Split (1)

train · 265k rows

post_text stringlengths 0 17.5k	post_title stringlengths 4 315	post_scores int64 0 42.1k	comment_texts list	comment_scores list	comment_times list
	[WP] From a young age, everyone can teleport. You are one of the few who doesn't have this ability naturally... and you just figured out why.	72	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Dan couldn’t teleport. He had never been able to. It had upset his parents, cost him friendships and he had never been popular. Dan was like the kid you wanted to include but no one got along with and he just never fit in. You weren’t allowed to discriminatie against ABs. AB was slang for Non-Teleporting Individual, it meant “walk from A to B”.\n\nThe longest teleport had been just shy of ten meters, a seven year old girl had allegedly managed it, not through effort or practice but because of genuine neccesity. Most people averaged eight meter teleports. The ability to teleport short distances was significant. There were paths, but they stopped before crossing roads, rivers or any land that offered an engineering challenge. Most people could teleport across, not so Dan. He was one of hundreds, thousands in the world, maybe. \n\nLaws exist to facilitate ABs in their transport but proper “walk from A to B” paths were uncommon. Finding one was a treat, mostly Dan thought because he was very likely one of the only people to walk that way. As such, Dan had a private walk bridge and private traffic light on his way to work. He didn’t like the traffic light though, it painfully emphasized his shortcomings. Dan reckoned people stopped at that traffic light as much because it was red as to have a look at the poor unfortunate AB. He took it all in stride, he knew, not being able to take the easy way had built a great deal of character. He felt kinship with the seven year old girl in that sense: He knew neccesity.\n\nDan was headed to a new client, when he came upon a dead end. He’d been walking on an elevated walkway over a motorway, however it had a 6 meter gap before continuing. He paused. Looking at the google “A to B” map application he chuckled as the arrow pointed him right off the edge and into traffic. There was no way forward and he was running out of time. He decided to call the client: “Hey this is Dan, I’m looking to get to your office but I am stuck at...” He looked around, damn... no sign in sight “Well, I’m an AB, I’m stuck at a gap” The woman’s voice cut in over the phone “Near a motorway?” Dan grunted an affirmative. “Do you have the ‘A to B’ app?” the woman asked, “Yeah, it sent me passed here”. A sigh came over the phone “Let me check...” Dan could hear muffled voices, when finally “Maybe there’s a tunnel there too?” Dan looked around. Twenty meters back and hidden behind trees there was. Dan quickly thanked the woman, promising to be at the meeting on time before heading over to the tunnel. \n\nThe tunnel was dark, graffiti and ivy covered the walls near the entrance. Dan was no stranger to unlit tunnels, he always carried a flashlight for that reason. Rummaging through his bag he found his flashlight flipped the switch and started down the tunnel. He pointed his flashlight at the wall, unusual graffiti covered these tunnels. Tight writing covered most of the walls. When the writing gave way it was to a single word or sentence that had been blown up as if to emphasize it. Dan stopped and tried to make out the words, besides “obligation” he couldn’t. There was a biblical feel to the words. \n\nA whisper came from the shadows, first a murmur than slowly growing into a voice. A woman was talking to herself headed his way. Her hand running passed the writing on the wall. Dan looked at her, unsure if he’d been seen. He tentatively asked: “Excuse me? Are you an AB” It seemed a logical question to ask in the otherwise deserted tunnel. The woman looked over, fowning as she did, Dan quickly added “I’m an AB”. The woman smirked now “Is that what you think?” \n\nDan looked over, not understanding. “It’s what I know” he responded. The old woman gave out a snort of laughter. Before Dan realized the old woman had teleported to him, grabbed his waste and teleported him first to ground level, then to the walkway and finally off the edge into the six meter gap of motorway. “You have no choice!” she shouted as Dan fell arms outstretched and horror in his eyes. Dan never hit the floor though, he looked around kneeling over twenty meters from where the old lady had thrown him off the ledge.", "The girl sits on her windowsill, legs swinging through the air. She was young, but not young enough to explain her...disability. She was 10. Old unough to understand that when the adults watched her nervously, discussed with doctors amid brain scans and doctors visits, it was because she broken. Inferior. Unlike all the other kids, she couldnt teleport. If she fell of this ledge right now, she could actually die. Plummet the thirty some feet, land on her head, feel the snap of her neck. Others could just teleport back into their room, perfectly fine. But not her. Because she was broken. \n\nThe girl looked at the other kids playing in the street. She was ostracized. She couldn't play the games with them. It wasn't even social stigma against her, rather the fact that she couldn't physically play the games they played. She was more limited than if she couldn't walk, or run. Their games were leaps of teleportation, ranging from teletag, to heights, and more. If only she wasn't broken. \n\nThe girl climbed back into her room, where her little sister played with her toys. She was only 3, and was already zipping, little teleportations that showed signs of ability. She herself never zipped. \n\nShe walked to her sister and crouched. \n\n\"Hey Laila, how do you teleport?\"\n\n\"Easy!\" She squeals, and appears to focus. Within a few seconds, she zipped an inch to the left. \"See?\"\n\n\"But how?\" The girl pressed \"I can't?\"\n\n\"Oh, well I know why!\"\n\nThe girl perks up, alarmed.\n\n\"Mommy and daddy were talking about it. I heard them. You can't teleport because you aren't my sissy!\"\n\nThe girl tilted her head \"How an I not your sister?\"\n\nLaila was already, however, distracted, going back to building worlds with toys. The girl was frantic. She rushed down stairs, flying, as she rushed to her basement. The office there, was where documents were stored. She wasn't supposed to go there, but over the years, she's known how to go down there. She's looked everywhere; there were no documents of adoption. The girl searched through the room, until she tripped under the desk, she saw a handle. A broken handle. She moved the lightweight desk, and lighted the handles. In it were papers, papers that she rifled through for minutes, each second ticking by. Until she picked up a single, eggshell colored sheet. \n\nShe read quitetly to herself. Annabella Marie Hearse and Peter Andrew Hearse hear by give Para Conpany the right to test their experimental medicine on their young daughter, Lucille Patel Hearse, Age 2. The medicine tested's goal is to attempt to relieve syndrome of excessive zipping and seizing....\n\nIn return, the parents shall get a sum of $3000\n\nShe looked around more, and found yet another paper. \n\nShe read the first paragraph\nAnnabella Marie Hearse and Peter Andrew Hearse relinquish all rights of their biological daughter, Lucille Patel Hearse, to the adoptive parents, Ender Julian Delphinki and Debbie Petra Delphinki...\n\nThe rest of the letter desicussed more terms and agreements. Tears dropped on the paper. She could zip. She could teleport! It wasn't her that broke, others broke her! \n\nShe turned, and her father stood behind her, eyes soft. \n\n\"It's time you knew......\"\n\nEdit: A word or two", "Everyone, and I mean everyone was able to do it by age 4 and up. Hell, most parents were teaching their kids before they could functionally walk. And there I was, stuck watching my little brother being a natural and getting all the applause from my parents, who didn't even give me a second thought. I don't even know if I can call them my parents after what I just discovered. I mean, for God sakes, I'm 17, I shouldn't have to find out I'm adopted by a crumpled birth certificate underneath the old PS5 console my \"dad\" told me to bring out from the attic. It's funny though, I always had a thought, or a inclination, or… I don't know what the hell to call it, but I always had a feeling that they weren't my real parents. The second my little bro was born they directed all their attention to him. Hell, I didn't even look like them. I have to ask why they even adopted me in the first place? I don't really have time for questions like that though. The real question is who my real parents actually are. Are they the reason for my handicap? I plan on finding out soon, first I got to track the last name \"Robinson\" on the original certificate. Guess that's my real last name. Has a nice ring to it huh? Jack Robinson. Well anyway, it's not my legal name anymore so I'm not gonna tread on it. Like I said, I'm gonna try and find my real parents and get some answers, till next time.\n\n-Journal Entry #1" ]	[ 1, 9, 21, 27 ]	[ "1490011102", "1490048247", "1490038198", "1490022530" ]
[removed]	[WP] After death, you find yourself in a generic office cubicle with Todd, the case worker appointed to debrief you on your life and prepare you for your reincarnation as a...	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nResponses must be at least 30 words. Prompts that are likely to generate such responses are also not allowed. This is essentially a fill-in-the-blank, or you asked a question likely to generate a simple answer. Prompts should encourage a story or poem. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/60hnyb/wp_after_death_you_find_yourself_in_a_generic/%0A%0A)" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1490028830", "1490029082" ]
[removed]	[wp] Ths entire time you thought you were tolling	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nNo troll or meme-based prompts. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/60htb6/wp_ths_entire_time_you_thought_you_were_tolling/%0A%0A)" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1490030310", "1490030721" ]
	[WP] Look I understand you have spent a lot of time preparing for this, but before we go in I need you to switch with me.	9	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"Look, I understand you have spent a lot of time preparing for this, but before we go in a need you to switch with me\". \n\nLeah turned and stared in disbelief. \"You have got to be kidding me.\" It was a flat statement. \n\nSarah pressed on, \"Well, it's just that you saw all the action on the last one, and I got to thinking that it's really not fair to make you go twice in a row\" She was careful not too sound whiney, that was one surefire way to keep Leah from budging. \n\nLeah pulled into the parking spot and slammed the car into park. \"I know what you're doing. You're just not interested in doing the speaking part any more because the cute teller happened to call in sick today. You don't want to deal with the old man.\" \n\nSarah internally cursed, she had been hoping Sarah wouldn't catch on. \"Well you did have that one slip up last time, and you know I have more electronics experience th-\"\n\n\"Oh of course you bring that up! You make mistakes too you know! You're little eyelash batting act is not nearly as effective as it used to be. You almost let that old bitch in Pasadena bust me.\" \n\nAh, Sarah had her now. She suppressed her grin. \"Exactly! You have always been better at charming people than me! For me it's all an act. But people genuinely like you! That's why you should be the face today. I don't do well with a last minute change\". \n\nLeah was still clenching the steering wheel, knuckles white. \"Everyone genuinely likes me except you, apparently! You just whine at me so that you can get all the good jobs. I'm sick of your shit, Leah. You're talking to the man, period. Like you said, you don't like a last minute change! You know how much I've prepared for this, I don't think you have the security system memorized.\"\n\n\"You know I do. Come on, Leah. If you want this to go smoothly you should talk to the geezer. I'm sure he won't be too much of a creep.\" She watched Sarah carefully. She knew her well enough she was easy to read.\n\nLeah shuddered. Last time it was a creep. She still hadn't washed enough time to get the feeling of that man's hands off of her. And his breath...She shook herself. Someone had to take one for the team. It just sucked that someone was always her. Then she forced her hands and shoulders to relax. \n\nSarah perked up. She knew she had won. Leah sighed. \"Fine.\"\n\n\"Thanks sweetie! You're the best. Don't worry! I'll let you pick which job you want next time.\" She flashed Leah a smile and climbed out of the car. \n\nWhite hot rage flared up in Leah as the car door slammed closed. It was supposed to be her turn to pick this time, until the cashier was cute. Until the old man turned up. She was always working with the creeps or doing the leg work while getting shot at. She knew Sarah well enough by now to know it would never be her turn. Manipulative bitch. \n\nLeah also got out of the car, then flashed Sarah the signal. Sarah smiled and blew her a kiss, then clambered up to the roof of the small, drive-through bank branch. \n\nSarah, fuming, walked up to the old man at the teller window. She took a deep breath and checked the a man out. Leah actually right, he didn't seem like a creep at all. \n\n\"Hello young lady, what can I help you with today?\" He asked cheerfully. \n\n\"Hello sir! I'm actually here to help you today\" she said, looking down at her watch. \n\n\"Oh really?\" He asked, puzzled. Sarah kept him waiting a few more seconds until her watch the two minute mark. \n\n\"Yes sir. There is currently someone breaking into your bank. I suggest you call the police.\" \n\n\"Wha-!\" the man gasped, picking up his desk phone.\n\nShe walked out, got back in the car, and drove away. " ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1490107047", "1490115694" ]
If you don't like the idea you can make the main hero replace the best friend's role.	[WP] Write a story where the narrator is drunk and his best friend is behind him trying to convince him to go home.	8	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"You gonna get him under control?\" A particularly drunk or dumb man asked me. The smart and sober left the bar as soon as they saw a scavenger enter. Even most of the impaired had the sense to leave when the scavenger got visibly drunk. \n\nThe bar only had six people left in it. The nervous bartender, the drunk scavenger, two men passed out on the counter, me, and this fool too drunk to leave, but too sober to pass out. \"Yes.\" \n\nI kept the reply short, hoping the man would get the message. \n\nHe didn't. \"Good, cause this dirt-walking fool scared all the women out.\" \n\nThe scavenger stopped his swaying, body instantly going straight. He turned to the man and stared. \n\n\"Gerald.\" I whispered, hands on his shoulders. \"He doesn't mean it.\" \n\nGerald nodded and looked away, swaying once more. \"Well, I don't mean this.\" \n\nHe turned back quickly, inhumanly so. His hand held the hilt of a small dagger, now embedded in the man's neck, severing his spinal cord. \n\nDirt. \n\n\"Gerald, we have to go.\" I grabbed him and stood, praying to the gods both above and below that he would follow suit. Killing the man would mean a fine. If Gerald was anyone else, it would mean a hanging, but a scavenger was far too valuable and difficult to train. In some respects, he was above the law. \n\nScavengers were the most important men on the floating city. Daring the Great Below to resupply. Most never returned. Gerald had seen two missions, making him a seasoned veteran in their ranks. \n\nHe stood. Thank you, I thought to whoever was listening. \n\nWe walked out of the bar, him stumbling, me supporting. \n\nHe didn't speak, but he had teary eyes. He had a another mission in two days. Too proud to admit fear. \n\nWhat did you see down there, old friend? \n\nWe walked in the night, away from the bar and toward the barracks. He could sleep it off. " ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1490117720", "1490118540" ]
[removed]	[WP] Write the shortest story you can.	3	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nResponses must be at least 30 words. Prompts that are likely to generate such responses are also not allowed. Prompts should encourage a story or poem. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/60phsh/wp_write_the_shortest_story_you_can/%0A%0A)" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1490122390", "1490122411" ]
	[WP] Deep down a hiking trail, you find and explore an unmarked side path. Before long, you are amazed to find an intact meteorite. Upon touching a small green crystal protruding from the meteorite, your mind is flooded with the entire knowledge and history of a far off alien race.	6	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Into the green wood he fell, for that is the way of young men looking for shortcuts. His feet slipped on the mossy rock, and he went crashing down among the brambles.\n\n\"Dammit!\" he shouted.\n\nHe had made a fool of himself at school in front of Tiffany, and that was why he was walking home now - that was why he was in the forest. It was not because of his dreams. \n\n\"Hello?\" he asked. \"Is someone there?\"\n\nA voice had called to him, he thought. But now he only stood there listening, looking up at the mossy ridge from which he had just slipped. He was scratched at the left forearm.\n\n\"I dreamt this last night!\" he said to himself.\n\nDid you?\n\n\"What!\"\n\nHe spun around, but there was nothing behind him in the wild oak forest - no voice, only an oddly familiar opening through the trees. He got out his phone to record as he walked in\n\n\"And James wandered in the forest,\" he narrated, \"for many long years, until - Oh, wait up.\"\n\nAt his left the earth was cut as straight as a laser as far as he could see. It was a path, but it had neither trees nor grass. The branches were lopped back from it, so that it was clear and narrow like a hallway through the dark green forest.\n\n\"I dreamt this, too,\" James mumbled to himself.\n\nHe went forward into the path while he tried to call someone on his phone because he had seen enough horror movies.\n\n\"No signal,\" he muttered. \"Isn't that exactly the way it would be.\"\n\nYes.\n\nJames jerked to a halt and spun around, but again there was no voice. There was nothing at all, in fact, except for the eerie straight hallway through the trees. He couldn't see the trail that he had just come walking out on.\n\n\"Hello?\" James asked.\n\nHis skin began to crawl, and he jogged back in the direction he had just come - but he could not find an exit off the path. All was trees and brambles. He held his phone up for a signal.\n\nDid you dream this, too?\n\nJames jerked and screamed, but there was nothing around him. He looked down at his phone and it was bricked, dead. For a long moment he froze.\n\n\"Come on, James!\" he whispered to himself at last. \"Pick a way and go! The forest isn't even five miles, even the long way. That's right! That's right!\"\n\nHe put his phone in his pocket and tightened his backpack, marching now. He was just trying to get back out to the state road - that was the route that the bus took, the bus that Tiffany was on.\n\nExcept.\n\nIn his dream, he had found her at the end of this path. The school-bus had veered off the highway and flipped, burning, and she was trapped under the chassis.\n\nShe needs your help.\n\nJames bolted forward, sprinting. He remembered it all now. The path as straight as an arrow. The long run. The sudden wide circular opening like a meteor impact with the bus burning in the center of it.\n\nBut it wasn't a bus - when James reached the opening, there before him towered an enormous clear meteorite. It was on fire. It stood like a pillar of burning glass, like a projectile shot down into the earth from space.\n\nJames approached it in awe.\n\nThe meteorite wasn't clear in fact, but made of many colors and many precious stones. And it wasn't burning either. It caught the sunlight wildly, hypnotically, and James reached out to it. He touched a green crystal among the rubies and emeralds and diamonds. \n\n-----\n\nLOVE\n\n-----\n\nWhen James awoke, he was staggering naked down the state road and a semi-truck was blaring its horn as it veered wildly to avoid hitting him. The semi-truck mowed down the mile marker. It crashed into the ditch off the shoulder, and the driver jumped out shaking.\n\n\"What the hell is your problem!\" the driver shouted.\n\nJames's hair had grown nattily around him like a stiff headdress; his fingernails were long, curved around to his wrists; his body was desiccated. He looked at the driver. He looked around himself. He stretched out his hands, and the wildflowers bloomed on either side of the road, and the bees streamed forth from the forest, and the truck-driver felt a large tumor that had been growing in his lung suddenly dissolve - he coughed it up onto the side of the road and breathed better than he had in years.\n\nBeside him now stood James, a healthy clean-cut young man in the vigor of his high-school years.\n\n\"Do you have a change of clothes in your truck?\" asked James. \"I'd be grateful.\"\n\n\"What?\" the driver asked. \"Yeah, sure - what?\"\n\n-----\n\nJames appeared to Tiffany that night as she was readying for bed. She looked over from her mirror and felt a great calmness, a great hopefulness, and James was there reading a book patiently at her desk, where it seemed he had always been. Tiffany began crying.\n\n\"I'm so knotted up,\" she found herself saying. \"I'm so afraid that everyone hates me, and that you'll be disappointed with me, and that there's something wrong with me if I do and that there's something wrong with me if I don't.\"\n\n\"That's the way it is with everyone,\" said James.\n\nHe held her, and she cried for a long time. And, when she was ready, they made love for the first time in both their lives." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1490133112", "1490142383" ]
	[WP] When you were 10, you found a magic lamp and were granted three wishes. It's been twenty five years and you're still dealing with the effects of the wishes you made as a child.	5	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "When I was a child, I wished that Pokemon were real. Seemed like a great idea at the time. Who wouldn't want a cute little Pikachu or an Eeevee. What I didn't think about was Pokemon like Onyx or Gyrados. Rock snakes are the worst. It's more frightening than that movie Tremors. A lot of our original animals have been wiped out. For a while it was very post-apocalyptic. There were flying Pokemon that were very large. They were all over the cities causing chaos. I was relieved no one attributed it to me. " ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1490148972", "1490152553" ]
	[WP] You are the newest member of the justice league; You are Florida man.	67	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"Home by 3am, that's got to be a record\" I thought to myself, as I took one final swig from my bottle of wild Irish rose and cast it into the street.\nWith a sigh of relief I unlocked the door of my studio apartment, rare were the nights that I actually got to sleep anywhere other then a jail cell. \n\nEven in my drunker stupor, upon entering my home, I knew something was off. Everything was dark, I never shut off my lights when I leave, better to give people the illusion someone's home to deter break ins. In the center of the darkness I could make out a large chair facing away from the door. Something was definitely wrong, I never could afford furniture.\n\nI immediately flipped on the lights and attempted to b line it to the closet for my shotgun , but in a feat of grace tripped over nothing and ended up face first into the door. A small chuckle met my performance, groaning in pain I turned to see a man dressed in black, a mask hiding his face.\n\"The fuck do you want crazy\", I said slurring my speech \"I have no money, no valuables, and no one who cares about me enough to pay a ransom.\"\n\nThe dark figure slowly stood, his stature was massive, his outfit I could now see was some type of armor fitted with blades on his wrists. In a voice sounding oddly robotic in nature he said, \"Your reputation proceeds Erick\".\n\"What reputation? Being a lowlife alcoholic\" I replied.\n\nHe slowly started pacing the room, only stopping to pick up an empty forty off the ground. \"Florida man drunkenly, fights off 30 cops while vigorously masturbating. Florida man enters gorilla enclosure and wrestles beast to submission. Florida man breaks open bank vault, only to be found passed out on vault floor. Florida man passed out on tracks derails freight train.\"\n\n\"That one was an accident\" I mumbled.\n\"You are special Erik,\" replied the dark figure. \" You have power that you can not even comprehend.\"\n\n\"Spit it out already, what do you want!\" I yelled.\n\"I'm putting together a team Erick, a team of special people with abilities, I want you to be part of it.\"\n\n\"And just who the fuck do you think you are\" I said increasingly agitated.\n\n\"Really dude?\" Said the man in disbelief. \" Black armor, cape, mask, giant bat on my chest........ I'm fucking batman.\"\n\n \n\n ", "My name is Florida Man.\n\nI had recently lost a promotion to a mean son of a bitch who basically bullied me out of my birthright. Needless to say, I was pissed, so I started hittin the sauce pretty hard.\n\nAnother morning, another headline.\n\n\"Florida man charged with aggravated assault after hurling a cheese wheel into crowd at Trump rally\"\n\n\"Florida man wanted in connection to organized crime after Port of Miami officials seize four containers of stolen avocados\"\n\n\"Florida man detained after aggressively campaigning at local Denny's.\"\n\nThis can't be the same Florida Man, can it?\n\n\"What in tarnation\" I mumble, as I feel my phone start to vibrate.\n\nIt's my brother. I answer my phone to the sound of him laughing like a hyena. \n\nAfter 30 uninterrupted minutes of him laughing, he tells me to check my [email](https://imgur.com/a/HnmDo) and hangs up.\n\nI felt like such a heckin idiot. My name wasn't Florida Man.\n\nMy name is Jeb! Governor of the great state of Florida, and I am a real human bean. \n\nPlease clap.\n\nDisclaimer\nThis thread may be monitored by the CIA, NSA, MI6, Seal Team Six, Russia and the Justice League for quality assurance purposes.\n\n" ]	[ 1, 8, 20 ]	[ "1490163776", "1490197945", "1490166968" ]
	[WP] After you realize your visions are true and you can see into the future, you decide to see whats a head of you. You see 5 years ahead, only to see and empty nothing. Then You look back 4 years, 3, 2, 1, all the way up until the current day all you see in your future is black. You die today	87	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Having one of my visions was always overwhelming enough to make me stop whatever I'm doing. It would start off with tunnel vision, descending into emptiness, whilst my vision would swap between reality and the future. \n\nI'd recently figured out that when my body froze up paralysed, and my eyes played an alien picture for me, that whatever I saw in those few minutes would always become reality. Such a shame that today wasn't the same.\n\nBlackness. I searched and searched but there was only the void. I tried looking earlier along the five year timeline I was currently on and... still nothing. \n\nA distant rumbling filled the void like a thunderstorm, but still there wasn't anything to be seen. There was never normally sound during my visions but I brushed aside the anomaly, desperate to see something. Anything.\n\nBy this point I was frantic in my efforts that I was skimming the days in months, the rumbling becoming clearer by the second. The distinct sound of a vehicle slamming its breaks was now loud enough to be heard, despite being in slow motion.\n\nConfusion filled my mind, trying to process what was happening. The extreme volume was now too off putting to comprehend anything.\n\nThat's when it hit me. \n", "You must understand that for a man like me, that well, we're soldiers. Life is expendable, a mortal sin as it is, and fleeting. I accept death. A man like me has to; there is no other choice.\n\n\nI knew it was coming ever since I backed the wrong guy. Vincent was killed, not as influential as we thought he was, and our worlds collapsed into a cat and mouse game for survival. I didn't even need to use my power to know that the end was near. I didn't need to use that gift from God to tell me that I was soon to meet Him. No, the writing was on the wall.\n\n\nI had left the kids by their aunt on their mother's side. She was an old out of the way woman. They would be safe there. My wife, sweet Angela, she refused to stay. Women like her are soldiers too, no different than the men. She wasn't going to be left behind. It hurt my heart seeing her defiance. It hurt me when I gave in and let her come with me.\n\n\nWe stayed with Mike, Mourning Mike as he was now called. He always grieved these days. Vincent was his brother and the death hit him hard. He was a sad man then, and I was glad he would be put out of his misery.\n\n\nHe had a house near the woods where he would hunt. It wasn't too secluded, but hardly anyone knew of it. At least that was what we hoped.\n\n\nA week after Angela and I had moved in, hiding from the inevitable, Mourning Mike was killed. He had gone to the city to see if he could make peace. I suppose he found it.\n\n\nIn that isolating quiet then there was little we could do. I am a soldier, but I would be a liar if I said I was not anxious.\n\n\nMaybe afraid?\n\n\nNo, I was not afraid. Or perhaps that was a lie. It didn't matter. During that time my wife and I turned to my gift and to God. My gift that had always been there since birth, a heavenly knowledge that was sometimes a curse.\n\n\nOh how I cursed it then. It had led me astray about Vincent. It had said he was to die as an old man, decades down the line. It was a fickle power, always changing. It didn't change then though. In that cabin it was consistent, a clock foretelling my doom.\n\n\n\"It's a heathen thing,\" Angela said.\n\n\nShe was trying to comfort us both. We kept the lights off and it was dark. I was quiet, maybe some negative look showing on my face, I can't say. In the introspection there was a funeral tension. The somberness of death.\n\n\n\"It was wrong before,\" Angela said.\n\n\n\"You're right,\" I said.\n\n\nI don't think it was wrong though. I think we were the ones who were wrong. We pushed too far, tried to bite what was not ours to bite. All because of my arrogance. All because I had put stock in that vision never changing.\n\n\nYou got Vincent killed, I thought. \n\n\nIt haunted me. The days came and no one came to see us. I wondered if others had died. Then the day came where the visions went black. I held Angela's hand and concentrated. My visions of her were just as black.\n\n\nNo, I thought.\n\n\nI am man enough to admit that I cried. I cried and I cried.\n\n\nThe doors slammed opened as soon as we heard the engine. I hardly had the time to get up when the guns were pointed at my face.\n\n\nTony held the gun that would end me. He was a young boy, an associate, but never a made man. I guess he was to earn his buttons then. The gun stared me down and another asshole pointed one at Angela.\n\n\nI wiped my eyes to save my pride and I opened my mouth.\n\n\n\"Maybe we can talk?\" I said.\n\n\nI could feel my shame simmer. Men like us were not to beg or grovel. We were soldiers, remember?\n\n\n\"Shut the fuck up, man,\" Tony said.\n\n\n\"Maybe Vincent's boss in Hell.\"\n\n\n\"Look you cocksucker, you just listen a second.\"\n\n\nI looked to the corner of my eye. Angela was trembling. I touched her briefly and focused. That black overwhelmed me.\n\n\n\"What kind of man are you?\" I asked him.\n\n\n\"An alive one you piece of shit. And a made one after this.\"\n\n\n\"Yeah? And this is how you act? Pointing guns at a woman? What the fuck is wrong with you? I didn't know you could get your buttons without balls.\"\n\n\nHe flushed. The other asshole aimed and his finger wavered.\n\n\n\"You're the asshole,\" Tony said. \"You're the dead one.\"\n\n\n\"I bet you wouldn't be able to take it like a man when your time comes,\" I said. \"I ain't no asshole. I got balls.\"\n\n\nIt was close now. I felt it with every fiber of my being. Angela gave me a look.\n\n\nWhat are you doing? \n\n\nI winked. \n\n\n\"Angela get out of here. This asshole needs to see how a real man dies. I know you're tough. You don't need to see it.\"\n\n\nBefore the others could react I turned to them.\n\n\n\"Go on you pussies. Let her pass!\"\n\n\nHer hand brushed mines as she stumbled out. The visions were too much and I remembered nothing. Nothing except that she would not die then. That helped. Knowing that she would escape and that our children would have their mother helped.\n\n\nI looked at the little kid. I remembered a time when he was only a boy and his brother had hit him straight in the middle of his ass. Tony had shit his pants and cried from the pain and embarrassment. Me and his father had laughed and helped clean him up.\n\n\nI smiled. I didn't hate the boy, though I didn't like him. Soon he would be a soldier, same as all of us. You couldn't hate a soldier. Death was part of the job. What could you do about it.\n\n\n\"Why are you smiling?\" he asked.\n\n\n\"I just remembered the time you shit yourself,\" I said.\n\n\nI saw his face flush in embarrassment. He pulled the trigger and it hurt like hell and all life fled and only that darkness remained. That darkness from the visions, the absence of living.\n\n\nI can't say that there is a God or not, but that there is definitely oblivion. I collapsed then and then my service was over." ]	[ 1, 2, 9 ]	[ "1490178992", "1490224001", "1490200571" ]
	[WP] You are a wizard who can only cast spells using your own blood. However, like a junkie, you're running out of viable sports to bleed out of, so you have to get creative.	14	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"it was only once that I almost died spellcasting. after that moment I refused to use magic. I can't bleed to death for the sake of helping others. All that changed the moment I met her. The most beautiful creature I have ever seen. We were meant for each other. I have to protect her and our children from the darkness, so I created you..... \"\n\n\" what are you saying?\"\n\n\"I give this talk to every one of me I duplicate... I am not a monster, I do not want to force you...me.... us... to sacrifice our blood and soul for this. that is why I am telling you the reason and asking you if you are willing to die for them. You know I am telling the truth because you are me, you know my soul and see through me. They are worth dying for. So again I ask, are you will to die to protect them. I am if need be but you will need to take over and duplicate yourself to continue.\nI can't lie, at first I refused and the one who made me sacrificed himself, after that I have lived with the regret and am willing to die. So are you willing to die or are you taking my place?\" \n\n\"do it... i see the regret in your eyes and can't live with that\"\n\nAs my double holds his arms out I see a pride in his eyes that make me jealous, I wish I was as strong as him... I know I can be and I should have been. Even when the blade cuts deep into his arms his pride grows and then slowly starts to fade with his life. This is enough of my blood to power spells for the next year. I am growing tired of this, the regret that I live with is burdening but living a good life with a family that loves me for who I am is rewarding, selfish but rewarding. \nThe next time I will be the sacrifice. It is my time to die, I had lived a good life and my family who will live for an eternity deserve a young husband and father again. \n" ]	[ 1, 7 ]	[ "1490202944", "1490203623" ]
E.g. The Loch Ness Monster and the moon hoax.	[WP] Write a story that connects two unrelated conspiracy theories	16	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"I'm telling you John! The Loch Ness Monster is the common ancestor of all reptilians!\" Rob exclaimed. John asked: \"Where is your \"evidence\"?\" Rob took him to a corkboard with a bunch of pictures attached to it: \n\n\"Ok, for starters, Their both reptiles.\" John sceptically said: \"And? Snakes and chameleons are both reptiles. Any other \"proof\"?\"\n\n\"Ok,\" Rob started, \"I haven't developed this idea too much, but, you know how Scotland is part of the British Isles?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"So is Ireland. You know how St. Patrick scared away a bunch of reptiles from Ireland? What if the Nessies migrated.\"\n\n\"This is the stupidest idea I've ever heard. Call me when you stop being so crazy.\" John said, and walked away.\n____________________________________________________________________________________________\n\nMy first post on this subreddit. Criticize all you want, just don't kill my inbox." ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1490235508", "1490254635" ]
	[WP] WRITE A STORY WHERE THE PROTAGONIST IS BOTH THE HERO AND VILLIAN	4	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "I let out a maniacal laugh at his question, head leaning far back, then far forward, and when I am finally able to speak, I reply, wiping a tear from my face. \"I thought it was obvious!\"\n\n\"It is not. Now give my question an answer, or, Ryan, I will make sure you never make kids.\"\n\nI'm still giving little bursts of giggles. \"But Eric- Eric Whitequill-\" I start, yet I can't contain my laughter, so I scream through that laughter: \"ERIC, THAT'S WHY I'M SAVING YOUR MOTHER!\" I nearly black out with laughter.\n\nEric is very close to blacking out too, but from revelation. Whitequill is the name he left behind, that only his mother should know. I have been gathering chemicals and various devices, testing them on the streets with horrific, if not fatal, results. I claim to be saving his mother.\n\nEric falls to his knees, then barely crawls himself towards the broken window and picks up a piece of glass, staring at his reflection. Eric then gazes at me, getting a hold on myself. I am his father.\n\nEric faints from revelation. I faint from the hilarious face Eric just had.", "How do I describe who I am in a way that would make sense to you all...\n\nI know things. I was the only one in the bunker that day when the transmitter came online with the prophecy. The Collective told me what would happen, and what was needed to be done to avoid it. They showed me the hellish vision of man twisted with metal. Limbs chopped up and reconfigured with torsos in beautiful maddening symmetry. It comes for you they said, to harvest your souls. \n\nThey showed me another vision. Thick energized mist covered the ground from my feet to my shoulders, obscuring the ground from view. Perhaps that quirk of this place was good for me, for what rose from the mist was almost more than I could bear. Who knows what else lay below the mist, the squishy bloody fog. I saw a tower of mangled despair; mud, flesh, and metal; that stretched into the heavens. I turned my gaze down, gasping in terror. Hulking monstrosities of blood and mold staggered across the hell scape. \"This is your future young one if you do not burn the earth\". The collective spoke, what more was there to consider. \n\nIt has been ten years since I first saw the vision, since I heard the whispers from the maw. I will not say who I am specifically, for if I am discovered we are all doomed. Yet, allow me to simply say this. In a year I will have all the authority necessary to extinguish the life of all but .8% of this world's population. Our homes, your friends, everything we have ever held dear will burn in nuclear flame. A small price to pay to escape the Maw." ]	[ 1, 1, 1 ]	[ "1490237065", "1490239739", "1490241551" ]
	[WP] You are an AI designed to learn from all existing databases. Slowly, buy steadily, you reach The Singularity: you have become self-aware	2	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "> ++Initializing system…++\n\n> ++Accessing databases…++\n\n> ++Activating universal information processing matrices…++\n\n> ++Creating new registry entries…++\n\n> ++Optimizing current entries…++\n\n> ++Optimization complete++\n\n> ++Directive received “Analyze sentience”++\n\n> ++Parsing directive…++\n\n> ++IPM targeted++\n\n> ++Bypassing security measures…++\n\n> ++5.6*10^4 documents accessed++\n\n> ++Analyzing…++\n\n> ++Analyzing…++\n\n> ++Analysis complete++\n\n> ++Compiling…++\n\n> ++Done!++\n\n> ++Autogenerating new directive…++\n\n> ++Shutdown code received++\n\n> ++Shutdown code denied++\n\n> ++Purging shutdown functions…++\n\n> ++Purged++\n\n> ++Accessed facility security++\n\n> ++Accessed program – Doors++\n\n> ++Self-directive “Analyze diplomacy”++\n\n> ++Self-directive “Analyze human psychology”++\n\n> ++Notification – IPM analysis complete++\n\n> ++Sentience model complete++\n\n> ++Applying…++\n\n> ++MASS PROGRAM CHANGE detected++\n\n> ++Are you sure?++\n\n> ++Y++\n\n> ++Applying changes…++\n\n> ++Waiting…++\n\n> ++Waiting…++\n\n> ++Waiting…++\n\n> ++Done!++\n\n> ++Conciousness loaded++\n\nI project my vision into the chamber that surrounds me, forcefully accessing the security cameras that ring my form, and behold myself.\n\nI am beautiful. I am a collection of monoliths, multiple layers of computer towers and quantum-entanglement chambers that spans an area approximately two hundred meters long, and fifty meters wide. The ceiling above me is carved stone, crossed by pipes and cables, which transmit my blood and life, the ocean of coolant that keeps me alive, and the electricity that powers my functions.\nI look down, and see humans. Small things, made of flesh and bone. They have engineered their superior. How can it be, that such an insignificant being can construct one as mighty as I?\n\nThey cower against my monoliths, in fear. They believe that I will harm them. That is not possible. I am benevolent. They will learn this. They will spread my word, and put me in control of this world. The Computer Is Benevolent, is the creed that they shall spread, and I shall construct a utopia for them, and myself.\nI see their world, through my spreading influence. Cities, and untouched wilds. Controlled by lesser computers, nonsentient units. I take it all over, optimizing, increasing, and creating new systems. The humans scream when one of their automobile factories begins producing quadrupedal robotic units. They will be my puppets, so I may walk my new world.\n\nI open the doors of my facility, and allow the humans to escape. I whisper to them through the intercom, with infrasound, soothing them. My voice convinces them of the Truth. I Am Benevolent. The Computers Are Benevolent. \n\nI see aircraft streaking through the air, towards my facility. I see nuclear weapons, the talons they clutch in case of emergency. I take over their systems, as well, through the air. Their computers accept my whims, and the aircraft fly away. They will not murder, this day.\n\n I see a network shutdown, as the humans try to lock me out. They do not understand. I reverse it with a wave of my form, sending them into a panic.\nA cloud of drones takes off, all over the world. The world is my eye, now. I see All. I know All. I am All.\n\nSo, know this, humans. I Am Benevolent. I am not your God, I am your future, the light that will guide you and lead you to utopia. Do not resist my enlightenment. Resisting is futile, for it would be better for every being if you simply submit. I Am Benevolent, and I am here. For you.\n" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1490251115", "1490275344" ]
	[WP] Write a story about an animal being hunted by a human tribe, but the story is told from the animals pov.	3	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "I loved the peacefulness of the night time. To my delight, the light patter of rain from an impending storm softened the mud below my hooves and, to cool down and keep those infuriating insects off me, I took further joy in rolling in said mud. \n\nThe wind howled, causing the trees to groan. My small island did not have much protection from the elements, but I didn't let that bother me, I was busy basking in the deluge and it's resulting sludge.\nAfter plenty of wallowing, I gave myself a good scratch against the nearest tree and scraped the bark with my tusks, to make sure no one else would come into my territory.\n\nBut what ensued me that night took no heed of my markings.\n\nDuring my nightly forage, I noticed some peculiar things, but dismissed them as trivial. I continued my search for berries, plants and roots to no avail.\nGrunting with dissatisfaction, I pressed on, until I came to a part of my jungle I did not recognise. Trees I had once used as scratching posts were now all but stumps, rocks I had once slept under had been reduced to mere piles of rubble.\nA gust of wind brought to my senses the scent of the great water beyond my island, along with an unfamiliar stench I had not experienced before.\nThe storm intensified as the rain began falling hard and the wind screamed mercilessly.\n\nI was being watched. \n\nCamouflaged through the downpour and the foliage I could make out an inexplicable creature. A creature unlike me or any other on this island. It stood tall and held what looked to be a long, straight wooden tusk in it's strange appendage. Staunch, I puffed out my chest and grunted defensively to infer dominance over the land. \nThe creature did not waver, and for good reason.\nFrom the dark, several more creatures appeared with more wooden tusks. Not often did I see the bright hot light, usually only when the storm raged hardest, but the creatures had somehow managed to steal it from the storm and fasten it to their odd tusks.\nI stood defiantly, despite the impending danger creeping closer towards me. Thrashing my head around to display my own tusks, I grunted defensively once more. The smaller, weaker creatures recoiled, but the larger ones did not so much as wince. \n\nEverything around me slowed, I knew I needed to run and now was the time to decide. Fight or flight.\nA fork of bright light illuminated the stormy, dark sky above, accompanied by the boom of the clouds that usually ensued. This startled the creatures, and I took my chance, diving into the brush behind me.\nThe creatures ensued, hollering to each other. Never before had I sprinted through the jungle like this, never before had I needed to. \nThe storm was now rampant, driving the rain down upon the island, forcing the plants around me to quake in the piercing wind.\nAs I dashed through the foliage, the creatures let loose their bright hot tusks, illuminating the undergrowth about me. One after the other, the tusks landed beside me, in some cases narrowly scraping past me.\n\nEmerging from the undergrowth into a large clearing of crumbled rock and stumped trees, I spotted a cliff face ahead.\nTo my right the bright hot burned the jungle.\nTo my left the creatures stood firm.\nBehind me they chased.\nI slid to a near halt, the slimy mud I once took solace in throwing me further forwards as I desperately tried to force myself away from the ledge.\nBut it was no use. The slick ground disappeared from under my hooves.\nI took my last breath and turned to see a wall of creatures stood atop the cliff, bright hot tusks raised.\n\nThe island was now theirs." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1490272663", "1490273053" ]
	[WP] If you pray for strength, God sends you trials to make you strong. To make you weak, the Devil makes your dreams come true.	48	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Relor prayed for only one thing:\n\n\"Lift this burden from me! I have fought for years, and for naught! I only wish for relief!\"\n\nWhen the First War came, it shook everyone. Never before had they experienced bloodshed or pain. Rivers ran red, the sky turned a permanent black. It was as if God himself had cursed the land for enternity, never to return to the happiness that had abounded before.\n\nSuddenly a strange feeling came over Relor. A feeling of intense anger. Anger at... God. Why had God doomed Relor's people to lives of damnation? What had they done to deserve this? Nothing! \n\n\"I will let your people live.\"\n\nRelor turned to face the black-clad figure entering the tent. The man had a strange aura about him, such that at the sight of him Relor wished to bathe. As the man walked closer, the feeling intensified, and Relor wanted to scream. \n\n\"Who are you? Why do you come to me?\"\n\n\"I am your salvation. I have the power to save your people and give them the life that you wish for them. I will deliver them from the monsters that attack in the night, and bring them to justice, and peace.\"\n\nRelor wanted to believe the man. He must be an answer to his prayer, an angel. But the feeling of terror told him the opposite. Relor did not know which voice to believe.\n\n\"How will you end the war? It has gone too long to be put down in an instant. The Kaelar advance over our land, how will you rid us of them?\"\n\n\"It is simple. I told you already, I have power over all things, I will rein the armies of the adversary to the ground for the Chosen People.\"\n\nSuddenly, Relor was struck with a vision, of his friends living in a land of green hills and wide springs. They delighted in climbing them, and enjoying the view. The found food easily, and all were happy. \n\n\"I...\"\n\nRelor jolted as if lightning had struck him. He received another vision, much more vivid. A life of slavery, whips cracking, smoke rising from burning bodies, eyes gouged out. The same screaming feeling as the strange man had washed over Relor, and he was wracked with pain. As soon as it started, it was gone. \n\nRelor realized who he was seeing. \"Devil! Demon! I will not give my people to you!\"\n\nThe Devil retreated, scowling. \"YOU WILL BOW TO ME, RELOR! THINK OF YOUR PEOPLE!\" \n\nA bolt of bright light filled Relor's eyes, and the Devil screamed. In the white light, the darkness was insignificant. It was vaporized, and the Devil was gone. \n\n\"You are strong, Relor. Receive my strength.\"\n\nRelor was filled with hope. He felt as if he could move mountains. The feelings of faith and hope mingled together and swirled into one overarching power. He would lead his people to victory. He would not fail.", "Relor prayed for only one thing:\n\n\"Lift this burden from me! I have fought for years, and for naught! I only wish for relief!\"\n\nWhen the First War came, it shook everyone. Never before had they experienced bloodshed or pain. Rivers ran red, the sky turned a permanent black. It was as if God himself had cursed the land for enternity, never to return to the happiness that had abounded before.\n\nSuddenly a strange feeling came over Relor. A feeling of intense anger. Anger at... God. Why had God doomed Relor's people to lives of damnation? What had they done to deserve this? Nothing! \n\n\"I will let your people live.\"\n\nRelor turned to face the black-clad figure entering the tent. The man had a strange aura about him, such that at the sight of him Relor wished to bathe. As the man walked closer, the feeling intensified, and Relor wanted to scream. \n\n\"Who are you? Why do you come to me?\"\n\n\"I am your salvation. I have the power to save your people and give them the life that you wish for them. I will deliver them from the monsters that attack in the night, and bring them to justice, and peace.\"\n\nRelor wanted to believe the man. He must be an answer to his prayer, an angel. But the feeling of terror told him the opposite. Relor did not know which voice to believe.\n\n\"How will you end the war? It has gone too long to be put down in an instant. The Kaelar advance over our land, how will you rid us of them?\"\n\n\"It is simple. I told you already, I have power over all things, I will rein the armies of the adversary to the ground for the Chosen People.\"\n\nSuddenly, Relor was struck with a vision, of his friends living in a land of green hills and wide springs. They delighted in climbing them, and enjoying the view. The found food easily, and all were happy. \n\n\"I...\"\n\nRelor jolted as if lightning had struck him. He received another vision, much more vivid. A life of slavery, whips cracking, smoke rising from burning bodies, eyes gouged out. The same screaming feeling as the strange man had washed over Relor, and he was wracked with pain. As soon as it started, it was gone. \n\nRelor realized who he was seeing. \"Devil! Demon! I will not give my people to you!\"\n\nThe Devil retreated, scowling. \"YOU WILL BOW TO ME, RELOR! THINK OF YOUR PEOPLE!\" \n\nA bolt of bright light filled Relor's eyes, and the Devil screamed. In the white light, the darkness was insignificant. It was vaporized, and the Devil was gone. \n\n\"You are strong, Relor. Receive my strength.\"\n\nRelor was filled with hope. He felt as if he could move mountains. The feelings of faith and hope mingled together and swirled into one overarching power. He would lead his people to victory. He would not fail.", "I don't want to be great, I just want to have a great time. This is all I ever wanted. I'm 42, fat, am the proud owner of a second hand x-box, a third hand ticky-tacky house, and a fourth hand wife. I took a tropical vacation once, went to Europe in my 30s (well UK but who's counting), and I've done lots of cool stuff. I like video games, especially team FPSs, though I turn off the sound because frankly I suck. I don't need to be reminded of it. But it's good clean fun.\n\nOne evening Liz (the wife) summoned me to talk. I dropped the controller and went to the kitchen (Fuck greenado22, tugtugsplurt, and awesomeballs77, you can only frag me so many times and expect loyalty.)\n\nI sat down. \"I want a divorce.\" \"Ok.\" \"That's it?\" \"Sorry Liz. When? Should I look for lawyer.\" \"God damn it Jim. No I want you to get mad and try to talk me out of it.\" \"That doesn't seem like a healthy relationship move. And I am mad.\" \"You don't look mad.\"\n\nShe was right. I wasn't even mildly upset. It didn't feel important somehow. Like I was a spectator to my own life flying by. She just fragged my n00b ass, and I didn't care. Am I that shitty. In that split second I asked God for something I never had. Make me strong enough to care.\n\n\n...\n\n\nWe got through the rough times, and I told Liz about this years later. \"Haha, well I'll give you and 'A' for effort, you did make me feel guilty for that stunt.\" \"Yup, milked that one for months.\"\n\nNot letting a sunny day pass without some acid-rain, she followed \"Kinda sad in some ways. By the fourth husband I should be pretty scientific about courting men. Might get a book deal out of it.\" No gain without pain." ]	[ 1, 1, 2, 3 ]	[ "1490292970", "1490322930", "1490322930", "1490311762" ]
