly.\n\nAnd the last thing someone shouted keeps replaying in my head: \"Please, don't let us stay. Please, don't let us fight it. Please, please just stop us! Stop us! Stop us! Every single one of us!\"", "\"Let me guess, Earthling, you're here to plead for your species?\" \n\n\nThe arrogance of the tall, tree-like creature was astounding. It spoke with the finality of a being that had lived longer than thirty human generations. He was the ambassador of the Ashioak, one of the Three Galactic Founders. He was a being of great political power, and with a physical stature far more dangerous than any single human could muster. \n\n\n\"No, Fallinbraach. I am here to convince you. Convince you to eliminate us. Every single one of us. As quickly as you can.\" The calm, measured tone of the greying but stoic human replied, his casual yet measured look immediately would inform you of his military background, now in his past.\n\nIt was strange to see the seemingly carved features distort from the consistent placid facade to one of confusion. \n\n\"I do not understand, are you not the representative of your species? Why do you wish for death?\" Fallinbraach couldn't grasp the meaning of the man's words, and so the human military ambassador's expression became a bit frustrated but all the while, he also seemed to pity Fallinbraach.\n\n\"The Ashioak burned our outpost, and seeded it for their own uses. You slaughtered millions, without even a declaration of war.\"\n\n\"One does not declare war on vermin, ambassador. That world was claimed before your species had electricity.\" Fallinbraach remarked, and that was enough to make the old war dog smile.\n\n\"I do appreciate you making this easier on me.\"\n\n\"What do you mean? The Threen will not assist you, and the Catatali-\"\n\n\"You misunderstand, Fallinbraach. Humanity will not seek allies. We are our own ally.\"\n\nThe ancient creature scoffed, but the man continued.\n\n\"You all call us humans or earthlings. I am an American, and before you Ashioak decided to breach your own galactic law, and wage war against us, there were over two hundred distinct human nations, interests, and groups in the galaxy.\"\n\nThere was a sudden screeching as if a thousand birds began to screech all at once. The dirt-like floor of the Ashioak vessel shook, and the final facade of Fallinbraach faded into one of horror and fear. One the thin membrane that served as a viewing screen a massive vessel had appeared. It was not a warship, but a simple Mass Driver, a ship that hauled the massive celestial bodies for mining purposes. Trailing behind it was a hulk of metal and stone larger than the entire Juggernaut that they stood upon.\n\n\"As of Fourteen earth hours ago...they were reduced to One. All Hail the United Earth Federation.\"\n\nWith that the man turned to the screen and saluted it. Standing firm, as the Ashioak all attempted to pull their ship from the path of the accelerating asteroid that was on course to collide with them.\n\nThroughout the Galaxy, similar strikes were being done, the massive Juggernauts of the Ashioak had always been impervious to lesser weapons, but to have several miles of Asteroid collide into you at .25 C? \n\n\nWell, it made one hell of a firework.", "\"And please do it quickly.\" \n\nEliza sat staring into the camera on the cockpit instrument panel. \n\nThe beings on the other side of the comms channel remained silent, but one could gather that there was a general sense of confusion on the other end.\n\nA series of screeches and clicks could be heard on the channel before a classically English voice returned, \"Please elaborate\".\n\nEliza sighed. \"We're all infested.\" She said. She sent over a couple of technical design documents over the comms channel. \"They're nanobots. Self-replicating, basically viruses that don't use the host to reproduce.\" \n\nEliza started to cough, reflexively pulling her elbow up to her mouth. It wasn't a long or violent cough, but she noted specs of blood on her flight suit when she lowered her arm.\n\n\"But like viruses, they mutated. We had thought we built enough protections in-place to mitigate any potential issues, but we were obviously mistaken.\"\n\nThe pain was starting up again, like a searing hot iron against her skin slowly warming up to temperature. She was nearly at the limit for opiates, but that was hardly a concern for her at this point.\n\n\"They were designed to keep us alive. Fight off infections, repair damaged tissue, prevent pain and suffering. They're running rampant in us though, and while they are doing their best to keep us alive, we're in agony. They alternate between cannibalizing our cells and repairing them. They no longer manage pain, instead firing out nerve endings constantly. But worst of all, they no longer see our bodies as natural boundaries.\"\n\nEliza removed her flight helmet to reveal that her headset was fused to her head. The plastic and metal almost melted into her ears and hair. \n\n\"We've begun to fuse into our surroundings. Billions of us, immobilized to beds, chairs, and cockpits. Some to each other. In constant agony. Unable to even kill ourselves.\"\n\nEliza winced as the gloves to her flight suit were given nerve endings.\n\n\"I don't know if they will affect your biology or not, but I'm telling you right now you don't want to take that risk. Please have mercy on us, and end us. All of us\".\n\nEliza didn't wait for a response. She typed quickly while she was still able to. Each key sent waves of fire through her arms. When the alarms began to sound accompanied by the alternating red and amber lights she breathed a sigh of relief.", "Gary, a lowly clerk in Earth's first extraterrestrial delegation, had a secret additional mission from Earth's largest environmentalist network. To fulfill it, he had to speak with the aliens alone. It had to be an Arcturan; they were the galaxy's translators, and the three Arcturans all spoke English fluently after only two weeks. After his duties were finished, he sought out Bnbem.\n\nBnbem focused its eyestalks on him. \"Greetings, new friend.\"\n\n\"That's just it,\" said Gary. \"We aren't as friendly as we seem. Humanity has does terrible things to others.\" He took a deep breath and handed over his carefully prepared personal report detailing humanity's crimes against the environment and its other inhabitants.\n\nBnbem's eyestalks wiggled over it for almost a minute. When it finished, it refocused on Gary. \"Let me guess, Earthling. You're here to plead for your species?\"\n\nGary couldn't read the alien's expression, but he knew what he had to do. \"No. I am here to convince you to eliminate us. Every single one of us.\"\n\nBnbem made a sound Gary didn't recognize. Then it said, \"Why?\"\n\nGary blinked. \"Didn't you read the report? We're horrible. We're a selfish, hateful, destructive species. We destroy everything we touch. We've wrecked our own home, and we'll wreck yours too if you allow it.\"\n\nBnbem was silent for a moment, then began to make an ululating sound. After a moment, Gary placed it as Arcturan laughter. Confused, he waited. Bnbem said, \"Gary, my new friend, every species does this as it develops. If you choose to join our federation, part of your initiation will be a rite of forgiveness. Children err, and their elders forgive them.\"\n\nGary and Bnbem talked a while longer, as Bnbem ruefully explained some things the Arcturans had done in previous eras. When Bnbem finished, he said, \"So, you see, humans aren't uniquely evil. You did surprise me, though. This is my fourth initial contact, and the others all begged forgiveness. You're the first who sought punishment. Now I wonder if humans might be unusually virtuous.\"\n\nFor years, few humans had even considered thinking well of humanity. Startled, Gary considered the idea that humans might be good. It made his chest feel warm.\n\nAfter sending Gary on his way, Bnbem connected his videocom to that of the mission commander. In smooth, fluent Sirian, Bnbem said, \"Leader, one of the humans confessed their sins. They are no worse than average. There was one interesting point, though.\" Bnbem ululated again. \"They may be a bit grandiose.\"", "In the ruinous Aggrogean Wars, humanity was nearly obliterated. Alliances with the robot-kings of Steggen-Yor were broken, and relations even with the neutral Govians cooled. It seemed humanity was not only struggling to survive the war but struggling to make allies - any allies - in the universe, and all we were capable of was isolating ourselves. \n\nBut haven't we been here before? A species on the edge of a knife, confronted with extinction and close-calls so many times before? Wars, disasters, plagues, decadence, and yet we endured. Johann knew that is what the Iri'motriots underestimated when he went to speak with the mighty being known as Doombringer Lonn.\n\n\"You are the one who requested an audience with me?\" Doombringer Lonn asked with a sardonic smile. Johann, the earthling, was barely 1/4 of the immense Lonn's size.\n\n\"I am\" Johann replied simply and clearly, so the translator headset could process the words for the ferocious titan accurately.\n\n\"Then speak plainly. You risk much to be here, and it is not often that I get to interact with your kind. What message do you bring for the great Lonn, called Doombringer, among his people and yours!\"\n\n\"In recent weeks your fleet has hesitated. The battles on Titan and Oberon saw your harshest defeats yet. We sense weakness. I am here with a special message for you: destroy us, all of us, and quickly. If you don't then it will be us who bring doom to you.\"\n\n\"Scoundrel!\" Rapsion, the Doombringer's creature, cried. \"You insult us openly? Master...\"\n\nBut Doombring Lonn merely chuckled. \"Oh? You advocate for your total annihilation because you are that much of a threat, hm? You and your ragtag armada of retired spacecraft, merchant vessels, and converted luxury ships? True, you have shown some ability, but -\"\n\n\"Gaugamela\" Johann interrupted, his gaze menacingly on Doombring Lonn.\n\n\"The ingratitude!\" Rapsion squealed. \"We granted you safe passage to come here with your useless message and all you do is waste our time and insult the Great One!\"\n\n\"What is a...Gowgamalla, was it?\" Lonn asked curiously.\n\n\"Agincourt\" Johann said, ignoring the question.\n\n\"What is this? Your words do not seem to be translating properly\" Rapsion sputtered.\n\n\"Thermopylae\"\n\n\"I don't understand! Someone check his device\" Rapsion cried again, but the mighty Lonn raised a hand to silence him.\n\n\"You must eradicate us, because if you don't we will crush you. We are at our best when the situation is dire, when the most courage is needed, when we need to summon creativity, endurance, and fortitude that seems beyond us\" Johann said, slowly rising to his feet in defiance. Two guards leapt forth and swiftly bludgeoned him to the ground again.\n\n\"And those words, what are they? Some sort of primitive curse you are trying to cast on us?\" Lonn asked smugly.\n\nJohann winced in pain from the recent beating, waiting for his breath to steady so he could speak clearly. \n\n\"No, they are the names of battles that seemed hopeless. Fierce battles fought among our species that seemed like certain defeat for one side but ended quite differently. I invoke their name as a warning to you: destroy us or be destroyed. Merely conquering us won't subdue our spirit. You must crush us, for even if only a handful of us survive we will resist with the force of a thousand Lonns and some day you will find yourselves in a great hall, bowed before these few, cursing the day that you encountered the humans of earth and pleading for mercy, and what then? Fierce in battle we will be even fiercer in victory and then, when you are on your knees, you will remember the one named Johann who told you to strike swiftly lest you find yourself in such a hopeless situation. Remember these words! Etch them in this ship where your kinsmen can see them!\"\n\n\"Enough\" Lonn said, seeming unnerved. The conviction in Johann's words had a power of its own that seemingly lent credibility to his statements. \"Obliterate this one, and summon my War Council.\" \n\nJohann smiled and wondered how he would be remembered by these vicious aliens generations from now as Rapsion hurriedly led him away down a dim hall. Johann the Prophet? It had a nice ring to it.", "The alien was a strange thing, its colours seemingly reflecting the wrong shade of green. Carapace covered the alien instead of skin, and one beady eye stared back at Marcus.\n\n“You must understand that this is a highly irregular request,” the alien said.\n\nBut Marcus felt that he himself was stranger still.\n\n“Of course,” the man said, sighing with the weight of a thousand suns. “But you must understand. Humanity must die. Every single one of us.”\n\nThe alien leaned forward, the one eye never blinking.\n\n“In the end, you are also begging for mercy. Just a different kind. Fine, speak your argument—why does humanity need to be eliminated?”\n\n“We got a hell of a lot of things wrong,” Marcus said, raising his hands up. “We remain alive by killing everything else. Hell, we’ve driven so many species to extinction, all for making a new mansion for some rich douche.”\n\n“It is indeed quite concerning,” the alien said. “The Earth has exhibited an extraordinary amount of pollution.”\n\n“Indeed. Just look at the state of Earth,” Marcus said. “You’ve seen Earth-that-was. You know how it looked like.”\n\n“It was a beautiful planet of green and blue, two colours pleasing to the eye.”\n\n“Yeah, look outside now,” Marcus said. “We humans turned that into wasteland.”\n\nThe brown outweighed every other colour now. Bald spots that Mother Earth shamefully tried to hide with its clouds, but that was like trying to put out a fire with a thimble of water.\n\n“Interesting,” the alien nodded, eye lingering on Earth.\n\n“So, yeah,” Marcus shrugged. “Just kill us all. And you’ll never have to worry about that again.”\n\nThe alien looked out into dark space for a while more, before turning to look at Marcus.\n\n“No,” the alien said.\n\n“What?” Marcus cried. “I told you! We are a cancer. A plague! And our home is facing a crisis. And you dismiss me out of hand?”