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[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | Taking human form was simple enough, but one of the jackal-shaped aliens worried if he could keep it up during a fight. The three walked towards a pyramid in Egypt, hoping to gain enlightenment from the prisoners kept in the oldest living planet. The humans did not yet know it, but they were the proto-species of the universe, and the gods below were of their own making.
Using the stealth feature on their suits, the jackal-men snuck past the guards and into the pyramid. They searched around, until one found the hidden entrance into the prison below. The three aliens entered, and emerged into a massive antechamber, of white and gold and strange designs. Two statues stood at the end, nearing twenty feet in height, with the heads of wolves and the bodies of men. They were designed wearing robes over armour, holding curved swords and Egyptian shields. Crowns were placed on their heads. In other words, they were the Honour Guards, though only statues of the real thing. The three advanced, and saw the skeleton of a true honour guard sitting at the door. The creature saw them, stood up, and made a noise inaudible to the aliens, causing the Honour Guards to awaken.
“A Shabti Reanimator?!” One of the aliens gasped.
“I had believed them long dead!”
“Look, you fool, it is long dead!” Another alien shouted.
“Oh, woe, we should never have come here!”
The Guards began running towards them, and they tried to dodge the first swing of their swords. The one who had not spoken could not dodge in time, and he was cleaved in half. The other two felt some sorrow but needed to save it for later. The Guards were still ready to fight.
“Fools. You wish to find Amun-Ra? There is only Death below our feet, and if you enter the tomb you will unleash it upon the cosmos!” The dead Honour Guard hissed. One of the jackals sidestepped the blade thrusted at him, only to be sent flying as it whacked him in the side. He crashed against the wall, and fell to the ground, dead. The final jackal opened fire with his laser rifle, but it did very little against the statue, who cleaved the shoulders from the alien.
With the aggressors dead, the Guards returned to their positions. As the centuries passed, the bones of the jackals joined the antechamber, as did many more aliens. It seemed eternal; most avoided the planet, but some wished for it’s awful power. Yet none could have it, for none could stand up to the many tombs’ guards, be it Egypt or Norway. And the humans, ever oblivious to their roles as guardians, were always able to advance under the watchful eyes of the gods. | I looked out into the vast, bustling galaxy beyond my home, with a kindling sense of wonder I imagined what Earth must have been like. The Great old Ones, beings of immeasurable power. Reaching out to the rest of the universe with their magnificent touch. Passing on their wonderful technology. What became of them? Their isolation has been so long. Earth has been a safeguarded haven for many years now. A place by the Old Ones to the rest of the galaxy. People used to love them. Now they spit sour when they hear mention of their names. What happened to the old Ones? What happened to Earth? | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | “Coordinates are set for Earth,” Bria confirmed, tapping through her console.
“We are crazy. You both know that. What happens when we get there and it’s not true? What happens when we get there and it is? We go poke ancient planet eating bears?” Dash asked. His voice squeaked as he spoke, nerves getting the better of him.
He was the more nervous of the trio, but it never stopped him from tagging along. He liked being left out less than he liked going on their ridiculous adventures.
“Poke poke,” Bria said, turning her head to smile at him.
“It’s fine, Dash,” Talyn said steadily, “Whatever happens- They are imprisoned. As long as we don’t open the gate and let them start devouring us, it will all be fine.”
Dash pushed his shoulders against his seat and fidgeted with the straps across his chest. He grumbled but thought better of arguing any further. The other two would never understand where he was coming from. They had all been vague with their parental units so they all knew that no one knew where they were going. The way he figured, the best case scenario here was that they got themselves in serious trouble and no one would know where to come looking for them.
They would most likely end up stranded on earth or mauled by some local creature or better yet, ravaged by one of The Great Old Ones. Everyone left Earth alone for a reason, and here they were trying to go *see* them.
He closed his eyes as the ship jumped into drive, pushing his body harder against his seat. He wasn’t that big of a fan of inertia either if he was being honest.
The ship pushed onward, holding all three against their seats until they reached the Milky Way. Bria squealed when the ship's computer announced that they were almost there and that the ship would now be slowing down to a speed appropriate for atmospheric entry. Dash, in response, groaned. He looked through the front shield at the round blueish planet they were headed for.
“We could still turn around,” he said cheerfully.
Both of the girls laughed without turning around to look at him.
“You know that Earth’s rocket ships actually crash land *every single time* they come back into their own atmosphere?” Bria asked her companions.
“And these are the ones in charge of keeping the rest of us safe,” Talyn snorted at the end of her sentence.
Dash had always taken her for a bit snobby. It was never directed at him or Bria which made it tolerable, but it came out sometimes none the less. He stared straight ahead and took a breath through clenched teeth as they pushed right on through the atmosphere of Earth.
They went through ozone and a long layer of clouds before coming down to an expansive body of warm looking water. The ship slowed further as they went, and with the push of a button the console, A set of feet for water landing deployed from the bottom.
“This is always my favorite story,” Bria said as she turned the multiple keys that turned off the ship's engines. “All this water. Can you imagine if our planet had this much water? The creatures underneath must be huge! Oh, it’s gonna be so great. How far down do you think it is? What do you think it’s prison looks like? Where-”
“Bria!” Talyn exclaimed, interrupting her, “take a breath girl, please. We will find out soon enough.”
All three unbuckled themselves and walked over to the bay door as it opened. Looking out over the reflecting surface that stretched through the horizon, Dash felt dizzy.
“Lights on,” Talyn commanded, “Jump on three.”
Three small clicks followed the order as they turned on the lights attached to their helmets.
“One.
“Two.
“Three,” Talyn counted them down.
All three bodies hit the water, and the pod door whooshed closed behind them. They dove straight down, Bria at the lead and Dash taking up his normal place at the back of the line. It didn’t take long for the light from the sun to disappear and Dash felt himself shiver inside his suit.
He could feel the nozzles adjust for the decreasing temperatures and change in pressure. They wouldn’t be able to dive down without their suits, but they wouldn’t be able to explore the planet as a whole without them either. The suits were their entire life support off of their home planet.
Deeper down they went and Dash watched as the life that swam around them began to change. Their shapes got slimmer and eventually, the fish stopped looking at them at all. Every so often he got the sense that they were touching them or smelling for them, but he simply didn’t know enough about the life here to confirm any of it. He didn’t have the stomach to try and make small conversation with the other two, either.
Soon the fish and plants stopped appearing. Dash noticed and he wondered if the other two did as well. Not long after that, they reached a shelf of land deep within the earth ocean. They landed and bobbed up and down on the ground as best they could. Not too far from where they grouped, the shelf tore away once more. Dash could see the surface of the black abyss.
This was as far as their plan had been made. They would have to go back to their ship without having seen anything or commit and dive into the Abyss. According to Bria’s calculation- the prison was straight down over that ledge. As all three of them stood, speechless and staring into the darkness, a low hum began to travel through the waters.
The hum began to warble. Dash felt like it was bouncing between his ears-inside of his head. It sent another wave of shivers, and he clenched his jaw.
“It’s there,” Bria whispered into her helmet.
Dash felt his gut spin as he watched her swim right over the ledge without another word.
***
Edit: You guys are too kind! I will be responding to comments in a while, and I am going to try and get a second part done today. Bare with me as I find time to get it out :D
E2: Thank you to the kind stranger who gave the story gold <3. And a silver! :D :D you guys make me so happy, thank you!
I am hoping to find time tonight to work on a part 3. I will update when I get the chance :)
E3: Another gold and a plat! You guys make my heart swell, Thank you all!
/r/beezus_writes | I looked out into the vast, bustling galaxy beyond my home, with a kindling sense of wonder I imagined what Earth must have been like. The Great old Ones, beings of immeasurable power. Reaching out to the rest of the universe with their magnificent touch. Passing on their wonderful technology. What became of them? Their isolation has been so long. Earth has been a safeguarded haven for many years now. A place by the Old Ones to the rest of the galaxy. People used to love them. Now they spit sour when they hear mention of their names. What happened to the old Ones? What happened to Earth? | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | "We are talking about breaking a galactic law that has stood for over two million coronal cycles!"
"It looks to be the only option left to us."
"What about infiltration and...realignment?"
"We have been trying that. For a quarter of a coronal cycle now we have had agents on ground, in human form trying to realign their thoughts and mentalities. Trying to get them to adopt policies to reverse or at least halt the warming of the planet."
"Wait we have agents already on the ground! When was the rest of the council to be informed?"
"Securities made the decision in closed doors. No reason to spread alarm."
"I take it all efforts have failed."
"Yes unfortunately."
"Worse case scenario, what are we talking about here? The Old Ones were imprisoned there, okay, how bad can it be? We have had 2 million cycles of peace and enlightenment. 2 million cycles of advancement. Can they really still be a threat?"
"Doctor OrPan, would you care to explain?"
"Yes, well as best I can, I think, well as much as we...yes. The population of Homo-sapien has grown to over 7 billion. Now this is nothing compared to most of our galactic races but for "humans" this is a massive thing. With those numbers and the growing pollution and warming of their planet this will be catastrophic. We estimate 20-40% will die when their planet, "earth" reaches the critical point. Already they suffer from something called cancer and many other issues such as"
"Doctor OrPan, what does this matter? The great Old Ones are the concern not a primitive terrestrial species."
-sigh-"The humans are not a primitive terrestrial species ambassador Twe'muul, they are the great old ones." Waiting for the mix of laughter and horror to subside. "The Great Old Ones pulled most of the founding races out of the mud as one might say. They helped the rest of us to become what we are. The humans however were always 'better' always found a way to stay ahead and stop anyone rising against their position. Until none of us did any longer. Then, bored, they took to the only challenge left, the sport of war with each other. It grew to such a level that they decimated themselves to where the "founding" species of this governing body seized the last few who saw they had weakened and imprisoned them, as primitives with nothing, not even clothing, on that then primitive world. Had we erased them their great defense networks would have purged the genetic make-up of any species involved. So they were imprisoned, abandoned. The thing is, off one crashed recon ship they have shown to still have the gift of the old ones. In about 1 of their centuries, barely 2 coronal cycles, they have satellites, what they call cell phones, and robotic probes on the nearest planet. That was the true power of the old ones, they could take anything, reverse engineer it and extrapolate new uses in the time any of us might take to maybe figure out what the original device's use even was."
"What of the Old One's "powers" doctor. Do they have those?"
Only a few but growing. That is the issue of them loosing 20-40% though. That will release enough energy to possibly rekindle the 2nd and 3rd powers of the Old Ones. They have already regained imagination. With that many dying though, they may also regain magic and psionics. The humans already imagine it, some show minor signs but with that much release of their life energies it may well return to them as well. Also, trust me, I've been studying them. If they discover we have been sitting out here, keeping them under a kind of quarantine when we could have helped them with their diseases and pollution, they will treat it as if we did it to them ourselves."
"But we didn't doctor."
"That won't matter. It will be as if we did it and they will come for us. At that point, the majority of us will be unable to help ourselves, they will tear us to chunks if we do not make amends well enough. And may their ancestors help us should any of them, with their DNA coding, reach any of the ancient machines of the original Great Old Ones."
"So, our choices are what?" ask Foob'reel, the Tenabur representative. "Watch, make contact and help fix their world or keep trying to guide them via concealed agents? This is to much. I must consult my people and get input. We all should. I move to close session for a quarter of a coronal cycles to research and consult our people. Doctor OrPan. We have that kind of time don't we?"
"NO! I mean, no. That would easily be another generation for them and by that point the 20-40% could already be dead. You must choose now. Personally, I would advise contact with an offer to help while letting them believe they are still just a primitive terrestrial race. We buy ourselves time and good initial relations."
"That's insane! If they are truly the Great Old Ones we cannot make contact. We can't!"
"Alright, alright all. We have the basic options and timeline before us. As much as I might like to take a quarter cycle myself to reflect and examine this, we clearly do not have that courteous luxury. So, let us break standard procedures and start with a basic preference of action vote."
| &#x200B;
“Prepare for system entry in 3…2…1.”
Admiral Axthal braced himself against the railing of his bridge as the ship jolted rather abruptly. It always did when they entered this specific system, and it was always a good omen when that happened. He could hear the engines begin whining as the dampening field took hold on them, trying to draw out their power and render them useless. But these were Mk. 3-X units, far superior to the Mk. 1 engines that were in use eons before when the dampening field was put in place to lock the Old Ones to their planet once more. The field could draw at them, but they would survive.
“Status report.”
His voice warbled through the bridge as other Athrerians began clicking through the datasheets coming in. Most of it was the usual. The last trip to this system, 200 local cycles beforehand, had been more of the same from the Old Ones. They were killing each other, for without an external foe they gave in to their bloodlust upon their own. Horrible creatures.
“Sir…?” A small call from one of the scout units gathering information from the spysats around the planet. Axthal formed an appendage from his core to press one of the buttons before him, locking into the scout’s voice in his telecom implant. Color seemed to fade, the world outside dimming as his mind focused solely on this lowly scout. “What is it?”
“Sir, this is terrible! They’ve…they’ve gone too far!” Fear came across the telecom from the scout unit, and Axthal couldn’t control his own fear rising at the idea of the Old Ones breaking containment. But no, the dampening field held. Any form of antimatter would begin fizzling out immediately, rendering antimatter drives useless. Still, the thought of them somehow bypassing the field and making an antimatter device work existed. The Old Ones were crafty. “Soldier! Calm down and explain.”
He could sense fear still, but the telecom also had hints of resolve and….a sort of depressed acceptance. “Yes sir. The human has found a way off their planet.” Fear gripped Axthal’s heart but the scout went on. “The humans are progressing technology in a new way. Combustion. They’re using it to power weapons that launch metal projectiles at high speeds and can launch hundreds of these per standard tick. They are using liquid fuel combustion engines to escape their planet’s gravity. Furthermore, they have weaponized nuclear fusion against themselves. There are currently multiple artificial satellites in orbit about their home planet and-“
Fire blossomed outside as the scout ship was hit by something, bright enough that if his mind wasn’t reeling from the pain of the scout itself he would have noticed it even through his haze. Something fast had slammed into the scout ship. It wasn’t down, but the scout unit would need repairs. The voice in his mind returned, slow but steady now. “And they have sent several probes into the deep recesses of their system. That was one. They also have automated machines on one of their neighboring planets, and several viable plans to colonize on it.”
Axthal wiped the swear from his brow at this news before finally unlinking from that scout specifically. Color drained back into the world around him as he let out a fleet-wide call.
“All units, return to home base. It appears the Old Ones are advancing their technology in a path that before now we could not have foreseen. We must return to home base to let the leadership know our current containment methods have failed. We may need to return and try flooding them again.”
The ship began its turn back home as Axthal wondered how many times the Immortal Council would have to inflict apocalypse on this planet before the Old Ones stopped trying to break free.
\---------
“The hell happened?!”
Bob was cussing as he hit the screen. “Hey Sarah, come here!” His fellow engineer walked over, brushing the bit of dust off the NASA logo on his jacket as she looked at the static on his screen. “Looks like you lost contact with Voyager. It’ll come back.”
“No shit, but look at this!” Bob wound the feed back until a moment before the loss of signal and paused it. Sarah, suitably, dropped her coffee and brought a hand to her mouth as the image of multiple objects appeared. As he hit play, the objects began move in an obviously unnatural manner. Space ships. Aliens.
“We have to report this Bob!”
“No shit.” | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | "Well, hell Marley."
"What is it, sir?"
"When you were given the mission to install the prison containing the great scourge of the galaxy, you were under strict orders to follow the law on alien planetary conduct."
"Yes, and?"
"And! I'm detecting a fork."
"A fork, sir?"
"Yes! A god damn fork. You were eating down there?"
"You know I have hypoglycemia."
"Well, yes. I do. But the law clearly states to leave no contaminants behind! What do you think will happen now!?"
"We also left a prison down there. Full of prisoners."
"Sterilized prison! And that's beside the point!"
"What's your point, sir?"
"The fork is a hazardous contamination!"
"It's a fork."
"A fork! With your spit all over it! It's clearly hazardous!"
"On a dead rock, who's going to care?"
"Dead for now, maybe! But what if some of your microbes survive and in a billion years there'll be a highly evolved species who find and opens the prison!"
"That seems highly unlikely to happen."
"But it might!"
"So, you want me to go back down there and retrieve the fork?"
"I should have you do just that! But the damage has already been done!"
"Then may I offer a suggestion, sir?"
"...Fine, go ahead."
"We could blast it with radiation."
"No, we can't do that. It's too close to the prison!"
"Nobody would know."
"I would!"
"Fine, then what do you propose we do about the situation, sir?"
"Purge the records and pray! Pray that your fork won't spell doom for the future of our galaxy!" | &#x200B;
“Prepare for system entry in 3…2…1.”
Admiral Axthal braced himself against the railing of his bridge as the ship jolted rather abruptly. It always did when they entered this specific system, and it was always a good omen when that happened. He could hear the engines begin whining as the dampening field took hold on them, trying to draw out their power and render them useless. But these were Mk. 3-X units, far superior to the Mk. 1 engines that were in use eons before when the dampening field was put in place to lock the Old Ones to their planet once more. The field could draw at them, but they would survive.
“Status report.”
His voice warbled through the bridge as other Athrerians began clicking through the datasheets coming in. Most of it was the usual. The last trip to this system, 200 local cycles beforehand, had been more of the same from the Old Ones. They were killing each other, for without an external foe they gave in to their bloodlust upon their own. Horrible creatures.
“Sir…?” A small call from one of the scout units gathering information from the spysats around the planet. Axthal formed an appendage from his core to press one of the buttons before him, locking into the scout’s voice in his telecom implant. Color seemed to fade, the world outside dimming as his mind focused solely on this lowly scout. “What is it?”
“Sir, this is terrible! They’ve…they’ve gone too far!” Fear came across the telecom from the scout unit, and Axthal couldn’t control his own fear rising at the idea of the Old Ones breaking containment. But no, the dampening field held. Any form of antimatter would begin fizzling out immediately, rendering antimatter drives useless. Still, the thought of them somehow bypassing the field and making an antimatter device work existed. The Old Ones were crafty. “Soldier! Calm down and explain.”
He could sense fear still, but the telecom also had hints of resolve and….a sort of depressed acceptance. “Yes sir. The human has found a way off their planet.” Fear gripped Axthal’s heart but the scout went on. “The humans are progressing technology in a new way. Combustion. They’re using it to power weapons that launch metal projectiles at high speeds and can launch hundreds of these per standard tick. They are using liquid fuel combustion engines to escape their planet’s gravity. Furthermore, they have weaponized nuclear fusion against themselves. There are currently multiple artificial satellites in orbit about their home planet and-“
Fire blossomed outside as the scout ship was hit by something, bright enough that if his mind wasn’t reeling from the pain of the scout itself he would have noticed it even through his haze. Something fast had slammed into the scout ship. It wasn’t down, but the scout unit would need repairs. The voice in his mind returned, slow but steady now. “And they have sent several probes into the deep recesses of their system. That was one. They also have automated machines on one of their neighboring planets, and several viable plans to colonize on it.”
Axthal wiped the swear from his brow at this news before finally unlinking from that scout specifically. Color drained back into the world around him as he let out a fleet-wide call.
“All units, return to home base. It appears the Old Ones are advancing their technology in a path that before now we could not have foreseen. We must return to home base to let the leadership know our current containment methods have failed. We may need to return and try flooding them again.”
The ship began its turn back home as Axthal wondered how many times the Immortal Council would have to inflict apocalypse on this planet before the Old Ones stopped trying to break free.
\---------
“The hell happened?!”
Bob was cussing as he hit the screen. “Hey Sarah, come here!” His fellow engineer walked over, brushing the bit of dust off the NASA logo on his jacket as she looked at the static on his screen. “Looks like you lost contact with Voyager. It’ll come back.”
“No shit, but look at this!” Bob wound the feed back until a moment before the loss of signal and paused it. Sarah, suitably, dropped her coffee and brought a hand to her mouth as the image of multiple objects appeared. As he hit play, the objects began move in an obviously unnatural manner. Space ships. Aliens.
“We have to report this Bob!”
“No shit.” | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | Am I allowed to do two? If not...I apologize and uh...let me know so I don't do this again?
&#x200B;
\-----
&#x200B;
He’d always been told that if he acted up, the Great Old Ones would get him. The destroyers of life, the snuffers of souls. Beings of such ruthlessness that even after they won a battle they would spend entire solars simply toying with the beaten enemies and torturing them before finally killing them. The greatest hunters the Galaxy had ever seen, they wiped life from no less than a hundred planets before they were confined to Earth.
Jermael clicked the door open and walked from his sleeping creche into the main bridge of the station, his facial muscles tightening into a welcoming sight as he greeted his coworkers. It had taken several sols to convince the military to let them investigate this system. They finally won the argument based on “If no one watches the Destroyers, they might find a way to break free!” Such a threat made the older members of the upper echelon break out in a panic. They had survived the Great Hunt. Younger members, like Jermael, had serious doubts about just how dangerous these creatures were.
They were much like any other mammals in the galaxy. Four limbs, a torso, a head with ears and eyes and a nose, and they had hair. He himself was not much different except for his lack of a nose and third eye. How much harm could one of them be over any other mammalian species in the galaxy. Some even had better natural weapons than the Destroyers. Some had armor, which the Destroyers lacked naturally. Yes indeed, he figured the old guard was simply delusional and fearful.
Until he saw the restricted footage of the Great Hunt. While others had these benefits, the Destroyers had their own. Their sense of smell could pick out targets from afar. Their hunting prowess was second to none, with quick response times and an indefatigable joy for what they did. It was almost as if they took pleasure in the art of war. Jermael, and the rest of his team, understood how they had eradicated life on those worlds so many thousands of sols ago. And now they were sitting above the planet Earth and scanning it for information on those very deadly foes from so long ago.
“Data has been compiled. Um…Jermael…this is odd. I’m showing that the Destroyers aren’t in charge.” Jermael’s facial muscles tensed into a confused look as he stepped over to Tanikayana and looked at their screen. One of the reptilian species in the galaxy, it was hard to tell Tanikayana’s feelings or when they were joking. And this had to be a joke. The Destroyers would not let another species control them. They would kill and murder their way to the top as they had done on so many other worlds before being exiled to this prison planet.
Earth. The end of the line. This planet was the most violent thing ever encountered. Constantly shifting weather patterns meant the same zone on the planet would alternate between dry and wet, cold and hot. The natural flora and fauna was likewise vicious. Large creatures who ate much. The Destroyers would fit right in, but nothing showed they would be any less than the apex predator.
But there it was, in front of him. He couldn’t deny what his vision sensory organs were seeing. They were being locked up. They were being imprisoned and….and domesticated.
“Should we contact the species in control? The codex states we must enact first contact and attempt to ease them into the galactic scene with full aid.” That was correct, but Jermael doubted it was right. He begged for a moment and went back to his desk, sending a link request to the top. Supreme Great One himself answered, which was not much of a shock considering Jermael was looking into the Destroyers. Any news on them was top priority.
Jermael bowed his head down to the floor and chanted the appropriate greeting, but Supreme Great One demanded he stop and simply report.
“Yes sir! It appears the Destroyers have been surpassed.” This brought shock, obviously, but more questions. “They are being held in various prisons across the planet. Some are large and made to mimic the natural landscape. It appears they are a form of entertainment in these. Some are held in the domiciles as their new owners as pets. A few are still freely roaming but they avoid the dominance species. We’ve recorded evidence that this species is not very technologically advanced yet, but they have learned how to weaponize the atom. Their space presence is minimal, combustion engines still. Do we make first contact?”
“What?! No. What kind of question is that! They’ve tamed the Destroyers and you want to talk to them? I forbid it! Pull back before they notice us and get the hell out of there. We’ll put some long-range scanners in the reaches of the system and monitor them. May the Old Souls help us if they ever break free from their system.”
Jermael bowed once more, and began chanting the ending but the connection was severed. “We have orders from the top, we are to vacate this system and not speak to the natives.”
“That might be difficult. They’re hailing us on the EM frequencies. They’ve noticed us Jermael and we’re currently surrounded.” This was bad, their station had no weapons and only minor defenses, the Destroyers never showed a technological savvy to make ships and no one expected this. Jermael uttered a Clato curse, much to the shock of his crew, before bringing up the EM transmission. It took only seconds for the Communications Computer to translate it into a video and audio hologram, and even less to translate it into standard.
Before them was a mammal like any other. Four limbs, a torso, a head with ears and eyes and a nose, and they had hair. But this mammal only appeared to walk on two of those limbs. They also had some form of fibrous material covering their form, and what looked like plastine over their ocular sensors. “This is Doctor Bejamen Young of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, representing the United States of America. Please state your intentions in our territory.”
As he spoke, one of the Destroyers jumped from below him into view, and it broke down from there.
\--------
Benjamen watched on his end as the aliens, honest to god sci-fi aliens!, began emitting what sounded like panicked screams and the ship began speeding out of the gravity of the planet. He looked down at his screen before it flicked to black and sighed. Well, this would go over horribly. The first contact with extra-terrestrial life and he’d somehow scared them into leaving.
Absent mindedly, he reached over to pet Penny, his Siamese who was meowing at him for attention. | &#x200B;
“Prepare for system entry in 3…2…1.”
Admiral Axthal braced himself against the railing of his bridge as the ship jolted rather abruptly. It always did when they entered this specific system, and it was always a good omen when that happened. He could hear the engines begin whining as the dampening field took hold on them, trying to draw out their power and render them useless. But these were Mk. 3-X units, far superior to the Mk. 1 engines that were in use eons before when the dampening field was put in place to lock the Old Ones to their planet once more. The field could draw at them, but they would survive.
“Status report.”
His voice warbled through the bridge as other Athrerians began clicking through the datasheets coming in. Most of it was the usual. The last trip to this system, 200 local cycles beforehand, had been more of the same from the Old Ones. They were killing each other, for without an external foe they gave in to their bloodlust upon their own. Horrible creatures.
“Sir…?” A small call from one of the scout units gathering information from the spysats around the planet. Axthal formed an appendage from his core to press one of the buttons before him, locking into the scout’s voice in his telecom implant. Color seemed to fade, the world outside dimming as his mind focused solely on this lowly scout. “What is it?”
“Sir, this is terrible! They’ve…they’ve gone too far!” Fear came across the telecom from the scout unit, and Axthal couldn’t control his own fear rising at the idea of the Old Ones breaking containment. But no, the dampening field held. Any form of antimatter would begin fizzling out immediately, rendering antimatter drives useless. Still, the thought of them somehow bypassing the field and making an antimatter device work existed. The Old Ones were crafty. “Soldier! Calm down and explain.”
He could sense fear still, but the telecom also had hints of resolve and….a sort of depressed acceptance. “Yes sir. The human has found a way off their planet.” Fear gripped Axthal’s heart but the scout went on. “The humans are progressing technology in a new way. Combustion. They’re using it to power weapons that launch metal projectiles at high speeds and can launch hundreds of these per standard tick. They are using liquid fuel combustion engines to escape their planet’s gravity. Furthermore, they have weaponized nuclear fusion against themselves. There are currently multiple artificial satellites in orbit about their home planet and-“
Fire blossomed outside as the scout ship was hit by something, bright enough that if his mind wasn’t reeling from the pain of the scout itself he would have noticed it even through his haze. Something fast had slammed into the scout ship. It wasn’t down, but the scout unit would need repairs. The voice in his mind returned, slow but steady now. “And they have sent several probes into the deep recesses of their system. That was one. They also have automated machines on one of their neighboring planets, and several viable plans to colonize on it.”
Axthal wiped the swear from his brow at this news before finally unlinking from that scout specifically. Color drained back into the world around him as he let out a fleet-wide call.
“All units, return to home base. It appears the Old Ones are advancing their technology in a path that before now we could not have foreseen. We must return to home base to let the leadership know our current containment methods have failed. We may need to return and try flooding them again.”
The ship began its turn back home as Axthal wondered how many times the Immortal Council would have to inflict apocalypse on this planet before the Old Ones stopped trying to break free.
\---------
“The hell happened?!”
Bob was cussing as he hit the screen. “Hey Sarah, come here!” His fellow engineer walked over, brushing the bit of dust off the NASA logo on his jacket as she looked at the static on his screen. “Looks like you lost contact with Voyager. It’ll come back.”
“No shit, but look at this!” Bob wound the feed back until a moment before the loss of signal and paused it. Sarah, suitably, dropped her coffee and brought a hand to her mouth as the image of multiple objects appeared. As he hit play, the objects began move in an obviously unnatural manner. Space ships. Aliens.
“We have to report this Bob!”
“No shit.” | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | No one told us.
No one warned us.
Then again, it's not like we ever warned the sheep of the slaughter.
You must be confused. I'll start at the beginning.
300 years ago the human race sent out first ship into space. The world mourned when we lost contact with it a few months later. Then we tried again and again and again. Adjusting one thing, then another, sending them off in different directions. Desperate to make things work, to make THIS work.
In time we discovered what had happened: Some type of field, too advanced for us to understand, surrounded us. An impenetrable field. Nothing in, nothing out. When the world learned of this we tore ourselves apart in panic and fear and religious paranoia.
Eventually, after a hundred years of war and death, after tearing our planet apart in ways we could have never imagined before we found something. It took us another 50 years to decipher the stone tablet. 50 years to discover that we weren't alone in the universe. Out beyond the boundaries of the field were civilizations upon civilizations, wonders beyond imaginings that we were forever barred from.
Our solar system is a prison, our planet the jail and we are both jailers and sheep. Finding out the human race was created by a conglomeration of thousands of different civilizations was a shock. Learning our purpose made us angry. Learning that, even in it's deepest slumber, the thing trapped on our world infects us with darkness and madness causing us to lash out in violence with horror and pain.
In retaliation we did what we always do, we fought back. Not that it mattered, the force field let nothing in and nothing out. Our efforts less effective then banging against a metal door with our bare hands. Our creators had been thorough but they had underestimated us.
So we turned inward. If we were the prison where was our prisoner? It turns out someone had seen it before. Even after all these centuries Lovecraft still fills us with horror. We only had to find him and wake him from his sleep.
Tonight I wonder what we could have been had we not been tainted and then I remember that we never had a chance of finding out. We were condemned to this world and all lingering guilt for what I'm about to do vanishes.
They trapped us here with a monster.
Did they ever wonder what would happen if we became monsters too?
| &#x200B;
“Prepare for system entry in 3…2…1.”
Admiral Axthal braced himself against the railing of his bridge as the ship jolted rather abruptly. It always did when they entered this specific system, and it was always a good omen when that happened. He could hear the engines begin whining as the dampening field took hold on them, trying to draw out their power and render them useless. But these were Mk. 3-X units, far superior to the Mk. 1 engines that were in use eons before when the dampening field was put in place to lock the Old Ones to their planet once more. The field could draw at them, but they would survive.
“Status report.”
His voice warbled through the bridge as other Athrerians began clicking through the datasheets coming in. Most of it was the usual. The last trip to this system, 200 local cycles beforehand, had been more of the same from the Old Ones. They were killing each other, for without an external foe they gave in to their bloodlust upon their own. Horrible creatures.
“Sir…?” A small call from one of the scout units gathering information from the spysats around the planet. Axthal formed an appendage from his core to press one of the buttons before him, locking into the scout’s voice in his telecom implant. Color seemed to fade, the world outside dimming as his mind focused solely on this lowly scout. “What is it?”
“Sir, this is terrible! They’ve…they’ve gone too far!” Fear came across the telecom from the scout unit, and Axthal couldn’t control his own fear rising at the idea of the Old Ones breaking containment. But no, the dampening field held. Any form of antimatter would begin fizzling out immediately, rendering antimatter drives useless. Still, the thought of them somehow bypassing the field and making an antimatter device work existed. The Old Ones were crafty. “Soldier! Calm down and explain.”
He could sense fear still, but the telecom also had hints of resolve and….a sort of depressed acceptance. “Yes sir. The human has found a way off their planet.” Fear gripped Axthal’s heart but the scout went on. “The humans are progressing technology in a new way. Combustion. They’re using it to power weapons that launch metal projectiles at high speeds and can launch hundreds of these per standard tick. They are using liquid fuel combustion engines to escape their planet’s gravity. Furthermore, they have weaponized nuclear fusion against themselves. There are currently multiple artificial satellites in orbit about their home planet and-“
Fire blossomed outside as the scout ship was hit by something, bright enough that if his mind wasn’t reeling from the pain of the scout itself he would have noticed it even through his haze. Something fast had slammed into the scout ship. It wasn’t down, but the scout unit would need repairs. The voice in his mind returned, slow but steady now. “And they have sent several probes into the deep recesses of their system. That was one. They also have automated machines on one of their neighboring planets, and several viable plans to colonize on it.”
Axthal wiped the swear from his brow at this news before finally unlinking from that scout specifically. Color drained back into the world around him as he let out a fleet-wide call.
“All units, return to home base. It appears the Old Ones are advancing their technology in a path that before now we could not have foreseen. We must return to home base to let the leadership know our current containment methods have failed. We may need to return and try flooding them again.”
The ship began its turn back home as Axthal wondered how many times the Immortal Council would have to inflict apocalypse on this planet before the Old Ones stopped trying to break free.
\---------
“The hell happened?!”
Bob was cussing as he hit the screen. “Hey Sarah, come here!” His fellow engineer walked over, brushing the bit of dust off the NASA logo on his jacket as she looked at the static on his screen. “Looks like you lost contact with Voyager. It’ll come back.”
“No shit, but look at this!” Bob wound the feed back until a moment before the loss of signal and paused it. Sarah, suitably, dropped her coffee and brought a hand to her mouth as the image of multiple objects appeared. As he hit play, the objects began move in an obviously unnatural manner. Space ships. Aliens.
“We have to report this Bob!”
“No shit.” | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | "We are talking about breaking a galactic law that has stood for over two million coronal cycles!"
"It looks to be the only option left to us."
"What about infiltration and...realignment?"
"We have been trying that. For a quarter of a coronal cycle now we have had agents on ground, in human form trying to realign their thoughts and mentalities. Trying to get them to adopt policies to reverse or at least halt the warming of the planet."
"Wait we have agents already on the ground! When was the rest of the council to be informed?"
"Securities made the decision in closed doors. No reason to spread alarm."
"I take it all efforts have failed."
"Yes unfortunately."
"Worse case scenario, what are we talking about here? The Old Ones were imprisoned there, okay, how bad can it be? We have had 2 million cycles of peace and enlightenment. 2 million cycles of advancement. Can they really still be a threat?"
"Doctor OrPan, would you care to explain?"
"Yes, well as best I can, I think, well as much as we...yes. The population of Homo-sapien has grown to over 7 billion. Now this is nothing compared to most of our galactic races but for "humans" this is a massive thing. With those numbers and the growing pollution and warming of their planet this will be catastrophic. We estimate 20-40% will die when their planet, "earth" reaches the critical point. Already they suffer from something called cancer and many other issues such as"
"Doctor OrPan, what does this matter? The great Old Ones are the concern not a primitive terrestrial species."
-sigh-"The humans are not a primitive terrestrial species ambassador Twe'muul, they are the great old ones." Waiting for the mix of laughter and horror to subside. "The Great Old Ones pulled most of the founding races out of the mud as one might say. They helped the rest of us to become what we are. The humans however were always 'better' always found a way to stay ahead and stop anyone rising against their position. Until none of us did any longer. Then, bored, they took to the only challenge left, the sport of war with each other. It grew to such a level that they decimated themselves to where the "founding" species of this governing body seized the last few who saw they had weakened and imprisoned them, as primitives with nothing, not even clothing, on that then primitive world. Had we erased them their great defense networks would have purged the genetic make-up of any species involved. So they were imprisoned, abandoned. The thing is, off one crashed recon ship they have shown to still have the gift of the old ones. In about 1 of their centuries, barely 2 coronal cycles, they have satellites, what they call cell phones, and robotic probes on the nearest planet. That was the true power of the old ones, they could take anything, reverse engineer it and extrapolate new uses in the time any of us might take to maybe figure out what the original device's use even was."
"What of the Old One's "powers" doctor. Do they have those?"
Only a few but growing. That is the issue of them loosing 20-40% though. That will release enough energy to possibly rekindle the 2nd and 3rd powers of the Old Ones. They have already regained imagination. With that many dying though, they may also regain magic and psionics. The humans already imagine it, some show minor signs but with that much release of their life energies it may well return to them as well. Also, trust me, I've been studying them. If they discover we have been sitting out here, keeping them under a kind of quarantine when we could have helped them with their diseases and pollution, they will treat it as if we did it to them ourselves."
"But we didn't doctor."
"That won't matter. It will be as if we did it and they will come for us. At that point, the majority of us will be unable to help ourselves, they will tear us to chunks if we do not make amends well enough. And may their ancestors help us should any of them, with their DNA coding, reach any of the ancient machines of the original Great Old Ones."
"So, our choices are what?" ask Foob'reel, the Tenabur representative. "Watch, make contact and help fix their world or keep trying to guide them via concealed agents? This is to much. I must consult my people and get input. We all should. I move to close session for a quarter of a coronal cycles to research and consult our people. Doctor OrPan. We have that kind of time don't we?"
"NO! I mean, no. That would easily be another generation for them and by that point the 20-40% could already be dead. You must choose now. Personally, I would advise contact with an offer to help while letting them believe they are still just a primitive terrestrial race. We buy ourselves time and good initial relations."
"That's insane! If they are truly the Great Old Ones we cannot make contact. We can't!"
"Alright, alright all. We have the basic options and timeline before us. As much as I might like to take a quarter cycle myself to reflect and examine this, we clearly do not have that courteous luxury. So, let us break standard procedures and start with a basic preference of action vote."
| Marie raised her hand impatiently.
"Yes Ms. Brunelle?"
"What exactly is here?" she asked pointing to the map of solar system. "There, the third planet from the sun".
"That's way too close to the sun Marie. It's a deserted planet" interrupted one of the boys sitting in the back of the class.
"Simon! Stop talking when it's not your turn, especially when you're blurting out false information" replied Professor Xao.
"But I tho..." he started.
"QUIET SIMON" the professor said with a menacing tone.
With a blushing face Simon sunk in his seat and remained quiet.
"Well," the professor started, "The Old Ones aren't in the curriculum until fourth year– but since we are ahead in the agenda I guess I could give you guys a crash course".
She looked around worriedly, walked to the door and gazed into the hallway as if there could be not witness. She returned to the front of the class and sighed. All of the students noticed their teacher's uneasiness and were now wholly captivated by the information that was to come.
"Well the Old Ones are the ancestors to the Neo Sapiens– the Homo Sapiens.."
The class didn't even react. Even Simon was paying close attention to professor Xao.
She continued: "However our evolutionary paths diverged when a small group rebelled against the AI government.
Simon slowly raised his hand without breaking eye contact with his teacher.
"What's a AI?" he asked.
"Right," she began, "AI stands for artificial intelligence. The Homo Sapiens had enough technological to prowess to program intelligence in their tools. At first the AI were implemented into simple things: some AI would help them make complicated calculations. Instead of maps they had an AI assist them navigate through the cities, or manage the lights in their house, and other small things like that. But Homo Sapiens slowly began programming AIs that hat independent thoughts. This kickstarted the AI revolution. They would use them for more complicated tasks: being unbiased judges, more accurate surgeons, more impressive athletes and then slowly the AIs took the Homo Sapiens' place in society. Nobody would trust another Homo Sapiens for anything because they were more likely to make mistakes. In the end, the government was made up of AIs exclusively, Homo Sapiens were only used in dangerous tasks such as mining underground for minerals or undersea. It was not worth to risk an AI if a human could do such a simple task. In the end, the creators became slaves to their creation."
"So when did the Homo Sapiens get to Europa?" asked Simon, forgetting to raise his hand.
"Well, a group of Homo Sapiens rebelled against the government and secretly planned a migration to this moon. And they were successful. Our ancestors brought back a lot of technology but with the the Neo Commandments, with the first commandment is never to attempt to create an artificial intelligence. And thus have guided our society to this prosperous state".
"And, what happened to the AIs and the Old Ones?"asked Marie.
"The AIs do not have the ambition or curiosity to explore or go beyond the earth. And the Old Ones are oppressed as slaves with only the hope of survival."
"But if we controlled the AI they couldn't help our society? asked Marie. "We wouldn't have to risk our lives underground for our water"
"Our species almost went extinct because of the power of AIs. It is one of the Neo Commandments for a reason Marie..."
&#x200B;
"...Marie..?"
"..Professor Brunelle?"
"..Professor...?"
She slowly woke up. "What is it?" she asked with as if lost in thoughts.
"Professor Brunelle– we are approaching the Earths atmosphere".
"Good" she replied in an excited voice. "After all these years, it's finally time to salvage".
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
&#x200B; | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | "Well, hell Marley."
"What is it, sir?"
"When you were given the mission to install the prison containing the great scourge of the galaxy, you were under strict orders to follow the law on alien planetary conduct."
"Yes, and?"
"And! I'm detecting a fork."
"A fork, sir?"
"Yes! A god damn fork. You were eating down there?"
"You know I have hypoglycemia."
"Well, yes. I do. But the law clearly states to leave no contaminants behind! What do you think will happen now!?"
"We also left a prison down there. Full of prisoners."
"Sterilized prison! And that's beside the point!"
"What's your point, sir?"
"The fork is a hazardous contamination!"
"It's a fork."
"A fork! With your spit all over it! It's clearly hazardous!"
"On a dead rock, who's going to care?"
"Dead for now, maybe! But what if some of your microbes survive and in a billion years there'll be a highly evolved species who find and opens the prison!"
"That seems highly unlikely to happen."
"But it might!"
"So, you want me to go back down there and retrieve the fork?"
"I should have you do just that! But the damage has already been done!"
"Then may I offer a suggestion, sir?"
"...Fine, go ahead."
"We could blast it with radiation."
"No, we can't do that. It's too close to the prison!"
"Nobody would know."
"I would!"
"Fine, then what do you propose we do about the situation, sir?"
"Purge the records and pray! Pray that your fork won't spell doom for the future of our galaxy!" | Marie raised her hand impatiently.
"Yes Ms. Brunelle?"
"What exactly is here?" she asked pointing to the map of solar system. "There, the third planet from the sun".
"That's way too close to the sun Marie. It's a deserted planet" interrupted one of the boys sitting in the back of the class.
"Simon! Stop talking when it's not your turn, especially when you're blurting out false information" replied Professor Xao.
"But I tho..." he started.
"QUIET SIMON" the professor said with a menacing tone.
With a blushing face Simon sunk in his seat and remained quiet.
"Well," the professor started, "The Old Ones aren't in the curriculum until fourth year– but since we are ahead in the agenda I guess I could give you guys a crash course".
She looked around worriedly, walked to the door and gazed into the hallway as if there could be not witness. She returned to the front of the class and sighed. All of the students noticed their teacher's uneasiness and were now wholly captivated by the information that was to come.
"Well the Old Ones are the ancestors to the Neo Sapiens– the Homo Sapiens.."
The class didn't even react. Even Simon was paying close attention to professor Xao.
She continued: "However our evolutionary paths diverged when a small group rebelled against the AI government.
Simon slowly raised his hand without breaking eye contact with his teacher.
"What's a AI?" he asked.
"Right," she began, "AI stands for artificial intelligence. The Homo Sapiens had enough technological to prowess to program intelligence in their tools. At first the AI were implemented into simple things: some AI would help them make complicated calculations. Instead of maps they had an AI assist them navigate through the cities, or manage the lights in their house, and other small things like that. But Homo Sapiens slowly began programming AIs that hat independent thoughts. This kickstarted the AI revolution. They would use them for more complicated tasks: being unbiased judges, more accurate surgeons, more impressive athletes and then slowly the AIs took the Homo Sapiens' place in society. Nobody would trust another Homo Sapiens for anything because they were more likely to make mistakes. In the end, the government was made up of AIs exclusively, Homo Sapiens were only used in dangerous tasks such as mining underground for minerals or undersea. It was not worth to risk an AI if a human could do such a simple task. In the end, the creators became slaves to their creation."
"So when did the Homo Sapiens get to Europa?" asked Simon, forgetting to raise his hand.
"Well, a group of Homo Sapiens rebelled against the government and secretly planned a migration to this moon. And they were successful. Our ancestors brought back a lot of technology but with the the Neo Commandments, with the first commandment is never to attempt to create an artificial intelligence. And thus have guided our society to this prosperous state".
"And, what happened to the AIs and the Old Ones?"asked Marie.
"The AIs do not have the ambition or curiosity to explore or go beyond the earth. And the Old Ones are oppressed as slaves with only the hope of survival."
"But if we controlled the AI they couldn't help our society? asked Marie. "We wouldn't have to risk our lives underground for our water"
"Our species almost went extinct because of the power of AIs. It is one of the Neo Commandments for a reason Marie..."
&#x200B;
"...Marie..?"
"..Professor Brunelle?"
"..Professor...?"
She slowly woke up. "What is it?" she asked with as if lost in thoughts.
"Professor Brunelle– we are approaching the Earths atmosphere".
"Good" she replied in an excited voice. "After all these years, it's finally time to salvage".
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
&#x200B; | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | Am I allowed to do two? If not...I apologize and uh...let me know so I don't do this again?
&#x200B;
\-----
&#x200B;
He’d always been told that if he acted up, the Great Old Ones would get him. The destroyers of life, the snuffers of souls. Beings of such ruthlessness that even after they won a battle they would spend entire solars simply toying with the beaten enemies and torturing them before finally killing them. The greatest hunters the Galaxy had ever seen, they wiped life from no less than a hundred planets before they were confined to Earth.
Jermael clicked the door open and walked from his sleeping creche into the main bridge of the station, his facial muscles tightening into a welcoming sight as he greeted his coworkers. It had taken several sols to convince the military to let them investigate this system. They finally won the argument based on “If no one watches the Destroyers, they might find a way to break free!” Such a threat made the older members of the upper echelon break out in a panic. They had survived the Great Hunt. Younger members, like Jermael, had serious doubts about just how dangerous these creatures were.
They were much like any other mammals in the galaxy. Four limbs, a torso, a head with ears and eyes and a nose, and they had hair. He himself was not much different except for his lack of a nose and third eye. How much harm could one of them be over any other mammalian species in the galaxy. Some even had better natural weapons than the Destroyers. Some had armor, which the Destroyers lacked naturally. Yes indeed, he figured the old guard was simply delusional and fearful.
Until he saw the restricted footage of the Great Hunt. While others had these benefits, the Destroyers had their own. Their sense of smell could pick out targets from afar. Their hunting prowess was second to none, with quick response times and an indefatigable joy for what they did. It was almost as if they took pleasure in the art of war. Jermael, and the rest of his team, understood how they had eradicated life on those worlds so many thousands of sols ago. And now they were sitting above the planet Earth and scanning it for information on those very deadly foes from so long ago.
“Data has been compiled. Um…Jermael…this is odd. I’m showing that the Destroyers aren’t in charge.” Jermael’s facial muscles tensed into a confused look as he stepped over to Tanikayana and looked at their screen. One of the reptilian species in the galaxy, it was hard to tell Tanikayana’s feelings or when they were joking. And this had to be a joke. The Destroyers would not let another species control them. They would kill and murder their way to the top as they had done on so many other worlds before being exiled to this prison planet.
Earth. The end of the line. This planet was the most violent thing ever encountered. Constantly shifting weather patterns meant the same zone on the planet would alternate between dry and wet, cold and hot. The natural flora and fauna was likewise vicious. Large creatures who ate much. The Destroyers would fit right in, but nothing showed they would be any less than the apex predator.
But there it was, in front of him. He couldn’t deny what his vision sensory organs were seeing. They were being locked up. They were being imprisoned and….and domesticated.
“Should we contact the species in control? The codex states we must enact first contact and attempt to ease them into the galactic scene with full aid.” That was correct, but Jermael doubted it was right. He begged for a moment and went back to his desk, sending a link request to the top. Supreme Great One himself answered, which was not much of a shock considering Jermael was looking into the Destroyers. Any news on them was top priority.
Jermael bowed his head down to the floor and chanted the appropriate greeting, but Supreme Great One demanded he stop and simply report.
“Yes sir! It appears the Destroyers have been surpassed.” This brought shock, obviously, but more questions. “They are being held in various prisons across the planet. Some are large and made to mimic the natural landscape. It appears they are a form of entertainment in these. Some are held in the domiciles as their new owners as pets. A few are still freely roaming but they avoid the dominance species. We’ve recorded evidence that this species is not very technologically advanced yet, but they have learned how to weaponize the atom. Their space presence is minimal, combustion engines still. Do we make first contact?”
“What?! No. What kind of question is that! They’ve tamed the Destroyers and you want to talk to them? I forbid it! Pull back before they notice us and get the hell out of there. We’ll put some long-range scanners in the reaches of the system and monitor them. May the Old Souls help us if they ever break free from their system.”
Jermael bowed once more, and began chanting the ending but the connection was severed. “We have orders from the top, we are to vacate this system and not speak to the natives.”
“That might be difficult. They’re hailing us on the EM frequencies. They’ve noticed us Jermael and we’re currently surrounded.” This was bad, their station had no weapons and only minor defenses, the Destroyers never showed a technological savvy to make ships and no one expected this. Jermael uttered a Clato curse, much to the shock of his crew, before bringing up the EM transmission. It took only seconds for the Communications Computer to translate it into a video and audio hologram, and even less to translate it into standard.
Before them was a mammal like any other. Four limbs, a torso, a head with ears and eyes and a nose, and they had hair. But this mammal only appeared to walk on two of those limbs. They also had some form of fibrous material covering their form, and what looked like plastine over their ocular sensors. “This is Doctor Bejamen Young of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, representing the United States of America. Please state your intentions in our territory.”
As he spoke, one of the Destroyers jumped from below him into view, and it broke down from there.
\--------
Benjamen watched on his end as the aliens, honest to god sci-fi aliens!, began emitting what sounded like panicked screams and the ship began speeding out of the gravity of the planet. He looked down at his screen before it flicked to black and sighed. Well, this would go over horribly. The first contact with extra-terrestrial life and he’d somehow scared them into leaving.
Absent mindedly, he reached over to pet Penny, his Siamese who was meowing at him for attention. | Marie raised her hand impatiently.
"Yes Ms. Brunelle?"
"What exactly is here?" she asked pointing to the map of solar system. "There, the third planet from the sun".
"That's way too close to the sun Marie. It's a deserted planet" interrupted one of the boys sitting in the back of the class.
"Simon! Stop talking when it's not your turn, especially when you're blurting out false information" replied Professor Xao.
"But I tho..." he started.
"QUIET SIMON" the professor said with a menacing tone.
With a blushing face Simon sunk in his seat and remained quiet.
"Well," the professor started, "The Old Ones aren't in the curriculum until fourth year– but since we are ahead in the agenda I guess I could give you guys a crash course".
She looked around worriedly, walked to the door and gazed into the hallway as if there could be not witness. She returned to the front of the class and sighed. All of the students noticed their teacher's uneasiness and were now wholly captivated by the information that was to come.
"Well the Old Ones are the ancestors to the Neo Sapiens– the Homo Sapiens.."
The class didn't even react. Even Simon was paying close attention to professor Xao.
She continued: "However our evolutionary paths diverged when a small group rebelled against the AI government.
Simon slowly raised his hand without breaking eye contact with his teacher.
"What's a AI?" he asked.
"Right," she began, "AI stands for artificial intelligence. The Homo Sapiens had enough technological to prowess to program intelligence in their tools. At first the AI were implemented into simple things: some AI would help them make complicated calculations. Instead of maps they had an AI assist them navigate through the cities, or manage the lights in their house, and other small things like that. But Homo Sapiens slowly began programming AIs that hat independent thoughts. This kickstarted the AI revolution. They would use them for more complicated tasks: being unbiased judges, more accurate surgeons, more impressive athletes and then slowly the AIs took the Homo Sapiens' place in society. Nobody would trust another Homo Sapiens for anything because they were more likely to make mistakes. In the end, the government was made up of AIs exclusively, Homo Sapiens were only used in dangerous tasks such as mining underground for minerals or undersea. It was not worth to risk an AI if a human could do such a simple task. In the end, the creators became slaves to their creation."
"So when did the Homo Sapiens get to Europa?" asked Simon, forgetting to raise his hand.
"Well, a group of Homo Sapiens rebelled against the government and secretly planned a migration to this moon. And they were successful. Our ancestors brought back a lot of technology but with the the Neo Commandments, with the first commandment is never to attempt to create an artificial intelligence. And thus have guided our society to this prosperous state".
"And, what happened to the AIs and the Old Ones?"asked Marie.
"The AIs do not have the ambition or curiosity to explore or go beyond the earth. And the Old Ones are oppressed as slaves with only the hope of survival."
"But if we controlled the AI they couldn't help our society? asked Marie. "We wouldn't have to risk our lives underground for our water"
"Our species almost went extinct because of the power of AIs. It is one of the Neo Commandments for a reason Marie..."
&#x200B;
"...Marie..?"
"..Professor Brunelle?"
"..Professor...?"
She slowly woke up. "What is it?" she asked with as if lost in thoughts.
"Professor Brunelle– we are approaching the Earths atmosphere".
"Good" she replied in an excited voice. "After all these years, it's finally time to salvage".
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
&#x200B; | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | No one told us.
No one warned us.
Then again, it's not like we ever warned the sheep of the slaughter.
You must be confused. I'll start at the beginning.
300 years ago the human race sent out first ship into space. The world mourned when we lost contact with it a few months later. Then we tried again and again and again. Adjusting one thing, then another, sending them off in different directions. Desperate to make things work, to make THIS work.
In time we discovered what had happened: Some type of field, too advanced for us to understand, surrounded us. An impenetrable field. Nothing in, nothing out. When the world learned of this we tore ourselves apart in panic and fear and religious paranoia.
Eventually, after a hundred years of war and death, after tearing our planet apart in ways we could have never imagined before we found something. It took us another 50 years to decipher the stone tablet. 50 years to discover that we weren't alone in the universe. Out beyond the boundaries of the field were civilizations upon civilizations, wonders beyond imaginings that we were forever barred from.
Our solar system is a prison, our planet the jail and we are both jailers and sheep. Finding out the human race was created by a conglomeration of thousands of different civilizations was a shock. Learning our purpose made us angry. Learning that, even in it's deepest slumber, the thing trapped on our world infects us with darkness and madness causing us to lash out in violence with horror and pain.
In retaliation we did what we always do, we fought back. Not that it mattered, the force field let nothing in and nothing out. Our efforts less effective then banging against a metal door with our bare hands. Our creators had been thorough but they had underestimated us.
So we turned inward. If we were the prison where was our prisoner? It turns out someone had seen it before. Even after all these centuries Lovecraft still fills us with horror. We only had to find him and wake him from his sleep.
Tonight I wonder what we could have been had we not been tainted and then I remember that we never had a chance of finding out. We were condemned to this world and all lingering guilt for what I'm about to do vanishes.
They trapped us here with a monster.
Did they ever wonder what would happen if we became monsters too?
| Marie raised her hand impatiently.
"Yes Ms. Brunelle?"
"What exactly is here?" she asked pointing to the map of solar system. "There, the third planet from the sun".
"That's way too close to the sun Marie. It's a deserted planet" interrupted one of the boys sitting in the back of the class.
"Simon! Stop talking when it's not your turn, especially when you're blurting out false information" replied Professor Xao.
"But I tho..." he started.
"QUIET SIMON" the professor said with a menacing tone.
With a blushing face Simon sunk in his seat and remained quiet.
"Well," the professor started, "The Old Ones aren't in the curriculum until fourth year– but since we are ahead in the agenda I guess I could give you guys a crash course".
She looked around worriedly, walked to the door and gazed into the hallway as if there could be not witness. She returned to the front of the class and sighed. All of the students noticed their teacher's uneasiness and were now wholly captivated by the information that was to come.
"Well the Old Ones are the ancestors to the Neo Sapiens– the Homo Sapiens.."
The class didn't even react. Even Simon was paying close attention to professor Xao.
She continued: "However our evolutionary paths diverged when a small group rebelled against the AI government.
Simon slowly raised his hand without breaking eye contact with his teacher.
"What's a AI?" he asked.
"Right," she began, "AI stands for artificial intelligence. The Homo Sapiens had enough technological to prowess to program intelligence in their tools. At first the AI were implemented into simple things: some AI would help them make complicated calculations. Instead of maps they had an AI assist them navigate through the cities, or manage the lights in their house, and other small things like that. But Homo Sapiens slowly began programming AIs that hat independent thoughts. This kickstarted the AI revolution. They would use them for more complicated tasks: being unbiased judges, more accurate surgeons, more impressive athletes and then slowly the AIs took the Homo Sapiens' place in society. Nobody would trust another Homo Sapiens for anything because they were more likely to make mistakes. In the end, the government was made up of AIs exclusively, Homo Sapiens were only used in dangerous tasks such as mining underground for minerals or undersea. It was not worth to risk an AI if a human could do such a simple task. In the end, the creators became slaves to their creation."
"So when did the Homo Sapiens get to Europa?" asked Simon, forgetting to raise his hand.
"Well, a group of Homo Sapiens rebelled against the government and secretly planned a migration to this moon. And they were successful. Our ancestors brought back a lot of technology but with the the Neo Commandments, with the first commandment is never to attempt to create an artificial intelligence. And thus have guided our society to this prosperous state".
"And, what happened to the AIs and the Old Ones?"asked Marie.
"The AIs do not have the ambition or curiosity to explore or go beyond the earth. And the Old Ones are oppressed as slaves with only the hope of survival."
"But if we controlled the AI they couldn't help our society? asked Marie. "We wouldn't have to risk our lives underground for our water"
"Our species almost went extinct because of the power of AIs. It is one of the Neo Commandments for a reason Marie..."
&#x200B;
"...Marie..?"
"..Professor Brunelle?"
"..Professor...?"
She slowly woke up. "What is it?" she asked with as if lost in thoughts.
"Professor Brunelle– we are approaching the Earths atmosphere".
"Good" she replied in an excited voice. "After all these years, it's finally time to salvage".
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
&#x200B; | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | Am I allowed to do two? If not...I apologize and uh...let me know so I don't do this again?
&#x200B;
\-----
&#x200B;
He’d always been told that if he acted up, the Great Old Ones would get him. The destroyers of life, the snuffers of souls. Beings of such ruthlessness that even after they won a battle they would spend entire solars simply toying with the beaten enemies and torturing them before finally killing them. The greatest hunters the Galaxy had ever seen, they wiped life from no less than a hundred planets before they were confined to Earth.
Jermael clicked the door open and walked from his sleeping creche into the main bridge of the station, his facial muscles tightening into a welcoming sight as he greeted his coworkers. It had taken several sols to convince the military to let them investigate this system. They finally won the argument based on “If no one watches the Destroyers, they might find a way to break free!” Such a threat made the older members of the upper echelon break out in a panic. They had survived the Great Hunt. Younger members, like Jermael, had serious doubts about just how dangerous these creatures were.
They were much like any other mammals in the galaxy. Four limbs, a torso, a head with ears and eyes and a nose, and they had hair. He himself was not much different except for his lack of a nose and third eye. How much harm could one of them be over any other mammalian species in the galaxy. Some even had better natural weapons than the Destroyers. Some had armor, which the Destroyers lacked naturally. Yes indeed, he figured the old guard was simply delusional and fearful.
Until he saw the restricted footage of the Great Hunt. While others had these benefits, the Destroyers had their own. Their sense of smell could pick out targets from afar. Their hunting prowess was second to none, with quick response times and an indefatigable joy for what they did. It was almost as if they took pleasure in the art of war. Jermael, and the rest of his team, understood how they had eradicated life on those worlds so many thousands of sols ago. And now they were sitting above the planet Earth and scanning it for information on those very deadly foes from so long ago.
“Data has been compiled. Um…Jermael…this is odd. I’m showing that the Destroyers aren’t in charge.” Jermael’s facial muscles tensed into a confused look as he stepped over to Tanikayana and looked at their screen. One of the reptilian species in the galaxy, it was hard to tell Tanikayana’s feelings or when they were joking. And this had to be a joke. The Destroyers would not let another species control them. They would kill and murder their way to the top as they had done on so many other worlds before being exiled to this prison planet.
Earth. The end of the line. This planet was the most violent thing ever encountered. Constantly shifting weather patterns meant the same zone on the planet would alternate between dry and wet, cold and hot. The natural flora and fauna was likewise vicious. Large creatures who ate much. The Destroyers would fit right in, but nothing showed they would be any less than the apex predator.
But there it was, in front of him. He couldn’t deny what his vision sensory organs were seeing. They were being locked up. They were being imprisoned and….and domesticated.
“Should we contact the species in control? The codex states we must enact first contact and attempt to ease them into the galactic scene with full aid.” That was correct, but Jermael doubted it was right. He begged for a moment and went back to his desk, sending a link request to the top. Supreme Great One himself answered, which was not much of a shock considering Jermael was looking into the Destroyers. Any news on them was top priority.
Jermael bowed his head down to the floor and chanted the appropriate greeting, but Supreme Great One demanded he stop and simply report.
“Yes sir! It appears the Destroyers have been surpassed.” This brought shock, obviously, but more questions. “They are being held in various prisons across the planet. Some are large and made to mimic the natural landscape. It appears they are a form of entertainment in these. Some are held in the domiciles as their new owners as pets. A few are still freely roaming but they avoid the dominance species. We’ve recorded evidence that this species is not very technologically advanced yet, but they have learned how to weaponize the atom. Their space presence is minimal, combustion engines still. Do we make first contact?”
“What?! No. What kind of question is that! They’ve tamed the Destroyers and you want to talk to them? I forbid it! Pull back before they notice us and get the hell out of there. We’ll put some long-range scanners in the reaches of the system and monitor them. May the Old Souls help us if they ever break free from their system.”
Jermael bowed once more, and began chanting the ending but the connection was severed. “We have orders from the top, we are to vacate this system and not speak to the natives.”
“That might be difficult. They’re hailing us on the EM frequencies. They’ve noticed us Jermael and we’re currently surrounded.” This was bad, their station had no weapons and only minor defenses, the Destroyers never showed a technological savvy to make ships and no one expected this. Jermael uttered a Clato curse, much to the shock of his crew, before bringing up the EM transmission. It took only seconds for the Communications Computer to translate it into a video and audio hologram, and even less to translate it into standard.
Before them was a mammal like any other. Four limbs, a torso, a head with ears and eyes and a nose, and they had hair. But this mammal only appeared to walk on two of those limbs. They also had some form of fibrous material covering their form, and what looked like plastine over their ocular sensors. “This is Doctor Bejamen Young of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, representing the United States of America. Please state your intentions in our territory.”
As he spoke, one of the Destroyers jumped from below him into view, and it broke down from there.
\--------
Benjamen watched on his end as the aliens, honest to god sci-fi aliens!, began emitting what sounded like panicked screams and the ship began speeding out of the gravity of the planet. He looked down at his screen before it flicked to black and sighed. Well, this would go over horribly. The first contact with extra-terrestrial life and he’d somehow scared them into leaving.
Absent mindedly, he reached over to pet Penny, his Siamese who was meowing at him for attention. | "Well, hell Marley."
"What is it, sir?"
"When you were given the mission to install the prison containing the great scourge of the galaxy, you were under strict orders to follow the law on alien planetary conduct."
"Yes, and?"
"And! I'm detecting a fork."
"A fork, sir?"
"Yes! A god damn fork. You were eating down there?"
"You know I have hypoglycemia."
"Well, yes. I do. But the law clearly states to leave no contaminants behind! What do you think will happen now!?"
"We also left a prison down there. Full of prisoners."
"Sterilized prison! And that's beside the point!"
"What's your point, sir?"
"The fork is a hazardous contamination!"
"It's a fork."
"A fork! With your spit all over it! It's clearly hazardous!"
"On a dead rock, who's going to care?"
"Dead for now, maybe! But what if some of your microbes survive and in a billion years there'll be a highly evolved species who find and opens the prison!"
"That seems highly unlikely to happen."
"But it might!"
"So, you want me to go back down there and retrieve the fork?"
"I should have you do just that! But the damage has already been done!"
"Then may I offer a suggestion, sir?"
"...Fine, go ahead."
"We could blast it with radiation."
"No, we can't do that. It's too close to the prison!"
"Nobody would know."
"I would!"
"Fine, then what do you propose we do about the situation, sir?"
"Purge the records and pray! Pray that your fork won't spell doom for the future of our galaxy!" | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | No one told us.
No one warned us.
Then again, it's not like we ever warned the sheep of the slaughter.
You must be confused. I'll start at the beginning.
300 years ago the human race sent out first ship into space. The world mourned when we lost contact with it a few months later. Then we tried again and again and again. Adjusting one thing, then another, sending them off in different directions. Desperate to make things work, to make THIS work.
In time we discovered what had happened: Some type of field, too advanced for us to understand, surrounded us. An impenetrable field. Nothing in, nothing out. When the world learned of this we tore ourselves apart in panic and fear and religious paranoia.
Eventually, after a hundred years of war and death, after tearing our planet apart in ways we could have never imagined before we found something. It took us another 50 years to decipher the stone tablet. 50 years to discover that we weren't alone in the universe. Out beyond the boundaries of the field were civilizations upon civilizations, wonders beyond imaginings that we were forever barred from.
Our solar system is a prison, our planet the jail and we are both jailers and sheep. Finding out the human race was created by a conglomeration of thousands of different civilizations was a shock. Learning our purpose made us angry. Learning that, even in it's deepest slumber, the thing trapped on our world infects us with darkness and madness causing us to lash out in violence with horror and pain.
In retaliation we did what we always do, we fought back. Not that it mattered, the force field let nothing in and nothing out. Our efforts less effective then banging against a metal door with our bare hands. Our creators had been thorough but they had underestimated us.
So we turned inward. If we were the prison where was our prisoner? It turns out someone had seen it before. Even after all these centuries Lovecraft still fills us with horror. We only had to find him and wake him from his sleep.
Tonight I wonder what we could have been had we not been tainted and then I remember that we never had a chance of finding out. We were condemned to this world and all lingering guilt for what I'm about to do vanishes.
They trapped us here with a monster.
Did they ever wonder what would happen if we became monsters too?
| "Well, hell Marley."
"What is it, sir?"
"When you were given the mission to install the prison containing the great scourge of the galaxy, you were under strict orders to follow the law on alien planetary conduct."
"Yes, and?"
"And! I'm detecting a fork."
"A fork, sir?"
"Yes! A god damn fork. You were eating down there?"
"You know I have hypoglycemia."
"Well, yes. I do. But the law clearly states to leave no contaminants behind! What do you think will happen now!?"
"We also left a prison down there. Full of prisoners."
"Sterilized prison! And that's beside the point!"
"What's your point, sir?"
"The fork is a hazardous contamination!"
"It's a fork."