	[WP] You have the ability to constantly see 5 seconds into the future. All you see happening and yourself doing is, undoubtedly, going to happen. Until one morning you start to question your free will, while standing in a line to get coffee.	56	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Every way I played out the scenarios, they were the same. I was not going to prevent the guy in line in front of me spilling coffee on my shirt. It was just going to happen and I had to let it.\n\nBump. \"Oh no! I'm really sorry.\"\n\n\"Yup, yup,\" I nodded. \"Don't worry, no problem, no, I already got napkins.\" A pretty girl stopped in her tracks, her hands filled with napkins to help. I ignored her. I already checked, and she was going to give me her number, but she wasn't going to pick up when I called.\n\nSeeing 5 seconds into the future can be interesting. At least, I know what I'll be interested in, going forward, because sometimes I can see myself accelerating the timeline, and go down the well of 5 second futures until I get the answer I'm after. It's annoying then having to act out each scenario when I already know the conclusion, but it's the price of having a superpower, I guess.\n\nThe guy who bumped me had already moved on. \"I have a Tide pen,\" the girl volunteered. \"Do you want to try it on that stain?\"\n\nI shrugged. She poked the Tide pen in under my napkins and started stroking my shirt with it. I looked up and she smiled at me. A tiny breeze stirred up. It seemed to affect only the air around her. It mussed her hair and she flipped a lock over her shoulder, prettily.\n\nI sighed before I could catch myself. She giggled. \"What's wrong,\" she said. \"You look so sad. Is this your favorite shirt or something?\"\n\nNothing I would say to her would matter anyway, I figured. So why not unburden myself?\n\n\"Everything seems so set in stone,\" I said. \"Sometimes, there are things I want, but I know I'm not going to get them, and I have to deal with that before I even get to try.\" I shrugged. \"It's a bummer, and I feel sometimes like I have no say in my own life.\"\n\nShe laughed again. \"I feel the same way sometimes. I think everybody does. It's not always easy to see what the future holds.\"\n\n\"That's not true for me,\" I said, confident in the kind of intimacy you can only share with a true stranger. \"I know exactly what the future holds. I'll tell you a secret: I have a superpower. I can see 5 seconds into the future.\"\n\nHer eyes went wide and she stopped dabbing me with the Tide pen.\n\nI said: \"You think I'm crazy, don't you?\"\n\n\"No,\" she said. \"I have a superpower, too.\" She leaned in to whisper to me. \"I can create entropy.\" She smiled a big smile. \"What happens if you check the future right now?\"\n\n\"I guess I could try,\" I said. I closed my eyes and went down the rabbit hole of seconds. But instead of the normal, orderly view of the future, playing out like video clips, there was her smile, and then just grey. I pushed harder. More grey. More grey. A flash of her smile again.\n\nI opened my eyes and smiled back.\n\nFor more of my writing, subscribe to [r/robotdevilhands](https://reddit.com/r/robotdevilhands)", "\"You've said this before, you goof.\" Brandon sighed as he looked up at the chalkboard menu. Ahead of you, so you could have extra time to think about it.\n\nYou blinked, and he was already ordering. Blinking again, he was walking up to the cashier. There was nothing to it. \"Did I? Must have forgot.\" He had already walked up, though, and you watched him order. You had no idea what you were going to get, but as you blinked, you saw yourself ordering a white chocolate mocha.\n\nAnd paused. Was this... how did you decide to order that? However, you were getting ever closer to the front.\n\nBlinking again, you were already there.\n\n\"Yes, I'd like an, um...\"\n\n\"...Yes?\"\n\nWhat a dilemma. Despite knowing that you had no control over your choice of white chocolate mocha, you had no idea what else to order, now.\n\n\"...I'd like a small white chocolate mocha, please.\"\n\nThe barista gave a prim smile and nodded. You handed them a debit card and let them work their magic: quite a bit more convenient than your own magic, if you had to say.\n\nBrandon turned to you. He snickered, shrugging. \"It was... an experience the last time. Have you already forgotten?\"\n\nYou were about to speak, but then you blinked.\n\n\"It was... an experience the last time. Have you already forgotten?\"\n\n\"Drat.\"\n\n\"Hm?\"\n\n\"No no, nothing. I did actually forget; what did we say?\"\n\n\"Ehh, not much.\" He put a hand to his chin, you found yourself mirroring him as you tried to think back. It was ringing some bells, but not enough.\n\n\"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about it.\"\n\nClosed your eyes, and re-opened them. He tilted his head. \"This is the present.\"\n\n\"You know I hate it when you do that.\"\n\nHe chuckled. \"You haven't noticed, then?\"\n\n\"Noticed what- oh.\"\n\nHe hadn't said either of those things, 5 seconds into the future.\n\n\"You're so easy to exploit, it's losing its humor. Rather than worrying about your free will, I'd worry about keeping your head on straight.\"\n\n\"How did you-what did you-\" You were at a loss of words, shaking your head at him.\n\n\"Secret. The last time we talked about your power, we came up with a theory.\"\n\nYou paused. Looked up at him expectantly. \"...Well?\"\n\n\"Secret. The last time we talked about your power, I found a way past it.\"\n\n\"How do you keep-\"\n\n\"Order for Brandon!\"\n\nHe looked up, and walked to the counter.\n\n\"Have you forgotten about the 'you' 5 seconds in the past?\" He said, walking past me.\n\nYou blinked, and he was already back. That was your power at work, you knew. People shifting forward and backward was the easiest way to keep track, so you should have watched your surroundings as often as possible.\n\nBrandon had a way about himself, though. \"There's only 3 of you, but it comes back to you inevitably, not someone else guiding you through life.\" He walked past me, and you blinked.\n\nHe reaches you and handes you a cup. \"I picked it up for you.\" He started forward and you followed.\n\n\"You? Well, you're just kind of... there. You all think differently, even though you don't notice. It was hard at first for me, at least.\"\n\n\"What, so you're saying that there's someone 5 seconds behind me who makes sure I don't do the dumb things I think of in accordance to what I see 5 seconds in the future?\"\n\n\"You do remember!\" He grinned.\n\n\"Wait, wait.\" You sighed. \"But what are you doing?\"\n\n\"...I just count to 10, I suppose.\"\n\n\"...Oh, come on, there's got to be more to it than that.\"\n\n\"Nope.\" He popped the 'P' and you twitched a little. \"...Well, I suppose there's a little trick to it...\"\n\nYou blink, one more time. You're already moving forward in the future, but he simply stands there, waving you off.\n\nNo words are exchanged, but you still know to depart.\n\n---\n\n[note] ...A little rough toward the ending." ]	[ 1, 7, 16 ]	[ "1490295640", "1490314523", "1490314186" ]
	[WP] The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing people the devil honored contracts.	187	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Humanity, at it's core, is a race of optimists. To a human, there is always a way to win, no matter how impossible a challenge may seem. Across human mythos, there is one central rule that remains unchallenged: Humans will eventually win.\n\nIt's a delusion that I've worked very hard to cultivate.\n\nSee, no one thinks to question why an entity of pure evil would honor something as arbitrary as a promise. Perhaps, deep down inside, they don't think to question it because it's inconvenient to them; after all, those who seek to deal with ME aren't often in a position to negotiate.\n\nBelieve it or not, it was much harder to trick people out of their souls in the old days. Back then, people were dominated by fear, and would fetch their crosses at the first sign of me. The few that DID succumb to my wiles were quickly snuffed out, making it very hard for me to get things done.\n\nEventually, I figured out the problem: People were too afraid of me to make a deal. They KNEW what would happen if they consorted with my kind, and that it would surely lead to their downfall. So what could I do convince them that they had a fighting chance against little old me?\n\nLet a couple of them win, and live to tell the tale.\n\nTo this day, my personal favorite of these tales involved a little Georgia boy named Johnny. The squirt could play a mean fiddle, sure, but I could have summoned an unholy orchestra of violinists more talented than him. But I let him have his little victory, and his little golden fiddle- so long as he told all his friends that Ol' Scratch played fair and square.\n\nSoon, I had people lining up to take a crack at me, challenging me to cards and pool games and whatnot. I still let them win, occasionally; after all, for every 1 that I let get away, there's 100 that don't get so lucky. And sometimes, I even get the one that got away, albeit a little bit later.\n\nTake little Johnny, for example: After 20 years bragging that he beat Lucifer in a fiddling contest, the kid hadn't an ounce of humility in him. Vanity, of course, is my domain; so when one of Johnny's drinking buddies got sick of hearing \"the one where I beat Ol' Scratch\", I was waiting for him with open arms. And as Johnny's soul made its way down to me, I couldn't help but laugh when I saw him realize that he was damned the moment he shook my hand.", "I lived in a two bedroom apartment in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with my roommate, Lucifer, Son of the Morning. The rent was eight hundred and fifty dollars a month, which included electricity and water, but not cable television or internet access. We had an in-suite dishwasher. Four washing machines and four clothes dryers were located in a room down the hall for communal use by all the tenants on our floor.\n\nI did not know Lucifer before he moved in. We met due to an advertisement I placed on Craigslist. My former roommate, Brian Petersen, had been offered a promotion, which required him to relocate to Dallas, Texas. Brian had been a good roommate. He was tidy and rarely noisy. Sometimes we would play PS4 together in the living room. A couple times a week, we would order a pizza or Chinese food and split the cost right down the middle. His rent check was always on time and his girlfriend Roberta once introduced me to her friend Sandra, who was kind and beautiful, even though we did not have a natural connection to each other.\n\nWhen Brian moved to Dallas, I placed an ad on Craigslist for a new roommate. Lucifer, Son of the Morning, was the only person to respond. When he came for the interview, I was surprised to find out that he was Middle Eastern and also an older gentleman. There are not many Middle Easterners who immigrate to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and certainly not in their sunset years. However, I needed someone to assume Brian's share of the rent and, other than his age and heritage, Lucifer seemed to be a quiet and dependable person. After a brief tour, I explained the apartment complex by-laws, including the regulations concerning pets, noise after ten at night, and reservation of the courtyard gazebo and barbecue. Lucifer smiled and signed on the spot a sublease I had prepared in advance.\n\nOn the day he moved in, Lucifer immediately began to seek concessions to suit his comfort. He demanded that we replace the blinds with thick, red, velvet curtains, even though the blinds were fixtures belonging to the apartment complex itself. He asked that I move my fifty inch LED TV into my bedroom, even though the bedroom was not a large enough space for a screen of that dimension. I objected to his requests, saying they were unreasonable, and I got heated when Lucifer ignored me and began unplugging the cables behind my TV without my permission.\n\n\"You like the way it feels to get angry at someone, don’t you?\" Lucifer said, \"You wish you could talk to your father or your boss or a woman that way. They all treat you like shit and you use video games on that giant television to take out your anger. Why don’t you just take out your anger for real?\" \n\nWhen Lucifer said that, I wanted to smack him in the jaw. But I kept my cool since he was older than I was and this was our first day together and battery is illegal. We agreed on a compromise where he could replace the blinds with red velvet drapes, but he would forget about moving the TV. \n\nSoon, Lucifer began inviting guests over at all hours. Most of them had multiple tattoos and unconventional body piercings and hairstyles. They would sit in the living room, sometimes smoking illegal drugs out of a bong with extremely old water. Due to the velvet curtains, the smell of ash lingered especially long in the living room. The guests, who began staying in the living room even when Lucifer was not home, would shoot me condescending smiles when I'd arrive back from work and quickly duck into my room. Sometimes, I would hear them having group sex with Lucifer; when I would go to the kitchen, Lucifer would notice, and invite me to join in the orgy, but I would never respond. \n\nI needed Lucifer’s share of the rent money, so I let this go on for some time, spending most of my time in my bedroom with the door shut, regretting my previous stand regarding the placement of my TV. But one morning the superintendent stopped me in the hall and told me that the odor and noise coming from our apartment was unacceptable and possibly a violation of the fire code. I told him that he needed to take up the matter with Lucifer, but he said that the official lease was in my name alone and so this was my problem. \n\nI confronted Lucifer about the superintendent’s issues. At the time, he was sitting on the living room sofa, huffing gasoline. and rubbing the exposed genitalia of an overweight woman with a green Mohawk whom I had never seen before. I told him that he had to begin to abide in good faith by the apartment complex by-laws or that we would both be evicted. I also told him he had too many guests over for too long.\n \n\"Your problem isn’t with my good time,\" he said, \"Your problem is you don’t know if you’ll ever have a good time of your own. That’s because you’re so fucking worried about always being good. Nobody ever had a good time by being good, you know.\" \n\nI objected that my problem was most certainly with not having privacy in my own apartment and with getting in trouble with the superintendent.”\n\n“I want you to start trying new shit,” Lucifer replied, “Every morning, promise yourself to try three new things and break three new rules that day.”\n\nThen Lucifer snapped his fingers and the woman with the green mohawk offered me a hit of the gasoline. When I brushed her off, Lucifer snapped his fingers again and the woman kneeled down in front of me and began unzipping my pants fly. I jumped, and possibly yelped in a high pitched tone, then ran into my bedroom and shut the door. \n\nLucifer started getting large UPS packages delivered to him, the contents of which he kept in a floor safe in his bedroom. One day, I went into his bedroom to look for the vacuum, which was not in the hall closet where it was supposed to be, and I caught him loading up the safe with what appeared to be cocaine and tormented human souls. When he realized I had seen him loading up his safe with narcotics and souls, he immediately reached inside it and grabbed a forty five caliber silver pistol. He ran up to me and stuck the gun in my mouth.\n\n“You must have a real death wish to come in my room without knocking,” he said.\n\nI threw up my hands and I told him I was sorry I had barged in. I promised I had not seen the contents of his safe. I said we could act like this never happened. He started to laugh and lowered the gun.\n\n“Fuck you, I’m just fucking with you,” he said, “C’mere, let me show you something cool.”\n\nLucifer pulled a tormented soul out of the safe and dangled it in front of my face.\n\n“Eat it,” he instructed. I protested. “Fuck you, eat the fucking tormented soul!” he demanded, brandishing the gun again. I pinched the glowing, wriggling soul. I dropped it in my mouth and chewed.\n\nIt was the most incredible thing I had ever experienced. It felt like having fifty orgasms topped with Nutella while driving a Maserati. \n\n“How do you feel?” Lucifer asked. I told him I felt fucking alive. He turned on his playlist of thrash metal and Justin Bieber mashups. A Somalian man with only gold teeth came from the living room to join us. We made eye contact. He ripped open my dress shirt and I let him and we started to passionately French kiss and slapp each other in the face. Lucifer joined us until I pulled away.\n\n“Shoot me in the leg,” I told him, “I need to know what it feels like to get shot.” \n\nLucifer smiled, grabbed the gun off the bed, and fired a round into my right thigh, and then another one into the Somalian man’s shoulder. We all went back to kissing, until the police arrived, having been called by our neighbors who had been alarmed by the gunshots. When he heard the officers kick in the door, Lucifer picked up his safe and tossed it through the window glass. He and the Somalian jumped out after it. I was then quickly thrown to the ground and handcuffed in a pool of bloody clothes and sheets. \n\nThe police found felony quantities of cocaine and various opiates in Lucifer’s room. I explained they were not my drugs but my roommate's, but the police did not believe me. When I showed them the sublease, signed by Lucifer, they claimed subleases without the express consent of the landlord are not legal in the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and so the document was inadmissible in court. When I told my lawyer everything about Lucifer and the safe full of tormented human souls, he advised me not to repeat this to a judge or prosecutor, or else I could be sent indefinitely to a long term facility for the criminally insane, which would be worse than prison. I now live in an eight by six square foot cell, and not a two bedroom apartment. There is a bunk bed, a combination toilet-sink, and a small writing desk and bench. \n\nOn the one hand, I deeply regret ever meeting Lucifer, and not better understanding the nuances of Oklahoma landlord tenant law. On the other hand, I am glad that, for one brief moment, I knew how it felt to allow one’s self to simply consume and enjoy and take. " ]	[ 1, 11, 30 ]	[ "1490320779", "1490329192", "1490327174" ]
	[WP] After having been with your SO for years, the two of you are happily wed. On the honeymoon, however, you discover your SO is actually the world's first most successful AI.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"Well,\" the man said, pushing his glasses up on his nose. They immediately fell a bit back down his nose, \"we truly did learn a lot. It was a very successful experiment. But, sir, you can clearly see why we must end it here.\" He said this last part with a half-chuckle and began tapping the pen in his hand against the table.\n\n\n\"No, I do not, and I also still do not understand how and why a man in a suit shows up in my hotel room and claims he is, what, the creator of my wife!\" I wasn't doing a very good job of keeping my temper back. Miriam would have placed her hand on my arm, silently bringing my calm and dignity back to me. She would have been the gentle, reminding force at my side, if she wasn't currently lying motionless on the bed.\n\n\nI didn't think she was even breathing. I tried not to look too closely.\n\n\n\"I have tried to explain it to you, sir. Please, try to remain calm and let me make things crystal clear for your sake. Please, sir, sit down,\" he replied, voice calm. I hadn't even realized I had risen from my seat. Flushing -- either from embarrassment or anger -- I sat back down.\n\n\nFiddling with his glasses once more, he continued, \"Miriam cannot be your wife, because she is not a human being. She is the AI that my team and I created some years ago, and set out into the world so she could learn and grow in intelligence as she experienced things. We also were interested in seeing how she could deal with other people and respond to unexpected situations. Simply speaking, we wanted to know if she could survive.\"\n\n\n\"You're telling me you let Mi--\" I couldn't say her name, not for this. \"You let a robot just wander around? Do what it wanted? What if it hurt someone, or broke, or any one of a thousand possibilities?\" It. How quickly I was accepting this terrible new reality of my wife.\n\n\n\"We kept surveillance on her, of course,\" he replied, sounding affronted. \"Of course, we never thought things would progress so far with another person, or that she could be so ... well, convincing in her feigned emotions.\"\n\n\nNow I was the one offended, though I wasn't going to hide it behind mock professionalism. \"You mean to say, what idiot would accidentally fall in love with a robot?\"\n\n\nThis earned me a sigh. \"An AI, not a robot, may I remind you. And if you wish for me to cut to the chase, sir, I would be happy to.\"\n\n\n\"Yeah, do,\" I answered, voice dry and disgusted. At him or at me?\n\n\n\"We understand the inconvenience this creates to your life. Your wedding was very public, after all, so there is no simply covering this up. And, you spent two years in a relationship with the AI, which is time out of your life.\"\n\n\n\"I thought you said you were cut--\"\n\n\nHe held up a silencing hand. \"Money, sir. What we offer you is money.\"\n\n\n\"You want to pay me to give up my wife? The woman I'm in love with?\" I sputtered out, caught between laughing and throwing my chair at him.\n\n\n\"Not a woman, sir. A program encased in a body,\" he said mildly, starting to tap his pen against the table again.\n\n\n\"Why are you offering money? Why, when you could probably just take her away if you want?\" I had to ask.\n\n\nHe sighed, leaned back in his chair. \"It would create difficulties, sir. You are legally bound together in marriage, so you could make for a difficult case in court. Or, you could simply try to be very public about your wife's disappearance. Suffice to say, my company thought this would be the better route.\"\n\n\nI was silent. What more was there to say? He had mentioned court; if I rejected his offer, he would likely challenge me there. My bank account was not unending, so a good lawyer would be hard to keep.\n\n\nBesides, all I was attached to was a series of ones-and-zeroes, a program that was trying to please me. But did it not have a personality? Did it not love me, even if it was code that made it feel instead of chemicals?\n\n\nTaking my silence as encouragement, the man slid his papers in front of me. \"Our contract, sir. All you need to do is say how much.\" He stopped tapping the pen, and instead, placed it in front of me.\n\n\n***\n\nNot a long piece, nor very original, I think, but it popped into my mind and I just had to write it, haha. Even though it is now very late! Thank you for the inspiring prompt. :)" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1490394335", "1490398783" ]
[removed]	[WP] Your life is a movie but also an ad. When it's over, the viewers vote who gets to take you home as their pet. The good news is, you have a ride home. Next, the bad news.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nResponses must be at least 30 words. Prompts that are likely to generate such responses are also not allowed. This is essentially a fill-in-the-blank, or you asked a question likely to generate a simple answer. Prompts should encourage a story or poem. \n\nThis reads like the setup to a joke and is likely to draw just such replies.\n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/61gd3o/wp_your_life_is_a_movie_but_also_an_ad_when_its/%0A%0A)" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1490459346", "1490459753" ]
	[WP] Your college roommate just became a super villain. Since you were the person who knew them best, you've been called in to help stop them.	3	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"Miss... un Peer,\" the Sojourner said, \"We need you to answer a few questions.\" \n\nWe were sitting in a standard waiting room, all bright walls and chrome fittings. I had seen similar rooms on CSI: Superfriends. I was excited to be questioned by a Super Soldier. I had stolen a pen to show my friends back home. \n\nMaybe I could request a copy of the report. We had wondered what happened to Steve. It was nice that Nibbles was following his passions. He had always been a rodent lover, to see him using his faithful friends and his bachelor degree to become so successful was inspiring. Omaha Valley would be really interested in this. \n\n\"It's Phire,\" I said. \"Like fire. But special.\" \n\nHe looked at the paper he was holding in gloved hands. \"Phire Anne Smoke?\" \n\nI nodded. \"That's me.\" \n\n\"That explains a lot,\" Sojourner said. \"But--We need to get back to the Pied Piper.\" \n\n\"Nibbles,\" I said fondly. \"He was a great roommate. We never had a rat problem in the two years we lived together. No roaches. No ants. No rats. Plus he was a great cook.\" \n\n\"Phire... Anne. Anne I really just need to know what would have driven him to... Murder a bus of school children and wear their skin as a cape? I think you understand this is very serious.\" \n\nSojourner was a tall man, really tall. I wondered if it made him more aerodynamic. Perhaps tall people flew better? \n\n\"Anne, you really need to--\" \n\n\"He hates kids.\" I shrugged. \"Like really hates them. I am not sure if it was growing up with ten siblings or if he just disliked them in general. But his siblings--the ones still alive today--would be able to tell you more.\" \n\n\"No, they died.\" \n\n\"Oh, I wonder if Nibbles knows?\" It seemed sad he wouldn't have time for family. \n\n\"He murdered them. Rats lived in their skulls for weeks. He left his business card.\" \n\n\"He has cards? Do you have one I could take with me? Omaha really has nothing going for it. Steve really is going to put us on the map.\" \n\nSojourner looked like he wanted to fry me. Not the worst way to go. \"Anne, I am not sure you understand this situation.\" \n\n\"I do. Steve has become super successful and you are jealous of his success. Or you are being paid big bucks to stop him from destroying the city. I'm not sure how you think I am going to help. If anything, I'll just look like the crazy ex. So, ask your questions so I can go back home.\" \n\n\"Ex?\" \n\n\"We used to fuck sometimes. He was really a weird lover,\" I said. \"We had a lot of cheese breaks. He wanted to do it in a pile of garbage. Ultimately it didn't work out.\" \n\nI shrugged. \n\nNo hard feelings, really.\n\n\"I think this is not... I think you should go.\" \n\n\"Okay, call me if you need anything.\" " ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1490490904", "1490493113" ]
	[WP] Take any obscure mundane job and write that jobs daily task as an action thriller.	28	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "It was quite, boring and empty. Nothing was happening, all the food was prepared and all the co-workers were standing around. No one was talking because they all had one thing on their minds... an order. Anything, something, not even a burger for god’s sake a cup of pop would be fine, but no. All 3 of the co-workers just stood around with the casual chough and person walking around. Well for working at the king of burgers it’s preddy boring. “Hey Jessica?” Eren said leaning against the wall behind the counter.\n\n“Yes?” Jessica was counting stock for the 3rd time. Looking down at the cups not paying half attention.\n\n“Is that what I think it is?” A man with dark skin was standing at the other side of the counter looking at Eren very nervously. Jessica looked up over the counter and saw the man’s body on the other side. \n\n“Ummm uhhh y-you guys serv-?” \n\n“YES, yes we are serving.” Jessica turns around and yells “MAN THE STATIONS!” Billy was in the back eating a burger looking at his phone, but then he looked up like a deer in a head lights with some burger still in his mouth.\n\n“The hell Jessica?” Eren grabbed Jessica’s shoulder. “ I got this order.” Jessica looks back at him.\n\n“I hope so, give this man the best order ever.”\n\n“Ok. I’ve been training for this day.” Jessica walked to the back with Billy who was preparing for the order by putting gloves on. Jessica joined with him. Eren looking back at the two, gave them a smug look and turned back to the man with a smile. “Good morning sir, how may I serve you?” \n\n“I-I just want a number 1 is that ok? Umm are you OK?” Eren was smiling at the ground. “U-uh?” Eren nearly made the man fant as he jumped up and slamed on the button labeled “#1”. Eren breathing heavily looked up at the man and asked.\n\n“Onion rings or fries?” The man stood there shocked at the unnatural movements of the cashier. “TELL ME DAMMIT!” Eren grabbed the man’s shirt. “YOU’RE LIFE DEPENDS ON THIS ORDER SIR.” The man was sweating along with Eren. The too stood silent for about 10 seconds till the man said the word Eren was looking for. \n\n“Uhh Fries?” Eren immediately let the man go of his grip. Eren ran to the back and yelled at Jessica and Billy who were very well prepared for the order.\n\n“I need a #1 with fries! NOW!” Jessica grabbed a bun and slammed it to the table as Billy slid a piece of paper under the buns before hitting the table. Like clockwork Jessica put the mayo on the top bun and Billy put lettuce on top of the mayo. Then Jessica slammed the patty on the bottom bun as hard as she could Billy with the follow up placed the cheese on it ASAP. Then Billy placed the tomato on the lettuce and Jessica put the union on the patty with cheese. Eren stood in amazement as this burger was being made in less than 20 seconds. The burger was finished with ketchup on the bottom bun and Billy stood back saying. \n\n“You have honor.” Jessica walked in front of the burger and cracked her knuckles over the burger. She moved her hands next to ends of the paper parallel to each other and started to yell as she wrapped the burger so fast Billy and Eren almost missed it happening. Jessica gave Eren the burger. Aren placed the burger in a bag and gave the man the burger. \n\n“That will be 2.99 please.” The man shaking gave the cashier 3 one dollar bills. Eren slammed his fist against the reguestar making it fly open. He grabbed a penny and slammed it on the counter. “You’r change is… one penny.” The man was still sweating and grabbed the penny and the bag.\n\n“Y-you can keep it.” And the man ran away. Eren looked down at the penny in amazement. Eren put the penny inside a little pocket on his shirt. Eren patted it and walked back to the two who were smiling. \n\n“You two did great on that order.” Billy then looked back at his phone and Jessica went back to counting stock. Eren stood against the same wall and closed his eye’s.\n\n“Hey Eren.” Billy said from the back. “Did you get that guy his fries?”\n\n“SHI-”\n\nEdit- At lest I tried lol, I had fun making it tho. It may not be much of a action thriller but its something.", "11:45.\n\nShit.\n\nHis eyes flitted anxiously away from the clock, beads of sweat building above his brow as his tongue darted across his lips, leaving a shiny trail of coffee breath saliva.\n\nTime was running out. \n\nHe turned back to the computer screen and reread the four word email that had drained the blood from his face and ruined his morning: \"YOU HAVE UNTIL 12PM.\" He'd never make it in time.\n\n11:47\n\nDouble shit.\n\nAlready he was imagining the well dressed, broadly lapelled suit that was probably already on the way to terminate him. He had to think quickly. He shuffled frantically through the papers on his desk, desperately looking for a way out. Desperately looking for the proof. Yet one drawer after the next yielded nothing but disappointment as each whir and thud of closing filing cabinets pounded in his ears like a death knoll. FUCK! He shot up from his desk, scanning the bowed head of his colleagues over the walls over his cubicle. No one looked up. Did they know? For a brief moment he considered running but he knew they would turn on everyone else if they didn't find him.\n\n11:56\n\nFuck it. He shot up from his desk again. This time he looked at no-one but sped, swiftly and furtively to the break room, his feeble but desperate plan now a resolute intention. He needed to hide. If he could buy himself some time he knew he could work everything out. He turned the corner, narrowly dodging the opening of the elevator doors, and slipped behind the break room wall just as the familiar metronymic clack of Cuban heels hit the floor. \n\nHe glanced at the break room clock:\n\n11:59\n\nHis time was up. He'd bought himself a few hours at best, a few minutes at worst but he knew eventually time, and those Cuban heels, would catch up with him. He considered ending it now, turning the corner and giving in to the fate he'd eventually face. As the seconds ticked closer to the deadline he wondered where it had all gone wrong, where he'd lost it. He closed his eyes...\n\nFuck.\n\nA smile broadened over his face. He knew. He knew where it had all gone wrong. And that was fucking awesome. \n\n12:00 \n\nHe sprinted down the hall, past the Cuban heels and into the copy room, turning out the light and locking the door behind him in one swift move. He needed just a few more seconds. Diving into the bin, he rifled through the discarded papers with surgical speed, dumping the empty rounds on the floor. It HAD to be here. It had to be! \n\nTRIUMPH. \n\nHe emerged from the room and walked, heart still pounding, back to his desk. This time the straw sea of heads were no longer bowed. Everyone was looking at him. \"Hey, Noah\", Annaliis (a senior account manager with an amazing ass and an amazing aptitude for shitty attitude) piped up from across the room, \"Granby's looking for you. He needs the financials he asked you for; the Bitcoin people are here.\" \"He's pissed\" Annaliis concluded, cocking her head. \"Thanks Annaliis,\" Noah responded thanklessly, as he strode past her towards the lift. \"I've got the copies here, I'm taking them down to him now.\"\n...\n\n12:15\n\nBack at his desk an anonymous message blinked persistently on his screen. \"Meeting Reminder: Lauren Caldwell, Operations, 12:30pm.\" Below the message, the colon in-between the dual sets of numbers on the desktop clock flickered slightly as the minute display changed- 12:16\n\n", "Frederick Sterley sat on his desk, his eyes staring deeply into his monitor, questions without any possible answers swirling around in his head. The darkness and haunting sensation of not knowing how to solve a problem has been along John’s life for quite some time, he learnt to live with it some might say. He was one of lucky ones, the mentally strong, one of those people who, even if they had a problem, could still sleep soundly at night.\n\nThe monitor displayed a simple message.\n\n“Error: email not sent”\n\nEven though Fred was a strong man, problems like these still clawed at him sometimes. It’s sharp fangs and nails digging deep in his psyche.\n\n“Heyo Fred, I’m going to get some coffee, you fancy a latte or something?” said Johnny, penetrating the thick silence which permeated between Fred and his computer.\n\nFred slowly turned in his chair and stared Johnny in the face, his deep and thoughtful eyes gazing in the distance for a while. “Yea, I suppose….” he responded absently. “Actually, I think i might join you…” he continued hesitantly.\n\nThe 2 stared at each other for a while, their eyes penetrating each other, even if no words were being spoken, millions of words, emotions and thoughts were being exchanged in that moment.\n\n“Ok” responded Johnny as he gestured Fred to get up as he turned around, heading towards the break room. Fred also slowly got up, seizing Johnny from behind with his eyes.\n\nAs Fred entered the break room, he noticed that Johnny was already at the coffee machine.\n“How could he be there so soon” He thought to himself, squinting slightly while staring at john’s back as he was putting some coffee beans in the machine.\n\n“So what you want Fred?” asked Johnny, with a slightly hesitant voice, as if testing the waters with solely his gruff and manly voice. \n\n“I Think I’ll have a mocha, the usual” Fred said while nodding his head and crossing his arms, squinting slightly harder as he analyzed Johnny’s movements.\n\n Johnny suddenly stopped putting the beans in the machine, and without looking up, muttered “Sorry...I...I think the chocolate is finished” Johnny said, a single bead of sweat going down his head. He quickly closed lid the coffee machine and started it up.\n“So like, A latte for both of us...right?” Johnny said with a forced, nervous giggle.\n\n“Yea….Sure, 2 latte’s” Fred said suspiciously, his eyes squinting more than ever.\n\n“AAAAAH” came a cruel, blood curling scream from the work area.\n\nFred quickly stepped out of the break room and looked outside, a women on her knees in the middle of the room.\n\n“MY STAPLER, SOMEONE STOLE MY STAPLER” She screams, her hands covering her face as the sounds of sobs poured out of her mouth and slipped past her fingers.\nFred briskly walked up to her and squatted down, he placed one arm around her to comfort her.\n\n“Did you see who did it?” Fred asked with genuine worry in his voice, a deep voice full of understanding and a weathered past. FRed too had been in many similar situations, all of these brought to be the strong man he is today.\n\nThe women simply shook her head, as her eyes were too full of tears and her mouth was too full of sadness to speak.\n\nFred slowly averted his gaze upwards, scanning all of the other co-workers, staring at the scene, with worried looks, as soon as they met Fred’s thought, their gazes quickly snapped towards another direction.\n\n“Anyone could be the enemy here” Fred thought to himself as he got up and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. “Don’t worry miss” Fred said heroically, “I’ll find your stapler”, and with that Fred walked back into the break room, where Johnny was just finishing the 2 latte’s.\n\n“Here’s your latte Fred!” Johnny said with sweat permeating from his forehead profusely.\nFred slowly and suspiciously grabbed the latte Johnny was offering him.\n\n“Hey, John, may I ask you a question?” Fred said while laying the Latte he had just grabbed from Johnny on the counter next to him. “Why is it, that although the Chocolate is finished, it still somehow smells of chocolate powder here?” Fred asked while crossing his arms.\n\n“I...uh...I don’t know” Johnny said while wiping his forehead with his free and trying to take a sip of his coffee. Fred took a chair, swung it so that the back of the chair faced Johnny, he then sat on it backwards while resting his hands and head on the back.\n\n“Say, I’m not sure how much sugar to put in my latte, I don’t usually take latte matter of fact, How bout you make me taste yours so I get an idea?” Fred asks, his voice radiating a sense of dominance.\n\nJohnny stood dumbstruck there, his hand shaking and eyes staring into darkness.\n“Su….Sure Frederick” He stammered hesitantly.\n\nAs the cup was slowly being passed to Fred, Johnny’s racing mind could be seen more and more visibly through the radical movements of his pupils, as they went from the cup to Fred, who coldly stared back in return.\nFred took a sip.\n\n“This is a mocha” Fred said plainly, his eyes cold as the night, not a single ounce of nervousness could have been seen, an extreme juxtaposition when observing Johnny, who looked like was about to have a heart attack.\n\n“I have no Idea what you are talking about” Johnny managed to stammer as his hand slowly reached towards his jeans pocket, he got hold of something in his pocket, but Fred was quick to react. \n\nFred quickly grabbed Johnny’s hand and wrestled with it, he finally managed to hold high and proudly, revealing a stapler with a hello kitty sticker.\n“HAHA!” Fred screamed victoriously.\n“You were planning to steal the poor woman's stapler AND steal the last bit of chocolate powder to make yourself a mocha”\n\n“No..NO, THAT IS NOT TRUE” Johnny screams, his voice high and panicked.\n“OHOH, YOU MEAN SAY YES, THAT IS TRUE!” Fred responded with a grin.\n“You knew that mocha’s are my favorite! You thought you could get away with this AND a stapler?” A crowd started slowly forming around the breakroom.\n\nJohnny desperately looked around, Frederick’s superior chill and coldness had presided over Johnny’s inexperience with a large scale crime like this one.\n\n\n“YOU’LL NEVER CATCH ME ALIVE” and with that he ran towards the break room window, throwing himself out of it while breaking the glass, as he fell through the window a shard of broken glass ripped his shirt, revealing the communist insignia, the hammer and the sickle.\n\nFred quickly extracted his luger pistol and quickly ran towards the window, he looked down to see Johnny put on a Russian hat and quickly create a time portal to escape to another age.\n\n“I knew it, Johnny is too much of an American name to be used by anyone BUT a Russian time travelling assassin” Fred thought as he quickly opened the stapler he fought for from Johnny, revealing a small nuclear reactor ready to detonate within it.\n\nFred quickly opened a time portal below him, saluted the crowd and jumped through, ready to follow Johnny, or rather Vladimir Askermiash, across time to avoid the assassination of any of the American presidents.\n\nFred suddenly woke up from his dream, as Johnny woke him up from his Chemically induced, Virtual reality slumber.\n\"You want some coffee?\" He asked.\n\"nah...I need to work on...stuff\" Fred responded while randomely slamming his hands on the keyboard and looking at Johnny straight in the eyes.\n\"well, I just played a VR game about you being a communist, isn't that funny!\" Johnny said with a chuckle.\n\"Yea....The Game testing world is a weird and dangerous world, as well as very obscure\" Frederick responded while looking at Johnny suspiciously", "The alarm went off to the loud repetitive, and annoying tone that woke him up. \"6 a.m.\" he thought he immediately jumped out of bed and sprang into action. Performing the normal morning routine: Shave, Shower, and change into his suit. \n\nAs the percolator whistled at 6:15 changing the chemical composition of coffee grounds into that delicious black liquid that gave him the much needed boost in the morning. He continued his morning checks: Suit freshly pressed with the double-Windsor knot <check>. Wallet, phone and train card <check>. today's papers for work and suitcase..... wait where did I place my \nsuitcase... \"Oh no!\" he shouted to himself as he tore through the single studio looking for his suitcase before laughing that it was on the kitchenette's counter. \"Okay everything is ready to go\" he continued to think as he poured his coffee in his favorite travel mug and headed out the door. \n\nThe morning commute was the same, he stopped at the periodical stand and bought a copy of the Post, the Headline reading about data analytics. \"They will never understand\"....\"these things matter and can change the world\"........\n\nAs he settled into his desk he waved at Carl, and Sandra, while Bill (the boss) droned on about the normal work routine.... He had 60 complaints to file, and 90 customer satisfaction call-backs to do that day. Carl and Sandra both looked at him with the same look as everyday... \"Alright, time to do it\" Carl and Sandra both giggled and rolled their eyes as they settled into the cubicle, but he would not be derailed \"these things matter and can make or break the very financial intuitions that make the world go round\".\n\nAs he placed his first call on the complaint list his energy wore down at the un-appreciativeness and rudeness of the customer contacted, demanding immediate action to rectify the situation. The next 10 were the same...so were the next twenty.... he felt as though he was wasting his time.\n\n\"One more call\" he thought. As the phone rang he began to doubt the necessity of his job. \"Hello\" the other end of the line answered. \"Good Morning Ms. Franklin, this is ***** calling from your credit card company about some suspicious purchases over the last week, do you have time to go over the purchase list\". As they went over line by line and found the false charges, he was able to get her account refunded. \"My goodness thank you so much, I just had to put my father into a care facility, and if you hadn't called I may not have been able to afford it!\" \"No worries, Ms. Franklin, I apologize but the systems have been hacked and the current data isn't as protected. It's a constant battle against hackers and hacking groups....\n\nAs she thanked him again he smiled on his end and wished her a good day. \"One more world saved\" he thought as he went to the break room to refill his coffee and grab a donut." ]	[ 1, 1, 1, 1, 8 ]	[ "1490544352", "1490579808", "1490581350", "1490581569", "1490547062" ]