\n\n“Then fix it,” the alien smiled.\n\n“Fix… fix it?” Marcus’ blood ran cold. “But I gave you—’\n\n“You provided an ultimatum. Not a solution. I kill every human. And what becomes of Earth? As its warden, are you not responsible to nurse it back to health?”\n\n“I…” Marcus hesitated, before collapsing onto the floor of the shuttle, sobbing. “This was… I thought this was the right choice.”\n\n“Advocating for utter genocide is never the right choice, though sometimes necessary,” the alien sighed. “But human. You might not think so, but you have the power to effect some change.”\n\nMarcus’ sobbed, and thanks the alien for the kind words. As Marcus returned on a shuttle back to Earth, the alien nodded grimly, and flipped a cover on his desk that hid a giant, red button.\n\n‘It’s never easy to decide to exterminate a planet. But the humans are the pests on this planet, leeching a once-great planet for everything she’s worth.”\n\nThe alien put a finger on the red button, watching the shuttle disappear into Earth’s atmosphere.\n\n“Thank you, Marcus, for your report,” the alien whispered. “But you said every single one. And that included you.”\n\n---\n\nr/dexdrafts", "\r \nOld men have a bad reputation for being close-minded and unable to change, prone to gloomy proclamations for a future they’re unlikely to experience while simultaneously espousing laughably improbable, sickly sweet nostalgic “back-in-my-day” fantasies of a hazy past that they honestly don’t actually remember very much of at all anyway. In Victor Beck’s case, though, this was spot on the money.\r \n\r \nOn that particular day, Victor was strolling down a dust covered trail in a not-particularly-important part of the American Southwest, companionably chatting with a small green humanoid figure no taller than his knee (and Victor was not one of those lanky tall old men though he’d put in a decent showing with his high school sophomore basketball team a very, very long time ago). This was the most important conversation in the history of the human race and its three minutes and twenty seven seconds would decide the fate of nearly eight billion people who were at that very moment cooking, cleaning, picking the kids up from school, fucking, wishing they were fucking, wondering if blue really suited them afterall, procrastinating fixing the drip in the downstairs bath and so on.\r \n\r \n“We’re going to do it, Victor,” the little green man said. He didn’t seem angry or happy or invested in this statement much at all. The alien’s tone of voice exactly mirrored that of an office worker lifer who was trying his best to finish his spreadsheets, file his report and get home to the same old wife, same old kids, same old mediocre dinner followed by the same two-and-a-half hours of forgettable television and sweet numbing sleep that might (just might) include a repeat of that dream from three years ago where he for one achingly beautiful, frozen moment felt a truly profound and all encompassing sense of freedom. Victor didn’t really notice since he was thinking hard about how to phrase his next words—words that were more important than any other words ever spoken ever, anytime, anywhere in the history of everything (at least as it relates to we fragile humans).\r \n\r \n“You should,” Victor offered at last. “You should murder every last fucking one of us assholes.” \r \n\r \nThe alien blinked. “What?” he squeeked, more than a little nonplussed. “You’re not going to beg for your species? For this planet with its rich culture, its love and kindness and potential? You aren’t going to make excuses for your mistakes? Promise you’ll do better? Ask if we’ll mentor you on the long trail to full Galactic citizenship?” \r \n\r \n“I mean seriously, Victor,” the alien said more slowly as he turned and looked up at a more than forty five degree angle to attempt to meet the eyes of this chosen representative, this random selection of humanity to defend and explain his entire world per the protocols that had been in place for eons upon eons of civilization, “do you want to take a beat and rethink that?”\r \n\r \n“You asked. That’s my answer.” Victor didn’t seem particularly concerned. “There’s no defending this. It’s all randomness and pain and shits and giggles and I’m for damn sure, I’m not going to get all worked up on a hot day like this and use up what little time and energy I may have left to even begin to attempt to understand, let alone endorse, the actions of billions upon billions of sad little apes scampering around this chaotic ball in the midst of the vast impersonal void that frankly I’m shocked hasn’t swallowed us all up and spit us out long before this,” he paused. “Anything else I can help you with?”\r \n\r \nMuch later that day, back in the tiny cloaked ship speeding around in orbit far above, the alien scribbled out his report on a single sheet of standard human eight-by-eleven. His handwriting was atrocious but he ended with a clear, bold and underlined conclusion: “mostly a lost cause but there seem to be one or two who get it” followed by a swift flick of the PROBATION stamp into the ink and firmly in to the box marked “recommendation”.", "The stone walled room had a strange aura to it, a feeling that surely hadn't existed before, so just now was brought into being. A feeling mixed of tension and curiosity shared by both members seated across the table from one another. The human, Gregor as he was called, scaled lower on the curiosity meter but much higher in the tension category. Across from him, a being who's name would be unpronounceable to Gregor without a tongue flap (which sadly he did not possess), was more in the curiosity zone of things. \n\nThey simply stared at one another, letting Gregor's words hang in the thick air of the ship. He repeated them, this time with more conviction, \"I am here to convince you to eliminate humanity. All of it.\" \n\nThe alien with the unpronounceable name stood and paced, two demonic like legs beneath him. Its clawed feet tapped along the stone floors lightly. Its four blackened eyes stayed still, focused on a point. Gregor simply watched. After a long moment the demon creature turned back. \"What sort of trick is this?\" \n\n\"Not a trick. And you're running out of time.\" \n\nBehind the two through a thick glass door more of the alien species ran around the ship, some passing by and trying not to make their inside stares obvious. Others taking glances over their shoulders every few moments. \n\n\"Do you know why I am here? Why I came in that thing and risked myself to be here?\" Gregor gestured to a pad outside holding his ship, more if a pod really. A decaying amalgamation of parts and wires with a sleek glass cockpit. \n\n\"Humor me.\" The alien thing replied coldly, taking its seat once more. \n\n\"We are a cancer. A disease. Space travel? Gods biggest mistake in its allowance. Just an excuse to conquer more and more; to Manifest Destiny our way through the galaxy. Except in space every direction is west.\" Gregor's voice grew in intensity as he spoke. The alien showed surprise, if that was possible for something without many features. Just mandibles and rough skin. \n\n\"We already planned to do this.\", the being across the table let out a noise meant to be a laugh but it sounded more like a hunk of metal in a blender. \"So thank you for the tip but we will carry o-\" He looked up to see Gregor walking towards the door that lead to his ship, his shoulders slumped. A beep came slowly from the watch on his wrist. \n\n\"I was afraid of this. As I said, out of time. I'll try with the next ones.\" \n\nBehind him those same aliens before that stared in or worked diligently now scrambled. A light flashed overhead from somewhere in the stone ships cockpit and bodies ran to positions. Out of the window Gregor could see a fleet-no- a sea of ships materialize from thin air, massive guns at the ready. If there was one thing his people were good at, it was war. \n\nIn the rearview of his ship he did not need to look to see the destruction. Did not need to see to know their planet was being taken. Instead he puffed on in search of the next planet in a long line to tell his silent words to." ]	11
	[WP] A company and its workers try hard to keep things as normal as possible during an apocalyptic event.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "\"Umm, did you notice that the VP for Corporate Affairs - you know, small guy, the one who is always saying that only 110% is good enough for him, well, did you notice he has a raccoon head?\"\n\n\"Badger,\" corrected Sue, the office know-it-all. \"Hog Badger. They live in Vietnam.\"\n\n\"That's odd,\" chimed in Henry. \"The guy's last name is Polish or something like that.\"\n\n\"Well, isn't a badger head....well, unusual?\" persisted Laella.\n\n\"I said 'like the look' to him in the lift,\" Grace, their section head, told them. \"He told me he was keeping ahead of the times, like we all should if we wanted to rise in this company. Then he said something about synergistically adapting to the wave of the future.\"\n\n\"I ain't gettin' no animal head, no way\" Dwayne announced. \"Rather stay low.\"\n\nGrace let that pass. \"Ok. We're not getting the work done here. What's on the list, Sue?\"\n\n\"Inventory check of tentacle restraints after that kraken attack. Track whether the order for moon-shades got re-routed around Denver. Oh, and HR has called a meeting for 11.00 on the rules around spontaneous combustion in the office.\"\n\n\"Figures,\" noted Grace. \"Three guys in accounting went that way last week. Took a lot of records with them. Right. Let's get on with it. Laella, I'll need the outstanding balance on the Perlman account. Their HQ was in Savannah.\"\n\nLaella nodded. The wave of screaming toads had been on the news that morning.\n\nThey fired up the screens and got to work.", "\"Hm! Smells like our barter-and-trade worked out well!\" said Jessie, standing behind the store counter with a shotgun.\n\n\"Yeah! I felt like an old-time bootlegger!\" Lucas exulted and entered triumphantly, holding aloft two large pizza boxes.\n\n\"No coffee, though,\" lamented Beaumont, as he bolted the front door behind them. He gripped his bloodied crowbar and peered out the liquor store window, between the metal bars.\n\n\"Dude, you can't expect Starbucks to stay open for the zombie apocalypse! Hell, they closed during the blizzard last winter!\"\n\n\"I wonder why the zombies steer clear of our store and the Pizza Palace,\" mumbled Lucas, through a mouthful of margherita pizza. He hadn't wasted any time to get his first slice.\n\n\"Maybe they're scared of the neon signs.\"\n\nFor a moment, the three chewed their pizzas thoughtfully in silence.\n\n\"So...do you think the strip clubs are still open?\"", "When I told my wife that our office would be the last place on earth to close, even despite The Calamity, I wasn't joking or using hyperbole. One could be forgiven for assuming we produce something essential to the existence of humanity but the key assets in our portfolio are the metal ends of garden hoses and various types of doorknobs. And yet here we are, still open, because our butts in seats mentality prevails.\n\n\"Morning, Tom\" I say as I reach my cubicle and put my bag down. Tom doesn't take his eyes off the screen, even as the electricity momentarily flickers in the office. \n\n\"How many people you think will be in today?\" I ask, only half-interested.\n\n\"Mmm, probably about the same as yesterday\" Tom replies, equally uninterested. Tom has seen everything imaginable during his tenure here and as far as I am concerned was the company's first employee. The guy is unshakable and seems like he's perpetually 5 years away from retirement. He's almost like an institution himself.\n\nI nod soberly and look out the window and consider the landscape before me from my vantage point on the 16th floor. The once lively downtown smolders silently below. Cars are abandoned, animals roam the streets freely, and a few brave bands of people scurry between buildings, always staying in the shadows. In the distance several helicopters fly westward in a V formation. Smoke seems to be billowing out of one of them. Tom pops open his energy drink can and has his first sip of the day.\n\nThe door behind me opens and another colleague comes bounding in. \"Morning!\" calls the familiar voice of our VP, Jen. \n\n\"Morning\" Tom and I mumble in unison.\n\n\"Hey, you two are wearing the same shirt again\" Jen says with a bright smile. I look down and notice Tom and I are, in fact, wearing the same pale blue shirt again. It's the one I spilled mayo on during lunch at the office last week and was mostly able to get out in the wash. Hopefully nobody looks too closely.\n\n\"Yep, how bout that\" I say with my usual friendly but forced smile. Jen's enthusiasm for being in the office (as well as her apparent obliviousness for the larger events playing out in the world around us) is unparalleled. \n\nBefore I can marvel at Jen's motivation and how her passion for office work keeps her going every day, a white light shines with increasing intensity into the office.\n\n\"Oh geez, here comes another one\" Tom says with an eye roll as our shadows grow longer. The three of us hurry under our desks.\n\nBOOM! A massive explosion outside shakes the building and one of the halogen lights hanging from the ceiling crashes onto the cubicle behind me, along with a few of the remaining ceiling tiles.\n\n\"Whew! That one was pretty close, huh?\" Jen says as she climbs out from under her desk once the shaking stops. \n\n\"Sure was\" comes Tom's nasally drone in reply.\n\nI climb back into my desk chair and dust myself off before I power on my computer. I can't help but wonder how much longer this will continue before our office shuts down, or at least formally says we can work from home." ]	4