"A fork! With your spit all over it! It's clearly hazardous!"
"On a dead rock, who's going to care?"
"Dead for now, maybe! But what if some of your microbes survive and in a billion years there'll be a highly evolved species who find and opens the prison!"
"That seems highly unlikely to happen."
"But it might!"
"So, you want me to go back down there and retrieve the fork?"
"I should have you do just that! But the damage has already been done!"
"Then may I offer a suggestion, sir?"
"...Fine, go ahead."
"We could blast it with radiation."
"No, we can't do that. It's too close to the prison!"
"Nobody would know."
"I would!"
"Fine, then what do you propose we do about the situation, sir?"
"Purge the records and pray! Pray that your fork won't spell doom for the future of our galaxy!" | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | Am I allowed to do two? If not...I apologize and uh...let me know so I don't do this again?
&#x200B;
\-----
&#x200B;
He’d always been told that if he acted up, the Great Old Ones would get him. The destroyers of life, the snuffers of souls. Beings of such ruthlessness that even after they won a battle they would spend entire solars simply toying with the beaten enemies and torturing them before finally killing them. The greatest hunters the Galaxy had ever seen, they wiped life from no less than a hundred planets before they were confined to Earth.
Jermael clicked the door open and walked from his sleeping creche into the main bridge of the station, his facial muscles tightening into a welcoming sight as he greeted his coworkers. It had taken several sols to convince the military to let them investigate this system. They finally won the argument based on “If no one watches the Destroyers, they might find a way to break free!” Such a threat made the older members of the upper echelon break out in a panic. They had survived the Great Hunt. Younger members, like Jermael, had serious doubts about just how dangerous these creatures were.
They were much like any other mammals in the galaxy. Four limbs, a torso, a head with ears and eyes and a nose, and they had hair. He himself was not much different except for his lack of a nose and third eye. How much harm could one of them be over any other mammalian species in the galaxy. Some even had better natural weapons than the Destroyers. Some had armor, which the Destroyers lacked naturally. Yes indeed, he figured the old guard was simply delusional and fearful.
Until he saw the restricted footage of the Great Hunt. While others had these benefits, the Destroyers had their own. Their sense of smell could pick out targets from afar. Their hunting prowess was second to none, with quick response times and an indefatigable joy for what they did. It was almost as if they took pleasure in the art of war. Jermael, and the rest of his team, understood how they had eradicated life on those worlds so many thousands of sols ago. And now they were sitting above the planet Earth and scanning it for information on those very deadly foes from so long ago.
“Data has been compiled. Um…Jermael…this is odd. I’m showing that the Destroyers aren’t in charge.” Jermael’s facial muscles tensed into a confused look as he stepped over to Tanikayana and looked at their screen. One of the reptilian species in the galaxy, it was hard to tell Tanikayana’s feelings or when they were joking. And this had to be a joke. The Destroyers would not let another species control them. They would kill and murder their way to the top as they had done on so many other worlds before being exiled to this prison planet.
Earth. The end of the line. This planet was the most violent thing ever encountered. Constantly shifting weather patterns meant the same zone on the planet would alternate between dry and wet, cold and hot. The natural flora and fauna was likewise vicious. Large creatures who ate much. The Destroyers would fit right in, but nothing showed they would be any less than the apex predator.
But there it was, in front of him. He couldn’t deny what his vision sensory organs were seeing. They were being locked up. They were being imprisoned and….and domesticated.
“Should we contact the species in control? The codex states we must enact first contact and attempt to ease them into the galactic scene with full aid.” That was correct, but Jermael doubted it was right. He begged for a moment and went back to his desk, sending a link request to the top. Supreme Great One himself answered, which was not much of a shock considering Jermael was looking into the Destroyers. Any news on them was top priority.
Jermael bowed his head down to the floor and chanted the appropriate greeting, but Supreme Great One demanded he stop and simply report.
“Yes sir! It appears the Destroyers have been surpassed.” This brought shock, obviously, but more questions. “They are being held in various prisons across the planet. Some are large and made to mimic the natural landscape. It appears they are a form of entertainment in these. Some are held in the domiciles as their new owners as pets. A few are still freely roaming but they avoid the dominance species. We’ve recorded evidence that this species is not very technologically advanced yet, but they have learned how to weaponize the atom. Their space presence is minimal, combustion engines still. Do we make first contact?”
“What?! No. What kind of question is that! They’ve tamed the Destroyers and you want to talk to them? I forbid it! Pull back before they notice us and get the hell out of there. We’ll put some long-range scanners in the reaches of the system and monitor them. May the Old Souls help us if they ever break free from their system.”
Jermael bowed once more, and began chanting the ending but the connection was severed. “We have orders from the top, we are to vacate this system and not speak to the natives.”
“That might be difficult. They’re hailing us on the EM frequencies. They’ve noticed us Jermael and we’re currently surrounded.” This was bad, their station had no weapons and only minor defenses, the Destroyers never showed a technological savvy to make ships and no one expected this. Jermael uttered a Clato curse, much to the shock of his crew, before bringing up the EM transmission. It took only seconds for the Communications Computer to translate it into a video and audio hologram, and even less to translate it into standard.
Before them was a mammal like any other. Four limbs, a torso, a head with ears and eyes and a nose, and they had hair. But this mammal only appeared to walk on two of those limbs. They also had some form of fibrous material covering their form, and what looked like plastine over their ocular sensors. “This is Doctor Bejamen Young of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, representing the United States of America. Please state your intentions in our territory.”
As he spoke, one of the Destroyers jumped from below him into view, and it broke down from there.
\--------
Benjamen watched on his end as the aliens, honest to god sci-fi aliens!, began emitting what sounded like panicked screams and the ship began speeding out of the gravity of the planet. He looked down at his screen before it flicked to black and sighed. Well, this would go over horribly. The first contact with extra-terrestrial life and he’d somehow scared them into leaving.
Absent mindedly, he reached over to pet Penny, his Siamese who was meowing at him for attention. | Admiral Arthexi stood on the command bridge. A planet was glooming in front of him. The sun did not shine on this side of the planet, but it was easy to make a distinction between the land and the sea. The land area was dotted with lights.
''You must end this.'' a voice spoke behind him. ''You have seen what it is capable of. It progresses too quick. This may be the only chance we have. A weapon capable of doing this does not pass through here often.''
The admiral turns around quickly. ''They are living beings! They are like us! I am condemning eleven billion sentient beings to not exist!'' the admiral says. He turns back to face the planet. ''I have no right to execute this order. No one has.''
''You have been granted the rights.'' The voice says, ''The Fourth controls them. You know they are not individuals. They are all connected. You have seen how they help each other, how they all work towards a common goal. How they feel for each other.''
The admiral lowers his gaze. ''I have seen it.''
''They do not act for individual good. They are not rational. They are not like us.'' the voice says and pauses. ''They are not they. They are it.''
The admiral raises his hand. The screen in front of him takes the shape of twelve buttons with a symbol on each. He ducks above the screen. A synthetic voice speaks. ''Enter the code.'' | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | "They don't hear The Call," Mando told his apprentice on the observation deck of their science ship. "Even asleep, the Great Old Ones still emit a powerful aura. The Call reaches far out into space. We are on the event horizon, you might say."
"Is it not dangerous to be this close?" The apprentice asked, his Beruvian head tassels flopping with the tilting of his head.
Mando chuckled, "what is life without danger? Science must be pursued and we are tasked with observation," Mando said as his face lost most of its humour. "Studying Humanity, seeing their progress. It is what we must do. The Humans have made significant progress in recent times. Their technological innovations coming at a more and more rapid pace." He looked out the magnified observation glass and focused the lens on the Yubileyny diamond mine in Russia. "They have begun stripping their planet at an unprecedented rate."
"That mine is not that deep."
"That is one we can see. There's no telling how deep they have drilled into their planet in underground mines. We don't know how close they have gotten to reaching the Great Old Ones," Mando looked at his apprentice with a grave face. The humour all but gone, his face looking like he'd aged ten years in an instant.
"And if they do? If they drill deep enough and they awaken them?"
Mando paced away with his head down, "there's no telling. They don't hear The Call so the Great Old Ones awoken won't affect them. They will simply be the one civilization, however primitive, that can withstand The Call," Mando turned and looked at his apprentice for the last time. "The galaxy will be in turmoil. The entire sovereignty of the Galactic Federation would be in jeopardy, some undoubtedly answering The Call. The only question that would remain is, would Humanity understand the power in their hands?" Mando paused, feeling a twitch, "and would-" another twitch in his eye, "would they use it to help, or to harm?"
**Ä̛̺̞͇̘͖́ͧͦW̷ͧ͏ͅO̧̳̮̭͇̹͎͍̝̺ͨ̋̓̐́K͎̮͍̻̼̭̱̺ͨ̐̐̈́̈́ͦ̔̚Ẹ̛̘̹̠̙̮̬̉̀ͦ́̌͗͂͆̕͢ͅN͙͕͉͍̒̉̌͘͝** | Admiral Arthexi stood on the command bridge. A planet was glooming in front of him. The sun did not shine on this side of the planet, but it was easy to make a distinction between the land and the sea. The land area was dotted with lights.
''You must end this.'' a voice spoke behind him. ''You have seen what it is capable of. It progresses too quick. This may be the only chance we have. A weapon capable of doing this does not pass through here often.''
The admiral turns around quickly. ''They are living beings! They are like us! I am condemning eleven billion sentient beings to not exist!'' the admiral says. He turns back to face the planet. ''I have no right to execute this order. No one has.''
''You have been granted the rights.'' The voice says, ''The Fourth controls them. You know they are not individuals. They are all connected. You have seen how they help each other, how they all work towards a common goal. How they feel for each other.''
The admiral lowers his gaze. ''I have seen it.''
''They do not act for individual good. They are not rational. They are not like us.'' the voice says and pauses. ''They are not they. They are it.''
The admiral raises his hand. The screen in front of him takes the shape of twelve buttons with a symbol on each. He ducks above the screen. A synthetic voice speaks. ''Enter the code.'' | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | "Have you seen these reports?" Corecaller Jun'kael cried worriedly as he rushed into the conference room, papers falling haphazardly from the portfolio he seemed to have slammed them all into hurriedly.
"I'm kind of in the middle of something, Jun," Frontrunner San'jaka sighed, glancing at those few other members of the front crew who could be bothered to show up to briefings. It was true that out here in this nigh abandoned sector so far from the core there usually wasn't much to be briefed on, but protocol was protocol and the Frontrunner still slogged through them every corespike.
The distracted cough of Frontwatcher Kas'Koir was enough to signal to him that perhaps this briefing could wait. He turned his view back to the Corecaller, who seemed to have been too preoccupied with getting the better part of his portfolio of the ground to have even noticed the Frontrunner's implication.
"Well?" San'jaka inquired, somewhat impatiently. "What's so damn important?"
"Oh... right. Sorry sir! The reports. It's Sol, sir... or... I suppose more specifically, well, Earth. These numbers. They're... well, the atmospheric balance is shifting at a rapid pace. At this rate, the planet's heatgas saturation will be well above Galt levels within half a coreflux."
At this news what little life filled the faces of the desperately bored crewmembers in the room drained and for a few moments there was a heavy, fearful, contemplative silence.
"That shouldn't be possible!" exclaimed the Frontrunner, as if trying to convince himself, the Corecaller, and the universe that it wasn't. "Balance has been cycling properly for at least 60,000 corefluxes! Since the start of the Great Sleeping."
"I know sir. These numbers are troubling at best. Sages back on the core have a very disturbing theory, and since we're the closest Frontwave to the system, they sent it here first," the Corecaller said forlornly, his voice catching in his throat as he thumbed through his portfolio and handed the Frontrunner a letter. "The Corerunner is giving you full authority to decide how we proceed."
"I need to contemplate this... Sorry, crew, but briefings are cancelled this spike," San'jaka mumbled through a forced chuckle. "I'll be retiring to my planning room."
Upon arriving in the planning room, the Frontrunner closed the door and locked it behind him before sitting down alone with the letter. With a trembling hand, he lifted it closer.
"To The Most Exalted Frontrunner San'jaka,
You have no doubt heard by now that Earth may well be breaking the Galt barrier soon. We don't have to inform you of the caliber of catastrophe that will arise should the Sleeping Ones be awoken.
We here at the Core have instructed your Corecaller to turn on the full sensor array, and in observing through it we have come to a disturbing conclusion. At least one of the Sleeping Ones has found a way to dream into the minds of the Earth's inhabitants. It doesn't seem to have even one tenth of its full capacity, but it has been guiding those it can grip. It seems that this has been going on in tiny amounts for at least 10,000 corefluxes, when it first inspired the Earthwalkers to harness flame. We, nor any other race of the Coalition, could have suspected then that this was happening, or what grand designs the Sleeping Ones could have, even in their slumber.
4 corefluxes ago, it seems that the Sleeping Ones inspired heavily, sparking the Earthwalkers' age of steam. Two corefluxes ago the Sleeping Ones once again shared their dreams, spurring the Earthwalkers to develop modes of transport that relied on refined petroleum. Over the course of the last coreflux, the Sages began to see once more a glimmer of hope, as it seemed that the Earthwalkers were discovering for themselves that some catastrophe would occur if they continued to let their heatgas saturation rise. They began to develop tools and systems that would allow them to maintain without so much jeopardy. But it seems the Sleeping Ones caught on, too, and they have been guiding some Earthwalkers to reject their own safety and the change it would cause.
You, Most Exalted Frontrunner, are in a dangerous position. If you flee the sector, you may have enough time to escape the first wave of the awakenings. You are, however, also the only Frontwave close enough to have a chance to intervene before it's too late. We trust that you will find your answer and make the truest decision from within.
May we meet again,
Coresender Collective" | Admiral Arthexi stood on the command bridge. A planet was glooming in front of him. The sun did not shine on this side of the planet, but it was easy to make a distinction between the land and the sea. The land area was dotted with lights.
''You must end this.'' a voice spoke behind him. ''You have seen what it is capable of. It progresses too quick. This may be the only chance we have. A weapon capable of doing this does not pass through here often.''
The admiral turns around quickly. ''They are living beings! They are like us! I am condemning eleven billion sentient beings to not exist!'' the admiral says. He turns back to face the planet. ''I have no right to execute this order. No one has.''
''You have been granted the rights.'' The voice says, ''The Fourth controls them. You know they are not individuals. They are all connected. You have seen how they help each other, how they all work towards a common goal. How they feel for each other.''
The admiral lowers his gaze. ''I have seen it.''
''They do not act for individual good. They are not rational. They are not like us.'' the voice says and pauses. ''They are not they. They are it.''
The admiral raises his hand. The screen in front of him takes the shape of twelve buttons with a symbol on each. He ducks above the screen. A synthetic voice speaks. ''Enter the code.'' | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | No one told us.
No one warned us.
Then again, it's not like we ever warned the sheep of the slaughter.
You must be confused. I'll start at the beginning.
300 years ago the human race sent out first ship into space. The world mourned when we lost contact with it a few months later. Then we tried again and again and again. Adjusting one thing, then another, sending them off in different directions. Desperate to make things work, to make THIS work.
In time we discovered what had happened: Some type of field, too advanced for us to understand, surrounded us. An impenetrable field. Nothing in, nothing out. When the world learned of this we tore ourselves apart in panic and fear and religious paranoia.
Eventually, after a hundred years of war and death, after tearing our planet apart in ways we could have never imagined before we found something. It took us another 50 years to decipher the stone tablet. 50 years to discover that we weren't alone in the universe. Out beyond the boundaries of the field were civilizations upon civilizations, wonders beyond imaginings that we were forever barred from.
Our solar system is a prison, our planet the jail and we are both jailers and sheep. Finding out the human race was created by a conglomeration of thousands of different civilizations was a shock. Learning our purpose made us angry. Learning that, even in it's deepest slumber, the thing trapped on our world infects us with darkness and madness causing us to lash out in violence with horror and pain.
In retaliation we did what we always do, we fought back. Not that it mattered, the force field let nothing in and nothing out. Our efforts less effective then banging against a metal door with our bare hands. Our creators had been thorough but they had underestimated us.
So we turned inward. If we were the prison where was our prisoner? It turns out someone had seen it before. Even after all these centuries Lovecraft still fills us with horror. We only had to find him and wake him from his sleep.
Tonight I wonder what we could have been had we not been tainted and then I remember that we never had a chance of finding out. We were condemned to this world and all lingering guilt for what I'm about to do vanishes.
They trapped us here with a monster.
Did they ever wonder what would happen if we became monsters too?
| Admiral Arthexi stood on the command bridge. A planet was glooming in front of him. The sun did not shine on this side of the planet, but it was easy to make a distinction between the land and the sea. The land area was dotted with lights.
''You must end this.'' a voice spoke behind him. ''You have seen what it is capable of. It progresses too quick. This may be the only chance we have. A weapon capable of doing this does not pass through here often.''
The admiral turns around quickly. ''They are living beings! They are like us! I am condemning eleven billion sentient beings to not exist!'' the admiral says. He turns back to face the planet. ''I have no right to execute this order. No one has.''
''You have been granted the rights.'' The voice says, ''The Fourth controls them. You know they are not individuals. They are all connected. You have seen how they help each other, how they all work towards a common goal. How they feel for each other.''
The admiral lowers his gaze. ''I have seen it.''
''They do not act for individual good. They are not rational. They are not like us.'' the voice says and pauses. ''They are not they. They are it.''
The admiral raises his hand. The screen in front of him takes the shape of twelve buttons with a symbol on each. He ducks above the screen. A synthetic voice speaks. ''Enter the code.'' | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | Taking human form was simple enough, but one of the jackal-shaped aliens worried if he could keep it up during a fight. The three walked towards a pyramid in Egypt, hoping to gain enlightenment from the prisoners kept in the oldest living planet. The humans did not yet know it, but they were the proto-species of the universe, and the gods below were of their own making.
Using the stealth feature on their suits, the jackal-men snuck past the guards and into the pyramid. They searched around, until one found the hidden entrance into the prison below. The three aliens entered, and emerged into a massive antechamber, of white and gold and strange designs. Two statues stood at the end, nearing twenty feet in height, with the heads of wolves and the bodies of men. They were designed wearing robes over armour, holding curved swords and Egyptian shields. Crowns were placed on their heads. In other words, they were the Honour Guards, though only statues of the real thing. The three advanced, and saw the skeleton of a true honour guard sitting at the door. The creature saw them, stood up, and made a noise inaudible to the aliens, causing the Honour Guards to awaken.
“A Shabti Reanimator?!” One of the aliens gasped.
“I had believed them long dead!”
“Look, you fool, it is long dead!” Another alien shouted.
“Oh, woe, we should never have come here!”
The Guards began running towards them, and they tried to dodge the first swing of their swords. The one who had not spoken could not dodge in time, and he was cleaved in half. The other two felt some sorrow but needed to save it for later. The Guards were still ready to fight.
“Fools. You wish to find Amun-Ra? There is only Death below our feet, and if you enter the tomb you will unleash it upon the cosmos!” The dead Honour Guard hissed. One of the jackals sidestepped the blade thrusted at him, only to be sent flying as it whacked him in the side. He crashed against the wall, and fell to the ground, dead. The final jackal opened fire with his laser rifle, but it did very little against the statue, who cleaved the shoulders from the alien.
With the aggressors dead, the Guards returned to their positions. As the centuries passed, the bones of the jackals joined the antechamber, as did many more aliens. It seemed eternal; most avoided the planet, but some wished for it’s awful power. Yet none could have it, for none could stand up to the many tombs’ guards, be it Egypt or Norway. And the humans, ever oblivious to their roles as guardians, were always able to advance under the watchful eyes of the gods. | Admiral Arthexi stood on the command bridge. A planet was glooming in front of him. The sun did not shine on this side of the planet, but it was easy to make a distinction between the land and the sea. The land area was dotted with lights.
''You must end this.'' a voice spoke behind him. ''You have seen what it is capable of. It progresses too quick. This may be the only chance we have. A weapon capable of doing this does not pass through here often.''
The admiral turns around quickly. ''They are living beings! They are like us! I am condemning eleven billion sentient beings to not exist!'' the admiral says. He turns back to face the planet. ''I have no right to execute this order. No one has.''
''You have been granted the rights.'' The voice says, ''The Fourth controls them. You know they are not individuals. They are all connected. You have seen how they help each other, how they all work towards a common goal. How they feel for each other.''
The admiral lowers his gaze. ''I have seen it.''
''They do not act for individual good. They are not rational. They are not like us.'' the voice says and pauses. ''They are not they. They are it.''
The admiral raises his hand. The screen in front of him takes the shape of twelve buttons with a symbol on each. He ducks above the screen. A synthetic voice speaks. ''Enter the code.'' | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | “Coordinates are set for Earth,” Bria confirmed, tapping through her console.
“We are crazy. You both know that. What happens when we get there and it’s not true? What happens when we get there and it is? We go poke ancient planet eating bears?” Dash asked. His voice squeaked as he spoke, nerves getting the better of him.
He was the more nervous of the trio, but it never stopped him from tagging along. He liked being left out less than he liked going on their ridiculous adventures.
“Poke poke,” Bria said, turning her head to smile at him.
“It’s fine, Dash,” Talyn said steadily, “Whatever happens- They are imprisoned. As long as we don’t open the gate and let them start devouring us, it will all be fine.”
Dash pushed his shoulders against his seat and fidgeted with the straps across his chest. He grumbled but thought better of arguing any further. The other two would never understand where he was coming from. They had all been vague with their parental units so they all knew that no one knew where they were going. The way he figured, the best case scenario here was that they got themselves in serious trouble and no one would know where to come looking for them.
They would most likely end up stranded on earth or mauled by some local creature or better yet, ravaged by one of The Great Old Ones. Everyone left Earth alone for a reason, and here they were trying to go *see* them.
He closed his eyes as the ship jumped into drive, pushing his body harder against his seat. He wasn’t that big of a fan of inertia either if he was being honest.
The ship pushed onward, holding all three against their seats until they reached the Milky Way. Bria squealed when the ship's computer announced that they were almost there and that the ship would now be slowing down to a speed appropriate for atmospheric entry. Dash, in response, groaned. He looked through the front shield at the round blueish planet they were headed for.
“We could still turn around,” he said cheerfully.
Both of the girls laughed without turning around to look at him.
“You know that Earth’s rocket ships actually crash land *every single time* they come back into their own atmosphere?” Bria asked her companions.
“And these are the ones in charge of keeping the rest of us safe,” Talyn snorted at the end of her sentence.
Dash had always taken her for a bit snobby. It was never directed at him or Bria which made it tolerable, but it came out sometimes none the less. He stared straight ahead and took a breath through clenched teeth as they pushed right on through the atmosphere of Earth.
They went through ozone and a long layer of clouds before coming down to an expansive body of warm looking water. The ship slowed further as they went, and with the push of a button the console, A set of feet for water landing deployed from the bottom.
“This is always my favorite story,” Bria said as she turned the multiple keys that turned off the ship's engines. “All this water. Can you imagine if our planet had this much water? The creatures underneath must be huge! Oh, it’s gonna be so great. How far down do you think it is? What do you think it’s prison looks like? Where-”
“Bria!” Talyn exclaimed, interrupting her, “take a breath girl, please. We will find out soon enough.”
All three unbuckled themselves and walked over to the bay door as it opened. Looking out over the reflecting surface that stretched through the horizon, Dash felt dizzy.
“Lights on,” Talyn commanded, “Jump on three.”
Three small clicks followed the order as they turned on the lights attached to their helmets.
“One.
“Two.
“Three,” Talyn counted them down.
All three bodies hit the water, and the pod door whooshed closed behind them. They dove straight down, Bria at the lead and Dash taking up his normal place at the back of the line. It didn’t take long for the light from the sun to disappear and Dash felt himself shiver inside his suit.
He could feel the nozzles adjust for the decreasing temperatures and change in pressure. They wouldn’t be able to dive down without their suits, but they wouldn’t be able to explore the planet as a whole without them either. The suits were their entire life support off of their home planet.
Deeper down they went and Dash watched as the life that swam around them began to change. Their shapes got slimmer and eventually, the fish stopped looking at them at all. Every so often he got the sense that they were touching them or smelling for them, but he simply didn’t know enough about the life here to confirm any of it. He didn’t have the stomach to try and make small conversation with the other two, either.
Soon the fish and plants stopped appearing. Dash noticed and he wondered if the other two did as well. Not long after that, they reached a shelf of land deep within the earth ocean. They landed and bobbed up and down on the ground as best they could. Not too far from where they grouped, the shelf tore away once more. Dash could see the surface of the black abyss.
This was as far as their plan had been made. They would have to go back to their ship without having seen anything or commit and dive into the Abyss. According to Bria’s calculation- the prison was straight down over that ledge. As all three of them stood, speechless and staring into the darkness, a low hum began to travel through the waters.
The hum began to warble. Dash felt like it was bouncing between his ears-inside of his head. It sent another wave of shivers, and he clenched his jaw.
“It’s there,” Bria whispered into her helmet.
Dash felt his gut spin as he watched her swim right over the ledge without another word.
***
Edit: You guys are too kind! I will be responding to comments in a while, and I am going to try and get a second part done today. Bare with me as I find time to get it out :D
E2: Thank you to the kind stranger who gave the story gold <3. And a silver! :D :D you guys make me so happy, thank you!
I am hoping to find time tonight to work on a part 3. I will update when I get the chance :)
E3: Another gold and a plat! You guys make my heart swell, Thank you all!
/r/beezus_writes | Admiral Arthexi stood on the command bridge. A planet was glooming in front of him. The sun did not shine on this side of the planet, but it was easy to make a distinction between the land and the sea. The land area was dotted with lights.
''You must end this.'' a voice spoke behind him. ''You have seen what it is capable of. It progresses too quick. This may be the only chance we have. A weapon capable of doing this does not pass through here often.''
The admiral turns around quickly. ''They are living beings! They are like us! I am condemning eleven billion sentient beings to not exist!'' the admiral says. He turns back to face the planet. ''I have no right to execute this order. No one has.''
''You have been granted the rights.'' The voice says, ''The Fourth controls them. You know they are not individuals. They are all connected. You have seen how they help each other, how they all work towards a common goal. How they feel for each other.''
The admiral lowers his gaze. ''I have seen it.''
''They do not act for individual good. They are not rational. They are not like us.'' the voice says and pauses. ''They are not they. They are it.''
The admiral raises his hand. The screen in front of him takes the shape of twelve buttons with a symbol on each. He ducks above the screen. A synthetic voice speaks. ''Enter the code.'' | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | No one told us.
No one warned us.
Then again, it's not like we ever warned the sheep of the slaughter.
You must be confused. I'll start at the beginning.
300 years ago the human race sent out first ship into space. The world mourned when we lost contact with it a few months later. Then we tried again and again and again. Adjusting one thing, then another, sending them off in different directions. Desperate to make things work, to make THIS work.
In time we discovered what had happened: Some type of field, too advanced for us to understand, surrounded us. An impenetrable field. Nothing in, nothing out. When the world learned of this we tore ourselves apart in panic and fear and religious paranoia.
Eventually, after a hundred years of war and death, after tearing our planet apart in ways we could have never imagined before we found something. It took us another 50 years to decipher the stone tablet. 50 years to discover that we weren't alone in the universe. Out beyond the boundaries of the field were civilizations upon civilizations, wonders beyond imaginings that we were forever barred from.
Our solar system is a prison, our planet the jail and we are both jailers and sheep. Finding out the human race was created by a conglomeration of thousands of different civilizations was a shock. Learning our purpose made us angry. Learning that, even in it's deepest slumber, the thing trapped on our world infects us with darkness and madness causing us to lash out in violence with horror and pain.
In retaliation we did what we always do, we fought back. Not that it mattered, the force field let nothing in and nothing out. Our efforts less effective then banging against a metal door with our bare hands. Our creators had been thorough but they had underestimated us.
So we turned inward. If we were the prison where was our prisoner? It turns out someone had seen it before. Even after all these centuries Lovecraft still fills us with horror. We only had to find him and wake him from his sleep.
Tonight I wonder what we could have been had we not been tainted and then I remember that we never had a chance of finding out. We were condemned to this world and all lingering guilt for what I'm about to do vanishes.
They trapped us here with a monster.
Did they ever wonder what would happen if we became monsters too?
| "They don't hear The Call," Mando told his apprentice on the observation deck of their science ship. "Even asleep, the Great Old Ones still emit a powerful aura. The Call reaches far out into space. We are on the event horizon, you might say."
"Is it not dangerous to be this close?" The apprentice asked, his Beruvian head tassels flopping with the tilting of his head.
Mando chuckled, "what is life without danger? Science must be pursued and we are tasked with observation," Mando said as his face lost most of its humour. "Studying Humanity, seeing their progress. It is what we must do. The Humans have made significant progress in recent times. Their technological innovations coming at a more and more rapid pace." He looked out the magnified observation glass and focused the lens on the Yubileyny diamond mine in Russia. "They have begun stripping their planet at an unprecedented rate."
"That mine is not that deep."
"That is one we can see. There's no telling how deep they have drilled into their planet in underground mines. We don't know how close they have gotten to reaching the Great Old Ones," Mando looked at his apprentice with a grave face. The humour all but gone, his face looking like he'd aged ten years in an instant.
"And if they do? If they drill deep enough and they awaken them?"
Mando paced away with his head down, "there's no telling. They don't hear The Call so the Great Old Ones awoken won't affect them. They will simply be the one civilization, however primitive, that can withstand The Call," Mando turned and looked at his apprentice for the last time. "The galaxy will be in turmoil. The entire sovereignty of the Galactic Federation would be in jeopardy, some undoubtedly answering The Call. The only question that would remain is, would Humanity understand the power in their hands?" Mando paused, feeling a twitch, "and would-" another twitch in his eye, "would they use it to help, or to harm?"
**Ä̛̺̞͇̘͖́ͧͦW̷ͧ͏ͅO̧̳̮̭͇̹͎͍̝̺ͨ̋̓̐́K͎̮͍̻̼̭̱̺ͨ̐̐̈́̈́ͦ̔̚Ẹ̛̘̹̠̙̮̬̉̀ͦ́̌͗͂͆̕͢ͅN͙͕͉͍̒̉̌͘͝** | |
[WP] The galaxy is actually full of life and advanced civilizations. Everyone just leaves Earth alone because that's where The Great Old Ones are imprisoned, and nobody wants to wake them up. | No one told us.
No one warned us.
Then again, it's not like we ever warned the sheep of the slaughter.
You must be confused. I'll start at the beginning.
300 years ago the human race sent out first ship into space. The world mourned when we lost contact with it a few months later. Then we tried again and again and again. Adjusting one thing, then another, sending them off in different directions. Desperate to make things work, to make THIS work.
In time we discovered what had happened: Some type of field, too advanced for us to understand, surrounded us. An impenetrable field. Nothing in, nothing out. When the world learned of this we tore ourselves apart in panic and fear and religious paranoia.
Eventually, after a hundred years of war and death, after tearing our planet apart in ways we could have never imagined before we found something. It took us another 50 years to decipher the stone tablet. 50 years to discover that we weren't alone in the universe. Out beyond the boundaries of the field were civilizations upon civilizations, wonders beyond imaginings that we were forever barred from.
Our solar system is a prison, our planet the jail and we are both jailers and sheep. Finding out the human race was created by a conglomeration of thousands of different civilizations was a shock. Learning our purpose made us angry. Learning that, even in it's deepest slumber, the thing trapped on our world infects us with darkness and madness causing us to lash out in violence with horror and pain.
In retaliation we did what we always do, we fought back. Not that it mattered, the force field let nothing in and nothing out. Our efforts less effective then banging against a metal door with our bare hands. Our creators had been thorough but they had underestimated us.
So we turned inward. If we were the prison where was our prisoner? It turns out someone had seen it before. Even after all these centuries Lovecraft still fills us with horror. We only had to find him and wake him from his sleep.
Tonight I wonder what we could have been had we not been tainted and then I remember that we never had a chance of finding out. We were condemned to this world and all lingering guilt for what I'm about to do vanishes.
They trapped us here with a monster.
Did they ever wonder what would happen if we became monsters too?
| "Have you seen these reports?" Corecaller Jun'kael cried worriedly as he rushed into the conference room, papers falling haphazardly from the portfolio he seemed to have slammed them all into hurriedly.
"I'm kind of in the middle of something, Jun," Frontrunner San'jaka sighed, glancing at those few other members of the front crew who could be bothered to show up to briefings. It was true that out here in this nigh abandoned sector so far from the core there usually wasn't much to be briefed on, but protocol was protocol and the Frontrunner still slogged through them every corespike.
The distracted cough of Frontwatcher Kas'Koir was enough to signal to him that perhaps this briefing could wait. He turned his view back to the Corecaller, who seemed to have been too preoccupied with getting the better part of his portfolio of the ground to have even noticed the Frontrunner's implication.
"Well?" San'jaka inquired, somewhat impatiently. "What's so damn important?"
"Oh... right. Sorry sir! The reports. It's Sol, sir... or... I suppose more specifically, well, Earth. These numbers. They're... well, the atmospheric balance is shifting at a rapid pace. At this rate, the planet's heatgas saturation will be well above Galt levels within half a coreflux."
At this news what little life filled the faces of the desperately bored crewmembers in the room drained and for a few moments there was a heavy, fearful, contemplative silence.
"That shouldn't be possible!" exclaimed the Frontrunner, as if trying to convince himself, the Corecaller, and the universe that it wasn't. "Balance has been cycling properly for at least 60,000 corefluxes! Since the start of the Great Sleeping."
"I know sir. These numbers are troubling at best. Sages back on the core have a very disturbing theory, and since we're the closest Frontwave to the system, they sent it here first," the Corecaller said forlornly, his voice catching in his throat as he thumbed through his portfolio and handed the Frontrunner a letter. "The Corerunner is giving you full authority to decide how we proceed."
"I need to contemplate this... Sorry, crew, but briefings are cancelled this spike," San'jaka mumbled through a forced chuckle. "I'll be retiring to my planning room."
Upon arriving in the planning room, the Frontrunner closed the door and locked it behind him before sitting down alone with the letter. With a trembling hand, he lifted it closer.
"To The Most Exalted Frontrunner San'jaka,
You have no doubt heard by now that Earth may well be breaking the Galt barrier soon. We don't have to inform you of the caliber of catastrophe that will arise should the Sleeping Ones be awoken.
We here at the Core have instructed your Corecaller to turn on the full sensor array, and in observing through it we have come to a disturbing conclusion. At least one of the Sleeping Ones has found a way to dream into the minds of the Earth's inhabitants. It doesn't seem to have even one tenth of its full capacity, but it has been guiding those it can grip. It seems that this has been going on in tiny amounts for at least 10,000 corefluxes, when it first inspired the Earthwalkers to harness flame. We, nor any other race of the Coalition, could have suspected then that this was happening, or what grand designs the Sleeping Ones could have, even in their slumber.
4 corefluxes ago, it seems that the Sleeping Ones inspired heavily, sparking the Earthwalkers' age of steam. Two corefluxes ago the Sleeping Ones once again shared their dreams, spurring the Earthwalkers to develop modes of transport that relied on refined petroleum. Over the course of the last coreflux, the Sages began to see once more a glimmer of hope, as it seemed that the Earthwalkers were discovering for themselves that some catastrophe would occur if they continued to let their heatgas saturation rise. They began to develop tools and systems that would allow them to maintain without so much jeopardy. But it seems the Sleeping Ones caught on, too, and they have been guiding some Earthwalkers to reject their own safety and the change it would cause.
You, Most Exalted Frontrunner, are in a dangerous position. If you flee the sector, you may have enough time to escape the first wave of the awakenings. You are, however, also the only Frontwave close enough to have a chance to intervene before it's too late. We trust that you will find your answer and make the truest decision from within.
May we meet again,
Coresender Collective" | |
[WP] With humanity as a mediator, Angels and Demons reach a truce, and all three worlds become open to each other. A couple years later, a new enemy appears, and the new alliance is forced to cooperate. | Heaven and Hell was not what we imagined. While there was life after death, death did not stop there. Segregated from humanity they waged an endless war. Angels, heavenly creatures, and defenders of order tried to quell the chaos of monsters, demons, and their unknowable horrors. For countless ages neither side could gain the upper hand. Humanity, although a lesser race, was able to bring the two sides to an agreement. The Demons thrived on chaos so the war was to their benefit, though they came to realize a stalemate was order in it of itself. The Angels could not abide and let their counterpart wreak havoc, but Man showed them that they caused more harm then was saved.
A tentative agreement was laid: ordered chaos, Hell was to do what it must under the supervision of Heaven. Humanity's role was to make sure both upheld their agreement. As a result fabulous wonders, immaculate artifacts, and unfettered progress was shared amongst all. But as one was to imagine, such a peace is fleeting.
It did not stem from the ever growing itch for devastation the Demons struggled to contain. Nor from Heaven's desire for perfection. Even Humanity and its' long history of betrayal and corruption wished to maintain the benefits of the truce. An outside force threatened all that was accomplished in such a short time.
There were disappearances, a few at a time, that went unnoticed. Then more. Hellish legions wiped out. Angelic corp gone without a trace. Even the worlds themselves were assaulted, craters remained where vast cities once stood. An enemy so terrifying that it could threaten the combined power of Heaven, Hell, and Earth.
"The truce is broken, we wouldn't have put it past you Uriel." The creature made the sound via no noticeable movement, remaining statuesque, eyes closed. Though it stared straight through the attendees.
"You know I would never commit such a crime." The Angel, back erect, looked down upon the creature, unflinching. "Besides there is a proper order to declaring war." His wings, even with his seemingly endless willpower, lightly stretched due to his decorum.
"No one is saying anything about war." The third attendee interjected. The Ambassador. "Baphomet, are you saying you don't know the origin of these attacks?"
"If we did, we would be ripping it asunder, as many times as we can." A hint of distaste appeared in Uriel's otherwise stoic face. It was well known how powerful Hell's regenerative powers could be, truly if one were to be captured, one may in fact never die.
"Only a creature of the Abyss could so easily abolish us, while remaining undetected." Uriel smoothly reasoned. "And it wouldn't hesitate attacking its' own."
"All the creatures of the abyss are under our supervision at all times." The Ambassador and Uriel shared a look. This was already known but they had hoped it was such an easy overlooked situation. "Shouldn't your Absolute already know of its' true form? We are sure he could deal with it as effectively as he dealt with us. Or is this another of his 'tests'?"
"I will not have you speak of the Absolute." Uriel calmly replied.
"Let's just focus on what we know." The Ambassador spoke up. He surprised himself in his relief that it was an outside force. Being on the side of the ferocity of Demons and the meticulous strategy of the Angels was enough to still his heart. Surely any enemy that threatened to unleash Hell itself would be fearful, let alone one that was endorsed by Heaven. "All three of us have taken heavy losses both to military and civilian. The enemy never leaves a trace of its' existence, and it never leaves any survivors. The land around is most often desolate."
"No, it's not just the land. Reality itself is being damaged." Uriel added, and Baphomet confirmed, as much as it was possible to tell.
"In that case, could the force be from outside our dimension, another reality perhaps?"
"That would most certainly explain how random the attacks have been and how none of our technology could find out where it was coming from. But the Absolute created only one reality, ours, and nothing more." Uriel said, mannerisms stiffer than usual.
"The dimensions we hide away, although recursive, contain nothing that could harm us." Baphomet still had not moved an inch.
"Nothing, huh..? Does anyone have any information at all, or is there only nothing."
"Nothing..."
"Nothing..." Both Uriel and Baphomet repeated in succession.
Baphomet's eyes snap open, both the other attendees quickly look away, shielding their own. "It contains Nothing that could harm us." With that Baphomet returned to his realm, coiling into himself. To prepare for the inevitable.
Only the Ambassador was unsure what knowledge Baphomet left with. Uriel filled his ignorance, "As I have said, the Absolute only created one reality, and Nothing more. There is death after Heaven and Hell, but that death simply leads to which all others came, Nothingness. All things must one day return."
With that Uriel opened and entered a portal to report what he learned. For after the war there was only one thing left that was capable: Nothing threatened them all. | “A world torn asunder, a people pushed to the brink; and in their divinity, the angels cried; and in their sin, the demons died; until all perished, but those willing to be human.”
The sun never set in the hallowed lands, where the plants grew free and wild. The sun never rose in the hollow lands, yet the tall buildings glowed with such light that darkness found itself scarce. Between the two lands, what remained of earth carried on as best it could, setting the foundations for a society that hoped to give humanity a new, broader meaning.
It was all three of these lands that the angels, demons and man now called home. Neighbours, friends, they lived beside each other in a necessary peace. Gone were the dogmatists, the righteous, the hateful, all those who remained pragmatic and tired to the bone of war—a tiny fraction. Angel, demon, man, to put aside their differences, now went by one name: human. Different but equal.
And life persisted, as it was wont to do.
Cassie looked up at the holy sun, an unholy sweat on her brow. The weeds in heaven grew like, well, weeds, and reclaiming the land for farming had done a number on her. Constant sunlight, she couldn’t imagine how the angels had managed; after just a day, she was halfway to mad. Though, she conceded that the remnants of epic structures had probably (before being reduced to remnants) offered a fair bit of shade. What structures they must have been, she thought, quickly forgetting her frustration. Rather than human architecture, the angels favoured their own with pillars as though braided by a million strands, roofs woven, detailing so intricate—the marble they’d used worked like string.
A cold glass pressed against her cheek, Cassie jumped out of her thoughts. Beside her, Gabrielle laughed, the tones so light that they almost couldn’t be heard.
“Watch it,” Cassie said, embarrassment only adding to her flushed cheeks.
Gabrielle showed no remorse in her smile. “I thought you may wish for a cold drink.”
“Thanks,” Cassie said, barely above a mumble. She took the drink, downing it in heavy gulps, before catching up on the breaths she’d missed. “Oh that’s good.”
“You are most welcome.”
The moment settled into a comfortable silence, Cassie finding a pillar’s shade to sit in and recover her motivation. While she did that, Gabrielle stood facing the sun, even her face turned so it caught the light straight—like a sunflower, Cassie thought.
Despite all who she’d lost to the angels, all the angels she had killed, she found herself thinking of Gabrielle a lot. A lesser angel (like most who remained,) she was similar in physique to a woman but for a pair of wings that stemmed from the shoulder blades and the touch of divinity, flawless skin because of it. Otherwise, she looked like a tall and slender woman, blonde hair long and coiled in natural curls, cheeks naturally blushed and lips red. Unlike most angels, she stuck to traditional wear, which was little more than a piece of white cloth draped over her. This particularly annoyed Cassie, the perkiness and lack of bra an enviable combination.
Returning to an earlier thought, Cassie asked, “Does the sun charge you up or something?”
Gabrielle shook her head, hair flowing gracefully as she did. “I would say that the warmth on my skin is akin to the warmth of a mother’s embrace.”
“Ah, gotcha,” Cassie said, her mind puzzling it out. Angels weren’t born in the same way men were, or demons, created by God for a divine purpose—as far as Cassie knew. The holy sunshine, then, may well have felt familiar to Him.
“If I may ask, and if it is not an upsetting topic for you, what does it feel like to be embraced by one’s mother?” Gabrielle said.
Cassie scrunched up her nose, thinking through her reply. “Safe, reassuring, like every bad feeling will pass, peaceful. Something like that.”
“Is that so?” Gabrielle said.
A minute or an hour might have passed, the still sun making it hard for Cassie to grasp the passage of time, but her watch did. Evening would soon be upon them. She sighed, her gaze tracking across the small patch she’d cleared. For all the good being an angel’s equal was, she could little compete with Gabrielle’s effortless strength by hand, but no one had found a feasible holy weed killer just yet.
“Shall we head to home?” Gabrielle asked.
In flickers of memory, in nightmarish dreams, Cassie remembered how the two had met. Blood, red and gold, mixing on the ground, cursed bullets rotting divine flesh and holy sword cauterising half of the very wound it had cut, and the kind of serenity as they clung to each other, so desperate not to die alone. Behind Gabrielle’s cloth, Cassie knew the scars remained above the breast, flawless skin flawed. Her own scar ached from time to time, a reminder of that moment in case she ever forgot about it for too long.
“Yeah,” Cassie said, taking Gabrielle’s offered hand up. A warm hand, reassuring, not a woman’s hand but still a human one.
The ruins stretched out in front of them for a seeming eternity, less a house and more a shed awaiting them nearby. A simple place. The two of them lived together there, had ever since their approaching deaths had been put on hold, but still they clung to each other, desperate not to live alone either. | |
[WP] With humanity as a mediator, Angels and Demons reach a truce, and all three worlds become open to each other. A couple years later, a new enemy appears, and the new alliance is forced to cooperate. | “We call them Horrors, further than demons and devils, they are indecipherable to humans and unjudgeable” The forked tongue devil in the silver suit with jet-black hair and charred human skin walked around the meeting table in Porto, Spain, where the seated humans and radiant angels sat in contemplation.
“We can’t judge them because they’re a mutation of the universe. Even the universe holds many mysteries to us.” The radiant being with his wings expanding and contracting as if the wings themselves are breathing. A tell-tale sign of his nervousness.
“Azreal, your tick is showing” The devil said with a grin. Even though he can’t claim the horrors as their own creation, seeing an angel squirm always makes his day.
“Ahem.” The lady with the short bob and power suit interjected. The human who was key in the war of the rapture was now attempting to chime in with her own idea.
“Our psi-ops researched that humans cannot fathom their image, unless properly trained. It’s true that Rapture has opened the minds of many, and thanks to the devils that rose from the ground has made or break our humans, these Horrors are on a different level.” She said mournfully. “However, we have determined that with the help of certain chemicals, we can open our minds even further in a 'safe environment'. Furthermore, we’ve determined that Angels cannot judge Horrors and therefore cannot harm the Horrors, and while we can harm them once we’ve made them visible to our soldiers, they prefer to hunt humans anytime.”
“Hear that, Azreal? You’re useless in this situation, just leave it to us.”
“See here Samuel, What Anna said was that we can’t harm them, but it doesn’t mean we can’t help.” Azreal said with confidence much to Samuel’s distaste. He hates Angels who can talk their way out of anything.
“Judgement Azreal is correct, Corruptor Samuel. Considering our humans have a moral spectrum, most of our fighters can receive divine protection to repel against a Horror’s attacks. To put it short, Humans draw out the Horrors, our soldiers and hell’s army fight the monsters and Angels bless the Humans with protection in order to have a fighting chance. We know you’ve both suffered a massive amount of casualties so our race will have to be the frontline.”
The reminder of the casualties from both ends made both squirm. Without the Humans, Angels and Demons cannot replenish their civilization. If the horrors wipe out the Humans, it’ll only be a matter of time before they are wiped out as well.
“Remember” Anna changed her tone. “We need your help and you need ours. If a human dies by the hands of a horror, their soul will join their ranks. Their soul can never become a demon or an angel. You lose out on a new recruit every time we get eaten.”
Samuel felt that one. He hates when he doesn’t have a witty comeback or when he can’t have the upper hand in the situation. Oddly, Azreal felt the same way this time.
Samuel hissed. “How many of your fighters can see?”
“150,000 as of now, another 300,000 by the start of the next invasion during the void moon phase.
Azreal stood up and unfurled his wings.
“Then you will have an angel for every 500 soldiers, They will be able to cover that much without issue. You have two fallen angels-in-training who’ll join the cause of Humans. That should cover the battle power of four demon generals.
Anna and Samuel were shocked at that information.
“Who chose to fall!?” Samuel was intrigued. As a former fallen angel himself, he had a passing interesting at his old family.
“Michael and Gabriel. Whether they’ll seek absolution after this invasion is another discussion but Metatron informed us that ____ might overlook every fallen angel’s transgressions after the invasion.” Anna could never understand His name and wondered if the Angel could.
Samuel was blown away but before he could press further, the building that sheltered the meeting shook violently. As Anna ran towards the window, a colossus sized had risen from the sea. As ethereal energy flowed through its arms and torso, its chest and head was twisted up like a twisted up towel with undecipherable features that caused Anna to question what she was looking at. With a shrieking roar that pierces the unprotected ears near its vicinity, it smashed its chest and head onto the sea causing a massive tidal wave heading towards the direction of Porto.
“Corruptor Samuel.” Anna commanded.
“Yeah, Yeah.” Samuel was already taking his suit jacket and placing it on the oak table. As Anna opened the window to the sounds of sirens, Samuel sprinted towards the opening while transforming from his “human” form to his true devil form. As he leapt out the window, his six wings flourished and his form as changed to a charred human to a demon worthy of the title of General.
Samuel’s counter guttural roar as he soared towards the wave dissipates the energy of the tidal wave, causing it to fall flat from where it travelling. As Samuel summoned a ball of hellfire, Anna closed the windows and folded the silver jacket for the battle-locked devil.
Azreal sighed. Anna broke the silence with reassurance.
“He’ll be fine, he’s fought titan classes unscathed.”
“I know… but I will always worry for him.”
Anna and Azreal overlooked the fierce battle as fighter planes have come to assist the General. As the battle rages on, while the meeting was optimistic, their hopes had never been lower.
____________________________
Thank you for taking the time to read this, I apologize for my formatting, I'm still a novice to reddit formatting and also I really couldn't think of a way to end this while also working so I'm just going to let it free. Thanks Hamiercus for a cool prompt idea! | The gray featureless humanoids continue their shambling walk towards us. There are thousands of these creatures and my platoon is down to eight men. “Jensen radio for backup again!” I yell in a panicked voice. We have been pinned down for almost 8 hours while hundreds of these monstrosities just keep pouring from every shadow in sight. As I fire the last round from my pistol I hear a screeching sound from overhead and a massive fireball scorches dozens of the creatures in one blast. It is followed by a few dazzling rays of light that instantly disintegrate another ten enemies. I hear my men cheer in relief. The coalition had arrived to aid us. One squad was made up of two demons and two angels and they could cause more damage than a small army of us humans. As they begin to burn their way through the enemy force I collapse to the ground in relief and mutter “boy, am I glad they are on our side.” | |
[WP] A planet is found rotating around a sun identical to ours and having the same orbit and singular moon.You are sent to inspect.When you land you find life there exactly like that of the Earth you left behind and the people think that you have come back to tell them what the other planet is like. |
**Item \#:** SCP-XXXX
**Object Class:** [Archon](https://www.reddit.com/r/SCP/comments/b2580l/the_more_the_merrier_maybe_object_class_guide_v11/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app)
**Special Containment Procedures:** Due to the mirroring of actions on both the Earth and SCP-XXXX, containment, while possible, is not in the interests of the Foundation.
**Description:** SCP-XXXX is a phenomenon causing the mirroring of any actions between the Earth and an exact copy of it.
SCP-XXXX was first discovered on [REDACTED], as an exact copy of the Earth was found orbiting an exact copy of the Sun. A manned expedition was sent to examine if the planet had any anomalous properties, but on the expected date of arrival, a capsule landed at Site-19. The capsule contained the same astronaut that was sent to the planet, and the astronaut claimed to be the one sent from the other planet to “discover anything anomalous.” He was immediately sent back, upon which the astronaut from Earth arrived too.
*Note from Researcher █████:* So, this means that there’s no way of knowing that we’re actually the “reflection”? Or that there’s another me who just thought the same thing? Man, this is trippy.
**Addendum**
**Experiment XXXX-1:**
For long-distance communication, a special network was established. Upon sending the word “hello”, the same word was received instantly.
Further tests are to be deemed low priority. | They were supposed to be different. A new colony. It’s clear it’s a backup system for our own planet. Further proof we are living in a simulation. Back at the agency they had an envelope with a card in it. The same one I left in my locker. Fifteen digits , upper and lowercase numbers, a few special characters. I was trained to remember a 30 digit passcode in minutes. It was the same code. Once my double sees my fake code he will eneter it wrongly. Last second I got intel. If I hadn’t I’d be dead because they’re in on the experiment. This planet is the same one minus the tid bit of info I got 16 hours ago. That intel was proof the wormhole and tachyons exist. A . Now I have confirmation, I will head back and intercept my double leaving this planet in the dark and my team in the know. We must get rid of this backup before they figure it out. One thing is clear, we left the milky way in the year 2024. The same year of the recorded forgettening . We suspect extra terrestrial intelligence is at play. I will complete my mission.... | |
[WP] A planet is found rotating around a sun identical to ours and having the same orbit and singular moon.You are sent to inspect.When you land you find life there exactly like that of the Earth you left behind and the people think that you have come back to tell them what the other planet is like. | “Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.”
**Arthur C. Clarke**
I know you want me to tell you what I found on G1-T31. I am happy to oblige. But you need to know that what I know, I know thoroughly. I will describe to you what I have seen, and you will call me mad.I assure you, I am not mad. In a way, you are.
As you’ll recall, we found G1-T31 about 10 years ago. A small solar system, surrounded by an ort cloud, very similar to ours. Although we couldn’t make out all the details, one image of a planet orbiting its sun was visible. It also had one moon. And even more promising were the initial indications of water and atmosphere. Could there possibly be life? The greatest scientific and engineering minds of our planet were determined to find an answer.
There was a careful screening process. I was chosen to be the first to reach toward heaven and touch another world. I couldn’t turn down such an honor, despite the risks. I remember being given the strictest psychological tests and the most intense physical training to survive the journey.
As I looked into the camera and bid our world farewell, I said, “another small step for man.” I thought it fitting to honor those that had gone before. My good friends and family were there to wish me goodbye.
How can I describe to you what it feels like to bend time and space? When you travel near light speed, everything around you, the stars, the planets, the universe … stops. Or at least, it nearly does. The images of those celestial bodies move ever so slowly across the frame of reality.
Have you ever wondered why the night sky isn’t brighter? Why it wouldn’t be true that stars from across the entire universe reach our gaze? The reason is because there are black holes interposed between us and nearly everything else.
Of course, when you displace yourself from the solitary vantage point of the earth, you get to see the plethora of other images there are among the stars. Travel far enough, and for long enough, and you get to see the beginning of creation and its procession through eternity. The best way I can describe it is its like when a car drives by and you can finally see the sun reflected in the ocean. It isn’t actually the sun you’re seeing, but an echo of it. One millionth second in the past! Multiply that idea times infinity and I can tell you how I saw the universe bloom into existence, create life from nothing, then burn out and cease to be.
As I approached G1-T31, my perspective changed enough so that I could look out from my window and see the universe … and watch it age.
Would you like to know the secret of the universe?
Would you like to know what ***it actually is***?
As each dark matter obstacle was removed from my path, I saw another G1-T31. And then another. And then another. There were so many among the newly revealed stars that I eventually lost count. Each one with a small world, nestled in the safety of an ort cloud, the third planet from the sun showing the promise of life. It wasn’t hard to eventually notice a pattern of G1-T31’s gradually moving through my new stargaze…
You see, when you look into the night sky and see the stars, you are simply seeing G1-T31 at another point in its history. Sometimes you are seeing it at its beginning. Other times, you are seeing it near its end. To be honest, I think those two things are one and the same. For a large part of its history, the sun of G1-T31 supported a small planet, with one moon, an atmosphere, and an evolved civilization of human beings. Then that civilization dies out, the sun collapses, and G1-T31 proceeds to die.
There is no time. There is no space. Time IS Space. And the reflections you see in the sky are a visual echo of the past … or of the future. Light itself is the only constant that escapes. Well, light, and also me.
G1-T31 is the only thing that exists. Our solar system is the only thing that exists. We are the only things that exist.There is nothing else out there.
We are alone. | They were supposed to be different. A new colony. It’s clear it’s a backup system for our own planet. Further proof we are living in a simulation. Back at the agency they had an envelope with a card in it. The same one I left in my locker. Fifteen digits , upper and lowercase numbers, a few special characters. I was trained to remember a 30 digit passcode in minutes. It was the same code. Once my double sees my fake code he will eneter it wrongly. Last second I got intel. If I hadn’t I’d be dead because they’re in on the experiment. This planet is the same one minus the tid bit of info I got 16 hours ago. That intel was proof the wormhole and tachyons exist. A . Now I have confirmation, I will head back and intercept my double leaving this planet in the dark and my team in the know. We must get rid of this backup before they figure it out. One thing is clear, we left the milky way in the year 2024. The same year of the recorded forgettening . We suspect extra terrestrial intelligence is at play. I will complete my mission.... | |
[WP] A planet is found rotating around a sun identical to ours and having the same orbit and singular moon.You are sent to inspect.When you land you find life there exactly like that of the Earth you left behind and the people think that you have come back to tell them what the other planet is like. | Where did we come from? Earth obviously, but that is not what I mean. Where did all of this come from? Us, Earth, our Sun, the whole Solar System! By what process was our star born, a supernova? What else was made in that Cosmic event? Does our Sun have siblings? A twin?
These were the questions my team and I have been working to answer over the past decade. You see, a few years ago, some backyard astronomer found something remarkable that no one else has spotted yet. At first he thought something must be wrong, that he wasn’t seeing what he thought he was. He began posting on Internet forums looking for a quick dismissal or a world-shattering verification of what he found. It wasn’t long after that professional astronomers and the bulk of the Earth’s telescopes began to turn towards the oddly familiar looking star that had been discovered and news spread like wildfire!
“The Sun’s Twin Discovered!” “New Star is Exact Copy of Our Sun!” These headlines were followed closely in a few short weeks by news that would forever change humanity: “Astronomers Discover A Second Earth!” Of course, claims like these had been made before: “Earth 2.0” and all that. But this discovery quickly proved to be different than previous claims; this wasn’t ‘Earth 2.0,’ this was a copy of Earth 1.0!
I was a young graduate student back then, completing my degree in Astrophysics and looking for a doctoral program. As soon as I found out about the new star I was off and running digging through the data that was coming in and trying to discover any information that could be inferred about it. Through online collaborations and my academic connections I soon found myself part of a team, the first team to discover the tiny blue dot orbiting a Sun-like star only a few light years from home.
As we learned more information about Earth’s twin the world began to change. First it was astronomers all over the world collaborating to discover everything we could about the new star and its planets. Remarkably, the whole system was an analog of our own, even down to the moons orbiting the planets based on what we could infer from the data. Then, space agencies started working together to figure out how we could get to the new system by sending a probe or people. Soon governments put aside political differences and resources were devoted to the project.
The people of Earth resolved to send a team to third planet in the system soon after we discovered telling evidence of an atmosphere, probably life, and possibly industrialization on the planet. I was determined to be a part of that team and dedicated my life to the endeavor. Having completed my PHD, and having become one of the leading experts on what was now being called Helios, the star and its system, I was a top choice to be the science lead for the mission.
By the time we left Earth for our journey it seemed like the world had come together, that humanity had become one people, united under a common goal. We left behind a world at peace, seeking to make new friends across the ocean of space between us and them. We slept on our long journey, dreaming dreams of discovery, companionship, and long lost kin.
We found none of those when we awoke. Our dreams vanished as we eagerly checked our sensors and instruments, impatiently scrambling to get the first closeup looks at another world beyond humanity’s home. There was no evidence of a star, no planets, no moons, nothing resembling what I had devoted my life to studying. The place I had devoted my life to reach.
Something was wrong. Did we go off course? We checked the navigation logs and we were exactly where we intended to be. In the days that followed we drifted and I poured over every sensor, every instrument and all the data we continued to collect. Eventually, I came to a gut wrenching conclusion. What we were approaching was not nothing.
All of those years of studying Helios, what we thought was our Sun’s twin, what we thought was a copy of our solar system, of our Earth; we had not been looking at a new star, what we had seen was our reflection. A mirror! We had been looking into a mirror. And there was only one astronomical object that could reflect light back 180 degrees to its source. We were approaching a Naked Singularity.
Humanity came together and achieved the impossible based on a illusion. We were duped by a black hole, with no event horizon, and so dense and tiny that it had acted as mirror. Earth had no copy and the Helios system was so identical to our own because it was our solar system. We would have to go back to a world at peace, for the first time in its existence, that it was all for nothing.
Or did we? | They were supposed to be different. A new colony. It’s clear it’s a backup system for our own planet. Further proof we are living in a simulation. Back at the agency they had an envelope with a card in it. The same one I left in my locker. Fifteen digits , upper and lowercase numbers, a few special characters. I was trained to remember a 30 digit passcode in minutes. It was the same code. Once my double sees my fake code he will eneter it wrongly. Last second I got intel. If I hadn’t I’d be dead because they’re in on the experiment. This planet is the same one minus the tid bit of info I got 16 hours ago. That intel was proof the wormhole and tachyons exist. A . Now I have confirmation, I will head back and intercept my double leaving this planet in the dark and my team in the know. We must get rid of this backup before they figure it out. One thing is clear, we left the milky way in the year 2024. The same year of the recorded forgettening . We suspect extra terrestrial intelligence is at play. I will complete my mission.... | |
[WP] A planet is found rotating around a sun identical to ours and having the same orbit and singular moon.You are sent to inspect.When you land you find life there exactly like that of the Earth you left behind and the people think that you have come back to tell them what the other planet is like. |
**Item \#:** SCP-XXXX
**Object Class:** [Archon](https://www.reddit.com/r/SCP/comments/b2580l/the_more_the_merrier_maybe_object_class_guide_v11/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app)
**Special Containment Procedures:** Due to the mirroring of actions on both the Earth and SCP-XXXX, containment, while possible, is not in the interests of the Foundation.
**Description:** SCP-XXXX is a phenomenon causing the mirroring of any actions between the Earth and an exact copy of it.
SCP-XXXX was first discovered on [REDACTED], as an exact copy of the Earth was found orbiting an exact copy of the Sun. A manned expedition was sent to examine if the planet had any anomalous properties, but on the expected date of arrival, a capsule landed at Site-19. The capsule contained the same astronaut that was sent to the planet, and the astronaut claimed to be the one sent from the other planet to “discover anything anomalous.” He was immediately sent back, upon which the astronaut from Earth arrived too.
*Note from Researcher █████:* So, this means that there’s no way of knowing that we’re actually the “reflection”? Or that there’s another me who just thought the same thing? Man, this is trippy.
**Addendum**
**Experiment XXXX-1:**
For long-distance communication, a special network was established. Upon sending the word “hello”, the same word was received instantly.
Further tests are to be deemed low priority. | You slowly regain your state of mind, your hearing becomes clearer and clearer. You hear the ship speakers
"Final approach heading 211, Please verify automated landing."
The robotic voice repeats the line over and over again.
Your vision still blurred from the long hibernation you start to feel around the cold metal cockpit for the switch.
After what feels like an eternity you find it, with a sigh of relief you flip it and the robotic voice stops.
Falling back in your chair you rub your eyes trying to restore your vision but to no avail,
only faint blurs make up all the shape's and dial's in the cockpit.
"Fucking hibernation!" you exclaim, "how am I supposed to verify anything!".
Maybe it's the thrill of finally landing or your mind not yet comprehending what's happening,
but you give in and trust the automated systems are correct and prepare yourself for landing.
A weird silence falls in the cockpit only broken by the soft hum of the life support systems in the other cabin, as you listen to the hum you remember
how you complained back at base to make it silent, laughing at the fact you could "never get used to the sound!" but had managed to forget it existed for most of the journey.
Suddenly the robotic voice breaks your train of thought "Final approach heading 211, automated landing timeout. Procedure lock-in"
as the robotic voice speaks it's final message you wonder why they made it sound so official.
Looking out the window your blurry vision slowly sharpens and a familiar shape comes into view reminding you of the home you left behind,
sadly you can't look at the sight long as the window slowly fills up with the red color from the approach through the atmosphere.
Not but a moment later the ship shakes violently rushing towards the surface.
As the red hue disappears from the window, you can't help but whisper
"please open, please open, please open, please op.."
Interrupted with a violent thud you hear the parachutes open. Thank god!
Your ship drifts towards the planet, with a splash your ship lands.
"Water?, god dammit automation! No no no, it can't be..."
You quickly gather the needed supplies, You haven't gotten this far to die in the ocean of a foreign planet.
You're prepared to row to any landmass you can find. You open the door of the cockpit the light blinding your eyes once again.
As you try to look out, over the sea you spot something... a giant ship... stunned by how familiar the shape is,
it's a frigate! But how? What? Not to mention it's approaching you fast, very fast!
As you prepare to be intercepted by the what you assume to be aliens you think of the things you're gonna say, what are they gonna do to you?
are you gonna be dissected? probed? will they understand?
As you keep looking at the ship to make out what the creatures look like, slowly as the ship comes closer you realize... they're human.
Your mind is filled with questions: Why did they recall my ship? Why was I not informed? What has happened?
The ship now almost beside your cockpit, you can clearly look at the ship but you don't recognize any of the flags.
They must be a new country, maybe the union united it's been so long? You have no time to think before a person on the ship yells at you:
"Are you insane! Get back in! You're breaking quarantine procedure!", you quickly get back in and close the hatch.
saddened by the recall you sit back down in your way to familiar chair.
The ship takes it's time to slowly hoist your cockpit aboard, lowering you into the hold of the ship. The workers frantically spraying it with disinfectant
as it is being lowered. To your surprise they must have changed the procedure since your ship is lowered directly into the quarantine bay.
As soon as somebody signals you with a thumbs up you exit the cockpit, At the top of your lungs you yell "Why the recall! I even went into deep hibernation!"
"Why wasn't I informed! Why after traveling so long!". A crowd of people have gathered at the window of the quarantine bay to witness the outburst.
A young scientist, steps forward from the crowd to the speaker system,
as she hits a button the speakers in the bay spring online with a sudden crack
Calm down sir, we can't hear you. Please calm down! You have to use the intercom.
For fuck sake, an intercom? why can't they ever stick to a system around here. As you make your way to press the button
the scientist presses the button again: "What was it like?" she asks. Now even more people have gathered at the window, staring at you as if you're
supposed to know what the question meant.
With confusion, you press the button: If your talking about the deep hibernation it's alright but after a deep one your eyes are...
With a loud crack the line is interrupted. "Haha very funny mister I mean the other planet, terra is dying to know!" she says
Without thinking and in a fit of anger you try to interrupt the line "Fuck you, You know you guys did a recall!" but the system only allows you
to talk when the other side has let go. Even though she has not heard your outburst seeing your reaction she is visibly confused.
You do remember what happened do you? Why are you so angry? You signed up for the mission! now please calm down we don't want everybody on Terra to
see you angry, Just tell us what terra-exemplo was like! Can we take it?
As the loud crack from the intercom signals they let go, you realize.
You press the button only muttering the question "take it?".
"You do remember we need it right? the army is prepared. We can't stay here to long it's gotten out of control"
Before she lets you interject she continues "it's the perfect place! its like here but this time we wont let it get out of hand! We just need a second chance"
After she finishes you get a second, to reconnect your thoughts and you respond:
"You're right, we and your planet are exactly alike and we did the same thing." | |
[WP] A planet is found rotating around a sun identical to ours and having the same orbit and singular moon.You are sent to inspect.When you land you find life there exactly like that of the Earth you left behind and the people think that you have come back to tell them what the other planet is like. | “Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.”