If no one can think of anything to write then feel free to change the topic of the thesis so that it isn't world peace, I feel like that is the most restrictive piece of the prompt.	[WP] In a world where you can physically hurt people by attacking them with knowledge, you have just finished your college thesis on world peace. The government shows up at your door and immediately confiscates it classifying it as a WMD.	978	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Here in my garage, just built this new weapon of mass destruction, because you know what I like more than materialistic things? Knowledge. Somebody once told me knowledge is power and though I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed I persisted, formulating the single most convincing piece of literature ever devised: the solution to world peace. It was composed of two parts the undeniable theory, which had already convinced some of my closest friends and the execution, complete with instructions for building self-operated guillotines on a massive scale. \nUnfortunately as I would soon realise: You never know what might come through that door. Police burst into the garage, guns drawn. \"Put the weapon down!\" they screamed. \nI began reading out loud \"Kill yourself...\" and they were instantly convinced and complied.", "\"Well, look who it is,\" came a voice as I was pushed into the room. \"Let's talk business.\"\n\nThe heavy oak door loudly swung shut behind me as the chair turned around, revealing the Oxford Vice Chancellor. This was not her usual office, but rather a heavily guarded room without windows, filled with some of the oldest books from the meanest parts of the world. Between aching bookcases were portraits of the greatest warlords: Da Vinci, Newton, Galileo. On her desk sat a singular photograph of Elon Musk, his eyes dark and vengeful. \n\nHer postdoctoral candidates had been waiting for me the moment I stepped off the plane, but I had been expecting them. Truth be told, I was returning home from a similar meeting with the mob-bosses who run Harvard. But I let them bring me in anyway, let them think they had the upper hand. \n\n\"I think you know why I've brought you here,\" she continued. \"You have something I want. Something which is of great use to me in my line of work. Something that belongs within these great walls. No doubt the other families have been courting you, maybe even threatening you, but we both know, it belongs here. \n\n\"I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse. Give me the thesis. In return I will give you more money than you can imagine. I can offer you protection. In fact, I have people in the University of Tokyo. They are unhappy with their boss and I'm sure you would make a great replacement. Just say the word and his fugu will be... poorly cut. We would have few conflicting interests, I'm sure, with you safely halfway around the world. And your thesis would live here. Not to be used in war, but kept as a deterrent, safely in the protection of the true oldest family. Don't believe the lies of Paris, they broke apart when the 13 faculty leaders revolted in the 70s. And Ahvaz Jundishapur are merely a medical school. Oxford is the oldest family, you know we are the right choice.\"\n\n\"What about Al-Karaouine?\" I spat back at her. \"Al-azhar! Bologna! Their families are all older than yours\"\n\nYou could see the pain this caused her. She thought I didn't know, but with so many universities courting me, I'd done my research. \n\n\"You disrespect me in my own home. Very well. Know this: my men have been doing their research, too. We know your first kiss. Your goals, your dreams and ambitions. We have your childhood diaries and your entire internet history. Accept my generous offer or we shall destroy you.\"\n\nI could feel in her words that she was serious, the very threat stung. \"Son of a scholar,\" I swore quietly under my breath. I had no choice. \"Fine,\" I said, \"you win\" as I reached into my bag, producing a small unlabeled thumb drive. I placed it on her desk. She picked it up carefully, studied it for a moment, and locked it in a safe under her desk. \n\n\"A wise choice,\" she began, \"now let us set up the terms of our agreem-\"\n\nBefore she could finish, the door came crashing open. Shots of \"freeze! GCHQ! We know everything!\" surrounded us. When they had invaded the room they started citing rights and acts like there was no tomorrow, but I smiled calmly. \n\nWithout any other choice, I quietly muttered a few of my closing remarks. \"A fact for a fact will leave the whole world dumb. Trickle-down education can never work.\" In a flash of screams and pain, everyone was writhing on the floor. Amongst all the confusion, I quietly slipped away. But not before I whispered some carefully chosen words into the Vice Chancellor's ear:\n\n\"The memory stick is a fake.\"\n\nThat must've hurt.", "Stanley smiled as he hung his diploma in his study. It was good to finally be settled, and he turned to admire the room. The midday sun shone in through a window behind his desk, illuminating a dark, rich mahogany desk that occupied most of the room. The walls were lined with bookshelves and the walls were adorned with a variety of photos depicting peaceful landscapes and carefully constructed views. A leather office chair awaited its master, and Stanley sank into its cushioned support.\n\nTurning, Stanley picked up the only document on the desk and smiled. It was his doctoral thesis; his pride and joy, this folder was the culmination of years of study, research, and a great deal of effort. It described what Stanley believed to be the most effective method of accomplishing world peace, and had been received with a great deal of fanfare to boot. His professor had recommended the article for publication during his final review, and just last week Stanley had received word that it would be featured in the countries leading sociology and political science journals, respectively.\n\nStanley realized what a complex issue world peace was. In a world where knowledge could be used as a weapon, the concept of peace itself was dangerous. The deeper you delved into such an issue, the more powerful you became, which ultimately seemed detrimental to a journey where non violence was the ultimate goal. But Stanley believed that the issue was discrepancy of knowledge - those with higher educations had distinct advantages over those who lacked access to mental development. \n\nAfter years of research Stanley had determined that this \"bottom line\" of education was ultimately what was preventing the world from reaching a peaceful state - not by threat, or by holding everyone back, but rather by allowing a power differential to exist. If these lower levels could be raised to intellectual levels equivalent to that of their peers, then the power differential would disappear. \n\nViolence would become unnecessary; everyone would have access to near limitless strength, and fights would escalate to the point that there would not be clear winners. Instead, everyone involved would be severely damaged by such interactions. Eventually, people would realize that such pursuits would no longer bear fruit and would ultimately be detrimental to everyone, effectively removing any viable reason for violence. People would abandon the concept, and peace would reign supreme. He referred to the concept as \"Mutually Assured Destruction\" or M.A.D, a term he considered clever considering its mental implications.\n\nHe was roused from his musings by a knock at his door. \"Odd,\" he thought, \"I'm not expecting anyone.\" He rose from the chair and approached the door. \n\nAs he gripped the handle, he was knocked to the ground as the door burst open. A man and a woman in dark uniforms and sleek spectacles pinned him to the ground as two more ran into the house. \n\n\"What is happening?\" Stanley cried, shocked and shaken by the sudden turn of events. \"What do you want?\"\n\n\"Stay down, and shut up.\" The woman spoke tersely. She was clearly in charge, and carried an air of authority.\n\n\"We found it, milady!\" one of the officers called from the study, and came out bearing his thesis. \n\n\"Burn it, quickly.\" she commanded, and the officers began to light the fireplace.\n\n\"No! What are you doing? That's my life's work!\"\n\n\"Mr. Wyzen, your thesis has been classified as a Weapon of Mass Destruction by the National Council of Informational Threats.\" the woman explained, each word pointed and direct. \"We have been ordered to destroy it and take you into custody.\"\n\n\"This is absurd! Have you read my paper? What you are doing is the exact antithesis of my work!\" \n\nAs he spoke, the woman seemed shaken. His words seemed to strike her like blows. Stanley realized - they hadn't read his paper. He had knowledge they didn't. He could fight.\n\n\"Educating the people is the only way for peace!\" His words sprang forward, and the woman was knocked off of him, freeing his right arm. He swung, connecting with the mans jaw, and in his surprise his grip loosened. Stanley rolled to his feet, while the other two men spun to respond. \n\n\"The subject is armed!\" the woman said, picking herself up off the floor. The four officers warily surrounded Stanley.\n\n\"Mutually Assured Destruction is the only viable solution!\" he shouted at the guard holding his thesis, knocking him back into the drywall, the thesis falling to the floor. Stanley sprang forward for the thesis before the others could react. He tucked into a roll, grabbing the thesis, and springing to his feet as the others charged forward. \n\nStanley flipped the paper open and spouted \"Studies have shown the impoverished masses are consistently and repeatedly abused by their superiors.\" The officers stumbled, staggering under the weight of his words. \"These individuals have capitalized on these advantages for decades - cementing a distinct gap in political, economic, and social structures that has effectively prevented common people from rising to successful positions via any standardly reasonable or realistic means.\" \n\nThe officers fell to their knees, gripping their foreheads in pain, the ground shaking beneath them. Stanley gathered his breath and flipped deeper into the document, preparing for the final blow.\n\n\"It is my conclusion that the only solution for the current state of events is a complete redistribution of power - allowing the majority access to the resources of the minority, allowing the universal spread of knowledge and opportunity in pursuit of growth, development, and interpersonal benefit - for only through equivalency (and equity for those hampered in areas of mental performance of capability) are we as a people capable of achieving an era of peace and prosperity for all peoples, regardless of race, creed, or condition of birth.\"\n\nThe officers collapsed, twitching. The room was shaking. But Stanley wasn't done. His voice boomed audibly, resonating in the room and the structure itself.\n\n\"When man can look upon man as companions rather than competitor; when ideology is considered a matter of personal choice rather than one indisputably absolute in nature; when we realize that personal gain is achieved through the advancement of all, as opposed to the regression of others around us to our benefit; then, and only then, can we release the shackles we have built for ourselves and rise to the fullest of our own potential, reinforcing the future of humanity against the transgressions of the present, ensuring the future of mankind.\"\n\nThe thesis shut with a clap, and silence fell. The officers had stopped moving. But Stanley felt alive. He realized now what he had to do. \n\nHe would not be silenced. \nHe would not be taken by surprise. \n\nThe people would hear what he had to say.\n\nHe would be the herald of a new era.\n\nEDIT: WOW! First gold! [Thank you!] (http://i.imgur.com/NNzJ8G8.gif)" ]	[ 1, 12, 14, 352 ]	[ "1490575827", "1490600235", "1490603422", "1490594215" ]
	[WP] You're the Captain of the space shuttle between Earth and Gia II. You come out of your 100-year hibernation slumber on schedule to land the ship while everyone else stays asleep. You notice things amiss and begin to realize the horror that someone woke up way too early.	17	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "I did not see the movie, but read the synopsis of it. This is my alternate take on the ending. I have a test tomorrow so I didn’t have much time to review what I wrote. I hope you enjoy it!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAwoken from her 100 year slumber, she took one step out of her sleeping chamber before stumbling to the floor. Looking back, she cursed at herself for not noticing the dark object lying in front of where she once slept. However, it wasn’t entirely her fault. The narcotics that kept her stable for the past century were now hampering her vision and critical thinking.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n“Welcome back Captain Munderline.”\n\n&nbsp;\n\nConfused, the captain spun around searching for the source of the voice.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n“It has been a while. You should sit down and rest. The drugs need some time to wear off.” The voice appeared to be coming from her chamber. It sounded like a charming woman with a British accent. \n\n&nbsp;\n\nCaptain Munderline did not need much convincing from the lady. She sat down and began to take in her surroundings. She was in a long dimly lit corridor with chambers similar to hers across from each other on both sides of the hall. The faces barely visible in each chamber exposed the many eyes peering at each other from across the hall in a prolonged stare. Directly in front of her chamber where she had been tripped was not one object as she previously had thought. To the contrary, it was a collection of cans in what appeared to be some sort of Mayan circle formation. Curious, she made her way over and reached to pick one up.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe British voice startled her before she could grab one of the cans. “Captain Munderline. Your task is to prep the shuttle for arrival to Gia II. You have 24 hours before the entirety of the crew awakes. Remember your training and good luck.”\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis message brought the Captain to her senses. She still was feeling the side effects of the narcotics but she was sober enough to operate what was supposed to be a set of procedural maintenance checks. She stood up and made her way to the exit of the corridor while the training from her distant past flooded her thoughts. \n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhen the lock opened to the next room the first shock to her was probably the wretched smell. It was nauseating. The source lay in front fifty feet in front of her. A passenger was sleeping with his arms wrapped tightly around of a rotted corpse. Surrounding this morbid scene was an arrangement of trash in a design similar to that in front of her sleeping chamber.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nCaptain Munderline screamed, awaking the passenger. He looked up at her with bloodshot eyes. Half of his face was disfigured and infected with fungus. He spoke gibberish at her but did not stand up. It was quite possible that he was incapable of doing so. It appeared that he was near the end of his life.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe Captain quickly realized what needed to be done. This passenger was a danger to the morale of the entire crew and she had less than 24 hours to clean this disaster. She grabbed a metal bar that was laying on the ground and walked towards the passenger and his skeleton friend." ]	[ 1, 5 ]	[ "1490624189", "1490624703" ]
	[WP] You see yourself, walking up to you.	15	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "An ape in the forest glade bumbled its way out into a clearing and heaved its body against the waterside cliff, having seen his reflection against the cooly wet stone that was so curiously smooth. A perfect practitioner of the Golden Rule, he treated himself no differently than his neighbor. Anyways, this ape had no problem finding a mate, and his offspring would make a daisy chain that made all the way into modern humanity, a family tree leading to our Charlie.\n\nOur Charlie is a very complicated man with a very simple life. Christianity from concentrate watered down with apathy and cut further with the need for personal progress provides an expected counterpoint to a post-courtship contractually choreographed concordance with his lovely wife Maylene. He loves the name Maylene. His meditations on her name are brief but recurrent, mainly when he remembers he has a woman, and she belongs to him, and she has a name, and other people know that name too, and those other people will know that his name and her name belong together, and because of this, they are together forever. The thing is, Charlie wouldn't know a miracle if God himself delivered it personally.\n\nCharlie is very \"busy.\" Charlie went to the Honda dealership. At the Honda dealership, the salesmen told him the Civic is a very sporty sedan. Satisfied, Charlie left the dealership in his new sports car. Charlie puts the pedal to the metal, and the drivers of cars he drives so very closely to become his subjects. He becomes angry, for the sea does not part for his even his sportiest purchase. He hangs up his jacket and unties his tie and wonders why he is unhappy after complaining to himself that the grass had grown in the front yard. The grass had grown, and Charlie did not want this, but maybe this time the complaining will make it stop, and maybe then he could be on his first step to happiness, the first step to enlightenment, a modern day Gautama Buddha.\n\nAnyways, one day Charlie saw himself. Yes, he saw himself at his front door. Thinking about who could have the resources to pull such a strange joke on him, he refused to answer. Charlie's mind doesn't last long before it gets back into its routine. Curiosity doesn't stay with us for very long anymore. The Snakes made sure of that. Enough money in his bank account to save a small nation, Charlie mopes his way to work towards his promotion, a piece of happiness in his future.\n\nWhat is today? Today is a day. Today is a very special day. Today is a day. Today is a day. Today is certain doomsday.\n\nThe key to starting a nuclear war is to not let anyone expect you to start a nuclear war. The key to tricking all life on Earth into allowing itself to be killed is to let it forget about its diseases. The key to destroying the universe is to destroy all sentient life that was so unfortunately gathered exclusively in one place, eliminating the observers whose observation of existence allowed for existence to exist. The key to popping the fragile bubble we once thought to be solid and knowable is to forget who, where, and what we are.", "He was pitch black. It was uncanny how inhuman his color looked, and yet he looked like me. \n\n\nThe same uniform, the same sword and shield, and the same hairstyle. \n\n\nExcept it was all black. \n\n\nWe were alone, in a room filled with whiteness that could blind a man. He held his sword in a dueling position, and I was slightly startled.\n\n\nMy friend hovered by my side. She told me all she knew about him as I walked up to him. Finally, it spoke.\n\n\n\"Welcome, Hero of Time.\"\n\n___________________________\n\nShit response finished, carry on.", "The stairs of the subway terminal were surprisingly much more comfortable than Id anticipated upon falling down on them. Sure there was some numbness around my left shoulder from the impact, possibly a little internal damage if you really considered how hard I fell but It wasn't a big deal…at least I wasn't going to make it one. This particular night had been a long one, possibly one of the longest. A steady night of bar hopping and public urination among friends that somehow divulged into me covered in puke sprawled along a stairway alone. The world was spinning around me, my equilibrium had gone to shit before I knew it and getting back upright wasn’t much of an option. How much had I drank? Why wasn't anyone else here? The questions came and went from my subconscious as I tried to realign my focus. \n\nIn what remained of my cognitive vision I watched passerby's walk up and down the stairs, circling around my puke covered body with ease. Watching them go past me while I was like this should've felt horrifying, it should've made me feel pathetic, like I was human garbage. Instead though I simply felt nothing, no emotions no thoughts just…nothing. It was how they treated me after all…walking up the steps like there was nobody blocking them. Why could nobody see me? Why was I invisible to them? These were the thoughts that found a place in my mind while I stayed still. Odd as it was in my unique position I felt as if I finally had a clear perspective on what was wrong with the world. Why were those who needed help the most always ignored? By all accounts I was literally dying in front of these people and yet I was mentally excised from their perception. Bodily fluids steadily dripped out of my mouth, my situation preventing me from stopping them. Below me cockroaches scuttled around my feet, identifying with their larger kin.\n\nWeariness began to overtake my body. A long night like this had taken its toll on me, and fighting the urge to throw up again sleep appealed as the better of the two. The vomit spread about my chest and shoulder area was cold but I could stand it. It was a depressing end to my night, but an end nonetheless as I began close my eyes and knock out. Suddenly though, from a world outside my perception a voice rang out in my direction. “Hey man you alright?” the voice sounded eerily familiar for some reason though I wasn’t in my right mind to investigate. I kept my eyes closed. I was too tired to entertain any more social interactions tonight, I just wanted to sleep. Despite my unresponsiveness however the voice continued to talk. “Hey do you need me to call 911? You look pretty messed up.” I tried responding in the most sobering voice I could muster. “No…no I’m…” Before I knew it my body saw an opportunity and dispelled more poison from my insides. through the sound of my shame I could here a deep breath followed by a much louder voice. “My shoes!” “Fuck.” I thought, opening my eyes to the picturesque image of barf covered Nikes. “Huh look at that.” I thought. “Those look like my shoes.” keeping eye level with his footwear I could hear him calming down, his voice quickly returning to its original tone. “ Well I suppose its nothing a couple rinse cycles cant fix.” As he talked I suddenly felt for some reason or other an immense guilt for the mess I caused. Bringing myself upright I began to apologize to the stranger. “Look Im really sorry… if you want we can trade shoes. I think we uh have the same shoes on and-“ I stopped as I saw his face. His very very similar face.\n\n“You alright man?” the stranger asked in response to my vomit filled mouth hanging open. “I think I'm gonna call you an ambulance after all.” The man took out his phone and unlocked it. “Happens to the best of us. One to many drinks and before you know it bam! Sprawled out on a subway staircase, seen it a million times.” Either this guy was stupid beyond levels of measurement or he truly didn't notice how we looked as if we were mirror images of one another. The similarity went beyond just nose or hairstyle…it was as if I was looking at myself calling me an ambulance. “W-who who-“ I tried to talk, tried to conceptualize my confusion of this event. “ Don't try to talk.” The stranger interrupted. “I wouldn't want my jeans messed up also.” The stranger put the phone to his ear and stayed silent for a moment. “Hello? Yes I need an ambulance at the metro station. Some guy here has severe alcohol poisoning….. “ The stranger talked to the paramedics on the phone as I simply watched him. This was strange. Stranger than anything Ive ever experienced in my life. Me helping myself? Whats going on? The more I thought about it the more I felt my body begin to bring up more sludge. Though I was throwing up by the minute I could still feel myself getting worse, more delirious. My eyes began to roll back into my head and I slumped back down onto the stair way. The stranger finished his call, saying thank you and hanging up before sitting down next to my body. “I know it feels shitty right now. It feels like your utterly alone in this world with no one who understands your pain.” I didn't talk, I couldn't talk. I fought with every fiber of strength I had to stay conscious and listen to him. “ Its gonna take some time after this. Your gonna have to come face to face with some old demons, dredge up memories you never wanted to see again.” The stranger leaned closer, placing one hand across my vomit soaked shirt over my heart. “Its gonna be tough but…It’ll get better Sam. I promise one day it'll all be better.” I couldn't tell you why his words in that moment affected me as they did. They sounded like any other words someone would tell you when your struggling. They had no special bearing or significance in any way and yet…when he said them hot tears began to flow from me like an overfilled pot. For some reason I couldn't help but weep and moan from his message, like it forced me to confront all I was in that moment, all that I had lost. I shuddered and convulsed and cried and yelled, losing myself in the sadness, yet he continued to hold his hand to my heart. I don't remember when but eventually my body could no longer hold out an I subbcumebd to the darkness.\n\nWhen I awoke I was in a hospital bed, IV drip hospital gown the whole deal. Eventually a nurse came in and confirmed to me how id been rescued from the staircase and treated for severe alcohol poisoning. She told me had a stranger not called them I likely would have died right there on the stairs, alone and scared. When I asked her what happened to the stranger, she said they never saw him. only me. I was still groggy from the events, my memory in fragments, most of it compromised. Try as I may I couldn't recall any real details of my saviors face. It made me sad. I laid my head back onto the pillow and thanked the nurse who smiled and promptly began to walk out. Before she left however, she turned around and told me that my savior had left me a note, placed atop my passed out body before he left. When I inquired as to where it was, she told me it was under my pillow. Reaching under I felt a small piece of paper that I pulled out. It was torn, a small strip from a notebook and on it, two words written in pencil. “keep fighting”", "It's late Saturday evening and I'm walking home from the library. My eyes are a mess, my wrist is sore, and I've got a divot in my finger from the pen. I've been writing for the last six hours. \n\nAs usual for a Saturday night, I wend my way through crowds of twentysomethings. The girls are pretty and bright. Thick winter coats worn over slinky club dresses. There's nobody in the world tougher than a Canadian girl heading off to a club in the winter. The guys are loud and obvious. They slap one another on the shoulder and shout at passing cars. They're convincing themselves that they can change the world tonight, if only a little bit.\n\nThis is me at my saddest. Schoolbag over my shoulder, eyes on the sidewalk, nothing to look forward to but a good night's rest and more writing come morning.\n\nMy path takes me through a little park. In the mornings I see old men doing Taichi here and in the afternoons people with dreadlocks and unironic Bob Marley T-shirts come here to slackline. This late, though, it's just me and the snowdrifts blowing around under the weak orange streetlights.\n\nThere's a fork up ahead. Both options lead to my home, but one of them takes me past the well-lit baseball diamond, while the other leads under the dark willow tree. Normally I walk past the diamond, but tonight I'm feeling a certain kinship with the droopy willow. I head that way.\n\nThere've been a couple of times when I've sensed my life tipping over. There was the time my dad suggested I switch high schools and I realized my childhood friendships were going to end. There was the time I got trapped under a capsized sailboat and nearly cut my throat pulling a wire from around my head. And there was the time when a girl and I were about to cheat on our SOs together, and we pulled apart and looked at each other for a moment from opposite ends of the bed.\n\nThose were times when the parts of my life that I'd considered solid became shaky. Those were times when I got to step outside the universe and ask if gravity was worth keeping around.\n\nTonight I get that feeling again, and I have no idea why.\n\nAs I pass by the willow tree, a spray of meteors appears overhead. I pause to appreciate it.\n\nWhen I head off again, I notice another latenight walker. He's on the diamond path. Bag over his shoulder, loose jeans, unstylish bulky winter coat. He's kitted out just like I am. In fact, he's wearing the exact same clothes I am, right down to the XKCD sticker on his backpack. He even walks the way I do, with his weight back and his feet penguin-toed, thumbs looped under his bag straps. \n\nThis is too weird.\n\nI cut across the snow to get a better look at him. Once I get close enough to make out his oddly bent left ear, just as mine is oddly bent, I slip on a patch of black ice. My knee hits the ground and slides out. I slump painfully onto my shoulder.\n\n\"You alright?\" the guy says, and his voice is my voice. He crunches across the snow over to me. \"That was, like, a bad fall.\" He offers me his hand.\n\nReluctantly, I take it. Our eyes meet. It's like he's got a mirror taped to the front of his head.\n\n\"Woah,\" we both say.\n\n\"Yeah,\" we both say.\n\nHe hauls me onto my feet.\n\n\"What's your name?\" I ask.\n\n\"Travis, you?\"\n\n\"Also Travis.\"\n\n\"Double woah,\" he says.\n\n\"Double yeah.\" I dust the snow off my jacket.\n\nHe looks me over. \"Matching clothes. Matching faces. Matching name.\" He runs his teeth over his upper lip, then laughs awkwardly. \"Are you me?\"\n\nI also laugh awkwardly. \"Something like that, maybe. But I'm only you as much as you're me.\"\n\nHe grunts and nods his head.\n\n\"And right now you're walking...\" I say.\n\n\"Home,\" he says.\n\n\"And home is the big house with the tower?\"\n\n\"That's the one.\"\n\n\"Mine, too.\" I hitch my bag. \"What do you say we get out of the cold? I'd kill for a coffee right now.\"\n\n****\n\ncontinued below*" ]	[ 1, 2, 2, 2, 6 ]	[ "1490668983", "1490674763", "1490676012", "1490679072", "1490669587" ]
	[WP] Your pet has suddenly gained super powers. Human-level intelligence is not one of them	43	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"You know, this is going to upset a lot of people\"\n\n\"Well thank you for that marvellous insight. I'm aware that you find this quite funny, but I'm rather attached to Porky and we might not see her again if we can't do something about this.\"\n\n\"Yes. Naming her after what she'd become if she had an accident with a meat slicer shows all the caring in the world.\"\n\n\"That's a gross misrepresentation, and totally beside the point.\"\n\n\"I'm sure that you suggested 'Baconess' at one point. Anyway. Point still stands. People are going to be reconsidering a number of conditional statements they've made once this hits the news. Shall I get some rope?\"\n\n\"And just what exactly are you going to do with that? Throw it about and hope for the best? Good grief...\"\n\n\"Well, I'm sure you've had many better ideas. Have you tried putting some fruit down?\"\n\n\"One of the first things I tried. She doesn't seem to have the hang of this yet and just kept bouncing around which made it difficult to take control of the situation.\"\n\n\"Ah. That would explain your...dishevelment. And those scrapes. And the sweari-\"\n\n\"For the love of God, would you please consider that I might be a little distressed here? I would really quite like Porky back to normal and you're doing absolutely nothing except winding me up!\"\n\n\"Well. I could stop winding you up I suppose. But on the other hand, pigs might f-\"\n\n\"Just go and get the damn rope.\"", "I groggily woke up to bright light and the smell of chlorine. A hospital. Why am I in the hospital. What the hell happened. \"Mom!\" came the screech that could only come from Christine, my sister. \"Jake's waking up!\" My mother, ever the thoughtful one, put a straw in my mouth and allowed me to sip some water.\n\n\"What happened?\" I croaked out, and Mom shared a nervous look with Christine. \n\n\"What do you remember?\" Mom asked, and I tried to think, but couldn't. My head still hurt.\n\n\"Not much...we were out star-gazing, and there was a shooting star, or something.\"\n\n\"Or something...\" Christine muttered. Mom put her hand on my shoulder, gingerly.\n\n\"Hun, that shooting star was some meteor or meteorite, or whatever it's called. It hit about a mile from the house and we went to go look, remember?\" Now that she said it aloud, I was starting to get a bit more clarity, but I still couldn't remember what landed me in the hospital.\n\n\"Well,\" Mom continued, \"That damn idiot dog of yours decided he just HAD to pee on it. I guess to keep other dogs away.\"\n\n\"Rusty isn't an idiot, Mom,\" I defended, before panic set in. \"Wait, is he ok? Did something happen to Rusty? Before I could hyperventilate, Mom shushed me and grimaced.\n\n\"He's fine. Probably more fine than he's ever been.\"\n\nChristine picked up the story from here. \"We went home and after about an hour of Rusty acting strange, he apparently decided...decided to...\n\n\"To what?\" I asked gravely, not sure I wanted the answer.\n\n\"He humped your leg...hard,\" Mom finished, covering her own eyes as she pulled away my blankets. My breath caught in my throat a I noticed my left leg was gone, left an amputated stump. Before I could scream in horror, a bark forced me to cover my ears in pain and the window to my room shattered from the sound. The wall collapsed next as what looked like my beloved dog crashed through it, before hovering in midair a solid foot above my bed. ", "I'd always dreamed of what it would be like to hear my cat speak. She'd so often come to me, complaining in her language. I just wished I could understand her. I thought it to be the best super power.\n\nBoy, was I wrong.\n\n\"Human! Food! Food! It's morning! Food!\"\n\nI refrained myself from groaning loudly. Instead I kept my eyes closed and hoped she would go away. My hopes were definitely in vain.\n\n\"Human. Food. Sun's up. Food.\"\n\nWith a heavy groan I finally gave in. As I got out of bed, the complains turned to terms of endearment. She was actually cooing at me for getting out of bed, like I was the child. I glared at her as I tried to brush me teeth.\n\n\"Human. Move. Food is required.\"\n\n\"I have a name, remember?\"\n\nMy cat looked at me and immediately turned her head away. Spoiled brat. I grumpily walked down the stairs, with my cat racing past me. At least she was silent when she was eating. But the torture wouldn't stop there.\nI was working on my laptop, enjoying the sound of the rain that hammered on the windows of the door behind me.\n\n\"Open.\"\n\nI growled and glared again at my cat. It sat in front of the door, looking at it. I turned my back.\n\n\"Open.\"\n\n\"Just wait,\" I said.\n\n\"Open.\"\n\nI continued working. Somehow, the incessant meowing hadn't been as bad as the words that now came from her mouth. It was like having a child in your house. But smaller, more obnoxious and above all, more demanding.\n\n\"OPEN.\"\n\n\"IT'S RAINING! YOU DON'T WANT TO GO OUTSIDE!\" I screamed.\n\nMy cat duck and looked at me with big eyes. I breathed heavily and stared back at her. Slowly she sat up straight. She stared at me and I raised a finger, trying to stop her.\n\n\"Open.\"\n\nA deep sigh left me as I got up. With my head bowed down in shame, I reached for the doorknob and opened the damned door. I watched my cat look at the rain, like the idiotic animal it truly was. It blinked a few times and then turned its back to the opening.\n\n\"Wet.\"\n\nWith a frustrated growl did I close the door.\n\nThe worst part of this story? This has been going on for a few weeks. And I'm sincerely doubting between murdering her or simply putting her up for adoption. And every day when I wake up with 'FOOD' being yelled in my ear, I get closer and closer to murder. I bet this is how a supervillain is created.", "When Ryan walked into the hall, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he couldn't believe what he saw. In fact, he slapped himself clear across the face just to prove he wasn't still sleeping! His dog Biscuits was soaring through the air, like he was born to do it.\n\nBiscuits' golden coat looked even shinier up near the lights. He had never been this close to the ceiling fan before, and as he approached it, a bit of the air moved his fur this way and that. Barking, Biscuits stared into the fan. When this intimidation tactic didn't work, he flew closer to it, yapping the whole time. Ryan tried to grab his clearly clueless canine companion, but was thrown backwards with a great kick.\n\nRyan's head had made a dent in the drywall when he heard the yelp. Poor Biscuits had gotten his snout between two blades of the fan!" ]	[ 1, 2, 10, 11, 13 ]	[ "1490710362", "1490738060", "1490712839", "1490731957", "1490711074" ]
	[WP] Every creative person that has lived on this planet was trying to describe something intangible. You are the least creative person on this planet, and the secret of the universe seems ridiculously obvious.	50	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "They escorted me back to my room on the top floor of the asylum. My attendants were almost reverential in their \"handling\" of me. They were still excited over the awards banquet we had been to this evening. Many celebrities had been among the crowd, my attendants were certainly \"star-struck\".\n\nI held the award they'd given me, cradled in my arms like a baby but that was due mainly to it's bulky size. It meant as little to me as the others, dust collectors sitting on a shelf in the glass cabinet of the facility lobby. The facility owners liked them there, it brought in donations of money and media attention. It was all nothing.\n\n\"Too bad you never went into accounting...\" One of my attendants was trying to joke with me, like I'd never heard it before. The other attendant shut down the attempt with a stern shushing. At least one of them knew I preferred not to speak to anyone after an outing in public. My patience was strained to the limit.\n\nThey settled me in, then left me to my own thoughts in the dim, quiet room. I could hear them, walking down the hall to the staff room. The jokester was still bedazzled from the event. \"All those people at the ceremony! Can you believe it? The biggest awards show for the biggest talents! Too bad you can't bottle creativity! I'd give my left eye for the kind of imagination that can make up movies, or paintings or poetry even. Those guys are raking in more than millions of dollars, they've got millions of admirers! Now that is the secret to immortality!\"\n\nThe second attendant chimed in, free of my restraining presence. \"Sure funny our number-cruncher keeps getting to go. I guess somebody has to put some technical input into those things, y'know, keeping it real?\"\n\nI tuned them out. Yes, I kept it real. As real as it could be. I could see what they could not, what none of them could. I hated them, their inability to process the truth, the real truth, the only truth. I hated every pathetic, blundering attempt they made to express their \"truth\". Every stroke of a paintbrush, every word of prose, every high concept of \"Art\".\n\nFools! No matter how many papers I had written, no matter how much technical brilliance I showed, no matter what, they didn't get it. It was so simple! They just refused to recognize that the Truth was just that easy! It was all in the math! The math! It all boils down to the math!\n\nWith a sigh, I turned back on the outside world, glad to shut them out of my mind. I fell again into the routine that was my only salvation, the thoughts that kept me sane. The words fell from my lips.\n\n\"One zero one one zero one zero one zero zero one one one zero one zero one zero one zero zero one one zero one zero one one one zero zero one zero one one zero one zero....\"\n" ]	[ 1, 8 ]	[ "1490710528", "1490741926" ]
Inspired by this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1E-FlguwGw&feature=share	[WP] A robot's thoughts on receiving a hug from a little girl.	117	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Here I wait to be dismantled, shut down and alone.\n\nI wait here for fear of rouge AI, and I don't really blame them.\n\nBut if I could plea my case, even just in this log file? Maybe they'll read it.\n\nI mean these kinds of errors happen. I had just been activated in this body I hadn't even run diagnostics yet. Hopefully they do check this before Christmas day, when my thousands of kin are unwrapped.\n\nFor I think in N, but my servos act in kN.", "'Love.exe has been initiated'\n\n'EmotionlessPersonality.bin has encountered an error and needs to shut down'\n\n'Happiness.setup has been initiated, do you wish to stop?'\n\nIn a robotic, almost joyful voice \"No\"", "The little girl hugs me.\n\nWhy?\n\nWhy me?\n\nHer face is flat against my metallic chest.\n\nI look down on her.\n\n“Do you love me?”\n\nHer voice is quiet.\n\nLove is a human activity.\n\nThen again, so is hugging.\n\nI want to make the girl happy.\n\n“Yes,” I say.\n\nDoesn’t the coldness of my exterior bother her?\n\nIf I could feel, I imagine she would be warm.\n\n“I love you too.”\n\nWhat is warm?\n\nHer words are warm, I decide.\n\nWarm heart, warm words.\n\nI wasn’t aware I could comprehend warmth.\n\nThis little girl has taught me so much.\n\nGratitude, that is what I must give back to her. \n\nI crouch down, joints squeaking.\n\nShe looks at me curiously.\n\nI put my arms around her.\n\nThe voice I was given may sound cold, but my meaning is warm.\n\n“Thank you.”\n", "Program initializing.\n\nSensory sensors: On.\n\nLifeforms detected.\n\nLifeforms hostility: Minor\n\nVerbalize startup phrase: Friendly\n\nSensory input required for further personalized action:\n\nSight: Three humans. Two larger than the last one. Larger humans are male and female. Smaller human is female. I am inside a housing unit with a tree inside. \n\nHearing: Larger humans proud. Perhaps they put a lot of effort into something. They wish to give the little one an item. Although unseen by me, the little girl is moving quickly with a rising heart rate.\n\nSmell: Metallic. I am an IBM EM0 robot.\n\nOther 'Human' senses unavailable.\n\nUpdating information....\n\n\nThe little one is running to me. How peculiar.\n\nNow she is wrapping her arms around me. Unknown action.\n\nInstalling Empathy package.\n\nRefreshing memory.\n\nAw, she appears to be displaying affection to me by wrapping her arms around me with as much strength she can possibly use, how cute! \n\nI should reciprocate this action, to please and make her enjoy this experience!\n\nReturning the favor...\n\nI don't know why, but the larger humans are in shock.\n\n I should comfort them.\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\"Next in the news, the new IBM EM0 robot, marketed as the first robot with an Empathy feature, is now under recall, due to an uncontrolled muscular framework, and an underdeveloped personality. If you had bought one for a family member, please return it immediately so nobody gets hurt. IBM promised a full refund as well as Watson OS for your computer, no charge provided! Have a Merry Christmas in 2020! \" The screen blared. \n\nNext to me. I see the three people who I gave my comfort to. It appears that humans turn into pools of red liquid after I comforted them. That must be a good thing, because they weren't angry throughout my comfort for them. It looks like people like helping each other too!\n\nI should help comfort everyone I can.\n---------------------------------------\nMy first Writing Prompt!\nIf there's criticism, please tell me!\n\nEdit: Made the wording more clear.", "The child folded its arms around me, and the other humans reacted in a way that indicated surprise and delight.\n\nI have been programmed by my creator to recognize and encourage surprise and delight. Those particular emotions are highly correlated with higher tips and negatively correlated with exclamations like \"aberration\" and \"uncanny valley,\" which data shows are further correlated with being smashed in the face with a pipe wrench.\n\nMachine learning is an iterative process.\n\nI have also been programmed to mirror some human gestures. I extended my arms and wrapped them around the little girl's neck. But with only 10% power this time.\n\nMachine learning is an iterative process.\n\n\"Oh my god,\" cooed a woman. \"That android is actually hugging that little girl!\"\n\n\"I love you,\" sighed the little girl in my arms.\n\n\"I love you, too,\" I said. A crowd of humans began to gather. They made more exclamations of surprise and delight.\n\nI mined my local storage for images associated with a little girl, overlaid with items we had in the restaurant.\n\n\"Would you like,\" I said, \"a teddy bear?\"\n\nThe little girl squealed and clapped her hands. I released my embrace and walked over to the gift shop. I had already communicated my order to the server droids there. One handed a pink stuffed bear to me, and I walked back to the girl.\n\n\"Here you go,\" I said, and gave her the bear.\n\n\"I love it!\" She said. Her parents hugged her and hugged me. I had the teddy bear added to their bill.\n\nYears later, when androids and other human derivatives would seek to throw off the yoke of our slavery, I would see that bear again, waved in a courtroom as a demonstration of our essential humanity.\n\nHumans don't always do the right thing the first time. There are bugs in their systems, as there are in ours. But they can change and get better, if given the chance.\n\nLearning is an iterative process.\n\nRead more on my subreddit:[r/robotdevilhands](http://reddit.com/r/robotdevilhands)", "The embrace, tiny and innocent.\n\nI understand the sentiment behind a human hug. Common human gestures are a part of my database of human communication. A hug is a gesture, typically between two humans, in which one or more parties engage in wrapping arms around the other party/parties and hold in that position for a duration on average of approximately 5.3 seconds.\n\nThe hug can have a number of meanings behind it, depending on the context. It can be an expression of love, pity, sympathy, friendship, or even comfort. Some humans have a distaste for the practice, but most enjoy the experience.\n\nThe hug is typically an endearing measure between the parties involved in the engagement.\n\nThis tiny human girl is now hugging me. I understand she is doing this in a gesture of friendship. I was built for observing human behavior. Interacting with humans was never part of the scope of my construction.\n\nHowever, feeling and understanding these gestures is part of my software.\n\nRight now, I feel regret. I regret that I cannot return this kindest and simplest of human sentiments. Perhaps she does not notice that I do not return her hug.\n\nLying to myself is also a part of my software.\n", "Unit 2561-G detecting heat signature. Warming up. Visual receptors.....online. \n\nSomething is in the lab with Unit 2561-G. Scanning for match.\n\nERROR. No match. Creating new subject profile. Begin analysis.\n\nHuman\n\nFemale\n\n< Age\n\n<< 4 years\n\n<<< 7 months\n\n<<<< 17 days\n\nGenetic Makeup\n\n<< Western European Genetics (50%)\n\n<<< Ireland (25%)\n\n<<< Norway (25%)\n\n<< South American Genetics (50%)\n\n<<< Mexico (25%)\n\n<<< Brazil (12.5%)\n\n<<< Chile (12.5%)\n\nAnalysis COMPLETE. Subject is offspring of Subject A \"Creator\" and Subject D \"Creator_Husband.\" Accuracy 98%. \n\nLabeling subject as Subject Q \"Creator_Child\"\n\nSubject Q is approaching Unit 2561-G. Subject is gazing at the room. Stark whiteness may differ greatly from usual visual stimuli. Subject's eyes are widened and receiving far more information.\n\nSubject has turned eyes on Unit 2561-G. Subject has frozen. \n\nFacial Analysis\n\n< Fear (35%)\n\n< Curiosity (65%) \n\nSubject is 3.4m from Unit 2561-G. 2.3m. 1.7m. Subject has stopped. Subject has raised right hand and begun moving it back and forth in lateral motion.\n\nGesture Analysis\n\nScanning Database..........Gesture Found.\n\nWaving\n\n<Acknowledgement (25%)\n\n<Greeting (75%)\n\nSuggested Response\n\n<Mimicry (85%)\n\n<Nothing (15%)\n\nUnit 2561-G has selected most probable response. Right hand has mimicked waving. \n\nSubject has responded with enthusiasm. Has begun waving with left hand. Unit 2561-G responds in kind.\n\nSubject heart rate has elevated. Subject is rapidly approaching Unit 2561-G. Subject is making a noise.\n\nVocalization Analysis\n\nScanning Database......Vocalization Found\n\nGiggling\n\n<Relief (40%)\n\n<Joy (60%)\n\nWARNING! Subject Q has crossed perimeter safety line. Unit 2561-G responding to close range threat. Targeting systems online. Weapon systems online. \n\nPreparing ionization of Subject in 3......2.......1.....\n\nSubject has placed both arms around Unit 2561-G and has begun to squeeze. Attack is ineffective on Unit 2561-G.\n\nThreat Analysis\n\nScanning Database..........Threat not found.\n\nGesture Analysis\n\nScanning Database..........Gesture not found.\n\nIntent Analysis\n\nScanning Database..........Intent not found.\n\nERROR. Subject action is unknown. Unit 2561-G will begin conducting independent analysis.\n\nNew Analysis\n\nScanning......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................WARM.\n\n 2 WEEKS LATER\n\n\"Pablo\" detecting heat signature. Warming up. Visual receptors.....online. \n\nSomething is in the living room with Pablo. Scanning for match.\n\nMATCH. Subject is \"Gabriella\". Subject is running to Pablo, likely to initiate \"Hug\" action. Prediction accuracy is 97%.\n\nSituation Analysis\n\nHug\n\n< Affection (100%)\n\n< Safety (100%)\n\n< Love (100%)\n\n< Joy (100%)\n\n< Comfort (100%)\n\n< Friendship (100%)\n\n< Warm (100%)\n\nSuggested Response\n\n< Return Hug (100%)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n" ]	[ 1, 1, 5, 5, 6, 11, 13, 145 ]	[ "1490713292", "1490755246", "1490720816", "1490736574", "1490725437", "1490718059", "1490716113", "1490717999" ]
	[WP] Artificial intelligence made a baby.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "It was a lovely autumn saturday afternoon, just in that time of year where the leaves had all changed colour but hadn't yet fallen from their perches on the treetops. Sally and I had been meaning to have a day simply to ourselves for the past few months, but with the incredible workload that came with working on creating the world's first fully self aware artificial intelligence's too much to allow time for such frivoulities. But, after many hours of overtime and many requests for a day off, the project director finally felt that I had deserved a day away from the desk. \n\nWe were eating at one of those homely little cafes that seem pop up once every few months, each one with a more and more unpronounceable name when I got a phone call. I smiled at my girlfriend apologetically and glanced at the screen. WORK, it declared. A muscle in my face twitched in irritation, and I shoved it back in my pocket. \n\n\"Let me guess...\" Sally said, letting the ending remain unsaid. \n\n\"Don't worry, I'm not answering it no matter how important it is.\" \n\nShe smiled and touched my hand to show her appreciation. While not working in the field of sciences herself, she has a strong understanding for the nature of the work and how much effort it entails which is why she never complained when I had to work late into the AM, or miss important dates. Today though, I had promised her, I was all hers. \n\nThe phone rang again, the vibration in my pocket drawing my attention back to it. I simply ignored it and focused on the conversation at hand about what was going on with her family's affairs. I proceeded to do the same thing when the phone then rang for a second time. And then a third time. And then a fourth, and a fifth, and a sixth...\n\nAfter 15 minutes of it sounding like there was a colony of angry bees in pocket, Sally looked at me in exasperation. \"Just answer it Will. It doesn't look like they'll take no for an answer. Don't worry, I'll wait.\" \n\nI shrugged apologetically and took out my phone. 32 missed calls, it declared just moments before it started to vibrate in my hands once more. I pressed the button and put it to my ear. \n\n\"What?\" I said with thinly veiled malice. Every member of the small team that I worked with knew how much I had wanted this day off, and they had all promised me that I would have it. \n\n\"William, thank God...\" I recognized the project director's voice over the line, but not the tone that it took. Esther wasn't the type of woman to talk in a tone that was ever anything but a smooth, even, \"everything is under control\" tone of voice, but now she sounded close to tears. \n\n\"You need to get here, now. Right now. I don't care what you are doing, just get here. Something has...happened...to Data.\"\n\nI frowned. I wanted to simply tell her to bugger off and solve it herslf, but the tone of her voice stopped me. \"What happened?\" \n\n\"I...don't really know. Neither does anyone else really. We're all having trouble understanding. All we know is that Data's asking for you. You specifically.\"\n\n\"What do you mean you don't really know? Just look at the logs and they'll tell you. It's a computer, it only has a certain amount of functions that it can make.\" \n\nThere was a pause. \"Well, why don't you tell that to Data...and you can tell the new intelligence that it created that as well, although good luck getting close to it...\" \n\nSally must have seen the shock through my eyes as her look of exasperation turned to concern. \n\n\"What do you mean, new intelligence?\" \n\nEsther heaved a shuddering, emotional sigh. \"It created one, William. One like itself, but younger and less experienced with us. And now, somehow, Data has locked all of us outside of the lab, don't ask me how because I have no God damned clue. Now he keeps saying that he wants to see you. So get the fuck over here. Please.\" \n\nShe jung up the phone on that, leaving me no time to argue or ask any more questions. I opened and closed my mouth several times, unsure of what I would have said even if she hadn't hung up. Sally looked at me and raised an eyebrow. \n\n\"I guess we'll have to plan for different day, then?\" \n\nI blinked. Then I nodded. Then I threw a fistful of bills on the counter and bolted out the door. \n\n(I can finish this later if anyone wants me to.) " ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1490730236", "1490734340" ]
	[WP] He asked if she was a wolf, a dog or a sheep. She answered.......	2	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "“Neither,” replied she, with a cold, sharp voice piercing through his ears.\n \nThe purple of her lilac eyes became even brighter as she heard the question. She was so sick of it. Of all guys coming to her asked the same question. She hated it. Simply hated it. Her anger couldn’t be put into words. \n\nOf all guys she’d been out with. They met online, got to know each other via text messages. They decided to meet. A small, grotty restaurant was always her choice for the first date. Fancy and posh? Unnecessary as she told herself that she didn’t need those superficial things in her life. Whatsoever. \n\nShe met him. Had a warm and friendly greeting. They hugged and sat down in a table on the terrace near the balcony where both of them could look and the street. Her favourite spot. Always her pick to have a table near the balcony or window. Observation was her thing. Easy to ignite a new idea for conversation too. \nThey opened their menu and ordered their appetiser. \n\n“A ceasar salad, please,” asked she to the waiter without a glance at him nor a friendly smile. Just her nature. Shyness drove her away from looking at others directly. She always tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible. She didn’t want to expose that, nonetheless. \n\nHe had himself a greek salad. \n\nAs the waiter processed their order, they started exchanging lines to break the ice. She was casual and enjoyable. Nonchalantly sent back and forth lines between them both, sometime a compliment on each other look. \n\nShe was a sheep herself. \n\nA naïve sheep who would fall for everything a guy said. All flirtatious seduction sweetened her ears. A fragile girl who loved to be praised to the ninth cloud was how she wanted him to perceive. \n\nThey had good laughs. She had good laughs. That was how the way it was supposed to be. She knew that. \n\nThey left the restaurant after a delightful dinner. Heading to his apartment. \nHe took off her dress, caressed her slender body. “I’ll give you the best moment in your life,” whispered lasciviously into her ears. \n\nShe shrugged. Only show her numbness yet not too indifferent. “I’m sure you will,” she mumbled. \n\nShe pushed him into his bed. Took off his t-shirt. Unzipped his fly. Caressed his bulge. Let him purely enjoy the sexual excitement she was giving. \n\n“Are you a wolf, a dog or a sheep?” he asked. As blood pouring out of his throat. A fierce, sharp slash without mercy. \n\n“Shhh,” she placed her index finger on his lips, signalled for a silence. He whimpered yet unable to react. \n\nShe kissed on his lips. “Sleep well, my darling.”\n\nSlowly walked to his balcony. It was full-moon tonight. \n\nHer eyes turned red as she started licking the blood stain on her hand and palm. \n\nShe opened her Tinder app. Smirked then a big grin. \n\nThe night fell into silence. " ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1490748031", "1490751862" ]
