prompt stringlengths 20 5.8k | chosen_story stringlengths 226 10k | rejected_story stringlengths 227 9.43k | chosen_timestamp timestamp[ns]date 2012-07-26 17:01:55 2022-12-31 14:34:19 | rejected_timestamp timestamp[ns]date 2012-07-26 14:23:36 2022-12-31 12:20:41 | chosen_upvotes int64 14 23.1k | rejected_upvotes int64 10 4.26k |
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[WP] Cause of death appears to you as floating text over people's heads with no time indication. You start noticing a trend.
edit: thank you for all the truly great stories, and for taking this in directions I didn't expect. | It was a natural fit, ending up as an obstetrician. There was a satisfaction in seeing the beginning of someone's life, and then knowing the end. That was, until about 10 years ago. It was infrequent at first. METEOR, the first one said. Now almost all of them do.
The telescope in my living room was bought once... | Nobody sees the world in the same way. Some people see it as an adventure, others as a game. Me? I've never had the liberty of enjoying it.
Imagine knowing how something would play out before it happened. Imagine the surprise of life being taken out. Imagine the joy of living being sucked away because all you can ever... | 2015-03-31T10:42:03 | 2015-03-31T09:32:55 | 30 | 12 |
[WP] You are The Memory Broker. You copy other people's memories and sell them to people who want to remember things they never did. Your latest client is a ten year-old girl who slides you her piggy bank and begs you to help her grandmother remember her. | She smashes her piggy bank to bits and pieces on the table in front of me. The total is twenty-seven dollars and sixty-five cents.
"Girl, that's only enough for six seconds of memory, no audio, no commentary, only visual. 480p. You sure you want this?"
The grandmother sits on the couch with a blank look on her face, ... | My job is pretty boring. See this memory, stuff it in a small crystal ball, look at the swirly clouds inside, pow, you're done. Some guy who wants a hot girlfriend but will never get one comes to the Memory House and asks for a hot girlfriend memory. I toss him the orb and he swallows it, pow, he gets a memory; now he ... | 2016-03-09T05:59:22 | 2016-03-09T05:50:50 | 143 | 44 |
[WP] You are The Memory Broker. You copy other people's memories and sell them to people who want to remember things they never did. Your latest client is a ten year-old girl who slides you her piggy bank and begs you to help her grandmother remember her. | She smashes her piggy bank to bits and pieces on the table in front of me. The total is twenty-seven dollars and sixty-five cents.
"Girl, that's only enough for six seconds of memory, no audio, no commentary, only visual. 480p. You sure you want this?"
The grandmother sits on the couch with a blank look on her face, ... | Not another grandmother.
"Didn't your folks tell you about brain leaking?" I tried to ask kindly. What came out instead was course and unpleasant. Kids were sweet and all, but it was a long day. Getting old people to remember things was as boring as it was impossible. Getting *asked* to do so was even worse, especi... | 2016-03-09T05:59:22 | 2016-03-09T05:41:46 | 143 | 11 |
[WP] You are The Memory Broker. You copy other people's memories and sell them to people who want to remember things they never did. Your latest client is a ten year-old girl who slides you her piggy bank and begs you to help her grandmother remember her. | Jaimie dropped her pink piggy bank to the counter forcefully, causing a loud crack. She picked up a book and slammed into down over the damaged pig. The container broke open, coins and paper money flew everywhere.
"Is this enough?" the young girl asked the stunned clerk.
"I'm sorry, miss," the clerk answered. "It ... | I remember that day, that kid, in retrospect I shouldn't have paid attention. It was a Saturday afternoon, I usually give myself weekends off but it was hard back then. So many regulations, rules to abide by; I just wanted to make some money, you know how it is. I had a bitch ex-wife, who took my kids from me in court.... | 2016-03-09T09:55:04 | 2016-03-09T06:21:21 | 15 | 10 |
[WP] Weight can be transferred from person to person if both parties accept. People pay money to transfer their unwanted pounds to someone who will deal with it in their stead. You run a gym/factory. | You want to know about the best business in the world?
Lemme tell ya about it.
I used to be a prison guard. Me, if you can imagine, working a job like that, people treating me like crap all day long...
But then BodyRight came out. You pop one pill to lose as much weight as you want, and that weight gets transferre... | I had expected my walk home from work to be uneventful, that I would ride the subway from tenth to to thirty eight street and maybe see a movie at the theater that night. Payday had been today at work, and I had gained twelve pounds from it, the fat clinging to my figure and making me slightly more rotund than usual a... | 2016-06-29T17:14:24 | 2016-06-29T16:19:01 | 1,298 | 319 |
[WP] 50 years from now and NASA finally launches a submarine into Titans ocean to find other life. However, the first sighting is another submarine. | Tlaloc completed EDL without incident, dropped its heat shield, deployed its chutes, and dropped cleanly into the liquid methane with only a tiny splash. Tlaloc's skin was of course designed to glide through the methane oceans with minimal drag and disturbance and it slipped into the methane with barely a ripple. An ho... | OPERATION: Titan Plunge 2066
Captain Lance Minkel of the NASA Titan Expeditionary Force double checked his equipment. At the floating deck he gave out his final orders to his crew.
"Ok, I want those wirings double checked. We'll be under water for 48 hours." he pointed to his men at the bulk engine station.
"And I ... | 2016-08-29T21:46:44 | 2016-08-29T21:28:28 | 278 | 41 |
[WP] After witnessing a death, a young girl falls in love with the Grim Reaper. She becomes a serial killer just to see him more often. | "Jesus *FUCK*!" If I could gag, I would. A dead body, torn and ribboned like a frayed cloth doll dipped in scarlet lay discarded in a cheap motel room.
A woman steps out of a shower, her hair up in a towel and no other apparent form of modesty, save for the steam that rises from her skin. I, out of a shame that she di... | Maria was only eleven when she first crossed paths with him.
It was a shooting. A drunk, fueled by rage and too much bad alcohol, had burst into a theater. What should have been a humorous showing of the year's latest animated comedy had quickly turned into a nightmare.
Maria sat with her arms around her knees, cry... | 2017-09-28T15:20:16 | 2017-06-07T19:52:22 | 153 | 58 |
[WP] Death gave you immortality with the plan that you'd realize how awful it is and beg him to let you die. 50,000 years later he's getting annoyed as you continue to have fun and live a wonderful life. | "Are you sure?"
"Yes I am. I got accepted into that new University in Delhi."
"You want to go to school again?"
"Yeah, its a new field... memeology is what they are calling it. Study of internet culture and changes within it." I replied back to the black mass in a pinstripe suit. This time he looks like an old fune... | A knock roused me from my light nap. I had been napping in my living room waiting for him. It's been years since I had seen him. I call him Morte.... He's less a fan, and more just used to it at this point, but I figure it's less morbid with a fun little nickname. Still slightly groggy, I stretch up out of the chair th... | 2017-11-29T08:24:55 | 2017-11-28T16:05:42 | 935 | 20 |
[WP] Your eccentric parents vanished a few months ago, and left you their weird old house. It's haunted, with lots of traps and hidden passages, and monsters live in the walls. It's been years, but you forgot how much you loved it. Your spouse? Not so much. | “The fuck is that?!”
“Hm? Oh, don’t worry about them, they’re creepy but they’re harmless.”
I set the box with our dishes on the kitchen counter, grinning as my wife sputters. “Harmless?! Are you seeing what I’m seeing?!”
I glance back at her, then over at the doorway where five squat, vaguely human shadows stand an... | "Save me Matilda!" Evelyn screamed as she was carried deep into the abyss of Montsaye Manor.
Matilda stood there, encased in the lingering dark of an ever stretching hallway, almost entirely alone. But she knew better than to assume. Already the festering shadows had begun to tie themselves together in knotted apparit... | 2019-03-05T15:29:37 | 2019-03-05T14:38:24 | 250 | 12 |
[WP] Your power is that Any insect that gets within 30 feet of you is vaporized. One day on your regular walk to work a man steps in your field and is turned to dust in the middle of the street. People start fleeing in a panic, except for a few standing about 30 ft away staring at you hatefully | The screams filled the streets as people fled, I've never seen a human being vaporize before, until now. All my life I've had the "ability" to create an invisible field that vaporized insects. If any bug came within 30 feet of me , "poof" they were erased from existence. I liked my "ability" I've never been stung or le... | Mist rose from the warm waters in gentle wisps. In the quiet dawn, each vaporous swirl caught and scattered the morning light over cattails and lilypads. The soprano cries of peepers pierced the still air. Bullfrogs added their bass tones to the symphony. Swallows added electric chatter as the small birds danced and da... | 2019-06-08T12:14:39 | 2019-06-08T10:48:50 | 34 | 18 |
[WP] You are a mighty dragon, the kind who kidnaps princesses. However, you only do it because princesses inherently have the ability to talk to animals and you're starved for intelligent conversation. | I'd rather not be kidnapped, all things considered. I mean, I hope this isn't too controversial a statement for a daughter of a King to make, but if I had my own way, everything else being equal, I'd choose *not* to be abducted.
However.
However! When one is faced with the sight of a enormous monster, the stuff of ni... | I flew to Castle Marovia on a cold, wintry night. The storm -- a mix of rain and sleet -- ensured few humans would be out and about. They're never much of a danger, but can be a nuisance.
​
I swept over the ramparts, tilted a bit, and smashed through one of the towers, the one they traditionally kept polit... | 2019-11-11T20:33:18 | 2019-11-11T18:00:52 | 23 | 12 |
[WP] Super powers are common, but super heroes are rare. It turns out most people don't actually want to face death or dismemberment on a daily basis, including you. You enjoy the 9-5 and having a 401k, but my god that government recruiter won't take no for an answer. | "Come i- *oh come on*," I sighed as I saw who just walked into my office. Mr Williams. *Again*.
"Tobias!" he cheerfully greeted me. I did not share his most likely faux upbeat mood, knowing full well what he wanted.
"My answer's the same," I said. Despite this, he sat down in the chair across of me and made himself c... | \[Zero Income\]
"If you have a moment...," the teenager surprised Miles. He looked young enough to still be in high school and a mess of wild brown curls sat on his head. His hand was stretched out as a greeting and he continue once he had Miles' attention. "... I'd like to talk to you about your Super power."