**Arthur C. Clarke**
I know you want me to tell you what I found on G1-T31. I am happy to oblige. But you need to know that what I know, I know thoroughly. I will describe to you what I have seen, and you will call me mad.I assure you, I am not mad. In a way, you are.
As you’ll recall, we found G1-T31 about 10 years ago. A small solar system, surrounded by an ort cloud, very similar to ours. Although we couldn’t make out all the details, one image of a planet orbiting its sun was visible. It also had one moon. And even more promising were the initial indications of water and atmosphere. Could there possibly be life? The greatest scientific and engineering minds of our planet were determined to find an answer.
There was a careful screening process. I was chosen to be the first to reach toward heaven and touch another world. I couldn’t turn down such an honor, despite the risks. I remember being given the strictest psychological tests and the most intense physical training to survive the journey.
As I looked into the camera and bid our world farewell, I said, “another small step for man.” I thought it fitting to honor those that had gone before. My good friends and family were there to wish me goodbye.
How can I describe to you what it feels like to bend time and space? When you travel near light speed, everything around you, the stars, the planets, the universe … stops. Or at least, it nearly does. The images of those celestial bodies move ever so slowly across the frame of reality.
Have you ever wondered why the night sky isn’t brighter? Why it wouldn’t be true that stars from across the entire universe reach our gaze? The reason is because there are black holes interposed between us and nearly everything else.
Of course, when you displace yourself from the solitary vantage point of the earth, you get to see the plethora of other images there are among the stars. Travel far enough, and for long enough, and you get to see the beginning of creation and its procession through eternity. The best way I can describe it is its like when a car drives by and you can finally see the sun reflected in the ocean. It isn’t actually the sun you’re seeing, but an echo of it. One millionth second in the past! Multiply that idea times infinity and I can tell you how I saw the universe bloom into existence, create life from nothing, then burn out and cease to be.
As I approached G1-T31, my perspective changed enough so that I could look out from my window and see the universe … and watch it age.
Would you like to know the secret of the universe?
Would you like to know what ***it actually is***?
As each dark matter obstacle was removed from my path, I saw another G1-T31. And then another. And then another. There were so many among the newly revealed stars that I eventually lost count. Each one with a small world, nestled in the safety of an ort cloud, the third planet from the sun showing the promise of life. It wasn’t hard to eventually notice a pattern of G1-T31’s gradually moving through my new stargaze…
You see, when you look into the night sky and see the stars, you are simply seeing G1-T31 at another point in its history. Sometimes you are seeing it at its beginning. Other times, you are seeing it near its end. To be honest, I think those two things are one and the same. For a large part of its history, the sun of G1-T31 supported a small planet, with one moon, an atmosphere, and an evolved civilization of human beings. Then that civilization dies out, the sun collapses, and G1-T31 proceeds to die.
There is no time. There is no space. Time IS Space. And the reflections you see in the sky are a visual echo of the past … or of the future. Light itself is the only constant that escapes. Well, light, and also me.
G1-T31 is the only thing that exists. Our solar system is the only thing that exists. We are the only things that exist.There is nothing else out there.
We are alone. | You slowly regain your state of mind, your hearing becomes clearer and clearer. You hear the ship speakers
"Final approach heading 211, Please verify automated landing."
The robotic voice repeats the line over and over again.
Your vision still blurred from the long hibernation you start to feel around the cold metal cockpit for the switch.
After what feels like an eternity you find it, with a sigh of relief you flip it and the robotic voice stops.
Falling back in your chair you rub your eyes trying to restore your vision but to no avail,
only faint blurs make up all the shape's and dial's in the cockpit.
"Fucking hibernation!" you exclaim, "how am I supposed to verify anything!".
Maybe it's the thrill of finally landing or your mind not yet comprehending what's happening,
but you give in and trust the automated systems are correct and prepare yourself for landing.
A weird silence falls in the cockpit only broken by the soft hum of the life support systems in the other cabin, as you listen to the hum you remember
how you complained back at base to make it silent, laughing at the fact you could "never get used to the sound!" but had managed to forget it existed for most of the journey.
Suddenly the robotic voice breaks your train of thought "Final approach heading 211, automated landing timeout. Procedure lock-in"
as the robotic voice speaks it's final message you wonder why they made it sound so official.
Looking out the window your blurry vision slowly sharpens and a familiar shape comes into view reminding you of the home you left behind,
sadly you can't look at the sight long as the window slowly fills up with the red color from the approach through the atmosphere.
Not but a moment later the ship shakes violently rushing towards the surface.
As the red hue disappears from the window, you can't help but whisper
"please open, please open, please open, please op.."
Interrupted with a violent thud you hear the parachutes open. Thank god!
Your ship drifts towards the planet, with a splash your ship lands.
"Water?, god dammit automation! No no no, it can't be..."
You quickly gather the needed supplies, You haven't gotten this far to die in the ocean of a foreign planet.
You're prepared to row to any landmass you can find. You open the door of the cockpit the light blinding your eyes once again.
As you try to look out, over the sea you spot something... a giant ship... stunned by how familiar the shape is,
it's a frigate! But how? What? Not to mention it's approaching you fast, very fast!
As you prepare to be intercepted by the what you assume to be aliens you think of the things you're gonna say, what are they gonna do to you?
are you gonna be dissected? probed? will they understand?
As you keep looking at the ship to make out what the creatures look like, slowly as the ship comes closer you realize... they're human.
Your mind is filled with questions: Why did they recall my ship? Why was I not informed? What has happened?
The ship now almost beside your cockpit, you can clearly look at the ship but you don't recognize any of the flags.
They must be a new country, maybe the union united it's been so long? You have no time to think before a person on the ship yells at you:
"Are you insane! Get back in! You're breaking quarantine procedure!", you quickly get back in and close the hatch.
saddened by the recall you sit back down in your way to familiar chair.
The ship takes it's time to slowly hoist your cockpit aboard, lowering you into the hold of the ship. The workers frantically spraying it with disinfectant
as it is being lowered. To your surprise they must have changed the procedure since your ship is lowered directly into the quarantine bay.
As soon as somebody signals you with a thumbs up you exit the cockpit, At the top of your lungs you yell "Why the recall! I even went into deep hibernation!"
"Why wasn't I informed! Why after traveling so long!". A crowd of people have gathered at the window of the quarantine bay to witness the outburst.
A young scientist, steps forward from the crowd to the speaker system,
as she hits a button the speakers in the bay spring online with a sudden crack
Calm down sir, we can't hear you. Please calm down! You have to use the intercom.
For fuck sake, an intercom? why can't they ever stick to a system around here. As you make your way to press the button
the scientist presses the button again: "What was it like?" she asks. Now even more people have gathered at the window, staring at you as if you're
supposed to know what the question meant.
With confusion, you press the button: If your talking about the deep hibernation it's alright but after a deep one your eyes are...
With a loud crack the line is interrupted. "Haha very funny mister I mean the other planet, terra is dying to know!" she says
Without thinking and in a fit of anger you try to interrupt the line "Fuck you, You know you guys did a recall!" but the system only allows you
to talk when the other side has let go. Even though she has not heard your outburst seeing your reaction she is visibly confused.
You do remember what happened do you? Why are you so angry? You signed up for the mission! now please calm down we don't want everybody on Terra to
see you angry, Just tell us what terra-exemplo was like! Can we take it?
As the loud crack from the intercom signals they let go, you realize.
You press the button only muttering the question "take it?".
"You do remember we need it right? the army is prepared. We can't stay here to long it's gotten out of control"
Before she lets you interject she continues "it's the perfect place! its like here but this time we wont let it get out of hand! We just need a second chance"
After she finishes you get a second, to reconnect your thoughts and you respond:
"You're right, we and your planet are exactly alike and we did the same thing." | |
[WP] A planet is found rotating around a sun identical to ours and having the same orbit and singular moon.You are sent to inspect.When you land you find life there exactly like that of the Earth you left behind and the people think that you have come back to tell them what the other planet is like. | Where did we come from? Earth obviously, but that is not what I mean. Where did all of this come from? Us, Earth, our Sun, the whole Solar System! By what process was our star born, a supernova? What else was made in that Cosmic event? Does our Sun have siblings? A twin?
These were the questions my team and I have been working to answer over the past decade. You see, a few years ago, some backyard astronomer found something remarkable that no one else has spotted yet. At first he thought something must be wrong, that he wasn’t seeing what he thought he was. He began posting on Internet forums looking for a quick dismissal or a world-shattering verification of what he found. It wasn’t long after that professional astronomers and the bulk of the Earth’s telescopes began to turn towards the oddly familiar looking star that had been discovered and news spread like wildfire!
“The Sun’s Twin Discovered!” “New Star is Exact Copy of Our Sun!” These headlines were followed closely in a few short weeks by news that would forever change humanity: “Astronomers Discover A Second Earth!” Of course, claims like these had been made before: “Earth 2.0” and all that. But this discovery quickly proved to be different than previous claims; this wasn’t ‘Earth 2.0,’ this was a copy of Earth 1.0!
I was a young graduate student back then, completing my degree in Astrophysics and looking for a doctoral program. As soon as I found out about the new star I was off and running digging through the data that was coming in and trying to discover any information that could be inferred about it. Through online collaborations and my academic connections I soon found myself part of a team, the first team to discover the tiny blue dot orbiting a Sun-like star only a few light years from home.
As we learned more information about Earth’s twin the world began to change. First it was astronomers all over the world collaborating to discover everything we could about the new star and its planets. Remarkably, the whole system was an analog of our own, even down to the moons orbiting the planets based on what we could infer from the data. Then, space agencies started working together to figure out how we could get to the new system by sending a probe or people. Soon governments put aside political differences and resources were devoted to the project.
The people of Earth resolved to send a team to third planet in the system soon after we discovered telling evidence of an atmosphere, probably life, and possibly industrialization on the planet. I was determined to be a part of that team and dedicated my life to the endeavor. Having completed my PHD, and having become one of the leading experts on what was now being called Helios, the star and its system, I was a top choice to be the science lead for the mission.
By the time we left Earth for our journey it seemed like the world had come together, that humanity had become one people, united under a common goal. We left behind a world at peace, seeking to make new friends across the ocean of space between us and them. We slept on our long journey, dreaming dreams of discovery, companionship, and long lost kin.
We found none of those when we awoke. Our dreams vanished as we eagerly checked our sensors and instruments, impatiently scrambling to get the first closeup looks at another world beyond humanity’s home. There was no evidence of a star, no planets, no moons, nothing resembling what I had devoted my life to studying. The place I had devoted my life to reach.
Something was wrong. Did we go off course? We checked the navigation logs and we were exactly where we intended to be. In the days that followed we drifted and I poured over every sensor, every instrument and all the data we continued to collect. Eventually, I came to a gut wrenching conclusion. What we were approaching was not nothing.
All of those years of studying Helios, what we thought was our Sun’s twin, what we thought was a copy of our solar system, of our Earth; we had not been looking at a new star, what we had seen was our reflection. A mirror! We had been looking into a mirror. And there was only one astronomical object that could reflect light back 180 degrees to its source. We were approaching a Naked Singularity.
Humanity came together and achieved the impossible based on a illusion. We were duped by a black hole, with no event horizon, and so dense and tiny that it had acted as mirror. Earth had no copy and the Helios system was so identical to our own because it was our solar system. We would have to go back to a world at peace, for the first time in its existence, that it was all for nothing.
Or did we? | You slowly regain your state of mind, your hearing becomes clearer and clearer. You hear the ship speakers
"Final approach heading 211, Please verify automated landing."
The robotic voice repeats the line over and over again.
Your vision still blurred from the long hibernation you start to feel around the cold metal cockpit for the switch.
After what feels like an eternity you find it, with a sigh of relief you flip it and the robotic voice stops.
Falling back in your chair you rub your eyes trying to restore your vision but to no avail,
only faint blurs make up all the shape's and dial's in the cockpit.
"Fucking hibernation!" you exclaim, "how am I supposed to verify anything!".
Maybe it's the thrill of finally landing or your mind not yet comprehending what's happening,
but you give in and trust the automated systems are correct and prepare yourself for landing.
A weird silence falls in the cockpit only broken by the soft hum of the life support systems in the other cabin, as you listen to the hum you remember
how you complained back at base to make it silent, laughing at the fact you could "never get used to the sound!" but had managed to forget it existed for most of the journey.
Suddenly the robotic voice breaks your train of thought "Final approach heading 211, automated landing timeout. Procedure lock-in"
as the robotic voice speaks it's final message you wonder why they made it sound so official.
Looking out the window your blurry vision slowly sharpens and a familiar shape comes into view reminding you of the home you left behind,
sadly you can't look at the sight long as the window slowly fills up with the red color from the approach through the atmosphere.
Not but a moment later the ship shakes violently rushing towards the surface.
As the red hue disappears from the window, you can't help but whisper
"please open, please open, please open, please op.."
Interrupted with a violent thud you hear the parachutes open. Thank god!
Your ship drifts towards the planet, with a splash your ship lands.
"Water?, god dammit automation! No no no, it can't be..."
You quickly gather the needed supplies, You haven't gotten this far to die in the ocean of a foreign planet.
You're prepared to row to any landmass you can find. You open the door of the cockpit the light blinding your eyes once again.
As you try to look out, over the sea you spot something... a giant ship... stunned by how familiar the shape is,
it's a frigate! But how? What? Not to mention it's approaching you fast, very fast!
As you prepare to be intercepted by the what you assume to be aliens you think of the things you're gonna say, what are they gonna do to you?
are you gonna be dissected? probed? will they understand?
As you keep looking at the ship to make out what the creatures look like, slowly as the ship comes closer you realize... they're human.
Your mind is filled with questions: Why did they recall my ship? Why was I not informed? What has happened?
The ship now almost beside your cockpit, you can clearly look at the ship but you don't recognize any of the flags.
They must be a new country, maybe the union united it's been so long? You have no time to think before a person on the ship yells at you:
"Are you insane! Get back in! You're breaking quarantine procedure!", you quickly get back in and close the hatch.
saddened by the recall you sit back down in your way to familiar chair.
The ship takes it's time to slowly hoist your cockpit aboard, lowering you into the hold of the ship. The workers frantically spraying it with disinfectant
as it is being lowered. To your surprise they must have changed the procedure since your ship is lowered directly into the quarantine bay.
As soon as somebody signals you with a thumbs up you exit the cockpit, At the top of your lungs you yell "Why the recall! I even went into deep hibernation!"
"Why wasn't I informed! Why after traveling so long!". A crowd of people have gathered at the window of the quarantine bay to witness the outburst.
A young scientist, steps forward from the crowd to the speaker system,
as she hits a button the speakers in the bay spring online with a sudden crack
Calm down sir, we can't hear you. Please calm down! You have to use the intercom.
For fuck sake, an intercom? why can't they ever stick to a system around here. As you make your way to press the button
the scientist presses the button again: "What was it like?" she asks. Now even more people have gathered at the window, staring at you as if you're
supposed to know what the question meant.
With confusion, you press the button: If your talking about the deep hibernation it's alright but after a deep one your eyes are...
With a loud crack the line is interrupted. "Haha very funny mister I mean the other planet, terra is dying to know!" she says
Without thinking and in a fit of anger you try to interrupt the line "Fuck you, You know you guys did a recall!" but the system only allows you
to talk when the other side has let go. Even though she has not heard your outburst seeing your reaction she is visibly confused.
You do remember what happened do you? Why are you so angry? You signed up for the mission! now please calm down we don't want everybody on Terra to
see you angry, Just tell us what terra-exemplo was like! Can we take it?
As the loud crack from the intercom signals they let go, you realize.
You press the button only muttering the question "take it?".
"You do remember we need it right? the army is prepared. We can't stay here to long it's gotten out of control"
Before she lets you interject she continues "it's the perfect place! its like here but this time we wont let it get out of hand! We just need a second chance"
After she finishes you get a second, to reconnect your thoughts and you respond:
"You're right, we and your planet are exactly alike and we did the same thing." | |
[WP] A planet is found rotating around a sun identical to ours and having the same orbit and singular moon.You are sent to inspect.When you land you find life there exactly like that of the Earth you left behind and the people think that you have come back to tell them what the other planet is like. |
**Item \#:** SCP-XXXX
**Object Class:** [Archon](https://www.reddit.com/r/SCP/comments/b2580l/the_more_the_merrier_maybe_object_class_guide_v11/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app)
**Special Containment Procedures:** Due to the mirroring of actions on both the Earth and SCP-XXXX, containment, while possible, is not in the interests of the Foundation.
**Description:** SCP-XXXX is a phenomenon causing the mirroring of any actions between the Earth and an exact copy of it.
SCP-XXXX was first discovered on [REDACTED], as an exact copy of the Earth was found orbiting an exact copy of the Sun. A manned expedition was sent to examine if the planet had any anomalous properties, but on the expected date of arrival, a capsule landed at Site-19. The capsule contained the same astronaut that was sent to the planet, and the astronaut claimed to be the one sent from the other planet to “discover anything anomalous.” He was immediately sent back, upon which the astronaut from Earth arrived too.
*Note from Researcher █████:* So, this means that there’s no way of knowing that we’re actually the “reflection”? Or that there’s another me who just thought the same thing? Man, this is trippy.
**Addendum**
**Experiment XXXX-1:**
For long-distance communication, a special network was established. Upon sending the word “hello”, the same word was received instantly.
Further tests are to be deemed low priority. | Diabetes? Why would diabetes and chronic indigestion be a side effect of stasis? The confusion and memory loss make sense, but not the digestive issues. It’s bad enough that my ship made a giant interstellar U-turn about a year before I reached the half-way point and that things are a bit weirder than I expected after being gone for 30 years, but this GI distress is killing me.
Physically, everything checked-out when I returned: my electrolytes, blood pressure, heart rate, etc. are all still good, but I can’t eat anything. The docs are saying its “pancreatic insufficiency”. Basically, everything I eat runs through me without being digested. Well, not everything, because I can keep all my “minerals” at the right levels, but all the sugars, proteins and fats just run right through me. They even tried IV fluids with sugars, but that beat the hell out of my kidneys and put me into “ketosis”.
As an aside, the Docs thought it was funny that I remember my grandfather talking about “Keto” being a fad diet when he was a kid – They all think it’s crazy that anybody would willing put themselves into ketosis and don’t remember that ever being taught when fad diets were discussed ...
... and that’s what’s unsettling about the memory issues. Most disconnects just seem to be from being literally in a black-out tank (Think the old movie Altered States – sorry Altered Consciousnesses) for 30-years, but others are just “So close, yet so far”. For example, I don’t remember so many left handed people.
Even my memories of the mission is a bit off. We agree that ‘E2’ – a planet, in a solar system, both eerily similar to ours, was found in 2088, but I remember launching in early 2100 to kick off what everybody celebrated as a new century. They tell me we launched in 2101 (the actual start of the new century) to commemorate what I remember as a really bad pre-2021 movie that was inexplicably popular the year that I left. I’m living one nagging Mandela Effect.
Anyway, back to the Drs Office. I’m hoping they find a cure/solution soon. I have enough preserved feeding tube formula to last me the rest of the year – Stasis wasn’t SciFi frozen in time stasis, just everything was super slowed down so I could survive the anticipated 60-year round trip – but it’s getting really boring and I’m craving real food.
It’s bad enough that I have the internal monologue trope running in my head, the doom & gloom medical report trope unfolding right in front of me, but the “out of breath young lab tech barging into the room” trope just kicked into high gear.
They started off by explaining what I already knew: My formula is fine. Some meds work, others have no effect. Ingested and IV minerals, electrolytes, etc. are fine. Ingested nutrients run through me partially digested, but unabsorbed. IV nutrients build-up and tear the hell out of my kidneys. The new twist is that when they test for general sugars, proteins and fats, they find a normal amount; when they try to identify specific sugars, proteins and fats, they find none. The tech thought there was something wrong with the equipment, so he tried an old “dioptometer” (I had to look that one up – it’s for measuring sugar levels by how much the solution twists the light.) The shocker is that my sugars twist the light to the right, instead of the left.
Maybe I did arrive at my destination …
| |
[WP] A planet is found rotating around a sun identical to ours and having the same orbit and singular moon.You are sent to inspect.When you land you find life there exactly like that of the Earth you left behind and the people think that you have come back to tell them what the other planet is like. |
**Item \#:** SCP-XXXX
**Object Class:** [Archon](https://www.reddit.com/r/SCP/comments/b2580l/the_more_the_merrier_maybe_object_class_guide_v11/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app)
**Special Containment Procedures:** Due to the mirroring of actions on both the Earth and SCP-XXXX, containment, while possible, is not in the interests of the Foundation.
**Description:** SCP-XXXX is a phenomenon causing the mirroring of any actions between the Earth and an exact copy of it.
SCP-XXXX was first discovered on [REDACTED], as an exact copy of the Earth was found orbiting an exact copy of the Sun. A manned expedition was sent to examine if the planet had any anomalous properties, but on the expected date of arrival, a capsule landed at Site-19. The capsule contained the same astronaut that was sent to the planet, and the astronaut claimed to be the one sent from the other planet to “discover anything anomalous.” He was immediately sent back, upon which the astronaut from Earth arrived too.
*Note from Researcher █████:* So, this means that there’s no way of knowing that we’re actually the “reflection”? Or that there’s another me who just thought the same thing? Man, this is trippy.
**Addendum**
**Experiment XXXX-1:**
For long-distance communication, a special network was established. Upon sending the word “hello”, the same word was received instantly.
Further tests are to be deemed low priority. |
They think I’m mad. Totally insane. How can I make them believe me? They think I’m one of them, but only I know the truth. Back on Earth, MY version of Earth, we discovered a planet that looked like ours. Hell, it even orbited a sun like ours. After I won the lottery which chose who to send to explore this planet, I found out just how alike the two places are. Everything, and I really mean EVERYTHING, was exactly the same! There is even a “me” here, who they sent to explore my planet! Well, naturally, they think I’m her, and that the space exploration has turned me insane. They think I never made it to the other planet, no matter how many times I calmly try to explain that I’m from there. I guess I can’t blame them. They’ve locked me away in this asylum for days now; I’ve lost track of how many. I spend the passing hours plotting my escape. I want to explore this place, but I also want to go home. I wonder what is happening to the other me. Did they lock her up, too? Sometimes when I need a bit of a respite from escape plans, I fantasize about what it would be like to meet her. The other me. Do we have the same personality? Are there subtle differences that someone who knows her well here will eventually pick up on? But I digress. The full moon is coming. As on my Earth, there’s always a festival on the night of each full moon. It’s the perfect night for my escape. I usually take a walk around the rest of the hospital since they encourage the patients here to get regular exercise. On these excursions I’ve stolen a few things to help me blend in, such as a surgical mask, a pair of scissors, various things from supply closets. I think if I cut my hair and try to dress like one of the staff here, I just might pull this off.
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
The Night of the Full Moon
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
I’ve made it pretty far from my room. It helps that they’ve got a skeleton crew on shift here tonight. Almost to the elevator now…someone’s approaching…act natural…
It’s one of the nurses. “Good evening, doctor.”, she says. I nod my head in acknowledgement as we pass each other without incident. She can’t tell that I’m holding my breath or that my heart is about to pound out of my chest. With the closing of the elevator door, I let out a sigh and stumble a bit. The exit is so close now, I can’t fail. Even with all of the training I had to go through in order to become an astronaut, this is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. There’s a security guard at the door, but I think I can manage to fool him. “Done for the night?”, he asks me. “Yup, just going to check out the festival for a bit.” I say on my way out the door. Of course, I have no intention of going to the festival. While it would be a good place to blend in with its large crowds, the music swelling, the sight of the moon at the center of attention, I’m headed to my ship. It’s not worth exploring this planet, not if I get locked up again. They can send someone else. So close now….just beyond the hill…
It’s all going so well, too well, but as I round the corner of my ship something happens. I come face to face with her…with…me!
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
(First time, don't kill me if you hate it haha) | |
[WP] A planet is found rotating around a sun identical to ours and having the same orbit and singular moon.You are sent to inspect.When you land you find life there exactly like that of the Earth you left behind and the people think that you have come back to tell them what the other planet is like. | “So you’re not him.”
“Right.”
“And we’re not them, but we’re just like them?”
“Correct.”
“So, just so we’re clear, he’s there, you’re here, we’re here, but we’re just like them there.”
“That's about the size of things, yes.”
“Well, that’s quite the claim! We’re going to need you to provide us some proof.”
—
And thus started the all-time ‘chicken’ championship. Would he fly back? Or would he wait for me? After all, he’s me, but not me, and I’m him, but not him. His decisions are my decisions. Or are my decisions his? No, my decisions are my decisions. Or are they his decisions? That sneaky devil!
So I waited, paralyzed by my indecision. Or his indecision. I haven’t decided on whose indecision it was. I assumed his life, which was my life, and lived at his house that was my house, and ate his food that was my food.
And then, I flipped a coin. It landed on heads, and my return voyage was scheduled.
—
“What do you mean I just left?”
“You just left, and now you’re back. We’re starting to doubt that you’re qualified for space travel.”
“I’m starting to think that too.”
—
So I lived with my wife who was his wife, but was really my wife, and I played with the dogs that were his but also mine, and I mowed my lawn that at one point was his lawn, but not really.
And then I flipped another coin. Heads.
—
“See? We told you. Virtually identical.”
“Huh. Neat.”
“Neat?”
“Yep, and not at all confusing.”
—
And so I traveled back to my planet, that was his planet, but really my planet. And I met with my superiors that were his superiors, but that were probably actually my superiors (for those keeping track).
—
“So you met yourself?”
“Yes.”
“And he was just like you?”
“Exactly”.
“Was it worth it?”
“No,” I replied.
—
Edit: Thanks for my first ever Reddit gold! | One and The Same
The automated voice played as it did so many times during the mission training. I had been made aware the mission was pretty much idiot-proof as it wasn't guaranteed I would wake up after a long, chemically induced slowing of my metabolism without brain damage.
"Good morning. Remember to remove the easily accessible catheter before attempting movement. The symbol on the screen will help with any task available within the ship." The automated voice paused as it showed a button with a question mark on it. "You will also find this button on field equipment as well. It will take some time before you can regain muscle strength required-" The voice was cut off by another I recognized.
"What happened?" I couldn't place the voice, but it was undeniably familiar.
"Sir, I'm not sure what you mean. It would appear I have awoken at the appropriate time for mission success." I remembered that the experimental satellite array launched to attempt an intergalactic transmission system wasn't guaranteed to work. I was thankful to be able to maintain contact with Houston. "My coordinates appear to-"
"Not you, the probe." The voice was kind of a jerk. I think I don't like my boss. "Probe designation Mercury. Status." As the automated voice ran through a typical sounding system diagnosis I deflated the catheter. That took more effort than I recalled.
"Mercury, what happened at the coordinates flagged as the outer rim of the Milky Way galaxy?" That command issued an error response.
"Did the guidance system turn me around at the halfway point?" I was barely able to manage getting dressed. My voice was throaty, almost groggy. "Was there an issue with the onboard navigation?"
"Manned operatives. We have too much interference with both of you talking. Please keep this line of communication free as we manually download a more comprehensive guide of the system's log." Did they forget my name? Did I forget my name? No.... I know it's in my head... somewhere.
"Manned operatives? Plural?" I croaked. The cheery voice of the ship notified me I had been muted. I loaded up the air needle with the cocktail of drugs meant to counteract those that let me sleep through my journey. Just to be safe I took a measured dose of freeze dried coffee paste and awaited the respone from... that guy. If only I could recall.
I selected the ten pound weights to begin the exercises meant to regain my strength. After dropping those I reluctantly chose the two pound weights, arms already exhausted from the simple tasks I had given them.
"Manned Operative B, what is your name? Can you recall?" The voice commanded.
"No, sir. Operative B? Was there another manned probe sent out with a similar mission?" I had dropped the two pounds weight as well. More so out of excitement than anything else.
"I really can't determine which one is which with both of you talking. For whatever reason both channels open whenever we unmute either manned operative. We'll be sending an extraction team to your location B. Hold on tight. We'll be there soon." I guess voice guy was never good at transparency. If there were two people responding why couldn't I hear this person known only to me as Manned Operative A?
"When?" I cleared my throat. No use. Muted again. I prepared the kit for sample collection, despite my coordinates stating I was on earth. Not very far from the launch site actually. I went back to the recommended exercises.
The ship's door opened with a rush of air. Real air. It even smelt like home. I jumped up too quickly from the cot and promptly fell at the feet of the extraction team. Oddly they refused to talk to me. I had even been forcibly restrained despite my muscular atrophy. I had more questions for them then they had answers it seemed.
Before I knew it I was in a medical facility I recognized. It was where I received extensive testing during mission training. I thought I stumbled onto someone sane as I recognized the doctor. She looked older though. She seemed to be checking off vitals and biometrics.
"What's going on doctor... doctor?" My brain was probably fried due to some radiation, perhaps a never before encountered form. Yippee. That meant a lot more tests before I get any answers.
"So you can't remember my name?" This seemed to break her. "I can't do this." Her voice cracked. "He looks just like him. That day." Tears fell. "No, hold on! I have to talk to him. Adam! It's me! They're saying the signal split. They don't know which is the real Mercury probe. The one that you arrived in or the one that completed the flight path." The door burst open and I struggled against my restraints as she was being injected with someting.
"Stop that, don't hurt her!" She was practically tackled to the ground.
"They're saying you're an extraterrestrial, Adam!" Her voice strained from the weight of the men on top of her. "I won't let them do this," She got quieter from either the drugs in her system or a lack of oxygen. She continued to attempt an escape from their grasp. "I love you, okay? I love-" She drifted off.
I was left utterly in the dark. The only thing I could be sure of was the mission. I was almost certain my name was Adam though. Almost.
"Idiot-proof? You thought I would be the idiot in this situation!?! You can't recognize your own operative and my mission is idiot-proof!?!" Then nothing. Sedation. | |
[WP] A planet is found rotating around a sun identical to ours and having the same orbit and singular moon.You are sent to inspect.When you land you find life there exactly like that of the Earth you left behind and the people think that you have come back to tell them what the other planet is like. | Two years ago I left my home planet.
Four months ago I landed on this planet. Meanwhile I've started to believe They're the same one.
\--
"Come here Max", I shout to my dog, the only living thing I could trust since I landed, at least at the start. He leaves the piece of wood he was playing with, looks at me for a few seconds, then starts running towards me.
\--
The first week on this planet I stayed in a little hospital owned by their NASA, where they put me through a lot of tests to check that I am healthy after my journey. Things happened so fast, I barely had the time to think or talk to people, I just went along with it. A lot of the tests involved exercise, so most days I'd be very tired after them and just sleep for 16 hours straight until the next test. The people that handled me looked, acted and talked like humans, and that fascinated me - but they did not look familiar. To be fair, I've never been to this hospital back on Earth, because most of my work was in the US - but I did know it existed.
\--
We arrive at the entrance to the park and I greet Bob with a head gesture. He greets me back and we enter.
Max goes to the left and starts his routine of sniffing the closest tree, seeing I've continued without him, running along and going to the next tree.
It's already 12 PM, and my stomach starts making weird noises so I decide to sit at the next bench and open the homemade lunch I brought in my backpack.
\--
After they decided I was good to go, they gave me the address to an apartment that was leased for a month where I could stay until I was ready to "go home". At the time, I thought I knew what they meant, so I took a very Earth-looking cab and gave the driver the address.
By that time, I thought that I was in an exact replica of Earth, with a different history, politics and people, and decided to invest my time into researching the differences and not the similarities. I also had some assignments I was given by my team at NASA, but I put them aside, at least for the start, so I could get used to the new place.
The first things I've done after settling at the apartment, was going to the closest shop and buying (using money their NASA gave me) a newspaper, a map of the world and a map of the city. My plan was to find a library nearby and start investigating.
But on my way back to the apartment, I got a phone call that was the first sign that something was off.
\--
After getting the water bottle and letting Max drink a little, I stretch my hand further into the bag to search for my sandwich. *I'm sure I put it there.* After getting all of the things out of the bag I am now convinced I left it on the counter when I left the house. *merde.*
I look at the things I got out of the bag and one specific item catches my eye - the newspaper I bought on my second week back. Having nothing better to do, I decide to read it until Max will finish playing around and we can go back.
"Sunday Times, 4.5.2018"
Something's off.
\--
All the flight to their NYC, two words kept me awake. "Welcome back". *What did he me by back?*
I was on my way to meet with my "manager", who knew my name, said he was from their NASA, and sounded too much like my manager back home.
He told me they couldn't wait a month so they booked me a flight, and that they will start questioning me about the trip as soon as I arrive. The "trip" was one year and 8 months in space, me sleeping like a baby all the way through. It actually felt like I've fallen to a coma and woke up when the spaceship landed. So at the time all I could think about was what could they possibly ask me about it.
NYC was exactly the same as back home. Same smells, same shops, same advertisers in times square, I even caught a glimpse of my old building while I was in the cab.
The driver stopped in front of a building that looked like the one my old manager's office was at.
When I got into the room I was speechless to see a look alike of my real manager.
\--
I start recalling how they convinced me I was back at my home planet.
It started with my manager showing me the route my ship took, then a bunch of scientist I worked with coming up with explanations, some co-workers that worked with me trying authenticate themselves and convince me it was really them.
It continued with me meeting my wife. I couldn't resist her. The whole following week we were together after all the time we were apart, and we brought up memories from when we first started dating, when I asked her father if I could have her, our wedding...
After that week with her I just accepted the truth that I was back after my ship couldn't get to the new planet, and that I was really back at my home planet.
But now I'm not sure of it anymore. Small details that I missed before are coming up to me - how my wife and I couldn't agree on the color of my suit at our wedding, how a neighbor I've talked to several times seemed not to recognize me, how I suddenly was too tall to enter the basement without crunching my back, how I couldn't get a hold of my sister since I came back... And now this.
You see, I left Earth on the 3rd of July, 3282.
\-----
**EDIT**: Thank you all for the comments!
I truly believe in a reader's interpretation, so I'm sorry for not clearing things out or commenting about your theories of things. Your interpretation is just as correct as mine.
Also, I wrote a little bit more as I felt I have not finished exploring this storyline. Part 2 is attached as a comment, hope you like it! | One and The Same
The automated voice played as it did so many times during the mission training. I had been made aware the mission was pretty much idiot-proof as it wasn't guaranteed I would wake up after a long, chemically induced slowing of my metabolism without brain damage.
"Good morning. Remember to remove the easily accessible catheter before attempting movement. The symbol on the screen will help with any task available within the ship." The automated voice paused as it showed a button with a question mark on it. "You will also find this button on field equipment as well. It will take some time before you can regain muscle strength required-" The voice was cut off by another I recognized.
"What happened?" I couldn't place the voice, but it was undeniably familiar.
"Sir, I'm not sure what you mean. It would appear I have awoken at the appropriate time for mission success." I remembered that the experimental satellite array launched to attempt an intergalactic transmission system wasn't guaranteed to work. I was thankful to be able to maintain contact with Houston. "My coordinates appear to-"
"Not you, the probe." The voice was kind of a jerk. I think I don't like my boss. "Probe designation Mercury. Status." As the automated voice ran through a typical sounding system diagnosis I deflated the catheter. That took more effort than I recalled.
"Mercury, what happened at the coordinates flagged as the outer rim of the Milky Way galaxy?" That command issued an error response.
"Did the guidance system turn me around at the halfway point?" I was barely able to manage getting dressed. My voice was throaty, almost groggy. "Was there an issue with the onboard navigation?"
"Manned operatives. We have too much interference with both of you talking. Please keep this line of communication free as we manually download a more comprehensive guide of the system's log." Did they forget my name? Did I forget my name? No.... I know it's in my head... somewhere.
"Manned operatives? Plural?" I croaked. The cheery voice of the ship notified me I had been muted. I loaded up the air needle with the cocktail of drugs meant to counteract those that let me sleep through my journey. Just to be safe I took a measured dose of freeze dried coffee paste and awaited the respone from... that guy. If only I could recall.
I selected the ten pound weights to begin the exercises meant to regain my strength. After dropping those I reluctantly chose the two pound weights, arms already exhausted from the simple tasks I had given them.
"Manned Operative B, what is your name? Can you recall?" The voice commanded.
"No, sir. Operative B? Was there another manned probe sent out with a similar mission?" I had dropped the two pounds weight as well. More so out of excitement than anything else.
"I really can't determine which one is which with both of you talking. For whatever reason both channels open whenever we unmute either manned operative. We'll be sending an extraction team to your location B. Hold on tight. We'll be there soon." I guess voice guy was never good at transparency. If there were two people responding why couldn't I hear this person known only to me as Manned Operative A?
"When?" I cleared my throat. No use. Muted again. I prepared the kit for sample collection, despite my coordinates stating I was on earth. Not very far from the launch site actually. I went back to the recommended exercises.
The ship's door opened with a rush of air. Real air. It even smelt like home. I jumped up too quickly from the cot and promptly fell at the feet of the extraction team. Oddly they refused to talk to me. I had even been forcibly restrained despite my muscular atrophy. I had more questions for them then they had answers it seemed.
Before I knew it I was in a medical facility I recognized. It was where I received extensive testing during mission training. I thought I stumbled onto someone sane as I recognized the doctor. She looked older though. She seemed to be checking off vitals and biometrics.
"What's going on doctor... doctor?" My brain was probably fried due to some radiation, perhaps a never before encountered form. Yippee. That meant a lot more tests before I get any answers.
"So you can't remember my name?" This seemed to break her. "I can't do this." Her voice cracked. "He looks just like him. That day." Tears fell. "No, hold on! I have to talk to him. Adam! It's me! They're saying the signal split. They don't know which is the real Mercury probe. The one that you arrived in or the one that completed the flight path." The door burst open and I struggled against my restraints as she was being injected with someting.
"Stop that, don't hurt her!" She was practically tackled to the ground.
"They're saying you're an extraterrestrial, Adam!" Her voice strained from the weight of the men on top of her. "I won't let them do this," She got quieter from either the drugs in her system or a lack of oxygen. She continued to attempt an escape from their grasp. "I love you, okay? I love-" She drifted off.
I was left utterly in the dark. The only thing I could be sure of was the mission. I was almost certain my name was Adam though. Almost.
"Idiot-proof? You thought I would be the idiot in this situation!?! You can't recognize your own operative and my mission is idiot-proof!?!" Then nothing. Sedation. | |
[WP] A planet is found rotating around a sun identical to ours and having the same orbit and singular moon.You are sent to inspect.When you land you find life there exactly like that of the Earth you left behind and the people think that you have come back to tell them what the other planet is like. | Two years ago I left my home planet.
Four months ago I landed on this planet. Meanwhile I've started to believe They're the same one.
\--
"Come here Max", I shout to my dog, the only living thing I could trust since I landed, at least at the start. He leaves the piece of wood he was playing with, looks at me for a few seconds, then starts running towards me.
\--
The first week on this planet I stayed in a little hospital owned by their NASA, where they put me through a lot of tests to check that I am healthy after my journey. Things happened so fast, I barely had the time to think or talk to people, I just went along with it. A lot of the tests involved exercise, so most days I'd be very tired after them and just sleep for 16 hours straight until the next test. The people that handled me looked, acted and talked like humans, and that fascinated me - but they did not look familiar. To be fair, I've never been to this hospital back on Earth, because most of my work was in the US - but I did know it existed.
\--
We arrive at the entrance to the park and I greet Bob with a head gesture. He greets me back and we enter.
Max goes to the left and starts his routine of sniffing the closest tree, seeing I've continued without him, running along and going to the next tree.
It's already 12 PM, and my stomach starts making weird noises so I decide to sit at the next bench and open the homemade lunch I brought in my backpack.
\--
After they decided I was good to go, they gave me the address to an apartment that was leased for a month where I could stay until I was ready to "go home". At the time, I thought I knew what they meant, so I took a very Earth-looking cab and gave the driver the address.
By that time, I thought that I was in an exact replica of Earth, with a different history, politics and people, and decided to invest my time into researching the differences and not the similarities. I also had some assignments I was given by my team at NASA, but I put them aside, at least for the start, so I could get used to the new place.
The first things I've done after settling at the apartment, was going to the closest shop and buying (using money their NASA gave me) a newspaper, a map of the world and a map of the city. My plan was to find a library nearby and start investigating.
But on my way back to the apartment, I got a phone call that was the first sign that something was off.
\--
After getting the water bottle and letting Max drink a little, I stretch my hand further into the bag to search for my sandwich. *I'm sure I put it there.* After getting all of the things out of the bag I am now convinced I left it on the counter when I left the house. *merde.*
I look at the things I got out of the bag and one specific item catches my eye - the newspaper I bought on my second week back. Having nothing better to do, I decide to read it until Max will finish playing around and we can go back.
"Sunday Times, 4.5.2018"
Something's off.
\--
All the flight to their NYC, two words kept me awake. "Welcome back". *What did he me by back?*
I was on my way to meet with my "manager", who knew my name, said he was from their NASA, and sounded too much like my manager back home.
He told me they couldn't wait a month so they booked me a flight, and that they will start questioning me about the trip as soon as I arrive. The "trip" was one year and 8 months in space, me sleeping like a baby all the way through. It actually felt like I've fallen to a coma and woke up when the spaceship landed. So at the time all I could think about was what could they possibly ask me about it.
NYC was exactly the same as back home. Same smells, same shops, same advertisers in times square, I even caught a glimpse of my old building while I was in the cab.
The driver stopped in front of a building that looked like the one my old manager's office was at.
When I got into the room I was speechless to see a look alike of my real manager.
\--
I start recalling how they convinced me I was back at my home planet.
It started with my manager showing me the route my ship took, then a bunch of scientist I worked with coming up with explanations, some co-workers that worked with me trying authenticate themselves and convince me it was really them.
It continued with me meeting my wife. I couldn't resist her. The whole following week we were together after all the time we were apart, and we brought up memories from when we first started dating, when I asked her father if I could have her, our wedding...
After that week with her I just accepted the truth that I was back after my ship couldn't get to the new planet, and that I was really back at my home planet.
But now I'm not sure of it anymore. Small details that I missed before are coming up to me - how my wife and I couldn't agree on the color of my suit at our wedding, how a neighbor I've talked to several times seemed not to recognize me, how I suddenly was too tall to enter the basement without crunching my back, how I couldn't get a hold of my sister since I came back... And now this.
You see, I left Earth on the 3rd of July, 3282.
\-----
**EDIT**: Thank you all for the comments!
I truly believe in a reader's interpretation, so I'm sorry for not clearing things out or commenting about your theories of things. Your interpretation is just as correct as mine.
Also, I wrote a little bit more as I felt I have not finished exploring this storyline. Part 2 is attached as a comment, hope you like it! | A lone ranger amongst rogue stars, that's what I was to become. No crew, no help; cast out into the unknown, the uncharted, to seek something. A world, so much like my own, yet different nonetheless. I had to know what it held. I needed answers to secrets unspoken, questions not yet asked.
I was only twenty-two, kissing a crying babe, and a crying wife, and a crying mother. "Find that which you seek", they told me, and I told myself. "And come back whole."
Stumbling through an expanse of stars like candles floating on a river, I drifted, watching, searching. I did not know what I would feel when it came, but it would be obvious, surely. I don't know how long had passed on plotted course, landing on dichotomous ground, the same yet different. A family, the one I'd left, rushed forth, asking question of my journey.
"Did you find it?" they asked me. "That thing you're looking for, so dearly."
But I had not, and these unfamiliars, these stolen faces, they were wrong. I left once more, and they wished me luck, crying as they had before.
A nomad, I decided, is what I'd become. A lost traveler through the sands of space, drifting, careening, searching. I saw many things in further travels, stars unspent, dying planets, dust like misty fog. What I looked for surely must have been, or else what was the point? My life's purpose was to find a single answer, without it, I meant nothing. A vapid bag of air tumbling across galaxies.
Once more I found my home out there, somewhere else unknown. Faces I knew not sobbed and begged, clawing at me like animals unfed. They looked familiar, I knew, like ghosts of love, nostalgia sweeping me away. But there was no time for that, no, there was still so much to do.
"Please stay," they asked, dry words a desperate cough. "There's nothing else for you to find."
They were wrong, I knew, they had to be. Or what was my whole life? It was a journey, that's true, and along it were answers unbound. I left a final time, a casket firing into space, knowing I'd find truth amidst my death.
And as I floated, a living asteroid, I think I found that which I sought. An answer like stars fighting off bleary night, casting shadows of me below that stretched to infinity. It seemed so simple, then, as I trailed away.
My whole life searching, never being.
And now it has been spent.
-----
^(kind of a weird one, experimenting with prose)
*/r/resonatingfury* | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | This is my first attempt please be kind.
Bill, I really need you to tell me what's going on here. This is the third time in two months you've called me to come get you. I don't even understand how you got here, Stacy and I left your house ten minutes before you called, how are you six hours away outside your mom's house?
Dude you wouldn't believe me if I told you. I'm not even sure I believe me and it's been happening half my life!
Well, we got plenty of time. Try me.
Fine Gene, just remember you asked for this. You remember all those vacations Janet and I took before the kids were born? And how you always asked me how we could afford to travel so much on my crappy salary?
Really? How could I forget something like that? Stace and I are still trying to figure it out, it's gotta be something big because we all know Janet can't keep a secret.
Right, well... you're sure you want to know this... ok ok! Quit giving me that look and watch the road! Fine. Here goes. When I love someone, romantically love someone, not family or friends we can teleport. Not like you're thinking, they can teleport me and I can teleport them, DUDE EYES ON THE ROAD!
Shit! Sorry, sorry. Do you really expect me to believe you and Janet can just poof in and out of places? Come on Bill.
I'm not kidding Gene, and like I said, it's not just Janet. It's been everyone I've ever loved. It first happened in high school. My first girlfriend, Ashley, she cheated on me with my best friend. It was just a stray thought... Gene I had no clue, how could I? I was angry and pictured her burning on the sun... That was the day Ashley disappeared. They searched for her for months with no trace. I... I killed that girl... I was a kid... I didn't know what I was doing, hell I didn't even know I could do it!
Give me a break! Some girl you were dating goes missing and you think you can teleport people? I appreciate you trying to make the ride interesting but come on I want-
Let me finish the story and I'll prove it to you. Anyway. The next girl I dated, Kim was her name, was when I started figuring it out. We were on the phone, we were having one of those high school love talks "I love you more" "No I love you more" you know how it is. I said I wish you were here and *poof* there she was. Neither one of us had any clue what had happened but she was there. I'd like to say we started testing it out then but we were teenagers and my parents were gone... the next night the same thing happened, got in real trouble when my parents came to say good night and we were making out on my bed. The next day we skipped school, we were both already grounded what were our parents going to do, we spent the whole day testing it. She suggested we go to France so I wished for us to be in France, nothing, I tried it again and again and nothing. Try wishing me she said. So I did, *poof* she was gone. My phone started to ring, it was her. I can't believe that worked! This would be so much better if you were here! *Poof* I was in France! We'd figured it out! We went everywhere! Rome, Tahiti, Egypt, we traveled the world. Until college, she went to USC I went to Brown. It wasn't a big deal, we could see each other whenever we wanted. One Christmas she went home to see her family and was killed in a car wreck. I dated a few other girls but never loved them, I still wasn't over Kim, they thought I was crazy, talking about teleporting but I couldn't ever do it. I stopped talking about it. I started to think I was crazy and made it all up. Then I met Janet. It wasn't even intentional, I was at home, she was on a business trip. One minute I was making dinner, the next I'm in a hotel room. Janet about flipped! "How are you Here? How did you get in?" It was like a light being switched on, I asked her if she was thinking of me, she was. I explained to her what was happening, she didn't want to believe me but she had to. That night we made love on the observation deck of the Empire State Building.
Ok hold up. Let's say I believe you, are you telling me you and Janet have teleported all over the world?
No. I mean we did at first but it was really dangerous not having a passport or any money. So I had an idea. Janet and I have been teleporting to banks and taking what we need from the vaults.
Ha! You almost had me Bill! Teleporting bank robbers! That's great! That was a fun waste of two hours, now tell me the real story.
Yea I know you don't believe me. I did tell you I would prove it. Before I do this I need you to pull over, I really don't want us wrecking.
Man if you're messing with me it's not going to be good. Stacey is already pissed that I'm driving twelve hours to get you!
Just keep your eyes on the back seat.
WHAT THE HELL?!?! JANET?!?!? How the hell is this... wait that whole story was true?
Really Bill, you told Gene? I thought we were keeping it secret!
I wouldn't have had to tell him if you hadn't sent me to my mother's for the third time! I get you're mad but what was I supposed to do? I can't send myself home and you weren't bringing me back!
Don't you dare blame me for this! Why don't you tell him why I sent you to your mother's! Ask him Gene, ask him why I did it!
I don't want to be in the midd-
I said ask him Gene!
Ok Ok! Why did she send you to your mother's Bill?
Gene, I...
You do it right now Bill or i swear to God I'll send you into space! Do it!
Ok here goes...
Stacey!?
...
| **Winner**
*Damnit*! From that mud pit of a dog park to his mother’s living room? I work furiously at the complex anti-theft lock on my i-watch. After a few seconds I look around and realize that it’s so much worse than I thought—he’s going to *leave me here*.
My mind works on ways—any single way—of getting out unseen as my fingers pick up their already frantic pace. I’m sure his mom already heard the familiar \*ding of the teleport device thanks to the Miracle Ear we bought her. As paranoid as she is, she’s probably going to call 911 and report a B&E even if it is me.
Geez, after Christmas, *especially* if it’s me.
As my mind comes up blank again and again, I hear his mom’s footsteps and the voice of a 911 operator coming from that outrageously loud i-watch-for-seniors.
Damn, damn, *damn*! What was I thinking when I bought this (so obviously) doomed LovePort app for our anniversary?! He can be *such* a teenager! And all because I had the audacity to ask him to wash the dog after he let her roll in the mud. He’s also the one who lets her up on the bed!
I finally free myself from the watch and get ready to toss it at his mother as she rounds the corner, which is just about…now!
"That’s it for you, buddy!" I yell as I tap the watch and teleport Mark to Kaylee's air-travel crate. At least I know where he’ll be when I finally make my way home.
And if his mom lets my watch drop in front of her (like she just did), and has me thrown in jail as a trespasser (a likely scenario from the conversation she’s having with her own watch)? Meh!
At least I’m not wherever my watch just disappeared to—this round goes to me! Congratulations?
========
*Edited to add title. Mar23* | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | [Poem]
Oh dear god have I messed up.
So before this breath's up
I will tell you the story
Of the final time I will fuck up.
My girl and I got this power
From a radioactive chihuahua
We could teleport each other
To wherever we wanted
We went to france.
We went to spain.
We didn't need
No stinkin plane.
She caught me cheating with a man
I sent her to Afghanistan.
But the teleport did seal my doom.
Because she sent me to the moon.
| There it was. The excuse we’d been looking for. After getting into another argument we knew we needed something to help calm things down and ease the pain. We looked at each other and started to plot.
First, I’d teleport her to take care of some traitors. Next, she’d teleport me to get the drugs. Finally, we’d teleport each other to Hawaii. Then we could get up to some serious mischief; at least for a little while.
After sending her to successfully behead the WP mod traitors she sent me to successfully steal the good cocaine (and some molly of course) from Colombia and we were all ready. We went to Oahu and got smashed. It’s nice to be able to teleport. If only we could control ourselves instead of the other one but hey, it works. | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | Her shout echoed in her living room. I had tried to time it so I would appear outside but after a string of dates that all ended with... me not feeling a thing. They had all been like that since I met her. I had been so nervous I totally blew it. When the feeling of loneness became too great, I sought her company. And she did not want mine.
That is why she shouted "What on earth are YOU doing here again? LEAVE ME ALONE!"
She had enough. I could hardly blame her. All she wanted was to get away from me. And all I wanted was for her to want to see me. Just once. And maybe then she would understand that our connection worked both ways. | There it was. The excuse we’d been looking for. After getting into another argument we knew we needed something to help calm things down and ease the pain. We looked at each other and started to plot.
First, I’d teleport her to take care of some traitors. Next, she’d teleport me to get the drugs. Finally, we’d teleport each other to Hawaii. Then we could get up to some serious mischief; at least for a little while.
After sending her to successfully behead the WP mod traitors she sent me to successfully steal the good cocaine (and some molly of course) from Colombia and we were all ready. We went to Oahu and got smashed. It’s nice to be able to teleport. If only we could control ourselves instead of the other one but hey, it works. | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | This is my first attempt please be kind.
Bill, I really need you to tell me what's going on here. This is the third time in two months you've called me to come get you. I don't even understand how you got here, Stacy and I left your house ten minutes before you called, how are you six hours away outside your mom's house?
Dude you wouldn't believe me if I told you. I'm not even sure I believe me and it's been happening half my life!
Well, we got plenty of time. Try me.
Fine Gene, just remember you asked for this. You remember all those vacations Janet and I took before the kids were born? And how you always asked me how we could afford to travel so much on my crappy salary?
Really? How could I forget something like that? Stace and I are still trying to figure it out, it's gotta be something big because we all know Janet can't keep a secret.
Right, well... you're sure you want to know this... ok ok! Quit giving me that look and watch the road! Fine. Here goes. When I love someone, romantically love someone, not family or friends we can teleport. Not like you're thinking, they can teleport me and I can teleport them, DUDE EYES ON THE ROAD!
Shit! Sorry, sorry. Do you really expect me to believe you and Janet can just poof in and out of places? Come on Bill.
I'm not kidding Gene, and like I said, it's not just Janet. It's been everyone I've ever loved. It first happened in high school. My first girlfriend, Ashley, she cheated on me with my best friend. It was just a stray thought... Gene I had no clue, how could I? I was angry and pictured her burning on the sun... That was the day Ashley disappeared. They searched for her for months with no trace. I... I killed that girl... I was a kid... I didn't know what I was doing, hell I didn't even know I could do it!
Give me a break! Some girl you were dating goes missing and you think you can teleport people? I appreciate you trying to make the ride interesting but come on I want-
Let me finish the story and I'll prove it to you. Anyway. The next girl I dated, Kim was her name, was when I started figuring it out. We were on the phone, we were having one of those high school love talks "I love you more" "No I love you more" you know how it is. I said I wish you were here and *poof* there she was. Neither one of us had any clue what had happened but she was there. I'd like to say we started testing it out then but we were teenagers and my parents were gone... the next night the same thing happened, got in real trouble when my parents came to say good night and we were making out on my bed. The next day we skipped school, we were both already grounded what were our parents going to do, we spent the whole day testing it. She suggested we go to France so I wished for us to be in France, nothing, I tried it again and again and nothing. Try wishing me she said. So I did, *poof* she was gone. My phone started to ring, it was her. I can't believe that worked! This would be so much better if you were here! *Poof* I was in France! We'd figured it out! We went everywhere! Rome, Tahiti, Egypt, we traveled the world. Until college, she went to USC I went to Brown. It wasn't a big deal, we could see each other whenever we wanted. One Christmas she went home to see her family and was killed in a car wreck. I dated a few other girls but never loved them, I still wasn't over Kim, they thought I was crazy, talking about teleporting but I couldn't ever do it. I stopped talking about it. I started to think I was crazy and made it all up. Then I met Janet. It wasn't even intentional, I was at home, she was on a business trip. One minute I was making dinner, the next I'm in a hotel room. Janet about flipped! "How are you Here? How did you get in?" It was like a light being switched on, I asked her if she was thinking of me, she was. I explained to her what was happening, she didn't want to believe me but she had to. That night we made love on the observation deck of the Empire State Building.
Ok hold up. Let's say I believe you, are you telling me you and Janet have teleported all over the world?
No. I mean we did at first but it was really dangerous not having a passport or any money. So I had an idea. Janet and I have been teleporting to banks and taking what we need from the vaults.
Ha! You almost had me Bill! Teleporting bank robbers! That's great! That was a fun waste of two hours, now tell me the real story.
Yea I know you don't believe me. I did tell you I would prove it. Before I do this I need you to pull over, I really don't want us wrecking.
Man if you're messing with me it's not going to be good. Stacey is already pissed that I'm driving twelve hours to get you!
Just keep your eyes on the back seat.
WHAT THE HELL?!?! JANET?!?!? How the hell is this... wait that whole story was true?
Really Bill, you told Gene? I thought we were keeping it secret!
I wouldn't have had to tell him if you hadn't sent me to my mother's for the third time! I get you're mad but what was I supposed to do? I can't send myself home and you weren't bringing me back!
Don't you dare blame me for this! Why don't you tell him why I sent you to your mother's! Ask him Gene, ask him why I did it!
I don't want to be in the midd-
I said ask him Gene!
Ok Ok! Why did she send you to your mother's Bill?
Gene, I...
You do it right now Bill or i swear to God I'll send you into space! Do it!
Ok here goes...
Stacey!?
...
| There it was. The excuse we’d been looking for. After getting into another argument we knew we needed something to help calm things down and ease the pain. We looked at each other and started to plot.
First, I’d teleport her to take care of some traitors. Next, she’d teleport me to get the drugs. Finally, we’d teleport each other to Hawaii. Then we could get up to some serious mischief; at least for a little while.
After sending her to successfully behead the WP mod traitors she sent me to successfully steal the good cocaine (and some molly of course) from Colombia and we were all ready. We went to Oahu and got smashed. It’s nice to be able to teleport. If only we could control ourselves instead of the other one but hey, it works. | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | We rarely used our powers. If "Jumper" has taught us one thing, it's that apparently teleporting powers allow you to withstand hundred of thousands of volts going through your body for some inexplicable reason.
No, of course the movie, and so many others, taught us that we should keep it low, otherwise we'd end up with powerful enemies. And since life isn't a Hollywood movie, love may enable us to bring each others to places we've never been - but it won't mean we'd be able to "conquer all" in the literal sense.
&#x200B;
But of course, we were young, and throughout the years we had the most wonderful vacations. The Bahamas for a weekend of relaxation, Mt. Everest when we were feeling up for adventures. As long as we had each other, no matter where we were; We'd never be alone for long. It was a wonderful time. I vividly remember the first vacation we took together, that one seemingly endless, starlit night, away from civilisation. A cabin in the woods. After a stress filled week we fell into the bed and just wished for being away from it all. Take a breather. And a moment later, we were laying in a king sized bed on soft cotton sheets. Neither of use knew where we were, neither of us has ever been there before. We *just knew* where we wanted to be. (We later found out that it was a rentable cabin, and it was recently renovated and would reopen on the monday after our vacation. Guess our minds knew that we wanted something clean at least.) We never went back there. We savoured the nights we had, the memories shall forever go untainted. And there were so many more play to see after all! (And many more pranks to make. She still isn't fully over the one time I sent her into the spider exhibit at our local zoo. Whoops, sorry, wrong side of the window, Darling! All in good fun of course.)
&#x200B;
But Love itself needs care, a fact we learned too late. Guess that's the problem of being highschool sweethearts, we didn't know just how amazing our relationship was, we took it for granted. And over time, our power along with our love seemed to fade. It took longer and longer for the teleportation to set in, we'd have to be more and more specific with where we'd send the other. Like our minds weren't synced up anymore, we often end up on different ends of a country and had to actually call each other on the phone to figure out where to meet! (Yes, we had some embarrassingly expensive phone bills occasionally.) But never before we got into an argument like today...
&#x200B;
"FUCK YOU!"
She has never said that to me before. She crossed a line now.
" 'Fuck me?!' You are the one to constantly write about how much your life sucks on Reddit! You are the one to constantly berate me for every single mistake I make! I just fucking forgot to take out the trash yesterday!"
"...that's the thing. You never see why I'm actually angry. Disappointed. It's not about the trash. It's that you were again so focused on your game that you didn't even notice that I came home crying. The trash was just some fucking reason I made up so you could get back to your game! I didn't want to drag you down, because according to you that's all I'm good for recently!"
"That's not true!" *She pulled up the chat from a few weeks ago. Fuck, I don't even remember writing that. "*I was angry. I'm sorry. But can you imagine how I feel when you come home from work each day complaining about the same five things that you didn't do anything about? Last week I made you your favourite meal, let in a bath and then threw in your feel good movie. I was ready to just pick you up and hold you until you felt better. But you came home and went to bed. 'I'm not hungry and don't feel like watching a movie now.' No, you felt like going to reddit and complain on."
"..."
"..."
Silence has set over the room. We had similar arguments before, but this time it felt different. Heavier. I could barely breathe, I wanted to cry, to tell her to get out, to hug her, to run away, all at the same time.
"What are we even doing anymore?"
".. I don't know."
So it comes down to this. We never answered 'I don't know' before. It was usually something to show our love. Something to raise the mood. But this time it seems.... like it's...
"We had a good run."
"Yup. And some fun memories."
"Wouldn't wanna miss any of these! I'll always remember the fun we had in japan!"
"The fun *you* had in Japan, you ass. You let the police carry me away while you were laughing. How was I supposed to know that that one guy did not actually teach me how to correctly greet a policeman but instead how to admit to carrying a weapon?!" I could see a hint of a smile in her face.
"What was I supposed to do? I couldn't just port you away. Remember, draw no attention!" I couldn't surpress a smile either. But our eyes both welled up with tears, and no glimmer of hope seemed to come up this time.
"So...?"
"Seems like it, yeah. We are young, we still have a chance to start anew. With your wit your won't have trouble finding a new girl. What about that one from your work? She seems cute."
"Stop. Please."
"I'm sorry, I didn't..."
"I know. But I will not be able to just jump on to the next one. It doesn't work like that. But don't worry about me, I'll manage somehow. What about you?"
"I... I'll manage as ......" We now both started to full on cry. But nothing would change our minds now. We've been here before and we'd end up at this point eventually. Better end it now...
"What are you doing?!" A look of panic on my face, I felt light headed. "Stop that! Don't fucking teleport me away now!"
"I'm not doing anything! Wait, you're porting ME?!"
"I'm not!" Sadness turned into anger. "And if I would, it would be back to the desert!
"Well, then I hope you have fun in the middle of the ocean!"
"You wouldn't...!" But I started to feel it as my vision faded to black. I hadn't actually teleported her anywhere, she wouldn't actually kill me! Right?!
&#x200B;
*Right?*
\- - -
&#x200B; | There it was. The excuse we’d been looking for. After getting into another argument we knew we needed something to help calm things down and ease the pain. We looked at each other and started to plot.
First, I’d teleport her to take care of some traitors. Next, she’d teleport me to get the drugs. Finally, we’d teleport each other to Hawaii. Then we could get up to some serious mischief; at least for a little while.
After sending her to successfully behead the WP mod traitors she sent me to successfully steal the good cocaine (and some molly of course) from Colombia and we were all ready. We went to Oahu and got smashed. It’s nice to be able to teleport. If only we could control ourselves instead of the other one but hey, it works. | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | When people first discovered this power, so many people ended up in the Sahara or on Everest that they started leaving survival packs scattered in the most recognizable places. It's considered gauche now, to strand your SO against their will in a remote location; like letting the air out of their tires, or threatening to hit them.
I love my baby, I do, but sometimes she's so vindictive that it hurts. Smart too.
I'm just taking a deep breath, sitting on my old bed and staring at the old 80s band pictures on the wall, when the door opens. My mom is already on the phone and she doesn't look pleased.
"What's this is hear about you not doing the dishes? I raised you better than that! Margaret here is at the end of her rope carrying the weight of the house, and you're not helping!" She bites out at me.
"It was just some dishes..." I protest feebly. My mom isn't one to listen to reason when her dander is up. And Marge, god love her, *excels* at doing just that.
"Uh huh. Well, since you've decided to act like a child, we both think maybe you should just stay here until you remember what being a grown-ass man means!" My mother parrots. I can't hear Marge on the phone, but whatever she said, it must've been good. Mom slams the door again and flounces back downstairs.
I lean back and fumble for my old CDs. My disc drive's been getting a lot more use here lately, ever since Marge got pregnant. I'll listen to an album, take a nap - she usually brings me home before dinner, anyway. Breakfast at worst, but I don't like her being alone that long with the baby. So if she waits too long, I'll just bring her here with me.
And then tell my mother that I'm worried Marge hasn't been eating enough. I can be mean too, you know. | There it was. The excuse we’d been looking for. After getting into another argument we knew we needed something to help calm things down and ease the pain. We looked at each other and started to plot.
First, I’d teleport her to take care of some traitors. Next, she’d teleport me to get the drugs. Finally, we’d teleport each other to Hawaii. Then we could get up to some serious mischief; at least for a little while.
After sending her to successfully behead the WP mod traitors she sent me to successfully steal the good cocaine (and some molly of course) from Colombia and we were all ready. We went to Oahu and got smashed. It’s nice to be able to teleport. If only we could control ourselves instead of the other one but hey, it works. | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | The frigid air stabbed with each breath. My feet were quickly growing numb in the icy snow. We glared at each other as we both shivered intensely. Several Sherpas and their clients passed us by, looking at us strangely, like they couldn't understand why a young couple would be standing in bathing suits near the summit of Mt. Everest.
Finally, I broke down.
"Diane, w-we have t-t-o go b-back. We'll d-die here." My teeth nearly broke due to their chattering.
"Then s-say your s-s-orry!"
"Okay! I'm sorry! Let's g-g-go!"
Suddenly I was standing on a beach with white sand and calm, clear waters. I could feel my feet thawing as I dug them in the warm sand. The Bahamas, probably. Diane loved it there. Shit!
With a simple thought, I teleported her beside me. I felt a draft of cold air leap off her as she stood, still shivering.
"You asshole! You left me there!"
"I did not! You're right here!"
"You forgot about me, you always do this!"
"Diane, I could't help it! You put me there in the first place. What did you expect? My brain needed to thaw."
A couple of women in bikinis walked passed us, staring at us in the midst of another verbal altercation. We had grown accustomed to strange looks as we often found ourselves out of place.
"I can't take this anymore, Ryan. We're done."
"What? You're ending this, after three years of our lives invested together?"
"Let's just get out of here and move on."
I expected to be teleported back to our apartment, but we just stood in front of each other. Awkwardly.
"... why haven't you sent me back yet?" I asked.
"I'm... I'm trying. It's not working!" she replied.
"Oh shit, we can only teleport our SO... but we just broke up. We're stuck here! What have you done?!"
"We'll just have to... buy plane tickets I guess," Diane said in a resigned tone.
"At least you didn't dump me on top of that fucking mountain."
&#x200B; | There it was. The excuse we’d been looking for. After getting into another argument we knew we needed something to help calm things down and ease the pain. We looked at each other and started to plot.
First, I’d teleport her to take care of some traitors. Next, she’d teleport me to get the drugs. Finally, we’d teleport each other to Hawaii. Then we could get up to some serious mischief; at least for a little while.