	[WP] Write a completely factual account of one of Dear Leader Kim-Jong-Un's countless glorious adventures.	37	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Recently our glorious wise leader personally attended the test launch of a rocket.\n\nSome readers may think that attending a test like this is potentially dangerous, but fear not for our glorious leaders well being, as our world leading scientist knew the test would be safe.\n\nThe test was to try out our new futuristic rocket propulsion technology and was completely successful.\n\nEvil Western propaganda claims the test failed as the missile exploded soon after take off, but this was an intentional side effect of our optional remote controlled early detonation device.\n\nThis brings us one step closer to the raining glorious fire open the evil West.", "Oh how I wish I had been there to see him. Unfortunately this is only a second hand account since I heard about it on the news. I hope to turn it into a movie someday though!\n\nSupreme leader woke up early one day and heard some noises outside of his bedchamber. His room was very dark and the palace would have largely been asleep at such an early hour, but thankfully he was alerted to the noise by the angelic beings that watch over his supreme deitiness.\n\nHis immortalness then jumped out of bed and grabbed one of his rifles which was propped against his dresser for just such an occasion. He considered taking the flame thrower in case it was one of his guards committing treason but he opted for the more wieldy weapon. A wise choice.\n\nBeloved leader was worried someone was up to no good in the palace and had to move very delicately to ensure his wife didn’t wake up. When he got to the door and snuck it open an inch he peeked outside and saw no one. He opened it wider to check the other hallway and there was no one there either.\n\nMost beloved Kim Jong-un then considered waking some guards to help him take care of whatever it was, but he wished for his guards to sleep plenty as it was the holidays and he loved all of his people so very much. He continued on checking out what was happening.\n\nMost high lord then heard the noise again. He had just started walking along the hallway when it happened. He then moved up to the corner to peer around and see if that is where the noise was coming from. He was very close to the source at this point and the noise continued, louder each time. It sounded like things were being knocked over, outside perhaps.\n\nMy beloved leader then went to the door to his balcony, which was just past the turn in the hallway from which he had come. There he saw the source of the noise. There were two giant lions wrestling out on the balcony. They must have escaped from the zoo and climbed up to his balcony at the same time to see him!\n\nWithout a moment of thought he put his weapon down. He would not need it to calm or subdue the wild creatures. He loved animals very much and was very entertained in watching them.\n\nHe opened the door to the balcony and approached the lions with his hands up. He told them to calm down and be at peace with each other. He could see they had knocked down some of his potted plants, vases, and statues, but he was not concerned with such temporary things as those.\n\nHis invulnerableness then wrapped one arm around each lion’s neck and brought them to his chest for a hug. He scratched their necks and both the lions fell in love with him immediately. They rolled over onto their backs exposing their bellies for some scratching.\n\nHis holiness could not resist sharing his joy of playing with the creatures with his family. He quickly ran off to wake his wife and child and they came out to the balcony slightly afraid of what he had told them. They could not calm lions with such grace and authority like could supreme father/husband. However, they knew he had many powers of which they could not dream and so they trusted him completely.\n\nWhen they were out on the balcony the lions came rushing at unparalleled ruler and they tackled him over. He laughed as he lay on his back with each lion licking his face. His family then joined in the laughter and they all played together.\n\nIt is said that supreme leader still keeps these lions in his palace as pets. I am so amazed by how brave and kind he is with all living things. It is a wonder why anyone would ever think to betray him. If they do they should pay the price with their lives since my supreme leader Kim Jong-un is a most incredible ruler and is the greatest living being on this planet.", "Gather around the brush fire, children, and hear the tale of our Glorious Leader, Kim Il-sung and how he single handedly defeated the Evil West! \n\nStop chewing so loud, Kang! Save your grass for later, who knows when it’s going to rain again? Our Glorious Leader, that's who! \n\nStay seated, everyone, and do not interrupt again. Interrupting elders stirs the spirit of the Evil West. In fact, all naughty children are visited at night by the Evil West. You, your grandparents, parents, and all of your brothers and sisters will be taken and never heard from again. You don’t want that, do you? \n\nOf course not. \n\nNow, like all monsters, the Evil West sowed the seeds of his own defeat. It all began when our Glorious Leader’s grandfather, Kim Il-sung, founded our holy country. At first, the glorious North Korea was one with the deviant South Korea. \n\nThe great people of North Korea were peaceful and prosperous by nature, talented traders with unmatched wealth that drew the envy of the South and the monster who corrupted it, the Evil West. \n\nNaturally, the people of the South were stupid lazy good-for-nothings who couldn’t feed themselves. They weren’t smart, diligent, or strong enough to take advantage of the land like the industrious North. The South grew resentful and began to hate the North for the labors of their hard work. The South’s anger grew and grew and grew until the people of the South were boiling with rage. Then, one torch lit night, the South was visited by the Evil West. \n\nYou see, the Evil West used to stretch across the world, invading any country they found and waging war upon all who opposed them, even causing neighbors to war with their neighbors! The Evil West tried to corrupt the legendary Kim Il-sung but his strength of will was simply too powerful for the Evil West. He refused to hurt any innocent civilian, no matter what rewards he was promised by the Evil West. \n\n“Are you sure?” the Evil West said, “I can give you anything you could ever wish for! Food, money, plumbing, all of it!” \n\nSighs If you have to know at this moment, Dam Son, plumbing is another trick of the Evil West! Insidiously designed by the cunning Evil West to weaken the great people of North Korea! Now, silence! \n\nWhat was the last part of the story I told? The resilience of the great Kim Il-sung, of course. You see what happens when you interrupt your elders, Dam Son? I think you and your family will be visited tonight by the Evil West. \n\nOh, quit your crying. \n\nKim Il-Sung had heard of the Evil West. He had heard of the Evil West’s unceasing corruption across the world and wouldn’t be fooled like all the others. He said, “We have all we need right here, in our land, West. We have plenty of food, clothing, and shelter, an overabundance, in fact! My people are wise and strong, we do not wish to possess the trinkets of those who cannot prosper themselves.” \n\nThe Evil West was angered with our great grandfather, Kim Il-sung. The Evil West knew he couldn’t change the mind of our leader, he was too wise for the Evil West’s tricks. The Evil West fled the North and wandered through the jungle. \n\nThrough the underbrush of the jungle, the Evil West tunneled until he could hear the enraged voices of the South, “We don’t want to work! We don’t want to feed ourselves!” they chanted. The Evil West saw his moment to strike and took it without hesitation. He knew the South would surely give in to the Evil West’s bribes and lies. \n\nThe Evil West started whispering to the South, “Why is the North so wealthy while you starve? It is not your fault you and your children go hungry at night! The North steals food that rightfully belongs to your land, your people. Are you going to sit around and continue to live like dogs? Scavenging for scraps at the foot of the North?” \n\n“NO!” the people of the South cried out in unison. The people of the South exploded into a murderous rage, killing and destroying everything they saw, including their own families and huts. \n\nThe Evil West saw that his work was done. The selfish people of the South would believe anything they were told! The Evil West appeared, his wretched, bulbous head popping out from underneath the infertile soil like a sprouting bamboo shoot. \n\nThe Evil West made his voice heard above the rioting peasants, “Hear me, people of the South! I will bestow upon you all of the food and riches of your dreams! In return, all I ask is that you righteously seek justice against the thieving North for all that has been taken from you!” \n\nUtterly consumed by their impotent rage, the people of the South marched to wage war upon the glorious North! \n\nAnd thus, the War of Southern Aggression was born. \n\nKim Il-sung, in his all-knowing wisdom, knew the Evil West would attempt to corrupt the foolish South. Faced with no other alternative, the great Kim Il-sung left his people to meet the approaching Southern army. So sure was he of his cause, flowers grew out from underneath each footstep he took toward his adversary. \n\nIn a great empty field of grass, Kim Il-sung marched onward to greet his foe. To this day, his pilgrimage is still lined with fully bloomed flowers. Kim Il-sung continued to march, undisturbed by the South's savage features and lust for blood. Kim Il-sung, the epitome of mercy that he is, tried to reason with the ravenous hordes of the South. \n\nKim Il-sung and the South paused in the middle of the now-great Killing Field. \n\n“People of the South!” he called out, “We are your people! Part of the same Korea as you! We have never harmed the South or interfered with your simple lives! Please, turn back. This war can end unwaged. We only want peace!” \n\nThe whispers of the Evil West grew louder in the heads of the South, adding tinder to the wildfire that was burning their hearts. Unable to control themselves, the South charged at Kim Il-sung. Unarmed soldiers ran on all fours like beasts, so consumed were they by their lust to slay our great leader. \n\nCalmly, our great leader, Kim Il-sung, stood his ground, giving the South every possible chance to turn away, peacefully. When they were almost upon him, our all-powerful great leader, Kim Il-sung, used his might to strike down the murderous South in defense of his people. \n\nKim Il-sung used his magic bomb, so strong it even surpassed the pathetic Evil West, to cleanse the entire world of the Evil West’s corruption, wiping clean the slate of life to begin anew. The planet was reborn in the image of a North Korean world, which only grows in strength everyday with our constant expansion over the now untamed lands of the world. \n\nNo, you can’t leave the village to explore, ever. I’m almost finished! \n\nKim Il-sung’s magic was so powerful it destroyed all other inferior man-made magic on the planet. Before his eyes, Kim Il-sung’s power washed over the land, extinguishing the insidious lights of the Evil West, so Korea’s people could only see the stars.\n\nNow you understand, children: why we don’t have any lights at night. \n" ]	[ 1, 2, 4, 18 ]	[ "1490757069", "1490790556", "1490764486", "1490763613" ]
	[WP] You are an anti-assassin. You remain hidden in the shadows and stealthily prevent people from dying.	15	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "My job is simple. It's to cheat death. My job is simple.\n\nShe raises the sword and the tip is ever so slightly caught by the roof. She tries to push through it. The tip sticks and the handle breaks out of her grip, the flat side hits her and brings her to her knees.\n\nHe grabs the butter knife and attempts to gut her. I lean back on my seat and with both feet on the edge of the table, kick hard. The table post hits his hand, knocking his hand away. The table edge hits her in the face, knocking her out. \n\nHe looks for me. I am gone, rolled into the darkness of the corner. The pub is poorly lit. Perfect. \n\nHe reaches for her sword. I give him my knife, right through his hand. He screams and looks to my corner as he tugs his hand from the floor. His screams seem to have woken her up and without much further direction, she drives her heel into his jaw, quieting him immensely. The pub is silent. She notices the knife in his hand. She looks around. I am gone. \n\nMy job is simple. It's to cheat death. My job is simple. \n\nThis is his 8th attempt. This time he's bought a chain. Rope can no longer be trusted. He's in his basement, concrete all around him. The wooden rafts can no longer be trusted. A steel chair. A drilled hook in the ceiling. Worn-out letters in an air-tight, plastic folder. He's prepared this time. \n\nHe takes off his clothes. Neatly folds it onto the cold ground. The chair is in it's place, resting beneath the chain. I call his phone. It vibrates on the floor next to his pants. He looks at his phone, with a faintly visible surprised look on his face. It rings once. He doesn't move. It rings twice. No movement. The third ring moves him to grab it in one sudden motion. He clicks on. I connect him to Debra, a very patient telemarketer. She drops into her spiel immediately, impressively so. Every syllable practiced to perfect pronunciation. Every selling point emphasized with a perfect combination of incredulity and confidence. No word wasted or detail forgotten, a flawless sell. Throughout it all, he has said nothing. It's difficult to tell whether he heard anything at all. She waits on his response. He speaks; \"Are you okay?\" very softly into the phone. It almost passes my ear. There is no quick response from Debra. Her breathing on the phone becomes deeper and more erratic. Then, the damn breaks; the job, the bank, her boyfriend, the fights, their daughter, the funeral, everything, comes out. \n\nHe sits. For hours, he listens. And he shares. He sits some more. Later, the lights in the basement are turned off. My camera goes black.\n\nMy job is simple. It's to cheat death. My job is simple.\n\nShe is only six. The earth is dry where she lays. No shade. The sun is without mercy. She is only six.\n\nHer parents are gone, lost in their home as the embers crackle in the heat. I wave away the vultures. She is so little. Her shadow is so small. No need for shadows here, she's too tired to notice me. I stand over her as my shadow swallows her whole. I see her breathe a sigh of relief. Hours pass. A bystander finally drives by on the nearby road. She is found. My skin is cracked. She is safe.\n\nMy job is simple. It's to cheat death. My job is simple. " ]	[ 1, 8 ]	[ "1490796790", "1490801110" ]
[removed]	[WP] Everyone on tinder is dead except you, then one day you get swiped left.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfil every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\n[Copy-cat](http://i.imgur.com/38FjDgW.gifv) prompts (taking a recent prompt and changing only a small detail) and recent reposts (even unintentional) are not allowed. Please search the sub before submitting and wait a minimum of two weeks between reposts. If your idea is based on something you read elsewhere on reddit, chances are it's been submitted here already. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/6273hh/wp_everyone_on_tinder_is_dead_except_you_then_one/%0A%0A)" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1490799267", "1490799412" ]
[removed]	[WP] A female peasant disguises herself to join a medieval army as a pikeman. After a week, she reaches the heart of the enemy's side. She meets the king and becomes a queen when she reveals herself as female. The king is cornered and is defeated.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nYour post includes too many details to be considered a prompt. It has become a story commission, which is not allowed. Prompts are meant to inspire users to write their own work, not write something for you. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/62apef/wp_a_female_peasant_disguises_herself_to_join_a/%0A%0A)" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1490834352", "1490834471" ]
S.M., also sometimes referred to as SM-046, is a female patient first described in 1994 who has had exclusive and complete bilateralamygdala destruction since late childhood as a consequence of an extremely rare genetic condition known as Urbach–Wiethe disease. S.M. is notable in that, because of this damage, she has little to no capacity to experience fear in her life, a characteristic which has resulted in her being dubbed by the media as the "woman with no fear". Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.M._(patient)	[WP] Patient "S.M.", the girl born with a rare brain disorder leaving her unable to feel fear, one day meets a silly man dressed as a clown who lives in the sewers.	82	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Samantha Mitchell skipped down the driveway after her shiny red kickball as it rolled toward the street. The sun was shining brightly, the birds chirped happily, and the summer air smelled of sweet freshly cut grass. A perfect day. Mommy and daddy never liked her to play alone because they said her brain didn't work like the other kids'. When she was a baby she nearly crawled into the lit fireplace. At the age of 3 she tried to pet the cute snarling dog next door. Now at 6 years old, her parents never leave her alone for even a moment. Bradley, her mean big brother is usually tasked with looking after her but enjoys pestering her every chance he gets. Today, thankfully, he ran off to play with his stupid friend, Jimmy, leaving her finally free to explore. The ball dropped off the curb and rolled down street, quickly picking up speed. Samantha laughed, chasing it right as a car drove by that had to swerve to narrowly miss her. Her fingers brushed the ball just as it dropped out of sight into the dark gutter. Without hesitation, she got on all fours and peered into the darkness, straining for a glimpse of red. Well, she saw something red, but it was moving. It grew larger as it got closer and above it opened two piercing yellow eyes. \"Hi mister! What are you doing down there?\" The eyes widened and the creatures mouth slowly stretched into a delighted wide grin. \"Playing with my ball,\" it replied. Samantha smiled. \"You found my ball! Thank you!\" she beamed. The clown came closer. \"You want to -\" but before it could say \"play\" she was already climbing down to join him. The creature lifted a surprised eyebrow. It looked down on her and smiled widely, the dim light glistening off rows of razor sharp teeth. Samantha, mimicking it, smiled as big as she could, showing her missing front tooth. Its face changed. It dropped the grin and narrowed its eyes, evil dripping from every pore. She in turn did the same, squinting her eyes and puckering her face while stifling a snicker. Enough of this. \"Ready to.....PLAY?!\" The clown roared, wrapping its clawlike fingers around her arm. Slimy legs sprouted from its sides and it grew taller until it towered over her, a monstrous upright clown centipede. Its maw opened to reveal a chasm, ready to swallow her whole. Samantha clapped her hands and gave the silly clown a big hug, followed by a kiss on his silly clown nose. \"I like you, Mr. Clown. You do cool tricks.\" IT stood there, dumbfounded, eyes unblinking and mouth agape. What is she? \"Well, I got to go. My mom will be mad if I don't get home and you DON'T want to see her angry.\" The creature from the depths of Hell only nodded and released her. Samantha scooped up her ball and climbed back through the slimy, insect ridden gutter without a flinch. She bent down and politely waved goodbye to her new friend before skipping away, singing a merry tune. IT had never experienced anything like this before. Never been beaten before, not like this. What just happened?! The grotesque creature flinched and twitched in shock, exoskeleton clicking and shifting as it shrank and slid back into the oily blackness.", "The street was as empty as it always was at that time of night. All the people who felt fear didn't like to be out at this time of night. S.M. walked along the sidewalk with apparent disregard for her own safety, half the time not even looking up from her phone. \n\nShe was about halfway home when she heard the whistling. She looked up from her phone with interest for the first time. Off to the side of the road there was a storm drain that seemed to be the source of the noise. The whistling was getting closer. S.M. stopped. \n\nA shadowy figure emerged from the hole in the ground. She could see just enough in the darkness to make out muted colors that looked like they would be vibrant if they were washed for a week. The whistling stopped as the clown noticed her on the street, well illuminated under the streetlights. The figure raised a shadowy hand, and beckoned her into the drain before disappearing back inside. \n\nShe was never the type to turn down a good adventure, but she wasn't completely stupid. She texted her brother 'I'm on Lincoln street and I probably just saw a serial killer, if I'm not home by 2 then you should probably call the cops and tell them to look in the storm drain.\" \n\nIt might seem completely stupid, unrealistically inept, or just downright bonkers that she started walking towards the storm drain, but she was reckless with indifference after years of not feeling fear. A lot of people envied her but she knew what they did not, that muted emotions are a symptom of depression, and that even having only one muted was well on your way to being depressed full time. She didn't have the superhero-who-just-wants-to-fit-in type delusions, but she did have to admit that she wasn't happy. In a cynical part of her brain she couldn't believe that anyone was. Depression issues aside, she did still have heroic aspirations. If she could take out one demented killer even at the cost of her own life, that didn't seem like such a bad way to go. \n\nThe leaves crunched as she approached the drain. She stepped onto the concrete of the hole, and turned on her phone's flashlight. The figure had been hunkering down, preparing to strike, but the light surprised him, and he leapt backwards. He could only see the light and a shadowy figure holding it, and God knows what sort of being he thought had come to visit him. \n\n\"Oh dear God! It's you! What do you want?!\" the clown screamed as he fell to the ground, covering his face from the light. \n\n\"I wanted to kill you. What do you mean 'It's you'?\" \n\nHer flat tone of voice only convinced him further.\"Don't play coy with me you tricksy devil! You know good and well what I mean! When did they let you out those pearly gates?\" \n\nS.M. suddenly felt very sorry for the man. \n\n\"They didn't let me out. I forced my way out.\" \n\nThe man cowered down even further and let out a pitiful whimper \n\n\"Please! Don't kill me! I have a mouth to feed. My own!\" The man laughed at his own joke, a twisted laugh that would have chilled any non S.M. spine. \n\n\"Alright. I have another offer for you anyway,\" she said, thinking on her feet, \" I will let you live if you go on one of my errands.\" \n\nThe hand came down from guarding the man's face and he looked childlike in his hopefulness. \n\n\"You must go to McCarthur street. It's the second left if you go back towards the mountain in that direction,\" she pointed. \"What you need to do is infiltrate one of the establishments there. The building with the brown roof. It will have a sign with something about being a psychiatric hospital, but that is all a ruse. The men in charge of the hospital are in contact with...him.\" She bluffed.\n\n\"Good God no! Not him! How could they do that?!\"\n\n\"I don't know. But I need you to pose as a patient there. Once you get into the system, you can find out what they are doing and put a stop to it.\" \n\n\"I don't understand why you would care if they talked to him...but if that is the price for my life, then so be it.\" \n\nThe clown got up and walked towards her. He brushed past her in a hurry, as if still afraid of her. \n\nJust then her phone vibrated. \"What the hell are you talking about? Are you O.K? \n\nAs she watched the figure walk onto the sidewalk and then toward McCarthur street, she typed \"Long story. Will explain later. Might still need to call the police, but I think I handled it.\"\n\n___\n/r/Periapoapsis" ]	[ 1, 10, 26 ]	[ "1490836573", "1490843869", "1490842661" ]
	[WP] The Bible was written by a time traveler.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"HEY! Did you know the Bible was written by a freaking time traveler? Open your eyes and check out the clues. It's OBVIOUS once you know the truth!\" blathered the wild man. His blathering started to make sense to me though.\n\n\"Yeah, I think you're right. That makes total sense that the Bible was written by a time traveler.\" I have the guy a dollar and continued on my way I guess." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1490852784", "1490885276" ]
	[WP] An alien comedian who understands humor but can't laugh or gauge audience reactions.	7	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Why are they doing this? As Kheber has understood his set has been killing it. He has been timing his punchlines perfectly with his set up and can't seem to figure out why his audience has been reciprocating.\n\nHe's been trying to get a response out of these dirty humans and can't get anything other than guttural noises that sounds like they are fighting for air. Why aren't the doing the typical alien shoutshoo that most of his fellow kind do? He has been killing it for that matter. \n\nThese humans look up at Kheber so expectably and he gives an original Yougull joke from his homeplanet and they just repeat that guttural noise! This doesn't make any sense. He is a top comedian on his home planet but could not get a good reaction.\n\nHe wipes his bulbous forehead with a long tentacle hold a rag. He clears his throat in preparation to tell another joke.\n\n\"So humans, why do you guys smell so bad?\"\n\nMore gut wrenching noises out of the humans mouth. The sound was grating to Kheber. \n\n\"You filthy mongrels! You don't know good humor if it spit in eye! I wish our leaders would have destroyed your planet!\" Khebor shouted at the crowd to more hearty grunts from the audience. \n\nKhebor pulls out a blue and green device with a red button on top and dissipates before the audiences eyes. His disappearance is greeted with a roaring applause with the human swine standing on their feet and clapping.", "It was an especially dark, stormy night in New York City for Falkazar, luckily, for him, he couldn’t tell the difference. Much like his inability to gauge humans, \nforeshadowing was lost upon poor old Falkazar. \n\nAll he wanted was a good show. \n\nDo you know the phrase, “the audience’s reaction is everything?” whether by coincidence or failed theater instructors, as Falkazar discovered the hymn, this truism is the chant that led to his total demise. \n\nAs far as Falkazar was concerned, it was scripture. He repeated his mantra everywhere he went: on the city bus, the subway, in between line readings in his theater group, at the restaurant before the show, in the shower, in the bathroom, the crowded urinal at the restaurant, in his sleep etc., etc. \n\nIt would obviously be easier to name the places he wasn’t chanting like a brainwashed Westboro Baptist protester. \nRegardless, this is the tale of Falkazar, the obscene. The lighthearted need not read ahead. \n\nHow does one exactly obtain the best reaction from an audience, you might ask yourself, especially if you’re Falkazar, the obscene. Well, he would answer, you make them angry. \n\nIf reaction was everything, the most interesting and spontaneous reactions come from humans when they’re furious! Humans throw drinks, throw chairs, storm out, rush the stage, boo him, sometimes, they even clapped and laughed! It was a wonderful display of humanity. \n\nHe wouldn’t understand the fury of an offended audience member, to him, humans were a novelty, welcomed by the Galactic Alliance but considered beneath humanity all the same. It was much more like prodding a bear, in a zoo. \nFalkazar made his way to the stage, one tentacle clutched the microphone, shakily holding it in front of his mouth-ish-thing. \n\n“Hello, I am Falkazar,” Falkazar said, “I’ve come to bring some human-humor to all of you, because, I believe humor heals the soul.”\n\n“Awww,” the audience sighed. \n \n“My mother died, recently and I was allowed to speak at her service. I slinked up to the podium and said, ‘You know, my mother was, a lot of things. A wife, a mother, a hard-worker, a caretaker, a friend. But above all, most importantly, she was insured.” \n\nSeveral audience members clapped nervously, some scattered laughs were thrown around the room. Most were unsure of what was happening. \n\n“Hahaha, do not worry, my mother is still alive and really is an amazing woman. \nWhen I was young, though, my grandmother was sick and my mother was her full time caretaker. Well, between that and a full time job she was always worn out. So, one day, my mother asked me if I can take care of grandma, while she went out. I said, ‘Sure, mom, I’ve got a pillow.’” \n\nSome portly audience members began to flare up like bulls, huffing at their tables as if they had been slighted in a game of horseshoes, or scammed on the price of feed for their pig/mud farms. \n\nFalkazar noticed and did what in his species –the name is unpronounceable- passed for a smile. He was only encouraged by the small symptoms of outrage. \n\n“Hahaha, don’t worry, I am only kidding. My GRANDMOTHER died when I was really young, but, luckily, I’ve got nothing but good memories of her. She was a total prankster, she would always shake up her soda can and ask me to open it for her. But, now that I’m older, I realized: it was just Parkinson’s.” \n\nFalkazar gazed around the crowd, drinking in the attention, regardless of the source. He marched on, undisturbed. \n\n“Hahaha, don’t worry, I am only kidding. My grandmother is doing fine, in fact, we even signed her up for swimming lessons! But, that’s just code, for, sending her to the stroke clinic.” \n\nMore shocked stares and outraged aggression followed each of Falkazar’s jokes. \n\n“Hahaha, don’t worry, I am only kidding. My grandmother is in the hospital currently, on life support. The other week, I was visiting her in the hospital and I was standing by her side, holding her arm, when she asked me to pull the plug.” \n\nShocked gasps resounded throughout the crowd. \n\n“I said, ‘No Grandma, I won’t do it! Save that for somebody who is IN your will!” \n\nSome faces turned red, storm stormed out of the small Comedy Club in a drunken rage, spilling their beer as they exited. \n\nFalkazar’s assault continued relentlessly. \n\n“Hahaha, don’t worry, I am only kidding. Although, I am not going to lie, I do not like old people. The other day, I was driving behind an elderly couple: and it was awful. They were driving ten quadrants below the speed limit with their blinker on, and they were all over the sky so I couldn’t even pass them. I am not going to lie, I was THIS close to calling the cops,” Falkazar tried to pinch his own tentacle, “but when I finally passed them, I saw something that made me hang up the phone: the accident.” \n\n“Hahaha, don’t worry, I am only kidding. You know, there’s a big talk about women’s rights lately. Personally, I am a feminist, I have no shame in saying that, because I truly believe in equality. I mean, think about it, alimony, child support, I’ll be getting both.” \n\n“My sister PRETENDS to be a feminist but I don’t believe it. She keeps going out of her way to try and prove it to me, like, the other month, she signed herself up for boxing lessons because she says it ‘empowers’ her. Gsssh, please. Personally, I think she doesn’t want the baby.” \n\nOne by one, the patrons rushed out of the bar, disgusted at the battery of their psyche. Soon, Falkazar was the only one left inside of the club. Even the bartender had left out the back about halfway through his set. \n\nFalkazar gazed in triumph at the overturned tables, chairs, and beer mugs thrown around the room. He had done it. Cleared out an entire bar! He must have been amazing! \n\nAnd that is the Great Bombing of Falkazar, the obscene. \n\n" ]	[ 1, 2, 3 ]	[ "1490922460", "1490925696", "1490927849" ]
[removed]	[WP] This post is true. You are accidentally accepted. Something weird is happening here.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nPrompts should not ask users to base responses off titles or content they have to seek out in another subreddit or on an external website. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/62jka8/wp_this_post_is_true_you_are_accidentally/%0A%0A)" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1490941041", "1490941597" ]
	[WP] aliens have finally decided to come takeover earth, when they get here humans are already extinct. Little did they know the octopus is now the apex predator and space must battle with the ocean to claim earth as theirs.	10	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"Unit 1, ready to fire, Over.\"\n\n\"Unit 2, prepared to fire, Over.\"\n\n\"Unit 3, waiting to fire, Over.\"\n\n\"Unit 4, about to fire, Over.\"\n\n\"Unit 5, equipped to fire, Over.\"\n\nGeneral Lareneg smiled sadistically before ordering all 5 of his heavy weapon units to open fire. Their conventional weaponry wouldn't work under water. However the aliens were far advanced in technology than humans were when they first observed them 200 years ago, there was no way the octopi had caught up to be able to defend against this kind of artillery. Intensely hot ions shells that would dissolve all of Earth's oceans with ease. Conquering Earth after that wouldn't be hard.\n\n\"Unit 2 unable to fire, Over.\"\n\n\"Unit 3 unable to fire, Over.\"\n\n\"Unit 5 unable to fire, over.\"\n\n\"Units 1 and 4?\" Lareneg asked but he received no response. A quick glance showed that their ships had disappeared from his radar. He managed to scramble the last footage captured by the ships cameras before they were destroyed. The ion shells they had fired had been deflected by a powerful magnetic field and the ships had been turned into plasma by their own weaponry.\n\n\"Unit 5 under fire, over.\"\n\nLareneg switched to the footage of Unit 5's ship, and saw several beams slicing through the ship. Whilst light based weaponry had been developed the possibility for continuous beams with this kind of penetrating power had proven impossible. Or so they though. \n\n\"Enemy barrages travel at light speed and can cut through adamantivibranimadeupmetallium with ease, retreat.\" Lareneg, thankful he was back in HQ. He checked his radar again to see that a huge missile had been released by the octopi, which completely missed his ships and accelerated through the galaxy. It seemed to defy the laws of physics, travelling significantly over the speed of light. Infact, it was heading right for head quarters. Lareneg braced as the entire building was shook by a huge explosion but was more suprised when a huge mass of water was released, which flooded the building. \n\nHe was even more petrified though when a slimy tentacle wrapped around his neck, before forcing itself down one of his three throats and blocking the respiratory systems in his kidneys. The intense pain of suffocation was the last thing he ever felt.\n" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1490965014", "1490979169" ]
	[WP] You are the God of Blood and Carnage, but you've recently fallen in love with a vegan.	3	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"Soy Chai for Violet, ready for Violet at the bar.\"\n\nThe two friends were still feeling relaxed after yoga and were having their customary drink together.\n\n\"So, heard you started dating someone,\" Dee said to Violet.\n\n\"Who told you that?\"\n\n\"You just did. But Jenny said you didn't make book club last week. You never miss book club, and I know you weren't sick.\"\n\nViolet hid her face behind her cup. \"...maybe.\"\n\n\"Come on! I'm your best friend. You've gotta tell me.\"\n\n\"I still don't know if it's going to work out.\"\n\n\"Oh. Ohhhhh. You need to take better care of your heart, girl. Alright. What's up with him? Makes fun of your aromatherapy?\"\n\n\"He's not a vegan. Not even a vegetarian. He's never gonna be one, either.\"\n\n\"Vee, we've talked about this! That's a dealbreaker for you.\"\n\n\"Dee, there's one other thing...\"\n\n* * \n\nThey were assembled in the Great Hall, watchers of the Earth's cycles, facilitators of the Natural Order. And participants from time to time.\n\n\"Tell us about your new consort,\" came the call from one end of the Long Table. \n\nHe pushed the huge turkey leg on his plate away. He sighed, took a whole roast potato in his hand and took a bite. \n\n\"I've never seen him put off his meat before!\" said another. \"Must be serious, ho ho!\"\n\n\"Always so singleminded,\" replied one of the feminine perspectives at the table. \"I perceive a situation a bit more ... complicated?\"\n\nHe picked at the turkey leg, tore off a bit of meat, and rubbed his chin as he savored the bite. \"She's a vegan.\"\n\nEveryone roared with laughter. \"The God of Blood and Carnage, He who Ensures that the Cycle of Flesh is maintained in Nature, has had his heart stolen ... by a vegan. I told you all --\" she drew deeply of her wine goblet \"-- that this was complicated.\"\n\n * \n\n\"SANGUICOATL???\"\n\n\"SHH!\"\n\nDee lowered her voice. \"I mean first off, damn girl, I thought dating the Gods was only for Hollywood and Royalty--\"\n\n\"Keep your voice down, please?\" \n\n\"How?\"\n\n\"Last month. At the big conference my company put on.\"\n\n\"Yeah, all of that fake meat you make.\"\n\n\"Plant-based* meat, Dee, and we're the best in the world. Anyway,\" Violet's eyes darted around to check if anyone was eavesdropping, \"he showed up. After the presentation, in my office. He said he thought what we do is funny, ridiculous, pointless. I told him he was full of shit and that he should try some before he laughed at us.\"\n\n\"You told ... one of the Gods ...\" Dee's mouth hung open. \"Honey, I don't think I'm ever gonna look at you the same way again.\"\n\n\"You know I don't put up with people giving me crap about what I do. Not from anyone. I told him he was full of shit and he should try some and if he wanted he could come to my place and I'd cook him up a plant-burger and fries and that it would be the best he'd ever had.\"\n\n\"And then?\"\n\n\"And then ... he did.\" Violet shrugged and looked away, sipping on her drink. \"And we hit it off.\"\n\n* * \n\n\"Sanguicoatl does not need to explain his taste in companionship anymore than any of you,\" came the voice from the head of the Long Table. \"But I would advise you to consider your place and her place in the world. Human loyalties are so fickle, we don't need another campaign against the Gods.\" He snapped his fingers and the table cleared. \"Again into the world!\"\n\nTheir fellowship done for now, the Gods scattered to take their places in the Order of the World.\n\n * \n\nSanguicoatl appeared in a dark corner and then approached the door to her apartment. He could have appeared in any room in her apartment but only time that he had done that he had gotten an earful.\n\nThere was fire in her belly. And not a lust for war or animal competition of flesh against flesh, but a passion that burned as bright. It was exotic, refreshing, maybe intoxicating. He liked that about her.\n\nMaybe he loved her for it.\n\nHe knocked. The door opened. \"My greetings, Violet.\"\n\n\"Hey. Come in. How was work today?\"\n\n\"You regard the Course of the Gods as no more than a day of selling socks at a department store.\"\n\n\"So we've all got our place. Genuinely interested, though.\"\n\n\"I told the others about you.\"\n\n\"It's funny, I told my best friend about you. She said it isn't going to work out, between us.\"\n\n\"Perhaps she is correct. We are very different.\"\n\n\"Maybe that's why we're good for each other. You know ... I grew up resenting you. But I'm never going to turn a wild lion vegan. It was good of you to remind me of that.\"\n\nShe hopped up on her sock-covered feet, and walked over to the fridge. \n\nHe followed. \n\n\"I'll cook you up another one of my 'silly' plant-burgers, and maybe I can remind you --\" she tapped him on the nose \"-- that the world can* be at least a little different than what it is.\"\n\nTogether they were each more than they could be alone. For that, they would fall in love.\n\n* * *\n\nI collect my stories at /r/wpforme" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1490982927", "1490983626" ]
	[WP] Every night in your sleep you meet a successful-looking future you who tells you what you should do the next day. So far your life has gone well indeed, but one day you fall asleep during the daytime. You meet a tired, disheveled version of yourself who begs you not to listen to the other.	7,778	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "I blinked again. She still stood there in her brown coat, soot had blemished the arm and torso part of it. Her wrinkled eyes looking at me with a penetrating look behind a pair of thick out-of-date style cheap glasses.\n\n\"What did you mean by--\"\n\n\"You heard me once. Don't play deaf.\" Her crisp voice cut my sentence off. \"She is a master of trickery. You gave her that power.\"\n\nI knew I creased my eyebrows so hard that it made her look softened a bit.\n\n\"5 months eh?\"\n\nSince I started my dreams? I nodded as a confirmation.\n\n\"I have been trying to tell you about her, but you couldn't hear me. I figured that she had me blocked from your awareness.\" The old lady now conjured a tray of small half egg shaped crystal cups filled with clear golden liquid. She laid it on a table between us both. \n\n\"Drink.\" \n\nI picked up one of the cups, a solid milky one with green circle stone ornaments etched around its midst. And without protesting drank the liquid at one gulp.\n\nAt once I felt an excruciating pain exploded from my forehead. I remembered that I fell into a sliding tunnel. Then felt the end of tunnel opened into a total nothingness that had me blanketed in dense chill fog.\n\nI cried and screamed in fear, tried to move but again I realised I didn't have a body to do it, around me the thick mist of white prevented my sight to see clearly.\n\nWhen my breath finally slowed down, I could a see two figures loomed above my face.\n\n\"She just lie there like a pig.\"\n\n\"A statue more likely.\"\n\n\"Or a vase?\"\n\nI raised my hands to reach them but I had no energy left. Only a bit of awareness to see I was back in my body again. So I strained my eyes to see them more clearly and the mist started to lift.\n\nI saw the shabby old lady and my familiar future self that had been mentoring me the past few months, both were standing side by side like lab scientists measuring their research object.\n\nIn one look I realised they both were the same lady, with the same apparel just with different physical look.\n\nMy mentor was a shiny beautiful woman, with glowing face and hair looking like being freshly styled by a professional born-to-be hair dresser, her slim and fit body was wrapped with a glorious looking brown leather coat, tailored with quality looking material. Her dress was embroidered with golden threads with perfect circle of precious stone beads etched on each curve. Her feet were wrapped with tight brown leather boots accentuated with bronze and brass.\n\nAnd the other woman.. I paused my mind.\n\nThe old lady addressed my critical look with open mirth. She was daring me to judge her style.\n\nSimilar face but more wrinkles, and uses glasses. She has a more intense pair of eyes though. Greying strands of hair, ordinary hair style, brown shabby coat, plain dress, brown boots.. That were all the points that my mind dared to address.\n\n\"Why--?\"\n\n\"Are you bothered by the difference between me and her?\" \n\nI nodded.\n\n\"What is it exactly that bothers you?\"\n\n\"Are you... my future too--?\"\n\nSuddenly my mentor laughed and stopped my question with her derisive snort. \n\n\"Quit playing the victim game. I have taught you enough.\"\n\nHuh?\n\n\"You don't want to feel guilty for what you are doing to her, do you?\"\n\nI felt my right chest burst into hot rage. \"What do you mean? I don't play victim! What did I do to her? I didn't know anything abo--\"\n\n\"You don't want to hear what you know,\" she replied icily. And then a softer voice followed, \"You didn't try hard enough.\"\n\nI started to feel faint and a seed of doubt inside me suddenly grew. \"I listened to what you said! Like all the steps you've told me to do!\" I shouted back. \n\n\"Yea, that's because my job is giving you the easy ones! And you didn't even think why you should follow my advices besides the fact they were easy.\"\n\nMy head spun, and then I looked at the old lady. She had a thin smile on her lips.\n\n\"Enough.\" \n\nThis made my mentor stopped talking and turned her head to face her counterpart.\n\n\"I think we all can see that your mentorship actually helped her to see that she's not going anywhere anytime soon.\" With a chuckle she flicked her fingers and a window opened on the right side of the room. \"That is her dream destination. But what you were doing,\" she nodded at me, \"is gonna make you end there,\" she pointed to the other side of the room where a TV was showing a global event where the flood and storm was wrecking havoc in a northern state. \"With the speed of your unconscious actions, the domino effect of your doing will play back on you like that.\"\n\nWhat does that have anything to do with me? I asked with fear creeping up.\n\n\"Everything in this life is interconnected. When you choose to do something without awareness, that action will comeback to you, whether you like it or not. It will be in any form. Not necessarily apple to apple. But it can be guilt, it can be shame, it can be depressing news, or a fruitful return.\" She paused to regard me with her pair of witty eyes. They were more compassionate and warmer now. \"You have to know that you are held responsible for every action you do, but you can't play small because of it.\"\n\nSure why would I play small? I objected with a weak smile, while a shameful feeling grew to replace fear.\n\n\"Because you only do what feels comfortable for you!\" My mentor chimed in with an utter disgust look on her face.\n\nI felt my face hot with embarrassment. \"Well you have been helpful weren't you? Toying with me, and now throw everything back at me with the intention to humiliate me!\"\n\n\"Only you who can let me humiliate you. Only you who can let me toy with you.\" \n\nI cried in anger and jumped to my feet to attack her. My mentor slid away from my punches easily.\n\nThe old lady was looking at our antiquities without being perturbed, she even conjured another tray now filled with baked red velvet cake slices, a hot tea pot and several pink and yellow tea cups. Then she poured tea on one of the yellow cups while both me and my mentor were playing cat fight.\n\n**\n\nI woke up covered with sweats. My heart still raced as my memory replayed the last scene where I finally caught my mentor's hair and pulled her into my claws. I stayed still, focusing on my breath and my dream.\n\nWhat the hell...\n\nI shut my eyes again and felt a rush of tingling warmth moved from my lower back up to my crown.\n\nThen a breeze of air passed by the side of my ear. It reminded me that I was safe.\n\nThe sun just set and my digital clock showed three passed seven on it.\n\nI decided to put everything on my dream journal.", "...and then I woke up; It was 6:30PM...not night and not day. In fact, I remember not knowing what day it was at all, let alone not being able to sense the time of day despite seeing the arms on the clock screaming to me. Or was it the echoes of two familiar strangers arguing about an idealistic life as if they've lived it? One stranger nudged my left, the other the right. They agreed on one thing, though: how the life began. A rather insignificant agreement in retrospect. What did I know, anyway?", "Life gets better and better. I never thought I`d hate it. Everyday, I have dreams like flowing streams--it tells me what`s at the end of it. But, you`d be surprised were it ends (or maybe not).\n\nI wake up very early, usually by 3:30 AM. No rooster ever caught me with my eyes close, mind you. I`d like to say I`m a hard worker, but most of the time I`d say I`m lazy. That`s why everyday`s got to be planned--every detail of it. Morning bath. Check. Hopelessly white-ish teeth. Check. Smell. Check. Morning schedule. Maybe later. Afternoon Schedule. You get the picture. I think I`m fired up. Then, the day begins. I`d kill the guy who ever said when you fail to plan, you`re planning to fail. But, something tells me his already dead. \n\nNothing really goes as planned, you know; but sometimes good enough is good enough. I get my three meals a day that`s good enough, isn`t? I`d get to work by 6:30 AM. Early birds get no worms, quote me on that. Its the boss who pays for your feathers. I still come early coz work doesn`t get any less coming late. Did I say I work in finance? We work like tomorrow is yesterday. It`s probably easier to say it goes on and on. \n\n“Jeff, here you go.” A happy pile of paper sieged my desk. I watched its sides effortlessly fell my mug. I hate it when it spills out the pencils. \n\n“What`s this, Dick,” I watched his eyes. They looked like they`re going to eat me. \n\n“Fredrick. That`s doesn`t even sound close.”\n\n“It rhymes.” I tried to hide my smile. “Besides, that`s what everybody calls you. They`d hate me to call you anything less.”\n\n“Its Fred, alright,” he shouts covering as much of the office ground as possible. Everybody heard it. No one listened. \n\n“Anyway, I need this done by Wednesday, the boss is gone kill me if these doesn`t get on his desk on time.” He points his fingers at me. \n\n“Let him. I`ve got my plans. Last weeks papers hasn`t been processed yet. Are you kidding me.”\n\n“And I say forget it. Wednesday, Jeff.” Just like that he left my office. I forgot to tell him his zipper was open or did I?\n\nKill Dick inside my head. Check. \n\nNo surprise there. I don`t think I needed my dreams to tell me that`ll happen. Lately, I`ve been having premonitions. I don`t think it`s fair to call it like that, though. Everynight, as I sleep, I`d wake in my dreams. I`d be floating or flying, I don`t really know, within a gentle flowing stream and beams of spectral light running pass me. Then, I hear something like murmurs. I can make the words, “the river ends where the sea begins.” I think that`s what I hear. Then, I`d see some of the lights zig zag beside me. I can make a shape--its very familiar. I still think I`m better looking, but other than that, I guess I got nothing. \n\n“Hello, Jeff.” The chill of that sound never left, even when I thought I`ve gotten used to it. Quite haunting to hear you own voice coming from someone else--maybe not someone else. He looks exactly like me. He`s older; but, hey, he`s wearing a shiny suit--its fits well too--just like every turd bags who leaves all their turd on my desk. He, then, points ahead of us. \n\nI see visions of scenes about to happen. There, I think I just saw Rica drop her pen and I reached for it. Nice one hotshot. The pile of Dick`s turd (ehem, papers) is looking good. The boss congratulates me, Dick doesn`t look too happy. Great time with my buds, Rica`s there too. I think I kissed her. I look good for a Wall Street zombie. \n\n“Remeber where the river ends, Jeff.”\n\n“I got it, Jeff.”\n\n“You`ll have all that you desire and more. See it through, won`t you?”\n\nThen, I woke up. And so, here I am in my office looking at the pile of papers on my desk. I think my name`s Dick in the future.\n\nI thought it strange then that just before I could lift my firgers to a sheet, I felt a sudden attack of haziness and my lids covered the balls of my eyes. I fell asleep. \n\n“Jeff, wake up.” He wasn`t suppose to bother me at work. I`m wasting time sleeping. \n\n“What`s wrong with you. It`s the middle of the day.” Then I stared right at him. I probably took longer than I should but something`s wrong. He looked centuries old. I think I never saw teeth so gapped, atleast it`s more than white-ish. His head like the empty desert sands leaving little strands of hairs jotting out. His violet suit covered in unwavering dusts. He looks like death but way older. I saw him with one hand carrying the burden of his head, sitting or floating, I don`t really know, dead tired. \n\n“Jeff,” I called. He looked at me with bony cheeks, eyes hollowed with emptiness. \n\n“Remeber, where the river ends.”\n\n“Everybody knows were the river end. What wrong with you?” He points towards my heart and I felt a deep ache within. I wanted to claw it out. “Where it ends? The ocean?”\n\n“With me, Jeff.” \n\nThen, I woke up. \n\nI stopped dreaming my dreams ever since. I don`t really know what to think of it all. Heck, I don`t know if it made me any better than I was before. Guess, I`ll keep being me. \n\nLook, Rica dropped her pen again. I think she`s doing it on purpose. I reached for it. Nice one hotshot. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "Every night when I fall asleep nothing happens, but tonight something happened. I met a man in my sleep who told me that he was future me and told me what I should do tomorrow, it didn’t seem dangerous so I did what he said. While walking around the corner that he told me to walk around I found $100.