... | 2022-07-31T14:37:56 | 2022-07-31T12:47:18 | 517 | 72 |
[WP] Super powers are common, but super heroes are rare. It turns out most people don't actually want to face death or dismemberment on a daily basis, including you. You enjoy the 9-5 and having a 401k, but my god that government recruiter won't take no for an answer. | The man sat down at the table. He turned the lamp toward my face. I smirked, retracting my eyes into my flesh. At the same times, i elongated my fingers, each one reaching five inches in length as I turned each nail into a new eye.
The man flinched. He knew of my powers, he saw me using them a few times, but never this... | \[Zero Income\]
"If you have a moment...," the teenager surprised Miles. He looked young enough to still be in high school and a mess of wild brown curls sat on his head. His hand was stretched out as a greeting and he continue once he had Miles' attention. "... I'd like to talk to you about your Super power."
... | 2022-07-31T14:20:34 | 2022-07-31T12:47:18 | 145 | 72 |
[WP] Super powers are common, but super heroes are rare. It turns out most people don't actually want to face death or dismemberment on a daily basis, including you. You enjoy the 9-5 and having a 401k, but my god that government recruiter won't take no for an answer. | Things seem to be going good, minimal bugs, nice graphics. Wait, what the hell? I keep telling them to knock it off with this cartoon bullcrap. I told them how many times, I want the games we make to be realistic.
*BZZZT*
Damn that intercom is annoying. “What’s up?”
“I have an Agent Price from the H.R.C. here for yo... | “One creamy deluxe chocolate cake for the little princess,” I say, my water clone smiling at the little toddler sitting in her booster seat. The family looks up at me all smiles.
“Thank you so much!” says her father. “Look Alice, your cake is here!”
She starts to cry. See, that’s the problem with my ability. Though I... | 2022-07-31T15:31:39 | 2022-07-31T15:29:05 | 72 | 51 |
[WP] "Of course I'm not scared of you just because you have claws. Sure, you could kill me with them at any moment... but, like, so can any random human with a knife." | As I washed the drying blood off of me, I felt the pain as the water and soap suds washed through the claw marks on my back. I winced for about five minutes straight, groaning for some of that.
The way it ran gave me time to think how lucky I was. I had been voluntold for the Long Door project as part of my exobiology... | "So, Klonk, who you thinking we add to the team? We can't do it just the two of us." I play about with my magic as we walk to the nearest town, black wisps dancing at the tip of my claws. "I reckon we should look for Clara - she's smart, quick-witted and aggressive." Klonk nods. "She could be a useful asset, but we nee... | 2022-09-20T13:43:57 | 2022-09-20T08:13:50 | 76 | 18 |
[WP] It was only after they invaded that the aliens realized, to their horror, that humans had superior technology in all things, except inter-planetary spaceflight. | Lek'tar strong Kholan warrior. Strongest of Lekh clan. Conquer twelve planets in nebula of birth with horns, teeth, and blade. Have one hundred seventy families with twenty species, three hundred children, all strong warriors. But Lek'tar strongest.
Lek'tar forty-fifth family on Tsina say Lek'tar must prove strongest ... | "These apes had never sent anyone past their natural satellite, how could they be so advanced that they destroy our ships before they can even land?" A general shouted, standing out of his seat.
"They're barbaric, violence obsessed monsters, that's how. Intel showed that never once in their history had they had world ... | 2014-10-17T11:04:27 | 2014-10-17T10:41:45 | 46 | 23 |
[WP] You wake up naked, its 1000 A.D., and your cellphone is ringing. | I'm not sure what hurt more; my back from sleeping on the stone floor, or the constant ringing of my god-damn phone. Whichever it was, my body was in agony.
When I eventually managed to shake my haze and come to, I figured out why everything hurt. I hadn't slept on the stone floor. I'd slept in the desert, for some re... | *If you like pina coladas*
Mike fumbled around for his phone, still groggy from sleep, his eyes barely even open. He finally found it and press the answer button, halting the blast of classic 80's pop.
"What." said Mike as he slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"You need to listen to me, you are in grave... | 2014-12-20T05:45:51 | 2014-12-20T05:37:07 | 196 | 64 |
[WP] You have the most useless superpower in a world full of awesome superpowers. You are a laughinstock, that is until you start using your power for evil... no one is laughing now. | I was the odd case. Everyone has super powers, nobody knows why, even the people with super intelligence as a power can't figure it out. There really is no way to observe it. Which is why I am so different.
Everyone has a power, it sort of just come, like puberty or growth spurts. What can I say, we solved the e... | I couldn't believe it. I had so much hope for the big day at the Academy - all my friends were talking about it during the morning of Announcement Day. It was chaos, and everyone was laughing and talking over each other. I remember Peter, who was 6'0 at the age of 14, was bragging about how he'd end up with super stren... | 2015-04-12T21:19:46 | 2015-04-12T21:14:34 | 36 | 16 |
[WP] Humans finally establish communication with another world and between the two planets have worked out barely faster than light travel. Each planet has sent off a group of people to the others home world after having misled each other about its living conditions & quality of environment. | It had been 22 Earth years since Signal day. By cheer chance the Voyager and Wanderer probes had encountered each other. The Nivarra had long perfected Quantum entanglement communications and were able to quickly retrieve the details of the Golden Record through their instruments. Sending the Signal from Gliese to Eart... | "Beautiful women, pristine beaches AND free beer?!"
"That's what they said Jenkins," declared Captain Fisher of Earth vessel Gaea.
Captain Fisher was not sure what to believe however. On the one hand he wanted to believe the story he had been told as a lad when his grandfather was the captain of the ship. On the othe... | 2015-04-22T10:26:52 | 2015-04-22T06:52:01 | 16 | 10 |
[WP] All of the "#1 Dad" mugs in the world change to show the actual ranking of Dads suddenly. | James was not a great man.
Great men walked up to the world and bent it to its will. Great men looked at challenge and laughed.
James did his 9-5, came home, and sat down. He typically would stand back up a few times, to use the toilet or get a beer, but no more than a few.
His son had stopped asking him to play w... | Sunday. A Sunday that started just like any other Sunday. Robert Glover sat down to a hot breakfast lovingly prepared by his wife. After getting the kids to sit down and leading the family in prayer, Robert started his favorite Sunday activity. The Sunday paper, and coffee. This ritual was only broken if a quarrel brok... | 2017-06-11T09:29:45 | 2017-06-11T09:22:30 | 159 | 23 |
[WP] You are reincarnated 10,000 years into the future. You come across an ancient artifact on display in the Museum of History, where you work. Little is known about it, not even where it was uncovered. Upon touching it, you realize it was yours. | “Finally, the Museum of History,” he said. “Not like there’s a couple thousand,” he added under his breath.
The wastefulness of the 23rd century had left behind lots of junk, as did the 27th and 28th. All had a strange obsession with emulating previous centuries, sort of like a come-back of the Romans (in some cases).... | I quickly learned after getting my first adult job at the Royal Museum of Ages that asking about the strange artifacts from thousands of years ago was more or less pointless.
“Jay, be a good lad and go and sweep the chamber containing the objects from the twenty first century.” The blue-skinned curator I worked for g... | 2019-09-23T19:52:09 | 2019-09-23T18:26:04 | 35 | 12 |
[WP] “Dead men tell no tales as they say, right? Well your honor, that’s just not true. As a necromancer, I literally summon my first witness to the stand. The victim!” | “Dead men tell no tales as they say, right? Well your honor, that’s just not true. As a necromancer, I literally summon my first witness to the stand. The victim!”
The courtroom gasped.
Obviously those in the peanut gallery watched too much CSI: Narnia and weren’t aware of courtroom procedure. While this was certain... | "Objection!" shouted Barry, the prosecutor.
The judge raised an eyebrow. "On what grounds?"
Barry paused, at a loss for words. "Umm... everything? This... this is just absurd!"
I chuckled at his genuine agitation. Barry had never faced something like this before. It would've amused me more if he wasn't currently t... | 2021-10-04T08:08:45 | 2021-10-04T07:28:04 | 1,090 | 357 |
[WP] You are a "coward". It's a respected military role - when your team's mission fails, you must survive and escape at all cost to inform the Headquarters of what happened. | "I was not among them."
That's the phrase they condition you to say. They tell you after the training it's just a way to stay neutral about your previous unit when you report, it keeps you distant. Distant from the unit and distant from the fact you can't help. The coward is a key role. In war, you cannot afford to h... | *Run until your legs give out and the thundering of your heart muffles the songs of war - and then run some more.*
The mantra echoes through mind, rhythmically to every crunch of the snow beneath my stampeding feet. The air is cold. My breath is fogging my glasses, the sweat flows down my back like a stream, chilling... | 2022-02-18T19:26:58 | 2022-02-18T18:35:49 | 101 | 35 |
[WP] When they turn 14, every human gets an obscure super power with a lengthy description of it so they know what it is. But when yours arrives, it only says four words. “Don’t… | I never thought my time would come. Childhood summers last forever, the school year drags, but time marched on as it always did. Before I knew it, I found myself standing there before the assembly just fourteen years of age. The whole class staring expectantly at what would become of me. I was the youngest in my year m... | The enlightenment trials were designed to awaken unlimited potential within humans, they came to light after Archaeologists came across an old tomb, the tomb was beautifully preserved and had a wealth of knowledge within, including a rite of passage of sorts.
"The Trials Of Enlightenment" they were lead by the leader... | 2022-05-08T09:49:41 | 2022-05-08T07:54:58 | 338 | 177 |
[WP] A demon marrying an angel is not so rare, but having a child is. With neither wings nor tail, both Heaven and Hell refuse them entry, leaving them to be raised amongst the humans they look like. "Abandoned" in the middle of nowhere, you can't help but take pity, and decide to adopt the child. | After all, it's not an unfamiliar scenario caught between two worlds, wanted by neither. Though in your case, you had gained immortality; in hers, well, she had lost everything. You lift the basket's tag. "For you, who knows well how to tend to the fiercest of flames," it reads. "With respect, St. Peter." Peter, the ap... | I've always been the guy to say, "So what?" whenever I'm criticized. It's just an instinct by now, really. My mom once told me I was a slob, a failure of a son. "So what?" I told her. Then I told the nurse she could just pull the plug but she told me my mother was just in for a fractured toe.