After sending her to successfully behead the WP mod traitors she sent me to successfully steal the good cocaine (and some molly of course) from Colombia and we were all ready. We went to Oahu and got smashed. It’s nice to be able to teleport. If only we could control ourselves instead of the other one but hey, it works. | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | You know that song by Katy Perry, *Hot n Cold*? You’re hot and you’re cold, you’re yes and you’re no? It’s not a bad interpretation of how fickle love can be, yes, but for me, it’s a goddamn reality.
I am *literally* hot and cold if I piss her off. I don’t think she even chooses where I end up, she just poofs me into the Gobi desert for an hour, or into the Amazonian jungle. Most guys have to spend the night on the couch, but I had to spend the night in an *igloo*, once. Thankfully I was dressed warmly.
On the bright side, I’m getting pretty good at roleplaying Survivorman. God bless his soul, I don’t know what I’d do, otherwise.
I can poof her, too, of course. But I’m not so will-nilly with it, flinging her all around the globe haphazardly. No, I calculate my redirects. Send her to the snake exhibit at the National Zoo, or to a reptile expo where they have not just snakes, but *bugs* as well.
You could make the argument that I’m more cruel, but at least she can’t die in a reptile expo. Well, unless she has a heart attack, I guess.
It’s funny, though. You’d think we would hate each other through all of this. I accidentally tell her she's gained a little weight, end up chatting with some Eskimos. She buys a $400 pair of shoes, I send her to Australia. I hear the bugs there are *huge*.
But it never lasts. The terror we can inflict upon each other, the sheer distance we can put between ourselves, it’s all just heat in the moment.
For it matters not how far we drift, or where we’re cast.
We always come back home.
*/r/resonatingfury* | There it was. The excuse we’d been looking for. After getting into another argument we knew we needed something to help calm things down and ease the pain. We looked at each other and started to plot.
First, I’d teleport her to take care of some traitors. Next, she’d teleport me to get the drugs. Finally, we’d teleport each other to Hawaii. Then we could get up to some serious mischief; at least for a little while.
After sending her to successfully behead the WP mod traitors she sent me to successfully steal the good cocaine (and some molly of course) from Colombia and we were all ready. We went to Oahu and got smashed. It’s nice to be able to teleport. If only we could control ourselves instead of the other one but hey, it works. | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | "Where is she?"
Its been four days since I've seen my wife. And I'm worried sick. Not the "I hope she didnt get into an accident" kinda sick. But I would describe it more of an "I hope this isn't going to be the end of our relationship" kinda sick.
&#x200B;
I sit down on the couch in our living room and look around. Everything just reminds me of her. The frames on the wall. The plastic edge that's still on our television since the day we bought it because she thought "it looks like its still new". Even though our TV only gives standard HD and everything nowadays has 8K or something.. I'm not that tech-minded.
&#x200B;
I let out a deep sigh as I lean back and now stare at the ceiling. White, a single string of spider silk is hanging on our lamp. Briefly I forget about the issues between my wife and I and I wonder: "Where's the spider?"
&#x200B;
This has to end... I decide I'm not gonna keep waiting and start preparing the perfect make-up dinner. So I can teleport her back to me and suprise her with her favorite dish, which is spaghetti bolognese.. It also happens to be my favorite dish, so I got that going for me. I think with some wine and hopefully a good conversation where I can apologise that we finally can leave this argument behind us.
&#x200B;
I clean the house as quickly as I can. Set the table, go groceryshopping.. Even though I'm busy with all of the preparations I cant help but wonder if it'll be enough to make amends. I really did screw up though.
&#x200B;
When I set everything ready I decide to look at the clock. Its nearly seven in the evening. Well its now or never.
&#x200B;
Just as I set my mind on her and decide to teleport her infront of me I feel engulfed in the most known, warmest and most comforting feeling. I blink and as I open my eyes I find myself on the beach. I remember this place, this is where we said yes to each other.
&#x200B;
As I turn around I see my wife, behind her a table with two plates of spaghetti. I smile as some tears start forming..
"I missed you" | There it was. The excuse we’d been looking for. After getting into another argument we knew we needed something to help calm things down and ease the pain. We looked at each other and started to plot.
First, I’d teleport her to take care of some traitors. Next, she’d teleport me to get the drugs. Finally, we’d teleport each other to Hawaii. Then we could get up to some serious mischief; at least for a little while.
After sending her to successfully behead the WP mod traitors she sent me to successfully steal the good cocaine (and some molly of course) from Colombia and we were all ready. We went to Oahu and got smashed. It’s nice to be able to teleport. If only we could control ourselves instead of the other one but hey, it works. | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | An old man sits in a bar alone late one Tuesday night. As time approaches 2am, the bartender approaches. "Last call, Ralph. What'll it be?" The bartender says.
&#x200B;
Ralph slowly turns up from his glass, as if awakening from a trace. It takes a moment for his eyes to come into focus. His thoughts were somewhere else, they always were. "One last glass of scotch, John. Thanks." The words stumble out of his mouth.
&#x200B;
"You know, I never meant for it to be this way." Ralph continues. Speaking to John, or maybe himself. He wasn't quite sure.
&#x200B;
John let out a hefty sigh, he's heard this story before. Every full moon for the last 12 years. Once or twice a month, John finds Ralph wasting away in his bar. "I know, Ralph. I know. You can't keep blaming yourself. You let your anger get the best of you."
&#x200B;
"Really, John. I know I said it to her all the time but.. I just... I didn't think it could actually happen. It was just my anger getting the best of me. Oh god, John what have I done!"
Ralph started crying. John decided to poor him one more drink, on the house.
&#x200B;
Ralph remembered it clearly. The 15 words that ruined his life. He said them all the time. He'd never say them again.
&#x200B;
"One of these days Alice...one of these days, bam, zoom, straight to the moon." | There it was. The excuse we’d been looking for. After getting into another argument we knew we needed something to help calm things down and ease the pain. We looked at each other and started to plot.
First, I’d teleport her to take care of some traitors. Next, she’d teleport me to get the drugs. Finally, we’d teleport each other to Hawaii. Then we could get up to some serious mischief; at least for a little while.
After sending her to successfully behead the WP mod traitors she sent me to successfully steal the good cocaine (and some molly of course) from Colombia and we were all ready. We went to Oahu and got smashed. It’s nice to be able to teleport. If only we could control ourselves instead of the other one but hey, it works. | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | Love bears a power capable of breaking the boundaries of possibility.
Although that may sound slightly cheesy, it was particularly true for me and my wife. When we met it was as if a fire had unleashed in the core of our hearts, and all of a sudden, when we shared our first day together, something happened. It was like one of those *clicks* people talk about, but this one was different, for we both eyed a distant cabin, and all of a sudden the grass of the pastures disappeared from beneath us, and a wooden floor took its place.
We looked around, and found a locked door and walls of bare timber, and in the intimacy of that cabin we sealed our love before even questioning what'd just taken place.
Time went by fast, and during that time our love had its ups and downs. We understood the power our love concealed, and we used it to visit the world, choosing beautiful places, and seeking for hidden sights far away from the reach of people.
It was fantastic time, full of memories that I'll never forget.
But time kept going, and although love was still there, arguments became more and more recurrent, and sometimes they got heated; and I mean literally heated, for in the space of a breath the voice of my wife faded from my ears, our room disappeared, and black scalding rocks sizzled beneath me. I can't blame her, really. She'd always loved volcanoes.
Fortunately, in the midst of her anger, love bloomed and she took me back. The only issue with this is that I returned with wrath in my heart, and I immediately sent her to a seat in a rollercoaster on the verge of falling down a quite steep slope--she hated rollercoasters.
But then I feared for her, and so I took her back with me again. Boy, you should've seen those fear-stricken eyes, and the denseness of her silence. Of course, I knew I wouldn't stay in the same room for too long, and I was right, for before I could even speak a word, my throat closed, the air lacked, and the pressure became unbearable.
The view of Earth from outerspace was quite beautiful, that I have to admit, but being on the verge of dying wasn't. In the blink of an eye, I was back in our room, gasping.
"Stop!" I said, clutched at my heart. "You are right, honey. Blue is the perfect color for those curtains."
She nodded, smiled, and kissed me. "I knew you'd understand, sweetie."
We spend our loving lives like that, sometimes sharing our burning passion together, and othertimes on the verge of being consumed by it.
But lately the latter came to a halt. Perhaps it's because we matured, and understood how unhealthy those arguments were, or perhaps it was because our love finally took shape.
"Will you read her a story, sweetie?" my wife said as she tucked our daughter in the cradle.
"Each and every night."
-------------------
r/NoahElowyn - For more of my work!
| There it was. The excuse we’d been looking for. After getting into another argument we knew we needed something to help calm things down and ease the pain. We looked at each other and started to plot.
First, I’d teleport her to take care of some traitors. Next, she’d teleport me to get the drugs. Finally, we’d teleport each other to Hawaii. Then we could get up to some serious mischief; at least for a little while.
After sending her to successfully behead the WP mod traitors she sent me to successfully steal the good cocaine (and some molly of course) from Colombia and we were all ready. We went to Oahu and got smashed. It’s nice to be able to teleport. If only we could control ourselves instead of the other one but hey, it works. | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | This is my first attempt please be kind.
Bill, I really need you to tell me what's going on here. This is the third time in two months you've called me to come get you. I don't even understand how you got here, Stacy and I left your house ten minutes before you called, how are you six hours away outside your mom's house?
Dude you wouldn't believe me if I told you. I'm not even sure I believe me and it's been happening half my life!
Well, we got plenty of time. Try me.
Fine Gene, just remember you asked for this. You remember all those vacations Janet and I took before the kids were born? And how you always asked me how we could afford to travel so much on my crappy salary?
Really? How could I forget something like that? Stace and I are still trying to figure it out, it's gotta be something big because we all know Janet can't keep a secret.
Right, well... you're sure you want to know this... ok ok! Quit giving me that look and watch the road! Fine. Here goes. When I love someone, romantically love someone, not family or friends we can teleport. Not like you're thinking, they can teleport me and I can teleport them, DUDE EYES ON THE ROAD!
Shit! Sorry, sorry. Do you really expect me to believe you and Janet can just poof in and out of places? Come on Bill.
I'm not kidding Gene, and like I said, it's not just Janet. It's been everyone I've ever loved. It first happened in high school. My first girlfriend, Ashley, she cheated on me with my best friend. It was just a stray thought... Gene I had no clue, how could I? I was angry and pictured her burning on the sun... That was the day Ashley disappeared. They searched for her for months with no trace. I... I killed that girl... I was a kid... I didn't know what I was doing, hell I didn't even know I could do it!
Give me a break! Some girl you were dating goes missing and you think you can teleport people? I appreciate you trying to make the ride interesting but come on I want-
Let me finish the story and I'll prove it to you. Anyway. The next girl I dated, Kim was her name, was when I started figuring it out. We were on the phone, we were having one of those high school love talks "I love you more" "No I love you more" you know how it is. I said I wish you were here and *poof* there she was. Neither one of us had any clue what had happened but she was there. I'd like to say we started testing it out then but we were teenagers and my parents were gone... the next night the same thing happened, got in real trouble when my parents came to say good night and we were making out on my bed. The next day we skipped school, we were both already grounded what were our parents going to do, we spent the whole day testing it. She suggested we go to France so I wished for us to be in France, nothing, I tried it again and again and nothing. Try wishing me she said. So I did, *poof* she was gone. My phone started to ring, it was her. I can't believe that worked! This would be so much better if you were here! *Poof* I was in France! We'd figured it out! We went everywhere! Rome, Tahiti, Egypt, we traveled the world. Until college, she went to USC I went to Brown. It wasn't a big deal, we could see each other whenever we wanted. One Christmas she went home to see her family and was killed in a car wreck. I dated a few other girls but never loved them, I still wasn't over Kim, they thought I was crazy, talking about teleporting but I couldn't ever do it. I stopped talking about it. I started to think I was crazy and made it all up. Then I met Janet. It wasn't even intentional, I was at home, she was on a business trip. One minute I was making dinner, the next I'm in a hotel room. Janet about flipped! "How are you Here? How did you get in?" It was like a light being switched on, I asked her if she was thinking of me, she was. I explained to her what was happening, she didn't want to believe me but she had to. That night we made love on the observation deck of the Empire State Building.
Ok hold up. Let's say I believe you, are you telling me you and Janet have teleported all over the world?
No. I mean we did at first but it was really dangerous not having a passport or any money. So I had an idea. Janet and I have been teleporting to banks and taking what we need from the vaults.
Ha! You almost had me Bill! Teleporting bank robbers! That's great! That was a fun waste of two hours, now tell me the real story.
Yea I know you don't believe me. I did tell you I would prove it. Before I do this I need you to pull over, I really don't want us wrecking.
Man if you're messing with me it's not going to be good. Stacey is already pissed that I'm driving twelve hours to get you!
Just keep your eyes on the back seat.
WHAT THE HELL?!?! JANET?!?!? How the hell is this... wait that whole story was true?
Really Bill, you told Gene? I thought we were keeping it secret!
I wouldn't have had to tell him if you hadn't sent me to my mother's for the third time! I get you're mad but what was I supposed to do? I can't send myself home and you weren't bringing me back!
Don't you dare blame me for this! Why don't you tell him why I sent you to your mother's! Ask him Gene, ask him why I did it!
I don't want to be in the midd-
I said ask him Gene!
Ok Ok! Why did she send you to your mother's Bill?
Gene, I...
You do it right now Bill or i swear to God I'll send you into space! Do it!
Ok here goes...
Stacey!?
...
| [Poem]
Oh dear god have I messed up.
So before this breath's up
I will tell you the story
Of the final time I will fuck up.
My girl and I got this power
From a radioactive chihuahua
We could teleport each other
To wherever we wanted
We went to france.
We went to spain.
We didn't need
No stinkin plane.
She caught me cheating with a man
I sent her to Afghanistan.
But the teleport did seal my doom.
Because she sent me to the moon.
| |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | We rarely used our powers. If "Jumper" has taught us one thing, it's that apparently teleporting powers allow you to withstand hundred of thousands of volts going through your body for some inexplicable reason.
No, of course the movie, and so many others, taught us that we should keep it low, otherwise we'd end up with powerful enemies. And since life isn't a Hollywood movie, love may enable us to bring each others to places we've never been - but it won't mean we'd be able to "conquer all" in the literal sense.
&#x200B;
But of course, we were young, and throughout the years we had the most wonderful vacations. The Bahamas for a weekend of relaxation, Mt. Everest when we were feeling up for adventures. As long as we had each other, no matter where we were; We'd never be alone for long. It was a wonderful time. I vividly remember the first vacation we took together, that one seemingly endless, starlit night, away from civilisation. A cabin in the woods. After a stress filled week we fell into the bed and just wished for being away from it all. Take a breather. And a moment later, we were laying in a king sized bed on soft cotton sheets. Neither of use knew where we were, neither of us has ever been there before. We *just knew* where we wanted to be. (We later found out that it was a rentable cabin, and it was recently renovated and would reopen on the monday after our vacation. Guess our minds knew that we wanted something clean at least.) We never went back there. We savoured the nights we had, the memories shall forever go untainted. And there were so many more play to see after all! (And many more pranks to make. She still isn't fully over the one time I sent her into the spider exhibit at our local zoo. Whoops, sorry, wrong side of the window, Darling! All in good fun of course.)
&#x200B;
But Love itself needs care, a fact we learned too late. Guess that's the problem of being highschool sweethearts, we didn't know just how amazing our relationship was, we took it for granted. And over time, our power along with our love seemed to fade. It took longer and longer for the teleportation to set in, we'd have to be more and more specific with where we'd send the other. Like our minds weren't synced up anymore, we often end up on different ends of a country and had to actually call each other on the phone to figure out where to meet! (Yes, we had some embarrassingly expensive phone bills occasionally.) But never before we got into an argument like today...
&#x200B;
"FUCK YOU!"
She has never said that to me before. She crossed a line now.
" 'Fuck me?!' You are the one to constantly write about how much your life sucks on Reddit! You are the one to constantly berate me for every single mistake I make! I just fucking forgot to take out the trash yesterday!"
"...that's the thing. You never see why I'm actually angry. Disappointed. It's not about the trash. It's that you were again so focused on your game that you didn't even notice that I came home crying. The trash was just some fucking reason I made up so you could get back to your game! I didn't want to drag you down, because according to you that's all I'm good for recently!"
"That's not true!" *She pulled up the chat from a few weeks ago. Fuck, I don't even remember writing that. "*I was angry. I'm sorry. But can you imagine how I feel when you come home from work each day complaining about the same five things that you didn't do anything about? Last week I made you your favourite meal, let in a bath and then threw in your feel good movie. I was ready to just pick you up and hold you until you felt better. But you came home and went to bed. 'I'm not hungry and don't feel like watching a movie now.' No, you felt like going to reddit and complain on."
"..."
"..."
Silence has set over the room. We had similar arguments before, but this time it felt different. Heavier. I could barely breathe, I wanted to cry, to tell her to get out, to hug her, to run away, all at the same time.
"What are we even doing anymore?"
".. I don't know."
So it comes down to this. We never answered 'I don't know' before. It was usually something to show our love. Something to raise the mood. But this time it seems.... like it's...
"We had a good run."
"Yup. And some fun memories."
"Wouldn't wanna miss any of these! I'll always remember the fun we had in japan!"
"The fun *you* had in Japan, you ass. You let the police carry me away while you were laughing. How was I supposed to know that that one guy did not actually teach me how to correctly greet a policeman but instead how to admit to carrying a weapon?!" I could see a hint of a smile in her face.
"What was I supposed to do? I couldn't just port you away. Remember, draw no attention!" I couldn't surpress a smile either. But our eyes both welled up with tears, and no glimmer of hope seemed to come up this time.
"So...?"
"Seems like it, yeah. We are young, we still have a chance to start anew. With your wit your won't have trouble finding a new girl. What about that one from your work? She seems cute."
"Stop. Please."
"I'm sorry, I didn't..."
"I know. But I will not be able to just jump on to the next one. It doesn't work like that. But don't worry about me, I'll manage somehow. What about you?"
"I... I'll manage as ......" We now both started to full on cry. But nothing would change our minds now. We've been here before and we'd end up at this point eventually. Better end it now...
"What are you doing?!" A look of panic on my face, I felt light headed. "Stop that! Don't fucking teleport me away now!"
"I'm not doing anything! Wait, you're porting ME?!"
"I'm not!" Sadness turned into anger. "And if I would, it would be back to the desert!
"Well, then I hope you have fun in the middle of the ocean!"
"You wouldn't...!" But I started to feel it as my vision faded to black. I hadn't actually teleported her anywhere, she wouldn't actually kill me! Right?!
&#x200B;
*Right?*
\- - -
&#x200B; | Her shout echoed in her living room. I had tried to time it so I would appear outside but after a string of dates that all ended with... me not feeling a thing. They had all been like that since I met her. I had been so nervous I totally blew it. When the feeling of loneness became too great, I sought her company. And she did not want mine.
That is why she shouted "What on earth are YOU doing here again? LEAVE ME ALONE!"
She had enough. I could hardly blame her. All she wanted was to get away from me. And all I wanted was for her to want to see me. Just once. And maybe then she would understand that our connection worked both ways. | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | "Where is she?"
Its been four days since I've seen my wife. And I'm worried sick. Not the "I hope she didnt get into an accident" kinda sick. But I would describe it more of an "I hope this isn't going to be the end of our relationship" kinda sick.
&#x200B;
I sit down on the couch in our living room and look around. Everything just reminds me of her. The frames on the wall. The plastic edge that's still on our television since the day we bought it because she thought "it looks like its still new". Even though our TV only gives standard HD and everything nowadays has 8K or something.. I'm not that tech-minded.
&#x200B;
I let out a deep sigh as I lean back and now stare at the ceiling. White, a single string of spider silk is hanging on our lamp. Briefly I forget about the issues between my wife and I and I wonder: "Where's the spider?"
&#x200B;
This has to end... I decide I'm not gonna keep waiting and start preparing the perfect make-up dinner. So I can teleport her back to me and suprise her with her favorite dish, which is spaghetti bolognese.. It also happens to be my favorite dish, so I got that going for me. I think with some wine and hopefully a good conversation where I can apologise that we finally can leave this argument behind us.
&#x200B;
I clean the house as quickly as I can. Set the table, go groceryshopping.. Even though I'm busy with all of the preparations I cant help but wonder if it'll be enough to make amends. I really did screw up though.
&#x200B;
When I set everything ready I decide to look at the clock. Its nearly seven in the evening. Well its now or never.
&#x200B;
Just as I set my mind on her and decide to teleport her infront of me I feel engulfed in the most known, warmest and most comforting feeling. I blink and as I open my eyes I find myself on the beach. I remember this place, this is where we said yes to each other.
&#x200B;
As I turn around I see my wife, behind her a table with two plates of spaghetti. I smile as some tears start forming..
"I missed you" | When people first discovered this power, so many people ended up in the Sahara or on Everest that they started leaving survival packs scattered in the most recognizable places. It's considered gauche now, to strand your SO against their will in a remote location; like letting the air out of their tires, or threatening to hit them.
I love my baby, I do, but sometimes she's so vindictive that it hurts. Smart too.
I'm just taking a deep breath, sitting on my old bed and staring at the old 80s band pictures on the wall, when the door opens. My mom is already on the phone and she doesn't look pleased.
"What's this is hear about you not doing the dishes? I raised you better than that! Margaret here is at the end of her rope carrying the weight of the house, and you're not helping!" She bites out at me.
"It was just some dishes..." I protest feebly. My mom isn't one to listen to reason when her dander is up. And Marge, god love her, *excels* at doing just that.
"Uh huh. Well, since you've decided to act like a child, we both think maybe you should just stay here until you remember what being a grown-ass man means!" My mother parrots. I can't hear Marge on the phone, but whatever she said, it must've been good. Mom slams the door again and flounces back downstairs.
I lean back and fumble for my old CDs. My disc drive's been getting a lot more use here lately, ever since Marge got pregnant. I'll listen to an album, take a nap - she usually brings me home before dinner, anyway. Breakfast at worst, but I don't like her being alone that long with the baby. So if she waits too long, I'll just bring her here with me.
And then tell my mother that I'm worried Marge hasn't been eating enough. I can be mean too, you know. | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | "Where is she?"
Its been four days since I've seen my wife. And I'm worried sick. Not the "I hope she didnt get into an accident" kinda sick. But I would describe it more of an "I hope this isn't going to be the end of our relationship" kinda sick.
&#x200B;
I sit down on the couch in our living room and look around. Everything just reminds me of her. The frames on the wall. The plastic edge that's still on our television since the day we bought it because she thought "it looks like its still new". Even though our TV only gives standard HD and everything nowadays has 8K or something.. I'm not that tech-minded.
&#x200B;
I let out a deep sigh as I lean back and now stare at the ceiling. White, a single string of spider silk is hanging on our lamp. Briefly I forget about the issues between my wife and I and I wonder: "Where's the spider?"
&#x200B;
This has to end... I decide I'm not gonna keep waiting and start preparing the perfect make-up dinner. So I can teleport her back to me and suprise her with her favorite dish, which is spaghetti bolognese.. It also happens to be my favorite dish, so I got that going for me. I think with some wine and hopefully a good conversation where I can apologise that we finally can leave this argument behind us.
&#x200B;
I clean the house as quickly as I can. Set the table, go groceryshopping.. Even though I'm busy with all of the preparations I cant help but wonder if it'll be enough to make amends. I really did screw up though.
&#x200B;
When I set everything ready I decide to look at the clock. Its nearly seven in the evening. Well its now or never.
&#x200B;
Just as I set my mind on her and decide to teleport her infront of me I feel engulfed in the most known, warmest and most comforting feeling. I blink and as I open my eyes I find myself on the beach. I remember this place, this is where we said yes to each other.
&#x200B;
As I turn around I see my wife, behind her a table with two plates of spaghetti. I smile as some tears start forming..
"I missed you" | The frigid air stabbed with each breath. My feet were quickly growing numb in the icy snow. We glared at each other as we both shivered intensely. Several Sherpas and their clients passed us by, looking at us strangely, like they couldn't understand why a young couple would be standing in bathing suits near the summit of Mt. Everest.
Finally, I broke down.
"Diane, w-we have t-t-o go b-back. We'll d-die here." My teeth nearly broke due to their chattering.
"Then s-say your s-s-orry!"
"Okay! I'm sorry! Let's g-g-go!"
Suddenly I was standing on a beach with white sand and calm, clear waters. I could feel my feet thawing as I dug them in the warm sand. The Bahamas, probably. Diane loved it there. Shit!
With a simple thought, I teleported her beside me. I felt a draft of cold air leap off her as she stood, still shivering.
"You asshole! You left me there!"
"I did not! You're right here!"
"You forgot about me, you always do this!"
"Diane, I could't help it! You put me there in the first place. What did you expect? My brain needed to thaw."
A couple of women in bikinis walked passed us, staring at us in the midst of another verbal altercation. We had grown accustomed to strange looks as we often found ourselves out of place.
"I can't take this anymore, Ryan. We're done."
"What? You're ending this, after three years of our lives invested together?"
"Let's just get out of here and move on."
I expected to be teleported back to our apartment, but we just stood in front of each other. Awkwardly.
"... why haven't you sent me back yet?" I asked.
"I'm... I'm trying. It's not working!" she replied.
"Oh shit, we can only teleport our SO... but we just broke up. We're stuck here! What have you done?!"
"We'll just have to... buy plane tickets I guess," Diane said in a resigned tone.
"At least you didn't dump me on top of that fucking mountain."
&#x200B; | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | An old man sits in a bar alone late one Tuesday night. As time approaches 2am, the bartender approaches. "Last call, Ralph. What'll it be?" The bartender says.
&#x200B;
Ralph slowly turns up from his glass, as if awakening from a trace. It takes a moment for his eyes to come into focus. His thoughts were somewhere else, they always were. "One last glass of scotch, John. Thanks." The words stumble out of his mouth.
&#x200B;
"You know, I never meant for it to be this way." Ralph continues. Speaking to John, or maybe himself. He wasn't quite sure.
&#x200B;
John let out a hefty sigh, he's heard this story before. Every full moon for the last 12 years. Once or twice a month, John finds Ralph wasting away in his bar. "I know, Ralph. I know. You can't keep blaming yourself. You let your anger get the best of you."
&#x200B;
"Really, John. I know I said it to her all the time but.. I just... I didn't think it could actually happen. It was just my anger getting the best of me. Oh god, John what have I done!"
Ralph started crying. John decided to poor him one more drink, on the house.
&#x200B;
Ralph remembered it clearly. The 15 words that ruined his life. He said them all the time. He'd never say them again.
&#x200B;
"One of these days Alice...one of these days, bam, zoom, straight to the moon." | The frigid air stabbed with each breath. My feet were quickly growing numb in the icy snow. We glared at each other as we both shivered intensely. Several Sherpas and their clients passed us by, looking at us strangely, like they couldn't understand why a young couple would be standing in bathing suits near the summit of Mt. Everest.
Finally, I broke down.
"Diane, w-we have t-t-o go b-back. We'll d-die here." My teeth nearly broke due to their chattering.
"Then s-say your s-s-orry!"
"Okay! I'm sorry! Let's g-g-go!"
Suddenly I was standing on a beach with white sand and calm, clear waters. I could feel my feet thawing as I dug them in the warm sand. The Bahamas, probably. Diane loved it there. Shit!
With a simple thought, I teleported her beside me. I felt a draft of cold air leap off her as she stood, still shivering.
"You asshole! You left me there!"
"I did not! You're right here!"
"You forgot about me, you always do this!"
"Diane, I could't help it! You put me there in the first place. What did you expect? My brain needed to thaw."
A couple of women in bikinis walked passed us, staring at us in the midst of another verbal altercation. We had grown accustomed to strange looks as we often found ourselves out of place.
"I can't take this anymore, Ryan. We're done."
"What? You're ending this, after three years of our lives invested together?"
"Let's just get out of here and move on."
I expected to be teleported back to our apartment, but we just stood in front of each other. Awkwardly.
"... why haven't you sent me back yet?" I asked.
"I'm... I'm trying. It's not working!" she replied.
"Oh shit, we can only teleport our SO... but we just broke up. We're stuck here! What have you done?!"
"We'll just have to... buy plane tickets I guess," Diane said in a resigned tone.
"At least you didn't dump me on top of that fucking mountain."
&#x200B; | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | "Where is she?"
Its been four days since I've seen my wife. And I'm worried sick. Not the "I hope she didnt get into an accident" kinda sick. But I would describe it more of an "I hope this isn't going to be the end of our relationship" kinda sick.
&#x200B;
I sit down on the couch in our living room and look around. Everything just reminds me of her. The frames on the wall. The plastic edge that's still on our television since the day we bought it because she thought "it looks like its still new". Even though our TV only gives standard HD and everything nowadays has 8K or something.. I'm not that tech-minded.
&#x200B;
I let out a deep sigh as I lean back and now stare at the ceiling. White, a single string of spider silk is hanging on our lamp. Briefly I forget about the issues between my wife and I and I wonder: "Where's the spider?"
&#x200B;
This has to end... I decide I'm not gonna keep waiting and start preparing the perfect make-up dinner. So I can teleport her back to me and suprise her with her favorite dish, which is spaghetti bolognese.. It also happens to be my favorite dish, so I got that going for me. I think with some wine and hopefully a good conversation where I can apologise that we finally can leave this argument behind us.
&#x200B;
I clean the house as quickly as I can. Set the table, go groceryshopping.. Even though I'm busy with all of the preparations I cant help but wonder if it'll be enough to make amends. I really did screw up though.
&#x200B;
When I set everything ready I decide to look at the clock. Its nearly seven in the evening. Well its now or never.
&#x200B;
Just as I set my mind on her and decide to teleport her infront of me I feel engulfed in the most known, warmest and most comforting feeling. I blink and as I open my eyes I find myself on the beach. I remember this place, this is where we said yes to each other.
&#x200B;
As I turn around I see my wife, behind her a table with two plates of spaghetti. I smile as some tears start forming..
"I missed you" | You know that song by Katy Perry, *Hot n Cold*? You’re hot and you’re cold, you’re yes and you’re no? It’s not a bad interpretation of how fickle love can be, yes, but for me, it’s a goddamn reality.
I am *literally* hot and cold if I piss her off. I don’t think she even chooses where I end up, she just poofs me into the Gobi desert for an hour, or into the Amazonian jungle. Most guys have to spend the night on the couch, but I had to spend the night in an *igloo*, once. Thankfully I was dressed warmly.
On the bright side, I’m getting pretty good at roleplaying Survivorman. God bless his soul, I don’t know what I’d do, otherwise.
I can poof her, too, of course. But I’m not so will-nilly with it, flinging her all around the globe haphazardly. No, I calculate my redirects. Send her to the snake exhibit at the National Zoo, or to a reptile expo where they have not just snakes, but *bugs* as well.
You could make the argument that I’m more cruel, but at least she can’t die in a reptile expo. Well, unless she has a heart attack, I guess.
It’s funny, though. You’d think we would hate each other through all of this. I accidentally tell her she's gained a little weight, end up chatting with some Eskimos. She buys a $400 pair of shoes, I send her to Australia. I hear the bugs there are *huge*.
But it never lasts. The terror we can inflict upon each other, the sheer distance we can put between ourselves, it’s all just heat in the moment.
For it matters not how far we drift, or where we’re cast.
We always come back home.
*/r/resonatingfury* | |
[WP] You can teleport your SO anywhere instantly, and your SO can do the same for you. One day you get in an arguement. | An old man sits in a bar alone late one Tuesday night. As time approaches 2am, the bartender approaches. "Last call, Ralph. What'll it be?" The bartender says.
&#x200B;
Ralph slowly turns up from his glass, as if awakening from a trace. It takes a moment for his eyes to come into focus. His thoughts were somewhere else, they always were. "One last glass of scotch, John. Thanks." The words stumble out of his mouth.
&#x200B;
"You know, I never meant for it to be this way." Ralph continues. Speaking to John, or maybe himself. He wasn't quite sure.
&#x200B;
John let out a hefty sigh, he's heard this story before. Every full moon for the last 12 years. Once or twice a month, John finds Ralph wasting away in his bar. "I know, Ralph. I know. You can't keep blaming yourself. You let your anger get the best of you."
&#x200B;
"Really, John. I know I said it to her all the time but.. I just... I didn't think it could actually happen. It was just my anger getting the best of me. Oh god, John what have I done!"
Ralph started crying. John decided to poor him one more drink, on the house.
&#x200B;
Ralph remembered it clearly. The 15 words that ruined his life. He said them all the time. He'd never say them again.
&#x200B;
"One of these days Alice...one of these days, bam, zoom, straight to the moon." | You know that song by Katy Perry, *Hot n Cold*? You’re hot and you’re cold, you’re yes and you’re no? It’s not a bad interpretation of how fickle love can be, yes, but for me, it’s a goddamn reality.
I am *literally* hot and cold if I piss her off. I don’t think she even chooses where I end up, she just poofs me into the Gobi desert for an hour, or into the Amazonian jungle. Most guys have to spend the night on the couch, but I had to spend the night in an *igloo*, once. Thankfully I was dressed warmly.
On the bright side, I’m getting pretty good at roleplaying Survivorman. God bless his soul, I don’t know what I’d do, otherwise.
I can poof her, too, of course. But I’m not so will-nilly with it, flinging her all around the globe haphazardly. No, I calculate my redirects. Send her to the snake exhibit at the National Zoo, or to a reptile expo where they have not just snakes, but *bugs* as well.
You could make the argument that I’m more cruel, but at least she can’t die in a reptile expo. Well, unless she has a heart attack, I guess.
It’s funny, though. You’d think we would hate each other through all of this. I accidentally tell her she's gained a little weight, end up chatting with some Eskimos. She buys a $400 pair of shoes, I send her to Australia. I hear the bugs there are *huge*.
But it never lasts. The terror we can inflict upon each other, the sheer distance we can put between ourselves, it’s all just heat in the moment.
For it matters not how far we drift, or where we’re cast.
We always come back home.
*/r/resonatingfury* | |
[WP] As a young child afraid of ghosts and monsters, your mother taught you that you can use your imagination to fight them. Since they 'aren't real', you can use weapons that 'aren't real' to hurt them. She had no idea she was preparing you for your career as a demon hunter. | &#x200B;
The forest treeline shook and trembled as if the flora itself was engaged in a futile attempt to uproot and escape from the unholy sounds within. A strong gust of wind whipped past, the cold stinging my face with a pleasant chill. I raised my fingers to the corners of my mouth while inhaling the frigid air, preparing myself for whatever abomination may show itself in a few short moments.
My whistle was well practiced - it began in a shrill, altissimo register and slowly descended to a low and breathy tone, eventually fading away into the ambient sounds of the forest. A few moments passed, followed by an identical whistle about a mile into the woodlands. Perfect. This one should be a piece of cake.
*15 seconds.*
I interlaced my fingers with my palms facing away from me, pushing them away and popping them with a satisfying *crack.* I then pushed myself into a deep lunge to the side, stretching each muscle leg in both of my legs. One more whistle sounded from within the foliage - this time, only half a mile away.
*8 seconds*.
“I wonder if this one is gonna be but-ass ugly like the last one,” I chuckled to myself. Port Llavaca was a quaint little beach town in Texas, but the local daemons could really use some aesthetic improvements. I shuddered as I remembered all those damn *tentacles*.
*3 seconds.*
I strained my eyes as a silhouette began to reveal itself against the pine thicket. This one appeared humanoid, yet just far enough from what a person actually looks like to settle into that extra creepy part of the uncanny valley. It was definitely getting closer to me; however, I couldn’t exactly make out how. It jittered and jumped around the trees. Each time I was able to focus my eyes on this… *thing,* it seemed to teleport to another location, its body contorting into horrendous shapes as it slowly twitched its way toward me.
*1 second.*
As the daemon closed in on me, I let out a sigh of relief. “Marionette, huh,” I whispered. While these aren’t as easy to take out as Treants or Mummies (you don’t need to use your imagination to be proficient with a barbecue lighter), I’ve fought enough to know exactly how to banish them.
The Marionette broke the treeline, its head almost level with the top of the the pines. It looked like one of those miniature human figurines that artists use to practice sketching weird body positions, except this one was about a thousand times bigger. And instead of sitting peacefully on the desk of an introverted painter, this one patrolled the woods while looking for people to smoosh into the ground. The daemon’s disjointed body matched the color and grain of the surrounding trees, mosses and lichens adorning the lower half of the figure. Another whistle sounded from the Marionette - actually, *echoed* would be a more proper term. See, my whistle was just one of my many weapons that I had honed over the years.
I scanned the Marionette one more time, taking in each and every detail of the lumber body. Even though it kept zipping towards me, I only needed a fraction of a second to piece together a mental image of this fiend. A smile crept across my face as I closed my eyes, imagining a miniature version of the daemon in my right hand. My grip relaxed as I grasped the small figurine. I ran my thumb along the edge, feeling the slickness of the moss as well as the grainy upper body. It was over. This thing was *literally* in the palm of my hands.
In one swift movement, I opened my eyes while changing my grip to both hands. The Marionette was mere feet from me, its featureless face contorting close to the ground while its arm blinked upward with blinding speeds. Even though the daemon lacked eyes, I felt like it was staring directly at me. This thing wanted to use its woody fist to rearrange me into a forest pancake.
I tensed every muscle in my arm, squeezing my fingers together and jerking my fists apart as hard as I could. The figurine splintered apart at the waist, dissolving into a dust that fell through my hands like fine sand. The Marionette followed my figurine’s example, snapping violently at the waist and crumbling into a black dust. The sheer volume and size of the daemon caused its outline to hang in the air for just a brief moment before the dust blew away into the woods, its shape softening until the Marionette was an unrecognizable cloud.
I let out a sigh of relief, followed by a satisfied chuckle. I had come up with the Marionette-Marionette technique about six years ago in Buffalo - one of my favorite techniques for banishing a daemon. I interlaced my fingers once again, pushing my palms away from me and relishing in the satisfying *crack* that comes from popping your knuckles. A sharp pain shot from the bottom of my left index finger, causing me to reflexively bring my hand close to my face and inspect the source of the discomfort.
“Shit!" I exclaimed. "I think I got a splinter!” | I breath in and out. The demons aren’t dangerous, she said. Mum never lies; in fact, she says that lying is bad. Why would she lie herself then? I just have to use my imagination, that’s all I need to do to get rid of them.
My sweaty fingers are cramped and my eyes are tightly closed. Finally, I slowly open them. My bedroom is dark. In the corner of my eye, I can see my closet widely opened. It wasn’t opened when I went to bed.
My hand is shaking as I reach out to my alarm clock, clicking on a button to light it. It’s one o’clock. I breath in and out, again. I don’t want the monsters to appear. It frightens me so much.
A loud noise draws my attention. A book has fallen out of the shelf. I shiver. Remember; now I know how to defeat them. Mum told me.
A large hand appears on the closet door, pushing it further aside. The long and yellow fingernails scratch on the light wood and leave marks. I know that they’ll disappear until the morning.
I instantly close my eyes. “You’re no danger. You’re no danger,” I murmur to myself. I can defeat it. Stretching out my arm, I concentrate on the palm of my hand and think of a bright lightening hitting the demon. It happens. I scream as I see the demon being sucked by my own hand into me.
It’s gone.
I hear footsteps outside. My mum comes into my room. “Is everything alright?” she asks worried, kissing me on the forehead. “I defeated the demon! You were right, thank you so much!” I hug her. Mum just smiles happily.
Over the years, I’ve used my “power” a lot of times, sucking demons into my myself through the palm of my hand, making them disappear forever. Well, I’ve grown up and I’m not a seven-year-old kid anymore, but it still helps. I even refuse to go to my therapist who diagnosed me with sleep paralysis.
Now, having wife and a beautiful child myself, I have other responsibilities. Still, once a month I have to fight with the monsters to keep my house clean.
“Mummy, mummy! Read me a story!” my son calls me. I smile at him and put him to bed, reading him from a book, and watching him fall asleep. He’s grew up quickly, it’s almost his seventh birthday.
I can’t move away as I watch him sleeping quietly. He’s so sweet. Suddenly, he opens his eyes. I quickly hide in the closet, afraid to scare him accidentally. “Hello?”, he whimpers. His eyes lock mine. “MUMMY! There is a monster in my closet!”
I freeze. “No,” I say, moving toward him, “it’s me, your mummy!” He is scared, not recognising me.
That’s when I noticed I myself have become a demon. | |
This is a thing I used to do in all my short Stories. | [WP] Write a story in which the same phrase is said at the beginning and end, but with new context, it has a deeper, more intriguing meaning. | "It's all gone," Jenny thought, as she walked the forgotten cobblestone roads, weeping silently. Old, rooting doors swung in the breeze, squeaking on their hinges. The place had a dusty feel to it, the way your grandma's attic does. Dirty covered everything, and it was thick in the air wherever Jenny walked. Memories of her childhood flickered through her mind, they jumped through her thoughts like jumbled frames from an old movie whose whole story had long ago faded to time. She figured if she could hold these memories with her hands, they would be just as dusty and faded as the rotting village. She thought of the blurred but familiar faces in those frames, her friends she had once called them, and wondered if any part of them inhabited the dust she now breathed. Jenny thought of the lifetime they'd had without her.
Jenny sat quietly on a earthen terrace, overlooking the village in the valley below. Behind her were scattered stones and a rotting wooden foundation, ruins of what had once been a quaint cottage. Her birthplace, and the location of her greatest mistake. In front of her was a cracked and overgrown stone circle, sunken into the earth. As she had been told so long ago, it must end where it had begun.
It had been an ancient ritual, even back then. As the full moon had shone between the hills nearly a millennia ago, a sliver of white-silver light illuminated the center of the then proud and maintained stone. Jenny had placed proof of the three "L's" she had taken, a love, a livelihood, and a life, upon the stone. A single wooden bowl of crimson blood, still warm.
Jenny thought she had been so clever, fulfilling all of the requirements with only one... item. She had killed this man, taking his life. Without his only son to help run the farm, the man's father was doomed to lose his livelihood. And taking his life in the midst of his courtship with a young woman who had been smitten with him had taken a love.
Only moments after placing the bowl on the stone, a ghastly silhouette appeared in front of the moon, black and transparent. The spectre's cloak billowed in the night's breeze,wrapping around the scythe it wielded. There were no features on its blank, pale face, yet it spoke clearly and with a rhythm. As if it had spoke the same words countless times before.
"These you have stolen,
Cannot be returned,
My gift to you,
Has been duly earned,
An endless lifetime,
Is yours to reap,
But through these acts,
Your debts grew steep.
All the misfortunes,
That stem from this act,
Are yours to bear,
That is the fact.
Through the ages,
They will compound,
You are responsible,
And you are bound.
Life eternal,
Is not what it seems
A curse in disguise
Is what it's deemed
To see me again,
You must make right,
All of the wrongs,
That stem from this night
Then I'll visit you here
In the sunlight.
And now you know,
This knowledge you do not lack,
With each passing day,
It is harder to turn back.
So go forth and live,
Your death never sending,
One day you'll see
Why life has an ending."
With that, the spectre vanished into the night, leaving Jenny to start her new life as an immortal.
She had lived 1,000 years before growing tired and pained. The world had become unfamiliar, magic had left it. Everyone she ever loved, she watched die. She slowly grew hollow, the years wearing her mind but not her body. She watched the world repeat its same mistakes over and over. She watched those she cared for die at the hands preventable follies that only she had memories of. But the world always forgot, and alone she was powerless to do anything but watch.
She spent the next 3,000 years slowly tracking down and making right everyone misfortune to ever be suffered by anyone as a consequence of that single action millennia ago.
Now finally, Jenny was here.
A thin blade of light cut between the surrounding hills, bathing her and the stone in the dull evening glow.
She felt light, her mind and soul empty for the first time in millenia. In front of her the spectre appeared in front of the sun, its shredded cloak and featureless face unchanged by time.
The spectre reached out a ghastly hand, and asked one question.
"Is your debt paid?"
Jenny smiled as she took its hand, all these years finally catching up as she did. Her hair grayed, snapped, and fell away. Her body wrinkled, and then crumbled into dust around her, blowing away in the wind.
"Yes," her whisper could be heard, light as the air itself. As the last of her was gently swept away, and get soul departed to jojn her countless loved ones in the afterlife, the spectre heard one last thing.
"It's all gone." | I used to enjoy my son so much. He was so passionate about everything he did. Always having fun with his friends and calling me to play baseball in the yard. Hell, he'd even call me at my office to play some cool video games with him. Of course I'd lose everytime, he loves his games.
Eric used to be a bright kid in school. Great grades and many friends. His teachers always told me he was the smartest in the class.
Eric had bullies too, unfortunately. They used to kick his ass at recess. What would I do? Go to the school and scream at the kids? Nah, no way. I'd rather talk to my own son about bullying and tell him to call the school authorities as fast as possible, while calling me at work so I can go get him as soon as I can. Obviously, I went to the school when he complained for the first time about it.
The kids didn't stop, of course. Telling my kid bad names, beating him down and making his friends get away from him. My son was so sad he wouldn't want to play anymore. Said it was a "baby's game". I can't let this go unturned. He is losing his glow and I can see it.
Next day I went to Eric's school to talk to the principal again. Maybe they have any visual proof from the school's cameras' footage. My son is fading and I can't see the source of it, though I am looking for it.
Before I could touch the subject of video footage, the principal was already saying he was worried about Eric and was all feeling glad I went to his school, that day. Specifically, because Eric is turning violent and punched a boy's crotch after he was being made fun of.
What am I to say? Both of them are wrong. Eric is gonna hear my bad side at home, but I do understand he was being picked on. No one is going to make my kid feel so bad like that. Not even me.
We went home and I talked to him for the whole ride. "Eric. What happened to you? You hit a kid in the testicles. That isn't okay. Now I do understand he was picking on you, but you got on your bad side, little man. You could have stood your ground, you know?"
He told me that kid was the bully who picks on him and he couldn't stand it anymore.
"Well, then. I am proud of you for fighting your own battles, but violence is not tolerable in this family, Sarge. You will never hit anyone again, okay? Give them a hard time listening to the teacher, but don't hit anyone. It doesn't solve anything"
He said it isn't a battle. It is a war. It is a full one-on-one combat. He has to defend himself and he doesn't want to lose the war.
"War? Oh, boy. Look, there is no war. And don't hit anyone again! Come on, man! I taught you better! I am not mad, okay? I just want to understand your side"
That night I didn't sleep very well. "War". What the fuck is a war, nowadays? The kid is mad angry and I can't do much but tell him violence is not the answer and I am always there for him.
The next day, I woke up to an open door and a kid holding a gun to my face. And then I woke up for real. What a weird dream. Was it Eric?
As I go down stairs, I walk past the kid having breakfast ob the kitchen counter. His backpack seems heavy, today. I am very, very worried, but then he tells me, right away that he is taking his laptop to school, today. Group project to present.
"Okay", I say. "Want a ride or catch the bus?" He just wanders off with a nearly crying voice saying his goodbyes. And, well, I just assume "bus, it is".
I only start working at 10, today. So I stay at home watching the news. I was glad I was watching that. One hour after Eric left, there was a shooting at his school.
This was it. My heart kickstarted my body. I rushed to the car, still wearing my pyjamas, and then driving as fast as I could to the school.
As I get there, the police is all around and I scream that my kid studies there and I went boosting my way there. The authorities ask me if I am the father of the short skinny kid called Eric. My spine runs cold as I answer a petrified "yes". The cops tell me my kid is armed with pistols and is out of control shooting everyone in the building.
They ask if I can get in the building and talk to him. I say I can try, but secretly, I am terrified.
I get inside the building and very soon I hear gunshots. And I call his name.
"Eric! It's me! Your dad!" He answers with a request for me to leave. "I can't, sarge. Come on. Let's go home and just talk." Suddenly he clmes out of a corner from the end lf the hallway. The guns look enormous in his hands.
"Where did you get those? They look scary, man. Please put them down." He nods negatively with a nearly crying face. "Please, Eric, put down the guns. Please, kid. For dad, please put them down."
A last breath was made and Eric shot me in the chest. And then, again, in the neck. I feel life being drained with the precious red liquid. In my last look at him, I saw a bullet getting in his mouth and leaving his head. My little Eric was not so little, anymore. He wasn't so active. Was not smiling as much.
I used to enjoy my son so much. |
[WP] You have a superpower. Your calls for help always bring exactly the right person. Rip your shirt and call for help, a tailor with needle and thread is there. Someone hurts themselves and you cry for help; a fully equipped paramedic is 'just strolling by'... | John Reese (2001-2019)
John Niccolo Reese's mother, Clara Reese, went into labour in the middle of a superstore. It probably would have gone wrong, had a group of trained midwives not been shopping at precisely that moment. They managed to deliver the baby without complications - in fact, two of the midwives later noted that it was one of the cleanest births they knew of. As a child, Reese was able to get hold of parents and teachers easily, but he never questioned it.
When Reese was eighteen, his computer broke. Unfortunately his father, who could fix it, was on a work trip to Russia. Reese called for his father to help him, and the doorbell rang. His father walked in the door, telling him that the trip had been cut short. Reese instantly called for his best friend Max. Once again, the doorbell rang, and Max walked in, saying that he just happened to be passing by. Reese told Max about his power, and the two of them immediately decided that this power should be used for the greater good - i.e. to make Reese and Max rich and famous.
Firstly, Reese walked to the middle of the town square and called for a beautiful rich woman. As it happened, Kiyaka Chamaine, the richest, most beautiful young woman in the world dropped her bag just in front of Reese's feet. Reese stepped forward and picked it up. Their eyes met. Before long, Reese and Kiyaka had embarked on probably the most talked-about relationship in the history of the world. It was fully satisfactory for Reese because Kiyaka was there whenever Reese needed her. And Reese managed to use Kiyaka to set Max up with a rich and beautiful supermodel.
However, after a year or two, the relationship turned sour. The front page of the Sun showed Kiyaka in the embrace of Youtuber KutDaKake. Reese, heartbroken, ran out to the edge of the suburbs, and cried out for the world at large to end his life.
As it happened, a local serial killer happened to be passing through...
And he just happened to have his knife.. | I was thoroughly convinced. I am one of the lucky few powerful people in the world. A mover and certainly a shaker.
I remember in college how with a flick of my wrist and a soft call for help A tutor came before me and did all my homework.
I lived in a flat with some schoolmates and with my powers I was able to avoid cleaning the house.
Finally when I graduated I was desperate for a job but with my powers and determination a manager fell on his knees to give me a hugh paying position I was hardly even qualified for.
Now I am standing outside an exclusive restaurant. My friends say it was impossible to get in but I knew no walls could hold me. I HAD THE POWER!
I grab my phone and with my hand trembling with untold power I dial the number I knew by heart. It rang and when a voice spoke on the other side I say the magic words to summon forth my tremendous power.
"DADDY!" | |
[WP] You have a superpower. Your calls for help always bring exactly the right person. Rip your shirt and call for help, a tailor with needle and thread is there. Someone hurts themselves and you cry for help; a fully equipped paramedic is 'just strolling by'... | It all started on a summer day when I decided to launch off a ramp and do a stunt. I did a total of two back flips before I crashed, burned, and broke my arm. I was 14 at the time and was no stranger to pain. I prided myself on being the only girl who can win the fights I got into with the bigger boys. Only this time, I shrieked at the top of my lungs. It hurt okay! It hurt a fucking lot!! My arm was a compound fracture, blood was everywhere, and you could clearly see the bone that punctured through my skin. All I could do was call for help. Only help came in a paramedic ambulance that was just strolling by. I didn't know if I was lucky, it was coincidence, or if some superior being looked kindly on me. All I knew I got a rough lecture from my mother while dad gave me a thumbs up on my stunts video.
Did that crash stop me from doing more stunts? Yes, actually it did. At least until my arm was fully healed. Dad made sure of that. It wasn't long before I was back on my skateboard, bicycle, or scooter doing crazy stunts that would make mom cringe in worry and stress. I love the adrenaline. It's the only thing that makes me feel alive. Up until I saw a gang of hooligans harassing this girl. There were too many, and I'm not suicidal enough to try and save her. So I did a nine one one for help. Only then swat truck pulls up and arrests the whole gang. It hadn't even been a second since I called and there they were fully armored and everything. Apparently they were doing a training mission and just happened to be in the area. I mulled it off again to luck, coincidence, or god.
Well, until these situations kept happening. Need help with school because I'm flunking? A incredible tutor is just walking by to overhear me. Loved Mike by the way, great guy who saved my cute ass. Favorite hoodie gets dirty? Some clean freak would clean it for free. Chloe was awesome despite her germphobia. Need a date for a prom? A gorgeous girl happened to fall in love with her at first sight. We married after finishing college. Need help constructing a big ass ramp? A carpenter with all his tools thought it'd be a fun idea to throw away one in perfect condition. Need a motorcycle? I won a Harley in a lottery. Despite my Mom's reluctance. I got to keep it only if I didn't do anything stupid with it. You can't do many tricks on a Harley anyway. My then-girlfriend absolutely loved taking long rides with me on that Harley. Need to figure out my plan in life? Life counselor who was sitting in the table behind us obliged to have a talk with me. Now I'm doing stunts for movies. Need acting skills to become an actor? Fucking Ryan Reynolds was just screwing around on a skateboard. He taught me everything including helping me get into a great acting school.
It seemed that life just happened whenever I called for help. I became a professional actor who did her own stunts making the big bucks in Hollywood. I had a gorgeous wife who still loved the shits out of my cute ass. Life just seemed to happened when I called for help. Sometimes I'll just take a long walk down dark alleys in shitty parts of the city at the dead of night. Why? Because I know all I have to do to help someone is just a call away.
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Thanks for reading!!! | I was thoroughly convinced. I am one of the lucky few powerful people in the world. A mover and certainly a shaker.
I remember in college how with a flick of my wrist and a soft call for help A tutor came before me and did all my homework.
I lived in a flat with some schoolmates and with my powers I was able to avoid cleaning the house.
Finally when I graduated I was desperate for a job but with my powers and determination a manager fell on his knees to give me a hugh paying position I was hardly even qualified for.
Now I am standing outside an exclusive restaurant. My friends say it was impossible to get in but I knew no walls could hold me. I HAD THE POWER!
I grab my phone and with my hand trembling with untold power I dial the number I knew by heart. It rang and when a voice spoke on the other side I say the magic words to summon forth my tremendous power.
"DADDY!" | |
[WP] You have a superpower. Your calls for help always bring exactly the right person. Rip your shirt and call for help, a tailor with needle and thread is there. Someone hurts themselves and you cry for help; a fully equipped paramedic is 'just strolling by'... | Around or city was void, the blackest or blacks, the darkest darks. Not a star in the sky or anything really besides these buildings. I watch from the rooftop with 4 friends as the void slowly engulfs the city.
It all really started several years ago. A group of Russians dug a hole deep enough to reach mantel rock. At first we thought that mantel flooded the surface and killed them. After all, we never heard from them again. However the recovery teams began going missing, and soon after that, the search party was gone. It wasn’t a year until Russia no longer existed. Wiped off the face of the universe. It creeps slowly, almost mocking. You’d think that with an entire country gone missing the world would be in chaos, but no. Children went to school, people went to work. It was an uncomfortable silence. It really only started becoming an emergency when the coast of the United States was hit. That’s when we began to seriously look for a solution, but it was too late. People stopped caring, everything they knew, and loved just gone. Not burned, not melted, not lost. They simply never existed. People stopped moving. One government after another, removed off of the face of the planet. Void creeping like vine. That’s where we are now.
I have never really believed in magic until I took a closer look at my life in my mid teens. Every time I would need assistance, there was always someone there for me, for exactly the situation. My teacher was there when I needed to discuss scholarships, my dad home early from deployment after I found out about a mass base bombing in Afghanistan minutes prior,it was magic. I learned that
Magic doesn’t always work the way you want it. My teacher came to tell me that the scholarships only accept people with a better GPA and my dad, well... He came back in a casket. Never was I to use the unless it was a true emergency. I realize now that it is time. I break the silence of the group.
“God please help us.”
Out from the roof access door came a man in immaculate white robes, perfect teeth, symmetrical face, and calming presence. He radiates a light that almost seems to pierce the void. He walks over to us, and sits down along side us watching the void curiously.
“You know, nothing is a very interesting concept” he said with a matter of a fact tone. “I tried my hardest to keep you from having to experience it. I gave you ideas about nothing, but never true void like this. Space had stars, black holes had gravity. However y’all had to dig it up.” He looked at our sad looking faces. “It’s not your fault.”He grabbed my hands. “I made you all curious. You know what they say, curiosity killed the cat.” I look the man in the eyes. “But- satisfaction brought it back.” I muster back. He laughed. “Boy, do I love you all.
“I thought you were supposed to help me. Someone is always there to help me.” I begin to choke up.
“Now, now. I am here to help.” He reassures. He looks directly at all of us. “Just not in the way you’d expect. I will be there for you, til the end of time and longer. I love all of you.” No one knows what to say. We all just sit with our feet dangling off the roof as we watch the void creep even closer, the building next door disappears into it. | I was thoroughly convinced. I am one of the lucky few powerful people in the world. A mover and certainly a shaker.
I remember in college how with a flick of my wrist and a soft call for help A tutor came before me and did all my homework.
I lived in a flat with some schoolmates and with my powers I was able to avoid cleaning the house.
Finally when I graduated I was desperate for a job but with my powers and determination a manager fell on his knees to give me a hugh paying position I was hardly even qualified for.
Now I am standing outside an exclusive restaurant. My friends say it was impossible to get in but I knew no walls could hold me. I HAD THE POWER!
I grab my phone and with my hand trembling with untold power I dial the number I knew by heart. It rang and when a voice spoke on the other side I say the magic words to summon forth my tremendous power.
"DADDY!" | |
[WP] The corners of his mouth pull apart just enough to glimpse long yellowed teeth, eyes flashing triumph. "Where is your God now, child?" Shaken but still smiling, you pull the still-beating heart from the bag on your belt. "Dead," you say. | I felt compelled to do it, though I didn't understand what it meant at the time, and now all I have left is unfettered existence.
Infinite time; Do you know what that's like? Not that you could fully experience it of course, being infinite. But you can certainly know the case to be so, as do I. I've told this story so many times, and it is always the same. What differs from each telling is the lesson learned by the listener. I know what my experience meant to me, but what will it mean to you?
Do you fear how you will respond when he comes? I doubt you could even prepare for him. My introduction to the man was an abrupt materialization; his gaze omniscient. His promise: unbounded freedom, everlasting euphoria.
"You know what I am, you've always known but now you cannot conceal me. Do not be afraid, there is no need to conceal me."
His phrases seemed to invade my very conscious. My torso set ablaze with a yearning to flee, subsided quickly by a cold hail of duplicitous euphoria.
"Let me aid you, I can guide you to the refuge you seek."
His eldritch caricature boiled through the surface of the darkest corner in my vision. I could not fight the reality of his existence, and though we've never met I knew exactly who he was. I even knew what he wanted of me. But how could I know what he wanted of me, if he hadn't spoken it yet? If only I asked myself exactly this. But I did not. Every moment that followed, he followed me. I could look away from him, yet our gaze would remain unbroken.
What follows is a slow walk; a slow, unwavering, fluid movement. How convenient that such a perfect weapon should be within arms reach. With clear visions of the traumatic molestation I endured in that sacred house, I now set my gaze upon the one responsible for it all. The one who controlled me, subjected me to my abusers week after week. The one who would not listen, but only dictate. Freedom at last.
I can't remember the details now, as I couldn't perceive that reality then. But I killed him, and the phantom guided me through it all. I wrenched out his heart and hoisted the vessel with stoic posture, hands raised slightly if only but to see what I'd done. I know not how much time had passed, until indigo and crimson flooded my vision. My heart slows to the beat of the one in my very hands, as I notice him skulking amongst the colors before me. The sight of him brings a smile to my face, for it was he who led me to freedom. Abruptly, a light comes to be, revealing the corners of his mouth pulled apart just enough to glimpse long yellowed teeth; eyes flashing triumph. "Where is your God now, child?" Shaken but still smiling, I present the still-beating heart. "Dead," I say.
That was years ago, and since then I've had to come to terms with the reality of what I'd done. My condition went completely unnoticed by family, who put faith far above reason. And that treacherous priest... What he did to me left me silent, but seething. My visions, now diagnosed appropriately as "Schizophrenia", are being treated but I'll never see the light of day again. Not after what I did to my father. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to attend a group session. | **A rich kid and his friend talk about the strange foods they've eaten.**
---
"Ever eaten a frog before?"
"No."
["They're delicious! Like chicken, but must tastier!"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frog_legs)
"I bet, I've never eaten one though."
"You're missing out. How about foie gras?"
"No."
["They're just like butter, except made of meat. I could eat them forever!"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foie_gras)
"I wish I could eat some too."
"Too bad. What about crickets, eaten them before?"
"No, I haven't."
["They're like crispy chips but they're insects! Tasty too, when you cook them in butter."](https://www.finedininglovers.com/recipes/appetizer/cricket-recipe/)
"We do have crickets in our backyard, I should ask mom to fry them sometime."
"You should! You should get out more, you're missing out of a lot of foods."
"Well, have you eaten a snake before?"
["Yeah, they're good."](https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/southern-fried-rattlesnake-251414)
"Raw."
"Raw?"
"Yup, with the heart still beating."
"N-no, can't say I have."
["Great, you're in for a treat, cause my mom packed for me two still-beating snake hearts! Where is your God now?!"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/8514221/Gordon-Ramsay-eats-beating-heart-of-a-snake.html)
"If you think I'm gonna give up, then prepare to be let down." | |
[WP] The corners of his mouth pull apart just enough to glimpse long yellowed teeth, eyes flashing triumph. "Where is your God now, child?" Shaken but still smiling, you pull the still-beating heart from the bag on your belt. "Dead," you say. | "Dead," Galatra said, the still-beating heart thumped in her hand, "his body remains, but the rest of him..." She replaced the heart back in her bag and then returned the man's stare. "He is gone."
A long pink tongue, dappled with specks of black, slide along the man's yellowed teeth. "I would have thought the Master better than his student." Steely grey eyes darted toward the bag.
Galatra shrugged, "He placed himself between me and what was mine. I had no other choice."
The man chuckled, a long rumbling guttural sound. "You may still beat in your chest Galatra, but ice runs through it."
"What's done is done. I have come and I have paid the named price. I expect what was promised." She took a step forward, determination etched in the creases of her weathered face. She had aged much in the short time since her expulsion from the Summoner's Chantry, though wisps of her youth hung about the edges. The cost of the journey from there to here was apparent, though the man felt little pity for her.
Such was the price for the Dark Arts.
"And so you shall have it." The man stretched outward, his back snapping and cracking at the exertion. He turned and began to hobble toward the back of the dank cave to the portion shrouded from view. He rummaged about, the sound of papers rustling and the clanging of metal upon metal echoing throughout the small chamber. Abruptly the clamor stopped and the man came shuffling back into the light, three small urns gathered in his arms.
"An innocent." A small white urn was placed on the table between them. "A master." A slightly larger black urn as placed beside the white urn. The man looked up at Galatra, a sickening grin spreading across his face, "A blood." An even larger red urn was placed down.
"Three to return one. A compact to release the pact," the man said, leaning over the table until his face hovered mere inches from Galatra's face. "The name price. The required price."
Galatra spared him a look of disgust as her hands began to work at the bags around her belt. She pulled loose the first bag. "The God. Master Lumina. First of the Summoner's Chantry." She laid ahold of the black urn and unscrewed the top. After prying it loose, she dumped the contents of the bag into the urn and resealed it. Upon doing so, the crack between the top and the body of the urn disappeared, leaving a smooth black object that thrummed slightly.
A heartbeat.
Next she pulled off a second bag and reached for the white urn. "A pure soul. Sister Lucia. Sworn Maiden of Runeguard." The man snickered in response, delighted at the revelation. Galatra repeated the process and the white urn soon thrummed alongside the black urn. It thrummed slightly faster.
She hesitated before the third bag, her hand hovering above it for the briefest of moments. After gathering her resolve, she removed it as well and opened the red urn. "A blood. My father Goodwin. Father to the pact-bound."
The man's eyes widened at this, "A sibling...I might have expected, though I presumed--"
Galatra's eyes flashed, "Do not presume to judge me Sarcci. You demanded and I have paid." She thumped the red urn down beside the white and black one. "Three hearts to restore the pact-bound to flesh and blood."
"Three hearts," Sarcci said, his head bobbing, "a fair price."
Galatra's eyebrow twitched as she folded her arms.
"You hold the pact?" He asked.
"I do."
"Have you retained all of the mind within you?"
"I have."
Sarcci could not help but marvel at the hubris. She was not the first to attempt the pact-bind another human, but she was the first he had seen hold it. For years no less. Were it not for the instability of the situation, Sarcci might quite like to study her. It had been so long since he had had the opportunity to take on a new experiment. The summoners had seen to that.
"Very well. I shall assist you, though you are forewarned that these things are imperfect. Even the smallest gap in the pact-bound's mind can destroy the fabric of the process." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle upon her. "The Red, White and Black will serve as boundaries, guides in this process, but they cannot reassemble what has been disassembled. They can only give form to what is within you. Do you understand?"
"I do."
"And you know the price of failure?" Sarcci asked.
She straightened now, her chin lifting as she regarded him cooly. "Heartless."
Sarrci nodded, "Abomination."
**Platypus OUT.**
**Want MOAR peril?** r/PerilousPlatypus
&#x200B; | **A rich kid and his friend talk about the strange foods they've eaten.**
---
"Ever eaten a frog before?"
"No."
["They're delicious! Like chicken, but must tastier!"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frog_legs)
"I bet, I've never eaten one though."
"You're missing out. How about foie gras?"
"No."
["They're just like butter, except made of meat. I could eat them forever!"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foie_gras)
"I wish I could eat some too."
"Too bad. What about crickets, eaten them before?"
"No, I haven't."
["They're like crispy chips but they're insects! Tasty too, when you cook them in butter."](https://www.finedininglovers.com/recipes/appetizer/cricket-recipe/)
"We do have crickets in our backyard, I should ask mom to fry them sometime."
"You should! You should get out more, you're missing out of a lot of foods."
"Well, have you eaten a snake before?"
["Yeah, they're good."](https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/southern-fried-rattlesnake-251414)
"Raw."
"Raw?"
"Yup, with the heart still beating."
"N-no, can't say I have."