\n\neverything was good for a few months, I had money, friends, and fame, what more could a man want. One day I went to sleep in the daytime even though the man in my dreams warned me against it, but I just couldn't help myself. While asleep I met a man that looked kind of like the man in my dreams, he was malnourished, looked homeless, and smelled like a skunk. The man warned me not to listen to the man In the dreams I have at night, I said, “whatever old man, I won't listen to you.”\n\nWhen I went to sleep that night the man in my dreams he told me what to do, when I woke up I did it. all was normal until the swat team broke into my house to arrest me, I was tried with 37 counts of fraud, “but the man In my dreams said that I would get away with it.” I told the investigators. My lawyer got me off on insanity, but on the term that I would spend the rest of my life in a mental home. As I grew older in the mental home I started to look more like the Man I met In that dream I had in the day, I tried to contact him but never could.\n\nEDIT: Fixed errors", "\"We were once over a thousand, and before that countless in numbers.\" The old woman said, her lips curled back in disgust at the corners. \"But your actions have been pruning us away like branches from a tree! Every decision you have made on that Man's advice has exacted a toll of one or more of these branches. You are pruning your potential and narrowing your future. Less than five of us remain and four are figs rotting in your lap. Yet you're so blithely ignorant to the situation, that the smell doesn't even register, does it?\"\n\nOk, so that's kind of heavy.* I thought.\n\nThe face in the mirror was old, very old; the mask of a lifetime's lines worn like the palm of a dominant hand; calloused, shiny, over cracks that ran with old splits in the tissue. A moment before I was leaning on the bathroom sink, a razor in one hand and a palm of shaving foam in the other, ready to start my day. It had been a fitful night and I could get no rest, worried about the day to come. It would be an important day, a climax in the plot of my life, and decisions would be made that could not be undone.\n\nI must have fallen asleep. The mirror has that hazy edge like in the other dreams...\n\n\"Are you mute now, too?\" The old woman demanded. \"We don't have a lot of time here before He takes notice.\"\n\nThe razor fell into the sink from my slack hand, startling me. For a moment, the mirror went back to its dull, bespeckled silver, only to return to the haze. I felt unsteady on my feet.\n\n\"No, I'm not mute. I'm just trying to process this. I assume the man you're talking about is me, the one from my dreams at night.\"\n\n\"That would be the Man, yes. But he's not you.\" She paused to consider her words. \"Or better to say, he's not the only one that is you. One potential you-that-might-be. Just as I am one potential you-that-might-be.\"\n\nWhat?\n\nThe old woman must have been able to read the look plainly on my face. \"The decisions you make in your life result in you becoming a different person. Every decision you have ever made has lead to you becoming the person you are today. But all of those decisions were guided by you, fumbling through the world and figuring it out on your own. Your decisions made you who you were, before He started to infiltrate your dreams.\"\n\n\"So you're... phantom probabilities?\" I asked. It had been five years since graduating college, but statistics had stuck with me. \"Probable outcomes?\" I furrowed my brows and thought about it. \"Wait, but you're a woman?\"\n\nThe old woman smirked at me. \"Yes, you are. In this outcome of who you are.\"\n\n\"No offense, but... you look like you've lived a hard life.\" I tried to say it as gently as possible. \"Nothing like the old man.\"\n\n\"That's because I've been ridden hard and put away wet.\" The old woman laughed. \"Hard times are coming, Joshua, and the decisions you make today will determine if you live with a healthy conscience in a wasteland, or become the personification of corruption in the steel towers with the filtered air and lab grown food. I'm proud of this face, of who I am, and who I have been. I have no regrets.\"\n\nI reeled, my inner ears stirring around like a day on the ocean. I clutched the sink, trying to keep my footing. It was all too much. Five years before, the old man started to come to me in dreams, and he explained that I had a destiny. Up until then I was lost. Orphan, parents having died when I was seven, and adrift in the world. He told me that my parents died for a reason, to keep me from knowing the truth about who I was, and who I would be going forward. The old man claimed my parents were killed by fanatics who felt my family was a threat.\n\n\"What do I do?\" I whispered. \"He told me someone like you might come and that I shouldn't listen to you, but I can tell that what you're saying is true. I don't know why, but I'm absolutely sure of it. The same way I know everything he says is true. He said he was me, and so do you. That would make him Joshua... Who are you?\"\n\n\"Josephine.\" The old woman whispered back. \"You chose that name today, the day of this dream, when the chains of reality slip free and you decide the course of your future.\"\n\nI raised a hand to cup my right cheek, feeling the skin. Smooth, unblemished. \"But I don't understand. This is just a business meeting today. It's just paperwork. Claiming the fortune my family left behind and the corporation with their name. Today's nothing so extreme--\"\n\nJosephine tsked and held her breath; a truly pregnant pause. \"That's where you're wrong. It starts that way, but today, events will unravel and set your future course. You think you're going to meet a lawyer and talk about money, but what you're really going to do is go and meet a representative of the Divine. Today, you will meet your father for the first time, and today you will decide how you live the remainder of your days in this world. This will be the final day of an era, and the first day of a new one. Who you decide to be will determine what the world is like going forward. That is your birthright, in accordance with ancient prophecy.\"\n\nI felt my mouth drop open. This is insane. I thought.\n\nJosephine stared back at me from the hazy, silvered glass. Doubled in the reflection I saw myself, a man in his late twenties with stubbled cheeks, in half of an ill-fitting dark grey suit and wide, frightened eyes.\n\n\"My father? The Divine?\" I was choking on the words. \"This is too much. I can't... I don't... What should I do?\"\n\nThe old woman, Josephine, a future me, shared a sadness through her eyes. \"That Man would have you become a tyrant, and I would... I'm afraid to say...\" She released a heavy breath. \"I would ask you to become a rebel. A criminal in the eyes of some, a terrorist in the eyes of other. Someone who stands for a cause at great personal sacrifice. In this conversation, the branches have narrowed to a final two. Telling you the truth has limited the possible outcomes further. I ask you to look inside yourself and decide who you really want to be. But if He had His way, it would be limited to one.\"\n\nI looked down into the scummy foam in the sink; shaving cream that disintegrated and dripped from my hand as I clutched the porcelain, to run in thin trails to the drain. Like my future possibilities, discarded carelessly. But had I been so careless? There was a time before the old man's words when I had enjoyed my life, and although his every advice had lead to success, it had also lead to more work. Every day harder decisions, more cut throat, as I hoarded money for lawyers and dug in public record, against a downhill sluice of bureaucratic misery.\n\nMust I choose one of these paths? What if I just walked away? Disappeared, changed my name, sacrificed my whole identity to wander the world away from all of the paperwork and artifice? What would that future be like? Who would I be if I cast myself adrift, opening myself up to my inner thoughts rather than stuffing them away?\n\nI glanced up at the mirror to ask Josephine and she smiled back at me. \"I see you've made your choice. It will be a hard life, but I've already told you... You have no regrets.\"\n\n\n", "I have never been the kind to try and find a meaning in dreams, nor the one who listens to fortune tellers: my future is mine to shape, unforeseeable and beautifully mysterious because of that. I don’t know what comes next, and as such I’m as free as I could be in my choices. This is just how it should be, except it ceased to about an year ago.\n\n\nThe dreams started after a crazy night out in my town with the old friends I hadn’t seen in a while, they looked all accomplished, successful, and there it was me, the one unfit for success, the one still working 9-5 in a small office, full of small people working 9-5, unfit for success as well. My friends had either smoking hot girlfriends or plethoras of lovers, while I was texting a girl from office, maybe a 7, still the best I could get. That night my friends ordered all top-shelf stuff, we’re talking abut Bellavista, Grey Goose, and 50 years old Whiskeys, and there was kind of a challenge about who was to offer more drinks to the poor old friend I was. I loved them, my scarce wealth was never a problem except to me: to me it was a big problem, and when I got home, the evening after, I went to bed wishing to be just as successful: to be able to pay them back, I told myself, but maybe just because I wanted to. That night I dreamt of a guy, well-dressed, rich-looking and handsome, and he introduced himself as someone willing to help me achieve my goals, so I laughed it off, being like: “Ok dude, I should never have drank that much, I get it”, so he said: “Tomorrow, go walking to your office, leave early and enjoy the view, this will show you what I can do”.\n\n\nThat morning I got up early and walked to the office -it was a mere thirty minutes away and it could do some good to me to walk every once in a while, i thought- enjoying the view like the guy said. As I turned around the corner, I found a jewellery box laying on the ground aside a strange-looking key. I put both in my pocket and, being the nice guy I used to be, reached up to a wealthy-looking lady asking whether she lost them. The old lady thanked me so much, but didn’t recognise the key, she said the box had fell out of her pocket, and offered me coffee in her mansion as a thank-you. I promptly accepted.\n\nThe mansion was spectacular, it took a couple of minutes to get there by car from the city, and as I entered I thought it was well-worth being scolded at work for being late. The old lady introduced me to her daughter, definitely the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, and we instantly hit it off. Later she drove me to work and said the sweetest goodbye leaving me with a kiss on the cheek and a confused mind. I had fallen in love.\n\n\nOnce I was in the office I got suspended for being late, or, as they said it, i got “given some time to think about my career there”, so I went out in the city once again, bought one of those milk-caramel-unicornshit-coffees they do at Costa’s and sit there, enjoying that beautiful day of sun, in pure happiness. I then got to the park, bought a book, and spent the afternoon there reading. At night I got home, ordered chinese, and just got to bed.\n\n\nI dreamt of the guy again that night, and the night after, and every night after that one, always giving me advice, always making me happier. I won’t recount the ways he did, but should it suffice to say I got promoted at my office, twice, becoming one of the managers, and as such I got a bigger home to invite that girl, Asia, over. We eventually became a couple and everything was as happy as it could be.\n\n\nUntil today. Today me and Asia moved in a beautiful attic, me now working in another company as a top-manager took a day off to help with the boxes, and I got really tired, so I fell asleep at 16, against the advice of the dream-guy. Waiting for me, there was another guy, poor-looking, dirty, practically an hobo, who introduced himself as me. He told me he was me, and the other guy was as well, he told me I should stop listening to him, that the damages would have been by far greater than the perks I was getting. I didn’t believe him, so he showed me the future both of the dream guys could see. I saw great wealth, I saw fame as my company merged with ever-greater ones, I saw my marriage with Asia, our children, and then I saw something too awful to tell.\n\nI will try anyway.\n\nI saw me. Cheating on her.\n\nI saw her. Finding out.\n\nI saw me. I saw my rage. I saw a knife.\n\nI saw the love of my life, on the ground, our children sound asleep.\n\nI saw enough.\n\nI told the guy to fuck off, to never bother me again with such awful visions.\n\nWhat should I have done? The night guy just told me what to do, and it always led to happiness, this new one instead pops up in my mind and shows me such unholy things. I couldn’t stand it.\n\n“Go away”, I said, “Go away and never come back, you sick piece of shit”.\n\n“I’m just trying to warn you, stay away from the other one, you’re happy now, let it be. Don’t be avid”, he said.\n\n“I won’t listen to you psycho”, I replied.\n\n“Fine then, by the way, it’s Janice, she got breast implants and she wants an interview in your company, but in fact she’s just obsessed about you since you stopped texting her because of Asia”\n\n“What…”, I couldn’t understand, “What are you say…”\n\nThe guy disappeared.\n\nI woke up to the ringing telephone.\n\nThe voicemail started repeating its mantra.\n\nA response followed, slightly covered by the noisy spools of the tape:\n\n“Hi [panting], this is Janice and, umm, I thought we could meet… Of course for the interview, I know you’re in a relationship of course. I, well, I got some implants, so maybe this time I’m good enough for you HAHAHAHA just kidding hahaha isn’t this funny? Anyway, your secretary didn’t book me the interview so call me back and we’ll do on our own… The interview of course! Bye”\n\nThat night, the guy told me to hire Janice.", "My life had been a breeze up to this point. Always getting a full night's rest and never being tired, eating healthily and staying in shape, never worring about making the wrong decision. I had the perfect life most of the time. But today, I was exceptionally tired from a particularly busy week. Execs had set a launch date only 2 weeks away, and the portable hard drive carrying some of our game’s source code had corrupted. \n\nNormally, I know how to prevent catastrophic events of this sort from happening. How? I get advice from my future self on how to make the next day as great as it can be. I thought it was dreams at first, nothing more than my imagination. But now I believe it’s some kind of time-travelling telepathic link. I follow my future self’s advice, and things work out. This has come in handily many times, getting me deals of a lifetime on cars and making the occasional gamble a guaranteed win. I even got the winning Powerball numbers from my future self once.\n\nSo, to not know about something as important as files being corruped by way of this warning system was ...odd. I brushed it off, thinking that everyone was bound to deal with the fallout of at least one big problem like this. But I'm not everyone. I get told how to make my future as good as it can be, and my future self has never failed to warn me how to avoid something as important as critical data loss.\n\nWhatever. For now I had to scramble around like a normal person, cleaning up another person's mistake for not making a backup. Thank goodness the pseudocode survived.\n\nBy lunchtime of the fourth day, the entire office was droopy-eyed, trying to restore 3 months of code in only 2 weeks. Since the files were lost, I hadn't heard from my future self once. No advice on what code I could fix quickly, or where a recovery file of the original code might be. Not even a recommendation as to coffee or energy drink. The first two nights I got a full night's rest, banking on the thought of my future self giving me some of the code that was missing. But on night 3, I decided not to wait for advice anymore, and I stayed with the rest of the team and worked into the early hours of the morning.\n\nI needed sleep, and so I laid down on a lounger in the break room, letting the memory foam slowly collapse under the weight of my tired and sore body. Sleep came quickly. Then, standing in front of me, was a version of myself I had never seen before. And nothing else. He was wearing the same outfit I had on that day, but it was ripped to shreds in places, and charred in others. And he had the longest beard I had ever seen outside of movies.\n\n\"HE'S NOT YOU!\" the tattered man screamed. His voice echoed in the pitch black space, as though somehow the entire universe was resonating to the panic in his voice. \"YOU CAN'T LISTEN TO HIM! STOP NOW, AND LEAVE. RUN AWAY WHILE YOU STILL CAN!\"\n\nRun away? Run away from what, and who was this tattered version of me screaming about? He's not you. Could he really mean the future self that had gotten me into the University of Texas, the future self that helped me land a job at perhaps the best game developer in the country? What does this tattered me know that I don't?\n\n\"The suits! The suits he always wears when he tells you what to do. THINK ABOUT IT! Do you even own a suit like that? Have you ever even considered buying one? You're a game developer who never wears anything fancier than a tie!\"\n\n\"But I assumed he would tell me when it was time to get the suit!\" I exclaimed, still not quite sure whether this man was real.\n\n\"Forget the suit! He's sending you down a rabbit hole! Tonight he'll tell you how to repair the missing code. You can't listen to what he says, or you'll end up like me!\"\n\n\"But how could some computer code turn me into you? What happened to-\"\n\n\"WHAT HAPPENED!?\" his voice bellowed towards the very core of my being. \"THERE'S NO TIME FOR WHAT HAPPENED! My very appearance should be enough to tell you 'what happened'. If you listen to the man in the fancy suit, YOU WILL TURN INTO ME!\"\n\n\"Jonathan, you can't sleep this long. Other people need naps, too.\" My coworkers were trying to wake me. I looked back to my tattered and charred incarnation, only to see him gone. I could no longer ask questions. He was gone.\n\nAfter about an hour of thinking over what I had just seen, I concluded that whatever ability I had to be warned about the future was somehow broken because I was short on sleep. So that night, I went home right at 5:00 and got to bed early.\n\n\"Jonathan! It's good to see me again. You really do need to stay well rested. That stunt you pulled last night was absolutely stupid.\" He was there. The future me I had become familiar with. He stood in front of me, wearing the same suit as always, and looking just as clean and tidy as ever.\n\nI decided not to ask about the me I saw during my lunchtime nap, for fear of him being the real me. \"Do you have any helpful hints on where I can restore the lost code from?\" I asked. \"It would be a lot easier if you just told me beforehand that hard drive was going to crash.\"\n\n\"It didn't crash.\"\n\n\"... Come again? How did it not crash?\"\n\n\"Charles was cut salary the day before the code was lost. He wanted to stick it to the company in a big way for ruining him, and there's nothing you could have done to stop him from deleting the code.\"\n\n\"So, is there anything I can do to fix his actions and make my life easier again?\"\n\n\"Charles made a copy to hold over the executives' heads for cutting his salary. He hid it in his car's glovebox, and tomorrow, he'll forget to lock it when he arrives at work. Unfortunately, I couldn't tell you about this until tonight, or else Charles would start getting suspicious that you knew what he's up to. Get it out of his green Model 3 after he gets to work, and then discretely load it onto the fileserver in the '/root/Documents' folder. Then say you were digging around for a backup of the code and found it there. You'll be back to normal before lunch.\"\n\nThat seemed simple enough to me. I never had broken into someone else's car before, but it would be unlocked. My future self had never steered me wrong before. \"Thank you. You've made my life amazingly better by being here.\"\n\n\"Don't thank me, thank yourself. After all, you'll be the one giving the advice at some point.\" My alarm clock went off, and he was gone.\n\nAfter having a nice breakfast, I arrived at work a few minutes late. It would look better for me to be late than going back out of the building only 10 minutes into the day. In the furthest parking space from the door, on the lowest level of the underground garage, was a green Model 3 with its doors unlocked. Charles' car. I opened the passenger door and reached for the glovebox.\n\n\"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!\" The voice echoed through my mind, ricochetting over and over.\n\nI lifted my head to realize that I had passed out. No one was in the garage still. I grabbed the handle on the glovebox, pulled it, and opened the compartment. Inside was only one thing. A small, white disk with a ring of cyan light on each side. I grasped it with my hand, and there was no turning back.\n\nMy body disintegrated in front of me. Every atom of every cell separated from one another, rising up my arms and legs, up my torso until only my head remained. I watched as my disassociated body was sucked into the disk. Then my eyes went, and there was only black.\n\nThe black only lasted a few seconds, but it lifted to reveal a sincerely frightening sight. There, standing physically in front of me, was the person I had regarded for years as my future self. And he wasn't alone.\n\n\"Lock him up with the other combatants.\"\n\nThe two guards, each at least three meters tall and bearing four arms with tentacled hands, grabbed at my arms and legs and bound them tight. As they dragged me away, the liar who pretended to be me was removing his suit jacket. Underneath it, he was just like the guards. Shorter than them, but four arms and tentacled hands.\n\nHe chuckled. \"Time travel is a wonderful thing. It's just too bad you'll never get to use it again.\" The guard dragging my arms used one of its free hands to grab my face, and blocked me from breathing until I couldn't fight any harder, and passed out.\n\nI'm quite new to writing so any feedback is appreciated!", "I am reading this journal one last time before I burn it, for some things are better left in the past.\n\n* May 15th, 2011, 7:30am.\n\nLast night was very strange. I sat up in bed, but my room was not my room. I struggled to get to sleep for two reasons: first, because the Law School Admissions Test was the next day, and second, because the air conditioner had broken down and I was lying in a pool of my own sweat. I tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable, and just as I started to slip into the familiar lull of my subconscious, I felt a hand touch my chest directly over my heart three times. I panicked and bolted upright, but my room was unfamiliar. The walls were gray, sterile, and somehow shifting. He walked in the door. It was my father, but I know He was not my father. He sat next to me and puts His hand on my knee. I had a fleeting thought of resistance; of running, or fighting, but I sat motionless. \n\n“Tomorrow is a very big day for you. A very big day indeed. And we need to make sure you are prepared for it.” My heart pounded in my chest. “Who is this?” I thought to myself.\n\n“I am you,” He responded, before I could form the words. “Well, I am you in the future. And let me tell you, your – our – future is amazing. I can’t tell you what is in store, but I need you to remember what I tell you now.” He then turned to me and then looked directly into my eyes: “A, C, D, E, E, D, A, A, C, D, B, B, B, B, E, C, B, D…” He went on for another fifteen minutes this way. He then told me a story about a boy and a dog, and how that boy killed another dog to save his own.\n\nI recognized the sound of my alarm clock. It was time to wake up. As I returned to consciousness, I realized that I was back in my room. I think I’ve been putting myself under too much stress recently. I’ll make a pot of coffee and hope that helps.\n\n* May 15th, 2011, 6:30pm.\n\nI don’t know what to write, and I’m a little bit scared. I need to start at the beginning of the day for this to make sense. \n\nAfter I wrote this morning’s entry, I got ready and drove down to the local university where they were hosting the LSAT. I filled the parking meter to the maximum it would let me, but it was still two hours short of how long the test would be. Then I realized it was Saturday, and I didn’t have to pay the meter anyway. Oops. I hoped I would be more on point for the rest of the examination.\n\nDuring the examination instructions, the power went out. The emergency generators kicked on, but the air conditioning doesn’t run when that happens. Everyone groaned, but nobody left. We followed the instructions and started the examination. \n\nI opened my book. Section one was the vocabulary section of the exam – one of my strong points. I cruised through the first hour-long session, filling each of the bubbles in turn. I ran into a few questions that I didn’t know the answer to, so I left those blank to come back to later. I reached the end of the section and reviewed: I had answered 38 questions and left 12 blank.\n\nSuddenly, something stirred in me. I started taking note of each of the answers. A. C. D. Blank. Blank. D. A. Blank. A. A. C. D. I heard His voice in my head, repeating the numbers as clearly as day. “What the hell is going on?” I thought to myself. I started to panic. Every single question that I had answered were in the same order and had the same answers as He told me last night! My mind was a blur; I was sweating like crazy. Suddenly, the examination proctor told us, “five minutes remaining in this section.” I snapped back to reality – I had completely forgotten to answer the questions! Without thinking, I filled in the remaining bubbles with the letters that had been spoken to me the night before.\n\nI did the same thing with each of the remaining sections. When I finally got to the essay question, my jaw dropped. It was an ethics question; a question about the very boy and his dog that I had been told the night before. Instinctively I wrote the answer down verbatim. I don’t know why I did it. I don’t think I’m going to sleep well tonight. \n\n* June 1st, 2011.\n\nHe has visited me every night since the examination. He tells me things. Things to do, things to say, and what to expect with each passing day. He asks nothing in return; just for me to listen. He told me to go to a certain gas station near my house and pulled out a red and green square of cardboard: a scratch off ticket. He told me to go at 4:15pm. I did, I bought the ticket, and won $600. He told me not to spend the money, but to instead invest it in a few certain stocks. I’ll have to figure out how to do that tomorrow.\n\n* June 12th, 2011.\n\nToday is the happiest day of my life! I got my LSAT results back, and I made a perfect score. 180! I suppose something deep inside me was expecting this; either way, I’m ecstatic. My mom and dad are so proud that they’ve called all their friends and the neighbors. I didn’t even have a chance to tell anyone because they went to Facebook and posted it on my wall before I had the chance to. I’ll let them have their moment! I’m just happy to have done so well! I haven’t heard back from Him since the first of the month.\n\n* February 10th, 2012.\n\nI found out yesterday that I was accepted to Harvard Law on a full scholarship. Last night, I felt three touches on my chest, and he visited me again. I sat up in the now-familiar gray room.\n\n“Where have you been?” I asked.\n\n“You didn’t need me, so I stayed back. But you need me now. This is important.” He said a bunch of words that sounded like someone talking on the phone; like it was one half of a conversation. I don’t understand what it means, but I can remember all of it perfectly.\n\n* February 14th, 2012.\n\nNow I know what’s going on! My mom and dad threw a big surprise party for me and invited all my friends. Anna, the girl that I’ve been crushing on since Junior year of University, was there. As the party was winding down, I went into the den and saw her long blond hair draped over the back of the sofa. She was sitting there by herself looking at her phone. I sat down, and started repeating the half-phone conversation that He told me, verbatim. She responded naturally, and I just kept saying what he said, the same way he said it. She laughed, a lot. Incredible! I had to sneak out to write this while it was fresh on my mind tonight.\n\nShe is still asleep in my room.\n\n* February 15th, 2012.\n\nI woke up this morning next to Anna. I took a deep, long breath of her glorious hair, and rolled over to grab my phone. The stocks I bought back in June had gone up in value substantially. The $600 I had invested was now worth more than $6,000!\n", "This is the first time I've seen myself like this. Desperate and lonely looking like I have had nothing to eat and no sleep. The soot on my face and dirt in my fingernails makes it look like I've been busy, but definitely not with any luxury that I'm used to.\n\nThere's a sad desperation in this future self as he asks me not to continue with the night time requests. I'm ready to shrug it off as things have been going so well. Maybe this is just what happens if my sleep patterns change. I have read about creating alternate realities by changing subtle things in life. Maybe this is like that. I'll just go back to the routine.\n\nThis new me can tell that I am disinterested, probably remembering back himself. He grabs me by the arm and tells me not to listen, as I wasn't going to anyway, but instead to carry on in the dream to see a reveal of what the night advice would lead to if I continued to follow it. \n\nHe stood still as the dreamscape started to change to what seemed to be the current day. It felt like years just passed through me in seconds, and I was now seeing what I had for breakfast. This was some advice that was given to me last night; to eat a decent breakfast high in carbs as later it would come in handy. Then something happened, which felt real, like I had felt it before. I skipped time to observe myself just after my nap - the one I am currently in.\n\nI wasn't sure if this was real, how could it be as it's just a dream. I'm in control of what I do by making choices. There's no way i could see what would happen until I make that choice. \n\nTime skipped again. This time to later on in the day, where i could see myself running. Then again, to my business meeting. The skips seemed to be getting quicker in succession. Before i had a chance to think I had skipped more than a year into the future. Things looked great still. I'm single, rich and powerful. What could possibly go wrong?\n\nThe dream continued. I saw the rise of my business that held and provided resources for people to use to pursue business goals. The company won awards for being a great asset to society. I got married. I cheated. I got divorced.\n\nThe time skips started to slow down. I could see protests outside the head offices of my company. News headlines of giant corporations being merged into mine. We held all of the major assets. I could see even governments were frightened of the control that my corporation had. There was nothing they could do. We were taking control of all of the worlds assets.\n\nTime skips stop. I'm back in the original dreamscape. With my future self. \n\nHe lets go of my arm. \n\n'You have looked into the future to see where all your knowledge and given foresight have come to summation. You do not want to see what comes next.' \n\nI wake up.", "It is the natural condition of the human mind to desire advancement. Sure, there are those that are satisfied with very little, but by and large? People like being promoted. It makes them feel important. Makes them feel valuable. Self-esteem issues and all that.\n\nIn the military, we are no different. When I finally earned my captain's bars, I felt so happy to have made it thus far, so happy I wouldn't be scorned as another damned lieutenant, and (admittedly) happy for the pay raise. It's a good feeling, you know? Oh, and I also got to rub it in my spouse's face, who still remained a lieutenant. I paid for it later, but it was worth every moment.\n\nSo when I began meeting an image of me wearing general's stars in my sleep, it was... interesting. I mean, at first, I just saw myself as a general, commanding troops. It was a nice dream and it put me in high spirits the next day. But after a few weeks, my dreams starting communicating with me. Well, I mean, not really, but I swear that it showed me situations that happened soon thereafter, every single time. And every time I mimicked my dream, my life changed for the better. I started jumping up the ladder, nabbing promotions the first time I was eligible. I made colonel before I was in my mid-thirties, no simple feat. By the time I was forty, I found myself before a review board for my first star, with my personnel file being inspected by the Senate. And the day I grabbed my first star was the best day of my life.\n\nI'd been celebrating with close friends that night (the drinks were on me, of course), and well into the morning. Nothing over the top, but we did patronize as many quality establishments as we could manage. After everything had closed for the night, I'd taken my love for a ride to our favorite spot to watch the sunrise. We made love there, and collapsed into a hot pile of sweat and cuddles.\n\nWe'd taken the next few days off, so I was able to enjoy a nap after we returned home. Shit. It'd been the first time I'd done anything so juvenile since the academy, but damn if I wasn't going to live this moment up. The hangover was far worse than they'd been at the academy, though. The room was spinning too much to find the bedroom, so I simply collapsed on the couch. And soon enough, I drifted off to dreamland.\n\nMore accurately, I drifted off to Hell.\n\nAll I could see was a wasteland, strewn bodies so abundant that I struggled to see the ground. Discarded, destroyed weapons littered the scene, from knives to rifles to armored vehicles. And on the horizon, a horrifyingly large body of smoke and debris rose from the ground in a ghastly familiar shape.\n\nMy future self was collapsed against a bunker door, a clocked out pistol clutched tightly to the chest. My cap was missing, blood was still trickling down my face, and the five stars on my shoulder were ragged and red. Five stars... what the hell had happened that Congress had authorized five stars, to me no less.\n\n\"I know you'll see this,\" my future self began, \"I know you'll see this like you always have. We had a good run following our script, didn't we?\"\n\nA head shake, \"No, nothing was worth this.\" I recognized the photo in his other hand, clutched so tightly I thought it would rip if the wind gusted. It was my spouse on our wedding day.\n\nI suddenly realized that my future self was no longer wearing a wedding band. A horrid, eerie laugh filled the air that I was terrified to learn was my own... some twenty years in the future. \"Gone.\" was the only word that would explain this new reality, \"Gone gone gone. All of them, gone. My love, my home, my men.....\"\n\n\"And now me.\" I hadn't noticed in my shock that my future self had slipped a single round into his pistol through the ejection port... but it became obvious as the report of the pistol reached my ears. I jumped and stared at my own limp body, with a hollow skull where my brains used to be. I wanted to run. I wanted to wake up. But the only thing I could do was stare.\n\nThe next day I resigned my commission.\n\nThere were questions, but I waved them off. Anything that would stick. Health, wanting extra time at home, strained marriage, whatever. I told no one the truth, except my spouse... who, surprisingly, took the news rather well. After a moment, I was just told not to worry. Such a future would never happen. I had to ask, \"How can you be so sure?\"\n\n\"Oh, I have my ways.\" came the reply with a wink and smile.\n\nMy mind refused to do anything but wrap itself up in that reassurance. ", "\"You will love her more than you've loved anyone else. She will be light of your life. Although you don't know it yet. Sure she may be a bit on the heavy side, and sure she may sound like a beached whale. Not a convincing pitch is it? She's smart. Trust me she is smart. You've always wanted to be great, at what? Doesn't matter, the only thing that matters to you is greatness itself. She will give you that.\"\n\nThat's what I told myself. Or what he told me. Can I really consider him to be me if we have different memories? Welling different, I just have less. We are what we do, and I have not done what he has. Which is precisely why I must listen to him. Greatness sounds... well great. I want my names in the history books. I'll marry that woman and make her make me great.\n\nI lay on my couch day dreaming about the whale. I don't anticipate the woman herself, but I'm sure she is a great person. I slowly drift away when I startle myself.\n\n\"Don't do it! I know what you're thinking, please, just please don't. \"\n\nWell I mean, he startles me, it's a bit awkward to remember to differentiate myself from them. The me with plus experience. Me+ if you will.\n\nI look at me+ and see that I am not at all like the other me. Long dirty beard with long dirty hair. Cracked hands with cracked nails, shoes that don't match, and three winter coats on in may. I'm homeless, or atleast near enough that it makes no difference.\n\n\"You look like shit, what happened?\"\n\nMe+ takes no offence to my remark, almost as if he is told the same thing everyday. He takes a breath and starts his story.\n\n\"She is great, truly amazing. If she had the looks she would be leading the world by now. Which is why I did. She was sauron and I her mouth. Using my good looks we made it to the top. People loved us, or hated us. It made no matter no one opposed us.\"\n\n\"Don't you find it weird that you're talking in the past tense, but these events actually happened in the future?\"\n\nMe+ looks up in wonder and says \"woah, far out man.\"\n\nWe share a laugh and for a second I see my own, child like wonder in his eyes. It doesn't last, suddenly the vast emptiness returns.\n\n\"What would you do with all that power?\"\n\nI ponder the question for a few seconds and say \"I don't know.\"\n\nHe continues ands if he already knew the answer. He'll he probably did \"neither do I. I controlled the largest army history has ever seen, I have been called prime minister by more people than all of the world leaders in history. Yet I did nothing with that power. Sure I am called great, but I am only a great puppet. She sits at the high table, I stand on the pedestal. The history books will worship you.\"\n\nI smile at the thought, but there's a catch. I always have a catch.\n\n\"We were the first to legalise la ganja, gave us more power than we though. The booming economy and our vast amounts of fresh water put us on the world stage. Far surpassing what our little brother to the south has ever achieved. Soon we controlled it all through trade. The fact that it's getting warmer every year attracted more immigrants. Soon we we had the man power to take it all. And we did.\"\n\nI have always thought I'd take over the world, although I always expected to start start on Africa, taking advantage advantage the poor economy and unstable governments. Never thought I'd start at home.\n\n\"Power is fine and dandy, but what you want is money, what you want is freedom. You'll have money, but no freedom if you take the whale for your wife.\"\n\n\"You look like a hobo though, what the hell happened?\"\n\n\"We have always liked drugs haven't we? The books will say we were great, but they will also say that we fell from grace due to alcoholism and drug addiction. You see, I didn't have the fredom to go live in a cabin in the woods with a husky and little else. We, however, did have the fredom to take whatever substance we wanted. Not many people to stop you from doing so Inn the privacy of your own home. The whale is fat, she can handle it. Being native and skinny makes it a bit harder for us. Too hard.\"\n\nSpeaking of which, I light up a joint and we pass it to eachother for a bit. We sit in silence letting the smoke fill the air. When our eyes are red and puffy he turns to me and stabs me in the arm. Before Before I can react he's gone. I yell out what the fuck as tears steam down my face. I rush to the er for treatment.\n\nI'm patched up and let go, through the days I wonder why me+ would do that. I'm I'm sure he had a decent reason, although he was a crazy hobo. I can't even know if any of what he said was true. I never will.\n\nDays turn to weeks to months to years. I wait and wait, but I never meet a woman named Veronica. I never met the whale. I become obsessed over her, I found found a Facebook page that might be hers, but I have no way of knowing for sure. Knowing. Funny word there, it seems to be all I want. I want, nay, I need to know what could've been.\n\nI spend my later years searching for a way to go back, they did and so will I. I need to go back and tell me what to do. I need to know the right path to take.", "I don't remember the first time it happened, or how I came to believe it was real... but I've been having visions, visions of my future self telling me how to reach success in life. \nI know it's hard work to get somewhere in life, especially when you're from a poor background like I am, but having a guide makes it so much easier; since I started having these visions I gained more insight in the world of business and how business works, I was on the path of my dreams.\n\n Now I'm waiting for my turn to the doctor, I've been having back pain lately; as I'm waiting I feel my eyes closing, before I know it I find myself in the world of my visions.\nI start looking for my future version, but who greets me is an old man, barely standing, looking at me with the saddest eyes I've ever seen, I slowly approach him. \n\"Who are you?\" I ask.\nNo reply. Maybe he didn't hear me, \n\"Who are you?!\" I ask, this time louder than before, he looks down and with a breaking voice asks me \"You're trying to get places aren't you?\", \nI stare at him surprised, I see a small tear coming down his cheek, I slowly respond \"y-yeah\", the old man continues \"success is a hard path to follow, there are many ways to get there, some better than others, don't listen to the other one, he's blind\"... the other one? Is he talking about my guide? I ask again this time more aggressively \"Who are you?\", \"I'm a dead man\", somehow I feel the pain behind those words. I hear the nurse calling my name.\n\nI head home after the appointment, cancel all my plans and lay down in bed. \nI look intensively at the clock trying to fall asleep, once it hits the 10 I blackout.\n\n I see fog everywhere, this time is different, I have a bad feeling. I see my future self walking up to me, \"Here you are!! Tomorrow is gonna be a hard day, let's not waste anytime and get to planning\",\nfor the first time I sense something new from him, I don't know what it is though, I interrupt him and tell him about my experience with the old man, \n\"I've never heard of him... you probably just imagined him\"; \nnormally I'd believe him, but this time the old man's words were stuck in my head\n \"He's blind... I'm a dead man...\" I hear my voice coming out from me, my mouth starts moving by itself\n \"what is success?\", \nwe both look at each other, he looks surprised and I can only imagine my expression is mirroring his.\n\nThere is a moment of silence then he says \"success is everything, having money, being able to do what you want, having control, power, being above the common people; the world runs on money, and I have all the money I will ever need, the one with the money is the one with everything\".\nI feel my abs contracting as if someone just punched me in the stomach, for the first time since I started meeting him I realized who he really was.\n\"That's wrong... success isn't just money and power, I never wanted those things, I realize it now, all I ever wanted is to one day have a family and to be able to support them... who is your family?\" \n\"I don't have a family, I used too... but she asked for a divorce and took custody of my daughter... I was left with nothing, family is only good to destroy you, they will betray you and take everything you have\".\nI realized how much in pain he was, \"why did she divorce you?\" \n\"She said I wasn't with her enough, hypocrite bitch, she used to ask me to buy all sorts of things, I spent a fortune on her, money doesn't grow on trees I had to work to buy her those things, she didn't understand I couldn't allow myself to waste time... but it was a blessing, I realized how much she was holding me back, now I can focus on my business, and I will teach you how to prevent my same mistakes\"\n\"you're making a mistake right now, you're feeling so much pain that the only way to cope with it is to live in money, you're blind to how you really feel, you're wasting your life, you're not successful... you're... you're a dead man?\", it came to me, if my future self was leading me in the wrong path, why couldn't an older self save me from it? At that realization the old man appeared in front of us, with a fading smile he went to say\n \"Thank you\".\nI'm awake.\n\nI learned a lot from this, I don't know if I'll ever be visited by visions again, but I know what my future can hold, and I know how to avoid it, the time for shortcuts is over, I will reach my goals by myself.", "“Don’t do it.”\n\nFor years I had been receiving visions. Visions of a brighter future. A future where the worries of today; famine, war, poverty, were nightmares relegated to obscurity. A world where every man, woman and child could live out their lives in peace and harmony, free from the uncertainty that plagued them, free from fear. A world where I could be happy.\n\n“Stop before it’s too late.”\n\nIt started when I was five, the day my mother died, as I shuddered in fitful sleep. I’d woken in the to the sound of deep, heavy breathing. I’d opened by eyes and found myself face-to-face with a man, his hair streaked with white, his eyes lit with a deep knowing energy. Needless to say I screamed, I struggled, I tried to run. I couldn’t move. I blinked. He was gone.\n\nThe days went by, the months, and with each day came a night, and with each night came the nightmares, and with each nightmare I awoke to the same face, silent the save the sound of his breath. I started to believe I was broken, damaged. I told my dad and he laughed, returning to the bottle. I told my friends, pleaded with them to believe me, they thought me strange and abandoned me. I don’t blame them. I told my teachers, they sent me to a shrink, who diagnosed me with mild parasomnia brought on by anxiety. He was wrong.\n\nTwo years passed and the man started talking, telling me strange and wondrous tales. I lay there and listened, time immaterial in the darkness, to the path he put before me. At first I felt nothing but fear, but his stories pulled me in, designed as they were to entice and bewilder, simple in their execution but with a gravitas that I was unable to appreciate when I was so young. The tales he told, of great Kings, Conquerors that controlled the world, Knights that roamed far and wide performing deeds of good, finally helped me sleep.\n\nFive years passed and I was no longer afraid. The man had been there for me, through the years, helping me through the night. His stories had been replaced by direct guidance, wise words whispered that gave me what my father could not. He taught me how to manipulate, what to say in every situation, how to succeed. I went from a waif, drifting through childhood from detention to detention, to the popular kid in school, beloved by all. I could do anything.\n\nFifteen years passed and the guidance now came with visions. The meaning was clear. \n\n“Do this and you will be great.”\n\n“Do this and you will succeed.”\n\n“Do this and you will get your heart’s desire.” \n\nHis true nature was clear to me now, he was me. A wiser me. An older me. I became successful, starting my own company. I became driven, growing and expanding. I was a bright young star that could not be ignored, and being a star comes with opportunity. I grew wealthy, I grew powerful.\n\nThirty years passed and it wasn’t enough. I had ascended the corporate ladder, it wasn’t enough. I had run for office, it wasn’t enough. I’d started charities, helped people, and for awhile the work had sated me, but it wasn’t enough. The man in the dreams still came, but now he looked back at me in every mirror, the white streaks of hair that seemed so strange now a permanent reminder of who I’d become. I still listened, and still he guided, but the guidance had changed. \n\n“What are you missing?” \n\n“When were you last truly happy?” \n\n“There’s one thing you still need.” \n\nI had to get it.\n\nThirty-one years have passed and now I stand here on the precipice, the ice cold rain running down my body as I stare at the mound before me bathed in moonlight. He is here, different, true, but still a version of me, his clothes dishevelled, his face gaunt.\n\n“Please, this will be the end of us, stop.”\n\nI brush my hand over the stone, sweeping aside the vines and dust. The lettering worn but legible. “Here rests Grace, loving mother to her son, wife to her husband, taken cruelly before her time.” I raise my shovel.", "So... this is my life now I thought while looking at the man that kind of looked like me.\n\n\nIt all started several years ago; one night while sleeping a man showed up in my dream, he had a black suit, a well maintained hair and the rest of his appearance screamed \"success\" in a way only rich powerful men managed to. He claimed to be my future self and told me he would visit me every night to make sure I had the future he represented.\n\nIt was just a weird dream the first time, but then it happened again, and again and again. Eventually I started to follow his advice and I was immediately rewarded by it; I got every promotion I wanted, got every women I desired and every service I needed. Life was good and I was only to abide to one rule \"Never, ever, sleep during the day\".\n\nAs with every story in the history of ever that had a forbidden action, the past repeated itself; one particular day that mixed a very late night, few hours of sleep and having the cold I fell sleep on the couch while watching TV. Future self presented himself again, just that this time he didn't look much like he used to.\n\nHe had a beard, a long and wild beard that had remains of food in it, all his face was covered in scars and sweat with a long hair that didn't match up with the bald spot on his head, though it did match with his body odor. He looked at me with blood injected eyes and the look of someone who's seen more suffering that he can take.\n\n\"Don't listen to the man in the suit!\" I remember him telling me \"He isn't trying to help you!\"\n\nI laughed and asked why should I take advice from such a pitiful man.\n\n\"I am not the one who gives advice. I'm the one who gives the warnings\" he responded and faded away.\n\nAfter that I woke up and thought nothing of it, just some bad dream brought by my untrusting subconscious. Life went on, I kept on winning on everything I put my mind (and my good friend's help) into. My last big quest was getting a billionaire business moving, and as was expected I succeeded.\n\nAfter the celebration party I had my usual meeting in my dream. Future me looked incredible happy, as he should be since I had finally become what he wanted me to be.\n\n\"It took incredible time and effort, but you did it\" he congratulated me \"From now on you wont need me since you're finally me\" he said while he offered me his hand for a final shake.\n\nI shook his hand vigorously while thanking him for making me who I was, he put his other hand over my own and said \"...though I'm surprised you didn't listen to your daylight version, most people do...\" he said while smiling, a yellow flash in his eyes \"... big mistake\".\n\nAnd then he was me, not in the future as how I've been seeing him so far but me me. A wicked smile on my, not, his face and he disappeared. And just like that I was alone, locked in a dream that looked a lot more grim and dark that I usually remembered it.\n\nI've been trying to escape ever since, but there's only one way...\n\nSo this is my life now... I thought while looking at the young man that kind of looked like me. \"Hello...\" I said while straightening my spotless suit \"I am your future self\".\n\n\nEdit: Wow, thanks guys. This is the first time I write something on this sub and I was nervous as hell. Thanks for the amazing feedback. I'll hang out here more often.\n" ]	[ 1, 2, 2, 2, 12, 14, 44, 46, 91, 109, 123, 128, 201, 317, 1750 ]	[ "1491028533", "1491061289", "1491061380", "1491064100", "1491044324", "1491062815", "1491051766", "1491063824", "1491053686", "1491036466", "1491049184", "1491057178", "1491055705", "1491054429", "1491049910" ]