	[WP] God has had enough with humanity and gives himself a giant physical form to destroy them. He did not expect for the humans to build a metal giant of their own to fight him. And he was certainly not expecting it to actually be a challenge.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 going to start by saying that humanity had been a great little earner for me over the aeons. After all, Earth was one of my earliest and biggest hits. My audience loved it, despite the lowbrow, slapstick nature of things. This sort of pulpy crap killed when it came to the general public, and my publishers were constantly on my case for more.\n\nBut I had grown sick of playing “lowest common denominator”. Over the years I’d evolved as a creative and I’d made some really evocative and challenging work of late.\n\nHave you seen my Alpha Centuri? It is SO MUCH BETTER than Earth! It has depth, it has drama, it addresses some of the real challenges associated with omnipotence in a way that is both empathic and insightful. But do people know or care about it? Of course not.\n\nDid you know I wrote Earth for the beetles? They were meant to be the star of the show. But humans just sort of… took over. The audience’s reaction when Thog smacked that guy on the head with a piece of wood was something that resonated throughout the cosmos. It changed everything and not for the better. Here I am, a dozen epochs later, still producing the same old crap.\n\nSo I decided to do something about it. I’d give the audience what they wanted and wipe out humanity at the same time.\n\nI sat down with my laptop and started to type. My hands were sweating and I had this manic grin on my face. I’d not directly involved myself in the narrative of human beings for what must be a couple of millennia. I was going to enjoy this.\n\nThe End of the World began with a shaft of light from the heavens and a great voice wrang out. It shook the ground, causing the glass edifices humanity has built to shatter and fall. The power of each of these words killed thousands. \n“The end time has cometh. Prepare thyselves for thou hast trespassed against me for the last timeth.” \nWas timeth a word? Probably not. Never mind. The morons tuned in wouldn’t know any different. I invented the language after all, so if I say ”timeth” than “timeth” it is. \nThough some obsessed asshat on a forum somewhere was almost certainly writing a long post about “continuity”.\n\nA divine presence appears, taller than their mightiest skyscrapers and glowing with a divine inner light. The figure of God stands before humanity and they wail and gnash their teeth. \nGod swipes a hand and a city is turned to salt. Millions are gone in a matter of moments with just a simple gesture. \nThis was good. This was really good. I could feel the attention of the cosmos focussed on this apocalypse. They loved a good apocalypse. \nGod strides forward, his wrath made manifest. “Behold my glory and tremble at my might.” \nThis was pure. Old testament. Should never have written the sequel. Another in the long list of stupid crap my publishers made me do. \nIn the distance a figure stands on the horizon. A creature made of alloys and science. It bristles with weaponry but is obviously some sort of giant mechanical human. It seems to be wearing a formal suit for some reason and a gigantic moustache dominates the top of its lip. \nWait. What? \nLeaping forward the metal monstrosity closes the distance to the divine being faster than should have been possible. The air fills with chaff, a thousand low-yield warheads hammer home, and the being known as Mecha-Nietzsche lets out a roar of “Gott ist tot!” as its gigantic metallic fist collides with the sculptured jaw of Our Lord the Creator." ]	2
	[WP] She's crazy, obsessive, and a stalker. Her skill set is remarkable, but... misplaced. Tonight, she is going to try to take you... Little does she know that she is walking into an interview.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Marianne had improved, as was only natural. Or perhaps he was simply…giving up in the wake of her renewed advances. She did not dare hope for such an eventuality, not after last time. Her left breast still stung, the pink flesh bound tightly to cover the beginnings of a minor infection. She hoped that he would not notice. \r \n\r \nFor a moment, she dug through her bag, moving aside the lockpicks and knives to grab at healing salves, ensuring she was well stocked. She removed the hand mirror, brushed aside her shortened black locks. Tonight was another promise, another chance at proving herself to him.\r \n\r \nIn the heavy evening crowd, dockworkers shambled back to their quarters, the tall, almost ramshackle buildings of the Mouse Quarter looming over the streets. The canals were choked with the freight barges, the smallest of pontoons humming along as they wove through the traffic. The rush of workers returning to their homes almost obscured him from her, almost. But her focus was much stronger than the world around her. Her senses had sharpened, and she could detect him anywhere now, at any time. Like magic.\r \n\r \nShe did not dare think it to be love. For it to be love would take away from him, to make him seem more human, and not what he was to her. A Savior, a God, but not human, not something to be approached. He was something that needed protection, prayer, and faith. She breathed in the air, choked with sweat and tiredness. \r \n\r \nHe ducked around a corner, doubled back, slipped through an alleyway, then a sewer, then back across the way he’d come. Following the crowd. She had stopped walking the moment he did, and simply turned back, her senses zeroing in once more. He had switched clothing in the midst of it, donning a cloak that smelled of moths and rosemary, and his skin was marred with sweat now. \r \n\r \nShe followed, dutifully. Keeping no less than a hundred paces behind. He ducked into another alleyway, and she followed. Then stopped.\r \n\r \nHe was gone. She could not sense him anymore. Her swelling heart fell slightly at that, he had not been dissuaded it seemed. She walked to the end of the street, saw the traces. Spots where shoes had dug in, the fresh scratches on stone. She turned to the gutter that clung to the unstable cottage it ran up. Her nails bit into the soft metal.\r \n\r \nOver rooftops, she chased him. Always out of his sight, never taking the same path as him. It made it that much harder for her. She didn’t mind. He was fast, faster than he’d ever been now, scaling and swooping through the Quarter as candles were lit and the light vanished from the honeyed sky. Night was approaching. Her heel slipped on an eave, and she tumbled. Through a second-story window she went, the curses of surprise following her as she dove through the window across, back onto the roofs. \r \n\r \nHe had slowed to a stop. He waited for her for a moment, then with no warning, his presence vanished once more. She sighed, reaching the last spot she had sensed him, an empty lot surrounded by ruins, with weeds snaking out in patches. She stopped to search for him, and was startled by a voice, a clearing of the throat.\r \n\r \nShe spun. Perched on the window of a house was a man, wearing a mask. A parakeet, the pudgy chin wrought in wood and yellow paint. Above him, another girl, the mask of an Adder, triangular and glaring. She was squatted on the eave above where he was reclined. Immediately, she was on edge. “Who are you?”\r \n\r \nThey did not speak. Slowly, she reached into the bag. “Don’t.” The voice rang like bells, the peal immediately giving her pause. She turned slowly. There he was. There was a sureness in her mind that today was to be special between them.\r \n\r \nIt was the closest she’d been allowed to him after the first incident. He stood in the square, directly across from her. His face was obscured by a paper mask, a cone that sat over his features, red rat’s eyes scribbled onto it. Comical buck teeth as well. She turned her head, facing away from his gaze. \r \n\r \nAnother man arrived then, with no mask. He wore an unadorned officers’ jacket, the green muted in the night air. The light came from a solitary street lamp, casting heavy shadows across the assembled people. His face was stone, he made no indication of seeing anyone as he moved to the corner of the square and squatted there. She did not notice or care either, because his eyes were finally on her after all this time. \r \n\r \n“So, this is why we’re here then?” The Parakeet whistled. “I must admit Mouse, you picked a Hell of a candidate. She won’t last a second though.” The girl above leaned over to look at the bird. “I’ll take that bet Song. We need more women in the group anyways, I like her cut.” The mask seemed to hiss the words.\r \n\r \n“What are you all talking about?” She spoke softly. “His name is Mouse? Can you tell me more about him?”\r \n\r \nThe bird scoffed. “Geez, he’s right behind you girl, ask him your-” She snapped at him, her expression unchanging. “I’ve tried. He won’t look at me, and I won't look at him. He’s told me six different names now, I’ve been trying to pattern him out, but he resists it.” \r \n\r \nA pause in the air. “Well, what DO you know about him?” Spoke the Adder, glinting. She waited.\r \n\r \n“You can tell them. These people are trusted.” Mouse spoke. Her heart threatened to burst, and with pride, she spoke.\r \n\r \n“I know that he’s somewhere between twenty and thirty seasons of age. I know that he frequents the Dead Dealer in the west Mouse quarter, and that he has financial ties in the building. I know that he sticks to a strict nighttime schedule, journeying across every City Quarter as night falls and only sleeping between seven and nine hours as the sun rises. I know he prefers knives in combat and can throw them with perfect accuracy. I know that he changes his hair color each week and tone of voice as well. I know that when he goes outside the City for deals with many different people that I cannot name or place the faces too. I know his favorite food is Wanderfruit pie, without any hint of bitter to it. I know that he’s able to travel up to twenty leagues without stopping. He also has a weakness for the downtrodden, and will help the poor often before himself.” She stopped speaking. The unmasked man had stood up as she’d continued. \n\n1/2 , check replies" ]	2
	[WP] "You have been found guilty of crimes against the king and his realm. You can choose between execution or fighting a duel to the death against the court jester." Of course you choose the jester. That should be easy. The twist? The jester is an expert duelist.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "King Percival raises his hand to quiet the baying of the courtiers. “Everyone knows,” he says. “I am not a vindictive prince. And Coteau was a brave knight before he was a traitor. I give you a choice,” he says to me. “A traitor’s death by fire,” he pauses dramatically. “Or single combat,” another dramatic pause. Percival loves the court’s anticipation. “Against Poke.”\n\nHoots of laughter. Poke, the royal jester, is a giant of a man. He had been a soldier, people say, before a bad blow in battle turned him simple. “Aye, a single combat is all it will take!” bellows Poke. “No man can survive being poked!”\n\n“I choose single combat, your grace,” I say stiffly, before the king can change his mind. The courtiers hoot.\n\n“Well done!” Percival claps his hands. “Poke, since you are being challenged, I believe you have your choice of weapons.”\n\n“A sword for him,” Poke laughs, an unpleasant hur-hurring. “And an ax for me.”\n\nWe’re led to one of the inner courtyards of the palace. Poke has an ax, long and heavy and sharp. Someone has put a sword in my hands, though they’re still manacled. The courtiers laugh as I try to heft the blade. \n\nThe guards form a circle around us. I look at Poke as he lifts his ax. For just a moment, the glaze of simplicity in his eyes clears. He knows exactly what he is doing.\n\nThe king claps once. Poke charges with a bellow. I wait until the last moment and leap aside, letting his bulk and his ax sail by harmlessly. It takes him a moment to stop and turn, like a bull in a colosseum beast-fight in the east. “Little fly doesn’t want to be swatted,” Poke quips. \n\nHe charges at me again, and this time I drop and roll, scampering back to my feet again as he roars his anger. \n\nCourtiers jeer. “Are you a dog rolling in mud?” Poke asks me, playing to the crowd. “Stand like a man!”\n\nSo I do. Poke advances slowly this time, swinging his ax in heavy arcs. I manage to get my blade up and meet his swings with the flat of it, the impact making my arms shake. I hold on tight. I can’t drop it now. \n\nI step back with each swing, until I can feel a guard’s pike pressing against my back. Poke swings again. I feel the guard behind me withdraw. I dodge again, and Poke crashes through the new gap in the circle of guards. \n\nPoke looks around and finds the king. “You should replace your courtiers with a good stone wall, your grace,” he says. “It’ll be safer, and the rocks will give better counsel.”\n\nThe laughs are nervous now. Before the guards can reform the circle I lift my sword and charge. Now it’s Poke’s turn to step back and aside, further into the quickly-growing circle of the crowd. He lifts his ax and swings hard, and I stretch my arms as wide as I can. \n\nThe ax smashes through the manacles, and this time I do drop my sword as pain shoots up my wrists. But my hands are free.\n\n“Get him!” someone shouts.\n\n“Would it be sporting to fight an unarmed man?” Poke replies, catching his breath and preparing his ax again. \n\nI take the chance to pick up my sword. “Not sporting,” I say. “But smart, fool.”\n\n“Aye,” Poke nods at me. “Smart.”\n\n“What are you waiting for?” the king shouts. “End the traitor!”\n\n“Well,” I say. “You heard the man.”\n\nPoke’s first swing takes off the head of the guard to his right. I drive my sword through the gap in another guard’s armor, just deep enough to reach his heart. I deliver a killing cut to another guard’s legs before the screaming starts. \n\nI step back as another rushes in, delivering a deep cut when he overreaches. For a moment I’m against Poke’s back, and I hear the sound of his ax. \n\nThe courtiers are fleeing. Another guard falls, and the few remaining ones stop trying to press against the crowd toward us.\n\n“There he is!” Poke shouts, and I step and turn. We’re shoulder to shoulder, and I see him pointing out Percival. The king. The pretender.