A hot dog vendor got on m... | 2022-06-22T15:39:11 | 2022-06-22T13:39:09 | 15 | 10 |
[WP]Humans start out at birth with milk-white blood. The more bad deeds they commit, the darker their blood becomes. One day, you meet your soulmate. Skip a few years, and things are amazing… Until your soulmate trips, falls, and the cut they get drips ink-black blood… | "I can't believe this... why haven't you... wha-"
"I can explain!"
"No! I don't want to hear what horrible things you've done!"
As he starts walking out of the house, she suddenly grabs him from the waist.
"Please! Let me explain!"
Silently they just stand there.
"Alright." He finally answered.
With a deep bre... | Time seems to stand still. I look at the cut oozing with blackness. She stares at me with a look of fear. I just keep trying to process what just happened. This woman I've loved for years, who is she? My mind starts coming together. "Lisa, lets go to the bathroom and take care of that, it looks nasty." I say calmly.
"... | 2016-09-22T23:44:59 | 2016-09-22T19:10:06 | 150 | 81 |
[WP]Humans start out at birth with milk-white blood. The more bad deeds they commit, the darker their blood becomes. One day, you meet your soulmate. Skip a few years, and things are amazing… Until your soulmate trips, falls, and the cut they get drips ink-black blood… | "I can't believe this... why haven't you... wha-"
"I can explain!"
"No! I don't want to hear what horrible things you've done!"
As he starts walking out of the house, she suddenly grabs him from the waist.
"Please! Let me explain!"
Silently they just stand there.
"Alright." He finally answered.
With a deep bre... | "No, it's not what you think. I can explain!" She proceeded to back away slowly, wide-eyed and pale in the face.
"W-w-who are y-you" she stuttered. I could see tears in her eyes, threatening to betray her.
"I promise I'm still the same man you fell in love with. I've made some mistakes I'm not proud of but I've cha... | 2016-09-22T23:44:59 | 2016-09-22T16:56:11 | 150 | 12 |
[WP] Everyone is born with a special talent that's weak when young, but grows stronger and matures at the age of 30. A kid that's a little stronger than his peers will grow up to lift mountains. Another who like tinkering will revolutionize civil action. You? Well, cats just seem to like you...
*civilizations
Edit: W... | Cats. They're absolutely everywhere. The stupid things breed so fast that even game shows tell you to neuter them. Calicos and ragdolls, Siamese and otherwise can be found all over the world. It's ridiculous that such a common creature be intertwined with my one true purpose in life. Do you know what it's like to be a ... | I was walking home from work in the cold sleet, wishing I had a car. No one did, not anymore. All the vehicles not used by the military were scrapped for the war. I lived in The Sanctuary, one of the few human cities independent of the Animal Kingdoms. We had to fight every day to maintain it, and military service was ... | 2016-12-30T12:19:12 | 2016-12-30T11:51:08 | 25 | 14 |
[WP] A world of fantastic creatures cross dimensions to invade our Earth; but alas, they battle us with medieval swords, bows and magic. We have guns, grenades and missiles. Lots of them. | "I've never seen such foul Magic. They can point at our men and kill them instantly!" Commander Bogrik yelled, slamming his fist onto the table. He was an odd creature that appeared mostly Humanoid, save for the head of a dog that sat upon his shoulders.
The gathering around him consisted of the council of the Walrest... | Eagle screech echoed across the windswept plain, the sort she had fought, and died, on many times before. Arrayed across the centre were the mighty corps of warriors assembled from many nations, the sort who bent the knee when her guards rode through their puny towns, the sort who dared not make eye contact lest they s... | 2017-09-14T11:21:07 | 2017-09-14T07:49:00 | 16 | 10 |
[WP] One day in class you decide to scream something in your head to catch mind readers. As you do, you see your crush flinch | Finally, the last day of exams then I could get away from this hell even for just the summer. Today seemed to drag on forever. After lunch I only had 2 more exams then I was home free. The downside was my exam for science, my worst subject. I just didn't understand.
I took my time answering the questions on the god a... | "Mr. S?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I just get something off my chest?"
"Sure, kid. 'Course you can."
"Band class is fucking boring when nobody actually tries. You just sit there with your instrument on your lap, staring into fuckin' space, listening to the poor teach' tryna get the attention of the class while everybody just sc... | 2017-11-13T19:48:45 | 2017-11-13T19:45:25 | 23 | 10 |
[WP] You are born with two names tatooed on you body somewhere, one of your soulmate and one of the people that will eventually kill you. There is no way to tell who is who. | The Captain filled a small container with what had to be bourbon, carefully sealing the spout to prevent any of the liquid from floating away. As I dogged the hatch behind me, I saw that he already had his drink in hand.
First day aboard a starship, and I'm drinking with the boss? Not a bad start.
Captain Leonov sent... | Written in scar tissue across a man’s back, there would always be a name. Another man’s name, the kind our culture crafted from blood and dirt to evoke that very image. The prevailing theory was that the name etched in raised flesh would be the name of that man’s killer. Or it wasn’t a theory, exactly, because it alway... | 2018-03-11T08:45:50 | 2018-03-11T08:09:30 | 120 | 84 |
[WP] So this is what being in a car crash felt like. Not as painful as you thought it would be. But you can't feel your toes. You look down, your leg is missing from the knee onwards. There's no blood, no bone, no muscles. Instead you see mechanical components. | "What in the holy hell?" I asked, I imagined I could hear the whirring coming from my sheared off leg. Why was I not going into shock. Either from the accident or from finding out I'm this, or that part of me is, anyway. Was I some kind of cyborg? How would I not know this?
I reached down and tugged on a sheared p... | When you were young - no more than a child who reached the height of your mother’s hips - you remember waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of a doorbell. You pull back the soft covers that swaddle you away from the rest of the world and slip through your bedroom door into the dark, cold hallway. You follo... | 2020-12-17T09:31:29 | 2020-12-17T09:17:07 | 20 | 15 |
[WP] You are the city's premier supervillain, but you have a secret. The crimes you commit are not for gain, or to hurt people. You are always subtly testing and pushing 'your' heroes to excel, to be the best they can be. Then a villain with a reputation for murdering heroes shows up in town. | An Ounce of Prevention
“They’re here, Sir”. Cybersquire knelt before me in the showy manner he always used to ham it up for the heroes. I sat on my throne as usual, but my normal cool confidence did little to ease the ice in my veins at his words.
“All three of them?” I asked, hoping against hope that perhaps only o... | I have always had powers, a part of me I kept hidden, never knowing how to use them, afraid of the responsibility that came with them. My friend died when I was twenty-five, it turned out he wasn't afraid of responsibility, he had been doing something. A real life hero. I felt so much shame, I had watched the footage a... | 2021-05-20T08:01:46 | 2021-05-20T06:34:48 | 225 | 81 |
[WP] You live your life on repeat. You die, you’re reborn, in a perpetual loop. You’ve lived thousands of years. Some as a saint, helping others. Some as a monster, reducing the planet to nuclear ashes. After your last death, a voice fills your head. “You’re not getting it. How can you be so dense!” | "I'm guessing I'm supposed to fall in love." I sighed, Looks like the entity that had been manipulating me for the last millennia had finally decided to officially introduce himself to me.
"I can't bel- Wait- YES! That's it! Your one true lo-"
"I'm going to stop you right there. I take it you're the red headed man in... | # Bargain Bin Superheroes
(Arc 5, Interlude 1: The Sunrise King)
(Note: Bargain Bin Superheroes is episodic; each part is self-contained. This story can be enjoyed without reading the previous sections.)
**People told him he rose and set with the sun.** He found that amusing for reasons he'd never share. He woke up ... | 2022-02-09T20:14:27 | 2022-02-09T18:16:10 | 2,163 | 186 |
[WP] A small town deep in the forest has a town dragon. Yep. His name’s Darryl, and he’s actually a really nice dude! He even married the mayor’s daughter with the mayor’s consent! However, a group of travelers not accustomed to giant beasts dropping by for groceries has just stopped in town. Uh-oh… | "Can you smell that, Tarquin?" Julia gestures around the town square as she closes her car door. "It smells like adventure. My nose pricks up at the scent."
Tarquin rolls himself out of the driver's side and ambles around to join her. "Your nose looks the same to me. But then, Ma'am, I'm no expert on pricks like you a... | The van backfired upon entering the parking lot of Albert's Serve-U, and a few people turned to look. It was an older blue Dodge A-100 with a white stripe running the length of the body and wrapping around the front and back. It had a pop up camper top. If you were close enough, you could get a whiff of pot smoke, dirt... | 2022-04-25T09:34:05 | 2022-04-25T09:27:13 | 143 | 61 |
[WP] You are a warlock who has formed a pact with a powerful demon. The times that you summon your demon are the only solace they receive from a long and brutal war that rages within their home plane. | I was a warlock, and I had formed a pact with a powerful demon. The times that I summoned them were the only solace they received from the long and brutal war that raged within their home dimension. At least, that's what I told myself as I stood in the grocery store, trying to summon the demon to help me carry my groce... | It had been the talk of the whole continent for a few weeks then, a resounding no from the magic-wielding community: The Cult of Technology, a group of non-magical people, had made a buzz of a new future, a future without magic, a future where no magic is needed to combat the wild unpredictable nature of the supernatur... | 2022-12-18T02:41:19 | 2022-12-18T02:39:55 | 46 | 31 |
[WP] Frighten me without using any blood, gore or explicit violence. | I woke up groggily. I looked at the clock on the wall. 5:30 AM.
"What's the matter, Hon?"
Ann's form silhouetted against the moon light. As she finished her phone call, our wedding ring glistened and shown brightly. "It's my mom. She says she's passing nearby, and will arrive in 10 minutes to visit." | "I walked out of the elevator on the fourth floor. It wasn't very busy but I distinctly remember a man pushing an empty wheelchair stepping out behind me. We were going in the same direction, so he pretty much followed me for a few seconds."
I stopped to catch my breath. I was panting.
"The crappy lighting on the cei... | 2014-11-18T11:22:43 | 2014-11-18T10:38:23 | 110 | 29 |
[WP] Frighten me without using any blood, gore or explicit violence. | The crowd was the largest ever to attend an such an event. Nearly everyone across the globe could not take their eyes away from their screens. The unthinkable had happened.
"Ladies and Gentleman, it is my honor and great privilege to introduce, the First First Lady of the White House, your new President of the United... | "I walked out of the elevator on the fourth floor. It wasn't very busy but I distinctly remember a man pushing an empty wheelchair stepping out behind me. We were going in the same direction, so he pretty much followed me for a few seconds."