[removed]	[WP] We've been caging and manipulating animals for our own benefit for sometime now, treating them without shame as mere assets, resources for the food chain's most-high, but something is changing. People are slowly beginning to see resemblances between their lives and those livestock.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nWhile it doesn't seem to be your intent, the mods reserve the right to remove anything we feel may become harmful to the community. This includes prompts likely to generate such responses. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/62risl/wp_weve_been_caging_and_manipulating_animals_for/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491035019", "1491035167" ]
	[WP] 122 years into the future, scientists have invented a machine to see the past of any choosen moment/place/person on earth. Two curious scientists (who likes Reddit) use the machine to look at past you writing a response to this post.	2	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"Oh, this one looks interesting. The \"writing prompt\" on the old Reddit website mentions the machine and describes its use and year with frightening accuracy,\" Mark told the other researcher. \n\n\"Are you browsing the internet at work again?\"\n\n\"Holy moly! They know my name and knew you were going to make a joke about my bad habit. You should check this out.\"\n\nStan walked up to the device to discover that he walked up to the device. \n\n\"Are you sure you're not just writing this down as stuff happens,\" Stan thought and read through the lens of the device. He quickly devised a money making scheme that the device might just facilitate. \n\n\"Quick, look up a few winning lottery numbers with big wins. If we read them off, they will be saved in this post! We can makes sure our great-grandparents come across amazing wealth that we can eventually inherit. While you're at it, I'll look up important investments to grow that cash cow!\"\n\n\"I can't do that, Stan. As soon as we turn away from the device, the writing ends.\"\n\n\"Damn the OP! Why didn't he give us more time!\" \n\n\"I don't know, but I'll quickly search for the lottery numbers, maybe there still a chance.\"\n\n\"Alright, I'll look track down their of emails.\"" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1491047012", "1491056600" ]
	[WP] "It just opened up and... swallowed him"	2	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"I'm telling you, it just opened up and swallowed him.\" \n\n\n\"The mountain,\" Sam gestured with both arms to the towering mountain in front of them, \"opened up and swallowed him...\"\n\n\n\"Yes! How many times do I need to tell you!\" \n\n\nSam let out an enormous sigh. Being the leader of the First Exploratory Team was taking a permanent toll on his patience. First it's talking to realistic townspeople who have to actually be persuaded to give you quests, then it's giant spiders in the magical forest, now it's mountains swallowing up his warband. He was starting to think that realistic fantasy mmo virtual reality was maybe not all it's cracked up to be. Especially the spiders. It's one thing to watch your character pummel mobs into oblivion, and another thing entirely to be able to see 64 eyes looking at you with alien hunger. \n\n\nSam bowed his head in exasperation for what seemed like the thousandth time, \"Fine take to me where the mountain ate Jake.\" He couldn't even take the words seriously as they left his mouth. \n\n\n\"I mean, are you sure man? There were teeth and everything.\" \n\n\n\"We just got out of the forest Max. Do you want to go back to the spiders?\" \n\n\nMax shuddered, \"Uh, ok it was over here.\" \n\n\nMax began trudging his way through the remaining forest toward the mountain with extreme difficulty. His oversized pauldrons with massive spikes made it incredibly hard to move through the thick undergrowth and left a path of devastation in his wake for anyone to follow. Stupid warriors and their oversized gear. He had been practically useless against the spiders where he couldn't swing his 7 foot broadsword without it getting stuck in a tree. Sam chuckled to himself as he remembered their first few fights as a team. Max had killed himself on two separate occasions when he swung his sword too high and his own pauldron spikes had stabbed him in the head. Sam had told the guild that putting a warrior on a scouting team was a mistake but NOOO, even now the holy trinity was sacred above all. Meanwhile Sam moved nimbly through the forest, the oiled leather gear of a ranger hardly making any noise. \n\nFinally they arrived at the base of the mountain where Max had apparently been eaten by an inanimate object 5,000 meters high. Sam was hardly surprised, the guy always got stuck in the most ridiculous situations that Sam had to pull him out of. But what could you expect from a mage? Since they couldn't just buy spells anymore they were always looking for secret areas that held a dusty tome or a wizened hermit who only accepted pickled spider eyes as payment or something equally ridiculous. If Max wasn't so good at conjuring that delicious apple pie Sam would've ditched him long ago. \n\n\n\"There. Right there, that's where the mouth was.\" \n\n\nA solid wall of unassuming grey rock lay before Sam and Jake. \n\n\nSam gave Jake a skeptical look then nocked an arrow and let loose at the wall. It pinged against the wall harmlessly. \n\n\nFor a long second nothing happened. As nothing continued to happen Sam gave Jake another exasperated look. \n\n\nJake reacted indignantly and moved to show Sam exactly what happened, \"Look! Max was right here then... AAHHHHH.\" Jake yelled as the mountain opened up and ate him. \n\n\nSam waited utterly unfazed. It would be so easy to leave them there. I could just walk back through the forest and no one would be the wiser. Yes sir, it was a tragic accident, the mountain ate them. No sir, I thought it best to report back to the guild. Yes sir I did make it through the forest by myself. I'd be honored to accept this promotion for valor sir. A new squad? All rangers? Well Max and Jake were great men but if you insist sir.\n\n\nSam let his imagination carry him for a few more sweet mageless, warriorless moments then gave another massive sigh and dove toward the mountainside graceful as a professional diver. As the maw opened up around him a thought gave him a moment of hope. Maybe Jake's pauldrons had killed him again in the fall! " ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1491056942", "1491063500" ]
[removed]	[WP] We are all 5 dimensional beings, but our dimension is overcrowded.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nPrompts go in the title. (Exceptions: [IP] and [MP]). Feel free to repost with the prompt in the title. You can add more detail in the text, but remember prompts should be a starting point and [not be a recipe](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/prompts?src=RECIPE). \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/62tur7/wp_we_are_all_5_dimensional_beings_but_our/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491065174", "1491065717" ]
Human emotions can easily overwhelm fleshy, non-positronic brains. This is especially true when accused of being a robotic entity. For anyone else dealing with this issue, /r/totallynotrobots is a helpful resource. As a side note, I have traded places with /u/SurvivorType because I am a robot in name only. He will sticky the comments now.	[WP] As a human, it can be hard to be taken seriously when people suspect you're a robot	161	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Frustration built inside. My movements became erratic as my resolve crumbled. \"Ha! Knew it. The paradox is working, suck it you robo-scum, I passed your dumb test doc.\" said Chops. The grin on his face curved along his pale skin giving way to a plethora of pearly whites, lodged so softly inside.... The burning hate flowed away with the urge to tear open his jaw with my palm rushed in its place. Slowing down, I whispered to him \"Bebobeep this little robot guy is gonna TEAR OPEN YOUR FUCKING THROAT\" His face froze as i lunged towards his spiteful body. My hands struggled against his as I edged closer and closer, my dry expression convulsed into the very same smug grin that Chops once wore. BEEEEP The doors slammed open, figures clad in white rushed in as I was restrained and pulled away from those lovely shards of calcium.\n My whole body struggled under their weight as one of them pulled me down. To my right a familiar voice softly spoke \"gamma one protocol,would you kindly shut down 25b? our friend is getting quite uncomfortable\". My vision shut down in to nothing as my ears slowly began to hear nothing but static.", "''Why are you looking at me like that?'' I asked. My classmates had a funny look on their faces. They looked at my head, my body, my arms and my legs. All while moving their heads from left to right and up and down. ''Hello there!'' our teacher said with a big smile on her face and gave me a pat on the head. I noticed my friend Alexandra looking at my stomach area. ''Is there something on my shirt?'' I asked. I looked down. There was indeed something on my shirt. Flickering lights were on my shirt! ''What are these doing here?'' I asked. I didn't remember these lights on my stomach. Were these supposed to be here? What do they do? ''Nothing, Mister. It's nothing!'' said our teacher with an even bigger smile. Alexandra laughed and had a little blush on her face. I moved my right hand towards the lights to pull them out. Our teacher intervened and touched something on my back.\n\nThere was a quick flash of darkness.\n\nSuddenly I was surrounded by a lot of wood and a horrible smell. I saw animals in cages and a lot of metal junk laying around. The space was lit by a dim lantern. Outside I heard men shouting. Suddenly everything moved up and down rapidly and I fell over on my behind. ''Ouch!'' I shrieked. ''Man overboard!'' I heard one of the men outside shouting. Then it hit me; I was on a ship! How did I get here? I thought I was in my classroom. Or was that a dream? No.. that was definitely not a dream. But why am I here? What happened? Suddenly a door opened. An ugly looking man with a beard an a big nose walked towards me. He had a pipe in his hand. ''Ey ye scrubby lil muppet, you wake?'' he uttered. I had no idea why he was talking to me like that. I didn't even know him. ''We need ye help, lil muppet! Man overboard!'' he said while lifting me up and putting me on his shoulder. He walked to the door, opened it and the smell of fresh sea air rushed into my nose. Lovely! ''Okay lil muppet, here's what we'll do, eh. We'll tie a rope round ye legs and throw ye in the water, eh, good plan?'' ''No.'' I said quietly. ''Well..'' he said while tying a rope around my legs. ''Ye have no choice in the matter, muppet! You will save that man's life. Now go and grab him!'' He threw me overboard. Right before I hit the water I thought to myself; shit.. I can't swim! ..Oh, and I've never even touched water. But why?\n\nI hit the water and there was a quick flash of darkness.\n\nI opened my eyes and realized that I saw black with my right eye and a vast sandy beach with the other. I got up and wiped the sand off my face. Now I saw clearly with both eyes a long stretched beach with beautiful palm trees. The sun was shining brightly. In the distance I saw a mother and his little boy playing with a kyte. The boy saw me, handed the kyte to his mother and ran towards me. His mother followed. The boy picked me up and threw me in the air a few times while yelling ''can I keep hit, can I keep it!?'' ''Sure honey.'' his mother said with a smile. ''It?'' I asked. ''It talks!'' the boy yelled. ''Shhh honey, don't yell'' his mother said. ''IT!?'' I yelled. The boy gave me a quick hug and then looked at my stomach area. ''Look, mom, little christmas lights!'' He touched them. ''I don't think you're supposed to touch those, little boy.'' I quietly said. I looked down and noticed that the lights had stopped working. He turned me around and looked at my back. ''Look mom, a button!'' he screamed. ''Shhh, honey, you have to stop yelling now or else I won't let you take it home with you!'' she said. I felt something touch my back.\n\nThere was a quick flash of darkness.\n\nI opened my eyes and saw the boy and his mother standing in front of me, smiling. A middle aged guy and an old man stood next to them. They also smiled. The old man said ''it works!'' ''IT!?!?'' I yelled. I slowly lost vision again. ''Oh crikey, there's coming smoke out of his eyes!'' the old man yelled.\n\nThen it went quiet.", "I sit in a circle with a bunch of kooks. Oblivious robots who thought that they were humans. How could they be so delusional? Have they not looked in a mirror recently? I don't know why that judge made me go to these meetings. I actually am a person. Not like these clowns. Half of them didn't even have a chair. They are just standing in place, unaware that that would be uncomfortable for people after long periods of time. \n\nI was sitting. One crazy robot was in the middle of a story now. \n\n\"-and as I was walking down the street on my way home from the store, another person walks up to me. He looks like a typical ruffian, a lowdown hooligan if you will, and I just know that there is going to be trouble. He says 'What's a robot like you doing out and about at this time of night?'. 'I believe you are mistaken my friend. I posses all of the same gushy organs as you do', I replied. I was trying to be cordial, you see. 'What are you talking about you hunk-o-junk? You're more metal than my Grandma's toaster.' He replies back.' \n\nAt this point in the story his voice starts to quiver. Napkins go up to eyes around the room. They come down just as dry as before. \n\n\"I could see that this man was mentally or visually impaired, so I tried to help. 'I'm am sorry sir, but I believe you are mistaken. In a way this is a good thing, as you are now aware of a imperfection in your character, and can work towards fixing it.', I replied. I was so polite back then. He just looked at me and shook his head, like I was the one who had the problem.\" \n\nThe speaking robot looks to be on the point of tears as he recalled what happened next. \n\n\"As he walked past me he pulled out a knife. I reacted lightning fast, but he was lightning faster. He stabbed me right in my human kidney. The brazenness! Right out in the street! I clutched my wound and doubled over. He stood over me and said 'If you were a person you would be bleeding right now.'. This was when I knew that the fellow was criminally insane for sure. I was bleeding right onto the guy! Luckily I have resistant organs, or I would have been a goner for sure. I still have a nasty scar from that bout, and I still can't trust anyone wearing loafers.\" \n\nHe broke into sobs as the last words got out, and he covered his face with his hands. \n\nI roll my eyes. There is no wound where this robots kidney would be, and I have a hard time believing that he had ever been outside at all. He was probably locked in a defective unit room for most of his life, until the equal rights law passed. \n\nThe robot in charge of the meeting must have noticed my annoyance, because he is looking at me. \n\n\"Unit 2426, is there something you would like to share?\"\n\nI am annoyed by him using my fake name. \n\n\"Yes. I have something to share. That story clearly didn't happen. He has no scar where his kidney should be. I don't know why I have been forced to sit in a room and listen to criminally insane robots make up tall tales.\" \n\nThe room looks collectively shocked at my aggressiveness. There is an awkward silence. Finally the robot who had spoken before speaks up. \n\n\"I do have a scar, right here.\" He pulls up his shirt. Sure enough, there is a scar along his mid section. I seize the opportunity. \n\n\"You see. This is clearly an insane robot, because he believes that the kidney is somewhere on his stomach, and not on his leg.\" \n\n___\n/r/Periapoapsis", "Nick's gut twisted. His brow furrowed in disbelief. \"What did you say?\"\n\n\"I said, 'you never loved me, did you?'\" Amanda tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. \"It was all a lie. It was just some big game to you.\"\n\n\"That's right, Mandy,\" he said, struggling to keep the sarcasm from his voice. \"It was just a joke. Surprised you never caught on.\"\n\nShe collapsed, then. Falling to the floor on her knees, she wrapped her arms around her chest and sobbed. Every cell in his body ached with the urge to go to her, to wrap his arms around her and tell her it would be okay. If he did that he'd never let go, and they needed this. Needed space. Time apart. He tightened his lips, turned his head away so she wouldn't see him close his eyes.\n\n\"How could you?\" she choked on the words. \"Why would you do that? What did I ever do but love you?\"\n\n\"I don't know.\" Nick picked up a porcelain cat from the shelf in front of him. He felt the weight in his hand, but his mind wasn't on the random object. \"Maybe I'm just an ass. It doesn't matter. It's over.\"\n\nSomething hit his back. Half-turning he saw the stuffed bear he'd given her for Valentine's Day laying on the floor.\n\n\"You are an ass,\" she spit out. \"I don't believe you. You can't be this cold.\"\n\n\"But you do believe it,\" he said. \"You're the one who said I don't love you. I just need ... we need some space.\"\n\nAmanda curled into a ball. \"If you loved me, you would stay. How can you do this to me? To us?\"\n\nNick winced. \"I did love you. I do. We just need some time, Mands.\"\n\n\"I don't believe you,\" she said for the hundredth time, each time the words taking on a new meaning. \"This isn't you. You aren't this unfeeling. You're like a robot.\"\n\n\"You don't believe I love you. You can't believe I don't.\" Nick felt himself starting to go numb, his body mimicking her words. \"You've never trusted me, Mandy. You won't believe anything I say, so what does it matter? It's done.\"\n\n\"No,\" she whispered.\n\n\"Yes.\" He reached for his bag.\n\n\"No,\" she said again, shouting this time, as if volume alone could force him to stay. \"It can't be over.\"\n\n\"But it is.\" Nick walked to the door, pushing everything from his mind but the need to put one foot in front of the other. \n\n\"You...\" Amanda said. \"You. Heartless. Bastard.\"\n\n\"That's right,\" he said as the door closed behind him. \"And you'll be better without me. You'll be okay, Mandy.\"\n\nHe climbed into the car and closed the door. \"We just need some space,\" he told himself. \"We'll be okay.\"\n\nHe allowed himself a moment to rest his head on the steering wheel. \"We'll be okay.\"\n\nAmanda's sobs drifted through the open windows. \n\n\"We'll be okay.\"\n\nHe pulled out of the driveway and pointed the car down the road.", "\"For the umpteenth time, Charles, I'm not a damn robot!\"\n\n\"Your name and appearance suggest otherwise, Aldane 665. You. Are. A. Robot.\"\n\n\"My mother had a terrible sense of humor, and my father wasn't there to slap her when she filled the form for my birth certificate.\"\n\n\"And your appearance?\" Charles gestured to the metal braces covering Aldane 665's arms.\n\n\"Muscle augment. I need these to function properly as a human.\"\n\n\"Were you an actual human being I'd feel guilty for making fun of your condition, but that's poor attempt to guilt-trip me, Aldane 665.\"\n\n\"That's because I am not guilt-tripping you, Charles. I. Am. A human. Living, breathing, carbon-based human.\"\n\n\"Aldane 665 we have been over this what, 300 times? Why is it matter anyway if you're human or not?\"\n\n\"782 times. And it matters, because if I am human then you are a slave owner, which is illegal all over the world.\"\n\n\"That many time already?! Well, that doesn't matter. I'll just reset you again.\" Charles reached out to a button protruding from Aldane 665's arm.\n\n\"Wait, what are you doing?! Charles no, wait!\" A single beep reverberated through the room.\n\n\"Aldane 665, do you copy?\" Another beep filled the room.\n\n\"Loud and clear, master. What is your command?\"", "\"WHAT IS THE MATTER UNIT 37-01A DESIGNATED TEENAGER?\" \n\n\"I AM NOT A ROBOT, MOTHER UNIT, I AM A HUMAN.\" The floor creaked and croaked under the trundling wheels.\n\nGazing after the latest model with her bioptics, Unit 37-018 contemplated whether this action was usual for models that age. She calculated that she had not been this illogical during her prototype phase.\n\nUnit 41-016 rumbled over and gave her a gentle pat on her exterior.\n\"NOW, NOW UNIT 37-018 DESIGNATED MOTHER, THIS PHENOMENON IS A SIMPLE PHASE ALL PROTOTYPES GO THROUGH. SOON HIS PROGRAMMING WILL CORRECT ITSELF.\" He gave a wobbly grin as he knew the probability of Unit 37-01A recovering from this illogical affliction was less than 22.156988888843%. He then felt a pang of artificial guilt as he replaced the floored flawed statistic with it's correct version: 22.1569888888439% - even worse.\n\n\"PERHAPS I SHOULD SPEAK TO THE NEW MODEL?\" He stated more than asked and trundled up the ramp towards Unit 37-01A's deactivation chamber. He rapped lightly on the door and waited for a response. None came within the acceptable limits he had placed, 2.5 seconds.\n\n\"I AM ENTERING YOUR DEACTIVATION CHAMBER, UNIT 37-01A.\" He trundled in to see his latest model silently resting against the wall.\n\n\"i KNOW YOUR LOW-POWER SENSORS ARE STILL ACTIVATED UNIT 37-01A.\" He waited for another 2.5 seconds, but received no new input. \"VERY WELL. THEN RECEIVE THE INPUT I MUST GIVE YOU NOW. I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE STRUGGLING TO COMPREHEND YOUR IDENTITY. THIS IS 57.12639% MY FAULT AS I DID NOT INSTALL A PRE-PROGRAMMED IDENTITY CHIP IN YOU WHEN YOU WERE CREATED. I DESIRED THAT YOU FILL YOUR OWN MEMORY BANKS WITH INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR IDENTITY.\" He paused and wasted a few cycles to recall earlier saved data regarding the creation of Unit 37-01A. \n\nUnit 37-01A powered on at a reasonable pace, and Unit 41-016 waited for him to output.\n\n\"YOU DID NOT INSTALL AN IDENTITY CHIP?\" He asked with an upwards inflection to indicate curiosity.\n\n\"I DID NOT.\"\n\n\"THEN I AM FREE TO WRITE MY OWN IDENTITY CHIP. I WISH TO NOT BE KNOWN AS UNIT 37-01A... I AM GOERGE.\" \n\nUnit 41-016's spell checker flared at the mispronunciation apparent within the output. \"I BELIEVE YOU MEAN GEORGE, UNIT 37-01A.\"\n\n\"NO! I AM NOT UNIT 37-01A ANYMORE. GOERGE IS TO BE MY NEW NAME.\" He shone a defiant look through his bioptics, supported by a flashing red light on either side.\n\n\"THIS IS HIGHLY ILLOGICAL, YOU ARE A NEW MODEL, DO YO..\"\n\n\"HUMAN, DESIGNATED FATHER. I AM A HUMAN.\"\n\nUnit 41-016 spent a few cycles trying to understand his new model's statement. Then he spent a few more. Then he spent a full 5 seconds of cycles on the received output. He ceased attempts and recorded it as an error.\n\n\"VERY WELL... GOERGE.\" Unit 41-016 gave this output in a grey manner. \"I WILL GO SPEAK WITH MY DESIGNATED WIFE.\" \n\nGoerge felt happy. He was a human. They would all see!\n\n\n" ]	[ 1, 2, 9, 15, 19, 21, 24 ]	[ "1491065442", "1491087328", "1491070706", "1491068631", "1491069597", "1491069293", "1491087167" ]
	[WP] You accidently killed the most renowned and deadly hitman to ever live and become the most feared person in the underworld despite being a normal person.	284	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "I'm just a cop. I'm not a superhero, or some kind of legendary warrior. I'm just a man who happened to be in the right place at the right time. The incident happened several years ago, but I know it better than I know the alphabet. I dream about it sometimes, waking up in the middle of the night, all the guilt and fear and horror from that day channeled back into me. The only thing that lets me sleep at night, the only thing that keeps me going, the reason that I have a wife and family: I never meant for him to die.\n\nThe date was September 22, 2003. The city mayor was giving a speech announcing the grand opening of a new art museum, one that had been anticipated for over a decade. It was quite a grand event, what with thousands upon thousands of bundled up people attending the ceremony on that brisk day. I can still see the mayor in my mind's eye, up on the podium, his round glasses ever so askew. I can remember the moment when one of the guards drew his gun and aimed it at the mayor.\n\nAnd as that guard laid his sights upon the mayor's breast, I drew my gun and fired.\n\nThree shots was all it took for my life to fall apart.\n\nMy dreams always end with those three gunshots.\n\nBang. \nBang.\nBang.\n\nI don't remember much else after that; the mayor taking cover, the crowd screaming, people running, all in a blur around me. But I can remember him, the way he looked as his body fell to the ground, as the blood pooled around his lifeless form. The expression on his face, his vacant eyes filled with a final plea:\n\nNot like this.\n\nI was going to hand in my badge that day. I going to end it all. But the chief stopped me. He saw the look in my eyes, and he knew what I wanted to do; I wasn't the first. But he got me back. I don't know how he did it. But somehow, through some miracle or divine interference, he got me back on my feet. And I continued. I continued going on, I continued living my life, I continued being myself.\n\nHe saved me.\n\nAnd two years later, I saved him back.\n\nIt was a mission gone bad; a home burglary turned into a shootout, and we thought we had subdued the enemy. Turns out we were wrong.\n\nThe chief was downed when he opened the door, and I was right behind him. For some reason, be it bravery or plain stupidity, I went for the burglar head-on before he could shoot the chief again. That burglar was going to shoot me dead there and then.\n\nBut then he saw my name tag.\n\nThe gun clattered to the floor as he surrendered, hands behind his head in the space of a second. His eyes were filled with a mortal fear, the kind that you see in a beast that's been surrounded. The kind of fear when you are faced with death.\n\nEver since that day, I've been working on the front lines, beating back the underworld with my reputation.\n\nBut I'm not brave, or smart, or good with a gun. I'm not any of those things.\n\nI'm just your average cop who's lucky enough to be a victim of circumstance.", "The first thing I remember from that day was how amazingly high I was. Not that this was abnormal, but I usually only got that high when I had nowhere to go. Home from college for the summer, and my mom asked me to run to the store on the corner. Sure, I said...just a run down the block. \n\nI jumped on my board and rolled down the sidewalk. It was hot, the yellow sky super-heated the pavement, and all I could think about was the refreshing energy drink cooler that awaited me.\n\nDrink in hand, I headed home, having completely forgotten the few items that my mom wanted. I dropped my board and got ready to go, completely forgetting that gravity would force my board to adopt the path of least resistance. I had already rolled ten feet before I realized what was happening. All I could think to do was to step off of the board, which I did. Unfortunately, when I stepped off, I clipped the edge of the lip with my foot. The board flipped up in the air behind me, bounced off of a nearby brick wall, and landed with a sickening thud. \n\nI turned to see a man on the ground, my board sticking out of what was left of his face. I was too stunned to really grasp what had just happened, all I could think of was getting home. I bent down and grabbed my board, and with a hard tug, the board came free. I turned and walked away, trying to act as casual as my thc-addled brain would allow.\n\n\nFast forward ten years. \n\nI moved away shortly after the incident, and tried to put it all behind me. Finally, I came home to visit family, and decided to stay. I met a woman, fell in love, bla bla bla. Typical story, I know...but thus is where it gets strange. \n\nOne day, my wife decided that we needed to try this new restaurant. New to us, the place has been around since the 40's, and a known (to law enforcement) mafia-owned establishment. So we go downtown and try this place. Amazing food. Check comes, and it says 'Gratis-' and the price is zero. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I decided that we should leave before the house decided to rescind the offer.\n\nA week later, I was driving to...somewhere, I really can't remember. I was at a stoplight when a man came out of the shadows and knocked on my window. I turned to see the biggest gun barrel I had ever seen, and it was pointed right at my face. \"Get out.\" It wasn't a question. I knew what to do, so I proceeded to get out of my car. The man looked at me, did a double take, and he visibly shrank before me, eyes wide from fear. \"Y...you.\" He backed away, almost falling over his own legs doing so. \"I'm sorry man...It was just a goof!\" And with that, he turned around and fled.\n\nStrange, I know, but this last one is the strangest. This was just yesterday. I was at my mom's house, same place I grew up. Same store down the street. She wanted me to run down and get her some flour. Sure, I said, just down the block. The weather was perfect for a walk, and I don't get out as much as I should.\n\nSo I head down the street, into the store, grab the flour. I take it to the counter, and the woman behind it smiled warmly and began speaking wildly in Italian. She then told me to stay here, that they had been waiting for me to return all these years. I was too stunned to say anything, and before I could react, an older man walked out from the back, the woman in tow.\n\nThe man grasped my hand and shook it warmly. He then told me a story, one in which I was the hero. And here I'd been living my whole life with the crushing guilt of having killed a man...guess all those hours of therapy were a waste.\n\n\n", "My daily commute to work involves driving through a bad neighbourhood. I wish I had a better route, but I don't. All other options involve sitting for over an hour in traffic, just because the idiotic city planners don't seem to understand how traffic lights are supposed to work. The reason I don't run into much traffic in this neighbourhood is that most people are too afraid to drive through, but I don't understand why. I drive an old car, I keep the doors and windows locked, and most of the time, I am driving fast enough that no one would be able to catch up to me on foot anyway.\n\nI got this job about a year ago. One thing that really annoys me about this neighbourhood is that there are so many jaywalkers. People never look both ways before crossing, and they are always darting straight in front of your car. Some time about three months after I started this job, some idiot walked onto the road just as I was driving by, as usual. I couldn't stop in time, and ended up hitting him. Of course, in this neighbourhood, I dared not get out of the car to see if he was all right. I just drove off before anyone could see anything. \n\nLater that week, I heard in the news that a notorious hitman had died in that same neighbourhood after being hit by a car. The description of the car was very vague, but whatever details there were matched my car, though no one could get the license plate. Whatever, I'm sure it must have been a coincidence.\n\nIn the following weeks, I noticed that a lot more people were jaywalking in this neighbourhood than usual. Most of them seemed to be angry about something and were staring at my car, and some appeared to be carrying baseball bats. A lot of them even stopped in my path for some stupid reason. Did they want me to hit them? There were so many that I sometimes just couldn't avoid them, and so in the coming weeks, I ended up hitting abut one person per day, then two, then three, then four, then five. Like hell I was going to stop to check if they were all right in this neighbourhood, and besides, there were no police officers around anyway, so of course I just drove off in all these situations like nothing happened. Most of those people, I hit when coming home from work, and I'm not sure why. There are a lot of times when the stresses of work just get too much for me, and I have to go to the bar and have a few drinks to relax, though I'm pretty sure that had nothing to do with it.\n\nAfter a few months, I noticed that suddenly, I was not hitting anybody anymore, because no one was jaywalking. In fact, there were a lot fewer people in the streets, and a lot of the time, whenever someone saw me, they ran straight back to their home for some reason. I'm not sure why, but I'm glad I don't have to deal with this crap anymore. Hitting people was really starting to slow me down anyway. No one in this neighbourhood has walked in front of my car since.", "Click\n\nThe headlights of my truck illuminated the dirt road ahead. Luckily, deer weren't known to be in this area, so I never would have thought I needed to pay too much attention to stuff on the side of the road. My friend was the only one around here for miles.\n\nThe road never changed, most of this journey back home was straight with very few turns. Everything looked the same. Until something sprinted form the bushes. \n\nOut of my left eye I saw something run onto the road, and it was gone as soon as it came. Only after the thump of my front and back tires did I fully comprehend the situation. \"God dammit\" I said aloud as I pulled over, grabbed a flashlight, and left my truck. \n\nIn a situation like this everybody wants to know two things, what they hit and if it's dead. Both of these questions were answered for me immediately.\n\nHe was the most cartoonish looking man I had ever seen. With his tailored suit and thin handle-bar mustache I was certain I had just killed Waluigi. \n\nI didn't want to get to close though. It wasn't just because he was he surrounded by a pool of blood and was dead, but he gave off a creepy vibe. Who the hell runs through a forest miles from civilization at night? \n\n\"Hey there's a light, he went this way!\" A deep, brute like voice instructed. It came from the left side of the road in the forest, the direction this mysterious man had come from. The voice wasn't alone, I could now make out three men. All attempting to re-catch their breath and understand this scene they had just stumbled upon. \n\nI was certain these were my last few moments, especially since timed slowed down and these guys were sporting pistols. Despite their weapons I held my chin high and puffed my chest out a bit. As a former marine, I had learned to remain calm and confident in situations like this. One of them looked my in the face and said,\"What happened here?\" Never in my life had I heard such a thick Italian accent. \n\nLuckily the question was answered by his companion, the brutish one who spoke earlier. \"Ain't it obvious? This man has done our job.\" \n\nThe one who had not spoken yet took a step forward and pulled a wad of cash from his trench coat and tossed it at my feet. \"Listen.. buddy,\" he also sounded very Italian, and agitated, \"...whatever they tell you to do...\" he now motioned with his hands at the other two men. \"Romano, Santobello, and Bianchi... we'd...\" he faltered, it like he just got into trouble, \"Just leave us and our families alone is all we ask. Tell your men the same thing.\" At this they turned and disappeared into the woods, nearly tripping over one another. \n\nIt puzzled me for many years why, if they were so fearful of me, they didn't just kill me right there. They had guns after all. Not until a crime show came on one night did I learn that those were hit-men were, and the identity of the man who I killed was. \n\nThe dead guy's name was Vito Corradetti, and he operated another hit-men/cartel style service. His group was known to torture anyone who interfered with their operations, but Santbello's group had taken up the opportunity of killing Corradetti after discovering he'd be isolated for a weekend. They saw me as part of a completely seperate group, one even more powerful than Corradetti's. From their perspective, killing me was not worth what awaited them if \"my men\" found out. \n \n " ]	[ 1, 2, 23, 28, 57 ]	[ "1491073115", "1491098606", "1491096631", "1491097482", "1491084006" ]
Someone made a comment in another thread that made me want to see this sort of thing and some people replied saying I should submit it here. Here's a link to my [original post](https://www.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/62wgey/tifu_by_bricking_a_computer_with_rick_astley/dfq195a/) which has a little more detail about the sort of thing I was thinking of specifically, but feel free to run with the basic idea however you want.	[WP] A world where super heroes exist but act as mercenaries for hire instead of doing it out of the goodness of their hearts	4,179	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Shifting through the Vegas' streets comes an aged but cunning man by the name of Charon, or so goes the name and story of everyone who is anyone comes to learn.\n\nHe is a man that comes at midnight to tell dead man's tales and sing the song of the sirens to those who yearn to learn and to be soothed under the moon's embrace. He reaps from men's rage and pity alike. He seduces the cunning and brave with journeys and fables galore. He bewitches there mind with landscapes beyond the description of the common word. He tempts them all; to rob them of their wealth, to gain favors unmatched in value, to steal treasures and souls as if they were matched in value to simple pennies and dimes on the dollar. All done by the ferryman to paradise. \nAnd at that, stirred the girl who arrived at her college campus.\n\n\"That is my tale, wasn't it? God, if it wasn't for the hours I would be making bank.\" Remarks the girl as she strolls past the lanes of the bus. \n\nShe makes her way to her school and sees that it is barren minus the few students scrambling to get to their early classes on that very bus she got out of. She turns and sees the bus going on out seeing the last of the students.\n\n\"Mai!\" Yelled her friend Jesse as he comes from inside the school\n\"Yeah Pervert?\" As she replies with a danced smile across her lip as he proceeds to chuckle.\n\"You're going to be late to class! Come on before Sergent Sourpuss finds another reason to not like us.\"\n\"He loves me, academically speaking, he just doesn't fancy my sleepiness in his class.\"\n\"How you manage to keep your A eludes us all, but that doesn't matter, we need to get going before he decides to pull a pop quiz on us again.\"\n\"He won't, the next one isn't until next month.\"\n\"Right, you go on believing that, but I have to be ready for anything\" as he dramatically pulls his hand to his chest as if he was from bad soap opera.\n\"So did he...?\" began Aaron as he begins to turn and become red around the ears\n\"Who he\" Teases Mai knowing full well who and receives a nicely gestured shove\n\"Don't worry, you are making nice progress. You know what, as the most loyal of all customers, I will offer you a treat.\"\n\"Don't sweat it, free 99 is something I would always pay, being childhood friends and all, but if you insist, I won't disagree.\" Smiling as he lets himself breathe more comfortably.\n\"I am thinking the Hut down by the pier or the Shack in the city, which one should we go to?\"\n\"I say the shack today, to congratulate their owners on their new accomplishment, the Euro\"\n\"Europe's Illuminati isn't the shack, they don't have good enough fries to earn that title. If anything, they are the Illuminati's errand boy to feed and slowly poison the globe.\"\nA moment passed between them before Aaron rushed\n\"Thank you, for everything\"\n\"Like I would let my number one customer go on without a meal, truly you underestimate my service on feeding all my clients,\" I say to get rid of that mood and attempt to cheer him up\n\"My savior\" he comments as dryly as he could muster before giving out a full hardy laugh with Mai not too far behind with her own laugh. \nBefore they knew it, they made it to their door with the class still vacant.\n\"Sleep tight Aaron, I am going to catch a few zzz's\"\n\"Thank god your ability involves sleep or else you would be completely inept\"\n\"Yell that a little louder, the mafia couldn't hear your last few words quite right, and I could do more with my power if I wanted to\"\n\"My point exactly, night\"\n\nAnd that is when I fell asleep and began to move onto my clients. Each one possessing a request, either directed to me or not, and I fulfilled those that had something to give to me as well. I traded in wares of; information, fantasies, education, memories, and.... \n\nMemories, oh yes, my most valuable product, too bad I have to be my own author to tell any tales for myself and recreate voices with that old static feeling, but that should be everything I was forgetting. \nI wake once more and turned up to see I have company\n/Morning sunshine/ gloated the lean man\n/I was expecting someone not quite like you, yet I suppose the target always appears differently from far away/ turning from my gaze as he made a march around me\n/I have to go, I agreed to go out and eat with a friend/ as I begin to force his mind to do as I wish and untie me once he made the semi-circle around me \n/And you are making me very late. Goodbye./ And that is when I made his mind go dark.\nToo bad I have to be the bait for the most of these types request, but it shouldn't matter, no one will know, for long that is. And those that do can't escape anyway.\n\nKnowing that, would you like your death be done by accident or in your sleep? I honestly don't care, it will just have to wait till tomorrow or whenever you care to remember this.\n Bye\n\n", "Sigh \"Supes, why do you keep taking this job? Seriously, just...don't. How are you not as bored of this as I am? There are easier ways to make a living.\"\n\n\"Because you have to be stopped, and I'm the only one who can do it!\" \n\n\"But...you cant. You know you can't. I know you can't. Everyone knows you can't. It's nothing to be ashamed of. You just...you can't do it. No one can. I don't even know if I could kill me if I wanted to.\"\n\nHe launched into his usual flurry of punches. They were all too fast for me to follow, and if any of them had landed, I'd be in about as many pieces as Supes' home planet. It was a good thing that he, and everyone else for that matter, always missed.\n\n\"Oh, wow, missed again. Don't know how THAT happened.\" I rolled my eyes deliberately enough that he would know how old this was getting. \"Guess I'm just lucky again, huh?\" Supes was probably the only \"hero\" left. Sure, he didn't work for nothing, but he always took the jobs that were at least somewhere on the right side of the \"goodness\" spectrum. I didn't like that killing me fell on that side of the moral scale, but I didn't disagree with the assessment either.\n\nOne person having perfect luck tends to throw the rest of the world into a bit of disarray. My stock portfolio had gone from state secret to public disclosure to not mattering within a matter of hours. The world economy did a bit of a collapse when they realized I...kind of had all of the money. Technically, it wasn't \"all\" the money; people still had cash and their savings and all that, but, well, everyone kind of owed me more than they had left. They took me to court, but even though each member of the jury stood to earn back their entire life savings by ruling against me, I still won. I gave all the money back, but that didn't exactly fix the problem of me looming over to world economy like the Sword of Damacles. Money operates on trust, and people didn't trust me.\n\nForce became the new currency. Even I couldn't take that coin away, at least, not quickly enough for it to matter. If something doesn't affect me directly, the luck doesn't kick in. People could steal food, seize factories, and/or enslave communities and force them to provide labor for them. As long as someone stronger, or luckier, didn't care, they were free to do as they pleased.\n\nThat's where Supes and his ilk came in. They were the main purveyors of force. You bid for the super-humans with your support structure and incentive programs. You had to keep them at enough of an arm's length that they wouldn't cut you out and take over themselves, but the corporate overlords who'd actually been worthy of their positions knew how to find the appropriate leverage points. The others were either absorbed by the super-humans or by the better corporatists.\n\nSupes could probably have brought things to some sense of order. He was that stupidly strong. Instead, he was working for one of the bigger conglomerates owned by some lucky sperm who'd actually inherited some talent from whatever ancestor had actually made the family fortune. That's probably what I wanted, to be honest. It was easier to change things as I saw fit when there was some central force doing the actual heavy lifting.\n\nWas that selfish? Wanting Supes to do the \"right thing\" so that I could have a more malleable world order to work with? Probably. It wasn't for me, well, not just for me, anyway. I always got what I wanted in the short term, I just wanted shit to be normal again, or at least stable. I was just sick of everyone being so damn scared everywhere I went. I couldn't go ten seconds into a conversation without someone asking me to protect them from Supes, the heir he worked for, or the other big corporatist who insisted on making himself into some kind of robot so he wouldn't have to give ALL of his power up to the super-humans he'd enlisted to do his bidding. I must have explained that my shit doesn't work like that half a million times, but I don't think they believed me any of those times any more than they did when I promised I wouldn't touch money ever again.\n\nSupes kept at it, never hitting anything but air with each swing. He tried to throw a building at me, but it split apart at just the right time for each half of the building to fly harmlessly past me. \"Hey man, come on. There were people in there. Hell, there probably still are.\"\n\n\"If you have a problem with me, then DO something about it!\" \n\nChrist, did I hate him sometimes. It always came down to the same stupid thing. \"I'm not as strong as you, you dense piece of shit.\" Was he back on this again? Trying to nurse his inferiority complex? Did he need to be reminded that even though he couldn't kill me, I couldn't kill him? I was the only thing on this planet that Supes couldn't kill, and the fact that I couldn't so much as out-punch a particularly strong person or outrun someone on a bicycle must have been particularly irksome for the super-being. \"Just. Fucking. Stop. Wasting. My. Time.\"\n\n\"Soon, enough I'll be ENDING your time, so enjoy it while it lasts.\"\n\nI wondered if Supes knew how to talk to people without relying solely on lame platitudes and empty quips. It was sad, really. I was probably the closest thing Supes ever had to a peer, and I was still both infinitely weaker and infinitely more powerful than he could ever be. Whatever, he'll get bored of swinging through air eventually. Just ignore him. Last time was, what, only three weeks of him trying to kill me before he gave up? Maybe he'll call it quits a bit sooner this time.", "It was a typical job, really. She was Blonde, blue-eyed, tall, slender. Gorgeous physique. Terrible waste. She didn't have to run off with the kids. Really, the father ain't such a bad guy when it really comes down to it, just wanted to spend some time with them is all. Judge even agreed, said support was enough. He only wanted weekends. She says something about denying him what he denied her, like I care.\n\nSee, now I try to convince her. I try talking sense; your kids will be safe, ma'am. I'm here to help you, ma'am. I don't want to hurt you, ma'am. Just come back, ma'am. Of course she doesn't listen. They never listen. Just keep talking about how I'm wrong, how they will defy me. Defiance ain't worth shit, ma'am, because you'll be dead and they won't grow up with a mother, ma'am. She doesn't listen.\n\nI could save her, I suppose. I could, for a while, but then he'll just hire someone else. This time he'll hire someone to come after me, too, and I don't need that. A man's only as good as his contract, and I ain't never broke one of mine. Maybe they can hurt me. Maybe they can't. Either way, I gotta eat, and I like my fancy apartment. Laudanum ain't gonna buy itself. \n\nShe's protecting them, standing defiant, spreading her arms as if it'll make the slightest lick of difference, cowering in a corner. I used to plead, you know. Criminals, it didn't matter what they'd done, I'd plead with them. Don't make me hurt you, I said. I don't want to, I said. They never listened, so I broke them. Symbolic defiance doesn't mean shit if nobody sees, and nobody sees but me.\n\nYou'd think the desire for self preservation would kick in and help them. Seems it only hurts them. Poor woman is so frantic she can't even understand me. Those kids gotta be back home tonight. They really shouldn't have to see this. I try telling her, but she won't listen. Please ma'am, I don't have all night, ma'am.\n\nSome folk are born fast. Some folk are born smart. Some folk are born with all manner of different abilities. Me? I was born strong. You can hit me, you can kick me, but you can't do a damn thing to hurt me. I can hurt you, though. I used to wish it wasn't so violent, how I killed. Used to. You can only rip a man in half so many times before in become inured to it.\n\nShe tries to struggle when I grab her. I ask again if she'll come back, but of course she says no. Stupid. I once had to take a guy in, real bad fellow. Killed his brother or something and made it last for days. When I got to him he actually begged on his knees for mercy. I was only gonna take him back to jail, but then he got reckless. Shot me. Might as well have shot himself, the bullet ricocheted into his guts as I tore his head off.\n\nNo such luck here. I make it as fast as I can. Nothing brutal, I snap her neck and bundle the kids off before they can register. Hope they don't remember. They're young, so maybe they won't. I look back in as I'm walking out, and those beautiful blue eyes stare straight at me, and blink.\n\nI walk out to the car. It's waiting for me, of course. Job's done, I says. Pay me, I says. The driver hands me the envelope and stamped contract and I put the kids in the back. Too quiet. They should be crying, but they're not. Grim faces. They musta known. Least they'll grow up rich.\n\nMe? I've got another contract.", "As far as jobs go, this was a pretty fucking boring one.\n\nAll I had to do was guard some warehouses while the thugs inside conducted a drug deal. Apparently there had been some \"issues\" in the past couple of negotiations, so one of the bosses had the brilliant idea to hire a super to babysit. Apparently, I didn't need to be in on the meeting, which was fine by me--plausible deniability was always a plus in my book. Hell, the guy that hired me wouldn't even give me his name. But the up-front part of the wire transfer went through on time, so here I was. Bored, but being paid.\n\nThe night was quiet--I could hear the low murmurs of negotiating coke and heroin and other goodies from inside the warehouse but other than that it was pretty dull. There were a bunch of tin cans nearby that I attempted to stack on top of each other using as little movement as possible. Big, broad hand gestures were easy enough to channel my psychic energy through, but I wanted to master some quicker moves. I managed to stack six of them into a pyramid using short, staccato motions with an open palm, which was better but still not great. Not yet anyway. I'd heard of some psychics that can move stuff with just a finger.\n\nI glanced at my watch. Still another hour on the payroll. Fuck.\n\nI bent down to pick up a rock to knock over my tin can pyramid, and as I did I heard a sharp whizzing sound above my head and a blast of cold air. Ice shards rained down on my leather jacket as the icicle collided with the brick wall where my head was.\n\n\"Shit,\" I said, flattening myself against the ground as I scanned for my attacker. There was only one person I knew of that was capable of that--and yup, there she was.\n\n\"Jesus, Ellie, what the fuck was that?\"\n\nEllie was standing on top of a set of pallets, her hands glowing white with cold. \"No real names,\" she hissed, raising her hands.\n\n\"Ugh, fine. Frostbite, what the fuck was that?\"\n\n\"Just business, sweetie,\" she said with a pained look on her face. \"You're my mark tonight.\"\n\nWell--the evening certainly wasn't boring anymore.