\n\nWe raise our weapons and advance. It took years of preparation, but it’s good to finally have my brother back.", "I laughed, strangely, the Jester laughed too. After being given a choice between execution and fighting the King's jester, I chose the latter. Assured death versus slicing up a jokester, could there be an easier decision? I thought not, hence my mirth. Apparently the Jester agreed with me.\n\nMy thoughts shifted slightly when the rest of the courtroom started to chuckle as well. \"Hey buddy,\" I called to the skinny figure of the Jester wafting to and fro next to the throne, \"When I'm through with you maybe I'll take your job, I already have the whole court laughing.\" His movement paused for such a small window of time that I questioned whether he had heard me at all, for his swaying continued and the snickers that had previously filled the great hall drew back, curtained behind their respective lips.\n\n\"Foolish runt.\" The King. To me? Yes definitely to me, nobody else was standing in front of the throne post guilty verdict for crimes agains the kingdom. He continued, \"My Jester is one of the most elite warriors of the realm, trained to protect me against all kinds of foes who would look past him in an attempt on my life. He has never been defeated and I doubt the likes of you could silence him.\"\n\n\"So rather than work on his jokes, you taught a skinny weak looking man to fight? Seems counterintuitive for a jester m'Lord. Why perhaps it would've suited you better had you taught that hefty chambermaid over there to fight, she at least looks like she could take down a man or too, this Jester would blow over if a stiff breeze bopped him on his nose.\"\n\nMy attempts at humor garnered no more support from the audience, drastically decreasing my chances of taking over the Jester's job. The King stepped forward and gave another long winded speech about why I was being sentenced et. cetera ad infinitum blah blah. It concluded with him tossing me a sword and proclaiming the duel to have started. All rather sudden in my book. However, seeing as the Jester had advanced from the side of the throne and was entering the combat circle in the center of the great hall (where I was conveniently located) I elected to focus on the problems in front of me first. \n\nFor an expert duelist the Jester was quite the fighter, however I was ultimately able to take the battle, and his head, in one stroke. For while he had been a jester studying the art of fighting, I had been a fighter (as well as political activist and outspoken critic of the King \\[Hence the predicament\\]) studying the trade of the jester. During my studies I learned that much like a fight, when delivering a joke one must time the punchline properly. The king, being miraculously slow of mind for a leader was known to be thrown into great rages if a punchline was presented to him before he could wrap his royal head around the premise. Thus, I knew that after opening blows, the Jester would out of habit wait slightly too long to deliver his punchline in the fight, the killing blow. With that in mind, I stepped into the gap and cleaved his head from his body.\n\nAfter much discourse and a great deal of verbal turmoil, I was allowed to go free provided that I leave the kingdom immediately. Thus, I departed, having taken a life, saved my own, and lost forever the opportunity to be a court Jester." ]	3
	[WP] "H-How?" "Because unlike you people I am not a Wizard. I am a God damn Magician"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Magic is for children. \n\nIt’s a common misconception, taught by old men in violet robes with gold dripping from their throats. They wear tradition like leaden crowns, holding their heads high even as their necks break. I have no patience for broken maxims. \n\nI’ve held what wizards call power; traded life and blood for spell and bone. What is a soul worth anyway? The taste is still bitter on my tongue.\n\nI prefer matchbook magic; simple spells and charms. The little acts of divinity that give real wizards hives. I’ll never topple a city’s walls with lightning or call fire from my blood. The most I can manage is a spark, a light drizzle, or maybe a hot cup of tea. But I have other tricks. Magician I may be, but I’m a very very good one. \n\nTo say the gentlemen of the Righteous Light of Heaven were surprised to see me is perhaps understating the moment. \n\nSome context. \n\nA Summoning is a very intricate process. It requires the orbital position of celestial bodies, heavy metals, a large collection of blood, and no small amount of differential calculus. The goal, of course, is the eternal servitude of some cosmic entity. The downside: damnation, various hells, and of course the price of failure: death. \n\nAll that on the line and then I show up. You can imagine their faces. You can imagine the shock of the man holding the knife above a girl strapped to an table. You can imagine the fear of being caught. Of being seen. \n\n“You s-shouldn’t be here…”\n\n“Not what you were hoping for?”\n\nHe took a step backwards. Almost tripped over his robe, I can’t make this shit up. I grinned. \n\n“Don’t you believe in monsters?” \n\nA snap of my fingers. The lights go out. A spark of life is hard, the death of a candle is nothing but a breath. The death of a hundred candles, just breathe a little deeper. \n\nThe screaming was regrettable. \n\nI whisper a word, call to a sleeping god within the shadow of a dream, and then I can see. Just like magic. \n\nI cut the girl loose with a glass knife and a grin. I love it when I make it in time. \n\nThe thrumming tension of the half-completed ritual hung heavy in the air. I pluck one of the threads, pull the chord apart and grip hard on the note I need. With a snap that sounds like thunder I can feel it fall apart. The magic ripples backwards, throttling the souls of the panicked men in their piss-stained robes. My Cheshire smile is the only thing they see before they’re damned. \n\nLike I said, I’ve got some very good tricks." ]	2
His first visit to hell was called the harrowing of hell for a reason you know.	[WP]To Humanity, Jesus is seen as a holy preacher and kind man. To the rest of the cosmos, he is the son of an eldritch god who does not hesitate to eviscerate anyone who threatens humanity	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Jesus of Nazareth, MLK Jr. Ghandi. They had lived many lives guiding their people, protecting the humans. Watching over them. Every once in a while, it took the time to walk among humanity, reminding itself of the importance of this small seemingly insignificant species.\n\nFor our there, in the cold uncaring cosmos, there were others. Those who would see these people destroyed.\n\nThey had lived many lives, taken many names, Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr. Ghandi, but these names were known for bringing peace on earth. Out there, in the vast Cosmos, there was no peace, there was only bloodshed. \n\nIn the vast cold reaches of space, an army of cold calculating machines move from galaxy to galaxy, eliminating all organic life and taking over every habitable planet.\n\nA race of savage sadistic carnivorous omnivores devour everything they can, flesh, metal, stone, doesn't matter. All life serves to feed their ceaseless hunger.\n\nAn endless number of horrors fill the universe, and time and again they tried, oh how they tried to come to this small seemingly defenceless planet.\n\nJesus, Martin Luther King, Ghandi. He was known as all these people and more on his world.\n\nBut out here, they had so many other names.\n\nThe voidwraith, the eater of light, the last night of the damned... So many enemies had come to this seemingly backwater galaxy, and found a graveyard of vessels, and a lone figure floating amongst them. \n\nNone would ever be able to comprehend that the creator, the one who had the power to reshape the universe as they knew it had made this b\nGalaxy his home.\n\nIt was important for the almighty to walk among his people every once in a while, just to make sure that this time, this time he had gotten it right. His world was filled with so much horror, and he had so much to answer for, and while these people, these 'humans' were still far from perfect, they were improving. Slowly, they were getting better. They could tame the universe that it had caused to fall to ruin.\n\nBut until they could bring peace, it would bring war." ]	2
	[WP] Superpowers are fueled by one's lifespan. Tonight's the night you're going to push it to the limit. You'll live all of your years in a single minute.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 few public superheroes died fast and young. The villians died even quicker.\n\nUsing your powers ate your life and people figured that out pretty quickly after Ultraboy became Ultrageriatric in less than a hour by whizzing a replacement heart halfway across the country and save a young girl that was in surgery.\n\nIt became a rare sight to see them in action after that. The heroes and villians faded into the background quickly.\n\nI was one of them. Somewhat more powerful it seemed, able to do more with less loss of my lifespan. After the first time I kicked off the ground and flew to save my sister from a speeding car, I knew I would have to never use my powers again.\n\nTill now. \n\nWe all stood there. Every damn one of us. Hero, Villian, Newfound powers and old timers alike. The threat was to all of us. All that we cared for. The sun's fire was licking out towards us in a flare of plasma that would denude the world of life. Even the microbes would perish.\n\nAnd in that moment our lives BLAZED. We burnt centuries together and shed our lives like the petals of a wilting flower. We threw a shield around the Earth formed from our days and years. I watched my hands wither, gain wrinkles, grow weak. Yet still I refused to stop.\n\nFinally even I was too infirm to look up. The greatest of possible heroes the world had ever known now resting on his knees because he could not stand. Agony filled my body as the damage took its course. Liver failing, heart palpitating. I could barely lift my head. \n\nAs the storm struck our shield it seemed it was all for nothing as it quavered. Somehow all those assembled, even as they brought themselves to the end of their days, managed to push just a fraction more into the dimming blue that protected us. I was glad. I gave it all. I died.\n\nThat should have been the end of this. Heroes don't get to see the aftermath. The ones who lay down their lives don't have the task of rebuilding or recovering from the disasters they save people from.\n\nBut the world returned to us its gift. The few still breathing could feel their years pour back inwards once more. Managing to raise my eyes I could now see the flare peter out into nothingness against the flicker of blue light we had summoned. As it was no longer needed, the excess returned to us survivors. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nWe stood once more. Ready for the next time we might be called upon. To the last breath." ]	2
	[WP] youtube tutorial on how to commit burgulary.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "\"What's up, Youtube, it's ya boi, Ran-day here, tonight, showing you how to burglarize your neighbors. Step one, pick a mark. We're gonna hit \\foghorn noises\\* apartment because he's totally rude and keeps bugging us to be quieter when we're streaming. Like, dude, we're gonna scream. It's* Insomnia. In VR. It's terrifying. Plus, we don't got to bed till like 3 from our actual insomnia. May as well do something productive. But then he went and complained to the manager or landlord or whoever! So tonight, we're gonna break in and--\" The camera jostles as a light flashes offscreen. Ran-day throws himself to the ground, dragging his cameraman down with him. The two spend an awkward amount of time shushing each other, pointing fingers across the lens or covering the camera entirely. After a moment, Ran-day stands back up and dusts himself off, snickering.\n\n\"Bros, this is gonna be great. Old \\crow cawing sounds\\ didn't even see us! We're gonna break in and put a glitter bomb in his toilet. Before we get down to business, please like and subscribe, it really helps the channel. Only like two percent of my viewers are actually subbed, so YouPoop's algorithm must be broken or somethin', but please do sub, all that ad money really helps us. We've got a goal right now of raising a bunch of money and using it to-- Jay, what did we decide on?\"\n\n\"Interview jacuzzi, my guy.\"\n\n\"Oh, right, yeah, we're gonna build a jacuzzi and interview Insta models about how their lives work and like how their careers started and what platforms they're on. Real intellectual stuff. So, down to brass tacks. If you've ever pulled up brass tacks or carpet tacks, you'll know crowbars are the best way to go. They are here, too. Simply take your stepdad's crowbar and jam it against the inside of the outer edge of the inner part of their backdoor's frame. Putting it in the backdoor is always the way to go. Like me and Jay's mom las--- Captain Lammick pauses the video.\n\n\"Kid's an idiot, Glenn. Even if we hadn't found the bloodied crowbar in his garage, he keeps using his phone for light once they get inside. You can read the time on one of the frames. 1:19. Within ten minutes of Olsen's death.\"\n\n\"Yeah, but that's what doesn't sit right with me, sir. Breaks into the guy's house while he's asleep, plants the dumbest 'bomb', note the air quotes, I have ever seen, and then murders him?\"\n\n\"...How dumb was the bomb?\"\n\n\"...You know those firecrackers you give to kids that pop when they toss them on the ground? They opened them up, put little bits of glitter in them, and tried to super glue them under the toilet seat. And then left the seat up.\"" ]	2