I stopped to catch my breath. I was panting.
"The crappy lighting on the cei... | 2014-11-18T11:31:11 | 2014-11-18T10:38:23 | 44 | 29 |
[WP] You are a teenager with the ability to measure how "Dangerous" people are on a scale from 1 to 10 just by looking at them. A normal child would be a 1, while a trained man with an assault rifle might be a 7. Today, you notice the unassuming new kid at school measures a 10. | I've spent my whole life looking at numbers, judging my safety from them, gathering intelligence, watching, waiting. I am a perfectly average teenage girl; I've got brown hair, brown eyes, and a rather plain face. I'm average height, average size. There is nothing exceptional about me; except that I can judge how dange... | Snow swirled across the pavement, little lines of furious strands caught in a frozen wind. At once, they would settle, and at once they would fly with renewed flurry as the bus ploughed up to its stop. The ding of the doors opening broke the bluster of winds, and immense gratitude washed over her as this bus proved war... | 2014-11-29T14:34:22 | 2014-11-29T14:03:49 | 41 | 14 |
[WP] Two people discover a fountain of youth. The problem is that upon drinking the water you turn back into an infant. The two decide to take turns raising each other in order to live forever until one day one of them decides to break this agreement. | "No, please."
She pushed the vial away from her lips, her thin and wrinkly hands shaking.
"Why?" I asked.
"I... I'm so tired, dear." She sighed. Then she continued:
"My flesh is tired."
"What do you mean?"
"The other ones, my other lives, I've come to realize... they were not *really* me. I've read their diaries... | Finally I had the courage to approach the little boy, who was drawing doodles on a blank piece of paper. He was so focused on his work that he didn't notice me.
"Tommy", I said after a few seconds making up my mind again, "there's something we need to talk about".
"What's the matter aunt Laura?" he answered with a lo... | 2015-02-14T06:40:49 | 2015-02-14T06:07:27 | 1,103 | 43 |
[WP] The year is 2420 and memes are now an illegal controlled substance. Everywhere you look there are law enforcement officers with badges that says "Meme guard". Your job is a Black market meme dealer. | | "I'll take 10 memes. Dank as you can make 'em."
A tired-looking man gazed longingly at me, the first in a seemingly endless line of clients. It was gonna be a long day.
"Alright, I'll get those memes for ya," I said with a sigh. Rummaging through the sack beneath my desk, I surmised a plan; a sure-fire way to grab som... | The headlines said it all:
**150,000 DEAD DUE TO MASS HYSTERIA**
That was forty years ago. Hi, I'm Mack219@USAneoMASSACHUSETTS. I know, my parents should have registered my name earlier, but *whaddya gonna do*? It wasn't like it would ever be on a *letterhead* or anything.
I'm a dealer in memes. Black-market, with ... | 2015-03-29T10:23:13 | 2015-03-29T10:14:45 | 28 | 16 |
[WP] Foreshadow the character's death so subtly that I still don't see it coming even though I requested it. | I'm going to die today.
The doctor is giving me a run down of what will happen when we pull the plug. It will be painless, he says. Despite his reassurance, I can't help but be afraid. I glance over to my wife, my one true happiness in life, and begin to tear up. I can't handle the fact that I will never see her agai... | Hello /r/writingprompts reader. I don’t do many of these foreshadowing prompts, but hopefully I can surprise you with this one. I’m a bit concerned the foreshadowing is a bit subtle, but if you read closely to the end, you should catch it.
_____
Sarah had a weakness for chocolate. So even though she was trying to los... | 2015-06-03T08:22:01 | 2015-06-03T07:02:17 | 2,420 | 100 |
[WP] You just moved to a new neighborhood and you hear the music of an ice cream truck coming down the street. As you and your family walk outside you notice all your neighbors rushing inside and locking their doors and windows. | "Da dum, da dum, da dum-a-da-dum" the catchy Pop Goes the Weasel song that announces the arrival of many ice cream trucks across the nation could be heard at the neighborhood entrance. This would be a normal scene in a normal suburban neighborhood, except it was 2 am.
My mother always told me nothing good ever happen... | The little girl could hear the ice cream truck approaching her street. She put down her toys and ran to her father. “Daddy, Daddy, can I get some ice cream. Paweeeease?” The father put down his sports magazine. “Now Matilda, we have some ice cream in the fridge. Your father bought your favorite flavor of gelato, and pl... | 2016-06-14T19:09:16 | 2016-06-14T18:06:16 | 145 | 73 |
[WP] During a coma, you had a different life. You had a spouse, an apartment, and a job you didn’t hate. Right as you begin to wake up, you hear your spouse desperately exclaim a date and address. | "November 1st, 716 Western Road!"
Her voice echoes after you as you're dragged into consciousness, and you cling to it, burning her words into your very heart. It's the first thing you write down as you reacquaint yourself with your body, and the first thing you tell your friends when you're finally released. Of cours... | It was a scorching hot, summer day, sun was beaming brighter than I could ever remember. I had to get this roof patched before the storms tomorrow. I hated heights, but my old house needed the work or the repairs would be even worse. It was supposed to rain for a week straight starting at 4am tomorrow morning. I hurrie... | 2018-05-14T19:03:06 | 2018-05-14T13:41:35 | 707 | 104 |
[WP] Humanity split into subspecies: Alters, who alter their genes, Augmented, who augment flesh with machines, and Ascended, who uploaded their consciousness. After centuries of coexistence, the tenuous peace between the ideologies is threatened.
I swear I corrected that before commit. Sorry.
The Altered, The Augmen... | Earth had known peace for centuries. The shining cities that covered the land were the pinnacle of civilization. Three civilizations. Descendants of the Humans.
The Alters, who mastered the genetic code and manipulated it on whim. The Augmented who had created the perfect symbiosis between man and machine and the Asc... | Ok this is my first try at doing anything like this... Be gentle. I didn't proof read, hopping on a flight.
The Incident: Day 1
“Hey Barb, how's it going today?”
“Not bad at all sweetheart, how's it going for you John?”
“Oh you know, same ol’ same ol’.... Speaking of which, can I get a Cortado and a Almond Scon... | 2018-07-01T10:47:01 | 2018-07-01T10:03:55 | 80 | 14 |
[WP] All superpowers have a ‘hangover’ effect. For example, after using super strength for the day, the morning after you can’t even lift your spoon to eat your breakfast. You wake up one morning after using your own specific superpower and you feel pretty hungover...
[deleted] | My head was pounding. Everything ached. I felt an instant resentment to whoever it was that invented trains.
Fuck that guy.
How many lives did they save on a daily basis? How many crises did their lumbering machines of metal prevent? How many disasters?
None.
On days like today, after nights like the last-- dar... | Arin groaned as she walked into her living room from her bedroom. She had just woken up from a much needed rest. After the day she had yesterday she just knew today was going to have some toll on her. She tried to rub the sleep from her eyes as she sat down on the floor. She didn’t want to get too close to anything met... | 2018-08-19T04:36:45 | 2018-08-19T04:31:16 | 219 | 21 |
[WP] You were born blind. You undergo a new surgery that should cure your blindness. They undo the wraps and you open them. You think what you see is normal, but after the doctors ask a slew of questions, they discover there is something very strange about your newly acquired sight. | "... and so thats why. Really, its pretty simple when you think about it."
The doctors stared in horror at me. Hah, they *stared*. What a beautiful day for science and medicine! That table is blue! Thanks to the chip in my head that they installed, I even know what blue *is*!
The fat doctor began smoothing his coat, ... | ​
Muffled whispers surround me as a set of hands unwrap the thick layers of gauze and bandages that cover my face. Even though I cannot see, I know that anxiety coats the room like a wet blanket. This is the first surgery of it’s kind, performed on me -- a twenty year old woman. I know that however this ope... | 2018-10-29T09:02:37 | 2018-10-29T08:56:20 | 35 | 22 |
[WP] Since you were born you could see a search bar over people's heads. All you had to do was think and the search bar would fill out and give you information/statistics. Out of boredom one day you decide to search your whole family with"Number of people killed" | The chatter was loud and incessant, like a fly that wouldn’t stop buzzing in your ear.
Or several flies. Hell, a whole cloud.
Anyways, Aunt Sandy turned “33” for the fifth time and my mom wanted to throw the party at our house because she wanted to flambé (torch the living shit) out of her “famous” Baked Alaska pie... | Max had just woke up from one of those long naps that leave you feeling heavy and confused. Slowly he moved his feet towards the floor and got up with a stretch. He opened his phone to see 17:00 staring at him. Shit. Max had missed the most important time of the day for the 3rd time this week. His new job left him exha... | 2019-07-01T23:13:12 | 2019-07-01T22:45:08 | 146 | 34 |
[WP] Since you were born you could see a search bar over people's heads. All you had to do was think and the search bar would fill out and give you information/statistics. Out of boredom one day you decide to search your whole family with"Number of people killed" | As per usual, I started with a control—my beautiful infant daughter. We had left her alone several minutes ago to nap, so I rose from my desk and padded over to the nursery, feet gingerly landing on the hardwood floor.
I twisted the doorknob carefully and crept inside the dim room, trying not to startle her. I stalke... | I sat on the couch in the living room while everyone was outside talking and catching up with each other, after all, it’s been a while since the family had come together and be able to reconnect with each other, as always, I find that I’m by myself, and as always bored whenever these get together occur.
“Leo!” Mother ... | 2019-07-01T23:03:11 | 2019-07-01T22:18:35 | 72 | 13 |
[WP] After a space battle where the ship's captain stayed behind on the ship to hold off the enemy ships while the others on board escaped, they sit in the bridge with only the ship's AI. The captain miraculously won the battle. Their ship is severely crippled as it drifts through space. | It was a fierce battle.
In the end, there was only wreckage, and one dying ship.
The thrusters were non functional, there was, at most, 3 days of oxygen, and the cafeteria was inaccessible because of damage to the ship.
The captain of this ruined vessel watch the debris outside the window float past, and the stars b... | "Communications busted," I said smashing my fist again the now cracked control panel. "Damn it all," I said as I tried to go through any and every diagnosis available on the ship. The tools that worked showed the same thing my eyes were, I was done for.