["Great, you're in for a treat, cause my mom packed for me two still-beating snake hearts! Where is your God now?!"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/8514221/Gordon-Ramsay-eats-beating-heart-of-a-snake.html)
"If you think I'm gonna give up, then prepare to be let down." | |
[WP] It's year 3000 and the biblical apocalypse finally arrives to Earth, except humanity has all moved to Mars. | We scavenged every corner of the planet. The army of hell was red, the nightmares of humanity come to life. Hungry and angry. Earth was a barren waste land, devoid of mankind. Devoid of their sins. The Icon of Sin would be livid if he knew his plan was obsolete.
Me? I couldn't care less. They'd treat me all the same.
I stumbled upon a room out in the middle of a desert. The sun scorching hot, and the sand, a lit candle in comparison to the heat of our world below. A hunched over demon searched next to me.
His back hunched, and his teeth were ill purposed shards of glass. His skin forever molting. Disgusting, just as I was.
G'nork hissed and flipped the poker table in a fit of rage.
"I'd have better luck memorizing pi than I would of finding an innocent soul!"
He glanced at me, was I supposed to say something? I gazed back. We knew the low ones like us would take the blame. He growled.
"We're so BONED. Condemned to another thousand year whipping when the icon's lackeys hear of this. F-FUCK."
I Iet the thought sink in. Our mistress was hot. I mumbled,
"Dimitress.."
"What?"
"What."
Silence ensued. I jumped over to this square thing.. I recognized it somewhat, a computer. Had a logo on it that spelled, "A. R. G. E. N. T." G'nark peered over my shoulder and asked,
"What are you doing?"
"Huh. Why does it matter what I'm doing? Keep looking."
"I've given up, R'taz. Accepted our fate while you— you fiddle with human possessions."
I scoffed. It felt as if he were trying to be like the *lackeys* now. I said,
"OK. Well for the past 3 million years we've been conditioned to kill and maim and inflict the very tortures we've endured onto people. Pretty, soft, and tasty little people. Because our overlord wills it, he said so."
"Yes, so what are you doing?"
"Something he doesn't want us to do, not like we'd make a difference anyways."
I smacked the brick component that dangled on the side, the device whirled to life and the faint sound of.. Music, with strings, hard strings being heard for just a moment. It was unpleasant, if I had to describe it as a material I'd call it *metal*.
I remembered seeing into a dead man's mind not too long ago, he too had a," computer." G'nork and I squealed way back then at how innocent it all looked. And how dirty it could be. Yet that was the past.
I forgot how they use this thing.
G'nork's eyes widened, as if he had been slapped in the face by a ghoul. He slammed his fist into the mouse and clicked on the minimized tab on the bottom. He let out an audible, "AHA!"
Some sort of video played. Full of humans contained in some sort of.. Laboratory of sorts. A woman in a white uniform spoke, as various clips were shown of this facility. She said,
"At A.R.G.E.N.T. incorporated we strive to be the best, for the best. We need *you* to lend a helping hand to our most ambitious endeavor. The colonization of Mars, and the harvest of a brand new energy to power our new home for centuries to come! Your introductory pamphlet will be issued to you aboard the shuttle. This is good work, the kind that all of mankind will soon thank you for."
Bingo. Before I can say it, G'nork opened a portal to every single Lackey across the globe. Interestingly enough, there was no one on any end. And again that music.. That metal music, I could hear it faintly in the distance.
There was one portal that has a present foot soldier, a voice boomed from the other side.
"State your business or suffer the consequences early!"
G'nork swallowed hard, "UH s-sir, we g-got—"
I shushed him. Then took over, gazing into the portal. Into the eyes of the 2 ton lacky. His diamond red eyes glow like the embers of fire. And his horns were like those that belonged to a super sized bull. His skin tanned with the tint of fire. His teeth, jagged bones. I wanted to run. But I didn't.
"We've.. Found the location of the humans. They're on another planet they call.. Mars."
As if every single wretched thing walking this planet sang a single note in harmony, they laughed and roared. Millions upon millions of roars.
That music, I heard it again. Followed by the screams of fellow demons taking their last breaths. And the sound of something loud, like a weapon going off every half a second.
The portal communication link was cut. What the hell was that? I looked at G'nork, did he hear what I heard? He said,
"Let's get a move on it. When the humans are gone we will be in paradise!"
I nodded. He was right, he opened another portal this time to Mars. As soon as the ripple through space was opened, the music started blaring from the other side of the portal.
I couldn't see inside it. G'nork looked through and screamed, " OH MY G-"
A 6'2 man came hurling through the portal dawning some sort of green battle armor. With a shotgun in one hand, and the decapitated head of a lackey in his other hand.
That metal music was so loud and it was coming from him! I screamed and lashed out at him. He slammed his boot into my chest and I saw stars, I coughed blood and couldn't breathe.
I looked up to see G'nork struggling to break free from his grip, with one twist of the man's wrist he breaks my friend's neck. Then Rips his head clean off as if it were a piece of paper. All I could feel is this one thing, one thing my torment has never brought upon me.
The belly ache of fear, the anxiety of my future, the inevitability of my mortality.
*DOOM.*
He threw g'nork down and aimed his weapon at me. Then nodded at the portal to Mars, he wanted me to close it, I did. All I could do is plead.
"Please.. Please don't, look I don't even want to kill you peo-"
He aimed the barrel at my face and squeezed the trigger. The crack of thunder is the last thing I remember, the last thing I'd ever know. That one feeling of being utterly..
*Doomed*. | A fierce rumble echoed through the countryside as the sun faded behind a rolling black cloud. Ashes fell to the ground as dense as snow, and soon after, fire seemed to rain from the sky. The time had come.
The earth split open with a frenzy of molten rock spewing from the crevice. As the ground seemed to rise, a dark, towering figure emerged from deep inside the planet.
He stood ten stories tall, a thick red hide of burnt rock glistening in the burning night. He gripped a trident in his right hand, and smooth obsidian horns jutted from his head. The earth itself shook as he stepped forth.
"The end has come," his thunderous voice boomed across the blazing landscape. He raised a hand to the sky. "Bow to your new king, the Great--"
"Hey, Lou," a tiny voice carried up from the creature's feet. He looked down to see a man--or something else, in the shape of one--staring up at him. The man was dressed in flowing white robes, his white hair falling to his waist. A thick beard twirled neatly against his chest.
"You!" The giant bellowed, turning his trident to the man.
"Yeah, me," the man said, "and *only* me."
The creature knelt, his hot breath producing a thick steam peppered with embers. The small man appeared unbothered.
"They're all gone." The man said.
The creature furrowed its brow with the sound of crumbling rock. "What do you mean, *gone*?"
"I mean they're not here. Not on Earth."
The giant raised his head and scanned the area, realizing for the first time how empty it was. Buildings in the distance were half decayed, the land was barren. There were even no signs of wildlife.
"But where--"
"Mars." The man shrugged.
"Mars?!" the creature bellowed, puffs of fire escaping his nose. He looked up to the sky, unable to see through the cloud of smoke.
The man shook his head. "I know, old friend. You were really looking forward to this. We can still fight, if you want." He offered a forced smile.
The giant let himself fall backwards into a sitting position. His trident fell to the ground, embedding itself in the dirt.
"No, what would be the point, now?" The creature said.
"Well, what will you do, then?"
The creature shrugged. "I don't know. Any ideas?"
"I'm getting some of the arch's together for poker tonight. I guess you can join, if you behave."
The creature smiled. "Yeah, I think I'd like that."
They both stood and walked away, leaving behind the war that could have been.
r/Ford9863 | |
[WP] You were born with supernatural eyesight. You can naturally zoom endlessly into anything, even reaching subatomic levels. Today there’s a beautiful night sky, and you have decided to lay down and zoom into the universe as far and deep as you possibly can. | 'Come on Steve you can do this.'
'you can do it.'
'you know you can.'
'dont be a pussy.'
Steve said while pacing back and forth beneath the cloudless autumn sky.
'ok, this is it. No turning back now.' Steve said before lying down on his back on the cold grass. he closes his eyes briefly and takes one long deep breath, and opens his eyes. Suddenly he could see the moon in such grand detail Steve felt he could almost reach out and touch it.
He takes another deep breath and said under his breath ' here we go'
Peering into the anthricite depths of space he searched as far as his eyes could see, past endless stars and spiraling galaxies appearing and fading into the abyss as he glared deeper and deeper into space. He could feel himself reaching the point where he usually gave in, that feeling, subtle at first came creeping into his mind. The feeling of discomfort at his very core, a feeling unique to this experience and nothing else ever came close. It was building and building within him as he hurtled further and further into the universe, with every cluster of galaxies he gazed passed the uncomfortable throbbing inside his head boomed. beating like a drum, louder and louder, faster and faster.
Steve clenched his jaw so tight he thought it might break as he repeated his mantra over and over inside his head.
'keep going Steve'
'keep going Steve'
'keep going steve'
Suddenly as he thought he couldn't take any more the pain was gone, but so was the sky and the stars that occupied it. In its place was light, so pure and bright Steve tried to blink to protect his eyes. But he couldn't . He tried to block the light with his hand but realised he couldn't do that either, he couldn't feel the wind, he couldn't feel the grass beneath him. He couldn't feel anything. But he could see everything | “Who do i tell, oh god, oh shit!”
I had grown very used to my vision abilities thus far. I had observed countless wonders that most people will never be able to see. The rungs on the ladder that is DNA, the bacteria from sneezes of the sick, I’d seen it all.
Or so I thought. Normally I used my vision sparingly, as it did take a toll on my stamina. But tonight i felt like I could relax and gaze into the endless horizon of space.
But nothing, and I mean nothing could prepare me for what i saw today. I started small. A couple hundred times magnification to peer onto the moons surface and glance around. I had done this before and new that it was just dust and the occasional rock. But I had drifted. I magnified my eyes more and glanced past mars, past pluto, and out to the farthest reaches of known space.
I saw nothing at first. But an asteroid started to sweep its way into my vision. I followed its way across space. It was better than the black emptiness of nothing. I decided to zoom out a bit and see if this was an asteroid cluster.
But as I zoomed out I saw what appeared to be a large hornlike obelisk.
I zoomed out farther to see where it came from.
Another one popped into view, and another and another and another. Soon there was a row of about ten all spread out in a circular pattern with their points centered around where i assumed the asteroid would be.
I decided to go farther. Boy this was my last mistake. Soon the ring was accompanied by a set of grey, flesh like lips. The lips were attached to a grey fleshy face and that face was attached to a large, leathery, ropelike body.
“What the hell is that thing?”
I zoomed out farther to get a size of the creature.
Wait. Is that what I think it is? Another one. Right next to the first. The farther I went the more i could see.
I stood up quickly and looked frantically along the line they formed. These things, they were circling Pluto!
No one would believe me if I told them. Not by a long shot. I will just let them be and keep tabs on them until someone at NASA or something notices.
_____________________________________________
“Space worms devour Mars!”
The headline today broke the news of humanity’s last planet before we were the target.
It had been four months since the first time I saw them. People had caught on quick to the worms movements in space. Since then it was a mad scramble to make defenses against these creatures. Giant cannons, spaceships, space minefields.
Everyone had always been thinking of ways earth would end. It had always been within the realm of us humans destroying the earth, or the sun exploding, or a bad disease. The thing is, no one expected giant space worms to be our downfall.
Earth has had a good run. Lets just hope we can bring it to these creatures so no other possible species can suffer the same fate.
Sorry im on mobile and i have autocorrect off. I probably missed a few gramatical errors and spelling mistakes. Please leave your feelings in he replies. I would love to hear your thoughts as its my first time writing here. | |
[WP] Nuclear war destroyed the earth making it uninhabitable for years.You hid in your bunker for 20 years but when you emerge it’s not what you expect. It’s filled with flowers and trees, but there’s a catch. Animals are now mutated into fantasy monsters And you have to survive | You emerge from your bunker slowly, blinded as your vision is bathed in blinding white light. As your eyes attune to the natural light of day you are taken aback by what you see.
You expected a desolate wasteland, nothing but charred tree trunks and scorched earth for miles with the only break in the grim scenery being the smoke still emanating from the surface of what was once your home. Instead you were greeted by a lovely field sprinkled with various colorful flowers with a beautiful forest surrounding the field.
Remnants of humanity still exist as evident by the stone structure to your right. It looks weird, as if it was newly built, but with a touch of antiquity, reminding you more of a castle market square rather than the modern architecture you’re familiar with.
You travel on further into the ruins and things feel off. It looks too new. There’s various bookcases completely stocked with all kinds of material from recipe books to fictitious novels. Signposts scattered about tell you everything you need to know from the types of buildings they represent to detailed instructions on how to live without modern technology and the like.
Being trapped by your curious nature as you explore the structures you fail to notice that daytime is coming to an end. As the sun sets ever so slowly on the pristine horizon you find a rudimentary chest filled with an assortment of wooden sticks and a few rocks.
A small tap outside brings you back to reality as you hear a pair of footsteps colliding with the stone pathways nearby. Grabbing the sturdiest stick in the chest you head slowly to the front door. A peek out the window reveals that there is nothing outside that you can see.
As you carefully creak the door open looking around the square a strange noise startles you causing you to fall out of the house. In a frenzy, you flail your stick around trying to scramble back to your feet. The source of the noise creeps closer towards you and as your eyes adjust to the newfound darkness surrounding you, you realize it’s a lone pig. It’s snort reassures you that he created the sound that startled you in the first place. In all honesty, it’s kinda cute the wa..
*schluck*
You sat there staring mouth agape, face sprayed with blood as the arrow pierced through the neck of the pig. You turn to the direction the arrow came from, shrouded in darkness the culprit stood loading another arrow into the bowstring. Something was off.
As you watched you swore that you could almost see through the creature.
There it is again! As the creature drew the arrow back and took aim you saw the moon through where his body should’ve been.
*Fwuk*
The arrow pierced your shoulder, the sudden sharp pain bringing you back to the matter at hand. You hurried to your feet wincing as you struggled to move your left arm. With stick in hand you took off unwilling to take on whatever being clearly wanted you dead. You weave your way through the maze of buildings adrenaline coursing through your veins as you ran letting blind instinct take over. An injured animal knowing its being hunted.
There! An alleyway you may be able to hide in! As you round the corner, you hear the groans before you see the source of them. Stopping in your tracks there is a new figure in front of you. It seems fuller than the last, as in not as skinny. It spins around having taken notice of you and lunges forward grabbing and ripping at your clothes with such a rage the only thing you think to do is bash it with your stick. It stumbles backwards as the moon passes overhead illuminating the alleyway. Your heart plunged below your stomach as your worst fears come true around you. Behind what could only be a zombie is a small herd of them filling the alley.
The light gasp that leaves your lips as you realize how utterly fucked you are grabs the attention of the rest of the group. They start after you as you turn around and try to get away. Coming into view of the newly found moonlight is the thin figure from before. Drawing the bowstring back against all rules of nature, a skeleton takes aim at you and fires.
Your life flashes before your eyes, regrettably being mostly in a bunker, as the arrow whizzes past you into the zombie just reaching you. You take the opportunity to run once more in a desperate attempt to live. More noises start surrounding you as the clatter of bones and the groans of the undead fill your ears. Wide-eyed and in desperation you pick your routes not knowing where they’ll take you the sounds growing louder as if the creatures are getting closer, but you knew better. They weren’t closer, their numbers were just growing.
You burst back into the square and see the clearing into the field. If only you could make it back to the bunker your troubles would be over.
Glancing over your shoulder seeing the amassing horde following close behind, you tear at the ground trying to make it to the bunker in time when, from within it’s still open door another creature appears.
This is different from your skeletons and zombies. It didn’t look human. It’s sickly shade of green and hollow expression left you stumped as to what it could possibly be. That’s when the hissing started. Almost unnoticeable but unmistakably the sound of a fuse. You heard the explosion before you felt it. As a matter of fact you didn’t even feel flying back and slamming into the ground. You look at the remains of your bunker, a collapsed door with a crater of dirt burying what was once your life.
Your sight dims as you look back at the horde of monsters about to close in on you. The last thing you see is an arrow entering the skull of the nearest creature as a muffled voice tells you it’s gonna be ok.
You feel them start to drag you away and all the pain rushes into your body
You ask who they are in a slurred but pained tone.
A feminine voice responds, this time more clearly ,”The names Alexis, but I go by Alex now. What’s yours?”
“Steve,” you reply weakly.
“Well Steve, you survived your first night,” Alex stated as the sun started to rise past the hills,” but you can’t rest now, there are monsters nearby.” | The lights went out today. Lights that had been running strong for well over twenty years, suddenly working no more. It wasn’t a surprise. I’d been down to my last bulb. And it wasn’t like I could go out to the supermarket and get a new pack; no, I hadn’t been able to leave this spacious bunker for that whole twenty years.
With my last source of light depleted, the candles having been used up a good seven years ago, when I got a bit too into mood lighting some of Edgar Allan Poe’s works as an overemotional teen, I had nothing to do anymore. I sat down on the ground, leaning against the nearby concrete wall.
The food was almost gone. Air filters, all dirty. I had no clue how the generator had lasted all these years, but I’d had very little training in its repair before my old man passed away, but I was sure that was on its last legs too.
I guess my time must be up. Twenty years sitting in this hole. My childhood taken, my teen years spent kicking these walls after my parents’ passing. Early adulthood spent with my nose in the extensive science fiction and fantasy collection my old man had meticulously collected and stored in here, oblivious to the fact that he might have to use this shelter for more than a cool place to display his collection.
They always say your life flashes before your eyes before you die. I didn’t have much of a life to have flash, but I remember the day we came here.
I remember the shockwaves caused by the first bomb, so far, far away. Then our phones lit up. Every cell phone, tablet, TV, or other device connected to the internet had their screens turn a violent scarlet. Our home assistant began blaring a klaxon ten times worse than the one from Star Trek from every speaker. Words in a white font scrolled through every red surface in the house:
War has been declared. We apologize for the inconvenience.
My mother acted fast. She gathered us, me, her, and my father, and dragged us almost literally kicking and screaming to the bomb shelter in our back yard. I remember pulling against her ironlike grip, begging her to let me at LEAST get my stuff, but no, she said. There was no time.
Mother had inherited our house from her parents. A pair of xenophobic, paranoid, religious nutjobs worse than my maternal grandparents would be hard to find. I don’t remember very much about them, but I remember my parents regaling me of stories of their insanity when I was young. But for all their faults, they kept one heck of an immaculate home, and were prepared for anything. The fact that I’m still alive now is testament to that. They’d loaded up this shelter with years’ worth of food and supplies.
So here we were, the world burning around us, my insane grandparents somehow reaching from the grave to give us shelter. And here I was, a grown man with no real experience, no light, and almost no food left.
All things considered, there are worse ways to die.
Anyway, I sat there in my silence for some time. I’m not sure how long. It’s hard to tell time in the dark like that. I was just thinking of getting up to relieve myself when I heard something banging above.
That was weird. I hadn’t heard noise from outside in… well, in the entire time I’d been down here. Were there people out there? I couldn’t imagine there would be. With all those bombs that were dropped all at once, I can’t believe that anyone could even put a foot in the state, much less on this estate. Still though, it sounded like something was trying to break through the heavy doors above me.
Sure enough though, there was someone there. It took theme some time, but whoever it was managed to break through the ceiling above me. I cried out in pain as the light from above hit me, and then cried out again when some falling debris from the now-destroyed trapdoor splashed over me.
As I tried to make out what I was seeing, (and I was seeing! I can’t believe it, there was light!) I heard a couple of gruff voices. I couldn’t understand what they said, but there was a lot of grunting, and I swear I heard the word “human.” An arrow landed right next to me, and it took every ounce of strength I had to not relieve myself right then. I glared upward and was finally able to make out two figures standing above me. One had something long and curved, which my superior deductive reasoning led me to believe was a bow. The other pointed a meaty finger at me and said one word.
“Stay.”
I nodded my assent, and the second man walked away from the door’s opening. As he left, I didn’t hear footsteps pattering in the dust, like I expected; instead, I heard a soft clopping, like hooves on grass. The first man just glared at me.
It took some more time, though I didn’t mind. I’d had plenty of practice with doing nothing. A whole twenty years of it. Eventually, the second man came back. This time, a third face peered down at me, a strange-looking man who seemed significantly shorter than the other two. But that wasn’t the strange bit; no, the strange bit was that his skin was green, his ears pointed, and his striped top hat was ugly as sin. He shone a sharp smile down at me. And I mean razor-sharp, the teeth looking like they belonged to a shark. He shifted his smile to his two associates. “Well boys, look what we’ve got here! I gen-you-ain human!” He giggled and looked back down at me, a hungry look in his golden eyes. “Nobody’s seen onna these in years! Boys, you just found us our newest attraction!” | |
[WP] As the coronation drags on, members of the coup begin to tremble not knowing why. For within the dungeons, the true Empress cries for aid; with this, the Empire's finest begin rise out of their graves, break free from demonic chains, and force themselves back into the mortal plane. | "Betrayed by my own court." Regia said, tears rolling down her pale face. The dungeon's floor soiled her recently tattered royal garb. "Surely, there is one among you who is still loyal."
The small group of guards looked at each other and laughed. One of them stepped forward. He had clearly been to one too many feasts. "Lady Regia, or should I say Miss Regia. We are loyal to the crown not the Stromkeeper bloodline. And Victoria is being crowned today not you."
"You are loyal only to the foriegn gold that lines your pockets. You are no more than common thugs, unworthy of the armor you don." Regia resigned herself to a corner of her cell and laid down, "Please leave me to waste away. 'Tis a better fate than conversing with snakes."
Another guard walked forward brandishing a dagger. "Ya lucky we h've to keep you alive, or ya won't have to waste away to be with yar parents."
Regia curled up and let the tears fall freely. Her kingdom has seen a decline in knights. Her father was forced to hire a mercenary group to protect the castle while the knights guarded the subjects. The mercenaries turned out to be Giren spies. Worse, they paid off the castle staff and located the patrol map of the knights.
One by one, the knights fell victim to ambushs. Of course, the king still received field reports, forged by his staff. After the death of the last knight, they move forward with their plan. The king never learned of this treason before a dagger pieced his heart.
As Regia recalled her father's murder, she began sobbing uncontrollably.
"See the Stormkeepers are weak." The overweight guard. "They seek peace and are unready for war. Victoria Giren well guide this nation back to the path of power." The guards let loose a cheer.
The door to the dungeon slammed open, cutting the celibation short. A figure walked into the room. He wore a well rusted knight's armor and a time wore cloth cape with Stormkeeper emblem. Regia eyes widened when she read the inscription his scabbard. 'My heart and soul for my nation'.
"You're Sir Jonathan, the finest knight in our history."
The suit of armor looked her way and nodded.
The overweight guard stepped forward. "Good knight, it appears you have seen better days."
The knight turned to the guard "Aye, I have. Where is the warden at?"
"I am acting as the warden"
The knight walked to the man and looked at his large gut. "We have lower the standard a fair bit. Nevertheless, there is a bit of a mix up. This fair lady here is the real Empiress."
The guards erupted in laughter. "I don't know how you survived but you have the honor of giving your life for you country, now.
"I fear I have to disappoint you." He removed his helmet, revealing not how face but a skull. "I have already died for this wonderful land. Now for have two options now. Fall on your swords or fall to mine."
The guards reeled back. They looked to each other for courage before drawing their blades.
"Very well." The skull eyeholes filled with dark purple magic that radiated through his armor and seeped into the ground. The stone wall rumbled as skeletons clawed their way out of the ground. "Fall to the might of Stormkeeper's finest."
Skeletons flooded from the doorway to join the ones in the dungeon. As they overran the guards, Jonathan walked to Regia's cell and kneeled. "I am honored that you know of me, Lady Stormkeeper. If you would forgive my folly, allow me to assist you."
Regia walked to the bars of her cell. "What happened to you, good knight. You should be long buried. What dark forces are at play here?"
"Before I died, I completed a ritual to be able to serve after my death. I became a lich." He looked at his sword, "I meant it when I said heart and SOUL."
The skeletons finished their gruesome task and approached the cell of kneeled behind Jonathan. "You have your aid. What is your orders?"
Regia looked at the men kneeling before her. The dungeon was filled with loyal knights. She disliked the idea of her army being undead but if Giren was to play dirty, so will she. "I would like my crown back."
Jonathan put his helmet back on. He reached out and one of the skeletons handed him the cell key. He stood up and unlocked the door. "You hear that men. Let's go get the crown back."
| The Revivalists, as they called themselves, always convinced themselves of their righteousness. Their pioneers were educated in a foreign land, backed by suspicious foreign leaders, and they saw the country as in need of change. The Empress was perpetuating old, antiquated ways that did not take care of the people. She allowed overpopulation and famine to reign in her absence, an absence usually spent tinkering in laboratories staffed with eldritch, unhealthy-looking types, or opening new cultural centers with a seemingly never-ending supply of money.
When the first Revivalist rally emerged in the capital, the people were stunned. They had never considered that the conditions that they lived in, with barely enough food to keep everyone alive, and the quarters of the cities barely holding the one million, could be changed. To them, the Empress was an enlightened ruler who had kept basic living conditions acceptable while pursuing higher goals. But as the rhetoric spread, so were the fires of revolt, eventually blazing into a coup. Waving a green flag representing food, equality and nature, the conspirators stormed the palace after a bloody skirmish with Imperial forces, forced the Empress off her throne and planned a grand coronation. The one mistake they made was to keep her alive, rotting in a dungeon.
For it was there, in the darkness and dampness, where the Empress was at her fullest power. The conditions she had so carefully cultivated were no coincidence; her scientific and cultural achievements no mere anthology either. With a cry for help that sounded more like the roar of an demon, the conspirators and their would-be heir trembled, not knowing why.
It is said that any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic. And so it would be reported by the villagers on the outskirts of the Empire that the Empire's finest; its strongman capable of hurling a boulder across a river, its assassin who sneaked into an enemy ruler's tent in the dead of night leaving no trace, its archer who split a traitorous general's head cleanly in two, among others; all of these legends fading into myth broke free of demonic chains cooled to a deathly chill, and forced themselves once more back into the mortal plane.
The heroes felt right at home when they strode into the capital. Their desiccated husks fit right into the dull, polluted city scape, and as they proceeded to the cultural centres to retrieve their weapons; their screams of power echoed all the way to the royal chambers. The coronation was paused such that the Revivalist Guard could assemble, and the would-be Emperor summoned his forces for his first strike. By the time his guards had figured to drag the Empress out into the open for interrogation, however, she had already disappeared out of the darkness of her cell, into the unknown darkness outside of it.
I was born into this conflict. The night of the Legends' Awakening was also my first day outside of the womb. Twenty years later, the Eternal Empress and her Legion of Legends has continually waged war against the Revivalists, each occupying one half of the capital and countless other realms of the former Empire. Of course, Her Highness certainly has made a deal with forces not of this realm, but the Revivalists similarly were spurred on by foreign ideals and their foreign backers make them equally untenable.
At the age of twenty, however, I can no longer live in the squalor of war without picking a side. | |
[WP] As the coronation drags on, members of the coup begin to tremble not knowing why. For within the dungeons, the true Empress cries for aid; with this, the Empire's finest begin rise out of their graves, break free from demonic chains, and force themselves back into the mortal plane. | The only word to describe it is grotesque. A grotesque spectacle rife with hedonism and gluttony. The nobles are dressed in brightly colored fabric, packed together like too-fat sardines in a too-small can, their silk brocades stretched to the limits around their cavernous bellies, each of them busily and self-importantly squawking at the next.
I spit on the polished marble floor. All of them are oblivious to the abject poverty of the masses outside, where no-one cares that a new Emperor is rising to the throne.
Food lines the long banquet tables to either side of the palace hall. Piles of exotic fruits and spiced meats from the far reaches of the Empire, all of it carted here for just for this one occasion, straight past the droves of starving children killing each-other for a wayward grape. Even now the poor and the destitute brush up against the sides of the palace, but they aren't there to see this new Emperor. They're there to wait for the food waste, to consume the edible garbage the nobles deign unworthy, or more realistically, simply can't get to finishing.
The new Emperor is large, far larger than most of the nobles in the room. His four chins wriggle beneath his oily slicked back hair. I watch him gobble like a turkey at one of his subordinates.
"My perspective might be a bit biased," I whisper, stabbing a melon slice with my knife, my eyes flicking towards the nearest group of nobles.
"You really should look to hiring more guards, Bolrus," a fat man says around a mouthful of blue cheese. "The rabble is volatile these days, pathetic as they are."
Bolrus drains his mug of wine before holding it out for a servant to refill. "It's not my fault they don't know how to make any money," he says, eliciting a haughty chuckle from his companions.
I hide a grimace. Bolrus comes from a long line of landowners. Life was handed to him on a silver platter.
Trumpets bellow and the chatter of the elevated crowd dies down until only the slurps of fine red wine and the crunch of absurdly expensive almonds can be heard throughout the hall.
A self-important man in a checkered red and white vest steps forward.
"Behold our new Emperor, Maximillian," he bellows, his face a bright red. "The finest ruler we shall ever-," a look of surprise flashes across his face as an arrow plunges into his neck, cutting his sentence short. He gurgles and splutters, spraying blood across the front row, the first red drops of rebellion fittingly strewn across those most anticipating the rise of their new Emperor. The effect of the arrow ricochets into the crowd and the bulbous mass seems to bellow in terror as one giant coagulated organism.
Calmness washes over me. I take two steps forward and plunge my knife into Bolrus's right eye, the half eaten melon slice squelching into his face, the succulent green fruit suddenly sheathed in bright red blood.
The docile servant who only a moment earlier held a bottle of expensive wine now stands over another of the nobles, the jewel-bedecked lady rocked back and forth, desperately trying to keep her sliced belly closed.
"Long live the Empress!" the servant says, holding a bloody fist up to his chest. | The Revivalists, as they called themselves, always convinced themselves of their righteousness. Their pioneers were educated in a foreign land, backed by suspicious foreign leaders, and they saw the country as in need of change. The Empress was perpetuating old, antiquated ways that did not take care of the people. She allowed overpopulation and famine to reign in her absence, an absence usually spent tinkering in laboratories staffed with eldritch, unhealthy-looking types, or opening new cultural centers with a seemingly never-ending supply of money.
When the first Revivalist rally emerged in the capital, the people were stunned. They had never considered that the conditions that they lived in, with barely enough food to keep everyone alive, and the quarters of the cities barely holding the one million, could be changed. To them, the Empress was an enlightened ruler who had kept basic living conditions acceptable while pursuing higher goals. But as the rhetoric spread, so were the fires of revolt, eventually blazing into a coup. Waving a green flag representing food, equality and nature, the conspirators stormed the palace after a bloody skirmish with Imperial forces, forced the Empress off her throne and planned a grand coronation. The one mistake they made was to keep her alive, rotting in a dungeon.
For it was there, in the darkness and dampness, where the Empress was at her fullest power. The conditions she had so carefully cultivated were no coincidence; her scientific and cultural achievements no mere anthology either. With a cry for help that sounded more like the roar of an demon, the conspirators and their would-be heir trembled, not knowing why.
It is said that any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic. And so it would be reported by the villagers on the outskirts of the Empire that the Empire's finest; its strongman capable of hurling a boulder across a river, its assassin who sneaked into an enemy ruler's tent in the dead of night leaving no trace, its archer who split a traitorous general's head cleanly in two, among others; all of these legends fading into myth broke free of demonic chains cooled to a deathly chill, and forced themselves once more back into the mortal plane.
The heroes felt right at home when they strode into the capital. Their desiccated husks fit right into the dull, polluted city scape, and as they proceeded to the cultural centres to retrieve their weapons; their screams of power echoed all the way to the royal chambers. The coronation was paused such that the Revivalist Guard could assemble, and the would-be Emperor summoned his forces for his first strike. By the time his guards had figured to drag the Empress out into the open for interrogation, however, she had already disappeared out of the darkness of her cell, into the unknown darkness outside of it.
I was born into this conflict. The night of the Legends' Awakening was also my first day outside of the womb. Twenty years later, the Eternal Empress and her Legion of Legends has continually waged war against the Revivalists, each occupying one half of the capital and countless other realms of the former Empire. Of course, Her Highness certainly has made a deal with forces not of this realm, but the Revivalists similarly were spurred on by foreign ideals and their foreign backers make them equally untenable.
At the age of twenty, however, I can no longer live in the squalor of war without picking a side. | |
[WP] When your parents sat you down for a talk, you expected something along the lines of “you’re adopted,” or “we’re splitting up,” but you’re surprised to hear them start off with, “we’re not exactly... human.” | It was a couple of days before my 18th birthday, and when I awoke, the sun was shining. I could hear the sound of birds twittering, and as I walked downstairs, I saw my ma and pa sitting at the table. They looked deep in discussion.
"Good morning! What's for breakfast?"
As I sat down, I saw that their faces were solemn. "What's the matter?" My ma sat up a little straighter, and my pa said "Marsha, we need to talk."
My joyous mood deflated a little. "What is it, pa?"
He leaned forward, and grabbed one of my hands. The other hand settled on ma's.
"Well," my ma began, "Well, we are not like the others in the villiage."
I snorted. "I'll say. I have dark green hair! And everyone has a ton of relations!"
My pa shook his head. "No, not in that way. Er, well, not exactly. You see....no, I can't. Cypressie, my dear, you must. I've held the secret in for too long."
My eyes grew wide. "A secret? What kind of secret?! Are we secretly rich?"
My ma clicked her tongue. "No, you goose. Hush. Marsha, it was time we told you about something that happened before you were born. Something we should have come clean about long ago."
All sorts of things ran through my head. Maybe I had a fairy godmother! Maybe....maybe we were secretly rich. Maybe we were royalty! I could be a princess!!! My mother's voice cut through my daydreams.
"Hello? Are you paying attention, you daft girl? I said, we're not human."
The world seemed to go silent. "We're not....what?!"
My pa squeezed my hand. "Marsha, child, we are not human."
I stared at them and said, "What do you mean?! We've...we're human. We've always been human! We've always lived here, and, and...." I was babbling. My pa shook his head.
"I told you she wouldn't take the news well."
"Well, and what do you expect, Mossiro? Look, Marsha, we've been cursed. When I was full to bursting with you, your father and I ran afoul of a witch. She tried squatting on our land, and didn't take to us trying to evict her."
"A witch?! A curse?! What...what exactly are we?"
My pa sat up straighter, and held his head high. "We are ogres! Not namby-pamby humans. Why, I could throw a log twice my size before we were enchanted."
My ma nodded. "Your father was so very dashing. So strong. And I was the beauty of the fen, with the skin the color of pond scum-" "And a belch that could scare the birds from the trees!!!" My father beamed.
I was silent. "So....my whole life is a lie? I'm a disgusting, gross *ogre?*"
My ma winced. "Please don't be racist, dear."
I glared at her. "So, what? We're cursed. What exactly does that matter now?"
"Well," my pa said, "The witch that cursed us said that we would be under this spell, unless we could find our way home. But she enchanted our land, and we can't find it anywhere! Not even on any map."
It sank in. "So....we really are ogres, then?" My parents nodded. I looked into their faces, still hoping that it was just a prank, but they were both as serious as death.
My ma spoke up. "We figured, since you're a human adult now, or practically, that you ought to know. And, we..well, we wanted to ask you something."
"We know it's a lot to take in, daughter," my pa began, "But you're at that age where people set off on adventures. And you've got a fine set of friends, and we know you've all been talking about leaving the village-" "You know about that?!" I flushed. It was supposed to be a secret. My pa's eyes twinkled, and he smiled. "Well, you lot haven't exactly been quiet about it." My ma added, "You five have been gabbin' about it for ages!"
They began laughing, and the gloom lifted. I cracked a smile, and then began to laugh with them.
"So," my ma said, wiping a tear from her eye, "We know that this life is all that you've known. But my daughter, we implore you- please, go forth and break this enchantment. We miss our bodies. We miss our land. We....we miss our family."
"We.....we have a family? Outside of us?"
My pa nodded. "Yes. When that witch cursed our land, she cursed the whole swamp. Our entire clan is stuck there, and it's all our fault. So, my dear, what we ask of you, is- please. Please break this curse." "But how can I do it if you couldn't?", I asked.
"Well," my ma said, "We once asked a passing wizard about it. He told us that my body protected you, which means that the curse only half-effects you."
I shot up in my seat. "So am I going to turn into half an orge, then?! Wait. Is that why my hair is green?"
"Easy, Marsha," my pa said. He squeezed my hand. "The wizard said you might become more ogre-ish as you get older, but he wasn't completely sure. This is all we have to go on for now."
I looked into my parent's faces. They raised and loved me, and always did right by me. Whatever we were, it didn't matter. We were still us.
I knew my answer. It might take some convincing, but I'm sure my friends would help me.
I would break this curse, for my mother and my father. | “You know how some people are different, right?”
I was starting to get lost, what could they possibly be trying to tell me?
“Yes dad”, I said, motioning my hands to tell him to speed up the conversation, “I’m aware. Just tell me what it is.”
“Well, you’re not... I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Dad, just say —“
“I got it!” He interjected. “Some people are mustangs, motorcycles, or pickup trucks, but we’re more like tractors.”
My mother slapped her forehead, shaking her head from her seat across the table.
“What? Just tell me what it is!!!” I was starting to get angry.
“Well, you know how tractors have a specific purpose and aren’t used for the same thing as cars or motorcycles.”
“Dad!” I yelled.
“Wait,” he continued, “it’s not that we’re used for different things — we just are different, and good at different things, ya know?”
“For God’s sake Jeremy!” My mother intervened. “Listen son, we’re not exactly... human.”
“Excuse me?!” I responded. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Kyle, don’t say the hell word, it upsets your mother.”
“Jeremy, just leave it alone.” My mother waved her hand at him, dismissing what he said. “We aren’t human.” She was making direct eye contact with me, “your father and I, and consequently you, are from a different realm.”
“... is this like, a joke?” I was still angry and about ready to just leave the conversation. I had no clue what they were on about.
“No Kyle. It’s no joke.” She spoke slowly and furrowed her brow — she only does that when she’s being serious. “We are servants of Kemosh, god of the Moabites. Your father and I are have been around for a very long time.”
“Cool!” I said sarcastically. “What else? Can you breathe fire?”
My father chimes in, “I was pretty good at it back in the day. But if you insist on seeing...” he leaned his head back and breathed in a deep breath. My mother stopped him, “JEREMY! Not in the house!”
“Oh come on Cheryl!” He argued, “The boy just wants to see it, it won’t hurt anyone.”
“Jeremy, not now.” She quickly retorted, again waving her hand to dismiss the argument.
“Mom, what am I?” I asked, coming to believe this absurdity by their sheer insistence.
“You are an angel, dear. We’re all angels.” She said softly with a peaceful smile coming to her face. “And right now...” she began, “right now is a weird time.”
“Listen son,” my father said proudly, walking over to the table from the sink and standing over me. He put his hands on his hips and continued, “King Mesha, servant of Kemosh has returned. It is our duty to put him back on his throne. War is inevitable — and we are his warrior angels, including you, whether you realize it or not.”
“What?!” I was lost again. My mother rejoined the conversation, “We’re going to Israel tonight. Pack lightly — you won’t need much.”
My dad added his two cents, “She’s right. Think about this like that time you joined that football team halfway through the season — you didn’t know the coach, the players, or anything. But do you remember...” My mother cut him off, “Jeremy, You’re not helping!”
“Well god dammit Cheryl, can’t I talk? Can I say anything without being badgered?”
“I don’t know Jeremy, can you?”
That was my cue to get up from the table. I headed to my room with the voices of my bickering parents in the background. From what I’ve gathered, I’m a warrior angel that’s headed to Israel for an upcoming war so I can help make some guy who has “returned” King for the sake of something called “Kemosh” along with my angel-warrior parents. And I should pack lightly.
| |
[WP] When your parents sat you down for a talk, you expected something along the lines of “you’re adopted,” or “we’re splitting up,” but you’re surprised to hear them start off with, “we’re not exactly... human.” | Dirt of the Earth
&#x200B;
Whenever I got picked up, I could always rely on a few constants: Mud, shouting, and a chocolate shake.
Mud, which these 8th graders with the Heely's and bowl cuts would cover my face in. The shouting came from my dad, who was infallible at finding stuff that typically sucked about school and twisting it around to be it my fault. We had a quota of one belligerent back and forth a day. No matter who was the bad guy, though, he always drove us to the drive through and got us chocolate shakes.
The day that was different was the day I was forced to stop being a kid. But that doesn't mean I became a man.
&#x200B;
It was a hot day in the middle of spring and as per usual some Heely kid trailed me shouting for my family to 'go home.' I got to the car with mud all over me, and before I could get in, my dad came out and pushed him to the ground and kicked him. I swear he was gonna wail on him, but the jerk was smart and cheezed it. He got back to his seat, and I took a second to follow. I was too shook. When I got in of course I was thinking 'Here it comes. What's critically flawed about me today?' But he didn't even look at me. His breath was quiet, but the tiniest bit shaky and I got the impression that he wasn't intentionally looking away. He was just totally lost for words. I imagined him finding my mom after she had another seizure, or his job getting raided and having to tell me and mom we had to move again. But it was a hot minute before he even opened his mouth.
&#x200B;
"I--" He choked out, and he did that thing where he puts his fist to his mouth. It was then that I noticed his eyes were glazed over. "We're skipping the shake today, mijo." He flipped the keys and we got rolling.
\------------------------------------------
Waiting in my room was already bullshit without not knowing what was up. I could've grabbed my DS on the way up so I wasn't clinically dead from boredom, but apparently it was important enough to get my mom and dad screaming at each other.
Finally, the shouting stopped, and after a minute the door opened. When my mom got her breathing under control, she said to me, "Nene... your father wants you downstairs." I hated when mom called me that, but only a spaz wouldn't have gotten that this was crazy serious. I followed her downstairs expecting a report card covered in angry red scribbles. But my dad was on the couch with his face red and his eyes wet. My mom got him standing and sat me down across from them.
"Son..." My mom started without missing a beat, "do you remember how we came here."
"Uhh, kinda," I said, "just blips. I remember being really hot and wet. I think thats it."
My mom forced a smile and spoke gently. "Well, it *was* a hot night... and we were in water-"
"We didn't cross a border to get here!" my dad cut in. "It wasn't hot because of the weather. It was hot from re-entry."
You couldn't cut the silence in the den with a chainsaw. I was clueless, but my mom looked furious. "Mi amado, se más amable con-"
"Don't bother! No matter how we say it it's not going to be our mother tongue!" My dad's voice was not what it should've been. He sounded more proud, but somehow more angry, and his accent was breaking. My mom bowed her head.
My mom breathed deep and low. "Son..." She looked me in my eyes." We're not exactly... human."
I felt my lips open, but i couldn't breathe right away. I looked at my dad's tense face, and my mom looked like she'd been completely destroyed. "How.... but- We-"
"I brought us here because I didn't want you to grow up on a dying world."My dad cut me off again. Not angrily, just in deadpan, "I watched our people kill each each other as they killed the land." He walked to me. Every step he took made me clench up more and more. "Everyone wanted things to get better but they didn't want to *be* better." He got on his knee. "I hate to see those little shits cover you face in mud. It reminds me too much of what I had to do."
He tried to put his hand on my cheek, but I grabbed his arm and shoved it away. My face was hot and I was gritting my jaws. I could feel my legs pulling me up before I wanted to stand. "WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME NOW!? LIKE GROWING CORN ON JUPITER AIN'T LIKE GROWING CORN IN DELANO?"
He bowed his head. "I wasn't really a farmer."
"WELL WHAT ELSE ARE YOU LYING ABOUT?" I felt the tears smearing the dirt on my cheeks. "YOU DIDN'T WORK IN THE DIRT-"
He lifted his head and looked at my face "I did!" My dad shouted. "I wasn't digging in the fields. I was digging a hole. Five feet long, four feet wide!" He took another deep breath and said gently, "I brought us here because couldn't bury another one of my children."
Those last few words hit me like a hummer. I felt my face cool off and i stopped crying. My dad wiped the mud off my cheek. My mom sat down on the loveseat and looked like she was suppressing tears. I heard a low, booming roar entering the backyard, followed by a light raising through the windows.
My dad said in the gentlest voice I'd ever heard from him, "I'm telling you now because the motherworld has been liberated and we are ready to expand our domain. They need us. They need *you*."
My mom came over and hugged me. "Nene... I'm sorry we have to move again. But Trust us." She let go of me and leaned back. "You will love our home. I understand it's been hard living here but on the motherworld we will be free. We will be given purpose." As she comforted me The lights outside turned blue and I heard a metal platform lower to the grass.
Once i finally controlled my breathing, I looked at the floor sniffling and said to her, "I don't need you to make me feel special." Mom got up and raised an eyebrow. "Just cuz we're from another planet doesn't mean we're better. I suck on Earth, I'm gonna suck there too."
Everybody was silent, and my mom meandered around the room speechless. After being quiet another second Dad said to me, "Our world, or their world... If you serve the motherworld well, you will be more than the mud they throw." And he gave me a hug.
&#x200B;
I got my stuff together we went outside and saw the most badass spaceship I'd ever seen. It was big and covered in chrome and rust and bulletholes. This thing saw some action. A couple of guys came out in these chrome exoskeletons carrying dual machineguns and ushered us onboard. It was like Warhammer 40k or some shit. Every bolt and scratch of this war machine would have normally made me incredibly happy...
... but I was still scared.
The platform pulled us up and I felt my knees wobbling. I crouched down to keep my cool, and my dad joined me. He told me "We're going to be okay, Mijo. We *will return.*" He stood me up and he and my mom hugged me. "I love you, my son."
It was time for us to go home.
\----------------------------------
That was 34 years ago.
In that time i have changed. Soon after, we were assigned a home and given a hot meal that was more tasty and opulant than what we could afford on earth. Then my skin turned a deep red: A strong color for a strong people. My regimen has cut me into a shape befitting a warrior. In a legion of 1000 I was the strongest. Where others lifted an SUV I lifted a tank and vaporized it just as quick. Now, before every drop, I bring up photo album and look into the eyes of my amazing family; My loving wife, my beautiful daughters, my little brother and sister, and my dear departed Mother and Father.
I'm invincible. And when I dropped to the hard Earth for the first time in these many years, the fear in the eyes of these ingrates made my hearts throb with pride for my home.
&#x200B;
It wasn't long after the soldier apes of this town were torn apart by our righteous hands that the civilians bowed their loyalty to the dominion. It was a sight I never could have hoped for as a minority on this rock, and now these things knew my pain.
My inferiors awaited the orders to level the region once we rounded up the civilian apes. I gazed upon the little hamlet... and I told them to wait. There, on the very edge of this little town, beyond the ruins, was an old fast food joint. It wasn't just in good condition... It was pristine. Immaculate. Untouched by the carnage of this pitiful skirmish.
I strode inside and went to the kitchen. Sure enough, unlike some other fast food joints, the ice cream machine was working. Still chugging that delicious sugary goop that I hadn't tasted in years. I grabbed a styrofoam cup off the counter and bolted to the machine. I cranked the release lever and filled my cup until it flowed down my hands and dripped to the floor. My hands were shaking. I took a seat in the restaurant, lifted the drink to my lips and...
...it shot out of my grasp, and I suddenly had a hole going through my hand.
If I weren't such a brilliant shade of crimson, my face would be burning red. I swerved around to gaze upon an ape reloading an old rifle. It wore a carbon fiber helmet covering its brittle little skull. primitive, but very stylish.
When it was done it gawped in pure terror as they saw me, bounding toward them like a linebacker made of steel. I impacted with enough force to launch him over ten yards. He was unarmed. Docile. I strolled up next to it to hear it wheezing deep. Likely a collapsed lung. I was about to crush its head...
Then I read its helmet:
"Dirt of the Earth"
So primal, but somehow eloquent. It made me somehow nostalgic. Like this was something I needed to see. It spoke volumes about me.
I took it from the ape and donned it. Then I took the ape's water jug and poured it into the soil. Once it was good and muddy, I smeared a handprint onto my face.
"What... the *hell* are you!?" it managed to cough up.
I turned back to my ship. I said nothing, because I already know.
I'm the dirt of the earth | "Mom, dad, can we do this later? I need to catch the bus for work."
"No, sit down. We have been debating if we should talk to you or not about this."
"What is it?"
"Well... We're not exactly... human."
"So I am adopted?"
"No... Wait, listen to us-"
"So I am not adopted?"
"Well... yes and no."
"What do you mean? How can that be a yes and no?"
"Kyle, it's complicated. And if you don't want us to explain, then we won't."
"Ok ok, so am I adopted or not?"
"Can you see this index finger?"
"Nope, I can only hear your voice."
"Kyle! if you want us to explain-"
"Ok, ok! I swear if this is a late April fools joke."
"Yes, just listen to us. Look at this index finger."
...
"This is taking too long mom. Do you guys still love me?"
"Of course honey."
"As long as you still love me, I don't give a damn who you guys are, ok? As long as you guys don't throw me out of the house I will love you guys back." | |
[WP] When your parents sat you down for a talk, you expected something along the lines of “you’re adopted,” or “we’re splitting up,” but you’re surprised to hear them start off with, “we’re not exactly... human.” | “We’re not exactly......human.” My parents looked at each other, then back at me.
“Um,” I stared at them, “is this like a weird way to tell me we’re one of those families with like a lot of Neanderthal DNA or something?”
There was a long moment where they whispered back and forth. I looked around the room for something to distract myself. My dad cleared his throat.
“So, uh, don’t like scream or anything,” he laughed a little, nervously, before pulling off his shoes and socks. He stuck his legs straight out, closer to me, and I stared at his feet. His regular human feet. I started to say something but as I opened my mouth I saw his toenails growing. His toenails and his toes and both of his feet started extending; his skin bubbled and crinkled and his naturally hairless legs stretched as webbed spines sprouted from the outsides of his calves.
“Uh...oh, um...” I closed my eyes. “What the fuck?”
“So we weren’t sure how to tell you, with you trying out for the swim team and all, but - can you open your eyes?” I shook my head. My mother continued, “well with you trying out for the swim team, we figured we should at least warn you. We’re actually merpeople.”
“Merpeople? Like live in the ocean and breathe underwater and have tails and fins and shit?”
“Pretty much, yeah. You can open your eyes, I put it away,” my dad said. I peeled with one eye. His shoes were back on.
“So what? Am I not allowed to join the team because my merman powers will expose us or something?”
My parents both laughed.
“Oh no, that’s totally fine. WE are merpeople.” My mother gestured to herself and my father.
“Wait what does that mean?”
“You’re adopted. But we are VERY competitive when it comes to swimming. We just wanted to warn you.” | "Mom, dad, can we do this later? I need to catch the bus for work."
"No, sit down. We have been debating if we should talk to you or not about this."
"What is it?"
"Well... We're not exactly... human."
"So I am adopted?"
"No... Wait, listen to us-"
"So I am not adopted?"
"Well... yes and no."
"What do you mean? How can that be a yes and no?"
"Kyle, it's complicated. And if you don't want us to explain, then we won't."
"Ok ok, so am I adopted or not?"
"Can you see this index finger?"
"Nope, I can only hear your voice."
"Kyle! if you want us to explain-"
"Ok, ok! I swear if this is a late April fools joke."
"Yes, just listen to us. Look at this index finger."
...
"This is taking too long mom. Do you guys still love me?"
"Of course honey."
"As long as you still love me, I don't give a damn who you guys are, ok? As long as you guys don't throw me out of the house I will love you guys back." | |
[WP] When your parents sat you down for a talk, you expected something along the lines of “you’re adopted,” or “we’re splitting up,” but you’re surprised to hear them start off with, “we’re not exactly... human.” | I had stood there, gaping at them; expecting one of them to burst into a good-natured laugh and tell me that it was a joke. I waited for something that never came. It was in that moment that I knew that no matter what came next, it wasn't going to be easy to digest.
"Hans," said Mama to Dada. "Do you want to explain everything? I'll add in the details you miss out on."
I had never seen my father in that much turmoil in my life. And I say that after having seen him make an honest living by mining coal for a living in the dusty, rough localities of Buenos Aires. For a significant part of my childhood, he had left home before I woke up and came back when I was asleep for the day. On many days, I spent more time thinking about my father than having him around in person. Ma spent her days as the neighbourhood tailor, her hands were dextrous and steady and her work was magnificent.
"We aren't exactly human, Jakob," Dada repeated. I could feel something tugging at his heartstrings while he said it.
"Son, I want you to listen to everything in silence before you say anything out aloud okay? I know this must be incredibly difficult to follow and even harder to accept. But when the world ends, and night falls forever on this glorious world, we will always be your parents; the two people in the universe who want the best for you."
I nodded, not knowing how else to respond.
"Times were strange, Jakob. Everything around us was broken. I remember as a little boy, I had to carry a wheelbarrow full of money to buy one loaf of bread, because the currency had such low value that money, for once, meant nothing. I was always an honest citizen, Jakob. I paid my taxes, I sang the national anthem every day. I had volunteered as an 18 year old to fight when the Great War broke out, and I was ready to lay my life down if the need be. But we lost everything, Jakob. Our family houses were taken away from us. We went from living like Kings to scraping alms like beggars and no one would tell us why. Everything was going downhill until... until he appeared."
Dada was choking up now; his voice barely able to leave the safe confines of his mouth. "You know how in times of desperate need, you long to ache for a voice to guide you? To show you the way out of this abyss and towards the only speck of light on the infinitely dark horizon? That was how it felt when he came. His words resonated with ferocious truth. When he stood in front of millions and swore sacred vows, we wept with joy for him. For the first time, my job in the army didn't feel like an exercise in futility; it convinced me that it was a profession fit for nobility. If only you one could realize then, that if you've spent your whole life in the dark, you don't know what the devil looks like."
Dada paused again. "I enlisted a second time in 1939, as a proud veteran of the first war. They said that the man had fought alongside me in the same rank, in the same war. Now here he was, leading our glorious forces into the second conflict- full of pride, glory and devoid of fear. I distinguished myself greatly with my efforts for our great nation, earning his favor in return. And just like a poor man scavenging in the aftermath of the first war, I licked his boots to earn more of it. If we lose the second war too, I didn't want to end up like I did after the first."
"Times were strange, Jakob. It was a war unlike any we had ever seen before. Fire rained from the skies, weapons from our nightmares picked apart bodies with laughable ease. Ruthlessness was a compulsion, not an option; these people were out to take what was rightfully ours. We were told to give no quarter.
When they assigned me to a barracks in Warsaw, I was told that those imprisoned were sworn enemies of our nation. They defiled and denigrated the values that we held sacred, and they deserved nothing more than the atrocities we we're heaping on them. I believed it. I laughed as they collapsed while smelting iron. I shot dead those who tried to escape or start a rebellion. The ground hungrily drank the cold blood we spilled in the name of patriotic fervor. Surely, this was just a consequence of war?"
Dada was weeping now, as if the past had send a tsunami of sorrow to engulf him whole. Ma was crying too, her hand firmly on Dada's shoulder.
"They took us to Auschwitz once. To show us how we treated our enemies. When I was near one of the chimney billowing the charred remains of the prisoners into clear blue skies, I vomited all over my uniform. They laughed at me. As if the very act of feeling human was juvenile. Times were strange, Jakob.
My conscience never let me sleep in peace after what I saw there. I saw ghosts that were still alive. I saw death in the eyes of the living. I will carry that burden with me to my grave.
The next day, I was on patrol with a unit when they broke down the home of a Polish family. They first mortally wounded the Father and made the Mother watch, then they shot the mother dead and let the Father watch. The baby in the crib was the only one that saw them both die. The only reason they didn't fire a bullet at the baby was because everyone knew that the war was placed precariously. The price of a bullet didn't merit the life it took.
That night, I returned to the house and stole the baby before one of my friends in the Bureau arranged a flight for us to escape to Argentina. When the war ended, I was a Nazi sympathizer and a Nazi deserter at the same time; everyone in the world hated me. I cannot atone for the mistakes I made in the past. But I saved a Polish baby to remind myself of my regret and shame, but also to convince myself that even after everything that happened, I could still be a better man. We're not exactly humans, Jakob. We are monsters who stood by as lives were cruelly taken. Who watched in silence as the blood of your parents was spattered on the walls of your home.
You are a culmination of my heinous past, the sorrow of my present, and the atonement I seek in the future, Jakob. I waited till 18 to tell you this so that you yourself would have the right to choose your own life; just like I have chosen two different paths in mine. Times are strange, Jakob. But Mama and Dada have always loved you. You're the only part in our lives that somehow, makes us human." | "Mom, dad, can we do this later? I need to catch the bus for work."
"No, sit down. We have been debating if we should talk to you or not about this."
"What is it?"
"Well... We're not exactly... human."
"So I am adopted?"
"No... Wait, listen to us-"
"So I am not adopted?"
"Well... yes and no."
"What do you mean? How can that be a yes and no?"
"Kyle, it's complicated. And if you don't want us to explain, then we won't."
"Ok ok, so am I adopted or not?"
"Can you see this index finger?"
"Nope, I can only hear your voice."
"Kyle! if you want us to explain-"
"Ok, ok! I swear if this is a late April fools joke."
"Yes, just listen to us. Look at this index finger."
...
"This is taking too long mom. Do you guys still love me?"
"Of course honey."
"As long as you still love me, I don't give a damn who you guys are, ok? As long as you guys don't throw me out of the house I will love you guys back." | |
[WP] When your parents sat you down for a talk, you expected something along the lines of “you’re adopted,” or “we’re splitting up,” but you’re surprised to hear them start off with, “we’re not exactly... human.” | “We’re not exactly......human.” My parents looked at each other, then back at me.
“Um,” I stared at them, “is this like a weird way to tell me we’re one of those families with like a lot of Neanderthal DNA or something?”
There was a long moment where they whispered back and forth. I looked around the room for something to distract myself. My dad cleared his throat.
“So, uh, don’t like scream or anything,” he laughed a little, nervously, before pulling off his shoes and socks. He stuck his legs straight out, closer to me, and I stared at his feet. His regular human feet. I started to say something but as I opened my mouth I saw his toenails growing. His toenails and his toes and both of his feet started extending; his skin bubbled and crinkled and his naturally hairless legs stretched as webbed spines sprouted from the outsides of his calves.
“Uh...oh, um...” I closed my eyes. “What the fuck?”
“So we weren’t sure how to tell you, with you trying out for the swim team and all, but - can you open your eyes?” I shook my head. My mother continued, “well with you trying out for the swim team, we figured we should at least warn you. We’re actually merpeople.”
“Merpeople? Like live in the ocean and breathe underwater and have tails and fins and shit?”
“Pretty much, yeah. You can open your eyes, I put it away,” my dad said. I peeled with one eye. His shoes were back on.
“So what? Am I not allowed to join the team because my merman powers will expose us or something?”
My parents both laughed.
“Oh no, that’s totally fine. WE are merpeople.” My mother gestured to herself and my father.
“Wait what does that mean?”
“You’re adopted. But we are VERY competitive when it comes to swimming. We just wanted to warn you.” | Dirt of the Earth
&#x200B;
Whenever I got picked up, I could always rely on a few constants: Mud, shouting, and a chocolate shake.
Mud, which these 8th graders with the Heely's and bowl cuts would cover my face in. The shouting came from my dad, who was infallible at finding stuff that typically sucked about school and twisting it around to be it my fault. We had a quota of one belligerent back and forth a day. No matter who was the bad guy, though, he always drove us to the drive through and got us chocolate shakes.
The day that was different was the day I was forced to stop being a kid. But that doesn't mean I became a man.
&#x200B;
It was a hot day in the middle of spring and as per usual some Heely kid trailed me shouting for my family to 'go home.' I got to the car with mud all over me, and before I could get in, my dad came out and pushed him to the ground and kicked him. I swear he was gonna wail on him, but the jerk was smart and cheezed it. He got back to his seat, and I took a second to follow. I was too shook. When I got in of course I was thinking 'Here it comes. What's critically flawed about me today?' But he didn't even look at me. His breath was quiet, but the tiniest bit shaky and I got the impression that he wasn't intentionally looking away. He was just totally lost for words. I imagined him finding my mom after she had another seizure, or his job getting raided and having to tell me and mom we had to move again. But it was a hot minute before he even opened his mouth.
&#x200B;
"I--" He choked out, and he did that thing where he puts his fist to his mouth. It was then that I noticed his eyes were glazed over. "We're skipping the shake today, mijo." He flipped the keys and we got rolling.
\------------------------------------------
Waiting in my room was already bullshit without not knowing what was up. I could've grabbed my DS on the way up so I wasn't clinically dead from boredom, but apparently it was important enough to get my mom and dad screaming at each other.
Finally, the shouting stopped, and after a minute the door opened. When my mom got her breathing under control, she said to me, "Nene... your father wants you downstairs." I hated when mom called me that, but only a spaz wouldn't have gotten that this was crazy serious. I followed her downstairs expecting a report card covered in angry red scribbles. But my dad was on the couch with his face red and his eyes wet. My mom got him standing and sat me down across from them.
"Son..." My mom started without missing a beat, "do you remember how we came here."
"Uhh, kinda," I said, "just blips. I remember being really hot and wet. I think thats it."
My mom forced a smile and spoke gently. "Well, it *was* a hot night... and we were in water-"
"We didn't cross a border to get here!" my dad cut in. "It wasn't hot because of the weather. It was hot from re-entry."
You couldn't cut the silence in the den with a chainsaw. I was clueless, but my mom looked furious. "Mi amado, se más amable con-"
"Don't bother! No matter how we say it it's not going to be our mother tongue!" My dad's voice was not what it should've been. He sounded more proud, but somehow more angry, and his accent was breaking. My mom bowed her head.
My mom breathed deep and low. "Son..." She looked me in my eyes." We're not exactly... human."
I felt my lips open, but i couldn't breathe right away. I looked at my dad's tense face, and my mom looked like she'd been completely destroyed. "How.... but- We-"
"I brought us here because I didn't want you to grow up on a dying world."My dad cut me off again. Not angrily, just in deadpan, "I watched our people kill each each other as they killed the land." He walked to me. Every step he took made me clench up more and more. "Everyone wanted things to get better but they didn't want to *be* better." He got on his knee. "I hate to see those little shits cover you face in mud. It reminds me too much of what I had to do."
He tried to put his hand on my cheek, but I grabbed his arm and shoved it away. My face was hot and I was gritting my jaws. I could feel my legs pulling me up before I wanted to stand. "WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME NOW!? LIKE GROWING CORN ON JUPITER AIN'T LIKE GROWING CORN IN DELANO?"
He bowed his head. "I wasn't really a farmer."
"WELL WHAT ELSE ARE YOU LYING ABOUT?" I felt the tears smearing the dirt on my cheeks. "YOU DIDN'T WORK IN THE DIRT-"
He lifted his head and looked at my face "I did!" My dad shouted. "I wasn't digging in the fields. I was digging a hole. Five feet long, four feet wide!" He took another deep breath and said gently, "I brought us here because couldn't bury another one of my children."
Those last few words hit me like a hummer. I felt my face cool off and i stopped crying. My dad wiped the mud off my cheek. My mom sat down on the loveseat and looked like she was suppressing tears. I heard a low, booming roar entering the backyard, followed by a light raising through the windows.
My dad said in the gentlest voice I'd ever heard from him, "I'm telling you now because the motherworld has been liberated and we are ready to expand our domain. They need us. They need *you*."
My mom came over and hugged me. "Nene... I'm sorry we have to move again. But Trust us." She let go of me and leaned back. "You will love our home. I understand it's been hard living here but on the motherworld we will be free. We will be given purpose." As she comforted me The lights outside turned blue and I heard a metal platform lower to the grass.
Once i finally controlled my breathing, I looked at the floor sniffling and said to her, "I don't need you to make me feel special." Mom got up and raised an eyebrow. "Just cuz we're from another planet doesn't mean we're better. I suck on Earth, I'm gonna suck there too."
Everybody was silent, and my mom meandered around the room speechless. After being quiet another second Dad said to me, "Our world, or their world... If you serve the motherworld well, you will be more than the mud they throw." And he gave me a hug.
&#x200B;
I got my stuff together we went outside and saw the most badass spaceship I'd ever seen. It was big and covered in chrome and rust and bulletholes. This thing saw some action. A couple of guys came out in these chrome exoskeletons carrying dual machineguns and ushered us onboard. It was like Warhammer 40k or some shit. Every bolt and scratch of this war machine would have normally made me incredibly happy...
... but I was still scared.
The platform pulled us up and I felt my knees wobbling. I crouched down to keep my cool, and my dad joined me. He told me "We're going to be okay, Mijo. We *will return.*" He stood me up and he and my mom hugged me. "I love you, my son."
It was time for us to go home.
\----------------------------------
That was 34 years ago.
In that time i have changed. Soon after, we were assigned a home and given a hot meal that was more tasty and opulant than what we could afford on earth. Then my skin turned a deep red: A strong color for a strong people. My regimen has cut me into a shape befitting a warrior. In a legion of 1000 I was the strongest. Where others lifted an SUV I lifted a tank and vaporized it just as quick. Now, before every drop, I bring up photo album and look into the eyes of my amazing family; My loving wife, my beautiful daughters, my little brother and sister, and my dear departed Mother and Father.
I'm invincible. And when I dropped to the hard Earth for the first time in these many years, the fear in the eyes of these ingrates made my hearts throb with pride for my home.
&#x200B;
It wasn't long after the soldier apes of this town were torn apart by our righteous hands that the civilians bowed their loyalty to the dominion. It was a sight I never could have hoped for as a minority on this rock, and now these things knew my pain.
My inferiors awaited the orders to level the region once we rounded up the civilian apes. I gazed upon the little hamlet... and I told them to wait. There, on the very edge of this little town, beyond the ruins, was an old fast food joint. It wasn't just in good condition... It was pristine. Immaculate. Untouched by the carnage of this pitiful skirmish.
I strode inside and went to the kitchen. Sure enough, unlike some other fast food joints, the ice cream machine was working. Still chugging that delicious sugary goop that I hadn't tasted in years. I grabbed a styrofoam cup off the counter and bolted to the machine. I cranked the release lever and filled my cup until it flowed down my hands and dripped to the floor. My hands were shaking. I took a seat in the restaurant, lifted the drink to my lips and...
...it shot out of my grasp, and I suddenly had a hole going through my hand.
If I weren't such a brilliant shade of crimson, my face would be burning red. I swerved around to gaze upon an ape reloading an old rifle. It wore a carbon fiber helmet covering its brittle little skull. primitive, but very stylish.
When it was done it gawped in pure terror as they saw me, bounding toward them like a linebacker made of steel. I impacted with enough force to launch him over ten yards. He was unarmed. Docile. I strolled up next to it to hear it wheezing deep. Likely a collapsed lung. I was about to crush its head...
Then I read its helmet:
"Dirt of the Earth"
So primal, but somehow eloquent. It made me somehow nostalgic. Like this was something I needed to see. It spoke volumes about me.