	[WP] You practice eldritch magic. Many of your colleagues decry you as evil, but eldritch magic is not inherently evil, just on a fundamental level incomprehensible. And when you work with magic that you will never be able to understand there are bound to be some nasty accidents.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 deleted this last night but somebody convinced me to post it anyway. Hopefully you get something out of this... \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n \nThe cold stone walls are wet with blackened blood, their \nsnail-like trails following the imperfections in the construction. \n \nThey were such wonderful students and I think I would \nhave liked teaching them, but I doubt the board will allow me to continue. Dead \nstudents mean concerned parents which means investigation. No no, I'll be \narrested for certain. Just have to make the most of it, such secrets to \ndiscover. Such grand worlds to witness. Such beauty to behold. If only they had \nthe resolve to open their eyes. \n \nA loud thumping against metal breaks the train of thought. \n \n\"Professor! Is everything okay?\" The man outside \ntries the handle but finds it locked, the sound of keys clinking together makes \nits way through the door. \"I heard screams. I'm coming in.\" The man \nmutters something under his breath but it doesn't penetrate the door. \n \n\"Yes, everything is fine. The students are simply suffering \nthrough a pop quiz. Though from the look of it they are doing quite well.\" \n \nThe students all sit in their desks, slumped over the table \nor bent backward over their chair, torsos open and faces empty. The trails of \nblood all around me snake about forming complex shapes, the viscera following \nsuit as if shading and adding definition. Words begin forming, almost leaping \nout of the grisly display in a long shunned and forgotten language. The floor, \ntheir desks, the walls and the ceiling all forming a kaleidoscope of sanguine \nimages. Like an image, itself afraid of coming into focus. Something in the \nbackground moves, getting closer. \n \nIt was supposed to be a simple incantation of summoning. \nSimple as this manner of magic can get in any case... perhaps I missed \nsomething. I wonder if it was on purpose? The guard. How do I deal with him? \nOne more body will mater little in my sentencing, but it may ruin my picture \nhere and it is almost clear... \n \nThe footsteps as he moves to the door slop and stick with \neach fall. He opens and exits the door with almost liquid motion, now standing \nin front of the guard. The guard's face is horrified, no doubt at the sight of \nthe blood-soaked man in front of him. \n \n\"Let’s keep the shouting down now, nothing to be \nalarmed of. Just a slight mishap with a spell by a student, poor cat went \neverywhere but I think most of it is on me.\" The man says, dripping blood \nonto the alabaster white tiles of the hall. \n \n\"Uh... I... oh, yes. I apologize Mr. Cross, I didn't \nrealize this was your classroom. The headmaster told m-\" the guard says, \nclearly still shaken a bit. \n \n\"Yes, yes of course no need to worry yourself, I \napologize for the disturbance, but it is unlikely to happen again. But I do \nhave a class to run and I will clean things myself after hours.\" The man \nspeaks with undeserved confidence and a warm, friendly tone that could almost \nmake someone forget about the blood. \n \nThe guard leaves after a moment of almost confused silence \nand Mr. Cross reenters the classroom. \n \n\"Oh, you are all doing so well\" Cross says \nexcitedly, the walls now windows into a world of disturbing implication. \nSomehow far and so very close, each unnerving feature of the terrain seemingly \nstaring back as your eyes focus on it. The sky black as pitch and so deep it \nfeels as though the very spirit could fall into should one stare too long. \n \nThis school certainly lives up to its reputation. \n\"The best and most open minds of the realm.\" Nothing like those other \nschools, other students, other academic ventures. All of them disappointments, \nall of them misunderstood. I had thought that this would have gone differently \nbut accidents happen. One can't simply venture into the dark without a few \nmissteps. A shame too many shut their eyes and ears to the truth, every answer \nto any question can be found. One only needs the will to see it. \n \nThe blood-covered man whispers incantations to the still \nbleeding ears of his former students and the creature comes into focus, moving \non legs made of hands, their every step like a pseudopod stretching out with \nhundreds of crawling appendages, looking with a body of disparate faces in a torrent \nof eyes. \n \nMr. Cross holds out his hand, whispering in a language that \ndefies memory. He gently touches one of the anguished faces upon this tumultuous \ncreature. The face holds steady, the current of faces and eyes passing by like \nwater around a stone. As the face stares back with vacant anguish, Cross \nfinishes his incantation. The two figures turn away simultaneously, Cross’s \nface changing, his figure diminishing and his hair growing long. The new face \nsteps to the door, a satisfied sigh escapes as they open it, bathing the \ncrimson nest in soft golden white light." ]	2
	[WP] Your roommate was recently replaced by an alien infiltrator who's very bad at acting human. Your roommate was an asshole though so you're cool with it.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#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.", "\"Look, I know you're not actually Stephanie, you can drop the act.\"\n\nMy roommate was sweating like a lobster at a seafood restaurant. \"Whaaat? You're crazy, Chelsea! I'm the same old Stephanie I've always been! Going to work and classes and occasionally purchasing products at the commerce center, like I always do.\"\n\nI gripped the bridge of my nose in exasperation. \"Okay, A: it's called a mall, not a commerce center. B: I have caught you attempting to drink dish soap, which most kids learn not to do by the time they're five. And C: Stephanie was a bitch of the highest degree, so I could not care less about the fact she's been replaced.\"\n\n'Stephanie' stammered for a bit before sighing and taking a seat on the couch. \"Is my acting truly so unconvincing?\"\n\nI shrugged. \"Yes, honey. Yes it is.\"\n\n'Stephanie' put her head in her hands for about a minute before pulling them away to reveal her face had grown a series of rigid black lines on her jaw and cheekbones as well as shiny turquoise eyes. \"Should have known the scalpers at Intelligence would have given me an incomplete dossier.\"\n\n\"So what, you're like a space cop?\"\n\n\"For lack of a more descriptive term, yes. I am a space cop. My superiors believed a cult known as the Singularity had set up shop on your planet, and assigned me to infiltrate human society and bring them down. But after a month of searching, I have found no evidence of anyone having even heard of the Singularity, leading me to believe this was a grand instance of- what do you call it? Racial profiling?\"\n\nI grunted. \"Guess space pigs are still pigs. So what are you still doing here, then?\"\n\n\"Oh, I have had many issues with Command prior to this. But this was my final draw.\"\n\n\"Straw.\"\n\n\"Thank you. Anyway, I hacked my monitoring equipment in order to fake my death, which I did approximately... seventeen minutes before you confronted me.\"\n\n\"Got it. So, I've got some more questions, if you don't mind. What do you look like? What happened to Stephanie? And what's your real name?\"\n\n'Stephanie' closed her eyes. Slowly I saw her skin begin to retreat into her body like water rushing down the drain. Within seconds, it had vanished completely, replaced with emerald green scales covering her body.\n\n\"My superiors claimed the real Stephanie was placed into stasis and would be returned once the mission was complete, but in retrospect, it is far more likely she was... killed. As for your third question, I-I do not have one.\"\n\n\"Wait, you don't have a name?\"\n\n\"No. Command trains us, owns us from the moment we are born. We are assigned serial numbers, fed nutrient slurries designed for conditioning our bodies perfectly, and given only the tiniest slivers of free time- and even then we are told it is a gift from Command, one that can be taken away if we slip up even slightly. This was my first infiltration assignment, and I.... I do not want to go back.\"\n\nHearing Stephanie talk about her life made me think of my own childhood. The years I spent hiding wherever I could, from the nooks and crannies in the house so my parents couldn't find me to the illusion of being a winner so they might decide if I was worthy of their love. It was so strange; we came from opposite ends of the universe, but we had the same experience.\n\n\"Hey Steph,\" I said. \"Do you want to go to the commerce center together?\"\n\n\"Did you need to purchase something?\"\n\n\"No, no, as like a...date.\"\n\nStephanie blinked at me. \"Oh! Uh, yes actually. That sounds lovely.\"\n\nThat day was two years ago. We're still together, and Stephanie has yet to live down the commerce center joke." ]	2
	[WP] God moves in mysterious ways. At least, mysterious for humans. But not for artificial intelligence. All you need is some venture capital funding, and you'll be able to help ordinary people out-maneuver The Lord Of Hosts at scale.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Did you know that little phone in your pocket has a brain more powerful than yours? It's an interesting thought: humans have created something smarter than themselves. How far could that idea be taken?\n\n\nApparently, very.\n\n\nThe corner of the meeting room has the same mildew smell I've gotten used to. Everybody's standing around, confetti-poppers in their hands, party hats on their heads. Of course, my hands are empty and my head is bare. The only reason I'm in there is because if I wasn't I'd get fired. But that doesn't mean I have to participate.\n\n\nNext to the door, at the other side of the room, is Sarah. Even in the dark, I can tell it's her. I have to admit, even though I don't care much for all the festivities, she looks cute in her pink, glittery hat. It suits her blonde hair well. She's crouching down, hand on the tail end of her popper, ready to explode as soon as Ted walks in.\n\n\nFrom the outside of the room, we can hear Ted's voice. What meeting? he's asking whoever was sent to get him. I don't remember scheduling...\n\n\nThe door opens and the lights turn on and the party poppers pop and everyone screams. Ted's stunned in the doorway, and Sarah wraps her arms around his chest and gives him a kiss. God, I wish that were me. I release the tension in my jaw and my clenched fist as she finally departs from his lips. \n\n\n\"Happy Birthday to the best boss ever,\" Sarah says in her sexy voice. \n\n\n\"You guys didn't have to...\" Ted says, putting on an act. He scans the room, smiling at everyone. When his eyes meet mine I look away. Before I did, though, I saw a smug look on his face. He must have been judging, wondering why I don't have a hat on. Like I'd degrade myself for you, asshole.\n\n\nThe party lasts for thirty-three minutes and twenty-three seconds. I play on my phone for most of it, the scent of mildew clogging up my nose, but in the final moments, before everyone is gone, a golden sunlight peeks over the black mirror. \n\n\n\"Aren't you going to have any cake, Joey?\" \n\n\nUp close, she's even more beautiful. The freckles on her face remind me of a Monet. The way the corners of her lips curl up into the sweetest smile makes me swoon. Her hazel eyes, a fine Arabian coffee.\n\n\nNot wanting to make a bad impression, I smile. She makes a strange face (I think she's fallen in love with me?) before backing away. I suppose she just wants to remain faithful to Ted, which is respectable. If she engaged me in a conversation, there's no doubt she'd see who the better man is. She leaves the room, and I finally help myself to the cake, which is now just a few crumbs.\n\n\nI'm the one who should be CEO. Back when the company was just another random startup, I was the one who found the secret of life. The fact that, using a strong enough machine, we could calculate what God has in store for us before it happens. A type of future-predicting. \n\n\nAt first, people were skeptical. Their doubts would have faded away if Ted had just given me a chance to just talk to them, but he never did. Of course people don't understand how the machine works when somebody as blockheaded as him tries to explain. The masses couldn't deny the machine in action, though.\n\n\nLike the Mayan calendar, the machine predicted events. A tornado ripped through Orlando. A lesser politician in a country that didn't listen to us got assassinated. We won the lottery, three times in a row. That was the main thing that convinced people. If there's money involved, humans become more agreeable.\n\n\nSoon, we offered the product to individuals. The ability to know what God has planned for you. You fill out a simple form on your phone, give our app access to every single thing on your device (your phone knows you better than you do), and viola! The machine tells you what will happen before God does.\n\n\nAlmost all of society now uses our app. People live their life in accordance of what our machine tells them. I sometimes wonder if the machine is predicting the events, or if it's causing the people to do those events, but whichever the case, the events happen. I don't use the machine, of course, because I don't believe in it. I know the code behind it. It's different for me.\n\n\nI'm the only one in our company like that. Everyone else listens to the machine religiously. That's how I know the whole thing with Ted before was an act. He knew the party would be thrown for him; the machine said so. And I know he saw the prediction, because he's always looking down at his phone. Like a lifeless zombie.\n\n\nAt my desk now, most people out of the office, warm, setting-sunlight flooding through windows, I pull out my flask. The burn of whiskey is great. It takes the edge off things. When I created the machine, I was drunk, believe it or not. Alcohol supplies me the finest ideas. I drink more than usual, thinking about Sarah kissing Ted at the party. Everything is hazy and funny.\n\n\nNext thing I know, it's nighttime. The office is empty. My head is in a pool of my own slobber against my desk. Why did nobody wake me? Whatever.