I pace around the ship for a solid ten minutes trying not to pani... | 2020-04-23T22:14:07 | 2020-04-23T20:23:51 | 34 | 16 |
[WP] You play an MMO every day - The game is pretty cool; grinding levels, fighting monsters, and solving problems, but you care more about meeting up with your best friend, the mysterious mute that never logs off. | ‘He’s still here’, I think as the next in the long line of mobs falls before my blade. The swoosh of the level up fills the room and I’m excitedly thinking of my trip back to town when I notice it ran twice. He gained a level as well.
All this time he’s been with me. From level 1, grinding in newbie areas, farming for... | A few years ago I started playing this MMO called, "Quest for Glory."
It's the best MMO I've ever played.
The dungeons are perfectly balanced, the experience curves are challenging yet rewarding, the dialog is superb,
and the graphics still hold up today.
If you asked me what I like the most about the g... | 2021-10-26T19:41:26 | 2021-10-26T19:04:24 | 174 | 109 |
[WP] As you grew older horns and a tail started to appear. You have been splashed with holy water more times than you can count and now your going to a job interview with someone who is HIGHLY religious | I walk into yet another interview, expecting the worst as always. In the lobby, people were heckling me as I walked across the hall to the interviewer's room. Room 208, she told me. Someone told me to "go back to hell" and someone even threw holy water on me... again. Ninth time this week, and it's only Tuesday. Twelve... | The secretary sent you to the CEO's office, because he wanted to talk with you personally. The old lady smiles at you, and says "You got the job, you are already hired, he just wants to talk" and she winks at you as she buzzes the elevator doors to open and take you up.
Taking the moment to thank you, to enter into th... | 2022-10-29T06:49:59 | 2022-10-29T06:43:01 | 21 | 14 |
[WP] Lucifer is trying to take a man's soul, but it turns out the man is a car salesman, and a good one. Describe their negotiations. | "Yeah, see, as much as I'd like to take that deal, I just don't know if it would be worth it for me."
"Worth it?" Lucifer asked. "Of *course* it's worth it! For just the measly sum of your immortal soul, you can be a movie star, a millionaire. You can have any girl you want!"
"Yeah, but I just don't know if that's re... |
"I didn't come for a car Damien, I came for your soul."
Now when I originally started this job, I don't think anyone prepared me for a line like that. When I started my days as a green pea, the other salesmen on the lot would tell me that the customers that would come through and would look at us as if we didn't even... | 2015-11-08T16:33:36 | 2015-11-08T16:18:40 | 388 | 33 |
[WP] A medical breakthrough as an intelligent machine is created capable of curing almost any illness. Unfortunately it kicks off a zombie apocalypse when attempting to cure a hypochondriac. It couldn't figure out what was wrong so it tried "turning him off and then turning him on again". | The intelligent machine had been kept from the public, not because it was dangerous, not because it was expensive, but because the rich thought 'fuck you' to everyone except themselves.
One night in April an obese man had been wheeled into the hidden 'hospital' disguised as an ordinary office building. He was the mac... | Cat was in a world of shit -- at least in as much of one as a robot can be.
Though Cure All Technology (CAT; later stylized as Cat in an effort to humanize our new caregivers) was widely considered to be the most significant technological development since the genesis of the internet, few would have guessed that it wo... | 2016-09-27T10:02:51 | 2016-09-27T09:11:33 | 33 | 11 |
[WP] You are the antagonist in a story. You think. You really aren't sure anymore after what the protagonist did. | **Audio recordings found in the embers of Dr. Kook's evil lair.**
*gunshot*
"Okay, what the fuck?"
"What?"
"You shot my evil sidekick.".
"He had a gun."
"A confusion Ray! It would have made you dizzy."
"Self defense."
"What?"
"I shot him in self defense."
"You're not even bothered that you just kil... | My plate armor rasped against its straps as I walked, the blood-rust falling from the joints like burnt snow. The only noises were the cawing of ravens, the wind's soft hiss through the carpet of arrows poking from the ground, and the soft creaking of the metal and leather that surrounded me.
Bodies laid all around me... | 2016-10-26T11:02:29 | 2016-10-26T10:51:18 | 192 | 65 |
[WP] Your wife is from another time and place, a waitress in a small Irish town from the 1900s. Every night she takes one of your video games and retells it into a grand epic to all the patrons. | "So, there's this story with a talking yellow flower and..." was the start to another tall tale my wife told every night. The plots weren't as original as they sounded - she would probably be thrown out had it been a century in the future - but for now my Steam games gave enough inspiration for her tales.
"And then th... | It was my first time using the TymeX, I was taking everything in all at once. My interest got the best of me, I sat in the pub just people-watching for a good while before she came to the table.
“What’ll it be for ya then?” She said with a curious look on her face.
It was as if she could see through my disguise... ... | 2017-06-25T04:21:16 | 2017-06-25T04:14:03 | 108 | 29 |
[WP] In Hell, your worst mistakes and cringiest moments are relived over and over. Your life, however, was a series of never ending awesomeness. Satan is getting fed up with you. | I watched curiously as a hologram of me skidded over the mountaintop, my trusted snowboard falling with me. That moment had not been planned, I vaguely recalled. I had taken a wrong turn farther up, and had ended up plunging hundreds of meters straight down.
"Aha! This is it! This has to be your biggest blunder!" Sata... | I walked around Hell, the place is actually pretty normal. It is like Earth except instead of a nice blue sky and cool air, the sky is red and the air burns. However you are pretty okay with it since you are dead. I keep seeing people fuck up though. It is pretty embarrassing to see people do stuff like shit their pant... | 2017-07-23T10:52:23 | 2017-07-23T10:21:47 | 26 | 10 |
[WP] Thousands of years ago your family was cursed for "a thousand generations". You are the 1,001st generation and only just noticed just how much luckier you are than the rest of your family.
EDIT: Had no idea this thing would get as big as it has. Thank you all so much! My first 5,000+ post, amazing!
EDIT 2: Now a... | ######[](#dropcap)
You'd think it's a good thing, luck. Especially when no one in your family has had much of it. Your mother tells you stories of an ancestor who tried to trick a demon and failed. Your father tells you tales of uncles who never lived past the age of three.
And then there's you. You who didn't contr... | Let me tell you a story:
A long time ago, long before man had a name - before man *was* - the land and the sky were one and they were called 'Ākāśa'.
Wild creatures roamed through the mists of Ākāśa, both hunters and hunted. The black-maned Siṃhá, 10 hands tall, stalked the fleet-footed Ajinayoni through the long gr... | 2018-04-10T21:33:07 | 2018-04-10T21:06:03 | 1,258 | 152 |
[WP]: Everyone got a tiny, mundane blessing when they were born. Usually they are so small that people don't even notice them - always hitting the green light in traffic, etc. Yours would be virtually useless, but you figured out a creative loophole that allowed you to rise to the top of the world. | Everyone knows we are all born a little special. Some of us are very very big and strong, while others can be very very smart. We can go our whole lives not knowing whether or not we are growing, but knowing seems like a good place to start.
You see, I knew my little gift when I was very young. I was able to see the ... | Humanity firmly believes it cracked the code on how our bodies function, think, and move. We receive inputs, sight, sound smell, feel. Those inputs are then sent to the brain as electrical signals where they are processed and sent out to various muscle groups to create movement. There is a small delay between input and... | 2018-06-30T14:18:25 | 2018-06-30T12:48:48 | 679 | 457 |
[WP] The Scooby gang finds out that they have powers to turn monsters back into humans, which coincidentally looks like they're unmasking someone. | "Shaggy be careful!" exclaimed Velma, "this monster is even stronger than any we've faced before!"
"Well zoinks, looks like I'll have to use at least 2% of my power this time" Shaggy uttered. He proceeded to glow white hot enveloping himself in an aura. The monster responded in kind, powering up as well. The Scooby ga... | ‘Next stop union station!’ The conductor called out.
Buffy was already waiting at the door. She tapped her foot impatiently this train was not as fast as European trains and she hadnt been able to sleep the almost 6 hour ride. She didnt feel tired though, she had a mission.
What happened replayed in her head for wha... | 2019-03-17T11:05:09 | 2019-03-17T09:29:31 | 55 | 25 |
[WP] It is year 2100. All the species on Earth have been wiped out. The United Federation has declared a intergalactic auction for all the items on the planet before it is broken down for minerals. One strange item received the most amount of bids. | “Citizens of the United Federation, welcome to the ‘Earth Auction’!” the auctioneer announced to a massive dome, filled with aliens of all kinds, sat neatly in rows, a glass ceiling above providing a view of the rocky Earth landscape.
“Now of course, we were all sad about the events of The Flash. That sorry day when a... | "Ahem....is this speaker on? It's working? Alrighty!! Welcome multi-liforms of all corners of the universe. Thank you for taking the time for coming to another intergalactic auction!!" The announcer appeared to be a blue skinny alien with a what looks like a blue tuxedo with a red bow. Its massive kalido scope eyes loo... | 2020-11-23T06:57:43 | 2020-11-23T06:42:06 | 31 | 22 |
[WP] She is in every meeting, ever war room. She is present in every diplomatic discussion and her features are always hidden by a black shawl. She has served ten kings and never ages. Everyone fears her. You have just been coronated as the new king and she has requested a private audience. | My father had called her the crone, my grandfather had called her the mother. I called her timeless. Officially she was called The Watcher, she was a function of our religion. Women didn't have the power that they did on other nations, despite being the only conduits of our gods. The Watcher was the direct link to the ... | ##Power Behind the Throne
I walk down the stairs of the tower. The sunlight from the hatch is replaced by the torchlight. At the bottom of the stairs, there is a small iron door. I pull out the note that covered the keys. After my coronation, she approached me and handed me . It was the first time that I have ever int... | 2021-01-29T16:19:35 | 2021-01-29T15:27:38 | 41 | 11 |
[WP] You live in a swamp, and your mama always told you "never go chasing any girls in the water at night, they're mermaids who'll get in your head and make you love them obsessively." It turns out that she wasn’t crazy, since you can clearly see a mermaid in the distance fighting off an alligator. | So no shit, there I was watching a gator getting body slammed by a chick with a tail instead of legs. She was drop dead gorgeous and I could have stepped in and killed the lizard myself, but you don't get to watch a mermaid body slam a species as old as dinosaurs.