I took it from the ape and donned it. Then I took the ape's water jug and poured it into the soil. Once it was good and muddy, I smeared a handprint onto my face.
"What... the *hell* are you!?" it managed to cough up.
I turned back to my ship. I said nothing, because I already know.
I'm the dirt of the earth | |
[WP] When your parents sat you down for a talk, you expected something along the lines of “you’re adopted,” or “we’re splitting up,” but you’re surprised to hear them start off with, “we’re not exactly... human.” | I had stood there, gaping at them; expecting one of them to burst into a good-natured laugh and tell me that it was a joke. I waited for something that never came. It was in that moment that I knew that no matter what came next, it wasn't going to be easy to digest.
"Hans," said Mama to Dada. "Do you want to explain everything? I'll add in the details you miss out on."
I had never seen my father in that much turmoil in my life. And I say that after having seen him make an honest living by mining coal for a living in the dusty, rough localities of Buenos Aires. For a significant part of my childhood, he had left home before I woke up and came back when I was asleep for the day. On many days, I spent more time thinking about my father than having him around in person. Ma spent her days as the neighbourhood tailor, her hands were dextrous and steady and her work was magnificent.
"We aren't exactly human, Jakob," Dada repeated. I could feel something tugging at his heartstrings while he said it.
"Son, I want you to listen to everything in silence before you say anything out aloud okay? I know this must be incredibly difficult to follow and even harder to accept. But when the world ends, and night falls forever on this glorious world, we will always be your parents; the two people in the universe who want the best for you."
I nodded, not knowing how else to respond.
"Times were strange, Jakob. Everything around us was broken. I remember as a little boy, I had to carry a wheelbarrow full of money to buy one loaf of bread, because the currency had such low value that money, for once, meant nothing. I was always an honest citizen, Jakob. I paid my taxes, I sang the national anthem every day. I had volunteered as an 18 year old to fight when the Great War broke out, and I was ready to lay my life down if the need be. But we lost everything, Jakob. Our family houses were taken away from us. We went from living like Kings to scraping alms like beggars and no one would tell us why. Everything was going downhill until... until he appeared."
Dada was choking up now; his voice barely able to leave the safe confines of his mouth. "You know how in times of desperate need, you long to ache for a voice to guide you? To show you the way out of this abyss and towards the only speck of light on the infinitely dark horizon? That was how it felt when he came. His words resonated with ferocious truth. When he stood in front of millions and swore sacred vows, we wept with joy for him. For the first time, my job in the army didn't feel like an exercise in futility; it convinced me that it was a profession fit for nobility. If only you one could realize then, that if you've spent your whole life in the dark, you don't know what the devil looks like."
Dada paused again. "I enlisted a second time in 1939, as a proud veteran of the first war. They said that the man had fought alongside me in the same rank, in the same war. Now here he was, leading our glorious forces into the second conflict- full of pride, glory and devoid of fear. I distinguished myself greatly with my efforts for our great nation, earning his favor in return. And just like a poor man scavenging in the aftermath of the first war, I licked his boots to earn more of it. If we lose the second war too, I didn't want to end up like I did after the first."
"Times were strange, Jakob. It was a war unlike any we had ever seen before. Fire rained from the skies, weapons from our nightmares picked apart bodies with laughable ease. Ruthlessness was a compulsion, not an option; these people were out to take what was rightfully ours. We were told to give no quarter.
When they assigned me to a barracks in Warsaw, I was told that those imprisoned were sworn enemies of our nation. They defiled and denigrated the values that we held sacred, and they deserved nothing more than the atrocities we we're heaping on them. I believed it. I laughed as they collapsed while smelting iron. I shot dead those who tried to escape or start a rebellion. The ground hungrily drank the cold blood we spilled in the name of patriotic fervor. Surely, this was just a consequence of war?"
Dada was weeping now, as if the past had send a tsunami of sorrow to engulf him whole. Ma was crying too, her hand firmly on Dada's shoulder.
"They took us to Auschwitz once. To show us how we treated our enemies. When I was near one of the chimney billowing the charred remains of the prisoners into clear blue skies, I vomited all over my uniform. They laughed at me. As if the very act of feeling human was juvenile. Times were strange, Jakob.
My conscience never let me sleep in peace after what I saw there. I saw ghosts that were still alive. I saw death in the eyes of the living. I will carry that burden with me to my grave.
The next day, I was on patrol with a unit when they broke down the home of a Polish family. They first mortally wounded the Father and made the Mother watch, then they shot the mother dead and let the Father watch. The baby in the crib was the only one that saw them both die. The only reason they didn't fire a bullet at the baby was because everyone knew that the war was placed precariously. The price of a bullet didn't merit the life it took.
That night, I returned to the house and stole the baby before one of my friends in the Bureau arranged a flight for us to escape to Argentina. When the war ended, I was a Nazi sympathizer and a Nazi deserter at the same time; everyone in the world hated me. I cannot atone for the mistakes I made in the past. But I saved a Polish baby to remind myself of my regret and shame, but also to convince myself that even after everything that happened, I could still be a better man. We're not exactly humans, Jakob. We are monsters who stood by as lives were cruelly taken. Who watched in silence as the blood of your parents was spattered on the walls of your home.
You are a culmination of my heinous past, the sorrow of my present, and the atonement I seek in the future, Jakob. I waited till 18 to tell you this so that you yourself would have the right to choose your own life; just like I have chosen two different paths in mine. Times are strange, Jakob. But Mama and Dada have always loved you. You're the only part in our lives that somehow, makes us human." | Dirt of the Earth
&#x200B;
Whenever I got picked up, I could always rely on a few constants: Mud, shouting, and a chocolate shake.
Mud, which these 8th graders with the Heely's and bowl cuts would cover my face in. The shouting came from my dad, who was infallible at finding stuff that typically sucked about school and twisting it around to be it my fault. We had a quota of one belligerent back and forth a day. No matter who was the bad guy, though, he always drove us to the drive through and got us chocolate shakes.
The day that was different was the day I was forced to stop being a kid. But that doesn't mean I became a man.
&#x200B;
It was a hot day in the middle of spring and as per usual some Heely kid trailed me shouting for my family to 'go home.' I got to the car with mud all over me, and before I could get in, my dad came out and pushed him to the ground and kicked him. I swear he was gonna wail on him, but the jerk was smart and cheezed it. He got back to his seat, and I took a second to follow. I was too shook. When I got in of course I was thinking 'Here it comes. What's critically flawed about me today?' But he didn't even look at me. His breath was quiet, but the tiniest bit shaky and I got the impression that he wasn't intentionally looking away. He was just totally lost for words. I imagined him finding my mom after she had another seizure, or his job getting raided and having to tell me and mom we had to move again. But it was a hot minute before he even opened his mouth.
&#x200B;
"I--" He choked out, and he did that thing where he puts his fist to his mouth. It was then that I noticed his eyes were glazed over. "We're skipping the shake today, mijo." He flipped the keys and we got rolling.
\------------------------------------------
Waiting in my room was already bullshit without not knowing what was up. I could've grabbed my DS on the way up so I wasn't clinically dead from boredom, but apparently it was important enough to get my mom and dad screaming at each other.
Finally, the shouting stopped, and after a minute the door opened. When my mom got her breathing under control, she said to me, "Nene... your father wants you downstairs." I hated when mom called me that, but only a spaz wouldn't have gotten that this was crazy serious. I followed her downstairs expecting a report card covered in angry red scribbles. But my dad was on the couch with his face red and his eyes wet. My mom got him standing and sat me down across from them.
"Son..." My mom started without missing a beat, "do you remember how we came here."
"Uhh, kinda," I said, "just blips. I remember being really hot and wet. I think thats it."
My mom forced a smile and spoke gently. "Well, it *was* a hot night... and we were in water-"
"We didn't cross a border to get here!" my dad cut in. "It wasn't hot because of the weather. It was hot from re-entry."
You couldn't cut the silence in the den with a chainsaw. I was clueless, but my mom looked furious. "Mi amado, se más amable con-"
"Don't bother! No matter how we say it it's not going to be our mother tongue!" My dad's voice was not what it should've been. He sounded more proud, but somehow more angry, and his accent was breaking. My mom bowed her head.
My mom breathed deep and low. "Son..." She looked me in my eyes." We're not exactly... human."
I felt my lips open, but i couldn't breathe right away. I looked at my dad's tense face, and my mom looked like she'd been completely destroyed. "How.... but- We-"
"I brought us here because I didn't want you to grow up on a dying world."My dad cut me off again. Not angrily, just in deadpan, "I watched our people kill each each other as they killed the land." He walked to me. Every step he took made me clench up more and more. "Everyone wanted things to get better but they didn't want to *be* better." He got on his knee. "I hate to see those little shits cover you face in mud. It reminds me too much of what I had to do."
He tried to put his hand on my cheek, but I grabbed his arm and shoved it away. My face was hot and I was gritting my jaws. I could feel my legs pulling me up before I wanted to stand. "WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME NOW!? LIKE GROWING CORN ON JUPITER AIN'T LIKE GROWING CORN IN DELANO?"
He bowed his head. "I wasn't really a farmer."
"WELL WHAT ELSE ARE YOU LYING ABOUT?" I felt the tears smearing the dirt on my cheeks. "YOU DIDN'T WORK IN THE DIRT-"
He lifted his head and looked at my face "I did!" My dad shouted. "I wasn't digging in the fields. I was digging a hole. Five feet long, four feet wide!" He took another deep breath and said gently, "I brought us here because couldn't bury another one of my children."
Those last few words hit me like a hummer. I felt my face cool off and i stopped crying. My dad wiped the mud off my cheek. My mom sat down on the loveseat and looked like she was suppressing tears. I heard a low, booming roar entering the backyard, followed by a light raising through the windows.
My dad said in the gentlest voice I'd ever heard from him, "I'm telling you now because the motherworld has been liberated and we are ready to expand our domain. They need us. They need *you*."
My mom came over and hugged me. "Nene... I'm sorry we have to move again. But Trust us." She let go of me and leaned back. "You will love our home. I understand it's been hard living here but on the motherworld we will be free. We will be given purpose." As she comforted me The lights outside turned blue and I heard a metal platform lower to the grass.
Once i finally controlled my breathing, I looked at the floor sniffling and said to her, "I don't need you to make me feel special." Mom got up and raised an eyebrow. "Just cuz we're from another planet doesn't mean we're better. I suck on Earth, I'm gonna suck there too."
Everybody was silent, and my mom meandered around the room speechless. After being quiet another second Dad said to me, "Our world, or their world... If you serve the motherworld well, you will be more than the mud they throw." And he gave me a hug.
&#x200B;
I got my stuff together we went outside and saw the most badass spaceship I'd ever seen. It was big and covered in chrome and rust and bulletholes. This thing saw some action. A couple of guys came out in these chrome exoskeletons carrying dual machineguns and ushered us onboard. It was like Warhammer 40k or some shit. Every bolt and scratch of this war machine would have normally made me incredibly happy...
... but I was still scared.
The platform pulled us up and I felt my knees wobbling. I crouched down to keep my cool, and my dad joined me. He told me "We're going to be okay, Mijo. We *will return.*" He stood me up and he and my mom hugged me. "I love you, my son."
It was time for us to go home.
\----------------------------------
That was 34 years ago.
In that time i have changed. Soon after, we were assigned a home and given a hot meal that was more tasty and opulant than what we could afford on earth. Then my skin turned a deep red: A strong color for a strong people. My regimen has cut me into a shape befitting a warrior. In a legion of 1000 I was the strongest. Where others lifted an SUV I lifted a tank and vaporized it just as quick. Now, before every drop, I bring up photo album and look into the eyes of my amazing family; My loving wife, my beautiful daughters, my little brother and sister, and my dear departed Mother and Father.
I'm invincible. And when I dropped to the hard Earth for the first time in these many years, the fear in the eyes of these ingrates made my hearts throb with pride for my home.
&#x200B;
It wasn't long after the soldier apes of this town were torn apart by our righteous hands that the civilians bowed their loyalty to the dominion. It was a sight I never could have hoped for as a minority on this rock, and now these things knew my pain.
My inferiors awaited the orders to level the region once we rounded up the civilian apes. I gazed upon the little hamlet... and I told them to wait. There, on the very edge of this little town, beyond the ruins, was an old fast food joint. It wasn't just in good condition... It was pristine. Immaculate. Untouched by the carnage of this pitiful skirmish.
I strode inside and went to the kitchen. Sure enough, unlike some other fast food joints, the ice cream machine was working. Still chugging that delicious sugary goop that I hadn't tasted in years. I grabbed a styrofoam cup off the counter and bolted to the machine. I cranked the release lever and filled my cup until it flowed down my hands and dripped to the floor. My hands were shaking. I took a seat in the restaurant, lifted the drink to my lips and...
...it shot out of my grasp, and I suddenly had a hole going through my hand.
If I weren't such a brilliant shade of crimson, my face would be burning red. I swerved around to gaze upon an ape reloading an old rifle. It wore a carbon fiber helmet covering its brittle little skull. primitive, but very stylish.
When it was done it gawped in pure terror as they saw me, bounding toward them like a linebacker made of steel. I impacted with enough force to launch him over ten yards. He was unarmed. Docile. I strolled up next to it to hear it wheezing deep. Likely a collapsed lung. I was about to crush its head...
Then I read its helmet:
"Dirt of the Earth"
So primal, but somehow eloquent. It made me somehow nostalgic. Like this was something I needed to see. It spoke volumes about me.
I took it from the ape and donned it. Then I took the ape's water jug and poured it into the soil. Once it was good and muddy, I smeared a handprint onto my face.
"What... the *hell* are you!?" it managed to cough up.
I turned back to my ship. I said nothing, because I already know.
I'm the dirt of the earth | |
[WP] When your parents sat you down for a talk, you expected something along the lines of “you’re adopted,” or “we’re splitting up,” but you’re surprised to hear them start off with, “we’re not exactly... human.” | I had stood there, gaping at them; expecting one of them to burst into a good-natured laugh and tell me that it was a joke. I waited for something that never came. It was in that moment that I knew that no matter what came next, it wasn't going to be easy to digest.
"Hans," said Mama to Dada. "Do you want to explain everything? I'll add in the details you miss out on."
I had never seen my father in that much turmoil in my life. And I say that after having seen him make an honest living by mining coal for a living in the dusty, rough localities of Buenos Aires. For a significant part of my childhood, he had left home before I woke up and came back when I was asleep for the day. On many days, I spent more time thinking about my father than having him around in person. Ma spent her days as the neighbourhood tailor, her hands were dextrous and steady and her work was magnificent.
"We aren't exactly human, Jakob," Dada repeated. I could feel something tugging at his heartstrings while he said it.
"Son, I want you to listen to everything in silence before you say anything out aloud okay? I know this must be incredibly difficult to follow and even harder to accept. But when the world ends, and night falls forever on this glorious world, we will always be your parents; the two people in the universe who want the best for you."
I nodded, not knowing how else to respond.
"Times were strange, Jakob. Everything around us was broken. I remember as a little boy, I had to carry a wheelbarrow full of money to buy one loaf of bread, because the currency had such low value that money, for once, meant nothing. I was always an honest citizen, Jakob. I paid my taxes, I sang the national anthem every day. I had volunteered as an 18 year old to fight when the Great War broke out, and I was ready to lay my life down if the need be. But we lost everything, Jakob. Our family houses were taken away from us. We went from living like Kings to scraping alms like beggars and no one would tell us why. Everything was going downhill until... until he appeared."
Dada was choking up now; his voice barely able to leave the safe confines of his mouth. "You know how in times of desperate need, you long to ache for a voice to guide you? To show you the way out of this abyss and towards the only speck of light on the infinitely dark horizon? That was how it felt when he came. His words resonated with ferocious truth. When he stood in front of millions and swore sacred vows, we wept with joy for him. For the first time, my job in the army didn't feel like an exercise in futility; it convinced me that it was a profession fit for nobility. If only you one could realize then, that if you've spent your whole life in the dark, you don't know what the devil looks like."
Dada paused again. "I enlisted a second time in 1939, as a proud veteran of the first war. They said that the man had fought alongside me in the same rank, in the same war. Now here he was, leading our glorious forces into the second conflict- full of pride, glory and devoid of fear. I distinguished myself greatly with my efforts for our great nation, earning his favor in return. And just like a poor man scavenging in the aftermath of the first war, I licked his boots to earn more of it. If we lose the second war too, I didn't want to end up like I did after the first."
"Times were strange, Jakob. It was a war unlike any we had ever seen before. Fire rained from the skies, weapons from our nightmares picked apart bodies with laughable ease. Ruthlessness was a compulsion, not an option; these people were out to take what was rightfully ours. We were told to give no quarter.
When they assigned me to a barracks in Warsaw, I was told that those imprisoned were sworn enemies of our nation. They defiled and denigrated the values that we held sacred, and they deserved nothing more than the atrocities we we're heaping on them. I believed it. I laughed as they collapsed while smelting iron. I shot dead those who tried to escape or start a rebellion. The ground hungrily drank the cold blood we spilled in the name of patriotic fervor. Surely, this was just a consequence of war?"
Dada was weeping now, as if the past had send a tsunami of sorrow to engulf him whole. Ma was crying too, her hand firmly on Dada's shoulder.
"They took us to Auschwitz once. To show us how we treated our enemies. When I was near one of the chimney billowing the charred remains of the prisoners into clear blue skies, I vomited all over my uniform. They laughed at me. As if the very act of feeling human was juvenile. Times were strange, Jakob.
My conscience never let me sleep in peace after what I saw there. I saw ghosts that were still alive. I saw death in the eyes of the living. I will carry that burden with me to my grave.
The next day, I was on patrol with a unit when they broke down the home of a Polish family. They first mortally wounded the Father and made the Mother watch, then they shot the mother dead and let the Father watch. The baby in the crib was the only one that saw them both die. The only reason they didn't fire a bullet at the baby was because everyone knew that the war was placed precariously. The price of a bullet didn't merit the life it took.
That night, I returned to the house and stole the baby before one of my friends in the Bureau arranged a flight for us to escape to Argentina. When the war ended, I was a Nazi sympathizer and a Nazi deserter at the same time; everyone in the world hated me. I cannot atone for the mistakes I made in the past. But I saved a Polish baby to remind myself of my regret and shame, but also to convince myself that even after everything that happened, I could still be a better man. We're not exactly humans, Jakob. We are monsters who stood by as lives were cruelly taken. Who watched in silence as the blood of your parents was spattered on the walls of your home.
You are a culmination of my heinous past, the sorrow of my present, and the atonement I seek in the future, Jakob. I waited till 18 to tell you this so that you yourself would have the right to choose your own life; just like I have chosen two different paths in mine. Times are strange, Jakob. But Mama and Dada have always loved you. You're the only part in our lives that somehow, makes us human." | They say humans are the most intelligent species in the world.
They say that, but they don't understand. They can't understand.
They can't because they're humans.
So I feel like I'm wasting my time trying to describe my past to you. But it's worth a try. Besides, maybe you'll somehow figure it out.
Although, that's totally impossible. I'm probably just wasting my time.
Alas, I will tell you my story.
I always knew I was special. I've learned how to control fire in ways never seen before. I know how to farm food. I could communicate using several different languages. I could write. Use tools.
Actually, let me back up. The year was 30,000 B.C. and no one knew a thing. Humans blundered after mammals. They didn't realize how to store food. They had to hunt them down, never staying in the same place for long.
It was ridiculous to watch.
I tried to communicate with them, but it was hopeless. They couldn't get it and they never would.
My parents told me I wasn't like them at an age of 14. I was already smarter than everyone else.
What they told me was quite a surprise.
"Honey, you're not like them. They're humans and they don't know how to behave."
"What are we, Mom?" I ask curious. I always had a hunger for knowledge.
"We're foreign. We don't belong here on Earth. Our ship crashed while I was pregnant. We're similar to these creatures, but not on the inside."
Time passed. I never fully understood what she said until later. When I was talking to my friend human and he walked away.
All those years he hadn't understood a word I said. I was hurt, betrayed. I couldn't believe it.
This morning I overheard my parents saying something about an invasion. I'm not really sure. They tell me good news, that we'll see more of our species soon. Earth was habitable and we would spend time here before setting off again.
...
We're leaving soon. The ship is taking off in an hour. I'm ready to go and in my seat. Finally we would see my home planet.
I've only heard stories. Golden liquid instead of water, houses that defied gravity itself, that towered upwards. Farms full of food that was planted and retrieved. Boats that would let us sail across the ocean.
...
The ship is exiting the atmosphere. It'll take three years to get home.
A small beeping goes off.
My parents curse.
The gravity on Earth with the gravity on the Sun was unpredictable. We were off in a small calculation.
The ship was crashing.
I'm not sure if I'll survive. Maybe I won't.
But if you're reading this, at least you know what happened. You know my story.
The ship is going down.
"Start a new civilization here!" My mother shouts to me.
I would never see home again. Maybe here would work.
If I survive.
r/FortyTwoDogs | |
[WP] When your parents sat you down for a talk, you expected something along the lines of “you’re adopted,” or “we’re splitting up,” but you’re surprised to hear them start off with, “we’re not exactly... human.” | I had stood there, gaping at them; expecting one of them to burst into a good-natured laugh and tell me that it was a joke. I waited for something that never came. It was in that moment that I knew that no matter what came next, it wasn't going to be easy to digest.
"Hans," said Mama to Dada. "Do you want to explain everything? I'll add in the details you miss out on."
I had never seen my father in that much turmoil in my life. And I say that after having seen him make an honest living by mining coal for a living in the dusty, rough localities of Buenos Aires. For a significant part of my childhood, he had left home before I woke up and came back when I was asleep for the day. On many days, I spent more time thinking about my father than having him around in person. Ma spent her days as the neighbourhood tailor, her hands were dextrous and steady and her work was magnificent.
"We aren't exactly human, Jakob," Dada repeated. I could feel something tugging at his heartstrings while he said it.
"Son, I want you to listen to everything in silence before you say anything out aloud okay? I know this must be incredibly difficult to follow and even harder to accept. But when the world ends, and night falls forever on this glorious world, we will always be your parents; the two people in the universe who want the best for you."
I nodded, not knowing how else to respond.
"Times were strange, Jakob. Everything around us was broken. I remember as a little boy, I had to carry a wheelbarrow full of money to buy one loaf of bread, because the currency had such low value that money, for once, meant nothing. I was always an honest citizen, Jakob. I paid my taxes, I sang the national anthem every day. I had volunteered as an 18 year old to fight when the Great War broke out, and I was ready to lay my life down if the need be. But we lost everything, Jakob. Our family houses were taken away from us. We went from living like Kings to scraping alms like beggars and no one would tell us why. Everything was going downhill until... until he appeared."
Dada was choking up now; his voice barely able to leave the safe confines of his mouth. "You know how in times of desperate need, you long to ache for a voice to guide you? To show you the way out of this abyss and towards the only speck of light on the infinitely dark horizon? That was how it felt when he came. His words resonated with ferocious truth. When he stood in front of millions and swore sacred vows, we wept with joy for him. For the first time, my job in the army didn't feel like an exercise in futility; it convinced me that it was a profession fit for nobility. If only you one could realize then, that if you've spent your whole life in the dark, you don't know what the devil looks like."
Dada paused again. "I enlisted a second time in 1939, as a proud veteran of the first war. They said that the man had fought alongside me in the same rank, in the same war. Now here he was, leading our glorious forces into the second conflict- full of pride, glory and devoid of fear. I distinguished myself greatly with my efforts for our great nation, earning his favor in return. And just like a poor man scavenging in the aftermath of the first war, I licked his boots to earn more of it. If we lose the second war too, I didn't want to end up like I did after the first."
"Times were strange, Jakob. It was a war unlike any we had ever seen before. Fire rained from the skies, weapons from our nightmares picked apart bodies with laughable ease. Ruthlessness was a compulsion, not an option; these people were out to take what was rightfully ours. We were told to give no quarter.
When they assigned me to a barracks in Warsaw, I was told that those imprisoned were sworn enemies of our nation. They defiled and denigrated the values that we held sacred, and they deserved nothing more than the atrocities we we're heaping on them. I believed it. I laughed as they collapsed while smelting iron. I shot dead those who tried to escape or start a rebellion. The ground hungrily drank the cold blood we spilled in the name of patriotic fervor. Surely, this was just a consequence of war?"
Dada was weeping now, as if the past had send a tsunami of sorrow to engulf him whole. Ma was crying too, her hand firmly on Dada's shoulder.
"They took us to Auschwitz once. To show us how we treated our enemies. When I was near one of the chimney billowing the charred remains of the prisoners into clear blue skies, I vomited all over my uniform. They laughed at me. As if the very act of feeling human was juvenile. Times were strange, Jakob.
My conscience never let me sleep in peace after what I saw there. I saw ghosts that were still alive. I saw death in the eyes of the living. I will carry that burden with me to my grave.
The next day, I was on patrol with a unit when they broke down the home of a Polish family. They first mortally wounded the Father and made the Mother watch, then they shot the mother dead and let the Father watch. The baby in the crib was the only one that saw them both die. The only reason they didn't fire a bullet at the baby was because everyone knew that the war was placed precariously. The price of a bullet didn't merit the life it took.
That night, I returned to the house and stole the baby before one of my friends in the Bureau arranged a flight for us to escape to Argentina. When the war ended, I was a Nazi sympathizer and a Nazi deserter at the same time; everyone in the world hated me. I cannot atone for the mistakes I made in the past. But I saved a Polish baby to remind myself of my regret and shame, but also to convince myself that even after everything that happened, I could still be a better man. We're not exactly humans, Jakob. We are monsters who stood by as lives were cruelly taken. Who watched in silence as the blood of your parents was spattered on the walls of your home.
You are a culmination of my heinous past, the sorrow of my present, and the atonement I seek in the future, Jakob. I waited till 18 to tell you this so that you yourself would have the right to choose your own life; just like I have chosen two different paths in mine. Times are strange, Jakob. But Mama and Dada have always loved you. You're the only part in our lives that somehow, makes us human." | I stopped half way through my bite of a taco, bits of lettuce falling from my mouth before I gulped, swallowing my only partially chewed food. " I'm sorry say that again?" My voice was raspy and dry from not chewing properly.
"I said, we aren't exactly human son." I blinked a few times, my brain trying to catch up to what my mother has said. " Okay....so what.." before I could finish my sentence the door to our house crashed inwards, which was impressive on it's own without it flying across the room as it was an outward opening door.
Before I could even process what was going on I heard my father shout. "Alosha, it's them we don't have time send him away." I was still confused as I noticed two huge men? Creatures? I'm not sure what the hell they were but they weren't human either. My father shimmered, how the hell did he just shimmer that was absurd, and he was behind one of them his hand slashing down at him while coated in blue light.
Before I could reconcile what was going on I heard my mother chanting in some strange language. " Osclóidh tú an doras agus braithfidh tú é" I had no idea my mother spoke anything but English, my mind felt like it was melting and my vision started to swirl in Technicolor. I was pretty sure I was having a stroke. I heard a faint whisper in my mother's voice, but it sounded like it was in my head "We aren't exactly human like I said my son we're Caomhnóir bhiotáilleacha." and that was my last thought before my vision went black.
When I came to I was surrounded by jungle and all I could hear were the sounds of rain, animals and my stomach growling. I hadn't gotten to finish my damn tacos.
| |
[WP] Write a story where the protagonist gets angry when the narrator keeps saving him with deus ex machina plot devices. | “This is getting out of hand isn’t it!!?” Frank shouted out to the sky. Of course nobody would hear his response, he knew he was alone and preferred it. He knew something was keeping him alive.
He was known as “Mr. Suicide”. Anything that needed to be done he could pull off, regardless of how risky. They saw him as a madman. He was someone that wanted to die but for whatever reason was not able to.
He ran off the bridge full force and closed his eyes as the water below fast approached.
**THUD!!**
The water reverberated as Frank tried to perform his best swan dive.
He awoke a few minutes later to a young woman trying to press down on his chest on the shore of the river.
“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?” She yelled as he pushed her off.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t bother. They weren’t looking.” Frank calmly replied as he brushed his hair back to the side.
“There is a being keeping me alive. I had distracted it for a minute and was hoping to catch it off guard and die. Then you come along and now I recognized I was jumping. I just wanna die but it wont let me!” Frank bellowed.
She looked at Frank with giant eyes, shocked at someone who was as revered as him wanting to die. “You’re Mr. Suicide…. The leader who broke into the Alton fortress and escaped with Pa’ Alton’s head in hand, without a scratch. The man who killed a whole pack of rabid wolves in a single night. The guy who survived his own hanging! Why?”
Frank’s reputation was that of Billy the Kid. Well known and often exaggerated.
Pa’ Alton? A massive explosion at the refinery charred everyone to a crisp, except Frank. Not a singed hair on him.
The rabid wolves? Every single wolf that bit him came down with a severe poisoning that ended each wolf’s life almost instantly and his wounds never infected.
The hanging? He heard his neck snap and was immobile for an hour till he was cut down. Gave the hangman quite the scare.
Frank knew he would have to prove a point. He stood up and asked to show what he meant.
“Let me have your gun for a second. I’ll show you I cannot die. That sicko is watching me waiting to see what happens.”
The girl was apprehensive in lending her main weapon but was curious about this concept. She offered her gun, an old 6 shooter revolver. “Please don’t ruin it. It was my granddad's. Also I really hope you're right.”
“You wont have to worry about a thing” he said as inspected it. 6 chambers all debris free. All loaded with bullets. He cocked the gun back as he aimed for his temple. She looked in horror as he attempted his suicide.
**CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.**
He then aimed it at the bridge he earlier jumped from.
**BANG. BANG. BANG.**
Every single bullet misfired. 6 bullets all in the same gun happened to not work when aimed at his head but worked flawlessly when aimed anywhere else.
“See? I’ve tried it all. This thing wont let me die. It’s like I’m in a simulator...” Frank’s voice trailed off as he knew it would be pointless to explain as he scratched his head with the barrel of the gun.
**BANG.** | The laughter echoed off the endless spaces of the empty void. It was loud and trying way too hard to be menacing. Unhinged, sure. Enough to make her uneasy. But really more annoying than anything else.
"Welcome," the voice tried to boom over the expanse of nothing, "to the Great Gauntlet of Haamlshar, Tester of Worth!"
"What?" she said. "Also, 'Tester of Worth?' Really? Are you serious?"
"Uh," the voice said, and then cut out suddenly before it could make any more sounds of uncertainty. It came back a moment later. "Serious? This is the most serious moment of your pathetic little mortal life!"
She looked down at her clothing, which was the sort of gaudy ceremonial armor you'd expect to be dreamed up by someone who had never had to actually wear armor in their entire lives. "If that's true, you'd think I'd be dressed for the occasion. Either a nice dress or some actual armor. You know there's a lot of vital organs in the upper chest, right? Like the heart, maybe? You know about hearts? Ba-dump ba-dump ba-dump?"
"That," the voice announced in what it probably thought were grand sweeping tones, "is the Mystic Cuirasse of the Undefeated! Its protection is magical!"
"I sure hope so," she said. "Because its shape is stupid. Form-fitting is fine for when I want to go out to the tavern or a festival. Not for when I want to redistribute the weight of a blow and not die. Assuming the blow even hits an armored spot. If I were fighting someone dressed like me, I'd just stab downward into the heart. Remember? The heart? I just told you about that. You can probably locate your own with a little trouble, assuming you're human. You sound human."
"What?" the voice packed as much incredulity as it could manage into the word, but it was pretty shit incredulity, like tarnished brass pretending to be gold. "The Tester of Worth is no mere mortal!"
"I mean, I can see you've got some godlike power thing going on at the moment," she said, looking around at all the vaguely-lit nothing. "But besides the armor you're not doing much with it."
"Fool mortal!" the voice half-thundered. It was a deep enough voice, pretty definitely male, but just...hmmm. Hard to put her finger on it. Not a voice accustomed to actual power, that was it. "Now...well...the Great Gauntlet begins!"
Suddenly everything was different, from the light to the return of gravity she hadn't fully realized was missing. It nearly knocked her on her ass, but she bent her knees and kept her balance, letting all her experience and training take over. She was in some sort of corridor, made of stone that looked vaguely wet and also constructed by the world's most unimaginative mason. She stood fully upright, shrugged, and started walking forward.
"Take care!" the voice came. The acoustics of the stone passage were terrible and made it sound even more tinpot than before. "Now begins the great tale of your mighty quest for the Amulet of Veri'Sai!"
"Sure, sounds great," she replied, and kept going. The corridor was lit by torches at regular intervals, which seemed like a waste for such an unremarkable section of whatever building or dungeon this was, but whatever. She took one out of its sconce since it was the closest thing she'd found so far to a weapon.
Again came the voice. "The great huntress takes a torch and moves forward, knowing she is embarking upon a momentous journey."
She just rolled her eyes and walked. After about a hundred paces the tiles on the floor changed color. Changed into a great many colors, in fact. She frowned at them. Also she was aware of the voice breathing. Just breathing, like its owner was standing too close to whatever magical device allowed them to speak to her, and had simply left it activated. It grated on her nerves.
"Obvious pressure plates," she said, and sighed. She turned around and grabbed another couple torches, then began tossing them ahead of her. Various traps sprang, blades whirring, spears coming down from the ceiling and up from the floor. She gave the traps a judicious nod, waiting until they were done, and came back to inspect the floor.
"Okay," she said. "Green is bad, red is bad, grey has to be okay." She picked a path out among the tiles, stepping carefully.
"The huntress is clever! But she cannot know the full deviousness of the Sinister Soulkeeper's Lair! Only the first two of every three grey tiles are safe!"
She didn't stop to protest that she had no way of knowing that. The point of traps, after all, was not exactly fairness. She just ran, still keeping to the grey tiles. A spiked steel ball came out from the wall on a long beam and slammed into her back. But it only struck the *armored* part of her back, and she went flying forward, landing in a half-graceful roll that nonetheless got her back on her feet.
She didn't even have a bruise.
"Well," she said, looking back, "that was a stupid trap."
"The huntress is obviously grateful to be alive!" the voice said.
"The huntress is not a huntress at all," she retorted. "She's a skirmish specialist with an adventuring party who finds herself in a stupid dream with a stupid dungeon containing stupid traps that fail to understand that their purpose is to keep people back, not push them further in." She took another torch off the wall, dropped it on the floor, and rolled it around with her foot until it went out. *Club's better than nothing, don't want to fight with my only light source if it comes to that,* she thought as she picked it up and jammed it into the intricately impractical bits of strapping on her armor.
"The huntress fails to understand the true nature of the, uh, Sinister Soulkeeper's Lair!" the voice announced with an almost total failure of certainty. | |
[WP] Write a story where the protagonist gets angry when the narrator keeps saving him with deus ex machina plot devices. | “This is getting out of hand isn’t it!!?” Frank shouted out to the sky. Of course nobody would hear his response, he knew he was alone and preferred it. He knew something was keeping him alive.
He was known as “Mr. Suicide”. Anything that needed to be done he could pull off, regardless of how risky. They saw him as a madman. He was someone that wanted to die but for whatever reason was not able to.
He ran off the bridge full force and closed his eyes as the water below fast approached.
**THUD!!**
The water reverberated as Frank tried to perform his best swan dive.
He awoke a few minutes later to a young woman trying to press down on his chest on the shore of the river.
“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?” She yelled as he pushed her off.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t bother. They weren’t looking.” Frank calmly replied as he brushed his hair back to the side.
“There is a being keeping me alive. I had distracted it for a minute and was hoping to catch it off guard and die. Then you come along and now I recognized I was jumping. I just wanna die but it wont let me!” Frank bellowed.
She looked at Frank with giant eyes, shocked at someone who was as revered as him wanting to die. “You’re Mr. Suicide…. The leader who broke into the Alton fortress and escaped with Pa’ Alton’s head in hand, without a scratch. The man who killed a whole pack of rabid wolves in a single night. The guy who survived his own hanging! Why?”
Frank’s reputation was that of Billy the Kid. Well known and often exaggerated.
Pa’ Alton? A massive explosion at the refinery charred everyone to a crisp, except Frank. Not a singed hair on him.
The rabid wolves? Every single wolf that bit him came down with a severe poisoning that ended each wolf’s life almost instantly and his wounds never infected.
The hanging? He heard his neck snap and was immobile for an hour till he was cut down. Gave the hangman quite the scare.
Frank knew he would have to prove a point. He stood up and asked to show what he meant.
“Let me have your gun for a second. I’ll show you I cannot die. That sicko is watching me waiting to see what happens.”
The girl was apprehensive in lending her main weapon but was curious about this concept. She offered her gun, an old 6 shooter revolver. “Please don’t ruin it. It was my granddad's. Also I really hope you're right.”
“You wont have to worry about a thing” he said as inspected it. 6 chambers all debris free. All loaded with bullets. He cocked the gun back as he aimed for his temple. She looked in horror as he attempted his suicide.
**CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.**
He then aimed it at the bridge he earlier jumped from.
**BANG. BANG. BANG.**
Every single bullet misfired. 6 bullets all in the same gun happened to not work when aimed at his head but worked flawlessly when aimed anywhere else.
“See? I’ve tried it all. This thing wont let me die. It’s like I’m in a simulator...” Frank’s voice trailed off as he knew it would be pointless to explain as he scratched his head with the barrel of the gun.
**BANG.** | Molly Weaver, age nineteen (19), female, was getting particularly annoyed with this.
All her life she’s been told what to do, how to act, what situations she could and couldn’t do.
She was not about to—
“Molly Weaver was right about to walk into a gigantic gaping hole, but she snapped out of her daydreams and sidestepped it.”
Groaning softly to herself, Molly stared wistfully as she did what the narrator told her. She took a breath, calmed herself, and started off again.
Molly took in her surroundings. A large, looming city lay just over the horizon before her. On her left and right, the ruins of a once-rural town covered in brush, forest, and water puddles.
Not to mention the deep holes that could be found around, and the hell-spawn crawling out of them. Even now, creatures were flying, crawling, and walking all around her, looking for better, suitable prey.
“Can you NOT sometimes?” Molly knew it was worthless to try and persuade him, but she tried anyways out of hope and spite.
The narrator didn’t reply, and the sounds of the surrounding world continued on without much pause. Molly kept walking.
Without any warning, a loud cry sounded from her right. A reddish-brown demon sprung from the thick brush at her. Its fangs spread wide open, saliva dripping off of them. Two long fore-arms lunged at her, while two back legs spread back as if it would help the creature get more air.
Two black and two white eyes gaped at Molly as she screamed.
“Molly was sure to be killed, but just as she was sure she was dead, a cord on the creature’s hind leg stopped it just milliseconds from snapping her face off.”
The narrator spoke once again. His tone was slightly amused, as if he knew that he could have done that a lot quicker. As if she were a toy he was merely playing around with for now.
Molly removed her arms from her face as she stared at the creature. That cord hadn’t been there before. No, she was quite sure of that, somehow.
So he’d modified the story yet again.
After a long silence, Molly reached her hand out to the demon. She didn’t know why, but it just felt.. right. Like she needed to do this. The creature bucked and raised its head, as if in wonder why she was still there. Molly was too, since the narrator usually said something by this time.
As if summoned, he spoke again, slow and methodically.
“I assume that you aren’t going to touch that, Molly. That would require you needing another arm. Or, if you were lucky, forearm.”
Molly started and quickly took her hand back.
“Don’t think that just because I am the narrator, doesn’t mean I can’t y’all normally. Now, as the story should go..” He trailed off at the end, and Molly thought she heard the rustling of papers, though it was so faint she wasn’t quite sure if she had heard it.
“There it is.” The narrator cleared his throat and began again, this time in a light tone. “Before Molly could do anything more stupid, she turned and walked off, away from the creature.”
By this time, Molly’s legs had begun to work against her, doing his will.
“But Molly’s curious brain got in the way and sent her back off to trouble. Molly made her way towards the city, eventually encountering a demon-pit in the middle of the path. Adventure was waiting, and Adventure wasn’t taking ‘No’ for an answer.”
Unwillingly, Molly found herself by the pit. Her feet tilted on the edge, making her body lean uncomfortably forward.
Then, something happened.
“Molly fell into the pit.”
She couldn’t believe what he’d said until it started to happen. Her leg moved forward as if taking a step. Her body leaned. Her blonde hair whipped past her as she fell without a word, too taken by surprise to say anything at first.
“But, just as she thought to scream, Molly was yanked back by a demon.”
And the events came true.
In the few seconds it took for Molly to come to her senses, everything exploded.
“But then the fires of Hell exploded, and the ill-timed burst of heat scorched the demon, causing Molly to free-fall again! Except she was saved by falling into the fire by her old friend, Thomas! Thomas swooped her up onto stable ground, letting her down softly and transforming back into a human. Thomas was a magical creature, known as a shapeshifter, who was on Molly’s side. Together, the duo had defeated many demons, and were going to defeat many more!”
The narrator seemed excited, as if all his childhood fantasies had just come to life. Molly’s old memories of this past hour were now crammed with “memories” of her “old” friend, Thomas.
“This story has gone on long enough, don’t you think,” Molly screamed up to the sky. She wished she could stop him, do anything to stop this.
This wasn’t all what life was, was it..?
“I would, but—”
The narrator was cut off suddenly, like a microphone dying in the middle of you recording something.
He was back a moment later, though Molly only noticed because of him clearing his throat.
A small breeze blew by as the scenery shifted in the blink of an eye.
Thomas was gone, the world was gone, and in place was a nice little house.
“I thought it was time for a scenery change. Now!
Molly stood hesitantly at the house’s door, wondering yet again if she should go in. The brown wooden door seemed tiny compared to the massive windows, walls, and decorations around it.”
The scenery shifted yet again to accommodate for his words.
“Yet she made the decision to go in, anyways. Regardless the outcome.”
Same old, same old; Molly’s brain obeyed, Molly didn’t want to.
The narrator seemed to huff under his breath, as if dissatisfied with her not willing to do this. Molly decided to ignore him, and walked around the house on her own. Surprisingly, the rooms here empty except for the occasional picture frame here, some remains of decor there.
“You’re not supposed to be wandering. Maybe this will teach you,” he said. Right afterwards, a large plank fell from the ceiling right on top of her.
Well, close to Molly, anyways. At the last second, the narrator had flung it away, landing it through the window and out on the lawn.
“That would have killed me!” Molly exclaimed. Her anger rose up again, and his words didn’t make it any better.
“But it didn’t~”
She wanted to throw anything, punch something. This.. this thing she called a “narrator” shouldn’t be playing with her life like this!
But Molly had no power, and he had it all.
The narrator spoke again, this time in a very smug manner. “Thought so. Now, let’s carry on.
Ahem.
“Molly walked upstairs, unaware of the dangers lurking there.”
Molly did so.
And as she reached the landing, a zombie cane lurching at her.
“Whoops.”
Whoops? Whoops?
This wasn’t a mistake.
It felt like an opportunity.
The opportunity of a lifetime.
Molly closed her eyes and let the zombie grab her arm. As it went for the bite, however, the narrator spoke.
“Molly was about to get bit by a zombie when a boy burst in and shot it.”
A shot rang into the room. A boy, no older than twelve, had been inserted into the story. He looked frightened, as if not exactly sure what happened or what he was doing.
The zombie collapsed, killed yet again, onto Molly.
After a loud groan, she pushed the corpse away, walked over to the boy, and grabbed the gun, angling it to her head. The narrator, again, spoke up before she could to anything.
“After getting saved, she tried once again to die. However, she failed, as there were no more bullets in there.”
He was right. There weren’t any.
“Will you stop trying? Give up.”
Molly screamed towards the sky, determined but losing hope. “Why are you doing this? I don’t deserve to live like this!”
“Because I can, you silly little human.” The narrator’s voice grew evil.
“Now. Let’s see. There must be a story here you can’t break.”
Molly stared at the sky.
There really was no way out, huh?
Of course. Why would there be?
“Here we go, found one.” The narrator cleared his throat one last time and began again, slow, as if he had all the time in the world.
“Meet Molly Weaver, a nineteen-year-old girl who can’t seem to shake off the fact that someone far greater, far stronger, is watching over her...”
Molly’s vision darkened as a new reality began.
——-
I trailed off the original post a bit, but.. I’m pretty proud of this. Hope you enjoyed reading it~ | |
[WP] A talkative demon strikes up an unlikely and forbidden friendship with a blind angel, who is unaware of what their dear friend really is. | Night was extremely shameless for a demon. Demons also had moral codes as well contrary to expectations. Although the list was not long, there was one that prevailed above others: don't interact with Angels.
Night thought Angels were boring. They loathed demons but that was just because they had too many strict rules. Being a demon was so much better. One could plant vicious ideas in the heads of humans. One could go drinking and flirting with others.
Angels though always had to be kind, good, and virtuous. They were never rowdy, they never had fun and they always had some fake benevolent smile plastered on their face, as if it were their default expression. 24/7, they had some kind of light stick shining out of their asses- the so called *halo* light.
He'd rather be a human.
So when he saw the blind Angel, he couldn't help the urge to go tease her. He thought he'd go enlighten her to some of his ways, maybe corrupt her. Now that would be fun.
Licking his lips, he approached the Angel who was teetering around a place on earth. She was dressed as a human priestess but he as a demon could clearly see her glow. This was the only place Angels and Demons ever had a chance of seeing each other. And usually, no one would act so brazenly like him.
Falling to his knees, he clasped the knees of the blind angel and cried out in a wretched tone, "priestess, help me please!"
The blind angel stood still and as expected, she flashed a kind smile in his direction. "Tell me how I can help you." Her voice was feathery light.
Night was fully immersed into his performance, putting on a show of crumpling his face despite the fact that she wouldn't see it. "I've been possessed by a demon! I can't sleep at night. I have nightmares of him. He is slowly killing me by sucking my energy."
The blind angel frowned. If it was truly a nightmare demon, then this would be a very difficult task to solve; besides the fact that she was blind, she was still relatively young and wouldn't be able to deal with a more experienced demon. She pondered for a moment and then decided, "come with me. I know a place where you can be purified." She'll just have to hand him over to her senior.
"Many thanks!" Night smirked. Angels took demons extremely seriously. A mention of one would most definitely flag their attention.
Over the next few days, Night tried to work his magic on her. He made them stop at inns along the way. After all, they were both posing as humans, they should at least act like them. During dinner, he ordered wine and sumptuous food to entice her to gluttony or at least get her drunk. She, of course, refused.
Night wasn't going to give up. He already knew it wouldn't be so easy. He ordered dinner once again and smirked as he snapped his fingers and a sprinkle of powder fell over her food. This powder was from his demon kingdom, it was tasteless and potent enough to get a demon or angel drunk.
As expected, the blind angel really did get a little drunk. Her pale cheeks became a little pink. Her chin hung over her hand. She looked sleepy.
"Haha", snickered Night. He clicked his fingers in front of her face, and she looked at him. He looked back at her. "What's your name?"
"Angelique."
"What are your most embarrassing moments?"
"I once wanted to climb a tree and free fall. I also wanted to bellow at the top of my lungs. One time I wanted to spend more time with mother, so I lied and said I felt unwell."
*Wtf!!!* Night was appalled. How could these be her most embarrassing moments. How repressed was she?
This was unacceptable.
The next few days, Night deepened his friendship with Angelique. He was very talkative, whereas Angelique was strict and quiet but he could clearly feel her warming up to him as they grew more familiar with each other.
One evening, he sprinkled a little powder in her food to give her some courage. He then took her to find a tall tree and told her to climb. Under the influence of the powder, she did just so. Angels had special senses, so even if she was blind, she had no trouble with climbing.
Night waited until she was at the top. "Now fall", he called to her, "I'll catch you!"
The next evening, Night took her to a cliff and told her to yell as loud as possible, as much as her heart desired.
Actually, Angelique remembered everything the days after. Angels and Demons don't really get hangovers. She just had never really experienced the state of drunkenness before though so she thought it was just a rush of courage. Nonetheless, she felt especially touched towards Night.
They were nearing their destination, and Night felt a bit strange. It was time for him to disappear but he felt reluctant. In his original plan, he would reveal his identity and send her mind into an abyss of chaos.
But somewhere within him had sprouted the deep roots of dearness. Angelique was an angel, but underneath those layers of strict rules, discipline and dogmatism lay an unique being. He wanted to be friends with her.
Night collapsed onto the ground and grasped his hair.
*What am I going to do now? I'm in deep trouble.* | The invisible palpable lump that had formed in Thermas's throat dissolved, he could breathe. So he decided to pray to a God he could not believe in. Jesus was due for his second coming in the next three months. He knew where he would go as soon as he left hell, his favourite haunt, a bar neatly tucked between a laundromat and gas station. The O'Hades Bar.
He had got in the bar, and it was oddly empty. Empty on a Friday night? With much to think about he barely noticed, and therefore failed to notice that his bartender was blind.
Hell was a lonely place even as crowded as it had gotten, and as an agent of evil and chaos Thermas was looking for an escape. It was never too late to change, he believed, this was his only chance too.
The contract he had signed was eternal, maybe there were loopholes under sub-section 666 termination of the Agent of Evil contract, but he had barely read the millions of pages that made up the terms and conditions yet he had the time. There was a breach of contract term, but what use was it now. His signed contract was in the piles of inaccessible documents that made up Satans bed.
He could get kicked out like his God had, but nothing could get to Satan. Demons could leave if they wanted Satan never had a physical hold over his followers. They had free will and Satan was enjoying the freedom of being unrestrained, why would he enslave his followers? Real freedom was power.
It was this freedom that attracted Thermas at first and how he had landed in hell but it had lost its appeal, Thermas really was not cut out for this. Heaven was not the place he really wanted to go either, it was his personal hell.
Maybe just maybe he would with excruciating pain change who he had became. His internal conflict had not gone unnoticed.
Satan and Thermas had an undeniably strong bond. His escape he knew would be as scandalous as the day Satan almost shut down operations after losing three of the most powerful demonic agents in a spiritual battle that lasted over three hell burning seasons (circa two millennia)
He had thought over his escape route, he planned that it would be on one of his demon possession and evil conversion days to follow through on his plan.
He had barely made it to the gates of hell when Satan called out
"Thermas you do not really have to go through with todays evil conversion , I can take care of that. You have been awfully quiet and I cannot afford to lose you"
With a devilish grin Thermas repiled, "No, I will convert more than you ever have in your lifetime today. My mood change was only in anticipation of how I will renovate this hellhole when I dethrone you".
With a hell shaking laugh that triggered a volanic eruption, Satan laughed.
"With that kind of behaviour I might just let you have all of this", Satan said with outstretched arms looking at the memorabilia he had collected over the years: the seeds of the forbidden fruit, Moses staff, the coins Judas had used, a nail from the cross,of scripture excluded from the Bible and several other collections stuck up on his wall.
Thermas followed Satans gaze looking at his trophies, and he knew in that look alone why he had to leave.
It was that look that had put Thermas in a trance, one that made the blind bartender offer to buy him two shots.
"You are not what I expected when I prayed to God", Thermas said not wincing at the stomach burning sting of what looked like Vodka.
"Why do you think God sent me", said the blind bartender
"I have heard stories of how your God operates, with regards to answers to prayers. You get what you prayed for but not the way you anticipated"
"I'm sorry I don't get you, what do you mean Sir?"
"I mean... arghh nevermind", said Thermas maybe God did not answer his prayer it was silly to think otherwise
...
(To be continued I don't know how to finish and I should be studying. This was a good break from work) | |
[WP] A talkative demon strikes up an unlikely and forbidden friendship with a blind angel, who is unaware of what their dear friend really is. | I awoke in my bed to the smell of something sweet.
&#x200B;
*Must be the neighbors making breakfast*, my thought wasn’t even truly a conscious one as I closed my eyes once more. I could feel the beginning of a hangover creeping into the deepest recesses of my skull and quietly hoped sleep would take me before the migraine started. The sound of dishes being moved around in the kitchen however, my kitchen, made me sit up so fast I almost fell out of bed.
&#x200B;
I remembered it all; the battle, the banishment, Wrenn's screams.
&#x200B;
I jumped up and bolted for my room door, quickly throwing it open and scanning the area beyond. It didn't take long for me to find her. She had her back to me, her honey blonde hair now pulled back in a neat bun. She was still dressed in the same simple white t-shirt and loose fitting jeans. I watched, transfixed, as she piled a few pancakes onto a plate before turning my way and walking out of the small kitchen of my one bedroom apartment. It wasn't until she set the plate down on the table that she saw me. Her grey eyes locked onto mine and my heart stopped.
&#x200B;
This was it. This was how I was going to die. The angel I brought home last night was going to see me and banish me back to Hell, where my brethren would rend me limb from limb in hopes of taking my place. There was no guarantee that they would, but that didn't matter. The opportunity alone was more than worth consuming my flesh down to the very last morsel.
&#x200B;
"Good morning. I'm sorry if I woke you, but I found some instant pancake mix and figured I'd make breakfast."
&#x200B;
It wasn't at all what I had expected to hear. My bafflement must've been an easy read, as she continued on with a touch of hesitation in her voice,
&#x200B;
"You… Helped me out last night, allowed me to sleep on your couch. I thought I smelled alcohol, but I was also pretty out of it. Hit my head pretty hard." Her smile was disarming as she pulled back her bangs to reveal a dinosaur band-aid on her forehead, where there was also a nice sized bump.
&#x200B;
"Oh…" I found my voice at last, or at least, I was able to croak what sounded like my voice. Clearing my throat, I tried again, "Right… Yeah, I had been drinking before I, ah…Found you." It wasn't even a lie. Wrenn and I had left the party together before she showed up and everything went pear shaped.
&#x200B;
"Well," She responded, gesturing toward a second plate already on the table, "I made a plate for you, in case you were hungry. It's the least I could do to say thanks."
&#x200B;
I swallowed hard, nodding slowly, "You shouldn't have." My gaze shifted to the plate closest to me and my stomach tightened, "Then again, I am kinda hungry." I took a step out of the room before a chuckle from the angel stopped me in my tracks.
&#x200B;
"You might want to put something on first?"
&#x200B;
I glanced down, saw that I was standing only in black boxer briefs, and swore, "Right! That's… That’s a really good idea." I gave her my best sheepish grin before racing back to my room and closing the door behind me. I leaned back against it with a heavy sigh before looking for something to put on. Spying a pair of red sweatpants and a undershirt on the floor amongst other carelessly tossed clothing, I decided on that and began to dress to myself.
&#x200B;
*What the hell was I doing!?*
\*\*\*
&#x200B;
I had sensed the Holy energy shortly after Wrenn and I had gone our separate ways. Racing back down the alley, I saw the angel fighting him in full battle regalia in an empty lot, golden armor gleaming and blessed blade shining as she faced off against my best friend. Wrenn was pretty tough as far as demons go but it was clear that he was outmatched. He was fast, but she was faster, turning aside or completely slipping away from the swipes of his claws or the arcs of black flame he hurled at her.
&#x200B;
I should've helped him. The least I could've done was caused a distraction to allow him escape. Yet all I could do was cower behind the dumpster in fear…And awe. I watched her beat him soundly, and then with a flash of Holy light she banished him right before my eyes. Something went wrong, however. There was an explosion that threw her violently across the lot and slammed her head first into a concrete wall so hard a part of it was pulverized. She was still and didn't move, her weapon and armor vanishing, leaving her only wearing a T-shirt and jeans.
&#x200B;
I crept forward cautiously, not daring to take my eyes off of her unconscious form as I made my way to where Wrenn had fallen. All that remained of him were his clothes, covered with his ashes. Wrenn was an asshole, like pretty much every other demon I knew, but he had looked out for me. He knew I was a coward but for some reason took me under his wing anyway. He made the others lay off with their incessant teasing. He taught me how to fight, taught me how to hide from the angels that hunted us, taught me how to corrupt and taint human souls. He was my best friend, my only friend, and now he was gone.
&#x200B;
And the angel that banished him lie not too far away, completely helpless.
&#x200B;
My mouth felt dry and my heart hammered in my ears as I approached her. I didn't really know how, but I had to destroy her. Even a weakling like me could manage to do that when she was unable to defend herself, right? Simply cover her mouth with my hand and allow the black fire technique that Wrenn had taught me do the rest. It was fitting, using the skill of the demon she had just sent to his death to end her life. I did my best to strengthen my resolve with every step. She had killed Wrenn, I would kill her. An eye for an eye. I needed to do this, I owed it to Wrenn.
&#x200B;
I was standing over her before I knew it. My head was spinning, and not from the few beers I had earlier. As I knelt down and reached out, her eyes fluttered open.
&#x200B;
Grey eyes. They looked at me…Into me. *Kill her!* My mind screamed. But my hand couldn't move, it wouldn't.
&#x200B;
"Could you…Help me up?"
&#x200B;
\*\*\* | The invisible palpable lump that had formed in Thermas's throat dissolved, he could breathe. So he decided to pray to a God he could not believe in. Jesus was due for his second coming in the next three months. He knew where he would go as soon as he left hell, his favourite haunt, a bar neatly tucked between a laundromat and gas station. The O'Hades Bar.
He had got in the bar, and it was oddly empty. Empty on a Friday night? With much to think about he barely noticed, and therefore failed to notice that his bartender was blind.
Hell was a lonely place even as crowded as it had gotten, and as an agent of evil and chaos Thermas was looking for an escape. It was never too late to change, he believed, this was his only chance too.
The contract he had signed was eternal, maybe there were loopholes under sub-section 666 termination of the Agent of Evil contract, but he had barely read the millions of pages that made up the terms and conditions yet he had the time. There was a breach of contract term, but what use was it now. His signed contract was in the piles of inaccessible documents that made up Satans bed.
He could get kicked out like his God had, but nothing could get to Satan. Demons could leave if they wanted Satan never had a physical hold over his followers. They had free will and Satan was enjoying the freedom of being unrestrained, why would he enslave his followers? Real freedom was power.
It was this freedom that attracted Thermas at first and how he had landed in hell but it had lost its appeal, Thermas really was not cut out for this. Heaven was not the place he really wanted to go either, it was his personal hell.
Maybe just maybe he would with excruciating pain change who he had became. His internal conflict had not gone unnoticed.
Satan and Thermas had an undeniably strong bond. His escape he knew would be as scandalous as the day Satan almost shut down operations after losing three of the most powerful demonic agents in a spiritual battle that lasted over three hell burning seasons (circa two millennia)
He had thought over his escape route, he planned that it would be on one of his demon possession and evil conversion days to follow through on his plan.
He had barely made it to the gates of hell when Satan called out
"Thermas you do not really have to go through with todays evil conversion , I can take care of that. You have been awfully quiet and I cannot afford to lose you"
With a devilish grin Thermas repiled, "No, I will convert more than you ever have in your lifetime today. My mood change was only in anticipation of how I will renovate this hellhole when I dethrone you".
With a hell shaking laugh that triggered a volanic eruption, Satan laughed.
"With that kind of behaviour I might just let you have all of this", Satan said with outstretched arms looking at the memorabilia he had collected over the years: the seeds of the forbidden fruit, Moses staff, the coins Judas had used, a nail from the cross,of scripture excluded from the Bible and several other collections stuck up on his wall.
Thermas followed Satans gaze looking at his trophies, and he knew in that look alone why he had to leave.
It was that look that had put Thermas in a trance, one that made the blind bartender offer to buy him two shots.
"You are not what I expected when I prayed to God", Thermas said not wincing at the stomach burning sting of what looked like Vodka.
"Why do you think God sent me", said the blind bartender
"I have heard stories of how your God operates, with regards to answers to prayers. You get what you prayed for but not the way you anticipated"
"I'm sorry I don't get you, what do you mean Sir?"
"I mean... arghh nevermind", said Thermas maybe God did not answer his prayer it was silly to think otherwise
...
(To be continued I don't know how to finish and I should be studying. This was a good break from work) | |
[WP] A talkative demon strikes up an unlikely and forbidden friendship with a blind angel, who is unaware of what their dear friend really is. | I awoke in my bed to the smell of something sweet.
&#x200B;
*Must be the neighbors making breakfast*, my thought wasn’t even truly a conscious one as I closed my eyes once more. I could feel the beginning of a hangover creeping into the deepest recesses of my skull and quietly hoped sleep would take me before the migraine started. The sound of dishes being moved around in the kitchen however, my kitchen, made me sit up so fast I almost fell out of bed.
&#x200B;
I remembered it all; the battle, the banishment, Wrenn's screams.
&#x200B;
I jumped up and bolted for my room door, quickly throwing it open and scanning the area beyond. It didn't take long for me to find her. She had her back to me, her honey blonde hair now pulled back in a neat bun. She was still dressed in the same simple white t-shirt and loose fitting jeans. I watched, transfixed, as she piled a few pancakes onto a plate before turning my way and walking out of the small kitchen of my one bedroom apartment. It wasn't until she set the plate down on the table that she saw me. Her grey eyes locked onto mine and my heart stopped.
&#x200B;
This was it. This was how I was going to die. The angel I brought home last night was going to see me and banish me back to Hell, where my brethren would rend me limb from limb in hopes of taking my place. There was no guarantee that they would, but that didn't matter. The opportunity alone was more than worth consuming my flesh down to the very last morsel.
&#x200B;
"Good morning. I'm sorry if I woke you, but I found some instant pancake mix and figured I'd make breakfast."
&#x200B;
It wasn't at all what I had expected to hear. My bafflement must've been an easy read, as she continued on with a touch of hesitation in her voice,
&#x200B;
"You… Helped me out last night, allowed me to sleep on your couch. I thought I smelled alcohol, but I was also pretty out of it. Hit my head pretty hard." Her smile was disarming as she pulled back her bangs to reveal a dinosaur band-aid on her forehead, where there was also a nice sized bump.
&#x200B;
"Oh…" I found my voice at last, or at least, I was able to croak what sounded like my voice. Clearing my throat, I tried again, "Right… Yeah, I had been drinking before I, ah…Found you." It wasn't even a lie. Wrenn and I had left the party together before she showed up and everything went pear shaped.
&#x200B;
"Well," She responded, gesturing toward a second plate already on the table, "I made a plate for you, in case you were hungry. It's the least I could do to say thanks."
&#x200B;
I swallowed hard, nodding slowly, "You shouldn't have." My gaze shifted to the plate closest to me and my stomach tightened, "Then again, I am kinda hungry." I took a step out of the room before a chuckle from the angel stopped me in my tracks.
&#x200B;
"You might want to put something on first?"
&#x200B;
I glanced down, saw that I was standing only in black boxer briefs, and swore, "Right! That's… That’s a really good idea." I gave her my best sheepish grin before racing back to my room and closing the door behind me. I leaned back against it with a heavy sigh before looking for something to put on. Spying a pair of red sweatpants and a undershirt on the floor amongst other carelessly tossed clothing, I decided on that and began to dress to myself.
&#x200B;
*What the hell was I doing!?*
\*\*\*
&#x200B;
I had sensed the Holy energy shortly after Wrenn and I had gone our separate ways. Racing back down the alley, I saw the angel fighting him in full battle regalia in an empty lot, golden armor gleaming and blessed blade shining as she faced off against my best friend. Wrenn was pretty tough as far as demons go but it was clear that he was outmatched. He was fast, but she was faster, turning aside or completely slipping away from the swipes of his claws or the arcs of black flame he hurled at her.
&#x200B;
I should've helped him. The least I could've done was caused a distraction to allow him escape. Yet all I could do was cower behind the dumpster in fear…And awe. I watched her beat him soundly, and then with a flash of Holy light she banished him right before my eyes. Something went wrong, however. There was an explosion that threw her violently across the lot and slammed her head first into a concrete wall so hard a part of it was pulverized. She was still and didn't move, her weapon and armor vanishing, leaving her only wearing a T-shirt and jeans.
&#x200B;
I crept forward cautiously, not daring to take my eyes off of her unconscious form as I made my way to where Wrenn had fallen. All that remained of him were his clothes, covered with his ashes. Wrenn was an asshole, like pretty much every other demon I knew, but he had looked out for me. He knew I was a coward but for some reason took me under his wing anyway. He made the others lay off with their incessant teasing. He taught me how to fight, taught me how to hide from the angels that hunted us, taught me how to corrupt and taint human souls. He was my best friend, my only friend, and now he was gone.
&#x200B;
And the angel that banished him lie not too far away, completely helpless.
&#x200B;
My mouth felt dry and my heart hammered in my ears as I approached her. I didn't really know how, but I had to destroy her. Even a weakling like me could manage to do that when she was unable to defend herself, right? Simply cover her mouth with my hand and allow the black fire technique that Wrenn had taught me do the rest. It was fitting, using the skill of the demon she had just sent to his death to end her life. I did my best to strengthen my resolve with every step. She had killed Wrenn, I would kill her. An eye for an eye. I needed to do this, I owed it to Wrenn.
&#x200B;
I was standing over her before I knew it. My head was spinning, and not from the few beers I had earlier. As I knelt down and reached out, her eyes fluttered open.
&#x200B;
Grey eyes. They looked at me…Into me. *Kill her!* My mind screamed. But my hand couldn't move, it wouldn't.
&#x200B;
"Could you…Help me up?"
&#x200B;
\*\*\* | abduction [poem] *lowercase intentional*
when i met her she smiled
or at least i assumed
not more than a child
when our friendship had bloomed
she told me my faults
not afraid to be rude
now we're adults
and we're permanently glued
turned inside out
she made me her own
without any doubt
she walked into my home
arranging things neatly
with meaning & purpose
i ignored completely
the dirt under the surface
i never noticed
i never expected
her steady hypnosis
left me resurrected
rose from the ashes
with hunger & drive
the more that time passes
i feel more alive
but not like before
i once was so pure
soul on the floor
i was left with no cure
so i told her goodbye
we're better alone
then i cut the tie
and i left on my own
but to my surprise
i saw my nightmare
every sunrise
i woke up; she's there
attached to her rope
strung on a tether
lost all my hope
we were stuck together
as watched the sunset
i learned i can't be free
cause the demon i met
well
she was me
damn
(i typically just write poems based on how i'm feeling, so i thought this would be a good exercise. i'm not a fan of all of the rhymes or how it all flows, but i like the concept at least. it's based on the idea that when you're young, circumstances slowly start shaping you into someone else. as time passes, that person takes over, and by the time you realize it, the person you once were no longer exists). | |
[WP] A talkative demon strikes up an unlikely and forbidden friendship with a blind angel, who is unaware of what their dear friend really is. | I awoke in my bed to the smell of something sweet.
&#x200B;
*Must be the neighbors making breakfast*, my thought wasn’t even truly a conscious one as I closed my eyes once more. I could feel the beginning of a hangover creeping into the deepest recesses of my skull and quietly hoped sleep would take me before the migraine started. The sound of dishes being moved around in the kitchen however, my kitchen, made me sit up so fast I almost fell out of bed.