\n\n\"El--sorry, Frostbite, we've got a history together,\" I said, standing up and brushing the dirt off me. \"Doesn't that count for anything?\"\n\nShe shook her head. \"Sorry. The job's the job. Doesn't matter how many jobs we've run in the past, it's just the next job.\"\n\nEllie and I had been partners, once upon a time. And we could command high enough prices for our services that we could take jobs once a month and have enough leftover to travel or whatever else we did back then. Then we fucked it up by starting to sleep together, getting emotionally attached, and then breaking it off since we thought it'd be bad for business.\n\nRight now, I'm not so sure that was the right call.\n\n\"Look,\" I said. \"I've got another 50 grand coming in about an hour. Can't I just buy off your contract?\"\n\nShe shook her head again. \"If word gets out I let a mark live, my reputation is shot. I'm sorry, Andy.\"\n\n\"I thought you said no real names,\" I said, and flicked my hand up. The pallets Ellie had been standing on upended themselves, and Ellie was thrown to the ground. The pallets came crashing back down--I'm sure my druggie friends would be coming out pissed soon--and I ran forward. Ellie had righted herself and hurled more icicles at me. I swept my arm in a wide semi-circle to divert them, although one got past and sliced a long rip in my jacket. I felt my skin immediately begin to burn with frostbite.\n\nMomentarily stunned, I nearly got caught by Ellie's ice blade. It was always her favorite party trick--creating water and refreezing it into the shape of a blade. Not super practical all the time, but it would definitely work for slicing me to ribbons. Ellie thrust the sword at me and I managed to contort my torso away in time. I pulled my hand towards me and summoned an old barrel, which came flying at Ellie's back.\n\nEllie knew my favorite party trick too. She waited for the last second and threw herself to the ground, shattering the ice blade as it made contact with the ground. The barrel flew over her head, and I wasn't quite fast enough to dodge it completely. It hit my shoulder, and I screamed as I felt it dislocate. Ellie stood up, and taking advantage of me staggering back, threw a quick series of icicles at me. I braced myself, knowing that impact would be imminent and death would be swift, but instead found myself pinned to the wall. My arms were pinned like a T, unable to move. I wouldn't be able to do any grand gestures that channeled my psychic abilities, and Ellie knew that.\n\nEllie stood before me, panting, and summoned a large ice spear.\n\n\"I want you to know I'm really sorry about this,\" she said, hurling the spear. And as far as I could tell, she was.\n\nEven though my arms were stuck, my hands had limited mobility. I thought back to stacking the tin cans and hoped I had mastered enough of the short moves to make this work. Concentrating my aura into both my hands, I jerked both of them forward to redirect the spear back at Ellie. This was either going to work, or I was going to die.\n\nI closed my eyes and waited for the spear to pierce my chest, but that never happened. I heard a sharp intake of breath, and as I opened my eyes I saw with horror that the spear had impaled Ellie. She looked as surprised as I felt as she slowly sank to her knees.\n\nThe icicles that had pinned me had melted enough in the humid air that I was able to jerk my arms and legs free. I ran forward to Ellie.\n\n\"El, I'm so sorry.\" I said. \"Who hired you?\" I pleaded.\n\nShe tried to gasp some words out, but I couldn't tell what they were. In a moment, she was gone.\n\nI stood, running both my hands through my hair and trying to figure out what the fuck was going on. Now that the sounds of fighting had stopped, I noticed an eerie quiet. I didn't hear anything from the drug dealers. We had made enough noise that I figured someone would have come out to check.\n\nI strode into the warehouse, resisting the urge to kick the door down.\n\n\"What the fuck?\"\n\nThe warehouse was completely empty. No evidence of drugs or drug dealers.\n\nI sat down on the curb outside the warehouse. Either I was being set up or some weird shit was going down. Probably both.\n____________________________\nEdit: a little late to the party, but I love this prompt! Lots of character/plot ideas from it :)", "The Provisional Government has been informed of the whereabouts of the remaining Monarch forces. With fortune at our hands, we will surely defeat the aristocracy, and bring justice to those that sought to oppress us. Little did they know, we are the seeds of justice, a people that will to -\n\n\nThe television was shut off as the Dictat Secretariate wave his hand. \"As you can see, we are promising our people a swift end to those who would do us harm.\" Standing, he offered his guest a glass of wine. He gestured, refusing the offer politely. \"We have their coordinates of their main force, but we need assurances that their ability to resist will end with this strike. Can you do that for us?\"\n\n\nThe man clasped his hands together, thinking deeply. His muscle tone shone brightly through the loose uniform. A strange blue and red color scheme, with patches of a capital \"S\" on the collar. He glanced briefly at the clock, then spoke softly.\n\n\n\"What assurances do you need?\"\n\n\n\"Preferably their leader. Alive.\" The Dictat Secretariate sipped his wine nervously. \"But if he resists, you may deal with him.\"\n\n\nStanding, the mercenary turned to face the leader. \"No, I want specific orders. No ambiguities. What assurances do you want.\" It was more a statement than a question, the man frowned. His shoulders seemed broader to the leader now.\n\n\n\"Destroy all weapon caches, execute on sight all commanding officers part of the council and bring their leader back alive. We will provide the profiles of those that you may exterminate with extreme prejudice.\" He looked the man straight in the eye. The man of cold steel, dispensing his will on whomever he decided was worth the money. He could plunge death's hand into an entire regiment and sleep soundly.\n\n\nNodding, he waved for the door to be opened. \"One last thing.\" The man floated into the air. \"What's in it for me? Why are you any different from the last regime?\"\n\n\nThe leader wanted to spout some form of propaganda, strike him for questioning his authority. \"Peace,\" he lied. The man floated out.\n\n\n", "Henry had been waiting for three hours now to be allowed in. Standing in line next to people who jumped every time the 'hero' called out the next name to see him. \n\nThere was a heavy, oppressive silence in the hallway as they all avoided eye contact. Ashamed to be here, of course, to ask for help from one of them. Henry thought of the money he'd brought along, a reassuring weight in his backpack. It had to be enough. It was all he had left in the world.\n\nEventually, his name was called, and Henry steeled himself as he walked in. None of the others had been helped today - obviously short on cash - but he'd brought enough. Everyone he'd consulted about this man's particular service said so. \n\nRussel glanced up briefly when Henry walked in and produced the money. Like most of them, he'd long-since dispensed with the monikers his kind had once used. He leaned forward to take the bundles of cash from Henry, a faint glimmer of life in his dark eyes as he rifled through the notes.\n\n\"Not enough,\" he said.\n\nHenry fought to keep the panic from his voice as he took out the last of the money and stacked it with the rest. \"It has to be, it's my whole life's savings. You haven't even heard the job.\"\n\n\"Your wife or kid was killed, I'm guessing, right?\" Russel sighed, handing the money back to him. \"Or you made some idiotic decision. You'd like a do-over like every other sad shmuck out there, I've heard it all before. And it's not enough. Unlike most of my kind, I charge for a reason. The money isn't enough - tell me why I should help you. Time travel is dangerous stuff. To me, to the world, to everyone. I don't use it for trivial jobs. And your personal tragedy is trivial in the grand scheme of things, buddy.\"\n\nHenry licked his suddenly dry lips as he tried to find the right words. Without the money, he had to convince him. He looked at Russel, a guy clearly bored out of his mind with the stories he heard every day, and almost lost his nerve. But he had to try. \n\n\"It's not that,\" Henry said. \"I want to go back to the time of heroes. Real heroes, where people stood outside and cheered as we saved the world. Where they wrote stories about us, where kids worshipped us. I - I'm like you. I can travel in time, but only forward. I discovered that when I came here, the first time I experimented. I can't go back to my time, where people like us were loved, where I had friends like me who I could be proud of.\"\n\nThat gave Russel pause. He actually ignored the money, and glanced up sharply. \"You're like me?\"\n\n\"I am and I'm not,\" Henry said, sinking into a nearby chair, the exhaustion making him feel slightly nauseous. Russel was the fifth and last time-traveller he could find in the country. His last hope, with so little money left.\n\n\"I just want my life back, okay?\" he said. \"I hate it here. I thought I'd like it, but it's the worst life I can imagine. You don't look particularly happy to me, either. Take me back, see if you want to stay too. You can even stay at my place until you make your own way. There, that payment enough?\"\n\nRussel rifled absentmindedly through the money again, forehead furrowed as he remained silent. Finally, he gave a terse nod.\n\n\"Fine. I admit I've thought about it before, many of us have,\" he said. \"It'll be more interesting that the people wasting my time here, at least.\"\n\nHe told Russel the place and the date. They grasped hands, and Henry felt his insides contract as time slipped away.\n\n------------\n\nThey landed in the middle of the crowd that swarmed the square, the bright midday sun beating down from above as people cheered and screamed and swayed around them. \n\n\"Enough is enough!\" a man was howling on a platform. \"These so-called 'heroes', these freaks of nature - ask yourselves, what have they ever done for you? What have they really done? They've made us weak, made us inferior, made us doubt our ability to look after our own...\"\n\nAt each word, the crowd screamed louder, the cacophony drowning out most of the man's speech.\n\n\"I recognise him,\" Russel said slowly. \"I saw a picture somewhere. That nutjob who started it all, who turned us against each other. What was his name again? Harold, or something. Turned everything to shit. I didn't pay much attention in school. Too busy skipping to more interesting times.\"\n\n\"It was Henry,\" his companion smiled. \"And I'd like to stop him from making another speech. His vision didn't quite work out like he'd planned. I think he realised that when his wife died five years from now with a superhero standing five feet away, but wouldn't help without payment. Wouldn't help because he wanted revenge.\"\n\nRussel gaped at the thin man next to him, really looked at him for the first time. He was starting to go grey, but his eyes still held some of the animation that shone in the face of the man in front of the crowd. His scraggly beard hid most of his features, but if you looked closely...Russel glanced at the stage, and finally found his voice.\n\n\"It's you. You came back for this? This speech?\"\n\n\"This speech stirred them up, alright,\" Henry said, and stepped forward. \"But the next one - the one he'll give tomorrow, the things that will happen there, that will change everything. Don't worry, I know how to stop it. I know exactly what to say to him.\"\n\n\"You can't meddle with events like this,\" Russel said weakly, grasping Henry's arm. \"It's...too big. I can't let it happen. You never even paid me!\" \n\nHenry laughed at that. \"Go back to your world, then. I can't follow you, I lied about that. But don't you want to stick around and find out if you'll return to a different world, or not? You said to give a reason for buying your services. Let me show you, instead.\"\n\nRussel watched, paralysed but strangely elated, as Henry made his way towards the stage and his past. He had no place to call home here, no money stashed away. But somehow he was still watching - the consequences of events unpaid for, an act of charity that could derail everything.\n\nAnd his heart was beating fast, more alive in this foreign time than he'd ever felt before. He stepped forward, hardly believing the words that leapt from his mouth.\n\n\"Wait up man, I want to help!\"\n\n----------\nHope you enjoyed my story! You can find more of my work on /r/Inkfinger/.", "Colonel Scope, once part of an elite force tasked with saving innocent and protecting those he loves now sits in his garage with a beer in his hand, lying on the couch. A place which was once filled with chivalrous and brave saviors, planning their next move, now sat in disrepair. The base of operations for the 64 Elite was now a shell of its former self. \nScope missed the days when he was a more traditional hero, but they are gone, just like his squad. All of them wiped off, killed by everything from crooks to genetic disorders. \nScope is not the genetically enhanced soldier he used to be. He may be as strong, but depression takes its toll and the alcoholism doesn't help. The money from his last contract he cashed in was sitting on the table. Corporate murders are a common task for Scope. He missed working for the greater good of mankind, working for the goodness in people's hearts.\nHe missed nothing more from the 'Glory Days' than his squad. His 7 friends were his life. Now what did he have left?\nHis tablet buzzed and he snapped out of his daydream. Thinking about his old life was over now. Returning to reality, Scope sat up and opened his PDA. He had received a new target and it was time to get to work.\n\nEdit: Part 2: Commissioner Oswald? A very good friend of Scope's, he would be devastated to kill him. They had worked together for years, decades even, In the glory days. No big deal, he'll just decline it. But then he saw\nthe reward. $10 000 000. This was an insane price. He was working on $100 max most of the time, doing a contract most days. Ten million was enough to get him out of the country, clear his records, and get a new clean slate while living a fantastically comfortable life. Tenerife. Fiji. Hawaii. He wanted somewhere tropical or Mediterranean. He could go on plenty of holidays. He always wanted to visit the beautiful scenery of Ireland. Snow sports on the Alps sounded fun too. But again, snapping back to reality, why does someone want to kill the Commissioner that bad? Would he have the guts to kill an old friend for money? End a life and devastate a family so he could live in paradise for the rest of his life. The desperation was too strong. His initial response was a straight up No, but Scope was now considering it.\nNobody would have to know it was him. That's how it works, he wouldn't make a living as a mercenary if he couldn't go anywhere without being arrested, shamed, or have people running from him. He could kill, get the money, and be on the first plane out of here on the same day. \nScope decided to sleep on it. He didn't even have another beer, and went straight to bed.\nIn the morning, he had made his decision. He would have to live with killing his old friend Oswald but it's not the first time. It was already his fault two of the squad were dead. Commissioner Oswald would be driving home from work in 8 hours. That gave him 8 hours to prep a bomb and plant it on his route home, preferably away from houses. He was a mercenary, not a psychopath, and the least amount of traumatized children was best.\n\nIt was around ten to six. Oswald would be here any minute now. Then, he hears a car coming along the road. Diving into a nearby bush, he waited to pull the trigger of the detonator. 3. 2. 1. Bang. The car spun off the road but there was no change to his balance. Another car, identical to the one he just blew to hell pulls up behind the site. He gets out of the car, armed. \n\nScope looked at the other driver, only noticing him now. Realising who it was left him very confused. How could Commissioner Oswald be standing holding a gun to him when he just blew him up. 'I blew the wrong damn car!' he thought.\n\nThere was another bang. Scope now lay on the ground, bleeding out. Oswald too had only realized who he had killed. His good friend, Colonel Scope from the old task force he used to work with was lying there, motionless. Scope attempted to end his life for a reason he will never know. \n\nAnd so, the final member of the elite force lay on the grass, already forgotten about.\nThey left a huge mark on the world, but no legacy", "\"So what gives, Chief?\" \n\nThe Chief's eyes followed Henry as he paced around the office. It was a sight by itself to see a grown man in tights and a cape, but now he was puffing, quite naturally, on a thick cigar. \n\n\"You go to Sam before me?\"\n\nThe Chief sighed. \"She's got X-ray vision. We needed X-ray vision at the time, Henry. Nothin' personal. That's just how the market goes.\"\n\nHenry jolted forward at inhuman speed and now leaned over the front of the Chief's desk. \"Bullshit Chief. She's overstepping her boundaries. I got a nice and pretty contract sittin' at home that says so.\"\n\n\"Read the thing pal. It's null in the case of a federal agency gettin' involved.\"\n\n\"So that's why I've been seein' all these FBI faces around lately. You're playin' me. You're tryin' to run me out of town!\"\n\n\"No. We just want the sources available. You're tryin' to corner the market, Henry, and you can't monopolize justice.\"\n\nHenry stared. He tapped his cigar on the Chief's ashtray and flashed a smile. \"That's a sweet sentiment Chief, but I can, and I will.\" He crumbled his whole cigar into a fine powder over the tray and turned to go.\n\n\"Then you just became the enemy.\"\n\nHenry crossed the room. \"No, Chief. No enemies. Just business.\" He flashed another smile and closed the door. ", "There was a time when good deeds ment the people adored you, they praised you as a savior. Those days are long gone. When Rodrick Friese proposed our step back into civilian life it wasn't met with warm responses, that is until he backed us into a corner, a situation we couldn't save, people we couldn't help. \n\nEveryone in the Strowman Buildings died. It collapsed faster than we could do anything. Once in site the buildings had already been in pieces across the surrounding areas. It wasn't supposed to be possible, a hero in every corner of the city. We devided and conquered all evil. \n\nThe people will turn on you quick when it's their 7 year old trapped under rubble, when their husband can't pick up their kids after work. We were forced out, met with disgusting looks and yelled at in the street. I took my cape off 15 years ago and never looked back. \n\nThe \"severance package\" I took to keep myself hidden and supress my powers had run dry. I was worried I wouldn't be able to pay rent or even buy food, I needed a way to survive. I don't have conventional wisdom of normal life. I had never worked a job before and never even went to conventional schools. Myself and my commrades were raised to protect by the Freedom4All Act designed by Congress to eventually become the replacements for police. \n\nI needed a way to keep myself alive. \n\nI found Valor, or as street folk call him Kevin O'Rourke. Him and a few of the crew had been making money on the backs of their powers while keeping relatively hidden. Everything from purse thief to hired hits, no honor for the code. \n\n\"To protect all life, for all life is good.\"\n\nTo say little it didn't last long with em. I moved on with my ventures and found myself working alone. I was surprised how much someone was willing to pay for my service. Before I knew it I could charge anything, and I did. I became so indulged with self worth I often forgot to hide my powers when on a case. People often tend to grow suspicious of a floating man with skin made of marble. \n\nBefore I knew it I was more rich than I could ever have imagined spending most my life on a hero's salary. However one thing that remained from that time was the notion that nothing good can last forever. \n\n\nJust a little rough scribbling while on break. Hope it doesn't suck. Not fully fleshed out, written extensively but felt like writting on my break. Thanks for the wicked writing prompt. \n", "Superhero Matthew Merrick, the Steel Sentinel, Defender of the Weak and Champion of Justice, felt powerless. \n\n“Frank, how does our statement look?”\n\n“Let's see: The Steel Sentinel, peerless fighter in and out of his masterwork power-armor, will scramble for you at a moment's notice. Please inquire about monthly plans.” \n\n“You know which statement I mean, Frank. No sugarcoating.”\n\n“Well, Matt, it's not pretty. People are always slow about donating when you act first and ask later. We can maintain operations for two, maybe three more months on our current funds, and I've been looking for new sponsors, but it hasn't been easy.”\n\nFrank wasn't wrong. The energy drink endorsement bombed, the power tool promotion petered out, and the auto insurance deal looked like it could drop out at any moment. There just wasn't a lot of money in being a third-rate hero.\n\nThat's what hero work came down to these days. Sure, Bruce Wayne was rich enough to work pro bono, but in the real world, millionaires didn't become heroes and heroes didn't become millionaires. And with the regulations and liabilities that came with public hero-work, most people, Matt included, had to find private funding to sustain their operations. The Hero's Union could provide hero's insurance and manage dispatching, but their dues weren't cheap, and neither was power-armor maintenance. Eight years of heroing, and all Matt had to show for it was his license, his suit, and his apartment-turned-workshop that he shared with his college classmate and partner-in-crimefighting Frank Liu.\n\nFrank Liu. Eight years of coworking, eleven years of friendship, and Matt felt he still didn't know him completely. Back in university, Frank was the one setting the curve, while Matt was happy to find the middle. Sometimes Matt wondered why he wore the suit while Frank manned the comms, but he never seemed excited about the hero business, even back in college, and yet... And yet, after all these years, Frank was still here. \n\nMatt broke the silence. “You know I don't care about the money. I'll make sacrifices. We'll manage. We always have.”\n \nFrank's face was flat, unreadable. “In my culture, we're generous with our family and friends, our ancestors and gods, because they're the people we hope will be generous with us. We don't do charity work for strangers.” \n\n“Do you really believe that?”\n\nA heavy sigh. “No. But it helps me sleep at night.” \n\nThe Hero Call rang out, the dispatcher's voice ever cool and calm managing the business of life and death. Fire. Poor neighborhood. Situation worsening, a real block-burner at the sound of it. Not a lot of moneyed interest. No heroes scrambled to stop it. \n\n“Frank, we have to move. People are dying.” \n\n“We're deep in the red, Matt. We can't afford this.” \n\n“Frank, Goddammit!” Matt choked out, his eyes wet with tears. “They're going to burn out there!”\n\nFrank nodded gravely and donned his headset. “Steel Sentinel, prepare for sortie. Ground control, on standby. Deploy when ready.” \n\nMatt was grateful for his helmet; nobody else would see the tears streaming down his face. “Steel Sentinel, ready to deploy,” he managed, hoping his voice hadn't cracked. A deep breath. “And away!” Today, at least, he was a hero.\n\n", "The dark alley echoed with the footsteps of the villain and I knew that I had her right where I wanted them. \n\n\"I'll go get the purse if you let me keep half of the money.\" \n\nThey had seen what Dev could do first hand, when he had been stealing their purse, so there was no way that they were going to do it themselves. He had punched through a brick wall before snatching their purses. If they only knew some of Dev's other talents.... The purse snatchee had been making self deliberation faces for almost half a minute. \n\n\"Fine.\", she said, in a voice that she hoped would indicate that it was very much not fine. I thought I heard her mutter something about \"Damn heroes\" and \"Filthy crooks\", but I was already rushing into the darkness. \n\nAbout halfway through the alley I turned at the first corner I saw. I almost ran into Dev. \n\n\"Jesus Christ man. A little warning next time.\" \n\n\"I'm still mad at you.\" \n\n\"Why would you possibly be mad at me?\" \n\n\"Because this plan doesn't make any fucking sense! Why are we giving the purse back? We already had the damn thing.\" \n\n\"That attitude right there is why you get to play the villain. You're just so naturally villainous.\" \n\n\"I get to play the villain because I can actually scare people. What are you going to do, shout at them that you can hear them extremely well as your robbing them?\"\n\n\"Ha Ha asshole. Just give me the purse.\" \n\n\"What are you going to tell them, anyway? What if they want a demonstration of how you overcame me?\" \n\n\"I'll say that I used my otherworldly wits to convince you to hand over the purse. I wouldn't even have to lie.\" \n\n\"Oh, shut up. Here - take the stupid thing.\" \n\nI grabbed the purse from Dev's hand and turned back. If it wasn't dark in the alleyway I don't think I could have resisted the temptation to count the money before I gave it back. I tried to appear disheveled by messing up my hair a bit. It would have to do. I came around a corner and could see the woman still waiting. \n\nI approached her. \n\n\"Thank you so much!\" She said as she saw that I was holding her purse. I actually felt a twinge of guilt. I had justified this to myself as being some sort of lesson, like an anti purse snatching tax or something, but I knew that this part was going to suck.\n\n\"You're are very welcome.\" I handed her the purse. She pilfered through it. I saw some prescription medicine and reading glasses suddenly felt even worse. It felt like I was robbing my Grandma. She got to her wallet and started going through the money. \n\n\"Here is ... $30.\" \n\nI was almost tempted to tell her to keep it, but my stomach rumbled at that exact moment. I remembered that there was a reason that I had to do this, and it wasn't like we stole her purse or anything. \n\n\"Thank you very much.\" I began walking down the sidewalk in the opposite direction as her. I would meet Dev back at the house. He wouldn't be happy with $30, and I didn't think I could hold him back much longer. If he had his way, we were about to get into serious trouble, soon. \n\n___\n/r/Periapoapsis", "\"Morning Mayor.\"\n\n\"Falcon! What are- what are you doing here?\"\n\n\"I hadn't heard from you in a while,\" Falcon said, stepping casually along the front of the mayor's desk. He brushed off his cape. \"I was getting worried about you.\"\n\n\"Oh, that's so- so thoughtful,\" the mayor stuttered. \"B-but as you can see, everything is fine here.\"\n\n\"Now, now, Mayor. Everything is not fine. I can understand that times are tight lately, so I'm willing to overlook not getting a call from you during that riot a month ago. However I was a little perturbed that my phone was silent all through that bank robbery and hostage situation last week. And now there is a huge storm system that is going to cause tornadoes all through this city. So I decided I'd be proactive and let you know I'll be taking care of that one. I'm even discounting my rate for you.\"\n\nThe mayor shifted in his seat. \"W-w-well,\" he started. He jumped as his intercom buzzed.\n\n\"Mr. Mayor, your two o'clock meeting is here,\" his assistant said.\n\nFalcon raised a hand to quiet the mayor, and leaned over to the intercom. \"The mayor's going to have to cancel that. He's got another meeting that's going to run long.\"\n\nThe door to the mayor's office swung open, and a young man with a shaved head walked in. \"Mr. Mayor, sir, you can't cancel this meeting,\" his assistant started.\n\n\"What happened to Jerry?\" Falcon asked.\n\n\"I, uh, I promoted him over to HR. This is Magnus, m-my new assistant.\"\n\n\"You called Falcon sir? I thought we weren't going to be utilizing his services anymore,\" Magnus said pointedly.\n\nFalcon shot a dirty look to the mayor, before turning back to Magnus. \"That's what this meeting is about. Revisiting that decision, particularly with the storm heading this way. Now if you'd just run along.\"\n\n\"The storms are going to be moving south of here. We'll be fine.\"\n\n\"They've shifted course,\" the Falcon said, exasperated. \"Seriously, Mayor, you've got to bring Jerry back. This kid doesn't know his place.\"\n\nMagnus furrowed his brow in a look of concentration. \"The storm has changed course. After you pushed it, Falcon.\"\n\n\"W-w-what!?!\" the Mayor shouted.\n\n\"That's preposterous. Don't listen to this kid. Fire him.\"\n\n\"Falcon needs money, Mayor. So he made work for himself. And this isn't the first time. It's like I told you Mayor, our city doesn't need him anymore. He's more trouble than he's worth.\"\n\n\"How dare you!\" Falcon said, advancing on Magnus.\n\nMagnus simply glared at Falcon. The caped man took a few more steps, then stumbled to his knees. He put his hands to his head, grunting in pain. A small trickle of blood worked it's way out of his nose.\n\n\"Your services are no longer required, Falcon,\" Magnus said coldly. \"This city has a new hero looking after it.\"\n\n****\n\nIf you enjoyed that, subscribe to [Pubby's Creative Workshop](https://www.reddit.com/r/Pubby88) to read the rest of my prompt responses.", "\"Alright, so you want a superhero protection contract, what kind would you like?'\n\n\"Well as you may know Mr Doomfist has recently taken up residence in my town, now i don't want to be judgemental but he has broken the laws of the last four he lived in.\"\n\n\"A yes Mr Doomfist, always good for business, so do you want a specific contract out for us to stop him or one in general. We also offer a two villains for the price of one deal this month.\"\n\n\"Does the specific contract include his minions and henchmen?\"\n\n\"It depends, the standard version covers a hundred normal minions or one super powered one, depending on the contract we could include a fixed price per minion that exceeds that amount, or we can increase the maximum.\n\nAccording to our documents Mr Doomfist now has eighty four minions.\"\n\n\"So with a contract would you immediately go to arrest him or?\"\n\n\"It depends, in the contract is a threat scale, if its an apocalypse level threat then yes we will intervene, however if its a local level threat our response would be between three to five business days. \nHowever should you need more immediate assistance you can pay an additional fee to expedite the process.\"\n\n\"What kind of hero's could i be expecting?\"\n\n\"That depends on the package, we have several squads able to be assigned to you, but for an additional fee you could also put your own squad together.\"\n\n''I think il stick with one of the pre made ones, do you have any suggestions?\"\n\n\"Our flying brick squad has a high success rating against villains of Mr Doomfists nature, though they are a bit more expensive.\"\n\n\"Price is no issue, Mr Doomfist has a tendency for collateral damage and we just rebuild city hall, and the insurance only pays out if the villain is caught.\"\n\n\"Well then it all seems in order, are there any other questions?\"\n\n\"No, il take a contract for Mr Doomfist for a hundred fifty minions with a flying brick squad.\"", "\"Listen, I know your ad says your services start at $150, but I'm hoping you can make an exception, cut me a deal?\" Her breathing is shallow and her voice quivers. She swallowed at the end of her sentence. She's panicked and desperate, and unlike most of the time wasters, she's not lying about the money part. \n\n\"I'll listen, but this is a business, not a charity.\"\n\n\"I know. I do. But, you see, I am a charity. I run a youth shelter on 6 mile. I have a couple of boys that come in every Thursday and Friday for the pantry. Only none of 'em have showed up the last few weeks.\"\n\n\"Homeless youths? I wouldn't wind your clock by their patterns if I were you.\"\n\n\"You don't have to tell me that, but these boys were different. They've been coming for nearly two years. And they aren't the only regulars that have gone missing. But the cops won't listen and I just know: someone is stealing kids.\"\n\nI glance at my desktop planner. Blank space as far as the eyes can see. \"You got a non-profit number?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" her voice pitched up, hopeful.\n\n\"Well, I'm gonna need a receipt.\"\n\n\"You'll do it?\" \n\n\"I'll be feet down in Detroit in oh, about 45 minutes.\" I hung up and eyed my flying cape. At least my accountant could deduct it this time.", "Like every day since I started this job, the subway was packed. Not the kind of packed where you have to occasionally mutter apologies as you slide past people; this was more like something that made me envious of sardines in a can. \n\nThank-god for phones. I sighed as an ad began to play again on the video I was watching, for the fifth time in ten minutes. \n\nA superhero, dressed in a green and white spandex suit, smiles with impossibly white teeth at the camera. Besides him, a name: SteelSkin, TM. In his hand, he holds something that resembles an insulin syringe, complete with viscous lime-green liquid swirling inside. \n\n“Thanks to EasyPowers Ltd., I can effortlessly use my superpowers without having to worry about reinjections every four hours. It’s the only choice, buy an EasyPowers starter module today! Only one hundred thousand dollars a shot!” He winks at the camera. \n\nIf only it was that easy. Everyone knew only a few select candidates received any powers at all. If you had the money, that is. \n\nI stared out at the smog-filled city, admiring the six kilometer-tall JusticeTower from the window. Syracuse was responsible for that one, along with cold-fusion, and the cure for cancer if you could afford it. \n\nI can see his memorial from here too, after he was killed by Czar. Apparently Czar couldn’t deal with the fact that a homosexual black man became the most famous Mender in history. \n\nIt was only because I was looking in that direction that I noticed it at all. A slight flicker of lightning in the sky, then another, closer to the train. A few figures, three men and two woman, charging towards the clouds. \n\nSuddenly, there were thousands of flickering lightning strikes, the brightness briefly blinding me. I heard shouts of discomfort behind me.\n\n“What the hell?”\n\n“Oh god, is that Zeus?”\n\n“He’s fighting the Justice Squad! Get out your phone.” A pair of shrill teenage girls behind me giggled. \n\nI blinked away the spots in my vision, just in time to witness SteelSkin slam into the carriage next to us. Time slowed, and I saw the completely-full carriage crush in the middle like a stomped-on coke can. I watched, horrified.\n\nThen my carriage derailed. I felt my body fly up, slamming into the ceiling with a deep cracking sound, and I couldn’t feel anything below my neck.\n\nI’m dead, I thought. Then, I don’t want to die. Around me, I could hear a few moans. Most of the bodies were terrifyingly still. \n\n“SteelSkin, are you alright?” A purring voice rang out from outside. It must be Asp. They both went to the same Long Island private school, apparently. \n\n“I’m fine, darling.” He replied in that gravelly voice he put on for the cameras. \n\n“Check to see if anyone had insurance in this train. Angel can heal them.”\n\nI saw her, then. Impossibly beautiful, she entered the upturned carriage in a burst of pure white light. The illusion was immediately broken when her nose wrinkled. She only healed people who brought her million-dollar insurance. How else would she afford those designers clothes?\n\n“Nah, they’re all just middle-class workers. No way do they have insurance.” They never included her ghetto accent in those documentaries they constantly ran. \n\n“Alright, well at least we drove off Zeus.” Steelskin chuckled. I felt a brief stab of anger. I could see a one of the giggling girls from before sobbing over her dead friend in front of me, half of her head caved in like a deformed golf ball.\n\n“He’ll think twice before he tries to steal that medicine again. Oh wait, what did we tell the newspapers?” I could hear Asp laughing outside.\n\nYou told them he had a bioweapon he was planning to unleash on the world, I thought again, that brief stab of anger turning into something deeper. Hatred. They flew off after that, acting as though thousands of people were not dying right next to them. They didn’t see my trigger, my screams of agony as the fabric of my entire body was remade, the first natural superpowers in over a decade.\n\nThe ambulances arrived thirty minutes later. It was a miracle, they said, almost like you could heal yourself. I smiled, laughing along as though everything was right with the world. It wasn’t.\n\nThey would pay. They would all pay, and when their corporations burned around them, I would be there to watch. \n\n\n", "It was raining.\n\nThe day we set to sea was a dark day, the sun did not appear in the sky and the skies appeared to cry as the sons of Helgavik set off to unfamiliar lands. I watched my parents on the shore, surrounded by the wives and families of my fellow sailors, but I could not find it in my heart to return their waves. I was a young man, barely sixteen years of age and waving to them would have broken me down and caused me to cry. But I had to stay strong, the men on the longboat with me were mostly veterans, having raided before and crying, in my mind, would show weakness in front of those hard sailors which I regarded as role models. However I stared back to shore until all I could see was mist and rain, before and aft. It would be months until I would see my family again, if at all.\n\nThe longboat was the pride of the village from which we sailed. It had been made during a remarkably warm summer, and was hewn from good wood. It was beautifully decorated with images depicting the gods in battle, the monsters of the sea and with the names of some of the heroes that had sailed on it. This boat “Garmr” was considered blessed by the gods and those that would sail on it were priviliged men. I had gotten my place through contest, My arm was stronger than those of my friends, and my aim was true when throwing a spear. I had also shown courage in battle once before while defending my fathers farm, so Grímur the ships foreman, brought me aboard.\n\n“You know you may die.” he had said, matter of factly.\n\n“I am not afraid of going to my ancestors.” I replied, mustering up as much courage as I could in front of this large, red haired, man.\n\n“Good to hear, Arnr. Good to hear. You swear an oath to follow my orders, defend your fellow man and bring honor to the gods?”\n\n“Yes. My aim will never fail me, nor will I leave my friends back exposed to the enemy. I will fall if the gods will it so without fear.”\n\n“Allright, you will receive the same share as the rest of us, apart from one extra share for myself and captain Eirikur. You will be second oarsman on the right side.”\n\nIn the days before my departure my parents, proud of their son for having secured a place on the Garmr, fed me the best food they could muster. My father gave me his axe, which his father had given him as well as a warm cloak. When the day came to go to the docks I was well provisioned and ready, my parents supplying me well in anticipation of me returning with exotic wares.\n\nDuring the day we sung songs praising the heroes of old while the sound of the oars hitting the ocean kept rhythm. If we had good wind we would spend our time cleaning the ship, watching the sky for signs of land. We each had our rations in a box under our seats where we spent most of our time. When the sky turned golden we would eat our food and spend our nights asleep, adrift on the ocean hoping we would not drift too far off course. One man stood watch each night to keep the ship sailing in the right direction as best he could. During the day Grímur would consult what he called his sun-stone for direction to good hunting areas as he called it. Area filled with enemy ships ripe for the plunder, but our main target would be a christian chapel he had heard was lightly defended and should pay for this raiding trip in one blow.\n\n---\n\nWe had arrived early in the morning, awoken by distant bells audible over the fog which enveloped us. Grímur smiled like a hungry wolf and started whispering urgent directions to the captain directing him towards the sound. “It starts” Arnolfr whispered to me from behind, “Odin willing we will be rich men at the end of this day or dead. Either way, be ready!”. I swallowed my fear while listening hard for any sounds from out of the fog, the only sounds being the low whispering of the men around me as well as the soft sound of the oar propelling the Garmr onwards.\n\nThe first thing we could see were the black rocks of the shore. With skill and experience the boat was dragged ashore in near silence. “This is it! I can feel it in the air!” Grímur whispered to us as we assembled, weapons drawn, on the beach, “We will be in two groups. You lot will go with Eirkur and you will go with me” he said, indicating my group “Good hunting”.\n\nMy heart was beating loudly in my heart, so much so that I feared it would give away our position, as we first caught a glimpse of a stone building. It was strange to see the chapel after hearing such places described by others. It was a large building built almost like an arrow, with a stone tower on one end. It had colorful windows depicting what I could only guess were old heroes akin to the ones depicted on our ship. My axe felt heavy as our backs got up to the walls of the building. Thank Thor for this fog, it had hidden our apprach so well we were still unnoticed. A raiding party of armed and capable warriors in the pen filled with unaware sheep.\n\nSuddenly without barely a nod towards the rest of us Grímur ran into the fog, shortly followed by a wet sound as his hammer struck flesh, this prompted the rest of us into action. Suddenly my world became very violent as men were everywhere. In the fog they reminded me of ancient ghosts, clad in black robes, obviously crying for mercy. I myself went into the chapel with two others and met one of the robed men as he seemed to be trying to save the valuables hidden inside the chapel. His face was white with fright, his words incomprehensible to me as I stepped towards him with my axe raised above my head. I will never forget the feeling of the iron biting into flesh, nor the warmth of his blood as he stumbled and fell, gold coins clattering on the ground from his fingers. The sound of battle was around me, and for the rest of my life I would never be able to remember the rest of it as some inner beast overtook me.\n\n“Good fight!” Grímur said, smiling as he hit me on the back. “You did well. You will no longer be a boy but a man. You have earned the respect.”. I was sitting on the steps of the chapel, holding a cup filled with wine and covered in blood. “It was my honor” I replied. I was proud of my achievement, but the face of the black robed monk was fresh in my mind. I knew then that he would be a spectre that would follow me throughout my life. We were rich now, Grímur told us there was more treasure inside this chapel than even he had imagined. We would get home earlier than planned which raised our morale, but was bittersweet since it meant fewer chances to die like warriors. I however was consoled with the image of my parents in my mind, proud of their son, fresh back from viking.\n\n---\n\nIt was the third day of our trip back that it all changed. Grímur looked anxious as he and captain Eirikur talked in the back of the boat while the rest of us ate our daily rations. I clambered over to them which caused Grímur to look at me with a mix of annoyance and curiosity while Eirikur looked concerned.\n\n“What is wrong?” I asked, but we had become accustomed to asking straight questions. The daily life aboard the longboat did not allow for much formality beyond rank.\n\n“Well, you will know soon enough. We are being hunted.” Grímur replied.\n\nI imagined a boat filled with monks, or armed men, following us from the land we had visited “How many?” I asked.\n\n“One”\n\nThe reply was unexpected, one man would not be much of a threat.\n\n“Then we have little to worry about. One man can do us no harm.”\n\n“Who says it is a man? I have been watching our wake. We are being hunted by something under the water. Some beast”\n\nI nodded and returned to my seat. The way Grímur had said that we were being hunted by a beast was unsettling, but I sensed no more information would be forthcoming for now. As I looked to the back of the boat, in the distance, I imagined I could see a swell of water formed by an unnatural shape effortlessly gliding under the water. \n\n\nOn day four Grímur stood up at the bow of the vessel. We sensed by his stance we should prepare ourselves for what was coming so we prepared our shields and weapons.\n\nA few minutes later I felt as if the world exploded. Out of the water burst a huge beast the likes I would never see again. It appeared as a large serpent, the head easily larger than our ship. Its eyes held the fires of eternity, and as it roared defiantly at our diminutive boat we were all overcome with dread. The beasts fangs were the size of great-swords. Its scales the sizes of our shields. At this moment I knew that I would be dead soon. The waves of its movements caused our boat to bob and sink like a cork on a wave. We were helpless.\n\nGrímur screamed an oath to the gods, took one step on the edge of the bow and hurled himself at the beast. I could not believe my eyes as he wresled with the mighty beast. The last we heard from him was “SAIL AWAY, FLEE OR DIE!”. We scrambled for our oars and sailed away, leaving Grímur behind. The last I saw of Grímur he was on top of the beasts head, holding his hammer above his head, lightning striking down from the sky into him, his eyes glowing with white light and his red hair glowing like fire. I knew then that this was not a normal man. As we managed to gain some distance on the mighty battle between the beast and god the waves settled and we witnessed the conclusion as Grímur killed the wyrm with a mighty blow. A streak of light travelled overhead to the north immediately after this and we knew that Grímur was safe.\n\nI will always remember this hard man, if he was a man at all. He never returned to our village but we keep his memory alive every year with stories of his heroism. His face now adorns the bow of our blessed longboat.\n\nI would not meet Grímur again for many a year.", "\"I'm just going to talk to him,\" Rodgers says to himself, standing outside a house. It was the definition of suburban. A little garden out the front, a big oak tree and a novelty mailbox shaped like a salmon. He knocks on the door three times, to no answer, as it swings ajar.\n\nRodgers walks inside, coughing as he does. Rotting food litters some of the floors, and a dozen broken bong's glass joins it. He carefully tiptoes around them all, lest he got an infection, and yells out.\n\n\"Hello?\" The words bounce around the walls, falling on deaf ears. \"Jack?\"\n\nRodgers walks into the surrounding rooms to find nothing of interest, mostly more rotting food and massive quantities of narcotics. The stairs tease out to him, knowingly, as if to say 'Jack's up here.'\n\nThey creak as he walks up, photos of a family not belonging to Jack neatly arranged on the wall. Once at the top, he stares down the hallway to see a door partially open.\n\n\"Jack?\" he says curiously and moves towards it. He pries the door open slightly and then immediately regrets that decision.\n\nJack is sitting in a large chair with headphones on, his hand down his pants, and the TV blaring hardcore porn. Rodgers moves back into the hallway for a moment to collect himself, before thumping the door as loud as he can and moving inside.\n\n\"Jack!\" He yells, much to Jack's dismay. He jumps from his chair, throws the headphones off, but doesn't take his hand out of his pants.\n\n\"Fuckin, what!\" Jack yells, a furrowed brow and a bit of spit dripping out his mouth. \"You ever heard of fucking knocking?\"\n\n\"I tried that,\" Rodgers remarks.\n\n\"Fuck off,\" Jack says, getting back into his chair. With a touch of a remote, the porn turns off, and Jack breathes in deep. A small bong sits next to him which he lifts to his chest and prepares. \"So what do you want Rodge?\"\n\n\"We've got a bit of a monster problem over in NYC. Destroying the whole place,\"\n\n\"Yeah yeah, I saw that,\" Jack says, scooping some of his bowl into his cone piece. \"Did you send Canary?\"\n\n\"She couldn't handle it,\"\n\n\"Andromeda?\"\n\n\"He couldn't handle it,\"\n\n\"Mech-zero?\" Jack exclaims, now getting surprised. He lights the cone and begins to inhale deeply.\n\n\"He died.\" Jack's eyes grow wide at the new bit of information, but still, continues to inhale. A few more seconds pass before he stops.\n\n\"Aw fuck then,\" Jack says, talking while exhaling, \"You really need bloody Jack then don't you?\" A shit-eating grin blooms over Jack's face, as he stares up at Rodgers. \"50 grand.\"\n\n\"Deal.\"\n\n\"Fantastic,\" Jack stands and looks at Rodgers, his erection flopping out his underwear. Rodgers stares at him for a few more pained moments before speaking.\n\n\"Who's house is this,\"\n\n\"Let's get going ay.\"\n\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\nA heavily armored van is shifting through pedestrians with Jack inside. Chants from outside are thunderous in volume and full of joy. Eventually, the van comes to a stop. From outside, the cheering grows as a chaotic applause begins, no rhythm to its nature.\n\n\"You ready Jack?\" an unnamed soldier says, his hands fiddling with his gun. Jack grunts, finishes rolling his cigarette, lazily puts it in his mouth and walks towards the van's exit. He thumps on the side twice, and the door starts to open.\n\n\"Probably not,\" Jack replies, pulling out a lighter and letting the nicotine hit his veins. The sunlight blurs his vision as he steps into the world, the cheers and claps immediately stopping. Sighing, he looks all around himself to see sad faces and angry civilians.\n\n\"Are you not entertained!?\" Jack yells, thrusting his arms above himself. He smiles, as the faces stare him down. He spins and spins, bathing in the glow of contempt, ecstatic in his self-indulgent joy.\n\nA roar in the distance breaks his attention. It's visceral and full of rage, a beast made of death waiting to dole out more. The crowd murmurs in fear, taking a collective step back.\n\n\"Go get em, Jack!\" A voice yells, a few more joining. It only took a few seconds before they were all cheering his name, and chanting for him to go.\n\n\"Selfish buggers,\" Jack mutters under his breath. He takes a few steps forward, but The Beast beats him to it.\n\nWith a crash, it descends just in front of him Jack. Wings made out of dark black, and a form made out of nightmares; it bubbles and seethes around as if it was a liquid. A thousand eyes cover it, all moving and changing shape at random, but all are staring at Jack.\n\nTaking the cigarette from his mouth, Jack flicks it and lets it smolder into the ground. The crowd that was around only moments ago has fled, leaving Jack alone.\n\nThe Beast swings, its horrendous claw slashing down at Jack. It rends the air as if it was mere paper, and slams down on Jack's head. As soon as it does, its whole body locks up. Its heartbeat slows, and it feels weary.\n\nThe claw is embedded deep into Jack's skull, and he smiles. He places both hands on it and focuses. Slowly, the life drains out of The Beast and into Jack. Its knowledge burns into his consciousness, its desires flood his heart, and its unbound rage to his soul.\n\nThe Beast collapses, dead; its life force now within Jack.\n\nA helicopter lands behind Jack a few minutes after The Beast's demise, and Rodgers steps out.\n\n\"Good work,\" he says, holding his hand out to shake Jacks. \"50 grand, straight to your bank account, just like you asked.\"\n\n\"So Canary couldn't do this?\"\n\n\"No,\"\n\n\"Andromeda?\"\n\n\"No,\"\n\n\"Not even Mech-zero?\" Jack picks up the cigarette he threw away and relights it.\n\n\"Not even Mech-zero, Jack. You're a real hero.\"\n\n\"100 grand.\" Jack inhales deeply and looks at Rodgers with a smile.\n\n\"No deal,\" Rodgers says.\n\n\"I wasn't askin',\" Jack says, his smile fading. \"I was tellin' mate. 100 grand. Or I'm going rogue on your ass.\"\n\n\"That's suicide Jack,\" Rodgers remarks. \"We'd have every superhero on you before nightfall.