Aft she slammed it into a log, she let out a blood cu... | It was one of those moments that you couldn't look away from, you couldn't even blink, and you couldn't make a sound. You watched the waters ripple and splash along with the violent thrashing that came from the two intimidating creatures. One was a thick skinned bumpy brown and black alligator it's green eyes looked bl... | 2021-05-24T07:54:19 | 2021-05-24T07:46:26 | 41 | 21 |
[WP] Your childhood bully once said you were nobody. Unbeknownst to him at the time, he had a reality-bending superpower. Now he's the world's strongest superhero, everyone calls him The Truth, because his word is the absolute truth... Nobody knows about his past, and Nobody will make him pay. | "Now, Mr. Truth, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Do you mind if I call you Mr. Truth?"
"That's fine."
"Right, Mr. Truth. Our readers are dying to know more about you. You can just make any statement you want, and it becomes real. Besides you, Nobody has that power, correct?"
"Yes, absolutely correct."
... | "Who am I? Nobody, don't worry, I get that look a lot. Try not to think about it too hard, you'll get a headache." The woman staring up at me was shaky, not everyday you see a criminal just cease their own existence, all for a purse too. "W-where are you?" The lady was clearly in some sort of shock, I suppose it's scar... | 2021-11-23T11:51:41 | 2021-11-23T07:21:20 | 109 | 75 |
[WP] In 2025, the mission Mars One is a full success. Upon arrival on the red planet, the astronauts notice some kind of cave, containing a single human skeleton – and four words, carved into a wall. | **2025**
At the ripe age of 23, Dave Milkwater was the youngest astronaut to ever touch down on another planet. He squinted out the starboard viewing port of the Mars One spacecraft, the red expanse glared back, beckoning him forth.
"Dave put on your helmet, I'm about to depressurize the cabin" said Mark, checking hi... | "So, please, one more time. From the top."
The inspector flipped the switch on the recorder to "on". Every few seconds it would emit a hollow *beep* to remind you that it was listening. Every word I said, recorded, analyzed, immortalized.
"As I said before, English is not my language."
The inspector corrected m... | 2015-02-19T15:22:48 | 2015-02-19T14:18:09 | 99 | 40 |
[WP] Find a random post on r/TIFU and make an explanation for the title without reading the post. | TIFU by breathing fire
Okay let me first get this out of the way, being born half dragon is not easy. You see when my mother was out searching for the kingdom's lost treasure she wandered into the cave of a vicious and total asshole of a father, Steve.
The next part is something that I don't really like discussing... | TIFU by disgracing the housekeeping staff.
I was down at Coffs Harbour with my mates, it had been way too long since we went anywhere together and even then not all the lads could make it, so it was just the three of us. Their names aren't important and I don't want my identity revealed so lets just skip ahead.
We ha... | 2015-04-13T00:36:00 | 2015-04-12T22:55:41 | 25 | 16 |
[WP] You are greeted by two of your children from the future, each from a different timeline. You must decide which timeline to follow and which child to give up. | I thought I was dreaming. I thought that it was another one of my wierd dreams, so I jumped as hard as I could. Usually I get to fly, in my dreams. But this time I came back to the ground rather quickly and almost lost my balance.
"What was that?" One of the two boys asked.
Embarrassed, I said nothing.
"She alwa... | Opening my eyes, the digital haze of the clock read 03:33. My heavy lids seemed to have only just shut, but the pungent static smell that hung in the still air made sleeping difficult.
"He's awake," a meek voice said, forcing my eyes fully open.
"Christ, no wonder he never paid attention to you," a deeper voice boom... | 2016-10-03T11:01:56 | 2016-10-03T10:53:19 | 18 | 10 |
[WP] An actually competent henchman manages to kill the superhero. | "CATATONIC! Your reign of terror ends here!"
"Muhahaha! That's where you're wrong Peacekeeper; I've become more powerful than you could ever imagine!"
"Surrender now, and I might go easy on you ..."
"NEVER!"
"Huh, then I guess it's time to KEEP THE PEA-"
*BANG*
...
"Sergei?"
"Da boss?"
"Did you just shoot our... | Mr. Incredible. The man, the myth, the legend. He was probably the greatest superhero of all time. Comic book heroes had nothing on his super strength, and together his his family of super's, they were able to keep the world a safer place.
Their biggest fight had yet to come. The Underminer, and his henchman "The Gard... | 2017-01-26T11:05:13 | 2017-01-26T07:20:45 | 26 | 17 |
[WP] "Marines dont die, they just go to hell and regroup", they've regrouped and now they're ready to take over hell. | "Hey, do any of you have any Jalapeno cheese. These crayons are a bit dry"
"Nah, but I'll trade you a forest green and royal blue for some M&M's"
"Oh yeah, sure!"
"Lol, fucking boot, never trade your M&M's."
"Hey, aren't we supposed to be conducting a raid tonight?"
"Yeah, idk First Sergeant just said we'r... | I slammed my heel into the throat of a...thing. I'd long ago learned to stop comparing them to animals or things back home. They were alien, these demons, they didn't belong - I blinked. Belong where exactly?
Another red thing with wings came at me and I grabbed its throat and slammed it on the ground. It gave a feeb... | 2017-09-13T12:10:13 | 2017-09-13T11:28:49 | 419 | 145 |
[WP] When the police came to announce you the death of your husband, you refused to believe it. "That's impossible", you said. "Unfortunately, it's the truth, miss", answered the policemen. "It's impossible", you said again, "because he's in the kitchen making dinner." | "Ma'am, we have confirmed the identity with photo identification." Sergeant Miller took off his hat and thought for a moment. "Forgive me if this sounds insensitive, but have you ever seen your husband make dinner before?"
"Well, no. But you've got to be mistaken," I replied. "He's in the kitchen right now getting flo... | "I know its hard ma'am, but we found his dead body today on a construction site."
The young detective and her 2 police officers seemed dead serious.
"No! I mean he is standing in the kitchen right now cooking some soup for dinner."
"Well, that seems odd. May we enter and to ask you some questions?"
I just nodded. T... | 2017-10-10T07:05:33 | 2017-10-10T05:53:19 | 103 | 27 |
[WP] A team of researchers in a submarine are caught in a huge storm. The submarine submerges until the storm passes. When they resurface, they can’t get a fix on their location or find land. When night falls, there are two moons in the sky and the constellations are completely unfamiliar.
Well this has blown up big t... | We'd all made fun of Brian, at least a little bit. This was a son packed full of scientists and with few military minds, so we all had things we needed and geeked over, but Brian was one of those lifetime ultra-geeks. The type that jumped on your back if you mispronounced your Klingon, or heaven forbid you mix up a elf... | “You sure this is a good idea?” Randall glanced over the rocky terrain, his eyes wide. He finished knotting the anchor rope to the largest rock we could find and I let go of the section I was holding. The tiny submersible bobbed at the sudden release of tension, but the anchor held it fast.
“There’s not enough power ... | 2018-01-29T07:06:21 | 2018-01-29T06:19:27 | 27 | 15 |
[WP] Adam and Eve were the first and only children of Angels and Demons interbreeding. God feared them. That is why they were sent to be bound on Earth, by the most powerful of seals. Gravity.
Edit: for those people not liking the gravity being the seal: go fu.. Na just kidding, you can just think of something else be... | "They did WHAT?"
The booming shout actually shook the room and sent a shiver down Gabriel's spine and up his wings. There's nothing quite as terrifying as raising the ire of the almighty, and Gabriel had just delivered some particularly devastating news. Yahweh had never been a subscriber to the idea of not shooting ... | "God come quick, you have to see this! they are flippin flying!"
"what?"
"they are flying like birds"
"are you drunk?"
"no, god seriously. they are even more of them flying now"
"I swear if you're messing with me again"
"oh shoot, they made bigger wings"
"fine Ill come take a look"
god started across the cl... | 2019-06-24T07:36:59 | 2019-06-24T07:09:18 | 24 | 11 |
[WP] Human blood turns darker with every evil deed and you've just murdered your wife. You never admitted to doing it, but you were the only suspect in the case. Imagine everyone's surprise when they found out that your blood is still milky white. | I knew that I had done nothing. My wife was alive. Lucy was fine. We had just been eating together peacefully when those horrible people had come in and taken her away from me. They had screamed at me and said that I was horrible. They had kidnapped my wife and dragged her away. Now, those same people said that I had k... | "Sit down Mr Hank, the phlebotomist will be soon with us" the detective who has been interrogating me for the last couple of hours pointed to a pale green chair with extra wide cushions on the armrest. You know the kind you see at your doctor.
"I might remind you while you have asserted your 5th amendment rights the S... | 2020-02-09T12:02:53 | 2020-02-09T11:51:14 | 311 | 115 |
[WP] Your gf invited you to meet her parents. You told her that you're a veterinarian. Her father is a computer repairman. In reality, however, you are an assassin. A very good one at that, too. When you see her father, your heart skips a beat. He's your boss. | Clip check. Two tucked in the belt, you never know. Chamber check. Clear.
Acting time. A nice dinner. Pleasant conversation, a smile on the face.
Clip check. Chamber check. There's a knife in my shoe but I don't think I'll need it.
We knock on the door. Lovely woman says hello, invites us in. Tea. Says her... | Rachel was so exited for me to meet her folks and the only thing I was worried about is if they wouldn’t mind my casual clothing. Is a flannel over a AC/DC shirt with jeans and sneakers good enough to present to parents? I usually have a okay track record with them and it almost always gets better once I tell them my j... | 2020-06-05T14:06:14 | 2020-06-05T14:04:11 | 128 | 10 |
[WP] As a child, you had a very unique diary; whatever you wrote, something would respond, their words magically appearing on the page. Years later, while searching a library hundreds of miles away, you rediscover the diary you thought you'd lost. Inside is a pen and your first entry: "Hello". | "Hello."
My old diary! My old handwriting, even. I'd had conversations late into the night, joked around with it on weekends, told it my secrets. I looked up to it as an older brother I never had. But that was the only entry.
"Hi" I wrote, hoping to figure out what happened.
"WHO ARE YOU???" It responded, using my... | # The Witch Who Weaves Pain
(Part 5: The Feeling of Life)
(Note: The Witch Who Weaves Pain is episodic; each part is self-contained. This story can be enjoyed without reading the previous sections.)