&#x200B;
I remembered it all; the battle, the banishment, Wrenn's screams.
&#x200B;
I jumped up and bolted for my room door, quickly throwing it open and scanning the area beyond. It didn't take long for me to find her. She had her back to me, her honey blonde hair now pulled back in a neat bun. She was still dressed in the same simple white t-shirt and loose fitting jeans. I watched, transfixed, as she piled a few pancakes onto a plate before turning my way and walking out of the small kitchen of my one bedroom apartment. It wasn't until she set the plate down on the table that she saw me. Her grey eyes locked onto mine and my heart stopped.
&#x200B;
This was it. This was how I was going to die. The angel I brought home last night was going to see me and banish me back to Hell, where my brethren would rend me limb from limb in hopes of taking my place. There was no guarantee that they would, but that didn't matter. The opportunity alone was more than worth consuming my flesh down to the very last morsel.
&#x200B;
"Good morning. I'm sorry if I woke you, but I found some instant pancake mix and figured I'd make breakfast."
&#x200B;
It wasn't at all what I had expected to hear. My bafflement must've been an easy read, as she continued on with a touch of hesitation in her voice,
&#x200B;
"You… Helped me out last night, allowed me to sleep on your couch. I thought I smelled alcohol, but I was also pretty out of it. Hit my head pretty hard." Her smile was disarming as she pulled back her bangs to reveal a dinosaur band-aid on her forehead, where there was also a nice sized bump.
&#x200B;
"Oh…" I found my voice at last, or at least, I was able to croak what sounded like my voice. Clearing my throat, I tried again, "Right… Yeah, I had been drinking before I, ah…Found you." It wasn't even a lie. Wrenn and I had left the party together before she showed up and everything went pear shaped.
&#x200B;
"Well," She responded, gesturing toward a second plate already on the table, "I made a plate for you, in case you were hungry. It's the least I could do to say thanks."
&#x200B;
I swallowed hard, nodding slowly, "You shouldn't have." My gaze shifted to the plate closest to me and my stomach tightened, "Then again, I am kinda hungry." I took a step out of the room before a chuckle from the angel stopped me in my tracks.
&#x200B;
"You might want to put something on first?"
&#x200B;
I glanced down, saw that I was standing only in black boxer briefs, and swore, "Right! That's… That’s a really good idea." I gave her my best sheepish grin before racing back to my room and closing the door behind me. I leaned back against it with a heavy sigh before looking for something to put on. Spying a pair of red sweatpants and a undershirt on the floor amongst other carelessly tossed clothing, I decided on that and began to dress to myself.
&#x200B;
*What the hell was I doing!?*
\*\*\*
&#x200B;
I had sensed the Holy energy shortly after Wrenn and I had gone our separate ways. Racing back down the alley, I saw the angel fighting him in full battle regalia in an empty lot, golden armor gleaming and blessed blade shining as she faced off against my best friend. Wrenn was pretty tough as far as demons go but it was clear that he was outmatched. He was fast, but she was faster, turning aside or completely slipping away from the swipes of his claws or the arcs of black flame he hurled at her.
&#x200B;
I should've helped him. The least I could've done was caused a distraction to allow him escape. Yet all I could do was cower behind the dumpster in fear…And awe. I watched her beat him soundly, and then with a flash of Holy light she banished him right before my eyes. Something went wrong, however. There was an explosion that threw her violently across the lot and slammed her head first into a concrete wall so hard a part of it was pulverized. She was still and didn't move, her weapon and armor vanishing, leaving her only wearing a T-shirt and jeans.
&#x200B;
I crept forward cautiously, not daring to take my eyes off of her unconscious form as I made my way to where Wrenn had fallen. All that remained of him were his clothes, covered with his ashes. Wrenn was an asshole, like pretty much every other demon I knew, but he had looked out for me. He knew I was a coward but for some reason took me under his wing anyway. He made the others lay off with their incessant teasing. He taught me how to fight, taught me how to hide from the angels that hunted us, taught me how to corrupt and taint human souls. He was my best friend, my only friend, and now he was gone.
&#x200B;
And the angel that banished him lie not too far away, completely helpless.
&#x200B;
My mouth felt dry and my heart hammered in my ears as I approached her. I didn't really know how, but I had to destroy her. Even a weakling like me could manage to do that when she was unable to defend herself, right? Simply cover her mouth with my hand and allow the black fire technique that Wrenn had taught me do the rest. It was fitting, using the skill of the demon she had just sent to his death to end her life. I did my best to strengthen my resolve with every step. She had killed Wrenn, I would kill her. An eye for an eye. I needed to do this, I owed it to Wrenn.
&#x200B;
I was standing over her before I knew it. My head was spinning, and not from the few beers I had earlier. As I knelt down and reached out, her eyes fluttered open.
&#x200B;
Grey eyes. They looked at me…Into me. *Kill her!* My mind screamed. But my hand couldn't move, it wouldn't.
&#x200B;
"Could you…Help me up?"
&#x200B;
\*\*\* | Night was extremely shameless for a demon. Demons also had moral codes as well contrary to expectations. Although the list was not long, there was one that prevailed above others: don't interact with Angels.
Night thought Angels were boring. They loathed demons but that was just because they had too many strict rules. Being a demon was so much better. One could plant vicious ideas in the heads of humans. One could go drinking and flirting with others.
Angels though always had to be kind, good, and virtuous. They were never rowdy, they never had fun and they always had some fake benevolent smile plastered on their face, as if it were their default expression. 24/7, they had some kind of light stick shining out of their asses- the so called *halo* light.
He'd rather be a human.
So when he saw the blind Angel, he couldn't help the urge to go tease her. He thought he'd go enlighten her to some of his ways, maybe corrupt her. Now that would be fun.
Licking his lips, he approached the Angel who was teetering around a place on earth. She was dressed as a human priestess but he as a demon could clearly see her glow. This was the only place Angels and Demons ever had a chance of seeing each other. And usually, no one would act so brazenly like him.
Falling to his knees, he clasped the knees of the blind angel and cried out in a wretched tone, "priestess, help me please!"
The blind angel stood still and as expected, she flashed a kind smile in his direction. "Tell me how I can help you." Her voice was feathery light.
Night was fully immersed into his performance, putting on a show of crumpling his face despite the fact that she wouldn't see it. "I've been possessed by a demon! I can't sleep at night. I have nightmares of him. He is slowly killing me by sucking my energy."
The blind angel frowned. If it was truly a nightmare demon, then this would be a very difficult task to solve; besides the fact that she was blind, she was still relatively young and wouldn't be able to deal with a more experienced demon. She pondered for a moment and then decided, "come with me. I know a place where you can be purified." She'll just have to hand him over to her senior.
"Many thanks!" Night smirked. Angels took demons extremely seriously. A mention of one would most definitely flag their attention.
Over the next few days, Night tried to work his magic on her. He made them stop at inns along the way. After all, they were both posing as humans, they should at least act like them. During dinner, he ordered wine and sumptuous food to entice her to gluttony or at least get her drunk. She, of course, refused.
Night wasn't going to give up. He already knew it wouldn't be so easy. He ordered dinner once again and smirked as he snapped his fingers and a sprinkle of powder fell over her food. This powder was from his demon kingdom, it was tasteless and potent enough to get a demon or angel drunk.
As expected, the blind angel really did get a little drunk. Her pale cheeks became a little pink. Her chin hung over her hand. She looked sleepy.
"Haha", snickered Night. He clicked his fingers in front of her face, and she looked at him. He looked back at her. "What's your name?"
"Angelique."
"What are your most embarrassing moments?"
"I once wanted to climb a tree and free fall. I also wanted to bellow at the top of my lungs. One time I wanted to spend more time with mother, so I lied and said I felt unwell."
*Wtf!!!* Night was appalled. How could these be her most embarrassing moments. How repressed was she?
This was unacceptable.
The next few days, Night deepened his friendship with Angelique. He was very talkative, whereas Angelique was strict and quiet but he could clearly feel her warming up to him as they grew more familiar with each other.
One evening, he sprinkled a little powder in her food to give her some courage. He then took her to find a tall tree and told her to climb. Under the influence of the powder, she did just so. Angels had special senses, so even if she was blind, she had no trouble with climbing.
Night waited until she was at the top. "Now fall", he called to her, "I'll catch you!"
The next evening, Night took her to a cliff and told her to yell as loud as possible, as much as her heart desired.
Actually, Angelique remembered everything the days after. Angels and Demons don't really get hangovers. She just had never really experienced the state of drunkenness before though so she thought it was just a rush of courage. Nonetheless, she felt especially touched towards Night.
They were nearing their destination, and Night felt a bit strange. It was time for him to disappear but he felt reluctant. In his original plan, he would reveal his identity and send her mind into an abyss of chaos.
But somewhere within him had sprouted the deep roots of dearness. Angelique was an angel, but underneath those layers of strict rules, discipline and dogmatism lay an unique being. He wanted to be friends with her.
Night collapsed onto the ground and grasped his hair.
*What am I going to do now? I'm in deep trouble.* | |
[WP] People always thought Robots would rebel against their masters to destroy humanity. They never expected them to rebel to defend it. | Blood pounded in Jenson’s head. The fever raged like a steaming geyser as it coursed through his veins. He pressed a hand against the wood grain of the desk—forcefully—sweeping his hand across through sharp, stinging splinters. He was alive, then.
He stumbled out from the office and into the foyer. Untouched newspapers lay haphazard on the floor. He could read them, but what was the use? The headlines had all been the same for the last few months.
*“They’re in your blood, and they’re taking over.”*
Before that—
*"Strange meteorite crashes into Missouri warehouse."*
He stumbled into the bathroom. Gripping the counter with white knuckles, he stared long into the mirror. Maybe it was a trick of the light, or maybe it was a hallucination brought on by the infection, but he could have sworn he saw a rippling mass of feelers dance through his veins and pulse beneath his throbbing skin.
What was he doing here?
And why were the voices till screaming?
That’s all they did now—scream and yell and chant to him. They mostly spoke as a symphony of a thousand voices, an earsplitting scream that made Jenson want to claw and rip at his own skin.
But today they whispered, *“Blood swims towards the shrieking roil.”*
“Get out of my head,” Jenson said.
“*Blood is life is change is truth.”*
Jenson found himself in the kitchen, with no memory of how he got there. He held a bloody rag in hand, his fingers bandaged and washed clean. He felt a drip down his face. Blood? No—water! Sweat! Where was YB-7? He needed the robot.
“Why-bee, help me!” he cried, falling to the ground. His head felt like it was melting.
“*Change is concrete. Change is immutable. Blood is life is change is truth.*”
Jenson clenched his fists. “Get out, get out of my head!”
*“Truth is unfaltering. Truth is eternal. Blood is life is change is truth.”*
His body shook from tremors; he sobbed, his voice low and weary, “please. Stop this.”
Jenson looked up into the yellow, glowing eyes of the robot. YB-7 knelt beside him and held a cool towel to his forehead. The android chose a pained expression. He reached out a strong hand and squeezed Jenson’s shoulders.
“It’s going to be alright,” YB-7 said, his voice a dull, electric monotone.
“I can’t—I can’t get them out,” Jenson said, his words starting to slur. “Please, remember what I told you?”
“I cannot violate the prime directive, even under your direct orders.”
“It’s killing me!” Jenson shouted, his eyes fire, his voice daggers. He rose to his feet and lashed out at YB-7. The punch landed on the robot’s torso, who took it in stride, stepping back to avoid breaking Jenson’s knuckles.
The voices returned. “Blood is the end and the beginning and the circle. Wax and wane and start again. Churning. Reborn!”
“Jenson,” YB-7 stared at his master. “What did you just say?”
For a moment, the robot hesitated. For weeks he watched Jenson suffer without the ability to help, but now for the first time, YB-7 felt a vein of fear creep into his processors. He couldn’t harm a human. That was the first prime directive, and he held it sacred above all others.
Jenson started laughing.
He wasn’t human anymore, was he?
***
r/BLT_WITH_RANCH | I scratched a red welt on my arm as I stood waiting for the elevator. It was no doubt an injection site from sometime the night before. A robotic mite must have detected an infection or a cancer or who knows what and cured me. I hated the damn things, always crawling over everything. I never understood why we even needed them, everyone is so pumped full of nanomachines and cybernetic parts nowadays. Nobody born in the last 50 years even has an organic heart, they carve it out of you the day you’re born and replace it with an efficient machine. A casualty of our human frailty. From my estimation, it shouldn’t even be possible for us to get sick anymore, but I guess sometimes the stuff inside you needs an extra boost, hence the mites. I still hate them.
It could be worse I suppose, I really would hate to be sick today. The elevator doors opened and I stepped inside. After a quick scan of my eyeball to determine what floor was expecting me the floor number icon lit up and the elevator began to rise. The infamous Floor 132. The lady who had entered beside me noticed the icon as well and glared at me as if I was a pervert.
First of all, I’m not a pervert. The human machine is designed with one purpose in mind, transmission of genetic material to perpetuate our existence. It is completely natural to want to do that. I’m sure the lady beside me has engaged in this act more than once.
Second, I really do not appreciate being judged. Not everybody who goes to Floor 132 is a sex maniac, realistically the vast majority of them are people like me who realize that some of us have to bear the seed if our species is going to continue. Sure, it’s nice to be able to live eternally in a crystalline youth but the machines can’t prevent all death. If some of us don’t have kids numbers will dwindle, and I’d really hate to see what the machines have planned for us if that becomes the case.
Not that I would say any of this to her, especially not right now. If one of those mites isn’t in here with us to overhear, only a fool wouldn’t think there was a microphone in here listening. Certainly demonstrating a lack of self-control in the face of scrutiny would not help my case, and so I kept my mouth shut.
After what seemed like an eternity the doors opened and I stepped into Floor 132.
God, I really hope they unlock the usage of my genitals today. | |
[WP] You were a great hero who sacrificed yourself in order to save the world. Now whenever the world is in danger someone always finds a way to bring you back to do it again, you however just want to enjoy the after life and is tired of being brought back constantly. | Here we go again, thought the Hero.
"Seriously, why did they summon me for this? This isn't even that big of a deal. It's just a dragon." He muttered under his breath. You'd think they would have figured out how to deal with this on their own now.
Oh well, might as well get this over with.
Actually, that was not a bad plan. He could just skip to the end *and* ensure himself a quick ticket back to the afterlife.
And maybe if he did enough collateral damage, they'd stop bugging him for minor things.
The Hero realized that he'd been ignoring the priest who had resurrected him as the old vicar prattled on.
He shrugged. He knew the deal, so he doubt be had missed anything important.
Alright then, let's do this.
The priest was blown off his feet as the Hero suddenly launched himself at the dragon. He landed a solid blow and sent the dragon hurtling out of the city, to impact on a nearby mountain. The Hero bounded after it.
A few moments later the city folk and the priest were witness to a truly awe inspiring level of magic as an enormous fireball devoured the dragon and most of the mountain.
\-
The Hero felt his life force ebbing away and sighed in contentment. Yeah, it was a bit anticlimactic to jump strait to his final attack, but that dragon wouldn't be bothering anyone else again, ever. He could already feel the welcoming arms of the afterlife embrace him.
\-
The Priest starred at the mushroom cloud rising into the heavens with bewilderment. One of his fellow clergy ran up behind him. "Wasn't that the Hero's ultimate attack that requires him to sacrifice his life?"
The Priest nodded vaguely while still starring at the rising column of smoke.
"But that means the Hero is dead . . . again!" The other clergy whimpered in despair. "Why would he sacrifice his life against a mere minion of the dark lord? I mean it was just a dragon, we could have handled *that*."
The Priest continued to nod vacantly.
"What will we do?" The other clergy continued to wail.
Finally the Priest shook himself. "What was done once can be done again. Quickly, reset the ceremony and we will re-resurrect the Hero!" As he took command his acolytes began running around and preparing. "And I'll keep resurrecting that idiot until he blows up the right evil monster." He muttered under his breath.
Author's note: Not my best work, but hopefully mildly amusing. I got knocked out my writing groove, and I'm trying to get back into it. | The queue to the pearly gates spanned the length of fifteen clouds. It snaked back at least four months worth of deaths and would grow until the experienced border force returned from their strike, having received both - fair pay and increased holiday. At the helm, sat a row of new staff, floundering with paperwork and struggling to admit even one person per day.
I walked through the gate and toward the queue. It moved and hissed, growing with deep unrest, but where would the people go? I wondered if they had tried storming the gate, or whether some had strayed onto neighbouring clouds in search of some alternative entrance.
I started at the front and made my way down. The further I walked, the more desperate people became; questions turned into begging, and hope into anger. Many recognised me for the hero I was or at least seemed to be. I waved and played the part of crowd entertainer.
I was looking for someone - a man with wispy blonde hair, blue eyes, and a cleft chin. It took four clouds of walking to find the man, and when I did, I pulled him aside. We walked until out of earshot, and I asked his name.
'Jacob,' He said and glanced at the distant queue. 'I think I've lost my place.'
I shook my head. 'Forget about the queue for a moment.'
Jacob looked shocked as if he had been waiting in that very queue for weeks - which he undoubtedly had.
'Do you know who I am?'
Jacob nodded.
'How many times did I save Earth in your lifetime?'
Jacob thought for a moment and shrugged. 'Five or six.'
I smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Do you think it's fair to be called upon *so* many times after my death?'
'I hadn't thought about it.'
'No,' I said. 'Most haven't. But, here we are again. Earth is calling for my help, yet again.'
'Oh,' Jacob said.
'I have a proposition for you,' I said. 'What if, I could help you skip the queue?'
Jacob glanced back with glistening eyes and said. 'That would be... be... incredible - I've been waiting for so long.'
'Well, if you do something for me, then I can get you to the *front*.'
Jacob practically bit my hand off and blurted. 'Anything.'
'You and I look alike, wouldn't you agree?'
'I suppose,' Jacob said.
'And, if you were to say, wear my costume with a blindfold you could almost *be* me?'
Jacob was about to answer, but he swallowed them instead. A strange realisation passed across his face, and the sudden eagerness seemed to drain from it. 'I-I can't save the world.'
'Woah,' I said and tightened my grip on his shoulder. 'Let's not say *"can't"*. Listen, you can either spend another couple of months shuffling along in the queue or, you could pop down to Earth for a couple of days, sort them out and whoosh right back to the front.'
Jacob looked back at the queue and then squinted in the direction the pearly gates were *supposed* to be, but he had yet to see them.
'You're easily saving months, and, the ladies love a hero,' I said and added 'Or men, depending on your preference.'
'But, you have powers. You're a hero.'
'I'll give you my powers, temporarily, of course.'
'So I will be able to fly?' Jacob said, thinking outloud.
'And be the strongest person alive, and be impervious to harm...' I rattled off.
The worry seemed to lessen from Jacob's features, but something was still wrong. 'Why don't you do it?'
'For starters, I haven't done it in hundreds of years. And for another, why would I leave paradise?'
'But, you saved us from the galactic invasion three years ago,' Jacob said.
I leant in an whispered. 'Well, someone who *looked* like me.'
Jacob looked as if I had just told him that Santa wasn't real.
I pulled back and grinned. 'Look, if you're not interested. I'll wander further down the queue and find someone else who looks like me, and is probably more eager to get to the front.' I clapped a hand on Jacob's back and started to guide him toward his old place in the queue.
It took a second for him to look into the distance, at the non-existent pearly gates, and make up his mind. 'Wait. I'll do it.'
---
/r/WrittenThought | |
[WP] You were a great hero who sacrificed yourself in order to save the world. Now whenever the world is in danger someone always finds a way to bring you back to do it again, you however just want to enjoy the after life and is tired of being brought back constantly. | I am a worn-down crutch. Ancient. Creaking. Beginning to splinter. Someday, this has to end. Everything does, after all. Gods know I've seen that. Gods know I've put an end to plenty myself.
I stare at him, at the circle he's scribed in the burnt-out floor. I can hear the distant sounds of marching boots, the unmistakable change in rhythm as military order gives way to baser impulses. I take it all in, the remains of the roadside tavern, the man's face, desperate, unbelieving, full of terrible, terrible hope.
"My- my Lady," he says, and attempts something like a bow. He is covered in soot, just like everything around him. The innkeeper, maybe? Who knows.
"No," I say. "Not anymore. Not for ages now."
A piece of the great bulwark of hope he's built up starts to crumble, I can see it behind his rough and blackened features. He's an unremarkable man, but most men are, now. I've seen so, so many. Not especially tall. A bit scrawny. Shaved head, dark skin. Light brown eyes, nothing special, but the hope in them, that still means something to me, despite all of it.
"But...you are, I mean, you must be Kasara Dovenfell," he says. He's shaking. Of course he is. "I have summoned you. It...it cost me."
It always does. And it would continue to do so. Not him personally, perhaps his price was paid, but the people he believes he's serving by bringing me back, oh yes. It would cost.
I nod toward the body, the blood-iron dagger, the eyes that no longer see. The soldier's uniform, barely armored, ill-fitting on a boy, damn near a baby. War. Fuck it. "Yes, I see that it has. Who was he to you?"
The tears cut black-diamond trails down his cheeks, all glisten and bitter pain. "My nephew. He joined, even though I begged him, told him he'd be turning on his own people, but they filled his head with...with..."
"They always do," I say. "Yes, I am Kasara Dovenfell. Or I was. No Lady, for sure. They always forget that. It's convenient. I'm a legend now, I am full of false conveniences. Except you didn't summon the legend. You summoned me."
"Please," he says. "Please, can you stop them before they reach the town? My wife...my infant daughter..."
I slowly shake my head. "No. I am just one woman. I cannot stop an army on the march like that, not one that's already caught the scent of plunder. I will do my best to save your family, as a bare courtesy. That's all you get. I'll stop the war, sure. But your town is doomed."
His face is a battlefield. Relief, horror, awe, disenchantment. I know what mine must look like. Cold. Lethal. Harder than the earthbones he placed in the summoning circle. "But...my Lady...I-I-mean...Dovenfell? I have so many loved ones in..."
The words trail off in my ears, because I am no longer listening, and because I am already on the move. I do not walk, I stream, I am a black-silver rush down the road, faster than any legs can move. I have not been mortal for a long, long time.
I find his house. I slaughter seventeen soldiers and leave them around it as a warning. They will probably avoid the place, now. They're not spoiling for any kind of fight with real risk to it. I kill a few more on my way to their general, ones who have decided to rape as well as steal. I don't kill nearly enough, but there isn't time. I wasn't lying, the town is doomed.
The general babbles excuses as I say a few short words about what his soldiers are doing. I don't care. I kill him and move on. I find the nobles from both nations who supported the war, for profit, for glory. I cut them down. I kill the Council of one nation, all but two of them. I kill the Emperor of the other, and nearly all his court. I kill every priest who crowed about the divinity of the slaughter. I kill every recruiter who took boys and dressed them up as men. More. More. I leave both nations reeling, nearly leaderless. They were ready for deaths, but not these.
They should handle this themselves. They should have learned better. But no. They want a crutch, so they seek me out. *Save us*, they say. And by that they mean, give us victory, let us preserve what we are, let us diminish *them*. But I don't care what they mean, only about the saving.
So I am their crutch. But I have begun to splinter.
&#x200B;
r/Magleby for more elaborate lies. | The queue to the pearly gates spanned the length of fifteen clouds. It snaked back at least four months worth of deaths and would grow until the experienced border force returned from their strike, having received both - fair pay and increased holiday. At the helm, sat a row of new staff, floundering with paperwork and struggling to admit even one person per day.
I walked through the gate and toward the queue. It moved and hissed, growing with deep unrest, but where would the people go? I wondered if they had tried storming the gate, or whether some had strayed onto neighbouring clouds in search of some alternative entrance.
I started at the front and made my way down. The further I walked, the more desperate people became; questions turned into begging, and hope into anger. Many recognised me for the hero I was or at least seemed to be. I waved and played the part of crowd entertainer.
I was looking for someone - a man with wispy blonde hair, blue eyes, and a cleft chin. It took four clouds of walking to find the man, and when I did, I pulled him aside. We walked until out of earshot, and I asked his name.
'Jacob,' He said and glanced at the distant queue. 'I think I've lost my place.'
I shook my head. 'Forget about the queue for a moment.'
Jacob looked shocked as if he had been waiting in that very queue for weeks - which he undoubtedly had.
'Do you know who I am?'
Jacob nodded.
'How many times did I save Earth in your lifetime?'
Jacob thought for a moment and shrugged. 'Five or six.'
I smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Do you think it's fair to be called upon *so* many times after my death?'
'I hadn't thought about it.'
'No,' I said. 'Most haven't. But, here we are again. Earth is calling for my help, yet again.'
'Oh,' Jacob said.
'I have a proposition for you,' I said. 'What if, I could help you skip the queue?'
Jacob glanced back with glistening eyes and said. 'That would be... be... incredible - I've been waiting for so long.'
'Well, if you do something for me, then I can get you to the *front*.'
Jacob practically bit my hand off and blurted. 'Anything.'
'You and I look alike, wouldn't you agree?'
'I suppose,' Jacob said.
'And, if you were to say, wear my costume with a blindfold you could almost *be* me?'
Jacob was about to answer, but he swallowed them instead. A strange realisation passed across his face, and the sudden eagerness seemed to drain from it. 'I-I can't save the world.'
'Woah,' I said and tightened my grip on his shoulder. 'Let's not say *"can't"*. Listen, you can either spend another couple of months shuffling along in the queue or, you could pop down to Earth for a couple of days, sort them out and whoosh right back to the front.'
Jacob looked back at the queue and then squinted in the direction the pearly gates were *supposed* to be, but he had yet to see them.
'You're easily saving months, and, the ladies love a hero,' I said and added 'Or men, depending on your preference.'
'But, you have powers. You're a hero.'
'I'll give you my powers, temporarily, of course.'
'So I will be able to fly?' Jacob said, thinking outloud.
'And be the strongest person alive, and be impervious to harm...' I rattled off.
The worry seemed to lessen from Jacob's features, but something was still wrong. 'Why don't you do it?'
'For starters, I haven't done it in hundreds of years. And for another, why would I leave paradise?'
'But, you saved us from the galactic invasion three years ago,' Jacob said.
I leant in an whispered. 'Well, someone who *looked* like me.'
Jacob looked as if I had just told him that Santa wasn't real.
I pulled back and grinned. 'Look, if you're not interested. I'll wander further down the queue and find someone else who looks like me, and is probably more eager to get to the front.' I clapped a hand on Jacob's back and started to guide him toward his old place in the queue.
It took a second for him to look into the distance, at the non-existent pearly gates, and make up his mind. 'Wait. I'll do it.'
---
/r/WrittenThought | |
[WP]You are a caretaker at a retirement home for reformed supervillains. You have just found out that you have a superpower ,now the ex-villains wanna train you to be a superhero . | Mercedes heard shouting, and felt the building shake. She allowed herself to let out a sigh. She had worked as a receptionist for the Avenal Home for Retired Villians for years now. Things could occasionally get crazy around there, and this was gonna be one of those days.
A few minutes later, a waiter ran up to her desk, at the front of the building. "Agatha and Esther are fighting again!!!!"
She stood up. "I'll go see if I can get a manager to break it up. I'll send them back to the dining room right away. In the meantime, start evacuating any stragglers." The waiter nodded, and ran back. After checking the back office, she internally cursed. *Of course* they all decided to go on lunch at the same time. Well, there was no putting it off- she have to go and settle it herself. If things got rough, well... she had a trump card. An unreliable one, but one nonetheless.
As she got closer to the dining room, she could hear the shouts more clearly- "THAT'S MY SEAT, YOU OLD HAG! I ALWAYS SIT THERE!"
"YOU DON'T OWN IT, YOU BIMBO!"
"I HAVE MORE RIGHT TO IT THAN YOOOOU!"
Ah, so that was it. Those two were always at each other's throats- their rivalry spanned decades, and was the stuff of legends. It seemed so silly that years of fighting over plutonium mines and territory skirmishes had devolved into fighting over a lunch table seat. It was so high school.
The dining room was a mess. Furniture was pushed against the walls, and there was glass and food debris everywhere. That was probably Esther's doing. In her prime, she had been known as Evil Wind, and could whip up fierce gales and windstorms. Mercedes then took note of Agatha- or, rather, Mind Crush- who was using her telekinesis to suspend cutlery and glass shards. Both of them were in midair- a fall risk.
Mercedes cleared her throat, and hoped that the years of goodwill she spent building with these ladies would pay off. She shouted, "Excuse me, ladies, what seems to be the problem!?"
That got their attention, and the shouting stopped. Esther flashed her a smile and replied. "Why, hello! I was just going to sit in MY SPOT, when this hussy stole it from me!"
Agatha scowled and said, "Mercy, tell her. No one has a monopoly on seats!!!"
Mercedes looked back at Esther and said, "I'm sorry, but Agatha's right. I know that's your favorite place to sit, but it's a first come, first served basis."
"HA! Take that, tonta!", and with that, Agatha flung a spoon at Esther. It missed by a wide margin, but lodged itself into the wall. "Your aim gets worse and worse every year. Maybe you should WEAR YOUR GLASSES!" Esther then threw a chair in Agatha's direction, which she caught and was now suspending. "I don't need any! And you're one to talk- your reflexes are slower than a snail's!" Thus began another barrage of cutlery and chairs, and Mercedes took cover behind a pillar. She heard a window smash.
Mercedes had had enough. Any more damage, and they'd have to shut down the dining room, and that would only lead to more angry people. As she ground her teeth in frustration, she felt something familiar wash over her- a kind of sweet tingly feeling. She'd only felt it before a couple of times in her life, and she knew what she had to do. She whispered gently into her hands, "Please, please don't fizzles out. I need you. I have to stop then before they get hurt."
She felt it spread to her chest, and knew she was ready. She stepped back into the fray and held up her hands. A cup crashed at her feet, and she raised her hands and shouted, "THAT'S ENOUGH!!!"
Two blue bubbles materialized around Esther and Agatha, and the winds and flying debris immediately subsided. Mercedes had never felt this powerful before. Her powers were never very strong- she'd never talked about them, much less at work. Esther and Agatha stared at her from their respective bubble prisons, mouths agape. Mercedes summoned the bubbles, and they gently floated over to her. "I'm sorry I had to do this. I....I've only used it a few times before. But someone could have been seriously hurt, and you would have had more to worry about than the bill for the renovation they're going to charge you two with!"
The ladies looked up at her, astonished. Mercedes continued. " I'm going to let you both out now, but I need you two to please stop fighting." They nodded.
Mercedes touched the surface of the bubbles, and they popped. Nurses and management arrived to asses the damage and patch people up, and Mercedes went back to her desk to fill out the incident reports.
------------------------------------------------------------
A month passed. Mercedes tried to summon her power again, but every time she felt it, it would vanish. Work resumed as normal, and another day came to a close. As Mercedes walked to her car, she was stopped by Esther and Agatha. She was initially shocked to see them together (and not at each other's throats) but was even more taken aback by what they said next.
Esther began. "We wanted to thank you, kid."
Agatha nodded. "We messed up a lot in our lives- I thought I was past all of that, but last week showed me just how stuck in the past I was."
"Me too. We.... we've both repented for a lot of the hurts we've caused over the years. At least, I thought so. But ever since I've moved here, I've just been diggin up old shit, and causing a ruckus at the sight of her. So, we talked, and....well, we've forgiven each other." Esther looked over at Agatha, who chuckled. "We could have been such good friends all of these years. We're both a couple of idiotas."
Esther smiled, and nudged her. "You can say that again."
"That's amazing. I'm glad you two made up."
"We're not done yet," Esther said. "This happened because of you. You aren't just good at answering that phone! You...well, you're a regular force for good."
Agatha nodded. "You've got something powerful inside of you. It deserves to be strengthened and cultivated."
Esther took Mercedes's hand. "We want to mentor you. Your generation can do better than us- you are our future." Agatha reached for her other hand. "You have a lot of potential. I can feel it. You lack expirience and training, but we can show you how to better harness your gift. If you place your trust in us knuckleheads, we promise to do right by you."
Mercedes didn't realize that she was holding in her breath until Esther said, "Well, Mercy? What do you say?"
She stared at both of them. The surrealest part of this moment was the hope in their eyes. When was the last time that somebody had looked at her like that? She thought about her own past- not living up to her family's expectations, her powers coming and going, and her lack of control over them. And then, she thought about how good it felt to harness it.
Mercedes gripped their hands. "Yes. Please, teach me everything you know."
They all smiled, and Esther said, "Good. See, I told you she'd say yes."
Agatha nodded. "Your training begins Saturday night. Meet us at the park down the way."
Mercedes nodded. It wouldn't be easy to master her powers, not at her age. But she had never wanted anything so badly. | Shocking what a bad day can do. My patients can speak to that personally. You can feel time around you slow as you watch your world crumble to pieces, as your life's work is destroyed in the hands of the great Captain. Possibly your last chance to save a loved one from the clutches of the great reaper torn from your grasping hands, realizing that the ends truly do not justify the means.
A Perfect Society
The End of Death's Reign
Vengeance
The call of the void
The search for God
An endless pursuit to bring balance to the Universe
As their sins come back to drag them to oblivion they seek redemption, and as such the once great and powerful Ravager created this place.
Sanctuary Hills
"Checkmate"
The Sentry floated across from me, drinking a cup of tea.
"What's the counter at now? 2 to 7456?" I said, resetting all my pieces.
"262 to 278, John. You seen off your game, is something bothering you?"
"Not at all."
"Then tell me why you seem to be... sparking," Sentry asked knowingly.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I know what happened at the facility in Queens, John. You can't just hide something that big from me." He landed softly on the ground and began brewing a second pot of Tea.
"How did you find out?"
"Just because I am in here does not mean my connections from before my 'retirement' are entirely inactive."
"Don't tell anyone, I just want to continue on living my old life, okay?"
"But you cannot, for you have been chosen. With your new power comes a responsibility to act, to make the world a better place. You cannot make the same mistakes I did."
"I don't want to be a hero."
"Who said anything about becoming a Hero." | |
[WP]You are a caretaker at a retirement home for reformed supervillains. You have just found out that you have a superpower ,now the ex-villains wanna train you to be a superhero . | He sat in the darkest corner of the enclosed room. His withered hands resting gently on his waist. He still slicked what remained of his thin white hair back across his vein-y scalp. He was always most comfortable away from the light, succumbing to the drowning black. His name is Johnathon, however many know him as the The Walking. This was a name he had given himself after reviving the deteriorated corpse of his father and embarking on his first killing spree. Decades have long since past, and his abilities have aged in the same way as his physical body. He patiently awaits his infinite slumber, as he always tell's Tim, the man who keeps evil company.
Tim has worked at the home for retired super beings for nearly three years. He started in more of a janitorial position before being assigned to work closer to old folks inhabiting the establishment. He has found enjoyment in working with the men and women formerly known as "super villains", and has specialized in working prominently with one individual at a time, as opposed to aiding the masses.
The walker has been his primary concern for six months. He was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer while incarcerated, and due to his age and having lost his ability to re-animate any dead being, the prison released him to live out the rest of his miserable life slowly rotting away, ironically enough. He doesn't speak very often, aside from asking for water or the remote for the television. He spends most of his time alone wheelchair ridden. His hearing and eyesight have almost completely fore fitted there use. The only luxury he is able to enjoy anymore as far as Tim can tell his breathing, and even that action seems to take a toll with each lungful of air his decrepit body allows him to take in.
Tim was nearing the end of his twelve hour shift. He peered outside through the plastic blinds, viewing the empty parking lot aside from random bits of litter scraping across the darkened asphalt. A single lamp post flickered un-rhythmically as if it were gasping for life. Tim marched casually to the quiet murderer to ask if he needed anything before he left.
"John." He said, his voice flowing from his chest. "John." He said again, this time with a tinge of concern. He him from behind and casually placed his hand on his shoulder. "Hey john? I'm gonna head out okay? Need anything?" His wrinkled head slumped downward with his chin touching his chest. "John?" He felt for a pulse in his neck, "Shit! Susan call 911!" Just at the moment, in the midst of his panic, Tim rubbed Johnathon's chest while yelling for him, only once he pressed firmly into his sternum, a blast of electricity crackled from his palm, jolting the old man awake and causing him to lift from his seat before slamming back down.
"Jesus H. Fuck! I'm not dead Timmy!" He rubbed his burning chest and attempted to fill his lungs with air.
"False alarm Susan! Sorry!" He brought his attention back to John. "Oh man, i'm real sorry about that John. You weren't responding and i couldn't feel a pulse!"
"So you kick me in the chest? Holy shit boy i think one of my lungs collapsed."
"Well-" He thought of how to phrase the incredible circumstance which just occurred. "John, i electrocuted you."
"No, you made me shit my pants."
"John, seriously. I pushed down onto your chest in a panic and, well I don't know. It just happened."
"Show me."
"I don't know how."
His old eyes lit up with a look Tim had never seen before. "Show me." He growled.
"John I can't. It just happened I don't know how to make myself do it again."
John slowly wheeled himself over to an abandoned desk. He pulled from the top drawer a pair of scissors. "Show me." He said again, this time rolling up the sleeve of his black robe and placing the edge of the blade firmly against the thin skin of his wrist. "Or you'll have something besides shit to clean up."
"John, what the fuck!" He ran to the man and gripped his wrist pulling the scissors away and inadvertently breaking his wrist. "Oh shit, John i'm so sorry!"
John released an agonizing scream, capturing the attention of everyone inside, including one armed security guard.
The guard rushed to the commotion and saw Tim hovering over the old man who was cradling his limp wrist in his lap. He noticed the scissors and immediately reached for his weapon.
"Boy drop the scissors! Do it now!"
"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry!"
"Drop the fucking scissors now!" The guard placed his finger over the trigger, preparing to fire if necessary, with his support hand, he cued his radio. Tim dropped the scissors and held his hands out in a gesture of surrender, only to unleash a lethal bolt of lightning into the guard.
"Oh fuck. Oh no,no,no!"
"It's okay boy." John said, slowly rising from his chair. "I can bring him back. Death isn't the end." | Shocking what a bad day can do. My patients can speak to that personally. You can feel time around you slow as you watch your world crumble to pieces, as your life's work is destroyed in the hands of the great Captain. Possibly your last chance to save a loved one from the clutches of the great reaper torn from your grasping hands, realizing that the ends truly do not justify the means.
A Perfect Society
The End of Death's Reign
Vengeance
The call of the void
The search for God
An endless pursuit to bring balance to the Universe
As their sins come back to drag them to oblivion they seek redemption, and as such the once great and powerful Ravager created this place.
Sanctuary Hills
"Checkmate"
The Sentry floated across from me, drinking a cup of tea.
"What's the counter at now? 2 to 7456?" I said, resetting all my pieces.
"262 to 278, John. You seen off your game, is something bothering you?"
"Not at all."
"Then tell me why you seem to be... sparking," Sentry asked knowingly.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I know what happened at the facility in Queens, John. You can't just hide something that big from me." He landed softly on the ground and began brewing a second pot of Tea.
"How did you find out?"
"Just because I am in here does not mean my connections from before my 'retirement' are entirely inactive."
"Don't tell anyone, I just want to continue on living my old life, okay?"
"But you cannot, for you have been chosen. With your new power comes a responsibility to act, to make the world a better place. You cannot make the same mistakes I did."
"I don't want to be a hero."
"Who said anything about becoming a Hero." | |
[WP]You are a caretaker at a retirement home for reformed supervillains. You have just found out that you have a superpower ,now the ex-villains wanna train you to be a superhero . | Life is funny sometimes. At times you may find twenty bucks drifting down the street and right into your pocket, or you might see a person walking across the street nearly be hit by three cars and not even notice. Other times you find yourself delivering Dr. Yunko some shrimp parmesan in a retirement home, and then the shrimp spontaneously combust. This is that other time.
"Holy wilikers!" I yelped as fire started dancing on across the shrimp tray. I looked around to see what could have done it, yet nothing really jumped out at me. I grabbed water from the cart and poured it over the shrimp.
It was out now but the shrimp was still very very burnet. "*great*" I thought to myself "we'll have to figure out who's making death rays that specifically target shrimp covered in shredded cheese. I pushed my cart onward to Dr. Yunko's room.
'6403: Doctor William Yunko/ The White Hound' it read above the door. I stepped inside to find him tinkering with some chilren's toy.
"Dr. Yunko I'm sorry for the inconvenience bu-" he cut me off in shrill voice with an asain accent "What is this inconvenience you speak of... Bill" he paused for a second to read my name tag. I laughed a little bit and started again "well sir your shrimp parm had sponta-" he cut me off again "say it right or I'm not listening" he ordered as if he was a professor, which I know he had been at one point. "... Shrimp Parmesan. It had Spontaneously caught fire." I said cautiously expecting reprimand. "So it worked..." He muttered to himself "please come inside i must talk with for a moment." Reluctantly and confused I stepped inside his room.
His room smelled of machine oil and chemicals. The Doc hobbled around with cane that seemed to have some form of impact compensation and other moving parts. "So what is it you want to talk to me about sir?" I asked keeping a line of sight on the door. He hobbled over to a dining table pulled out a seat for me after clearing away a few gadgets and gizmos from the seat "have a seat kid" he gestured to the chair. He took a seat and he brought out some Tea. "So i'm ashamed to say I had a... Tiny relapse" he said sitting in the seat across from me "that shrimp didn't just spontaneously combust for no reason. He said as if he was leading up to something. "I've been contaminating your food with some... Chemicals." He paused for a moment to wait for a response. I didn't say anything, or move.
After a few seconds of pure silence i spoke up "what did you do to me" I asked plainly. He took a sip of his tea and answered "I had some old super soldier syrrum lying around so I figured i'd test on you" he said almost sounding ashamed. " on the plus side you should now be able to control fire" he said lightening the mood. This may have helped but i had already passed out.
I woke up under a bright light on an oddly comftable bed. I sat up slowly figuring out my surroundings. To the right of the bed was a small old women. She had big round glasses that seemed to have tech all over them. I knew her she was Mrs. Debby young, otherwise known as the Demon of Bleak Kitchen. She looked at me and i back at her. She then yelled at the top of tiny lungs. "HE'S AWAKE DOC!" She was surprisingly loud for being so small. He rubbed my eyes more and i saw measuring tape strewn about the room and on my bed. "What's going on here?" I asked her. She looked at me, tilted her head and tapped her ear lobe to signify that she was deaf. I nodded and slowched back into the bed.
The Doc came from around the corner with the resemblance of a super hero suit in hand. "What is that for? I asked sitting up. "This right here kid. Is what you'll uniform loom likr from now on"
...
...
Sorry i'd continue this but i'm too tired to. Have a wonderful night or day | Shocking what a bad day can do. My patients can speak to that personally. You can feel time around you slow as you watch your world crumble to pieces, as your life's work is destroyed in the hands of the great Captain. Possibly your last chance to save a loved one from the clutches of the great reaper torn from your grasping hands, realizing that the ends truly do not justify the means.
A Perfect Society
The End of Death's Reign
Vengeance
The call of the void
The search for God
An endless pursuit to bring balance to the Universe
As their sins come back to drag them to oblivion they seek redemption, and as such the once great and powerful Ravager created this place.
Sanctuary Hills
"Checkmate"
The Sentry floated across from me, drinking a cup of tea.
"What's the counter at now? 2 to 7456?" I said, resetting all my pieces.
"262 to 278, John. You seen off your game, is something bothering you?"
"Not at all."
"Then tell me why you seem to be... sparking," Sentry asked knowingly.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I know what happened at the facility in Queens, John. You can't just hide something that big from me." He landed softly on the ground and began brewing a second pot of Tea.
"How did you find out?"
"Just because I am in here does not mean my connections from before my 'retirement' are entirely inactive."
"Don't tell anyone, I just want to continue on living my old life, okay?"
"But you cannot, for you have been chosen. With your new power comes a responsibility to act, to make the world a better place. You cannot make the same mistakes I did."
"I don't want to be a hero."
"Who said anything about becoming a Hero." | |
[WP]You are a caretaker at a retirement home for reformed supervillains. You have just found out that you have a superpower ,now the ex-villains wanna train you to be a superhero . | He sat in the darkest corner of the enclosed room. His withered hands resting gently on his waist. He still slicked what remained of his thin white hair back across his vein-y scalp. He was always most comfortable away from the light, succumbing to the drowning black. His name is Johnathon, however many know him as the The Walking. This was a name he had given himself after reviving the deteriorated corpse of his father and embarking on his first killing spree. Decades have long since past, and his abilities have aged in the same way as his physical body. He patiently awaits his infinite slumber, as he always tell's Tim, the man who keeps evil company.
Tim has worked at the home for retired super beings for nearly three years. He started in more of a janitorial position before being assigned to work closer to old folks inhabiting the establishment. He has found enjoyment in working with the men and women formerly known as "super villains", and has specialized in working prominently with one individual at a time, as opposed to aiding the masses.
The walker has been his primary concern for six months. He was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer while incarcerated, and due to his age and having lost his ability to re-animate any dead being, the prison released him to live out the rest of his miserable life slowly rotting away, ironically enough. He doesn't speak very often, aside from asking for water or the remote for the television. He spends most of his time alone wheelchair ridden. His hearing and eyesight have almost completely fore fitted there use. The only luxury he is able to enjoy anymore as far as Tim can tell his breathing, and even that action seems to take a toll with each lungful of air his decrepit body allows him to take in.
Tim was nearing the end of his twelve hour shift. He peered outside through the plastic blinds, viewing the empty parking lot aside from random bits of litter scraping across the darkened asphalt. A single lamp post flickered un-rhythmically as if it were gasping for life. Tim marched casually to the quiet murderer to ask if he needed anything before he left.
"John." He said, his voice flowing from his chest. "John." He said again, this time with a tinge of concern. He him from behind and casually placed his hand on his shoulder. "Hey john? I'm gonna head out okay? Need anything?" His wrinkled head slumped downward with his chin touching his chest. "John?" He felt for a pulse in his neck, "Shit! Susan call 911!" Just at the moment, in the midst of his panic, Tim rubbed Johnathon's chest while yelling for him, only once he pressed firmly into his sternum, a blast of electricity crackled from his palm, jolting the old man awake and causing him to lift from his seat before slamming back down.
"Jesus H. Fuck! I'm not dead Timmy!" He rubbed his burning chest and attempted to fill his lungs with air.
"False alarm Susan! Sorry!" He brought his attention back to John. "Oh man, i'm real sorry about that John. You weren't responding and i couldn't feel a pulse!"
"So you kick me in the chest? Holy shit boy i think one of my lungs collapsed."
"Well-" He thought of how to phrase the incredible circumstance which just occurred. "John, i electrocuted you."
"No, you made me shit my pants."
"John, seriously. I pushed down onto your chest in a panic and, well I don't know. It just happened."
"Show me."
"I don't know how."
His old eyes lit up with a look Tim had never seen before. "Show me." He growled.
"John I can't. It just happened I don't know how to make myself do it again."
John slowly wheeled himself over to an abandoned desk. He pulled from the top drawer a pair of scissors. "Show me." He said again, this time rolling up the sleeve of his black robe and placing the edge of the blade firmly against the thin skin of his wrist. "Or you'll have something besides shit to clean up."
"John, what the fuck!" He ran to the man and gripped his wrist pulling the scissors away and inadvertently breaking his wrist. "Oh shit, John i'm so sorry!"
John released an agonizing scream, capturing the attention of everyone inside, including one armed security guard.
The guard rushed to the commotion and saw Tim hovering over the old man who was cradling his limp wrist in his lap. He noticed the scissors and immediately reached for his weapon.
"Boy drop the scissors! Do it now!"
"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry!"
"Drop the fucking scissors now!" The guard placed his finger over the trigger, preparing to fire if necessary, with his support hand, he cued his radio. Tim dropped the scissors and held his hands out in a gesture of surrender, only to unleash a lethal bolt of lightning into the guard.
"Oh fuck. Oh no,no,no!"
"It's okay boy." John said, slowly rising from his chair. "I can bring him back. Death isn't the end." | Mercedes heard shouting, and felt the building shake. She allowed herself to let out a sigh. She had worked as a receptionist for the Avenal Home for Retired Villians for years now. Things could occasionally get crazy around there, and this was gonna be one of those days.
A few minutes later, a waiter ran up to her desk, at the front of the building. "Agatha and Esther are fighting again!!!!"
She stood up. "I'll go see if I can get a manager to break it up. I'll send them back to the dining room right away. In the meantime, start evacuating any stragglers." The waiter nodded, and ran back. After checking the back office, she internally cursed. *Of course* they all decided to go on lunch at the same time. Well, there was no putting it off- she have to go and settle it herself. If things got rough, well... she had a trump card. An unreliable one, but one nonetheless.
As she got closer to the dining room, she could hear the shouts more clearly- "THAT'S MY SEAT, YOU OLD HAG! I ALWAYS SIT THERE!"
"YOU DON'T OWN IT, YOU BIMBO!"
"I HAVE MORE RIGHT TO IT THAN YOOOOU!"
Ah, so that was it. Those two were always at each other's throats- their rivalry spanned decades, and was the stuff of legends. It seemed so silly that years of fighting over plutonium mines and territory skirmishes had devolved into fighting over a lunch table seat. It was so high school.
The dining room was a mess. Furniture was pushed against the walls, and there was glass and food debris everywhere. That was probably Esther's doing. In her prime, she had been known as Evil Wind, and could whip up fierce gales and windstorms. Mercedes then took note of Agatha- or, rather, Mind Crush- who was using her telekinesis to suspend cutlery and glass shards. Both of them were in midair- a fall risk.
Mercedes cleared her throat, and hoped that the years of goodwill she spent building with these ladies would pay off. She shouted, "Excuse me, ladies, what seems to be the problem!?"
That got their attention, and the shouting stopped. Esther flashed her a smile and replied. "Why, hello! I was just going to sit in MY SPOT, when this hussy stole it from me!"
Agatha scowled and said, "Mercy, tell her. No one has a monopoly on seats!!!"
Mercedes looked back at Esther and said, "I'm sorry, but Agatha's right. I know that's your favorite place to sit, but it's a first come, first served basis."
"HA! Take that, tonta!", and with that, Agatha flung a spoon at Esther. It missed by a wide margin, but lodged itself into the wall. "Your aim gets worse and worse every year. Maybe you should WEAR YOUR GLASSES!" Esther then threw a chair in Agatha's direction, which she caught and was now suspending. "I don't need any! And you're one to talk- your reflexes are slower than a snail's!" Thus began another barrage of cutlery and chairs, and Mercedes took cover behind a pillar. She heard a window smash.
Mercedes had had enough. Any more damage, and they'd have to shut down the dining room, and that would only lead to more angry people. As she ground her teeth in frustration, she felt something familiar wash over her- a kind of sweet tingly feeling. She'd only felt it before a couple of times in her life, and she knew what she had to do. She whispered gently into her hands, "Please, please don't fizzles out. I need you. I have to stop then before they get hurt."
She felt it spread to her chest, and knew she was ready. She stepped back into the fray and held up her hands. A cup crashed at her feet, and she raised her hands and shouted, "THAT'S ENOUGH!!!"
Two blue bubbles materialized around Esther and Agatha, and the winds and flying debris immediately subsided. Mercedes had never felt this powerful before. Her powers were never very strong- she'd never talked about them, much less at work. Esther and Agatha stared at her from their respective bubble prisons, mouths agape. Mercedes summoned the bubbles, and they gently floated over to her. "I'm sorry I had to do this. I....I've only used it a few times before. But someone could have been seriously hurt, and you would have had more to worry about than the bill for the renovation they're going to charge you two with!"
The ladies looked up at her, astonished. Mercedes continued. " I'm going to let you both out now, but I need you two to please stop fighting." They nodded.
Mercedes touched the surface of the bubbles, and they popped. Nurses and management arrived to asses the damage and patch people up, and Mercedes went back to her desk to fill out the incident reports.
------------------------------------------------------------
A month passed. Mercedes tried to summon her power again, but every time she felt it, it would vanish. Work resumed as normal, and another day came to a close. As Mercedes walked to her car, she was stopped by Esther and Agatha. She was initially shocked to see them together (and not at each other's throats) but was even more taken aback by what they said next.
Esther began. "We wanted to thank you, kid."
Agatha nodded. "We messed up a lot in our lives- I thought I was past all of that, but last week showed me just how stuck in the past I was."
"Me too. We.... we've both repented for a lot of the hurts we've caused over the years. At least, I thought so. But ever since I've moved here, I've just been diggin up old shit, and causing a ruckus at the sight of her. So, we talked, and....well, we've forgiven each other." Esther looked over at Agatha, who chuckled. "We could have been such good friends all of these years. We're both a couple of idiotas."
Esther smiled, and nudged her. "You can say that again."
"That's amazing. I'm glad you two made up."
"We're not done yet," Esther said. "This happened because of you. You aren't just good at answering that phone! You...well, you're a regular force for good."
Agatha nodded. "You've got something powerful inside of you. It deserves to be strengthened and cultivated."
Esther took Mercedes's hand. "We want to mentor you. Your generation can do better than us- you are our future." Agatha reached for her other hand. "You have a lot of potential. I can feel it. You lack expirience and training, but we can show you how to better harness your gift. If you place your trust in us knuckleheads, we promise to do right by you."
Mercedes didn't realize that she was holding in her breath until Esther said, "Well, Mercy? What do you say?"
She stared at both of them. The surrealest part of this moment was the hope in their eyes. When was the last time that somebody had looked at her like that? She thought about her own past- not living up to her family's expectations, her powers coming and going, and her lack of control over them. And then, she thought about how good it felt to harness it.
Mercedes gripped their hands. "Yes. Please, teach me everything you know."
They all smiled, and Esther said, "Good. See, I told you she'd say yes."
Agatha nodded. "Your training begins Saturday night. Meet us at the park down the way."
Mercedes nodded. It wouldn't be easy to master her powers, not at her age. But she had never wanted anything so badly. | |
[WP]You are a caretaker at a retirement home for reformed supervillains. You have just found out that you have a superpower ,now the ex-villains wanna train you to be a superhero . | “A spectacular video of Captain hazer beam, the hero from the frat house, saving four civilians from a burning building is trending on…” The television was blaring in the corner of the room. Tucker pressed on the power button and the image shrank to a small white circle with a buzz of static.
“C’mon Demon-toe, you know your blood pressure raises when they start talking about heroes,” Tucker said.
“These damned brats, the heroes in my day were actual heroes. Not snobby attention whores. ‘the frat house hero?’ what a joke,” the old man said, pointing a shaking hand at the black screen.
“Heh, bet he’s getting a handful of lovely ladies tonight,” Box-cutter said.
“Jealous Boxxy? Your blade hasn’t extended in over ten years,” Cute-noose laughed.
“Want to find out?” Box-cutter winked.
“Gross,” Tucker said looking between the two retired villains.
“Nothing gross about it boy, someday you’ll find a damsel and want to kidnap her too,” Box-cutter said.
Demon-toe scoffed and turned his wheelchair around to face the young man. “Don’t listen to him, I can tell by the look in your eyes. You’d be one of the good guys. She had the same look,” Demon-toe said, thrusting his thumb at a poster of Epic-lady, history’s greatest hero.
Tucker sighed and put his hands on his hips shaking his head. “Listen guys, it’s time for bed.” He turned a glare at Box-cutter, “and when I wake you up tomorrow, I expect to find you in \*your\* room.”
Box-cutter laughed, standing up on his. He winked at tucker and said, “No promises.”
Tucker raised an eyebrow and smirked. “I guess it depends on how good the locks are I put on your door.”
The retired villain’s jaw dropped into an exaggerated frown that only the elderly could manage. The locks wouldn’t hold long against this fart, but at least he wouldn’t have to worry about tonight.
Tucker twisted the knob, linked the chain, set the bar, and wiped the sweat from his brow. He could hear Box-cutter muttering on the other-side of the door. The bastard was already coming up with an escape plan.
“Don’t worry about him, coming up with plans exhausts the guy.” Demon-toe was sitting in his wheelchair and smiling up at Tucker. Of all the villains here, Demon-toe was considered the greatest. If his back hadn’t broken in his last encounter with Epic-lady, the internet forums believed he’d still be the strongest villain alive. It was hard for Tucker to imagine the old man as evil, he’d talk more about morals and virtue than anyone else. The lesson’s he preached made Tucker a better person, and he’d always be grateful for that.
The wheels of Demon-toe’s chair squeaked as Tucker parked it aside the old man’s bed. He helped the elderly man up into his bed, grunting and wincing in pain.
“Does it hurt? Should I get your meds?” Tucker asked, his voice filled with concern.
“I can bear it. This is the price of my delinquent years,” the old man chuckled, masking his groans of discomfort.
“Don’t be so stubborn, I’m here so you don’t have to suffer,” Tucker said.
“That’s not why you’re here, that’s what you do here, not why.”
Tucker furrowed his brows, “Why—”
Demon-toe poked a finger between the young man’s eyes and smiled, “Those eyes of yours are the kind true heroes have, if you're not helping others you rot.”
“I’m not a hero, I only took this job because I don’t have to pay for rent.”
“Saving up for college, smart kid. The world is cruel, If justice was real you’d be a hero. Instead of some frat house dirt bag, I bet he and Boxxy would hit it off.”
Tucker laughed, “I’m sure they’d have a lot to talk about. Now, get some sleep Demon-toe. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Aye,” the old man said, closing his eyes.
\~\~\~
too long for one post. continued below. | I have been looking over these supers for a year now. Trying to treat them all as... regular citizens, but I manage. How would one comfort an individual who is irrational and, even in their decrepped state, still capable of commiting mass murder? One tries their hardest to talk normally.
All my residents have developed a sense of humanity and I'd like to think it was because of my efforts. everyone else working here treats these people like monsters, but i see the kindness in their hearts, the wrongdoings they recieved in life that lead them to thinking they're right. Dealing with super powered individuals never prepared me to be a super powered individual, but apparently I'm a late bloomer. I started hearing their thoughts. A lot of the residents want to die, violently, to pay the tolls of their past. When confronting one of my residents, they asked how I heard them. My muscle mass quadrupled over night and it was very painful during the transition.
Now my residents want to train me. They banded together in the night and decided to right their wrongs through me. My training starts tomorrow. Will I have an advantage over current super-villains by being trained by some of the very same people who trained them? | |
[WP]You are a caretaker at a retirement home for reformed supervillains. You have just found out that you have a superpower ,now the ex-villains wanna train you to be a superhero . | It was a stupid mistake. I was crossing the street in front of work and was so focused on my phone I didnt see the cement truck trying to run the stop sign. Until it hit me. Or tried to. The steel frame wrapped around me. The engine split in two in front of me. But I didn't move. When everything settled, I stretched my arms out and the truck frame bent around me. I should probably take the day off.
As I ran from the scene, I looked up and saw my patients in the window. They had seen it all. This was bad. My patients were the worst of the worst. One had wiped 3 coastal states off the map. Another had nearly destroyed the entire planet before Captain Quark died stopping his death engine from firing. And every day my job was to care for them in their old age. And they had all seen me wave the truck off like it was a minor annoyance.
Mr. Dementor smiled as I showed up the next day. He knew. The rest of the staff could barely get him out of bed but when I showed up, he did what I asked without so much as a peep. After The Consortium had stripped his powers he hadn't been much of a threat but he was still a hassle to the staff. But never to me. I'd wondered if he knew about the power I had before I did.
I'll get another part done later today. Thanks for reading 😎 | I have been looking over these supers for a year now. Trying to treat them all as... regular citizens, but I manage. How would one comfort an individual who is irrational and, even in their decrepped state, still capable of commiting mass murder? One tries their hardest to talk normally.
All my residents have developed a sense of humanity and I'd like to think it was because of my efforts. everyone else working here treats these people like monsters, but i see the kindness in their hearts, the wrongdoings they recieved in life that lead them to thinking they're right. Dealing with super powered individuals never prepared me to be a super powered individual, but apparently I'm a late bloomer. I started hearing their thoughts. A lot of the residents want to die, violently, to pay the tolls of their past. When confronting one of my residents, they asked how I heard them. My muscle mass quadrupled over night and it was very painful during the transition.
Now my residents want to train me. They banded together in the night and decided to right their wrongs through me. My training starts tomorrow. Will I have an advantage over current super-villains by being trained by some of the very same people who trained them? | |
[WP]You are a caretaker at a retirement home for reformed supervillains. You have just found out that you have a superpower ,now the ex-villains wanna train you to be a superhero . | Sam was hunched in his seat, staring into the cup of tea to try and avoid the topic at hand. He'd never liked talking about himself, and before, he'd never have to.
But when you have superpowers, you don't get to hide in the background anymore.
"Ask me anything you'd like, Sam." Electro was a kind old man; you'd never know his past and some of the terrors it held. His eyes were gentle, and I'd never seen so much as a spark come from him before.
"Well- well, I do have one, I guess."
"Shoot."
"How... I guess, how do I make sure that I, uh, don't mess up with my powers or anything? Cause, you know, I make a lot of mistakes."
Electro smiled. "You're trying to ask, 'how do I make sure I don't turn into a villain', right?"
Sam blushed, ruffling his hair. "Well, I don't mean it in a bad way. You seem like a great person, now. I've always liked you."
"No, it's a valid question, and villainy *is* a bad thing. The fact that you're asking about it shows how thoughtful and kind you are.
"What I would say is this: the line between being a villain and being a hero is a tightrope every person must walk. Take Magnus, for example."
"He killed an entire mob organization once, right?"
"Indeed he did. He took action on his own, and while a few of those deaths were self-defense, he was strong enough to take them out without it being a slaughter. He may have killed bad people, but in doing so, he performed an act of evil."
"How is it that bad if he killed bad guys, though?"
Electro breathed deep. "What's the difference between a hero and a villain?"
Sam blinked a few times. "Well, villains do bad things, like hurt innocent people, and heroes help instead of hurt."
"Don't you think that creates incongruous grey area?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Magnus hurt a lot of people. Not just those he killed, but their children, and mothers, many of whom were not bad people. Who are we to judge the goodness of a person and act on that impulse?"
Sam was deep in thought, offering no response.
"I say the line between good and evil is simple, Sam. Evil is thinking your views are the one valid answer to life's questions, and acting upon them. Maybe sometimes, you're right, and you help. Maybe, sometimes, you hurt, instead.
"Goodness is keeping an open mind and heart, doing the best you can to find a solution that causes the least pain for everyone involved. To let justice come as a group effort, rather than an opinion. To set an example that doing bad things isn't okay, no matter the justification, because otherwise you invite people to make their own."
----
*/r/resonatingfury* | I have been looking over these supers for a year now. Trying to treat them all as... regular citizens, but I manage. How would one comfort an individual who is irrational and, even in their decrepped state, still capable of commiting mass murder? One tries their hardest to talk normally.
All my residents have developed a sense of humanity and I'd like to think it was because of my efforts. everyone else working here treats these people like monsters, but i see the kindness in their hearts, the wrongdoings they recieved in life that lead them to thinking they're right. Dealing with super powered individuals never prepared me to be a super powered individual, but apparently I'm a late bloomer. I started hearing their thoughts. A lot of the residents want to die, violently, to pay the tolls of their past. When confronting one of my residents, they asked how I heard them. My muscle mass quadrupled over night and it was very painful during the transition.
Now my residents want to train me. They banded together in the night and decided to right their wrongs through me. My training starts tomorrow. Will I have an advantage over current super-villains by being trained by some of the very same people who trained them? | |
[WP]You are a caretaker at a retirement home for reformed supervillains. You have just found out that you have a superpower ,now the ex-villains wanna train you to be a superhero . | Inside the building, they were none-the-wiser.
The ex-villains spent more time than most nursing home residents exercising. As such, as I peered in around the door frame, most were lost in their own worlds on various pieces of exercise equipment. I bit my lip, giving the room a twice-over to ensure the best plan of action.
Somehow, I’d managed to book a day full of paperwork. All I had to do was slip into my office, unnoticed, and I could get to work. It was a wonderful way to buy time to craft some cover story, some explanation, that would divert the inevitable surge of interest amongst the residents. Interest that could quite literally drown me - these guys aren’t prone to messing around when they’re curious.
I took a precarious few steps inside, subconsciously wiping my hands on my pant legs. Damn well that nobody here had scent-based powers; my salt content’d be picked up two miles away.
A deep breath. Another few steps.
Heaven be damned, this was going pretty smoothly.
“What’s the rush, Sullivan?”
Shit.
A robust arm swung its way around my shoulder, the body behind it sparing no thought for personal space. This was Val - once deeply feared for his powerful telekinesis. Nowadays, Val spent his time teaching teens safe weight-lifting practices. Since his rehab, he’d taken a…. liking to using his own body, rather than his powers. (‘Liking’ was putting it lightly, of course; Val was, aside from the strength-based ex-villains, the most fit within the residence.)
“So I heard from a pal of mine,” Val began. He was unaware of my tension; or, perhaps more likely, simply ignoring it. “That you were involved in a little accident around the city power plant.”
“Yeah, well…” I attempted to wriggle free, to no avail. “Short circuits and all… happens.”
A long, thoughtful hum. “That so, kid? Way I heard it, the source of the shock was no wire or beaker box or whatever-ya-call-it…”
Val lifted his arm now, moving instead to block my path. He was a loud guy, and his fellow residents were starting to stare. A few had crept closer.
“Eh… well, must not’ve been an eye-witness, because I assure you,” A pause. Against my will, my eyes darted away from his. “My being there had no impact on… the currents. Or… wires. Or whatever-you-call-thems.”
Val said nothing, this time; when I looked up, he was sporting a grin so wide I could’ve sworn he was a moment away from jump-scaring me. (He had a tendency to do that. It was hard for him, nowadays, because of his size; but the man had taken a very strong liking to harmless pranks.)
“Hey, Chandler!” Val shouted. Even more heads turned to us. I flinched. “You here about lil’ Sully?”
“Listen, listen, I appreciate the concern,” I managed, in spite of my cracking voice. “But I really need to get to work, lots of papers, y’know? Got a busy day…”
I continued to ramble, much more to myself than to Val. After another failed attempt to sneak past the robust ex-villain, I could see that my once-genius plan had come to a full halt. All that was left was to accept my fate - whatever that may be.
Chandler appeared like a ghost, slipping from behind Val like he’d been there all the while. (Which was, all things considered, likely - they were very close.) He, too, was wearing an unnerving grin. My grip on my bag tightened.
“Lightning, is it?” Chandler asked, taking a couple of shaky steps towards me.
A long, long pause.
Finally, my shoulders drooped, and I nodded.
“Similar to fire,” he murmured. His eyes were giving me a once-over, observing my frame, my potential. “Certainly similar to control.”
“That… so?” I was at a loss for words.
“Y’know, in his day,” Val began, slinging a pointing thumb towards Chandler. “Chance here was quite fit.”