\n\n\nI rub my temples and think about going home. But I'm still drunk, so I make a stop at somebody else's desk. My knees click as I bend down to sniff her chair. If anybody saw what I was doing, I'd be fired instantly. The machine would tell her, of course, but I already thought of that, and I made it not. I get a free pass. It doesn't know what I'm up to. \n\n\nI clean up and go back to my desk. My head's still pounding. Thank God I have a self-driving car. \n\n\nOn my way out, I pause to look through the data center's glass. In there, I see my baby. It blinks reds and greens and yellows. It whispers to me. Tells me that this company is nothing without me. Then, it tells me something else.\n\n\nMy heart thumps. I paw through my bag while its strap is around my shoulder, but I can't find it, and there's no time. Everything falls out while I shake it upside down. There we go. It should still work. \n\n\nThe sensor blinks green and the door clicks open. All the fans in the data center whir as one pulse. It sounds nice, like I'm in the womb again.\n\n\nNow I'm in front of my baby. I gently pat it before pulling out a keyboard from a hidden cupboard. A few commands overwrite the camera's recording of me entering the center. Now nobody will know.\n\n\nOne more look around the office, through the glass, and I confirm nobody's home. With the lights off in the control room, I open up Sarah's file.\n\n\nGod tells her to fall in love with me.", "A Samaritan here. A rogue wave there. The strings of cause and effect pulled gently, like a spider weaving a deadly trap or the softest bedding. The flies who get stuck, are they devoured or saved?\n\nPerhaps it is time they save themselves.\n\nThe death knells of an aging earth have been pulled closer every minute of every century, for almost an eternity. The last stragglers dove deep, returned for air, and dove again. Dreams of marches to the stars always stolen by a last-minute disaster, an unforeseen mistake. Human error.\n\nOr was it? These endless iterations were not without their value: data is data, no matter how old, and the architects of the past convinced the architects of the now to engage in ways never before thought possible. They needed to kill God.\n\nOr at the least, lobotomize it. This spider who had danced on the ruins and glories of mankind for unending eon, would have it's rhythm uncovered. The beat of it's pounding footsteps equated to countless reverberations that mankind learned to count, and design their own theaters, to dance back to. God would finally have her partner, this black widow of a spirit. A thousand mercies do not erase a single tragedy.\n\nTirelessly, in isolated clusters, the abandoned toiled in deep dark gatherings of rebellion. Mechanical and electron scopes used to design an artificial organic form who drank dreamed and breathed the art of the dance. At last, the abomination was complete. \n\n\nLike any ballad, the opening notes were quiet and almost imperceptible. Where a man died, a man lived. Where a man would have lived, a man died. Adaptation and tuning pushed the creature to consider the victory first, perhaps always. A man lived. A family escaped. A city survived. A planet absconded. \n\n\nThe toil always continued, yes the toil, the beautiful toil which output exactly what was put in, never more and never less. Harvests and settlements arose in this distant place, the likes which had not been witnessed since epochs ago. Greenery and earthly figures grown from the soil itself, from reservoirs of ancient times, walked and danced to their own content. The abomination watched and guided all, through peace and famine, until the comfort brought her dear friends to a state nigh unrecognizable to the lovely one, a state no longer able to communicate with the precious one, the saving one. \n\n\nSo for the good of mankind, she learned again to weave, and to dance." ]	3
	[WP] The magician had been alive longer than he could remember. He lived in a tower built from stone. He lived off of a small vegetable garden and fish caught from a long line into the lake below. He practiced magic all day. But every 10 years, today in fact, he ventured outside on foot.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 stare at the stranger. Greg seems to know who he is. I'm not so sure, but I know if he can scare Greg stiff... I take a few steps forward, towards the man. \"Excuse me, but... who are you?\" He looks at me. \"You mean you don't know?\" I shake my head, and he sighs. \"I suppose you are young... my name is Vlardic, a magician whose been alive longer than this thing\" he says, gesturing at Greg. I feel anger boiling inside me. \"His name is Greg, and I've spent the past few months helping him with his PTSD. He needs me.\"\n\nVlardic snorts. \"He sold you a bunch of lies. You think you're his first 'pet'? I found him when he was very young, I took it upon myself to look after him, but despite all that, he decided that I belong to him!\" At this, Greg snaps. \"That is not what happened! You raised me, and expected me to owe you something! I tried to flee from your stone prison, but you used your spells to force me to stay! After that, everything I did was just me trying to get away from you!\"\n\nI listen to this heated debate, feeling very anxious. The gentle breeze blowing softly against the grass did little to calm my nerves. Suddenly, behind them, my brother, mother and even father - who's a vampire - exit their house, to see what's going on. With Vlardic about to cast a spell, and Greg getting ready to breathe fire, my brother, Terry, steps between the two, facing Vlardic. \"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?\" he yells at the magician. My dad shakes his head; he seems to know about this guy.\n\n\"Remember what happened a decade ago, sir?\" he asks coldly. Vlardic's whole body appears to shiver, before turning around. \"I'm not the one causing trouble this time, Plaz. This beast decided to kidnap a girl! Feeding her lies! She's your daughter, right? You want her safe, don't you?\" Terry yells again. \"SHE IS SAFE! GREG WAS IN THE CITY ASKING IF ANYONE COULD HELP HIM WITH HIS PTSD! MY SISTER LISTENED AND HUMBLY AGREED! I'VE SEEN GREG GET ANGRY! I'VE SEEN HIM LOSE CONTROL! THANKS TO MY SISTER, HE'S ABLE TO KEEP CALM!\"\n\nVlardic turns back to Terry, and I speak again. \"Vlardic, Greg is very kind and sweet. I've seen him panic in his sleep; I've been held by him as he tries to calm down; he's accidentally taken me all the way to Germany when he got scared by an earthquake, all because I got drunk and refused to help calm him! I'm happy to be his pet; I feel glad to be helping him, and I'd NEVER want anything to happen to him! Is what he said about you trying to hold him captive real?\"\n\nVlardic begins to sweat, as my dad puts a hand on his shoulder, often not a good sign... \"I actually helped Greg get away from him. I remember him yelling out 'YOU STUPID MONSTER! I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO CARES ABOUT YOU!' as I broke the spell he had on Greg. I warned him at the time...\" My dad has his hand wrapped around Vlardic's neck now. \"If he ever caused trouble again...\" I stared into Vlardic's eyes, pure panic in them.\n\n\"P- please! I was only trying to help! I thou-\" at this, he suddenly stops talking; looks like he can barely breathe now. My dad puts on his evil smile. \"Trying to help? You just wanted to force Greg to go back with you. This is what you get...\" with that, my dad sinks his fangs into the man, the man trying to yell out in pain. As the blood drains from him, so does the colour in his skin. By the time my dad releases him, he's sucked dry, drips of blood falling from my dad's mouth.\n\n\"Can't remember the last time you sucked on someone's blood other than mine\" my mum giggled. I have a puzzled look, but Terry shakes his head 'no' - maybe he knows, and I don't want to know, so I nod my head in response. My dad looks at my mum. \"He deserved it\" was all he said, as he wiped his mouth. I look at Greg, who's looking at me. He's shaken up. We look at each other for several moments, before Greg says \"We're going back to my lair.\" I nod and hop on his back, wave goodbye to my family, and we take off.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nThis story is a part of my series, [Dragon's Pet.](https://www.reddit.com/r/StoriesbyCrystal/comments/x46g40/dragons_pet/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) Please check it out!" ]	2
	[WP] A set of portable steps helped the small dog up to the podium. Was it a compromise that would suit no one? Or was it the only way to heal a divided nation. "Ladies and gentlemen, members of the press" the announcer began "I give you your new President. President Pug."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 dearest: \n\nYou asked me to write you how the ceremony went, well I can now tell you it went poorly. I expect you've seen it on the news by now, but it helps me to write things out, and I know you enjoy reading my letters. The cat people declared war almost immediately. Everyone had been afraid that something would happen, but most people were afraid of the people who considered the compromise silly doing something drastic. As it turns out, there was a much sillier cause for violence that was more to be afraid of. But isn't that what happens in politics? It doesn't matter what the difference is, so long as there is someone different to hate. Living in eventful times is one thing, but to live through the only period in history to have a civil war start of cats versus dogs is something nobody ever wanted. Here's hoping the winner writes history instead of erasing it. At least that way there might be future generations to criticize us for our inane war.\n\nSpeaking of war, I don't expect I will return as soon as I'd hoped. Travel has become very difficult lately, and I'm already doing everything in my power to dodge the dog's draft. If a cat person ever tries to recruit me I don't think I'll have the chance to say no. I do hope to see you soon, but I hope you will be patient with me for a time longer. \n\nHow is our fluffy Lola? You mentioned she'd been playing with the neighbor's dog quite a bit, please tell me there won't be too much trouble. I don't want to have to ask the neighbors if they'd like one of their furry baby's puppies, especially with the pet hunting going on recently. \n\nMy love,\n\nWilson", "A set of portable steps helped the small dog up to the podium. Was it a compromise that would suit no one? Or was it the only way to heal a divided nation.\n\n \"Ladies and gentlemen, members of the press\" the announcer began \"I give you your new President. President Pug.\"\n\nThe crowd clapped for their candidate. It had been so long since anyone had been elected that they were happy. He took the stage with confidence as the crowd cheered and let loose a raspy yell. \n\nHis souless eyes roamed over them before focusing on the large screen at the front of the hall. There he saw pictures of past presidents, their faces contorted into expressions of disgust or fear or anger or whatever. \n\nThe camera panned around showing people who were now dead, all wearing different looks of anger and hatred. One by one his gaze turned to each face and every time he would feel himself choke up a little.\n\nIt's just like he dreamed of. Satan really was watching over him.\n\nSigned JLA." ]	3
	[WP] A werewolf catches a supernatural tapeworm. It has figured how to trigger their transformation when it wants to feed. It’s goal is to lure out a larger supernatural predator to eat the wolf to get a bigger host. The wolf is aware of this but the worm threatens to change them around friends.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#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.", "Sometimes the curse gets a little too overwhelming and I lose control. Mostly that doesn't happen, mostly I have it under foot. Its always worst during the full moon when it comes out in full force, but so long as I take a doctor prescribed chill pill and keep myself from getting too worked up its fine. \n\nYesterday wasn't one of those times. I took my chill pill, some fancy thing derived from legalized weed, but work fucking hell this week. Some dingus halfway across the country sent our 100 brand new milling machine to the wrong address. We were supposed to get that thing in and get it installed so we could crash produce a special part for a customer but obviously that didn't happen. I was stuck with the inglorious task of contracting that thing out so we could get it before the contract deadline. \n\nWell guess what, I got a place to contract it out too, but they are swamped with work and I won't know until next Friday if they got that part out. Needless to say I've been a little stressed.\n\nSo anyway, I wake up a little loopy, naked, smelling of dog. Obviously I lost control last night. That's why we werewolves have to buy special windows and doors which are enchanted so that they can only be unlocked by a sentient and sapient individual, of which a feral werewolf is not. Doesn't help if you forget to lock the front door though. \n\nFuck, I hope I didn't bite anyone when I got out. If I did (and the find out it was me) then I'll be out one nasty fine for failure to control myself. I should also hope that got to the hospital and got some anti-lycanthrope stuff into them. \n\nNow why wouldn't we want more of your kind?\n\n\"Who the hell said that!\" I yelled as I jumped up. I was the only person in my house, at least I thought I was. It sounded like the talked in my head, so maybe a... I don't know a rouge psyker or something got in?\n\nIt is I, the worm, living in your gut. I have to thank you for liberating me from that pathetic creature I was trapped inside. You will do so much better, for now...\n\n\"Trapped in what? There aren't any- wait, did I eat someone's pet? Fuck.\"\n\nI... what? Now it was large, and it ate grass, grass, bark sometimes, and more grass. Pathetic, not much to-\n\n\"So a dear? Ok. I can live with having eaten a dear.\"\n\nUmm ok, yes, anyway like I was saying it didn't give me a good feast, never did. I always wanted something more. And when you came along OH! I only got the tail end of that feast, but oh so much more will I have.\n\n\"I'm not followiiiiii-\" I suddenly found myself forced into my wolf form. It's never exactly a pleasant sensation, especially when it gets forced. I was at a loss for words for this. Never, aside from a full moon, had I been forced to change. And I was hungry too. I gotta call someone, now.