**It's quite possible that the most awkward part of being trans is talking to the people you knew before.** Oh, it's n... | 2021-03-31T11:13:51 | 2021-03-31T09:00:10 | 92 | 48 |
[WP] Your childhood friend moved away without warning one day. Years later you meet them again when world's new evil overlord visits your town to personally see to the execution of some rebels. You see the spark of recognition in the overlord's eyes as they cancel the execution and order you untied. | The order comes as the cold edge of the axe lays gently on my neck, poised to rise and fall like a guillotine. A single word, deep and reverberant through the town square: “Stop.”
I don’t recognize the voice. I can’t see the person who spoke. I can only kneel and stare at the dull gray concrete below me, my arms tied ... | There is a fatal misunderstanding that all those who practise dark magic make, that it is simply a brand, a branch, an offshoot of "light" magic. It is not. Dark magic was born long ago in a battle too long to explain, and it is vicious. Dark magic is a someone, it is relentless, and above all mischievous.
The street ... | 2021-06-16T12:41:09 | 2021-06-16T12:19:16 | 19 | 14 |
[WP] Soulmates exist. You have flashes of of what your soulmate is seeing and hearing. A lot of soulmates use these flashes in their pursuit to find their soulmate. Personally, you have no interest. The only thing you ever see is darkness and the only thing you ever hear is a constant scream. | All of my friends (okay, _both_ of my friends) down booze to pass their worries. I tried that, didn't like it much. Instead, I visit Gisneyland, an amusement park, almost every week.
"Oh, how we met? It's a funny story really! My now-wife shoved a rainbow bouquet into my face as I walked out of work and declared me he... | It was late at night when the door of Ryan's apartment door was knocked. As he staggered off the cold wooden floor, he cursed under his breath for the late night annoyance. Once he opened up the door slightly as the chain lock stopped it in place, Ryan sighed at the sight of his friend, Tommy standing there with his fa... | 2021-11-09T06:49:15 | 2021-11-09T01:52:32 | 371 | 73 |
[WP] "I WILL NOT LISTEN TO THIS ANY LONGER" "But Your Majesty, the prophe-" "You want me to send a GODDAMN TEENAGER TO FIGHT WHEN WE HAVE TRAINED SOLDIERS" | "You want me to send... a child. A literal, actual, child?" The king shook his head. "My predecessor may have been fond of child soldiers, master prophet, but I am not."
"But surely, surely you cannot allow the entire kingdom to fall? The prophecy-"
"DAMN THE PROPHECY! We walked away from that cursed place, we chose ... | \[Keys to Questing\]
"Damnit...," Keys sighed at the king's outburst. He was the chosen one; but, it seemed the king was hesitant about letting him do his job. After a moment's consideration, he decided to stay and try to convince the king himself.
"Your highness, I'm not an average teenager," Keys stepped cl... | 2022-10-28T15:24:51 | 2022-10-28T08:48:41 | 127 | 42 |
[WP] People have superpowers. Yours is the ability to create a hivemind. It has grown too large and is now labeled a global threat. | “Leaders of the World, just because I’ve made this hive mind, doesn’t constitute any claim that I am a danger to society. The charges brought against me are completely ill-founded. I have never once invited a riot, claimed power, nor given rise to any notion that I could be labeled as “a threat to humanity.”
“To my fe... | The blackout I had planned began locally, as I was already known as the progenitor. No need to hide when you are known and well protected. Wi-fi, as well as cellular and satellite communications, were systemically and quietly shut down by technicians and engineers that had been willingly assimilated and now helped to f... | 2022-10-29T12:52:05 | 2022-10-29T10:53:32 | 37 | 27 |
[WP] Your ability to see people's age in years as an invisible number above their heads has made you the perfect bouncer. One day you see a four digit number. | It's gotta be....
It's a vampire.
I looked right into the eyes of the 4 digit freaked, took a step back into the doorway and said
"You, you are not allowed inside this building, or my home."
He said something quietly to his friends and they started calling me names but I didn't care.
A week later I thought it was ... | I stood outside the bar, hearing laughter and chatting from the warm interior. I looked down the line of people waiting for entry and started looking down the line muttering under my breath, "Twenty-two, twenty-five, Thirty, Twenty-nine, and... a twenty year old."
I sighed and I could see my breath within the cold n... | 2021-11-13T01:48:11 | 2018-02-12T22:42:59 | 585 | 223 |
[WP] A seemingly bottomless pit was found, for which the depth can't be determined. Over time, scores of people began using it to illegally dump trash. Many have jumped in to die, while others jumped believing that they'll find life's answers within it. Today, we learn the truth about the hole. | "Aye, you've heard about the devil's asshole right?"
It was more of a rhetorical question. At this point, everybody had.
A few years back, Bridgeport Connecticut experienced a minor tremor from a minor earthquake. No one thought much of it at the time, save for Mr. Hoolihan whose backyard now sported a three foot wid... | The Hole was discovered in the Arizona wilderness in the fall of 2067, and the news outlets had an absolute field day. A sinkhole, roughly 100 yards across, deep enough that you couldn’t see the bottom of it. I thought it was just another natural disaster.
My husband, Dalton, was a sucker for a good natural disaster, ... | 2022-06-02T19:21:41 | 2018-01-13T09:37:59 | 4,551 | 27 |
[WP] It's 3 AM. An official phone alert wakes you up. It says "DO NOT LOOK AT THE MOON". You have hundreds of notifications. Hundreds of random numbers are sending "It's a beautiful night tonight. Look outside." | I’m lying in a bed on a tuesday night.
And I’m having restless dreams.
And then I awake from a story where I’m rescuing a princess from a wheel of cheese. Because there’s a chainsaw on my nightstand.
A groggy hand reaches over and slaps it reluctantly. Is it morning...a alarm? Some long lost love looking for lusciou... | The silk curtains fluttered in the cold November winds, brushing ever so softly on Evelyn's shoulder. With its cool touch, Evelyn slept soundly. A distant owl cooed, the falling leaves danced in the night. As the darkness grew dense and empty, the moon burned bright in the sky. Not a single cloud in the sky, the beige ... | 2022-05-11T14:02:28 | 2018-04-06T18:29:33 | 314 | 43 |
[WP] You were born with the ability to hear thoughts. As a psychologist, you have listened to the thoughts of the depressed, the psychopathic, and the insane, you've listened to it all. A patient enters, and you can hear only silence. | I misread psychologist as psychiatrist, but I won’t rewrite it because I’m lazy.
Silence. I didn’t even notice him walk in, until I heard the door close. I spun around in my chair to face him as I listened. The man was average height, with dark hair cropped to form a revolting line falling over the top of his forehead... | Usually, their thoughts precede them; I know who they are even before they touch the doorknob, before they even enter the building. I can hear (for the lack of a better word) their worries, their fears, their internal neverending monologue governing every aspect of their lives. Sometimes those trains of thoughts are br... | 2018-04-25T04:18:58 | 2018-04-25T00:49:30 | 56 | 22 |
[WP] You're the owner of a cafe frequently visited by vigilantes and anti-heroes who absolutely adore your sweetness and acceptance of who they are. One day, though, a particularly rude customer comes in and trashes the place. Your friends aren't too happy to hear about that. | My coffee shop was nice. Designs chosen from pictures of a mid-50s shop I once saw mixed with a little western. Booths on either side along the walls, with tables occupying the center. It was a night-time hobby of mine to keep me busy during my later years. The wife and I, God rest her soul, always wanted to open up a ... | "So then the guy pulls a gun out, and well... you know the story from th-"
"OH MY GOD!"
The group of supposed friends stopped in place and looked upon the cafe the frequented. The modest hole-in-the-wall coffee bean shop looked as though there was some sort of struggle. The windows were broken, some of the bar stoo... | 2018-10-20T23:09:29 | 2018-10-20T22:47:10 | 17 | 11 |
[WP] An alien, a centuries-old vampire, and a werewolf raised by wolves go to college. They dorm with a human and do their best to blend in and act natural while infiltrating humanity. The human realized day one they weren't normal - But the daily theatrics are too amusing to let them know that | Every day starts the same.
John jumps when the microwave beeps for his instant ramen—which he consistently insists tastes *incredible*. (It's instant ramen. I've had it many times. He cannot find it to be that good, especially when he eats it every day *for fucking breakfast*.) Aaron covers his ears and clumsily rushe... | "Winthorpe is a vampire, without a doubt, babe—I saw his tongue light on fire after he took a bite of that Parmesan Garlic Shrimp Scampi we made the other day." Johnathan gazed across the campus greens, watching people mull about a summer student gathering with vendors, campus resource tents, plus student groups and al... | 2018-12-23T20:21:59 | 2018-12-23T19:50:44 | 585 | 33 |
[WP] You're walking in the mall, and see a group of friends about to take the escalator. You can't believe your eyes; one of them is a centaur, but nobody seems to notice. "You guys know I don't like escalators. I'll go take the elevator and meet you up there," it says. Then it notices you staring. | I hear laughter and glance over toward the escalator. A group of friends is standing at the base. An impossibly tall woman is standing in the middle of them. She is more than a head taller than each of them.
“I still can’t believe that you’re afraid of escalators,” one of the other girls says. I feel myself redden, be... | "Fuck you looking at?" the centaur said.
I gaped open-mouthed, only realizing about three seconds later that the creature was stomping toward me. "I ... I--"
His hairy--so hairy--arm shot out and grabbed a fistful of my shirt. With frightening ease, he lifted me clear off the ground, so that my gaze was level with hi... | 2019-06-18T11:24:53 | 2019-06-18T07:41:12 | 212 | 93 |
[WP] You were filled with horror when you were told that you got sent to hell after you died, the horror faded somewhat when you were then immediately handed a shotgun and noticed the broken bodies of demons everywhere | As you stare at the shotgun, you notice the shells appear indefinitely in the chamber. That would be strange in itself, but the moment you notice there comes an angel floating down towards you.