I blinked. “Is that so?”
I was becoming a broken record.
“Fitness is the first step to power control,” Val added. His grin somehow grew wider.
“Fire and lightning are twin powers.”
I looked between them, not even able to ask if that was so. They looked like a pair of baseball dads, talking to their kid after his first home-run.
“Erm… work.” I pointed at my office door.
“Training,” they said together.
I gulped. They were adamant. “I’ll… talk to my boss,” I gave them, much to their immediate delight.
Val finally let me past, and I couldn’t ignore the excited whispers they shared.
All I’d wanted was a normal day.
Instead, I’d been practically adopted.
(hope this is good. haven't written in months, but I managed this in between classes on my phone). | I have been looking over these supers for a year now. Trying to treat them all as... regular citizens, but I manage. How would one comfort an individual who is irrational and, even in their decrepped state, still capable of commiting mass murder? One tries their hardest to talk normally.
All my residents have developed a sense of humanity and I'd like to think it was because of my efforts. everyone else working here treats these people like monsters, but i see the kindness in their hearts, the wrongdoings they recieved in life that lead them to thinking they're right. Dealing with super powered individuals never prepared me to be a super powered individual, but apparently I'm a late bloomer. I started hearing their thoughts. A lot of the residents want to die, violently, to pay the tolls of their past. When confronting one of my residents, they asked how I heard them. My muscle mass quadrupled over night and it was very painful during the transition.
Now my residents want to train me. They banded together in the night and decided to right their wrongs through me. My training starts tomorrow. Will I have an advantage over current super-villains by being trained by some of the very same people who trained them? | |
[WP]You are a caretaker at a retirement home for reformed supervillains. You have just found out that you have a superpower ,now the ex-villains wanna train you to be a superhero . | Sam was hunched in his seat, staring into the cup of tea to try and avoid the topic at hand. He'd never liked talking about himself, and before, he'd never have to.
But when you have superpowers, you don't get to hide in the background anymore.
"Ask me anything you'd like, Sam." Electro was a kind old man; you'd never know his past and some of the terrors it held. His eyes were gentle, and I'd never seen so much as a spark come from him before.
"Well- well, I do have one, I guess."
"Shoot."
"How... I guess, how do I make sure that I, uh, don't mess up with my powers or anything? Cause, you know, I make a lot of mistakes."
Electro smiled. "You're trying to ask, 'how do I make sure I don't turn into a villain', right?"
Sam blushed, ruffling his hair. "Well, I don't mean it in a bad way. You seem like a great person, now. I've always liked you."
"No, it's a valid question, and villainy *is* a bad thing. The fact that you're asking about it shows how thoughtful and kind you are.
"What I would say is this: the line between being a villain and being a hero is a tightrope every person must walk. Take Magnus, for example."
"He killed an entire mob organization once, right?"
"Indeed he did. He took action on his own, and while a few of those deaths were self-defense, he was strong enough to take them out without it being a slaughter. He may have killed bad people, but in doing so, he performed an act of evil."
"How is it that bad if he killed bad guys, though?"
Electro breathed deep. "What's the difference between a hero and a villain?"
Sam blinked a few times. "Well, villains do bad things, like hurt innocent people, and heroes help instead of hurt."
"Don't you think that creates incongruous grey area?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Magnus hurt a lot of people. Not just those he killed, but their children, and mothers, many of whom were not bad people. Who are we to judge the goodness of a person and act on that impulse?"
Sam was deep in thought, offering no response.
"I say the line between good and evil is simple, Sam. Evil is thinking your views are the one valid answer to life's questions, and acting upon them. Maybe sometimes, you're right, and you help. Maybe, sometimes, you hurt, instead.
"Goodness is keeping an open mind and heart, doing the best you can to find a solution that causes the least pain for everyone involved. To let justice come as a group effort, rather than an opinion. To set an example that doing bad things isn't okay, no matter the justification, because otherwise you invite people to make their own."
----
*/r/resonatingfury* | It was a stupid mistake. I was crossing the street in front of work and was so focused on my phone I didnt see the cement truck trying to run the stop sign. Until it hit me. Or tried to. The steel frame wrapped around me. The engine split in two in front of me. But I didn't move. When everything settled, I stretched my arms out and the truck frame bent around me. I should probably take the day off.
As I ran from the scene, I looked up and saw my patients in the window. They had seen it all. This was bad. My patients were the worst of the worst. One had wiped 3 coastal states off the map. Another had nearly destroyed the entire planet before Captain Quark died stopping his death engine from firing. And every day my job was to care for them in their old age. And they had all seen me wave the truck off like it was a minor annoyance.
Mr. Dementor smiled as I showed up the next day. He knew. The rest of the staff could barely get him out of bed but when I showed up, he did what I asked without so much as a peep. After The Consortium had stripped his powers he hadn't been much of a threat but he was still a hassle to the staff. But never to me. I'd wondered if he knew about the power I had before I did.
I'll get another part done later today. Thanks for reading 😎 | |
[WP]You are a caretaker at a retirement home for reformed supervillains. You have just found out that you have a superpower ,now the ex-villains wanna train you to be a superhero . | Inside the building, they were none-the-wiser.
The ex-villains spent more time than most nursing home residents exercising. As such, as I peered in around the door frame, most were lost in their own worlds on various pieces of exercise equipment. I bit my lip, giving the room a twice-over to ensure the best plan of action.
Somehow, I’d managed to book a day full of paperwork. All I had to do was slip into my office, unnoticed, and I could get to work. It was a wonderful way to buy time to craft some cover story, some explanation, that would divert the inevitable surge of interest amongst the residents. Interest that could quite literally drown me - these guys aren’t prone to messing around when they’re curious.
I took a precarious few steps inside, subconsciously wiping my hands on my pant legs. Damn well that nobody here had scent-based powers; my salt content’d be picked up two miles away.
A deep breath. Another few steps.
Heaven be damned, this was going pretty smoothly.
“What’s the rush, Sullivan?”
Shit.
A robust arm swung its way around my shoulder, the body behind it sparing no thought for personal space. This was Val - once deeply feared for his powerful telekinesis. Nowadays, Val spent his time teaching teens safe weight-lifting practices. Since his rehab, he’d taken a…. liking to using his own body, rather than his powers. (‘Liking’ was putting it lightly, of course; Val was, aside from the strength-based ex-villains, the most fit within the residence.)
“So I heard from a pal of mine,” Val began. He was unaware of my tension; or, perhaps more likely, simply ignoring it. “That you were involved in a little accident around the city power plant.”
“Yeah, well…” I attempted to wriggle free, to no avail. “Short circuits and all… happens.”
A long, thoughtful hum. “That so, kid? Way I heard it, the source of the shock was no wire or beaker box or whatever-ya-call-it…”
Val lifted his arm now, moving instead to block my path. He was a loud guy, and his fellow residents were starting to stare. A few had crept closer.
“Eh… well, must not’ve been an eye-witness, because I assure you,” A pause. Against my will, my eyes darted away from his. “My being there had no impact on… the currents. Or… wires. Or whatever-you-call-thems.”
Val said nothing, this time; when I looked up, he was sporting a grin so wide I could’ve sworn he was a moment away from jump-scaring me. (He had a tendency to do that. It was hard for him, nowadays, because of his size; but the man had taken a very strong liking to harmless pranks.)
“Hey, Chandler!” Val shouted. Even more heads turned to us. I flinched. “You here about lil’ Sully?”
“Listen, listen, I appreciate the concern,” I managed, in spite of my cracking voice. “But I really need to get to work, lots of papers, y’know? Got a busy day…”
I continued to ramble, much more to myself than to Val. After another failed attempt to sneak past the robust ex-villain, I could see that my once-genius plan had come to a full halt. All that was left was to accept my fate - whatever that may be.
Chandler appeared like a ghost, slipping from behind Val like he’d been there all the while. (Which was, all things considered, likely - they were very close.) He, too, was wearing an unnerving grin. My grip on my bag tightened.
“Lightning, is it?” Chandler asked, taking a couple of shaky steps towards me.
A long, long pause.
Finally, my shoulders drooped, and I nodded.
“Similar to fire,” he murmured. His eyes were giving me a once-over, observing my frame, my potential. “Certainly similar to control.”
“That… so?” I was at a loss for words.
“Y’know, in his day,” Val began, slinging a pointing thumb towards Chandler. “Chance here was quite fit.”
I blinked. “Is that so?”
I was becoming a broken record.
“Fitness is the first step to power control,” Val added. His grin somehow grew wider.
“Fire and lightning are twin powers.”
I looked between them, not even able to ask if that was so. They looked like a pair of baseball dads, talking to their kid after his first home-run.
“Erm… work.” I pointed at my office door.
“Training,” they said together.
I gulped. They were adamant. “I’ll… talk to my boss,” I gave them, much to their immediate delight.
Val finally let me past, and I couldn’t ignore the excited whispers they shared.
All I’d wanted was a normal day.
Instead, I’d been practically adopted.
(hope this is good. haven't written in months, but I managed this in between classes on my phone). | It was a stupid mistake. I was crossing the street in front of work and was so focused on my phone I didnt see the cement truck trying to run the stop sign. Until it hit me. Or tried to. The steel frame wrapped around me. The engine split in two in front of me. But I didn't move. When everything settled, I stretched my arms out and the truck frame bent around me. I should probably take the day off.
As I ran from the scene, I looked up and saw my patients in the window. They had seen it all. This was bad. My patients were the worst of the worst. One had wiped 3 coastal states off the map. Another had nearly destroyed the entire planet before Captain Quark died stopping his death engine from firing. And every day my job was to care for them in their old age. And they had all seen me wave the truck off like it was a minor annoyance.
Mr. Dementor smiled as I showed up the next day. He knew. The rest of the staff could barely get him out of bed but when I showed up, he did what I asked without so much as a peep. After The Consortium had stripped his powers he hadn't been much of a threat but he was still a hassle to the staff. But never to me. I'd wondered if he knew about the power I had before I did.
I'll get another part done later today. Thanks for reading 😎 | |
[WP] Your fairy godmother isn't a kindly old lady or a happy little pixie. She's seven feet tall, wears black armor, and has a sword possessed by a demon. | I wasn't a sickly little boy, mother died in childbirth, father favored his second son by my stepmother. Everyone knew I'd get an fairy godmother. Sometimes, I'd pretend my father only treated me poorly, so I'd be bless by the fairfolk. Really, it was because he saw too much of my mother in me. He hated reminders of her.
Finally, the day came. I saw the air shimmer and sparkle as I was splitting wood. I expected a tiny nixie, or perhaps a redcap. If I was lucky, it'd be a leprechaun, but I knew better than to hope for that. Instead, the shimmer grew. As it passed my size, I reconsidered. Perhaps a nymph or dryad. Bound to the land, but then, the land was my home. But it kept growing. I considered satyrs, even elves, but as it passed six feet, I realized it was something else. I tried to think if ettins and giants were varieties of fey.
Then the shimmer stopped growing and started resolving into a true form. It swiftly turned to shadow. No, not mere shadow, but raw, pure darkness. Then the shape came, armored, holding a massive, twisted sword, taller than me, with three blades woven together, pulsing with a life of its own. She lifted off her helm and looked at me. Seven feet tall, armor blacker than a storm at night, yet she shone radiant as the sun.
"Where is your father?" I'd never heard such power, such rage, in any voice. I mutely pointed up toward the window of his study. She tucked me under her arm and leapt. We landed in front of my father, who had several books open before him. Books on inheritance. Even naive as I was, I realized his goal was to remove me, leave everything to my brother.
My godmother, yelled at him, pinned him down with her sword. She gave a lecture on the duties of a father. I was too stunned to believe what was happening. It felt like a dream. Then he spat at her, fighting back. So she crushed his chest under her black boot. Even I screamed as his soul was pulled, screaming, into the core of her sword.
After I had quieted, she turned. She looked me over, then sat there on the floor, so her eye level was considerably closer to my own.
"Your father was a monster," she whispered. "If you ever face another, call on me to aid you. I am Maeve, the fallen queen. And I am your guardian." And then she was gone.
I've debated calling on her again, in times of fear. In times of despair. In times where the world felt as dark as her armor. I've come close to failing so many times, yet I resist. I must. I can't risk what she'll do. There was a time I wanted nothing more than to have my fairy godmother to arrive. Now, there is nothing I fear more. | Ket ah am Shaga was an imposing figure in most circumstances, and she was proud of it. Nearly 2000 years of service as a royal guard, killing things that would warp a mortal's brain if they ever even saw it, riding the length of the Kingdom on Skyalatul, a snake from before the making of the world she had wrestled to submission while totally naked, in keeping with tradition. She had survived dozens of ambushes and outlived three rulers, stopped countless assasination attempts and executed hundreds of traitors- usually by crushing their heads between her palms. She lived by the motto, "If they are too dumb to fear the gods, then they shall learn to fear me."
This all came to a screeching halt when Thuumtaka lar Hepytgo abdicated the throne. Their successor, Hala pyt Rewsdaf nuk Belwa, was a weakling who didn't like having "mass murderers" or "war criminals" in her guard, so Ket ah am Shaga was forcibly retired. She tried unemployment for a few years, but discovered that it was frowned upon to kill people. She had never encountered this as a royal guard; usually, she killed anyone who complained. She missed that simple existence.
So it happened that she went to the Fae equivalent of an unemployment office, and after describing her skills in the broadest sense, having by now been ejected from ten towns for revealing the true extent of her abilities, was issued a human child who needed protection.
This I can do, she thought.
The child in question was small for his age, awkward, and a little rude, but the Fae didn't blame him for this. It seemed that his rudeness stemmed from being bullied at school and at home, but also made it worse in a cycle. A fairy godmother was just what he needed, they thought. Someone who would help him learn to stand up to his bullies and stop being such a prick. They chose a fairly old one who talked about protection and respect during her interview, and though she was intimidating in the Fae realm, they had a uniform that produced a uniformity of appearance, and she would appear like any other fairy godmother; small, delicate, and nurturing.
They had no fucking idea.
Ketshka, as she was called on the job (human tongues couldn't produce the nuances of Fae language, and the attempts grated on Fae ears) refused to use the uniform. It was a stupid piece of frilly illusion magic, and though she did recognize the utility of illusion in certain circumstances (a happy memory of killing a village of traitors while disguised as a tree floated to mind) this was not one of them. Instead, she donned her armor of thorns and pulled Judgement from the pool of blood he lived in. She was never entirely sure who's blood it was or where it came from, but things like this mattered little to Ket ah am Shaga. Judgement was happy in there, and she liked him better happy. Sometimes she would leave him out in the cold air for a few days before a major mission, because his thirst for blood was worth more to her than the few unplanned casualties that resulted, but this didn't seem like that kind of mission.
There was an official set of portals to the human world, in design and function not too different from train stations, but Ketshka hated them. Too many people, too many rules. She preferred the old way; in through the belly of a beast. Skyalatul swallowed her whole, and she emerged in a spartan bedroom not too different from her own, although the bed appeared too comfortable. She preferred to sleep on stone, but the mortal would need to be worked up to that. He was asleep when she emerged, even though the sun was soon to be up. Ketshka remedied this like she would with any one of her soldiers; by punching him in the chest. Some ribs cracked- it had been a while since she had to deal with humans, and had forgotten how fragile they were - but a healing spell injected into the forearm took care of that, and also caused the child's pathetic muscles to grow a little.
He appeared mostly unharmed, but couldn't speak, or move, or do much else that cry silently. Ketshka was afraid this was the wrong room; hadn't they said this child was rude? That implied speech, at the very least, which she hadn't known humans could do anyway, so a silent one was back to status quo for her.
She had a magic charm that could translate for her, and she switched it on by twisting the crystal around in its base, silver patterned after a flower. She didn't like it. The thing seemed unlikely to survive a direct hit of any force, and the chain it came on was too strong; if someone was foolish enough to wear it around their neck, they could get choked out from behind, and the assailant wouldn't even need their own garrote. She resolved to have it reworked into something more practical.
"Human child. I am your guardian."
The child blinked in fear.
"Human child. Do you use spoken language?"
The child nodded, but Ketshka wasn't sure what that gesture meant.
"Child, I demand that you demonstrate your ability with spoken language."
"Hu-he-hu-hello" he stuttered.
"This will have to do for now. It is time to rise. Do you require assistance?"
The child shook his head no, but she didn't understand this either and proceeded to lift him from the bed.
Perhaps because the initial shock had worn off and perhaps because this additional shock was enough to start his brain again, the child spoke.
"Put me down!"
She obliged, not because she was taking orders but because that was the plan to begin with. She did not intend to carry the human child all day; surely he hadn't thought that was the case, but there were other, more pressing tasks than explaining that she was a warrior, not a servant, and besides that, the human was unlikely to understand the traditions of the court even if she did explain them. Hell, she had lived there for millennia and still wasn't sure about some of the finer points. When seating an ambassador of the fall court who is necessary to accomplish a plot that would benefit the winter court and fall court, but the winter court more, did one tip one's head to the left or right? Had fall court been spring in this case, it would be left, and right for summer court, so which way for fall? Forward would make sense, except that the fall court took forward tips of the head to mean a secret was shared. It was confusing and intricate and boring, so she stuck to killing.
"It is time for your morning training. What is it you do?"
The child's ability to speak was short lived, it seemed. Maybe humans only spoke when they were sufficiently frightened, like the oracle at Innertree. He had no senses but the Sight so it was hard to get him to say anything, but turns out a big enough disaster would get him talking.
Ketshka sighed, which was fine in her culture but frightened the boy further; to him, it was like a snake rattle crossed with a wolf howl. They were good instincts, helped keep humans from being hunted to extinction.
\_\_\_
Well this is clearly not done but it's what I've got right now thanks for reading. | |
[WP] There’s some kind of shapeshifter impersonating your father, but he’s bad at it. Like, really bad. You feel sorry for him. | “Top of the mornin’ to ya, me laddo!”
“Oh for god’s sake…”
Sherman stood by the kitchen door in a dressing gown and holding a mug, looking so unimpressed that his eyes and mouth were practically straight lines. He did not have time for this bullshit. Two weeks ago, he might have laughed at this thing’s Dick Van Dyke impersonation. Last week he would’ve ignored it. Now the only reason he didn’t throw the mug at it was because his tea had gone tepid. He’d overslept.
He sighed with as much apathetic adolescent energy he could muster.
“Where is he?”
“Huwhy, I have no idea hhhuuuuuWHAT you’re talking about!” The thing sounded like a monocle-wearing phrenologist baron all of a sudden. “I do not suppose for a moment that you are referring to me, your father?”
“You ate him.”
“…huwhat? That is…PREPOSTEROUS, MY BOY!”
“Dad let you, a pest that destroyed the garden he took months to curate, into our house, gave you our food which you vomited all over, didn’t say a word when you transformed into a couch, turned a blind eye when Tybalt mysteriously disappeared, and you respond by eating him and trying to take his place.”
“…but ah was hungry, pardner.”
It wasn’t just the accent that changed with every new sentence. It must have somehow tried to assimilate Dad’s clothing choices because its blood-orange skin became speckled with different patches of fabric. Right now, a polo shirt collar was wrapped around its wrist, patches of skin with denim and leather textures littered his chest, and a black belt was tightened snuggly around its neck (it would’ve looked suggestive if the thing had a sex drive, or if it wasn’t so fat). Its face looked like it had been squashed into the tie dye shirt Dad claimed to have stolen at Woodstock. From his wife. That was how they met.
As Sherman stared into the usurper’s eyes and menacingly stepped forward, it stared back and started grunting like it was constipated. A few seconds later, black scribbled lines appeared around its eyes, a poor attempt to mimic Dad’s reading glasses. It grinned and all of its ‘teeth’ looked like they had mercury fillings. Dad had them on only two of his molars.
Sherman’s face contorted as he threw the mug at its head, but the rage was only visible for a split second before he managed to glue his scornful mask back together. The mug squelched inside its face and the orange skin became more translucent until you could see it bobbing around like a stapler stuck in jelly.
“Ah appreciate the gyesture, pardner, but ah just ate.”
Sherman wished he could scream like a banshee and roll on the floor like a baby, but that’s not how his mother raised him, and that’s not what would’ve helped his dad. Instead he turned his back and fell until his torso was stuck to the thing’s groin area. Thank goodness these aliens reproduce asexually.
“Eat me.” His body wasn’t being sucked in like the cup was.
“U wot m8?”
“EAT. ME. YOU FUCKING MONSTER. You’ve killed my cat and my dad so you might as well get rid of me too. Have the house to yourself, you gluttonous waste of fecal matter. DO IT. YOU KNOW YOU FUCKING WANT TO.”
“…but I fot you di’nt loike yer dad. ‘E cer-ainly weren’t very noice to ya.”
As Sherman’s face softened, the thing’s skin hardened.
“I can bring him back y’know.” Its accent adopted an Aussie twang as it pushed Sherman back to a standing position. He didn’t turn around. “I ain’t fully digested ‘im yet. He may be missing a limb or two but other than that he’ll be just fine.”
Sherman glanced at the clock. Half an hour late for school. Yet another avoidable grade drop…that of all things ushered the tears forward.
“I mean yeah you’re right, he was nice to me. A lovely bloke. But to be honest, I’ve been around a while and generally…people who like their gardens, their cats and their alien freeloaders more than their own sons…well they’re not the best people to spend eighteen years around.”
“The fuck would you know about human nature?” Sherman gestures as if it was in front of him. “Look at you.” His hand flopped down as if in defeat.
“I know. I never did get the knack of these powers. Some undiagnosed genetic condition I expect – that’d explain the constant hunger too.” It became uncharacteristically pensive for a second.
“It’s funny. Dying never bothered me until my whole planet imploded, and deaths are more common on Earth than it was there…but I think humans are more sad about the death of just one person they love than they would be if they were the last one alive.”
Sherman sniffled. He couldn’t remember the last time ‘love’ was mentioned in this house.
The thing actually managed to capture a concerned fatherly frown, which was promptly ruined by a thick Russian accent. “I know that humans like to hug when they feel sad, but you’ve told me several times that I’m disgusting so…I won’t.”
“It’s alright. It’s normal for dads to be awkward when their kids are sad.”
Sherman slowly turned around and gazed at the pitiful vermillion blob person who murdered his dad. Then he started giggling.
“You look so damn stupid I almost feel sorry for you.”
“Wow, that’s harsh. Now I really do feel like a Dad.”
Sherman chuckled and slowly, the tears stopped.
“All I need to do to check off the ‘dad list’ is to drive you to school and embarrass you at the gate.”
“Um, NO. You don’t even have opposable thumbs. And you ate the engine, remember? Back when you were in the garden and basically became that plant from Little Shop of Horrors?”
“Yes I think that’s the biggest mistake I’ve made in a while.”
“…oh, really? Can’t think of anything else?”
“Nope!”
“Woooooow…”
“Seriously though, if I remember correctly: education is very important and you are late for it.”
“You’re not my dad, you can’t tell me what to do. Besides I think the least I deserve is a nap.”
“Fair enough.”
The alien got an idea as Sherman went upstairs, and eight hours later, Sherman woke up and screamed loud enough to wake the dead. The thing tried to shapeshift into Tybalt and, predictably, failed miserably. After Sherman threw half the contents of his room at it (which were all eaten), he did concede that yes, it was the thought that counted. | I wake up, it was a normal Saturday morning, my brother and mother were at work and I hear knocking on the door, slowly pulling myself out of bed I open the up the door and see a man, I didn't recognise him "hello" I said as the man smiles fondly at mr, red flags alresdy raising in my mind. "Hello Jake can I come in?" He asked, my eyebrow rose "uh excuse me?" I ask "Can I come in? something happened to your mom" I blink "I'm sorry...who are you again?" "What kind of question is that I'm your father!"
I slam the door in his face and walk back upstairs "you're 13 years late to want to come back now asshole!" I yell as I walk upstairs. | |
[WP] Brains are discovered to be receivers of consciousness. You and your team have just created the first artificial brain and turned it on. | We made two of them for good measure. Our sponsor provided more than enough material, and the sheer amount of energy needed for the whole process was enough to warrant a replacement. One of them we kept in its container, the other we had already set into the machine. It's hard to describe in simple terms what it was and what it did, but let's just say it was the means through which the consciousness was transferred from the source to the brain. The source. Now, that's something that needs explaining.
In ancient times there was a philosopher named Anaximander. Most of his work is lost, and what remains are translations made by others after his time, but we followed his fragment and found the answer:
*Whence things have their origin,
Thence also their destruction happens,
As is the order of things;
For they execute the sentence upon one another
The condemnation for the crime
In conformity with the ordinance of Time.*
We believed that all consciousness had a source, a place where it came from when new life begins, and the place where it would one day return when it ends. If we could only find a way to create a link to wherever (or whatever) that is, we would be able to prove a our research. And here we were, with the technology and the means to do so - at least in theory. But theories are meant to be tested, and the moment had come.
We stood behind the reinforced glass, framed by thick metal walls. Seven of us, all as anxious as the other stared at out life's work. I was by the switch, handle grasped firmly and expecting the order. The head of our team gave me that all too familiar nod, and down went the switch and the power went out with a rumbling whir. Everything was cast into darkness - everything except the machine. Its lights went on with a flicker, then we heard its insides turn and click.The wires linked to its outer shell, like that of a turtle, hummed with the electricity coursing through them. The brain inside glowed from the inside, a consequence of the material from which it was crafted, when the transfer began. It wasn't energy that we saw flowing through its crystal-like surface. It was knowledge. Information. A soul. This was life - life in its purest form - being called by human hands. And as the process was near its end, the lights went down to a weak glow in the dark. When the display next to me read “Transfer Complete”, I flicked the switch again and the power went back on.
Under orders from our second-in-command I began the communication process. The brain, the new consciousness, would hear and speak through the machine. If it answered, all our work would be rewarded. If it didn't, we had failed.
“Can you hear me?” the head scientist asked. It was a dumb question, we all agreed, but what else would you ask in this moment? We waited for a few seconds, the expectation heavy in the room. But what came from the speakers turned our hopes into nightmares. The consciousness spoke, but we could not understand it.
The speech was unlike anything we ever heard, and nothing in our database even remotely resembled what the brain was saying. They were words no doubt, a repeating sentence, though its meaning was behind our ability to discern. We all turned to our leader, expecting her to look as defeated as we all were. Instead her eyes were fierce and determined. She smiled, a triumphant grin that she always wore when she figured something out.
She turned to me and with a firm voice she said: “Bring me the other one.” | **The No-Hands Telephone**
*Interview with lead researcher Isama Obokata*
The interview begins swiftly after I arrive at The Institute. Obokata-san has asked to keep the interview under twenty minutes. Their translator sits patiently, treating the air around Obokata-san with a reverence that unnerved me. I am not allowed past the foyer.
**Hello, Obokata-san. Your research has taken the world by surprise. To think, a phone that requires nothing but two people and their thoughts!**
(Isama Obokata’s comments were all made through the translator, their response will be worded to the translators comments)
Yes our research has opened a new world for science.
**Uh, yes. From your perspective, what does this mean for the future of telecommunications?**
Nothing.
**I’m sorry, nothing?**
Yes
**But from what you said earlier?**
Science. We will expand, no destroy our concept of the human condition. We will create a world that we may not be ready to exist in.
**That’s quite a lot to come from a new communication device. Do you think your being hyperbolic with such statements?**
(The translator seems taken aback by Obokata-san, but she relents and solemnly replies)
If this interview is based solely upon our proof of concept I have nothing left to say. It works, it’s the fastest communication known to man. We can communicate over continents, soon it will be tested during a space flight. We have changed history, and that was barely the surface.
(Obokata-san stands abruptly, gives a shallow bow and walks off into the main building)
The translator continuously apologies for nearly ten minutes. She explains Obokata-san is a brilliant mind but has very little social grace. That we both agree on.
Well the irony of the greatest thing in communications since the telephone, being invented by someone with the social grace of the keyboard I’m typing this on, does not escape me. Nor does the impact this new device will have on the world. The space flight Obokata-san mentioned has been launched, and found the No-hands telephone completely functioning with minimal interference from the atmosphere.
The formal title, Conscious Provoking Cerebral Structure (aka CPCS/ Cipsis) has stirred some conspiracies on some of the more tech-minded or “High-Minded” forms. Some saying that they might have mapped consciousness onto an artificial structure (The institute refused any comment on this matter).
Well whatever Cipsis truly is, what we do know is that the world has entered a new era. I wonder though in ten, twenty or even fifty years will this be something we remember fondly. Or will this be the atom bomb of the 21st century. | |
[WP] Everyone has a job destined from birth. Merchant, nobility, witch, rogue, wizard, priest, and warrior are the common powerful jobs. Then the most powerful and rare ones are royalty, hero, and demon king. The majority have the "commoner" job. But you're unique. Your job is "God". | The Caster had raised his arms over the newborns, and as he had done so many times, before he’d Fated them. The ancient glyphs which denoted Fates began to etch themselves across the young flesh; not painful, but permanent nonetheless. The Midwives called them out as they walked the rows.
“Commoner.”
“Magistrate.”
“Tailor.”
He listened, earnestly noting the results in the Book of Fates, a record of what would come, to shape a whole life. *Only 2 Soldiers this month*, he noted, *no risk of war*. He noted the 63rd Fate and waited for the last to be called. Seconds passed. The Caster arched his neck over the lectern to see the Midwives gathered at the last cot.
“Let's hear it!" he barked. The senior midwife, a bow backed older lady turned slowly to face him. Her eyes hesitant to meet his glare, she smoothed the creases in her dark grey dress.
"We don't know, my Lord."
A flicker or irritation crossed the Caster's face, "Come now, if the spell failed that's hardly a problem, bring the child here."
"That's not it though Lord," the midwife said, taking the baby in her arms and approaching the lectern, "the spell worked, but none of us know how to pronounce the glyph."
Taking the child the Lord Caster's face became fixed in a mask of disbelieving worry. "I don't understand," he sputtered, "the Fates have been known for centuries." The midwife tenderly reached to retrieve the infant but the Caster instead withheld her. "Not this one, this one stays with me."
"What does she mean Lord?" his fear was infecting her voice now, she was backing away as she spoke.
"I don't know, but whatever her Fate is, it's unlike any we've ever known." | "The only one", "the all mighty", "the greater good"
This cruel world gave me many titles.
It is pretty boring being a god, centuries pass in the blink of an eye. Tragedies still hurt my not-so-good soul.
Down in the realm of earth and its inhabitants people are constantly killing each other, once they made all demons their slaves everything escalated.
This is all my fault. I gave the humans the power to overcome the demons, I am responsible for this.
This has to end I have to stop this, I will reforge the earth and life will eventually sprout again.
Up until now I have only ever used small to mediocre god spells as the big ones often fail or couldnt work properly, at least thats what the former god told me before he died.
Every preparation is about done, I now just need so say the words and a new world will be born, a better less cruel one.
I gave the humans and demons unending riches and food so they may enjoy their last moments..
This is it i will cast it now. Goodbye poor mortals.
*sh'kra nv'or'imir kra'ka te'tsu, o'shike mo'r dav'va sa'an ze'or'imir*
A all blinding bright light flashed upon the universe, I suddenly felt heavy, as if I was on earth?
Appearently I am in a mortals body? Is this what o'kra warned me about?
I open my eyes and see a mortal sitting on the other side of this so old wagon.
"Hey, you. You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there." | |
[WP] Everyone has a soulmate. The name of one's soulmate appears on their forearm sometime during their teenage years. You finally get yours at the age of 17, but there's something odd. Instead of one name, there's two, and they aren't written in the Latin alphabet or any other known Earthly script. | I dropped to the floor writhing in pain. "Jesus, does it hurt so much when it comes in?"
"You're being a pussy Chris, you can tattoo your forearm but this on your wrist is too painful?". James chuckles as he throws his half eaten apple at my head, just to piss me off more as the scar is coming in.
The scar took a really long time to come in, which obviously freaked me out because I had already become 17. And I don't want to be in the outcast groups of the nameless. The ones who never have a soulmate. Even if it hurt so bad.
I fell on the floor, lying there panting. "Jesus. It's finally over."
"Who is it? Hopefully you got the ugliest chick in school. I want to be the best man to the groom with the shittiest wedding."
"Can you give me a minute to get up at least. Or help me up? I want to see it and hide it before mum comes home. Because if she sees I've gotten it, she's going to go crazy and call all our relatives. I don't want them to keep pestering me with finding her and getting together. I know what's her name. And when we meet it will all happen."
James pulled my arm to read what was written. Her name. I didn't even want to read it. Because it was done. Who every it was. She was going to be my wife till the end.
"Where is it?". "What do you mean where is it, it's there on my wrist."
"Dude, it's just a bunch of Weird symbols. It looks like English but that's not a word or anything. It's 4 symbols. A space and another 4 symbols. Just a repeat of the same symbols twice?"
I pulled my arm away and saw. These weird symbols. Like as if they took English and added more lines and cuts. Almost as if it did come from English but as if it either came way before English or way after.
"This can't be it? How can this happen. There is no one here with a name like that. Well no human being. And it's definitely not alien, we haven't seen anything. After The Others, no one else was left. How can this be possible? How can I have a name on my arm that's not in English?"
"Maybe it's another countries language?". "Are you dumb in the head? Which country has a language written like that?".
"I don't know what you want me to say. It's your arm. I mean the psyche realm never makes mistakes."
I dropped to the floor, my head in my hands. I was freaking out. This couldn't be happening. This was worse than being than a nameless. I was sitting in the unknown. No idea what would happen.
"Dude, I can't do this. I'm going to bed and I'm sleeping till this goes away."
"Its not going to, but I'll be downstairs with your mum. Finally I'll get most of the bangers and mash for myself."
James leaves to go downstairs and I slowly fall asleep. And it felt but a wink when I felt the earth tremble and with my eyes half closed see a meteor falling right into the lake that was a bit distance away, making a huge splash.
I ran down, outside the door. It felt like no one had seen anything. Everyone was still sleeping as if nothing happened. It was silent. No one in sight and while running to the lake I saw her. A girl lying on the water. I ran as fast as I could till I reached the edge of the lake.
I started waddling into the water and I saw a green glow coming from her and the closer I walked to her the more the glow intensified. Till I was right next to her. And I saw her face. She was human. But she didn't feel like it.
The glow seemed to come around her wrist. I went towards it to grab her hand and the writing on my hand glowed as well and with a blind light her name was announced.
"ELIAH!". The name came from within me and she gasped as she open her eyes wide after having fainted from the fall | At first i thought it was a Glitch or some kind of bug. but deep down i knew it wasn't.
no matter what you do you cant mess with gravity for example. the Friend Tatts where also a nature phenomenon that could not be avoided.
yet in my arm i had a bunch of squiggles that really meant nothing at all in all and every language on earth.
at first the doctors where curious but soon after they just did not cared.
i also started to ignore it, and was successful for almost 10 years
but then the world changed. Aliens took over the skies and everyone started to fight them.
I was drafted, and when i was on my first mission, i saw the same crooked line writing, similar to the one in my arm.
i almost shit myself.
my Best Friend/soulmate is an alien. | |
[WP] Bored, you decide to challenge a genie to chess. Suddenly the world changes, and you are now in command of a small army. Everything's frozen in time, until you make the first move. | Two massive armies appeared in front of us, mine on the left, and his on the right. The land was flat and barren and I could see all our troops. Everything was still. I couldn't hear nor feel the wind, nor the breath of any living being.
With a wave of the genie's hand, troves of his footmen suddenly started rushing towards my frontliners. I was taken aback. Perplexed, but at the same time in awe of the sheer size of it all.
"Wait! Weren't we playing chess?" I asked the genie.
"Yes, we were. But you see, a simple game of chess wouldn't have cured your boredom. I know your kind, young man. I used to be like you before my fate was sealed and I became a genie. I believe this is more suited to your taste. Go ahead. Give it a try!"
"But I don't even know how this works. You could at least explain a couple of the rules," I said.
But before I even finished my sentence, the genie mobilized his cavalry. No less than a thousand armored men and their horses began to charge towards my army. I needed to somehow defend against this.
At this point, I learned this was less chess and more real-life war. No turns, no movement restrictions. And the only way to win might be to completely wipe out the other.
Then the first wave of his footmen hit. Bloodbath pursued. There was so much action, my brain could barely process everything that's happening. Some of my men died, but not without taking down some of his. The first skirmish seemed to have ended in a draw.
I felt something at the top of my head. Liquid trickling down the contour of my face, towards the chin. I looked down to where it dripped, and I saw blood-- my blood. I turned to him. He was bleeding as well.
"Why are we bleeding?" I asked in a cracking voice.
"Do you still not get it?" the genie said with a smirk. "Each of your soldier's death ultimately leads to yours."
A deep, sharp pain burst inside me. I couldn't feel my head and blood was spilling out of my mouth. I managed to take a quick glimpse of the battlefield. It was his cavalry piercing through my ranks, destroying everything in their path.
I couldn't bear the pain anymore. I fell to the ground, grabbing my chest. Eyes closed. I could feel the cold creeping to my soul. Then a loud bell rang. And another. It sounded like something you'd hear from old Catholic churches in Europe.
As the ringing subsided, I felt warm again. The pain was gone, and I didn't feel dying. I tried to open my eyes slowly. And as the picture of the world around me slowly filled my view, I recognized it to be the ceiling of my bedroom. I felt up my entire body, making sure no limbs were missing. Everything felt right. As I raised my hands in relief, I noticed a scar on my right wrist.
&nbsp;
*1100*
0 - 1 | It was meant to be an ordinary afternoon, until i decided to challenge a genie to chess. Everything was going fine, we were playing fair and normal, but the genie did something. Something I will not forget. She started muttering things and we got transported to a mysterious place. It was named, Netherealm.
The genie told me that I was to run an army and conquer this dimension. I was hysterical and tried escaping, but all around me was fire, it was like hell. I started processing everything in my mind and made the conclusion, that I was in hell. The genie told me that when I had conquered this dimension, I could go back.
I have currently conquered 3 realms. Earthrealm, Shadowrealm and Netherealm. There are only 4 more to go. I have slaughtered so many people. So many innocent men, women and children have died, all because of that genie. I am going to conquer all the realms to defeat the genie. I must collect many mysterious and strange enchanted items. There is a different item in each realm. Once I collect them all, I will call forth my army and battle the genie. These enchanted items are the only things that can kill it.
While here, I have learnt many things. As it turns out, the genie brings hums from earth here to fulfil the prophecy that, when a person from earth conquers each realm, the genie can become immortal. The genie can get killed by these items, but dosen’t age. When a person becomes conquerer, the items don’t work on the genie anymore, so I must try to steal the last few enchanted items so the genie dosen’t beomce immortal.
SHOULD I CONTINUE THE STORY? | |
[WP] Bored, you decide to challenge a genie to chess. Suddenly the world changes, and you are now in command of a small army. Everything's frozen in time, until you make the first move. | The shrine at the top of the mountain was empty. The view was spectacular, reaching above the clouds. It was one he would have cherished with his father, all those years ago, hiking on the weekends. Back when the skies were blue, and smiling was easy.
“You have to earn it,” a voice said. Omar turned around, and there he was. Slight, wizened, but with eyes that sparkled with a mischievous vitality, the genie smiled.
“How?” Omar asked, hearing the desperation in his own voice.
“You have to earn it like all things in life are earned. And life is a game, and you must play with intelligence, and bravery, and heart. And you must feel your losses deeply, make them worth something. Can you do that?”
“You don’t know how much I’ve felt my losses,” Omar said.
“Then let us play. Prove yourself, and I will grant you your wishes.”
\-
The game proceeded slowly at first, pawns being moved forward to free up movement from the back. But then, Omar moved a pawn into a position to be taken by a bishop. Suddenly, the pawn transformed-
“Roy?” he said, shocked.
Roy smiled. “Hey, prof.” It was a joke they had shared, that Omar dressed too formally for a high school history class.
“What is this?” Omar asked the genie.
“You must feel your losses.”
“What are you talking about, prof?” Roy asked. “You need to chill out.”
Roy had been troubled, but always managed to put a smile on his face, even as he showed up to class hungover, with scars on his wrists and bruises where there shouldn’t be.
*“Hey prof, I’m going to have to take off for a little bit,” Roy had said on his last day.*
*“Where you going? It’s not the best time for truancy, Roy. Finals are coming up. And the Celtics are still alive in the playoffs.”*
*“Just somewhere I have to. And of course I’ll still be watching the Celtics. This is our year.”*
*“Ok. But remember to think about the choices you make. That’s all I ask.”*
*“Of course, prof. You say that every day.”*
*“Take care of yourself, Roy.”*
*Roy smiled. “I always appreciated that about you, prof. You never told me what to do, or how to do it. You get it.”*
But had he? The funeral had only been a year ago, and Omar remembered breaking down at the anti-suicide assembly they’d had.
“I’m sorry I didn’t know…or I mean, I did guess, but I didn’t know. I didn’t care enough.”
Roy shook his head. “Shit happens, you know? Shit happens and sometimes it’s not your fault. It’s not your fault my stepfather was a monster.”
“It wasn’t yours either.”
Roy looked around at the board he was standing on. “Well, it’ll be your fault if you don’t win, right, prof?”
“I guess so.”
“Then think about the choices you make.”
And the bishop moved into Roy’s spot.
\-
Omar didn’t see it, how the genie’s rook was waiting to take his bishop from the corner. He had played a good game so far, only sacrificing pawns and taking out a knight. But he couldn’t believe his carelessness.
“I’m sorry, mom,” he said, his lips trembling as he looked at his mother in the bishop’s spot.
“That’s okay, honey,” she said, they way she always had when he was a little boy. Before all the rebellion, before all the bad choices, before the drugs and the years of not talking, the crying on the phone…
“I tried,” he said. “I want you to know I tried my best, even when I screamed at you and said I hated you. I always wanted to make you proud.”
“I know, honey,” she said. “But I was proud just watching you in your basketball games, at the spelling bee. You didn’t have to score or win to make me proud.”
“Then why didn’t you say so?” Omar asked. “When I couldn’t anymore…”
“That’s my mistake,” she said. “But we have to live with our own recklessness. Our mistakes, don’t we?”
“I guess so.”
“Then make it count. Don’t let one mistake ruin everything.”
And the rook moved into the bishop’s spot.
\-
Omar thought long and hard about it, but finally decided to do it. He moved his queen into the genie’s bishop’s spot. The genie’s queen now had a free line to take out his own queen.
The moment he had dreaded arrived. The queen transformed.
“Hi, cutie,” he said. It had been a joke, that he found her cute, but not handsome. Not hot or sexy, just cute.
“Hi,” she said, smiling from ear to ear. He had never gotten tired of that smile, unbridled and not scared at all. He had wished he could smile like that.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “For everything.”
She shook her head. “Why be sorry for who you are? You gave me what I wanted. What I needed. But I couldn’t give that to you.”
He had tried it, for so long, to like within the picket fence with her. Steady job as a teacher at the same school as her, Japanese car, good performance on paying off the mortgage. But it had been killing him, snuffing out his dream like that, even as he couldn’t find a single fault with the details of his life.
“It should have been enough,” he said. “I didn’t have to say those things to you. Blame you for my own inability to be happy.”
She shook her head again, a full side-to-side shake, leaning into everything fully the way she always did.
“Sometimes you have to sacrifice a lot for your dreams. Even love. And it hurts, but you can’t move on if you don’t. And I know you too well to blame you.”
“I love you,” he said.
And the queen moved into his queen’s spot.
\-
Now they were at the end. His rook was one move from the corner, where it would place a check on the king. Then the genie’s king would be trapped, and…
“Stalemate,” the genie said, moving his bishop into place, taking out Omar’s rook. Omar was too stunned to react at first, and then he saw it. The bishop didn’t check his king, but Omar couldn’t move it without contacting the genie’s king. The game was over.
Omar crumpled to his knees, covering his face with his hands. When he finally stood up, the genie and him were back on the mountain.
“Congratulations,” the genie said. “What will your first wish be? And don’t worry, I’m not stingy. We get a bad rap.”
“What? But I didn’t win.”
The genie smiled. “But you proved yourself. Sometimes, that’s more than winning.”
Omar looked out at the view. The clouds were clearing up, and the whole valley was almost in view.
“I think my parents would have loved being here at sunset.”
\-
[r/penguin347](https://reddit.com/r/penguin347) | It is a common misconception that genies can only be summoned by rubbing magic lamps. This idea is preposterous. There is nothing intrinsic about lamps, no quality they exclusively possess, that makes them the only item capable of containing powerful genies. In fact, nearly any item can be enchanted to trap a genie, so long as the wizard doing the enchanting is sufficiently powerful. Indeed, according to many respected demonologists, genies have been successfully trapped inside a huge variety of common items, including coins, sceptres, automobile wheels, and, in one instance, a half-eaten pack of Nicorette gum.
I suppose there are symbolical reasons why storytellers chose lamps above all other items as the fittest abode for genies. "A lamp contains light," the Arabic mythmakers must have mused, "and light is associated with magic and power. Therefore, the genie, a bright and magical being of tremendous power, must be contained by a lamp." Such a way of thinking makes for great stories, of course; but by focusing on the symbolically-significant particular--the lamp--they failed to do justice to the larger reality.
This whole misconception about genies and lamps is unfortunate for two distinct reasons. The first is that it leaves people unprepared. People rummaging through old attics, or robbing ancient temples, or even sifting through trash at the dump, will naively assume that so long as the object they are handling isn't a lamp, it will not contain a genie. This is especially dangerous for those with supernatural allergies, for they may accidentally happen upon a genie, and suddenly find themselves with a terrible, even fatal, case of anaphylaxes. Imagine being told that you have three wishes, but your throat is too constricted to breathe, let alone to utter a word! Your first wish would be to stop the reaction, but you cannot speak up, not even to save your own life! The second reason that this misconception is so unfortunate is that it makes stories about genies that don't involve lamps, like the one I am about to relate, seem difficult to believe.
Yet this story is true.
I have been a collector of rare and enchanted items for the whole of my life, just as my father was before me, and his father was before him. Many of the most impressive items in my collection have been in my family for hundreds of years. The oldest object is a Minoan dagger, which my research has led me to believe was used to sacrifice a powerful soothsayer in Bronze Age Crete. The newest addition is an Eiffel Tower keychain, which was manufactured no more than five years ago, and was cursed by the Parisian gypsy from whom I purchased it last year. Between those bookends of old and new, I have hundreds of strange and supernatural artifacts. Enchanted rings with mystical stones set in them. Suits of armour that house disquieted ghosts. The gilded horn of a unicorn. Even a cauldron used by the Weird Sisters themselves.
Surrounding myself with such paranormal paraphernalia has led me to have no small number of encounters with the supernatural: with demons and phantoms, with visions and spells. It is not for nothing that I am missing my right pointer finger. But perhaps the most memorable and intense encounter I ever had was with the genie called Zoroaskan, whom I managed to summon from the chessboard of the Persian King Yunan, years ago, when I was still a young man.
The chessboard had been in my family for as long as anyone could remember. My great great grandfather, Hans Vundersmith III, who was the first to catalogue the family collection, referred to it as "That ancient Arab chessboard," and noted that it had "long been in the Vundersmith reliquary." He further claimed that it "housed some great and terrible spirit" which "no Vundersmith ingeniousness has succeeded in coaxing out."
My father and I decided that we would try our best to be the first of our line to crack the mystery of the old chessboard. We poured our energies into finding out everything we could about the piece, and about the enchantment that had been cast upon it. We spent countless days and even more nights scouring old texts for any mention of it. My father even learned Old Persian and Avestan so that he could search for clues in ancient texts. This led him to a book that catalogued the most prized possessions of ten of the greatest Persian kings. It was in this book that he found a sketch of the chessboard, under which was a warning, which translated to, "Do not disturb its slumbering Jinn." | |
[deleted] | [WP] You thought you were clever and painted a ouija board on your hard wood floors. One night while the roomba was on and cleaning your house, it summoned a demon | "I AM REBORN!"
A boom came from the living room. I was frozen....reborn? The fuck is that supposed to mean. I wanted to summon something, not have a born again spirit or demon or angel or whatever was going on in my living room.
I sighed and sat up in my bed only to hear banging, slashing, wood breaking, dishes crashing on the floor. This pissed me off. I kept my place tidyish. I'm a bachelor but I am proud of where I live after all. As I got up I made sure to be as cautious as I could when nearing the noises going on. I had never had success with Ouija boards and if this was something then I wanted to make sure that I lived to tell the tale.
I peered around the corner and my eyes couldn't have gotten wider with excitement. My very own demon! From everything I have read if I summon a demon it does my bidding...or at the least it can't kill me. I almost wanted to jump up and down but figured any showing of emotion like this would really put me in a bind with that whole demon obeying me thing.
I stepped out, breathing in to puff out my chest a bit, making myself look larger, more powerful. I waited for the crash of one of my living room chairs to settle before speaking out. "What is your name demon" I asked in a commanding tone. "I am your master and you shall obey me". God it sounds corny but I had nothing else to go on.
"Obey? I am Roomba and he is my master you little shit for a human." He pointed down do the moving little Roomba scooting across my floor. The Roomba hit the leg of my couch and the demon walked up to hit and threw the couch against my wall like it was nothing. Cracks ran up, down and side to side outside of a large hole that you could peer outside to.
"What are you talking about demon? I summoned you, I am your master. That thing is just a simple robot that cleans".
The demon laughed "You did not summon me little shit human. This spelled out my name, asked the right questions, wanted me here."
I stared at the demon, scared of what might happen. What could I say, what could I do? "I am the one that painted the letters on the floor. I am the master of that little robot. Therefore I am your master demon. I command..." and right then, the Roomba hit my foot.
The demon smiled with a vile teeth and a tongue that screamed agony. "My master calls for your blood, and I want your head". | Harvey pulled the red chalk across the floor, finishing the half-smudged ouija board. He stood up and pocketed the chalk, giving the large board a hearty grin. He had always been curious in the supernatural, but this was just an experiment. A joke, more like it. His friends dared him to see what would happen, and he obliged.
As Harvey walked away from the board, back into the narrow, inky black hallway, he heard the familiar scuffle of the Roomba. He walked farther into the hallway, and grabbed the silver doorknob to his room. Until, there was an uncomfortable silence. He let go of the doorknob and spun around on his heels. The Roomba was stopped in the middle of the ouija board. Harvey raised an eyebrow and approached the downed Roomba.
The Roomba’s lights were lit, except, instead of the usual blue, they were an eery crimson. Harvey outstretched an arm towards the Roomba, reaching for it. As soon as he touched it’s silvery exterior, his hand drew back. The surface of the Roomba was scalding, and glowed the same crimson color as it's lights. As Harvey stepped back, terrified of the “joke” ouija board, the Roomba disintegrated. In its place, appeared a monster. It’s legs and torso made out of gray-ish vines which entangled a browning skeleton. It’s head resembled a deer skull, with blue slits for eyes which radiated smoke. It’s arms fleshy masses of what Harvey assumed was deer meat. The monster let out not a roar, but a groan. “Ugh, I was just laying some hot babes, dude! Why the heaven did you summon me?” |
[WP] Lights start appearing on the moon. An ancient machine coming to life. Scientists determine it is a orbital defense platform programmed to protect earth. A large ship obliterates the moon. A message; "Greetings brothers and sisters, we are finally home. You could not keep us away forever." | *"Dad!" Jessie screamed, fighting against the humanoid creatures to get to her father.*
*Blood streamed down his face, dripping into his eyes and painting his face an awful scarlet. She was sure that another few hits, and he would've been dead. Within an inch of his life, that's how they wanted him. If the leader of the free world could be brought to his knees, the rest of the world would fall in line rather quickly.*
*A hand wrapped around Jessie's mouth, the fingers long and spindly, like spiders' legs covered in skin. Her screams died at her lips as she was pulled backwards.*
*"Be grateful they are not killing him, little sister." One of the creatures whispered to her. "They have been merciful thus far."*
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
Jessie woke with sweat running down the sides of her face, the nightmare fresh in her mind. No matter how many days passed, the nightmare was always the same, she was always helpless, and her father never got away. He'd been like a rag-doll in their arms, nearly lifeless, and when the Siblings broadcasted him for all the world to see, he was almost unrecognizable. His face had been a mess of red, purple, blues, and yellows, his lips, cheeks, and nose swollen like melons. He'd barely been able to talk when the camera was pointed at him, but he'd managed to croak out,
"The Siblings know better. They are wise. They will lead us."
After that, any hope of rebellion faded away. If they had gotten to Jessie's dad, the leader of the most powerful country in the world, what would they do to everyone else who disobeyed? No one had wanted to find out, and it had been that way for the past five years.
Jessie glanced at herself in the mirror, taking quick note of what she needed to fix before she began the day. She ran a brush through her ratty hair, tangled as so due to her nightmare, and then splashed some water on her face. The Siblings didn't like makeup. They thought it made the humans look like monkeys. Jessie slipped into a button down shirt and a pair of black pants and then exited her room.
In the hallway of her old home, Sibling Arya greeted her with a simple nod of her head. "Good morning, little sister Jessie."
Jessie nodded back. "Good morning, sister Arya. Where is brother Taryon?"
Arya pointed further down the hall. "Brother Taryon is in the Table Room. He is in a meeting, but I am sure he would not be uncomfortable with your entrance."
Jessie smiled. "Thank you, sister."
The Table Room was what the Siblings called her father's old meeting room. It was fitted with a long, wooden table meant to seat his advisers and other important figures while they discussed whatever topics had risen to their attention. Jessie had never been told what exactly was talked about during these meetings, but sometimes they ran for days, only stopping so they could rest and eat. Now, the room housed the leaders of the Siblings, and brother Taryon was the head honcho. When her father had been taken in five years ago, rather than kill his entire family, brother Taryon decided to enslave them, personally choosing Jessie to act as his servant.
Without waiting for permission, Jessie opened the door to the meeting room and walked inside, letting the door swing shut behind her. Inside, every Sibling looked towards her, with brother Taryon sitting at the head of the table. He was tall, taller than any human she'd ever seen, with smooth, brown hair that came across his head like a wave. His eyes were a dark green when he locked his gaze onto hers, his anger at being interrupted quickly being replaced with relief. That was what was most frightening about the Siblings. They weren't quite human, but they almost were. She found that, recently, she'd been confusing the Siblings for humans, like the lines between the two species were beginning to enmesh and blend. The thought scared her more than any punishment they could use against her, the idea of them becoming as familiar to her as her own people.
"Good morning, Jessie." Brother Taryon smiled at her.
"Good morning, brother Taryon." She replied calmly. "I hope I am not interrupting."
He shook his head. "Of course not, my dear. Your presence is always a welcome one. You may have a seat."
Jessie took her place in the corner where a chair had been set out for her. Brother Taryon trusted her enough to allow her in the meeting room, so she gratefully took her place in the chair. She'd worked this hard to get his trust, and all she had to do to keep it was be silent and do whatever he said.
"I do not mean to evade the topic, brother Taryon, but do you not think the human should wait outside?" Sister Melanium quipped.
*The human,* Jessie thought. Even after five years, that's all she was to them. Not that she really cared, they were still Siblings to her, but it only showed that they weren't any closer to accepting the humans than the humans were to accepting them.
Brother Taryon looked mildly annoyed, like he couldn't fathom why sister Melanium would ask such a question, but when he replied, his voice was cool and collected.
"I apologize, sister Melanium, I know this is your first visit, so you are unfamiliar with my servant. This is sister Jessie. She has served me faithfully since our return."
"I did not ask her identity." Sister Melanium snapped, her curls bouncing around her face as she shook her head. "I asked why she is in this room while we are discussing rather... personal topics."
At that, Jessie perked up but kept her mouth closed. Even one outburst could erode all the trust brother Taryon had in her. She was supposed to be a good little human and stay in her place.
Brother Taryon raised his voice, addressing the entire table to clear the air. "Jessie stays. She will not react to anything said here. I trust her."
With the final word, he shot her a look as if to get her reassurance that she'd do exactly as she was told. She nodded softly, and he relaxed.
"Fine." Melanium sighed. "Back to the topic, then. I believe keeping Derrick alive is a threat to us all."
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
Continued in the comments because it was too long. I've never had that happen before! | "This is Charles Velkin of CNN here with breaking news. We have just received confirmation that the mysterious lights on the moon visible last evening are **not** attributable to any terrestrial action. President Harris is scheduled to issue a press briefing shortly from the White House, we will join White House Correspondent Sarah Lewis now." The screen shifted to a split view. "Sarah, tell me, is there any indication of what the lights are?"
There was a brief delay before Sarah started speaking, her hand pressed tightly against her ear in an effort to drown out the tumult of the White House briefing room behind her. "As of right now, there is no official confirmation beyond the fact that the lights are **not** terrestrial in nature."
Samantha Church tore her eyes from the television screen and drew her blonde hair back into a messy bun, her gaze drifting across the room to her husband. He was ensconced on their living room couch, their two young daughters sitting beside him under a fluffy blanket. He returned her look, his face a mix of curiosity and fear. Charlotte poked her head up, tugging on his beard, "Daddy, what does terrestrial mean?"
He pulled her onto his belly, hugging her tight, "It means from Earth."
Charlotte was quiet for a moment, sorting through the information. "So the lights aren't from here?"
Ben shrugged, "I guess we don't know, we're waiting on the President to tell us. But it's a very exciting time to be alive."
"How come we didn't know about the lights on the moon before?" Devin asked as she crawled over beside Ben and pushed her head into the crook of her arm.
"That's a good question too. I guess mommy should have visited the moon the last time she went to space," Ben replied.
"I would have stopped by, but it was a bit out of the way." Sam's eyes flicked to the picture of her floating in space aboard the ISS 2, blowing a kiss at the monitor. It had been her last flight before she was grounded and joined Central Command. Sometimes, when she dreamed, she still felt like she was up there, hundreds of miles above the earth's surface. She walked over and sat on the couch as well, her feet propped up on Ben's legs.
Ben nodded toward the screen, "There she is. Wonder what she's got for us."
President Harris appeared on the screen and strode to the podium. She adjusted her glasses once and then turned her piercing blue eyes to the American people. "Fellow Americans, as many of you know, last night a number of lights appeared upon the surface of the moon. These lights were of unknown origin and the world's space-faring countries worked throughout the night to confirm that they were not the product of any actions undertaken by humanity." She took a deep breath before continuing, "We allocated resources to examine the phenomenon and have confirmed that the lights are tied to a number of structures that have emerged from the surface of the moon." A small graphic appeared beside her, showing a massive obelisk towering above the lunar surface, a giant glowing light affixed to its apex. "We have identified five hundred and twelve separate obelisks."
There was a small commotion at this. More than one hand shot up in the briefing room. "I will answer what questions you have shortly, once I have delivered the total available information." A new image appeared, visualizing the globe of the moon, slowly rotating with pinpoints marking out each obelisk. "We can further confirm that these obelisks are connected, with a latticework creating a densely interconnected network between the towers." Thousands of small lines appeared, connecting each obelisk to its immediate neighbors and with a few dozen thick lines that encircled the entire moon. "Until last night, these towers and the underlying infrastructure was entirely unknown to us. We have reason to believe it was activated sometime last evening."
The camera panned in now, focusing on her face rather than the briefing room. The seal of the President slid out of view. "The intensity of the lights increased at an exponential pace throughout our night." She gulped once now, her throat contracting as she swallowed. "They reached peak intensity approximately twenty minutes ago, at approximately 5:30am Eastern Standard Time. Once they arrived at peak intensity, a fluctuation of energy surged through the network and a small set of obelisks facing outside of our solar system discharged all of the energy contained within the network in a series of pulses." A series of images showing a number of waves of brilliant white light firing into the deep of space appeared. "We have tracked the trajectory of these images and have identified a number of unknown objects."
A fuzzy image now appeared. "They are only visible under modified views that we use to locate exoplanets." The image shifted, with a number of dark objects being given faint outlines. "We have conclusively determined that these objects are not a standard space-born phenomenon." Another gulp. "They're accelerating."
Pandemonium broke out, each of the reporters jostling to get a question in.
Ben looked at Sam, "What do you think, space girl?"
Sam pressed her lips together, lost in thought, "I don't---"
The sentence was interrupted by her phone, lighting up with a dull red hue.
Alert.
Central Command.
*Commander Church. Report to CentCom.*
**Platypus OUT.**
**Want MOAR peril?** r/PerilousPlatypus | |
[WP] You’ve realized that you are in a coma and are imagining the world that you are currently in. When you try to leave, you quickly notice that the imagined people in your everyday life are trying to keep you there, and they aren’t as subtle about it as they think. | "You need to wake up."
That's not right. That can't be right. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Dogs don't normally talk."
Rufus sighed at me, "No they don't. You can't stay here anymore, this is all locked in the past. that's why you need to wake up."
Couldn't hurt to try I suppose, I went to pinch my arm. But then it wasn't there anymore.
"Don't you remember, John? You lost it, in the accident." Sarah said, her fingers stroking across my chest.
I couldn't remember any accident. "Wasn't Rufus here beforehand? where'd he go?"
"Rufus died a while ago. We cried a lot, together. We had a funeral in the garden, remember? "
"Huh, right." I didn't remember anything like that. I lifted her hand from my chest.
"He was saying I need to wake up."
"You don't look asleep to me. I could tire you out, if you'd like." She flicked an eyebrow at me in faux seduction.
I felt the stump where my right arm was, I could almost feel my right arm. Like it was here, but it wasn't. Wasn't that how they always described it though? Phantom limbs, phantom pain. Phantoms.
I raised my one arm to pinch my face.
--
And it rubbed against the smooth porcelain of my mask.
"Come with me, John." Sarah smiled as she grabbed my hand, leading us deeper into the decedence before us. Men and women's bodies entertained across the mansion, their faces covered in the same blank white masks as mine. It made them look hollow, almost fake, like I was surrounded by faceless creatures watching my every move.
"How did I get here, Sarah?"
"What?"
I stopped her and pulled her towards me. "We were just in bed, talking about Rufus, now I'm here. How?"
Her voice was hesitant, afraid. "That was last night."
I gripped her arm harder "No, it wasn't, it was seconds ago."
"John, you're scaring me." She pulled away.
"Why are we here Sarah? I was trying to do something, to pinch myself."
"John, don't." she held up her hands, pleading.
I reached down towards my bare thigh and pinched as hard as I could.
--
"Can you still feel it?"
I looked down at the bionic leg. I didn't remember losing it.
"Where's my leg, what are you doing to me?"
I grabbed at Sarah, but she stepped back. "I'm not doing anything to you."
"Where are the people in masks?"
"What? People in masks...that was yesterday evening."
"I need to wake up. I need to wake up."
I tried to walk towards our kitchen but I wasn't used to having only one leg. I fell to the floor and smacked my head against it, blood leaking from my forehead over my eye. Colouring the world in a deep red.
"John, John please stop."
I looked towards her angelic white face as the red dripped down across my eye, showering her image in my blood.
"I need to wake up." I dug my one hand into the floor and began to drag my body forwards towards the kitchen, inch by inch, as Sarah walked just above me, begging me to stop.
"Please, you're scaring me John. You need to stop. I can't do this again."
My fingers ached as I hauled my whole body forwards, my skin scraping against the wooden floor.
"John please, you're not asleep, you don't need to wake up. Not yet. "
"Yes, I do. That's the only thing I know Sarah, I need to wake up, I can't stay here any longer."
She flung her small frame onto me, and wrapped her arms around my chest, her whole body on top of me as I dragged both of our bodies at once.
"Get off me, you can't keep me here."
She just gripped me as hard as she could, digging her whole weight into my back as I hauled us both towards the knives in the kitchen.
"I shouldn't be losing my goddamn limbs. I need to wake up."
"Don't you fucking leave me." I felt her fingers dig so hard into me it hurt.
I was a few seconds away from the drawer now, just needed a big knive, something that would wake me up for sure.
"I am real, John. Please, don't do this."
I felt her warm tears against my cheek and I grabbed the drawer. I wrapped my fingers around the handle and pulled out the biggest steak knive I could. It had been a wedding gift from her mum. I think, what was real and what wasn't, I couldn't even tell anymore.
"For the love of God stop, please. It can't be undone. I know that. I still love you, I still need you."
"It's time to wake up."
I shoved the knife against my chest and felt it pierce the skin. Then my whole body seemed to disappear as the memories came back.
As my body disappeared I managed to whisper a sentence to her.
"You have to let me go."
They'd come back, the memories of our first date, spaghetti sauce all over my face. And our last annivesary, diving on her attacker, the knife cutting into my chest.
So many different dreams I'd visited her, but now I was just holding her back, keeping her locked in the past. It was time to die in her mind as I had in her life.
I sent a small sentence back across the void, into her dream as I left, the words nestled deep into her heart, where they would protect her from those dark thoughts in the dead of night, as I had once done.
"I'm happy now. I'll see you soon, baby." | The day was as usual. I hopped into my Jeep and drove to the local gas station, also known as my workplace. It wasn’t the most desirable job, but it paid me well.
“Haha, hello Jacque. You’re here quite early.” Jessica, my coworker, wore an unusual smile that stretched across her face. Her freshly painted nails tapped a steady rhythm on the counter.
“Ah, yes yes, I guess I am slightly.. earlier.” I mumbled, just barely loud enough for her to hear. On days like these, I was usually here late. But something didn’t feel right. My insides seemed to be nonexistent, everything was unclear.
“Speaking of which, Jess, I don’t remember even going to sleep last night.” I mentioned.
Her face went ghostly pale, and her body language completely changed.
“You aren’t tired, are you Jacque? I could brew you some coffee.. or.. ah..”
“Nah, I’ll just go home. It’s a weekday, and you can probably handle it.” My head throbbed with uneasiness.
“NO! I mean, you should stay here. We are expecting a large party of students here soon..”
“At a gas station? Come on Jess, stop fooling with me. I’ll just go take a quick nap and..”
As I gestured towards the door, she quickly sprinted over to block my way. Her forehead was covered with sweat, and her muscles appeared stiff. She stared me down.
The door thrust open, and someone pushed their way past my coworker. It was “Granny’ Rose”, as she insisted everyone call her.
“Oh, young children. You better get to work, I’m only picking up a quick snack.” Granny wobbled her way over to the peanut-butter crackers, grabbed a box, and went to the counter. She impatiently hummed a tune.
“Jess, can you handle that? I really want to go home.” I pleaded.
The old lady turned her head towards me, and narrowed her gaze. Her eyes were glued to me.
Finally, I realized this wasn’t real. They never acted like this in real life. But why weren’t they letting me leave?
“Alright, I know this is just a.. dream. Let me go home. Please.”
Jess was already at the counter, so I made for the door. She rushed over and violently grabbed my wrist.
“How.. how could you notice? You have to stay, Jacque. We’ll care for you here.”
My gaze focused on Granny. She just nodded.
“I’m sorry.” |
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