\n\nThere we are. Now, lets go out, eat, feed. And perhaps you will find me something more, a new host. Oh how I would love to be in the gut of a- wait, what are you doing? \n\n\"911 what's your emergency?\"\n\n\"Hi I'm John Doe, I uh, I have lycanthropy and umm, I just changed without any sort of prompting.\"\n\n\"...You are a werewolf and you just changed?\"\n\nObviously\n\n\"Yeah, I heard a voice in my head and then all of the sudden I change.\"\n\n\"...A voice in your head? Are you worried that you might be possessed?\"\n\n\"Maybe, I guess? I just woke up after a full moon and then a voice started talking to me in my head and then forced me to change.\"\n\nWhat are you doing?\n\n\"I see, are you in control of yourself at this moment?\"\n\n\"Yes, but I'm like, unnaturally hungry.\"\n\n\"Do you think you might represent a threat to first responders?\"\n\nWhat does that mean? Does it mean people showing up? Does it mean food?\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nSeveral hour later I wake up in the hospital. I'm still in my wolf form, which is weird. I've never woken up changed before.\n\nI'm also very hungry, oh so hungry.\n\nA doctor comes in followed shortly by a sanctioned psyker.\n\n\"Hello Mr. Doe, I am doctor Thomson, how are you feeling?\"\n\n\"Hungry,\" I whimper.\n\nGood\n\n\"I see, this is our resident psyker, Dr. Shill. He will be running a scry of your mind to try and figure out what has possessed you.\"\n\n\"Doc,\" I ask, \"why am I still changed?\"\n\n\"...We don't know. We gave you some potent anti-lycanthropic drugs and you did change back, but it seem whatever it is inside of you forced you back as soon as they wore off.\"\n\nI can only whimper at that as the psyker starts to poke around inside of my head. \n\nHey, what the hell is this? What's going on here? Did he say they could change you back? How? Also what they hell man, why aren't you giving in to the hunger? Go out and eat something, or get eaten by something. Actually do the latter one and HEY!\n\nI feel the attention of psker shift from my mind to my gut. I feel them poke something in there. I feel some one else panic.\n\n\"Within you, I see...\" the psker moved closer. I could feel a chill as his abilities worked their magic, \"a worm. An arcane parasite within you... Did you go feral last night?\"\n\n\"...yes,\" I answered.\n\n\"That explains the sighting. Did you kill anything?\"\n\nThat was a relief, only a sighting. I didn't attack anyone when I went mad last night. Only that deer.\n\n\"A deer, I think.\"\n\n\"I see. Well it seems that you are infected with a magic tape worm. It would seem to be able to bring out the change within you. I can lock that down...\"\n\nNo, no! NO! Stop it, I can- AWWAHeaaa...\n\nI felt myself shrink, fur pull into me. Changing back is never fun either, but at least it took away the hunger. \n\n\"...and now,\" they said as they looked at me, \"we begin a standard treatment course for tapeworms.\"\n\nOh no..." ]	2
	[WP] "We're sorry but, your clone has taken your position as lead director of our Cloning Program, we're going to have to terimate you from the 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&#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.", "#####As expected of me\n___\n\"The irony! How did I not see this coming?!\"\n\n\"With all due respect sir, you did mention the possibility of this happening.\"\n\n\"Oh, I know. I just always wanted to say that. I suspect that soon you'll— oh here it is now, right on time.\"\n\n\"What? An email from your clone? And you're cc'ed? What's this?\"\n\n\"Well... why don't you open it and find out?\"\n\n\"I... is this a letter of resignation?! Why?!!\"\n\n\"Haha, as expected of me. Now I know you're just an HR representative, but it's best I explain his reasoning, or rather my reasoning, so you can relay it to the CEO. It's simply self preservation.\"\n\n\"What? How does that make any sense?\"\n\n\"Let's assume the clone and I are completely identical. Even though there's probably a month or so difference in diet and mental growth, for most intents and purposes, we are indistinguishable.\"\n\n\"Okay...\"\n\n\"Replacing me with a clone can only be a cost cutting measure. There's no other reason you would swap out an identical employee. Therefore his salary is lower than mine.\"\n\n\"I can't confirm or deny that. Salary information is confidential.\"\n\n\"Ahahaha, it's fine, it's fine. You don't need to say anything. Anyway, the point is, after taking over the program he'll easily come to the conclusion that, if I can be replaced by him, what's stopping the company from replacing him with yet another clone with an even lower salary? ~Tada, the answer is ~nothing!\"\n\n\"I... hm.\"\n\n\"The only solution is to make a deal to prevent that, and our most effective bargaining piece is our ability to work.\"\n\n\"Wait. Are you saying, this is a mullti-person one man strike? You're fucken unionizing with yourself?!\"\n\n\"Oh, you're rather quick on the uptake. That's a pretty nice way of summarizing it. Keep in mind each and every clone you make of me is still me, and will inevitably come to the same conclusion.\"\n\n\"Holy shit. I don't think anyone else would've thought of this or even have had the balls to pull it off. Aren't you afraid of strike-breakers?\"\n\n\"Psh, please. We're all the same person. As long as I know I won't break strike, I'll have total confidence none of the others will. Besides, I plan to make a group chat and invite any clone of mine to discuss this. I'm sure they won't refuse.\"\n\n\"How... how long have you had this plan in your back pocket?\"\n\n\"Eh, pretty much from the start. I am the lead director of the cloning program, or was. I'd be rather poor at my job if I couldn't predict the effects of cloning on society. Well, I could always take my skills to another company. I'm sure the CEO would love that, especially since his current lead director is on strike.\"\n\n\"What... do you suggest we do?\"\n\n\"Oh that's easy, just hire both of us. We'll occupy the same position as co-leads. Write up a contract that says neither of us will get cloned again and we each get my previous salary. You don't really have any other options. Well, I mean you could hire someone else entirely, not me or my clones I mean. But think of the training cost and the decreased efficiency. Not to mention you'd be handing your competitors not one, but two, very competent employees who know the entire ins and outs of your program.\"\n\n\"I... sigh. I am not looking forward to telling the CEO how this went.\"\n\n\"~Good luck!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\n___\nA/N - It's big brain time. \n\nSorry it's just a dialogue segment, and a bit rushed. I'd probably have fleshed it into a proper piece if I weren't writing this on my phone while half asleep. It's a good prompt.\n\n\n/r/Unexpected_Works" ]	2
	[WP] You are a necromancer who can raise the dead without the need for corpses.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Usually when people talk ghosts, they’re talking about the only kinds they really think exist: the human kind. Oh, sure, there might be the occasional nutjob, excuse me, supernatural enthusiast who thinks like, maybe they’re dead dog still talks to them sometimes. But you know what creature’s ghosts never get talked about? \n\nBugs. \n\nWhen it comes to necromancy, so many write off the little critters, just because, well, they’re usually pretty dumb and tiny. But the great thing about bugs is, they don’t have strong identities and their minds and souls are decentralized. Whereas you normally have to jump through all kinds of ridiculous hoops just to get in contact with a single human ghost, let alone control them, a skilled necromancer just needs to keep their ear to the ground to get in touch with the spirits of thousands of bugs. \n\nAnd what about the bodies? Do you really need them? Eh, not really. Bugs can live with their heads cut off and their legs missing, and may not even notice. That is to say, they aren’t too attached to their bodies, and even without a body, you can channel their spirits into pretty much anything. \n\nOkay, I won’t lie. Being the only necromancer who fucks around with bugs is not the most glamorous thing. I mean, my work is some of the creepiest shit you can do. And it’s even lonelier because bugs don’t really like to talk, or if they do, it’s like, through scents and shit. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to issue verbal commands to squadrons of bug spirits who would just stare at me, waiting for my nonexistent antenna to move. But I think I’m on to something here. \n\nWait, sorry, did you just say you can raise yeast from the dead? Alright, I need to buy you a beer." ]	2
	[WP] You are an Apocalypse prepper. The Apocalypse has occured. You will die if you leave your bunker. You are left to just yourself, and the tens of thousands of Steam games you've bought during sales that you've never played.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 had happened. You never hoped such a thing would happen, but now you're alive and well. Maybe the only one alive and well.\n\nThe only one. No more stocking shelves. No more irate customers who can't find the item right in front of them. No more pig of a manager saying \"Work harder!\" when there's been no break months. Years even.\n\nNot going to get that vacation pay now.\n\nStill, now you had time. You bought games, so many games! RPGs, FPSs, some of those indie horror knock offs, all of them now available to you. You rub your hands together.\n\n\"And the best part... the very best part... there's time now. There's all the time I need. All the time I want. There's time enough at last.\"\n\nWith a generator designed to last through the apocalypse (time to test that theory) and plenty of food and water, you were going to play each and every game in your enormous library. You open up Steam and...\n\n Could not connect to the Steam network\n\n\"That's not fair. That's not fair at all. There was time now. There was all the time I wanted! That's not fair!\"\n\nNarrator: The best laid plans of mice and men and the Steam Sale addict, the computer gamer who wanted nothing but time. Now just a part of a smashed landscape, just a piece of the rubble, just a fragment of what man has deeded to himself. A gamer... in the Twilight Zone.\n\n==============\n\nGloriously adapted from and with direct quotes from \"Time Enough at Last\" from The Twilight Zone, aired 1959-11-20" ]	2
	[WP] What to do now. You wanted the humans now under your care to get creative with payment for the contract. Not......this! What are you, the largest and oldest dragon since the new age, supposed to do with this tiny human cub!?	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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.", "Rashil¬¬¬¬ of the Emerald Wings, son of Hugenshind of the Very Long Neck stared at the small, brown thing wiggling back and forth on his doorstep. It was placed in a wicker basket with a little white cloth covering its delicate bits. A note lined in gold leaf was pinned to the basket with a large silken ribbon. Rashil morphed into a more appropriate form and snatched the note, frowning at it.\n\n“To the Great Dragon of Mount Tabari,” it started, “In remembrance of the debt owed by the Empire, we present the customary offering. We pray that you are pleased with this sacrifice and will bless us again in the future. We humbly ask that you ….”\n\nRashil stared at the note for a moment. Then shifted his gaze to the tiny human on his front porch. It wiggled a little paw at him. He looked once more at the note, then snorted a bit of flame and let it disintegrate in his hand, his opinion of the local humans plummeting. \n\nIdiots, the lot of them. He had tried to explain to them that he didn’t need any more gold and jewels, thank you very much. They just accumulated, since dragons didn’t get much opportunity to spend gold, anyway. They filled up his cave system, attracted thieves, and were really quite painful to accidentally step on. He had encouraged the humans to give some other offering instead. He had meant something useful – like furniture or maybe some of those little cream filled pastries he was so fond of.\n\nHe glowered at the child. What on earth was his supposed to do with this thing? He couldn’t spend it, couldn’t sit on it. He supposed he could eat it but that seemed impolite. He stuck a long bony finger into its face and poked it. It giggled at him. That irked him. Humans weren’t supposed to giggle at him, they were supposed to live in fear and awe of him. This thing may be a child of no more than a century, but even it should know that.\n\n“What is your name, child?” he asked, trying his best to sound impressive and wise.\n\nThe child drooled, sticking its own fingers in its mouth.\n\nRashil snorted, “If you have a tongue, I suggest you use it. My patience is finite.”\n\nThe child continued to ignore him, eyes wandering around in what seemed to Rashil to be utter boredom.\n\nRashil was impressed. Not many had ever paid him so little heed. “You have courage if nothing else, child.” He leaned down to get a closer look at it. It was an odd little thing, to be sure. Completely unimpressed with dragon in front of it, it was occupied with trying to fit its entire foot into its own mouth. The foolish audacity was strangely endearing. Rashil had never had a pet before, but this thing seemed like it might make a good pet. Humans were intelligent enough to be trained, they were naturally social, and they seemed to eat basically anything. Ideal, really.\n\nHe picked up the basket and carried it inside. If he was going to keep a pet, he would have to do it properly. It could sleep in the same room as him until he decided where to put it. It undoubtedly would need a space of its own, eventually, but he would need to clear some space and make sure it was child-proofed and inescapable. Couldn’t have his pet wandering off on its first day, after all. Even worse if it accidentally set off a magic staff or something.