"This is your eternal quest for the world you left. Cleanse hell off of demons so they won't flood the Earth." - says the div... | *Gunshots; a far too close explosion;* ***pain*** *in my head; angry, rapid-fire Arabic- and then nothing.*
My mind wakes up before the rest of my body really does. I can’t open my eyes yet, but I feel hot. *Field hospital, then.* Like so many times before, each breath of the warm, musty air makes my lungs burn ever... | 2019-09-29T10:07:40 | 2019-09-29T09:28:25 | 52 | 36 |
[WP] Last names are assigned at birth by an oracle, and 90% of people find themselves in a related profession. For instance "Miller" or "Baker." Your last name, "World-Ender," has made life rather difficult. | He turned to the stranger next to him. "World-Ender? What will people think? Will they judge me by this name and think I'm that I'm going to bring about the end of the world? That I'm going to usher in the demise of humanity as we know it? That name is going to label me forever as a monster! What will my friends assume... | "Please, please, Mr. World-Ender...please don't do this", the old man sobbed as the wrecking ball swung to the wall of the establishment, desttoying it like biscuit cracker.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Pasta-Kneader. But as per your contract-- failure to complete your rent at the end of this month would result in repossession of... | 2021-06-19T18:31:32 | 2021-06-19T17:19:39 | 2,066 | 346 |
[WP] They Hero is defeated by the villian, they expect death or torture. They did not expect to wake up in a guest room with their wounds being treated to. | The last thing I could remember from the fight was that there was alot of blood and that I was tired. I remember trying so desperately to defeat him and then..... nothing. I knew that i'd lost. I was readying myself for death, or torture or anything worse but this. This is not what I expected. Especially not from him.... | I woke up slowly, my foggy brain not allowing me to comprehend what was going on around me. There was a steady beeping beside my bed, and a slight pinch in my arm, as well as the warm, slightly spicy feeling of light magic swirling around my head. The last thing I remembered was Annalise standing over me, that blazing ... | 2021-08-10T00:42:08 | 2021-08-10T00:41:35 | 17 | 11 |
[WP] A man, sentenced to prison, doesn't quite "get it". He ends up having an absolute blast. | Dear Mom,
Prison isn't actually that bad! It's been a lot like camp, it reminds me of a time when I was a counselor at [REDACTED].
First of all, there's a commissary here! There's a lot of cool stuff, even better than what they sold at camp. I can get shaving cream, ramen, socks and even Playboy magazines!
Second, ... | Being king is easy, so long as you know what you are doing. The key is to avoid ambition. This was Rodrigo’s own personal philosophy, and it served him spectacularly well. Throughout the entirety of his lengthy reign, Rodrigo had experienced very little of the sort of trouble that is posed to most regents. He attr... | 2015-08-19T21:02:26 | 2015-08-19T18:09:25 | 105 | 21 |
[WP] Write the letter that you always wanted to, but never did.
Most of the writing prompts I see on here are for fictional stories, but this is only one small corner of the larger art of writing. In this prompt, I'd like you to consider writing something a little more personal, and in a form that you might not have o... | Dear E,
I love you. Not the cheesy love I felt in high school, and not the way I love the woman I think I'm going to marry, but you hold a place in my heart that no one else can.
We were destructive. We weren't good for each other. You were emotionally abusive, and I was amazed a pretty girl would give me the time o... | Dear David,
So many things have happened since you left. As you know, dad is gone too. Mom hasn't handled losing you or dad very well. Ok, that's putting it mildly. Mom has lost her shit and gone off the deep end. You wouldn't believe the difference. Drugs. Alcohol. Living with an addict thy she has professed her undy... | 2015-12-05T16:37:50 | 2015-12-05T16:20:18 | 94 | 32 |
[WP] Humanity finally reaches the edge of the solar system only to encounter an impassible barrier and a warning not to try and breach it. But is it there to keep us in or to keep something else out? | Humanity was expanding.
It was time to go.
It had been 200 years since humans had reached the edge of the solar system. It had taken 2 years to journey that far back then, and now they could pass the expanse from the sun to the edge in just a few tens of minutes. But they could never pass it.
The great barrier hung,... | "Who said it was impassable?"
For a moment, Pilot Grays could only stare at his captain. Miles was supposed to be the most passive commander of any ship in the Navy. This was the main draw for the pilot to request the posting to her ship, expecting that the routine patrol of Sol would be a simple way to complete his... | 2016-04-19T04:03:26 | 2016-04-19T01:51:13 | 1,285 | 164 |
[WP] You die and find yourself in hell, where apparently everyone spends time to negate their sins before they go to heaven. The guy in front of you, who cheated on his wife, gets 145 years. Feeling like you led a fairly average and peaceful life, you’re not worried. You get 186,292 years. | ----------------------------------------------
186,292 YEARS?
How could this be? I never even harmed a fly. Okay, well - maybe a few of those. You know what I mean.
**"....But why?**", I asked struck by pure horror and disbelief.
The hell warden looked right into my eyes and cracked a diabolic smile:
"Do you e... | "Table for one, sir."
I reclined on the wooden chair and sipped at the complimentary cup of lava-heated water. The water, its temperature just nice to heat up my icy skin, spilled out as I set the cup down on the table. Dribbles of water remained on the plastic file beside the cup.
"A hundred and eighty-six thousand... | 2018-09-26T07:41:09 | 2018-09-26T07:07:43 | 1,768 | 895 |
[WP] You die and find yourself in hell, where apparently everyone spends time to negate their sins before they go to heaven. The guy in front of you, who cheated on his wife, gets 145 years. Feeling like you led a fairly average and peaceful life, you’re not worried. You get 186,292 years. | "Excuse me sir, but this doesn't seem right? Are you sure you have the right results for me? This seems totally unwarranted." I said to the clerk who handed me my sentence papers.
"Sir, there are no mistakes here. Try this, it usually clears things up." he replied.
He handed me a blue flyer, like the kind they give... | “Why? What did I do to deserve this?”
Charon the gatekeeper just looked down. “If you want to dispute this sentence. Then you will have to speak to management. However I don.....l
“Well get me the fuckin manager then. This can’t happen to me in life I had thousands of more followers on social media then any of my... | 2018-09-26T08:05:05 | 2018-09-26T06:56:58 | 488 | 74 |
[WP] The Villain uncovers the Hero's true identity, and targets his family. Unfortunately, the Hero's spouse is a retired villain even more powerful than the current one. | "Slowly, now," I warn, as Perry Gunderson, or, as we know him, the hero Paragon, stepped into his own living room. "You're going to want to play this one smart."
"And why's that?" he asked, stalling as he strove to comprehend the situation. As though it could be anything other than the obvious.
"Why, your wife and da... | It has taken fifteen years to find him, but I have finally done it. The fool has his whole family in one spot.
Seeing the light ahead, he slowed his pace and began sticking closer to the trees for cover. Seth was expecting a fight, and this time, he wouldn't underestimate his enemy. Slowly making his way towards th... | 2020-07-19T02:58:47 | 2020-07-19T01:53:46 | 96 | 44 |
[WP] In order to solve the climate crisis, humanity shrinks itself down to ant size people. Generations pass, and eventually we forget that we were once giants. A group of humans decide to go exploring and stumbles upon the ruins of an ancient, huge city... | We were often told as children that the Place Beyond the Grass was not meant for our kind. Only the ants, with their iron carapaces and fierce determination, were destined to leave the forest. Even they could stay for only a short time, before the harsh environment drove them back into the depths of their subterranean ... | The party crept through abandoned streets to the droning hum of the lightning priest’s warding prayer. Dani shivered despite the heat. She had never felt so small before, so enclosed within an open space, not even beneath the great sunless canopy of the forest.
“Frightened, little stowaway?” Cavon whispered in her ear... | 2021-06-30T10:33:16 | 2021-06-30T09:41:16 | 456 | 130 |
[WP] In the early 22nd century, mankind is invaded by an alien power. As war rages on across the Solar System, our situation feels hopeless. Until another fleet of starships reaches the Solar System and they help us turn the tides basically overnight. Turns out our saviors are... human. | Captain Barrymore Simmons flicked his half-finished cigar at a nearby intern and began pacing towards the starship.
The Polycephaloids, known as the Hydra among the plebeian populace, had employed a quite literal scorched Earth tactic as they came raining down from the heavens above. Smoke and the smell of sulphur ove... | Riley peered through a telescope and pin pointed the an alien mother ship. It was tucked away towards the back of the fleet of star fighters. At least, that's what Riley and his friend assumed the surround space ships were.
"That thing is massive," he said to Cole. "It's like a pizza and the smaller ships are the topp... | 2021-10-30T04:10:42 | 2021-10-30T04:04:30 | 286 | 81 |
[WP] You’ve begun to suspect the homeless girl at the Library isn’t human at all | "Um, excuse me..."
"Yes?"
"Are you the head librarian here?"
"Yes."
"So, um, I've been coming here for a few weeks, and...well, do you see that girl over there? with the ragged green coat."
"The one in hutch against the wall?"
"Uh, yeah. That one."
"Is she bothering you?"
"No! No, not at all. Actually, I w... | It began quite innocuously. A rather large crowd was entering the library and we were driven together by the swathes of patrons as we ascended the stairs to the entrance and thus I bid her good day.
"Why?" she asked, stopping in place to stare at me. I found it quite unnerving.
"There is no reason, really." I explain... | 2022-01-15T13:53:49 | 2022-01-15T11:24:15 | 20 | 13 |
[WP] You are the only human at the Arcane College, and the students there are not exactly welcoming. Fast forward four years, and you are the most terrifying magic caster in the academy's history. | "Imagination sets us apart. They imagined you to be of a lesser race. They imagined your casting to be inferior. You imagined a school without the trappings of social prejudice. Of racism and sexism and the other -isms that would schism a community like this. I am glad you found yourself to be wrong, dear boy," Profess... | In the early 21st century a new space race began. By the mid century we were colonizing our solar system. In the waning years of the century we finally took to the stars.
With 3 stars it was tricky, but we first colonized Alpha Centauri. Next we took to Barnard's Star and Wolf 359.
It’s now the 23rd ... | 2022-01-23T13:56:33 | 2022-01-23T11:57:24 | 43 | 28 |
[WP] The nukes are about to start flying and it looks like that's it for the world. At the last moment, though, all of the big, immoral corporations step in - there are profits to be had and they'll be damned if thermonuclear war is going to get in the way. | "You think we just bought Marvel for the money?"
Bob Iger stood up, a glint in his eye.
"It was always the *ideas* we needed, or did you think everything was just CGI"
There was a pause, as the assembled government officials wondered what the CEO of Disney was harping on about, and why now, when early warning systems ... | Bob ran his hand over the bedroom door. It needed sanding, or somebody was going to get a splinter. The Danielssons’ house was old, about 90 years by their estimate, although the town hall had burned in ‘39, and with it the construction record.
The old house made it easy for Bob to collect on his “arrangement.” Other ... | 2018-01-14T04:50:34 | 2018-01-14T03:42:33 | 39 | 10 |
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