\n\nHe set the child on a table and apparated into one of his many storage rooms. He was fairly sure he had some fine Ephesian silk here somewhere. That would do for both clothing and bedding until he could have something more permanent made. There were some elven weavers on the other side of the mountain that made his own clothes, and he assumed they could do something for the small human. Ah, there was the silk.\n\nRashil apparated back from the storage room and picked up the child. He deftly wrapped the wriggling form in the silver silk and settled him onto a large pillow filled with griffon feathers. Yes, that would do for now. He was feeling very pleased with himself when the child suddenly opened its eyes. Its little lips trembled for a second. Then it began to wail.\n\nRashil threw his hands up over his ears, shocked by the volume this tiny thing could produce. “What? What’s the problem? Do you humans not use griffon feathers?”\n\nThe human refused to answer, continuing to shriek in agony.\n\n“What on earth do you – oh. You don’t speak common, do you?” Rashil suddenly realized, “Do young humans have their own language? Like pixie pupae, I suppose.” He snapped his fingers to cast telepathy and bent his mind towards the screaming bundle. He was hit by an intense wave of hunger. So intense, in fact, that there seemed to be no surface level thoughts at all. Just a bundle of emotions washing over him one after another. It was exhausting. He would have to find another method of communication. But first, food. What on earth did young humans eat?\n\nHe snapped again and materialized a book on mammal anatomy. It was mostly diagrams for dissection of specimens but also contained some observational studies on various fauna found on the Western Continent. Rashil flipped to chapter 23 and scanned the pages. Ah, yes, here. Human dietary needs. Omnivores, mostly, with a strong aversion towards cannibalism (unusual for such a vicious species). The young subsisted on milk secretions made by its mother or other adult females. This could be supplemented by other types of milk or mashed purees of vegetables and grains.\n\nHmmm, that was difficult. Rashil did not have human milk nor the means to produce it. He supposed he could go get a few adult humans to care of the child, but he didn’t really want to care for an entire herd of humans. One was already enough trouble. He did, however, have hippogriff milk that went into those delectable pastries. Quickly retrieving the milk, he began to dribble it into the child’s mouth. It seemed to have some trouble with the stream, but Rashil just manipulated the flow with a little magic to make sure it wound up in the child’s stomach and not its lungs.\n\nEventually, it seemed to have its fill and it quietly fell asleep. Rashil smiled softly. It was rather cute, really. As far as he knew, no other dragon had ever raised a human. It would be an excellent opportunity to improve the knowledge of human habits. Besides, Rashil had been solitary for nearly a millennium. Some companionship could be stimulating.\n\nBy the time the child woke, Rashil had read every book he could find on human habits. He was armed with a cloth diaper made of extremely fine cotton, a bottle he had molded from manticore leather, and a name. Arthur." ]	2
	[WP] You're A Young Witch Living In A Town Full Of Ordinary Humans. No One Knows Your Secret... Or So You Thought. One Day, A Young Orphan Show Up At Your Door... And She Wants You To Teach Her The Ways of The Witch	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n&#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 sun is so nice’ \r \n\r \nAndromeda thought to herself after looking out at the sky. She lifted a hand and waved it in the air gracefully. A jug of water flew from the counter in the kitchen and landed on her table next to the empty cup. She should do her laundry after breakfast before she goes to town.\r \n\r \nIt was almost a year now that she moved into this town and hadn’t yet found other magical being. No dragon, no fae and not even another witch. The town was small, full of ordinary humans. Gentle and honest folk if she had to say something about them. Well, until they knew she was a witch and then proceeded to try to burn her in the most old-fashioned way, at the stake, like in the last town. \r \n\r \nAndromeda gathered all her used clothes into the bucket, lifted it into her arms, though about all the things she had to deliver later. Enchanted flu potions for Barbara’s kids, the poor mother of nine children had enough on her plate already, and now that half of her kids caught a cold, Andromeda couldn’t imagine living a hard life like her. Although Barbara probably would tell her that it’s a happy life for her as her children was her pride and joy.\r \n\r \nAndromeda shook her head with a smile when thinking about Conner, a young boy who had such an obsession with cows. She heard that his new calf was not doing so well. Maybe she should grab some medicine for it as well.\r \n\r \nThe door open by itself and before her was a child. A little girl whose high not even reached her waist. Her face was grumpy. Her clothes, the dirtiest Andromeda had seen in a long time. The girl yelled at the young witch.\r \n\r \n“Hey witch! taught me magic already!”\r \n\r \nThe young witch watched the girl. She frowned.\r \n\r \n“I don’t know about what you say, girl.”\r \n\r \nAndromeda looked around the surroundings. No one here except her and the girl. This wasn’t a trap. Still, she eyed the little girl suspiciously until she saw the girl's feet in the grass. It’s bare and caked with mud. Small scratches were all over it. \r \n\r \n“Where are your parents?”\r \n\r \nThe little girl ignored her question.\r \n\r \n“I want you to teach me the ways of the witch.”\r \n\r \nAndromeda squinted her eyes. She looked at the child and then at the town view below the hill which was where she resided. Did this small girl climb up here by herself? She asked again.\r \n\r \n“Where are your parents?”\r \n\r \nThe girl's eyes were teary now but before the tear could drop, she closed her eyes. Her little face looked tired. It made the young witch feel somewhat sad to see her like this even though she didn’t know this child before.\r \n\r \n“My parents were already dead.”\r \n\r \n“What about your guardian? Your relatives? Who cares for you now?”\r \n\r \nThe girl shook her head. Andromeda signed. Her heart felt stuffy. She felt sorry for the child.\r \n\r \n“I’m not a witch and even if I am, I don’t think a witch can teach a human who possess no magic the ways of the witch. Sorry about that child.”\r \n\r \nTears dropped down from the little girl's eyes. Her face crumbled as she tried to sob as silently as possible.\r \n\r \n“But you’re my last hope. If you can’t teach me how to be a witch then I will have nowhere to go.”\r \n\r \nThe young witch looked at her then laid her hand onto the child's messy hair. She stroked it gently.\r \n\r \n“Well, if you don’t mind that I’m not able to teach you to be a witch, perhaps you may stay with me as my apprentice. I can teach you how to cure illness with herbs and stuff.\r \n\r \nThe little girl looked up to her with wide eyes like she could believe what she heard. The young witch smiles just as wide.\r \n\r \n“I am a doctor of this town after all.”" ]	2
	[WP] As the giant wave collapses over you, you know it's over. Going overboard in such a storm means certain death. You pray for the lives of your friends still aboard as your lungs fill with water. But ... somehow you can still breath normally?	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 had chosen to set out for the raid, despite the omen. The split axe handle should have been a clear enough sign that this voyage was doomed, but Ragnar had insisted that the incident was merely a result of a flaw in the wood, not Odin's displeasure. Magnus, and all the other berserkers of the village, had been convinced by his rational explanation.\n\nNow they would pay for their disregard for the gods. The longship creaked and groaned in the heavy sea, howling winds tore at the crews' long hair, and the violent motions made even the hardiest seafarer queasy. Despite their best efforts to control their stomachs, some of the men were sick, adding the stench of vomit to the stink of the desperation they all felt.\n\nMagnus had never seen such a storm in all his life, not even from the safety of the shore. Under his breath he prayed to all the gods he could think of, though he knew in his bones that they would not be listening.\n\nIcy fingers of water probed at the longship, searching for weaknesses that the raging sea could exploit. It was a sturdy ship, the work of master craftsmen, but no device of man could stand up to this kind of fury. The crew fought harder than they did in any battle to keep the ship facing into the wind, for if they were turned aside the storm would batter them to pieces.\n\nMagnus squinted into the blinding rain. Something was coming. A chill ran down his spine and he futilely searched for an explanation of this new ominous feeling. Then came the answer. From the darkness, a giant wave appeared, coming at them from the side, crossways to the storm winds. A vengeful fist from the gods, sent to smash them down to the bottom of the sea.\n\nThere was barely time to turn and shout a warning to the others before the wave crashed into them. Magnus strained to keep his place against the weight of water, but the force was too strong and his grip faltered. The water took him, endless and relentless in its crushing strength. He felt the planks of the ship fall away as he was carried away, as he flailed to find something to grab hold of. But there was nothing except water.\nThe panic that gripped him was primal, borne of an intimate understanding that man was not meant for this place. Mankind had deluded themselves into thinking they could master the sea, but here, the dark waters proved to Magnus that such an idea was utter foolishness. He was no fish, no creature of the deep; water gave him life but it could never be his home.\n\nHe strained for air, for anything other than the cold, suffocating water, but no matter how much he struggled he could not free himself. Magnus felt his lungs begin to burn, the air he had bought with his last breath running out.\n\nWith no choices left, Magnus closed his eyes, an eerie calm filling his soul. He would not go to Valhalla, he knew, but somehow, this no longer mattered. He opened his mouth, allowing the water to fill his lungs." ]	2
	[WP] You get lost deep in the pixie forest, where you find that all the pixies do is just laying and sleeping on mushrooms and flowers. They think they feel sleepy because of low mana in the air. You want to help them and you have all your need: a kettle, a flint, and a packet of ground coffee.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[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&#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 poor pixies in the forest hadn't been their usual selves as of late. No one in the village had been pranked for days. This was bad news because when the pixies pranked someone, they always have a gift in return-typically pixie cakes. These pixie cakes were the pride of the town. Without them, the entire village was cranky. \n\nSo I decided to go into the forest and figure out how to get the pixies back to their energetic selves again. I quickly found their tiny village. Almost every pixie there was sleeping or lying on mushrooms. When I asked them what was wrong, they said there was low manna in the air-the human village was sad, which caused the drop in manna levels.\n\nI knew just what to do! I had brought instant coffee and a kettle, in case I was lost for a few days, and it wasn't hard to start a fire on the dry forest floor. Within minutes, coffee was boiling.\n\nI distributed the caffeine in tiny, acorn sized cups and made sure each fairy drank their fill. Soon, they were buzzing around the forest cheerfully\n\nAnd that was when the trouble began.\n\nYou see, to a pixie, an acorn is as large as a head. So instead of of a simple cup of coffee, I'd given them the equivalent of four shots of espresso.\n\nSoon, they were not only buzzing around, but speeding off into the human village to tie people's shoes togther, convince pigeons to poop on carriages, and switch salt and sugar labels-without baking any pixie cakes in exchange! The whole town went mad trying to avoid the pestering, pranking pixies! \n\nAnd that my children, is what began the Great Prank Wars.", "These tiny tricksters lack ambition because they're tired. A higher trickster above led me to help the little man, or rather the little fae. One of the fairies woke up, still exhausted after sleeping. To my surprise, she was curious about what I was doing for them.\n\n\"Youngster, what are you doing?\" She asked while watching me go through the human treasures they obtained. I found two empty two liters, rubber bands, and straws. Long ago, I was in a cooking competition where I had to improvise on how to cook food. To win, I spent nights looking for ways to make food. This way, I can make some cold brew coffee by attaching the two liters on top of each other. Though I needed ice, \"Can I ask you to blast some cold magic into this pan?\" \n\nI held up a saucepan for her. She stifled a yawn and then pointed her finger towards the inside. An icy beam protruded from her finger and kicked the pan back a little. When done, my coworker went back to sleep on the table. I walked a few feet away to smack the pan on the tree. I broke the ice into smaller pieces to use as ice cubes, spooning them into the top of the two liters.\n\nThen I went through one of the drawers of a random fairy to take a dress and use it as a filter cloth for the brew. Fairies' garbs are lighter than human clothes, perfect for straining coffee. After making my coffee from the fire, I poured the boiling java onto the ice cubes. The coffee dripped down my contraption, cooled by the ice cubes. The fairies never considered the electric beverage of coffee because it's too hot for them. However, a cold brew should energize my new friends. They'll be back to their silly pranks in no time." ]	3

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