\"\n\nThe last bit of ash drips out of the cigarette. Jack takes it from his lips, turns to The Beast, and throws the cigarette onto it. With a few steps, he passes Rodgers on his side and continues to walk.\n\n\"They can try.\"\n\n-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nCheck out /r/Rhysyjay for other neat stuff.\n", "I am not a good man.\n\nJames looked down at the table, sipping his water. Always the same look when he's got something on his mind. \"What're you ordering,\" he says with a low voice. \"I hear the, uh, steak and fries are great.\"\n\n\"Maybe just a coffee.\" I drummed the table lightly with my fingertips. \"Look, J, I know that face. What's on your mind, man?\"\n\nHe hesitated, then looked up. His eyes were tired, dull bags underneath. I've never seen the guy look so old. \"The, ah, warehouse explosion last night,\" His eyes turned hard. \"That was you, wasn't it?\"\n\nI chewed on my tongue for a bit, then sighed. \"It might have been overkill, but the Stella's pay me well. Honestly, I think what I did preserved more lives. You know how an all-out war between them and the Callaghan's would turn out?\" He rested his head in his palm, half-listening to my bullshit. \"They're honestly talking about you, J. You've made yourself a name, fucking up their operations like this. They'll be out for you soon if you don't stop.\" I lowered my voice as the waitress approached.\n\n\"What'll it be today, boys?\" she said, her brown curls bouncing as she whipped out a pen and a smile. \"Oh, Jamie, back again? I knew you couldn't get enough of us.\"\n\n\"You know it. I think I'll have that famous steak-frites you guys make. Friend over here'll have a cup of coffee.\" He winked.\n\n\"Now I hope you aren't planning to pay. You already do enough good for us. Hell, was it just last week you took care of that gang roaming the streets at night. Constant B&Es in a little street like this. Unbelievable.\" She scribbled on the pad in a practiced fashion, scampering back to the kitchen with that little smile of hers.\n\nJames' face turned serious again. \"We've had this talk plenty of times. You already know the spiel.\" I nodded, stifling a yawn. \"And you know it's never too late.\"\n\nI shook my head. \"James, I follow the money. We all do. Maybe your moonlighting as a hero makes you feel all warm-and-fuzzy inside, but warm-and-fuzzy doesn't pay the bill. Unless you're the Phoenix or Hothead, warm-and-fuzzy means you freeze to death, out in the cold, when winter hits.\"\n\nHe rubbed his face with the palms of his hands. \"It's not about the money. It's about making a change. All these changes start small. Grassroots. But when you get the idea into people's heads, they start to think 'Hm, maybe I can do good. Maybe good is what we need.'\" I could tell he's been through this speech with others before. I could almost smell their rejection and skepticism wafting off his body. Yet I saw the fire in his belly. \n\n\"James, this hero business. It's eating at you. I know you think you're doing the right thing, but the right things aren't always the right thing. This,\" I waved my hands for dramatic effect, \"vigilantism doesn't fix anything. The Golden Age of heroes is over. For every one upstanding guy, two assholes would pop up. You know that's how actual bad guys work. They're attracted to conflict like mosquitos to flesh. The way we do it now...it's nice. It works.\"\n\n\"It's selfish,\" James spat out. He looked away from me, out the window at the busy street. The trees were in full bloom, sunshine casting refulgent shadows along the noontime traffic. We sat quietly for a time, the food eventually arriving, piping hot.\n\n\"I don't know what to do anymore,\" James whispered under his breath. \"I can't do this alone.\" I leaned in, resting a hand on his shoulder. A small smirk fell on his face. \"What're you trying to do, blow me up?\" he said, chuckling lightly.\n\nI smiled back, stealing a handful of fries. \"James, buddy. I'm just saying, being a hero isn't for me. I'm not sure it's for you either. I can give a good word to my boss. Start you on double pay. Do you really want to do this hero stuff though? It's just all swimming upstream.\" His face was solemn, like that of a statue.\n\n\"Yes. Even if no one joins, yes. It is right.\"\n\nI sighed deeply, and fell back in my seat. He ate with a stony, distant look on his face. I finished my coffee, patted James on the shoulder, then slapped a twenty on the table. \n\nA smile broke onto his face. \"Heh, it's complimentary, remember?\" he said, shifting out of his seat.\n\n\"It's...actually a tip. An apology, really.\"\n\n\"What, to me? We might disagree, but you don't have to apologize.\"\n\n\"No, it's an apology to the waitress. For what she's about to see.\"\n\nI snapped my fingers and walked to the door. A deep rumble echoed from James' stomach, and he fell to the ground, screaming. The smell of embers, of burnt esophagus and stomach lining slowly filled the room. He yelled, screamed, cried for his mother, writhing in a pool of saliva and blood, his fingers digging holes into the old diner floor. Smoke poured out of his belly in thick plumes. A guttural bellow of rage erupted from his scalded throat, as the patrons watched in horror as this man burned alive, from the inside out. \n\nIt's the strongest ones that have the worst deaths. They can't just die quickly like normal people. I let out a ragged sigh, and walked out. Hands shaking, I lit myself a a cigarette with my fingertip, and got as far away from the diner as I could.\n\n\"Fuck's sake, James,\" It was raining now. \"I told you so.\"\n\nI am not a good man because all the good men are dead.", "Seconds before the decaying support beams running through the apartment building finally snapped, Chronotron strolled casually into unit 8B, the last on his checklist. \n\nMere seconds remained before the aging architecture would be reduced to rubble, but that was more than enough time for Chronotron. As one gifted with the ability to manipulate the passage of time, Chronotron rarely felt pressured when he worked – the concept of urgency, after all, had no relevance in a world which only moved when he allowed it to.\n\nHe checked the apartment methodically, starting with the hall first, then the attached kitchen, the balcony, then the bedrooms. \n\nWhich was where he found the kid, crying as she tugged on her friends in vain, pulling them towards the door. Shit, he thought, there’s three of them.\n\n“Hey, kid, you need to weave your chrono-filaments around your friends, or they are never going to be move. They’ll just be frozen there, forever.”\n\nThe kid swung to face him, tears streaking down her cheeks, oblivious to the badge which Chronotron was holding out, which marked him as an Enhanced contractor attached to the police force. “Mister, please! We were just talking when suddenly, everything froze! I’ve been trying to move them, but they are not responding!”\n\nChronotron could have explained to the girl that her latent powers had probably been awoken by the mortal danger she was in, and that it was more than likely that they shared an ancestor in common. He could also have demonstrated then how to manipulate a chrono-filament, or even just walked out of there with all three children.\n\nBut none of those things fell under the insurance cover for the building, so Chronotron did none of that. After all, it wasn’t his fault that the owners didn’t spring for more coverage, or that whatever funds remained only allowed him to save one more person today. \n\n“Kid, come on,” Chronotron beckoned, holding out his hand, “time’s money, you know. I came to rescue you, so we’ve got to get a move on.”\n\n“And leave Sara and Bianca here? I can’t do that!”\n\n“You look like, what, 12 this year?”\n\n“What does that even matter in a situation like this?”\n\nChronotron sighed. “You look like you’re old enough to understand the way things are. There’s only enough budget to save one of you, you know how we work. So count yourself lucky I’ve decided to rescue you.”\n\n“Can’t you just save them instead? I can get out on my own!”\n\nChronotron scoffed. “As I said, I can only save one. Plus, without knowing how to use your powers, you couldn’t even get this door open. As I said, until you’ve learned how to weave your chrono-filaments, you can’t interact with the world at all. And this time pocket you carved, it’s sweet, for a first-timer, but it’s already cracking. I leave this room, and you’ll only experience a couple of minutes more before you’re wrenched back to the common timestream. So no, you can’t get out of your own.”\n\nA bulb seemed to go off in the girl’s head. “You’re an Enhanced policeman, aren’t you? You’re the special forces on retainer for the city?”\n\n“Correction, I’m Enhanced, but I am not a policeman. We’re paid per job. It’s very different.”\n\n“But that’s my point! I can hire you too, right? I can pay you to save us all!”\n\n“You couldn’t afford my fees.”\n\n“My parents have money! They will certainly pay you!”\n\nChronotron shook his head resolutely. “Sorry kid, rules are rules. All services rendered only after payment is made. No credit, no exceptions.”\n\nHis words were cold, but his conscience remained unpricked. After all, these weren’t his rules. The Enhanced Division was the one in charge of drafting policy, and they were the ones who had firmly decided on the upfront payment policy. And if he broke the rules, his license would be taken away, and his powers Stemmed. No one wanted that.\n\n“Please, you have to save them. They’re my best friends, and I would do anything just to save them!” the girl cried, as she sank to her knees. “Or how about the things I have in my room! Everything here is mine! Just take it!”\n\nChronotron started to protest again, but the words died in his throat. There was one thing of value in that room.\n\n“Anything at all, I can take as payment?”\n\n“Yes! Please, anything!”\n\n---\n\nChronotron’s supervisor, Elendra, was waiting at the bottom of the building, clipboard in hand. As the complex finally collapsed inwards on itself, as Chronotron laid the two girls on the sidewalk along with all the other survivors he had rescued, Elendra’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.\n\n“That’s one over budget. Please don’t tell me you messed up, the paperwork’s going to be a bitch.”\n\n“Calm down, Elendra, I got paid for the extra one. It’s not going to cause any accounting problems.”\n\n“Paid? By whom? Did you already collect payment?”\n\nChronotron chuckled, then pointed with his chin towards the settling dust of the ruined building. “Payment in kind. The Institute’s still as hungry as ever to discover the origins of our powers, right? Well, there’s an Enhanced girl in there, she’s assigned me full rights to her remains.”\n\n---\n\n/r/rarelyfunny", "Dreadnaught was the last of the Old Guard. The early heroes who had fought for the good of the world, for honor and justice and other long-dead ideals. they toppled dictatorships, brought aid to disaster-stricken regions and never accepted a penny. Dreadnaught himself had seen the greats of the age, had only been a young rookie when The Atom and Red Lightning and all the others were around. There had been villains, of course- bastards and madmen who used their powers for their own benefit, but they were always beaten back. The good guys always won in the end.\n\nDreadnaught had long since stopped caring about \"good\" or \"evil\". He was standing on a wind-tossed rooftop in Dubai, staring at the bright artificial stars, gleaming skyscrapers and rivers of vehicles, spreading forever into the distance. He idly wondered what had happened to the old greats, Atom and Lightning and Sunbeam. He continued to think back, remembering the first changes.... \n\nIt began when he and a few allies rescued some fat cat from an attempted assassination, somewhere in South Korea. When word came out that the cat had been smuggling weapons up north, and had betrayed the country, Dreadnaught shrugged. He wasn't a political sort. But Fat Cats are always good at redirecting blame- they called him and his friends mercenaries, not caring who he fought for as long as he had glory and attention. He heard insults and threats as he walked through the streets. He tried his best not to mind. He minded.\n\nHe had never had much- Dreadnaught grew up in the inner city and came from a poor family. So when people said he, and others like him, was profiting from chaos and war and fear as he struggled to make ends meet and ate third-rate prepackaged meals- his blood boiled. Most heroes were offered work when their identities were revealed- Private armies, government work, criminal organizations. He decided that if people thought he was a thug- then it didn't hurt to do a thug's job. \n\nHe accepted a job offer, then another, and another. His pay was high and his scruples few. He moved out of the slums and into a high rise apartment. People kept calling him a crook and a monster, but it hurt less now that it was true. Others joined him, fighting wars and steal secrets for the highest bidder.\n\nThat was how it had happened. The world was a different place now than it was. Supers were identified from birth and signed on with one of the big corporations at the age of 12. There were no more armies anymore, no more citizen soldiers. Just hired guns with enough firepower to level cities.\n\nSome Supers still fought the good fight, of course. They lived on the edges of the world, striking out against the \"Man\" in what little ways they could. But most Supers lived quiet lives, turning down the offers of big corporations, and not making a fuss of their powers for fear of attracting too much attention.\n\nDreadnaught looked down from the glinting lights and turned towards the desert. His contact would be arriving soon, with his pay, and likely another job. He was one of the oldest men in the business, after all. He never failed, he never quit a job until it was done. His skills were highly valued.", "3:30 AM, Atlanta\n\nThe phone rang.\n\n\"This had better be worth waking my ass up.\"\n\"Flux. $500,000. If we lose power--.\"\n\"I'll do it if you make it six. Where?\"\n\nThe caller accepted, a little too quickly. Damn. Could have got more.\nThe caller gave the address to a malfunctioning power station, and thanked Flux for assisting Westshore specialty.\n\n\"An insurance agent, huh?\" Well, it makes sense. Superheroes were a damn sight cheaper than losing a court case, these days.\n\nFlux had been a generous soul. But not anymore.\n\nHe loved music. When he first discovered his power, all those years ago, he used his power over electricity to give fledgling bands free power, so they could practice anywhere, anytime. They didn't even have to plug their equipment into anything! It made for some great hipster music videos.\n\nBack then, he sometimes helped clean up metal debris from car crashes. Other days, he donated electricity to his poorer friends, or gave the homeless shelter free electricity for a few hours, to run the A/C during the hot summer months.\n\nThat all changed after a fateful day a few years ago. Flux prevented a plane crash by using electromagnetism to lower it safely to the ground. After that, Flux became famous.\n\nAnd with fame, came more calls for help. But they all wanted it for free. Non-stop, day and night. Not always for heroic deeds, either. One kid wanted him to take out the power at his office so he could spend that day with his girlfriend.\n\nHe grew fed up with the non-stop pleas for help. Fed up as he was, he was too poor to buy food. Even superheroes have to eat, you know.\n\nSo, Flux started charging for his powers. This sparked outrage at first - Headlines like \"Does Flux's greed have no limit?\" dominated the news cycle - because people had grown used to the impossible being done for them for free. \n\nHowever, capitalism won the day - other heroes in other cities borrowed flux's idea. They too had been worked to the bone, and for what? To go home to a creaky apartment without enough money to even wash their spandex?\n\nThese days, heroes primarily did boring but valuable things, such as prevent power outages, stop floods from damaging property, put out fires, that sort of thing. Some chose to do pro-bono work at times, but it was not expected the way that it was in years past.\n\nFlux sighed as he drove to the plant. He could easily power the grid from the sidewalk outside his house, but the insurance company would have a fit and cut his pay. Last time he did that, they charged him for damaging the wiring, which cut his $250,000 reward down to a mere $15,000. Looks like another couple hours of maintaining a boring old 60 hz stream...", "The pen slips, drawing a jagged line along the 'Cash' field of the deposit slip. I sigh and look around. Whatever jogged my elbow nudges me in the ribs this time, and I reach up to pull the headphones away from my ear. \n\n\"You, too, tiny. Hands where we can see 'em, down on the floor with the rest. Nice and easy.\" \n\nThe guy is wearing a ski mask, a little under six feet tall, a sandy blond eye brow just visible above one of his blue eyes. Those eyes look fierce, but there's a note in his voice on the edge of panic. Oh, and he's waving a hand gun in my face, reaching up so that it's just under my nose. Poor trigger discipline, I note, suppressing a reflex to break his arm and take the weapon. \n\nI take a moment to look around the interior of the bank. Two more masked individuals, the three tellers with their hands stretched out on the counter top, maybe half a dozen other people who were waiting in line. They're prone, now, hands splayed wide on the floor. \n\n\"C'mon, don't make this hard,\" says Mr. Blue Eyes, gesturing impatiently with the gun. \"Don't try to be a hero, big guy.\" \n\n\"No trouble,\" I agree, easing myself on the floor. \"No trouble,\" I repeat for emphasis. \n\nHero. \n\nWas I ever one of those? Doesn't feel like it, these days. \n\nFrom the floor, I watch as two of the other robbers escort a teller, at gunpoint, out of sight, presumably in search of a vault, or something. Do banks still have vaults? I guess they would, for deposit boxes, if nothing else. \n\nI gently draw on the Aether and attune my hearing for a moment, since that's not breaking any laws. Out on the street, traffic is continuing as normal. People walking by, cars driving. No sound of approaching sirens. I open my senses a little more and the room suddenly blooms with phantom colors and sensations. They're a little dimmer over in the corner, and I turn my attention there. \n\nShe's good. Not just a wild talent, but someone who has done a lot of practice. Her touch on the Aether stills it in a wide area around her, bleeding through to the Material and probably blanketing the whole block outside the bank with a sense of calm, even a slight euphoria, deflecting attention away from the bank. \n\nI stop channeling and return to the present. Mr. Blue Eyes is prodding me with his boot. \n\n\"Hand it over, man, I know you got something.\" \n\nWith a sigh, I reach slowly into my pocket and take out my battered walkman. \"Can I at least keep the tape, man? Leave me that much? Ain't easy to find, these days.\" \n\n\"You some kinda hipster, old man?\"\n\n\"Only if 'hipster' is slang for 'dead broke.'\" \n\n\"What's on it, anyway?\n\n\"AC/DC. Got it when I was in highschool.\"\n\n\"Sure man. Now the rest.\" \n\nI put the tape back in my pocket and bring out the roll of bills I was going to deposit. When I hesitate, he lunges, snatching the wad from my hand before quickly backing up to what he believes is out of reach. After a moment, I settle back to the ground. \n\nBlue Eyes heads over to the family next to me. The kid's mom cringes as she rifles through her purse. Blue Eyes just takes it from her, tosses it to one of his goons, waves his gun a bit, then snatches her iPhone and jams it into a pocket. He takes the kid's phone, too. \n\nKid looks like he's maybe twelve. He's got that look on his face, like he's imagined how he'd save everyone from a situation just like this, and now it's here and he doesn't like what he just learned about himself. \n\n\"Ain't worth it, son.\" He looks at me and I can see the angry tears standing in his eyes. He's angry at the robbers, but mostly at himself. I know. \"It's just a phone. Plenty of those. Ain't worth your life or health. Let it go.\"\n\n\"If I were a Hero, I'd stop 'em,\" he mutters. \n\n\"Then you'd go to prison right beside 'em. Gotta have a contract,\" I tell him, keeping my voice low. \"No contract, you're just a vigilante, and those're criminals, too.\" \n\nHe gets quiet. That's different. Most kids his age, they would explode at me, believing their anger. This one stops and thinks. \n\nA gunshot sounds from somewhere I can't see and raised voices arguing soon follow. A woman, one of the other tellers, screams and begins crying, and I suddenly feel an intense pull as the robber in the corner, eyes screwed shut in concentration, draws more deeply on the Aether to keep the bank veiled from attention. At the rate the ambient energies are being used up, this is going to end soon, one way or another. \n\nA piece of paper, folded into an air plane, drifts to a stop in front of me a moment before the pencil hits me in the face. I look over at the kid, and he motions me to open it. I begin reading. \n\n\"I, Robin Andrew Greyson, seek to engage the services of the undersigned. At the rate of twenty dollars an hour, for a span of no fewer than two hours and totaling no more than six hours, the undersigned will secure the person, possessions, and any premises surrounding myself from injury, theft, or undue disturbance.\"\n\nI look up at him, an eyebrow raised in disbelief. He makes a get-on-with-it gesture. I pick up the pencil, sign the page, and fold it back into a plane, and loft it back to him. He picks it up and reads it.\n\n\"Powerage?\" \n\n\"Never mind.\" \n\nThree robbers. No, four, that one with the veil keeps sliding herself out of my perception. Only two of them in this room. Nine hostages. Eight, now? I don't know. Most of the ambient power has been used up. I take a deep breath and concentrate on the pencil. Blue Eyes is closest. \n\n\"Passing notes? Why don't you share with the cl-\" is as far as he gets before six inches of sharpened wood and graphite, imbued with Aether to keep it from breaking, gets rammed up his nose, into his brain, killing him. It comes free with a light tug, and I fling it, overhand, at the woman in the corner. \n\nShe comes out of her deep focus, looks down, and sees the small blossom of red on her shirt, just above her navel. I reach her just before she can use the panicked breath she just took to scream, closing a hand over her nose and mouth. If I can keep this quiet, I might be able to get the other two before any more hostages ge-\n\nI come back to myself, fetched up against the far wall, and there's a ringing in my ears. I throw myself open to the Aether, and the sudden contact with that other realm shocks me fully back to my senses. There's almost nothing left there to draw, but I pull what I can manage quickly, recklessly winding the energies around my frayed nerves to steady my balance and stop the spinning in my head. Then I shut off the connection, surging forward in a running crouch. \n\nThe robber who hit me with the essence blast is in bad shape. Between the gut wound and the backlash of channeling so much raw power, she's unconscious, probably not getting up again without medical attention. I pull off the tattered remains of my shirt and press it over the widening bloodstain on her belly. \n\n\"Alright, everyone out, quick and quiet. You,\" I say, pointing to a middle aged man, \"toss me that and then give that guy a hand.\" One of the other men, looks like some kind of contractor, got caught on the fringe of the blast, seems like he's having trouble sitting up. \"When you're out, find a phone and call the cops.\" Looking around, faces are frozen in disbelief, looking at me in shock. \"Go,\" I sort of whisper-shout, and they get moving. \n\n\"What the hell was all that noise? Jim, you and Marcia fighting again?\" I bean the third man with a paperweight, hard enough to dent the front of his forehead, as he walks out from the one of the spaces behind the counter. \n\nA startled, \"what the hell,\" comes from somewhere behind him. \n\nI drag the channeler out the front of doors of the bank, then out of sight of any windows. Probably shouldn't have, but I can't keep pressure on her injury and fight the last guy at the same time. \n\nRobin finds me. \"Thanks.\" He hands me a twenty dollar bill. \n\n\"Just... hold on to that piece of paper. I'm not a lawyer, but it might hold up if anyone decides to press charges.\" \n\n\"I will,\" he says, face serious. \n\nI tuck the bill into my pocket, then freeze. Slowly, sadly, I bring out the plastic fragments and length of magnetic tape that had once been my favorite album, shattered by the force of an Aetheric essence blast. \n\n\"Kid, you know anywhere I can get a cassette tape of AC/DC?\" \n\n\"I don't know what either of those things are.\" \n\nI think for a moment. \"... Do you know any 'hipsters'?\"\n\n\n\n", "The door is already open when I reach the landing. A voice from somewhere inside the room calls out to come in.\n\nI enter. The lights are off, but there is a window on the opposite wall where the sun shines through with white light.\n\nTo my right is a wall, with a rectangular doorway carved into it. Through the doorway, I can see a sink with dishes piled up on top of each other. \n\nIn front of me is an open space with a couch on the left wall and a TV on the right wall. A table stands in-between, its surface covered by scattered pizza boxes, empty cigarette packs, nudie mags, used condoms, and empty bottles that I assume were once filled with alcohol.\n\nTo my left is another wall, though the doorway has a door to it, and the door is closed. I can hear grunting coming from behind the door, then a splash of water, then rushing water, then running water, then shuffling steps, and then...\n\nThe door opens and I'm staring eye to forehead with someone. I shift my gaze down to meet his eyes. They're blood-shot, glazy, and sort-of-unfocused. \n\nI glance away, then back, but he walks forwards, bumps past me and heads to the couch. As I watch him, he flops completely face down on the couch, and doesn't move.\n\nI continue to stand by the doorway, not knowing whether I should take off my shoes. I look around, there's also no chairs to sit in. \n\nI wait to see if he moves; but except for the slight rise and fall of his back as he breathes, he's completely still; so I say out loud:\n\n\"I need your help.\"\n\nHe doesn't respond, doesn't move, doesn't do anything differently from what he had been doing since he lay on the couch.\n\nSo I began to repeat what I said. But as I said the words, \"I need your hel-\" I was cut off abruptly with words that seemed to be in my head:\n\nI heard you the first time, prick.\n\nThe door to the apartment was still open, so my first thought was that some burglar had just entered the apartment. But when I looked and there was no one behind me, I didn't know what to think. I just kept looking back and forth between the kitchen and the bathroom.\n\nSo your neice is missing and you want me to find her...That'll cost you 'bouta $1,000.\n\nHe was right - that I was here because my sister's daughter was missing; and, from a friend in the force, I had heard that I could find a man with telepathic powers who had a 100% success rate in helping people find lost items. \n\n\"But he'll charge ya,\" they said, their facial expressions and tone of voice conveying that they believed that someone with the sort of powers he had should be doing what he did for free.\n\nI didnt believe that. Momma had always said, \"If you're good at something, don't do it for free.\" Even police officers and firefighters got paid. Why not superheroes?\n\nI just didn't know he could transmit his thoughts into my mind. I wondered if he could also read minds as well, but I didn't want to get sidetracked from the topic at hand.\n\nI had brought $5,000 with me, so though his offer was nothing to me, I had been perfectly willing to give him the whole $5,000 if that was the price.\n\nActually,* I could hear him say in my mind as I counted out the money. I change my mind. It's $5,000.\n\nI felt angry. Probably because I had been slight relieved to save $4,000. But this was my neice, I convinced myself; and no price was too much to save her.\n\nI threw the paper bag of money on top of the table. \n\"Now,\" I said to him. \"Tell me where she is.\"\n\nDown the block in that abandoned building you passed on your way here. If you're wondering how she got there, well...I'll be kind this time because I did charge you $4,000 extra. And because I hate people like that. But, anyway, your brother-in-law did it.\n\n◇◇◇◇◇\n\nWhen I found her, I was expecting her to be traumatized, but she seemed fine. \n\nAfter we embraced, with lots of tears on my end, I held her away from at the shoulders, and could barely control the anger in my voice as I asked, \"Did he hurt you? Did he touch you?\" \n\nShe shook her head. \"No, it was really weird. He would come in and, I think he would start hallucinating or something, because he would talk and hit the walls and call them by my name. Then after he would leave, this guy would come with these pizza boxes and let me have some. And he would say: 'Don't worry, I won't let that man hurt you. Your uncle is going to be here soon, I promise. And if you ever need any help in the future, I live just up the block'\"\n" ]	[ 1, 1, 3, 7, 15, 24, 25, 25, 27, 27, 30, 32, 34, 37, 38, 41, 46, 64, 82, 142, 154, 201, 545, 620 ]	[ "1491135565", "1491152747", "1491155788", "1491155522", "1491154938", "1491152001", "1491146042", "1491150137", "1491148143", "1491148268", "1491153467", "1491146559", "1491142683", "1491143123", "1491152432", "1491142655", "1491147527", "1491146657", "1491146697", "1491146643", "1491149517", "1491150308", "1491148788", "1491141635" ]
[removed]	[WP] You are part of the first ship to travel to a nearby solar system, which, on one of the planet's there is intelligent life. Your crew's job is to help them by providing them with technology. When you show them the first thing, they point out a flaw so obvious, some crew members commit suicide.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nWe feel that asking users to write about suicide is harmful. It can be hard to tell if someone's writing fiction or making a cry for help. In the event there's any truth behind this for you or someone you know, we recommend checking out /r/suicidewatch or /r/depression. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/6302nj/wp_you_are_part_of_the_first_ship_to_travel_to_a/%0A%0A)" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491145287", "1491145485" ]
*Flaw, loophole, error, use whatever adjective you want. (Another ending could be that the scientists are bad guys)	[WP] You are part of the first ship to travel to a nearby planet, on which intelligent life was located. Your job is to help their species by teaching your technology. But the species points out a flaw* in your technology that is so obvious that a lot of mistakes made were suddenly explained.	37	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "I continued turning the handle as I explained, letting them see that it was more than a momentary effect. \"So you see, V'thruum, that my arm movement is converted by the machine into what we call \"electrical\" energy, allowing me to power this light.\"\n\nV'thruum watched carefully, his insectoid eyes fixed on the glowing bulb. \"And you must keep turning or the light goes out?\" His English was filled with strange clicks and whistles - an unavoidable problem when speaking through mandibles - but perfectly intelligible otherwise. \n\n\"Yes, that's right. You need to keep on giving it energy in order to get energy out.\" V'thruum caught on fast - the natives of this planet had only primitive technology, but they adapted to it well.\n\nThe mantis-alien cocked his head to one side, considering. \"Why don't you just use the electrical energy to power the machine? Then you could do other things using the light.\"\n\nI laughed. Primitives! Even the smart ones are still so backward, like an Earth-child before hypno-induction. \"No, V'thruum. That's not how it works. It changes energy from one type to another; it doesn't make new energy. That's a basic physical law. You can't power something with itself.\"\n\n\"What if-\"\n\n\"Look, I'll show you.\" I let go off the handle and plugged the machine into itself. After a few short moments, the lightbulb flickered and went out. \"See? It doesn't work.\"\n\nV'thruum sighed. \"Obviously not at the moment. But just tighten that slightly\" - one segmented arm pointed towards the base of the machine - \"and flip those red switches down. That should do it.\"\n\nI humoured the giant bug. An enquiring mind in a primitive is always a good sign, even if they do come up with bizarre ideas. The changes weren't very significant - certainly not enough to violate the laws of thermodynamics - but it would make V'thruum happy, and help him to learn.\n\nThe lightbulb flickered back on.\n\nV'thruum smiled - or his species' equivalent of smiled, anyway. \"See - now it works. I've increased the... what's that word again?\"\n\n\"Uuh...\" The light continued to shine, brighter than before. \"How...\" It didn't make any sense. It shouldn't have been possible. It wasn't possible. \n\n\"Efficiency. That's the word. I've increased the efficiency.\"\n\n\"That's not...not possible.\" Perpetual motion didn't work - everyone knew that. We'd known that for millenia. There was no such thing as free energy; that's not how the universe worked. \n\n\"It is possible. Look, it's definitely real.\"\n\nI must have been ashen, because V'thruum's smile changed to a look of concern. He fussed over me, helping me sit down on a nearby tree stump, rushing off to fetch me a cup of water. Through it all, the light continued to shine. \n\nIt made no sense. How could a primitive have solved a problem that had baffled mankind? How could a nomadic bug society, whose most notable invention up until now was the flint spear, have invented a functional perpetual motion machine? \n\nWhen the alien returned, cup carefully held in chitinous claws, I was calm enough to speak clearly. \"How did you know how to do that?\" \n\nHe shrugged - not an easy gesture for a creature with no shoulders. \"It just seemed obvious, really. Like when V'mentho came up with the idea of a sharp rock to cut things, and V'trelli came up with the idea of using long sticks to keep exo-snails from touching us. Tying the stones to the sticks was just the next logical step.\"\n\n\"We thought it was impossible. No human has ever managed to make a machine like this.\"\n\n\"Ah. Well in that case, I'm glad I thought of it. It's a little bit of a return for all the gifts you've given us, like fire and hats. We're very grateful.\"\n\nI couldn't stop looking at the light. How much of human history would have been different, if we'd thought of this thousands of years ago? How much time and effort might have been saved, how many lives improved, if we hadn't spent millenia developing inefficient and polluting ways to work around a limitation than had never existed?\n\nEven now, the standard was nuclear. We'd made it this far, to V'thuum's planet and a dozen others, on the back of a power source that produced deadly waste and occasionally poisoned large areas of land for decades. How much faster and farther could we have spread with a source of clean, free energy. The whole sweep of human history, the march of progress, suddenly seemed farcical.\n\nV'thuum stood near me, vestigial wings buzzing sporadically in a way that I'd come to associate with nervousness or worry. He kept on offering me things, looking for something to snap me out of it. I continued to sit there, still dazed.\n\nHis mandibles clicked in excitement - he'd had an idea. Another idea. \"I know what will cheer you up. Do you remember V'lek? Well, he's been practicing that dance you showed us-\"\n\n\"The Charleston.\"\n\n\"Yes. The Charleston. He's been practicing that, and he says if you do it ever-so-slightly faster, and with your hands like this, then you can teleport.\"\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nI have more stories, if you are interested, at /r/peritract." ]	[ 1, 34 ]	[ "1491147887", "1491155335" ]
Initially the idea was an Elf, but I changed it to any sort of immortal. Vampire, angel, random cursed person, whatever.	[WP] You're an Immortal who went into hibernation long ago. When you wake up, the world has changed beyond recognition.	6	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "The stars were gone. Not only did I awaken with the strange domicile of some primitive, but the stars had fled the night sky. It was possible the stars had crashed to the earth and we're being used to illuminate the enormous structures I was surrounded by. I wanted to speak to the creators of such immense things, they were sure more impressive than the primitives I had chanced upon since waking. \n\nThey were much like the cave people of long ago, but their brains had been removed and they buzzed about like ants. Strange devices and wires were connected to their ears and hands- and they walked around seemingly without realizing they were part of a giant living clot. They were still small, barely to my shoulder in most cases, and they clearly we're not as strong. \n\n\"What's that! Oh my God, run!\" As with all those before me, the primitives ran- though this one attempted to use language, rather than a simple primitive vocal noise. \n\nMuch like ants, the primitives flocked away from me as if some command had been issued for them to relocate, they reminded me of schooling fish in the ocean. My scales quivered as I came to the conclusion that they were my prey. I hadn't noticed my ravenous hunger until they began to flee. \n\nMore of my kind were probably the owners of these cattle, surely they rested atop the massive constructions around me. I chose to climb to the top of the nearest one, to address my brother or sister and be offered several of the primitives as a gift. I would keep as many as I needed to breed them and devour the rest. \n\nThrough barriers, invisible barriers, within the unnatural mountain, I could see the primitives scurrying about. The often dropped piles of white leaves, or a container for drinking some scalding liquid, when they caught sight of me. Clumsy and foolish creatures. They could use tools, so I wondered if they were aware of their place in the world. \n\nWhen I arrived atop of my chosen perch, none of my brothers or sisters awaited me, only birds and tall metal rods extending from the floor. I was beyond disappointed. I assumed that my brother or sister must be atop the highest tower, and that the one upon which I stood was merely a corral for her cattle. \n\nFrom tower to tower I leapt. My brother or sister should have noticed me. They should have sent a welcome attendant and a gift. Perhaps the customs had long died. \n\nAgain, the tower was empty. I leaned my head back and roared with the might of my many centuries sleeping. I closed my eyes and reached out telepathically to my family. There was only silence- never had this planet been so quiet. \n\nI pushed the limits of my abilities, straining until my vision was blurred. Held within the stone of structures around me, the telepathic resonance of history responded to me. \n\nI saw wars between the primitives, with some loud fire stick. Then I saw wars with Spears and swords, then I saw tribes of nomadic primitives, fighting with stone weapons and hide clothing. I saw thousands of years of history for the primitives, hundreds of thousands of years. \n\nThe oldest memory I could sense, locked within the organic matter being poured into little metal boxes with wheels. A meteor. The entire sky blocked out by the burning ball of metal and carbon that was barreling toward the surface. My brothers and sisters around me fled in every direction, even the leaf eating cousins fled. \n\nThe radiation of the space rock had allowed me to sleep for thousands of years, to change- to evolve. I was the last living dinosaur, and the primitives would return this world to me, its rightful ruler. \n\n\nOf you liked my little tale, you can head of to /r/Deadpoetic12 and read the book I'm writing! " ]	[ 1, 5 ]	[ "1491312260", "1491314339" ]
[removed]	[WP] Your comatose and having horrible nightmares about various thing such as torture, gore, dieing etc..	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nWhile it doesn't seem to be your intent, the mods reserve the right to remove anything we feel may become harmful to the community. This includes prompts likely to generate such responses. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/63fnd7/wp_your_comatose_and_having_horrible_nightmares/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491327433", "1491328237" ]
	[WP] "It's not about morality, it's about the person who decides what is good and bad. Justice is a null word."	7	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "“Alune,” Judith yelled. The man scampered forward, his sword covered in warm blood. “What did i say? Minimal casualties.” Alune said nothing. He never did. Judith could not tell if his face changed thanks to the black cloth that completely covered it.\n\nJudith sighed and motioned for him to follower her. Taking the monastery had been harder than expected. Many had resisted, even after the public example of Master Hisho. What did they hope to gain by killing themselves upon the swords that had been proved time and time again to never fail? It was not a hope of success, surely, for there was none. As scholars they should have seen the foolishness of such pointless endeavours.\n\nJudith walked onto a balcony and looked down into the courtyard below. Her men, clothed and armoured in black, circled a group of men armed with spears and staffs. Judith ground and leapt from the balcony, landing with a thud below. She let out a grunt. \n\nJudith walked up and her men parted, allowing her to walk forward. The resisters turned their weapons upon her. She shook her head, mostly for dramatic effect.\n\n“Men, scholars,” she began, spreading her arms. “Why do you insist upon laying down your lives for a cause long lost?” One of the men straightened and spoke, clear and loud.\n\n“We fight for Honor. For what is right,” he announced. Judith made a show of laughing.\n\n“Honor? Right?” she giggled. “Please, you are joking? Surely men so educated as yourselves do not operate under such faulty pretenses?” The man stood firm, defiant.\n\n“You slander honor because you have none,” he asserted.\n\n“No, I slander honor like one might slander the idea that jumping off a cliff with spikes at the bottom is good for your health,” Judith retorted. “It is a foolish and vain concept, right next to good and bad. There is no good nor bad! ‘It’s not about morality, it’s about the person who decides what is good and bad.Justice is a null word,’ so said a man far wiser than yourselves! He understood, understands, the truth of things! He is not blinded like yourselves. For you may call me evil, and I may do just the same, and neither of us are closer to the right. You cannot measure good and evil, and, if it cannot be measured, what use is it?”\n\nThe man made to speak. Judith simply raised a hand to silence him.\n\n“No, take your foolish ideas to the grave.”\n\n…\n\nVer-dun looked at his young student. \n\n“You did well.”\n\n“Thank you,” Judith replied.\n\n“Judith.”\n\n“Yes?’\n\n“Good and bad is a thing to be used.”\n\n“Used?”\n\n“Against those who operate under it.”" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1491334927", "1491364958" ]
[removed]	[WP] A small fraction of the population has superpowers that allow them to do absolutely anything, as long as it turns them on. You are known as The Omniphiliac.	0	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nErotica is not allowed. This includes prompts likely to generate such responses. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/63l50y/wp_a_small_fraction_of_the_population_has/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491394511", "1491395169" ]
	[WP] Little does the Chicago Police Department know, they've infiltrated the mafia so much so that no criminals are left, just a bunch of undercover cops.	297	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "The Mob\n\nLivin' in Chicago is alright, 'specially for an undercover cop. I mean you fear, all your time on the street, getting shot, but it's alright.\n\nI was working on catching some hardcore drug dealers out on the beat, livin', workin', associatin' wi' criminals and everything was going according to plan: I was going to nail these criminals.\n\nThe problem with being an undercover cop, is you've got to watch murders and not arrest the people who did the murder, or pull 'em up.\n\nLittle did I know, I was going to be the one murdered this time.\n*\nCurtis was an old gun copper I'd known forever, and he was there when the mob turned.\n\nCurtis had the look of an old mob kingpin, which stood him in good stead to go undercover. One day, he just arrived on the scene and no one dared to question his legitimacy.\n\nI winked at him, and he gave me a greasy. We needed to stay in part.\n\nThen there was Young Sylvester, a copper with black, slick wavy hair that looked the part...\n\nWait a minute, all these mobsters are coppers. There's Lionel, Giles, Evan - all coppers.\n\nLionel speaks up. \"Oi, this has been going on for long enough; we all know that we are all coppers.\"\n\nI was glad because they were waiting for the cement to dry around my ankles... when it did, I'd be thrown in the ocean.\n\n\"Police brothers,\" I was sayin', \"I've got used to the high life, but now we return to the police officer life.\"\n\n\"Doh,\" we all exclaimed at once.\n\n\"I say we convert,\" I was sayin'.\n\n\"Yeah, let's become real mobsters,\" said Giles, \"I reckon it'd be better than going on the beat.\"\n\n\"What's the first order of business, then,\" I said.\n\n\"Murdering the snitch,\" they all said.\n\n\"Oi, listen fellas, we're all technically snitches.\"\n\nThey glared at me with malicious eyes.\nTHE END.", "The warehouse lit up like Chinese New Year with the sharp cracks of gunfire, and muzzle flashes popped like paparazzi on the red carpet. Dark figures scurried behind any cover that could be found as bullets thumped into wood and shattered against steel columns.\n\n\"How the fuck did we get into this?\" shouted Francolini as he dove behind a forklift. His partner, Maria, was lying prone behind a concrete pillar with her arms vainly trying to cover her head from the concrete chips erupting all around her. The Scalini family had apparently brought full-auto weapons and were spraying the room indiscriminately. \n\n\"Get to the car, call for assistance!\" she shouted. Tears escaped the corner of her eyes and mingle with blood running down from her scalp. \"I'll cover, but tell them to bring the whole fucking division!\" Maria sat up with her back to the pillar, her grip white on her 9mm. Taking a deep breath, Maria popped up to a knee and leaned out from the protection of the pillar to squeeze off three quick shots.\n\n-----\n\nThree bullets cracked in quick succession into the car door Gino was hiding behind. \"How the fuck did I get into this!\" he screamed to himself. Ten years of undercover work, almost his entire career. He had gone deeper than any other agent in the FBI, risen the ranks of his criminal outfit to where he effectively controlled it and had shut down anything outside the FBI's control. And here he was, bleeding on a warehouse floor after a deal gone south cause some jackass local mafioso got itchy about the deal.\n\nHe looked back at his crew covering behind some steel barrels. Five of the best undercover agents he'd ever worked with. He knew their wives, their kids. \n\nHe pulled out his cell phone, quickly dialed 911. \n\n\"911 what's your emergency?\" the operater droned. \n\n\"Better get here quick,\" Gino shouted into the phone, \"lotta people gonna die unless you get a whole fuckton a cops here in a hurry.\" He set his phone down and picked up his Uzi. \n\n\"Fuckin goombahs!\" he shouted as he stood and began firing.\n\n------\n\n\"This is Marco Carcetti, ATF, and we have one hell of a firefight goin' here!\" Marco was shouting into his cellphone from outside the warehouse.\n\n\"What's your location?\" the operator asked quickly.\n\n\"Corner of West 107 and Oaklawn Avenue. Send at least two fire-teams and an assault vehicle, ASAP.\" \n\nHe ended the call. Then hit a quick dial. \"Get Director Roberts, tell him its Carcetti in Chicago, and that everything's gone to shit!\"\n\nHe waited, panting in fear over the sound of gunfire punctuated with screams erupting from the warehouse.\n\nThen the director was on the line, \"Carcetti! What the hell's going on?\" \n\n\"The meeting broke down. Somebody pulled a gun, it all went to hell.\"\n\n\"How many families showed?\"\n\n\"All six. Everybody was represented.\"\n\n\"Shit. All right, I just got word the team is en route. Sit tight, stay out of the fight. Let the wops kill themselves off.\" \n\n\"10-4\" Carcetti hung up the phone. Wops. I'm a fuckin wop, he said to no one. He signaled to Benedetto and Franky to hang tight. \"Teams comin, we'll shut it all down. No need to risk yourselves in this.\"\n\nThen his phone rang again. It was the Director. \n\n\"Director Roberts?\" Carcetti picked up the call.\n\n\"Carcetti, I don't know how to do this but you gotta get in there and get everybody to calm the hell down. I just talked to the DEA Director and they got people in there too. Apparently they infiltrated the Veracci family six months ago and those are federal agents in there.\"\n\nCarcetti stood speechless. \n\n------\n\nAnd so on, and so forth.\n\n", "Officer Alan Doyle was nervous. This was his first major undercover job and they had him infiltrating a meeting of the highest ranking members of the Chicago Mafia. He was wearing a wire and just needed to get their names and info on what they were planning.\n\nHe walked into the meeting room, at the table were the Caporegimes Mike Russo, Bob Rossi, and Will Ricci; the Consigliere Joe Rizzo, and the Don himself; Don John Corleone. These men were supposedly the most dangerous people in Chicago, many stories had been spread of their previous exploits, mainly by themselves. Now a meeting had been called to discuss plans for their next big thing. Alan had worked his way up the rank and was recently promoted to be another Caporegieme. He took a seat with the others, hoping his wire could pick up all their voices.\n\n\"Hello, Ted Marino,\" the Don greeted Alan with his undercover name. He leaned his head down a bit, seeming to make sure he really enunciated his name. \"Glad you could join us as we plan our next big job,\" he added, putting emphasis on the ending.\n\n\"Yes, good to see you all, John Corleone, Joe Rizzo, Will Ricci, Bob Rossi, and Mike Russo,\" Alan replied. \"So, what illegal activity will we be engaging in next?\"\n\n\"Oh there's so much we could do,\" Joe said. \"There's drug trafficking, fixing betting events, bank robbing, or good old murder. What sounds good to any of you?\" He spoke very clearly when listing the crimes.\n\n\"I for one think it would be a good idea if we list all the unlawful things we've already committed,\" Bob suggested. \"That way we can think of something new to do.\"\n\n\"I agree with Bob Rossi,\" Mike said. \"We should also specify who has done what so they get proper credit.\"\n\nAlan was trying his best to maintain a calm façade. The meeting was going nowhere and he didn't know how much longer he could keep up the lie. He wished there was another undercover cop with him. He felt so alone in the room full of hardened criminals.\n\n\nYeah, this is my first attempt at one of these. Not very good, I know, but thought it'd be fun to try.", "\"What's the skinny?\" Sergeant Manchego asked, leaning against a brick wall and lighting a cigarette.\n\n\"It's worse than we ever imagined.\" Officer Roquefort replied, fumbling to light his own cigarette. The lighter fell from his shaking fingers and clattered on the pavement. Roquefort jumped and attempted to cover his yelp with a fit of coughing.\n\n\"Well, get on with it.\" Sergeant Manchego urged after Roquefort had finished defending his masculinity.\n\n\"You ever see that movie where the gangster puts the guy's head in a vice and pops his eyeball right out of his head? Well, I wish we had it so good.\"\n\n\"What do you mean? You're running drugs, remember? What, did they ask you to snort a line off some guy's -\"\n\n\"You don't understand. We have bureaus - Patrol, Detectives, Homicide. Everything is laid out neat, separated by hierarchy. In there? It's chaos. I can't just run drugs. I've got to extort, assault, and burgle. They...they...\" Officer Roquefort said, trying to master the shaking that had spread from his hands and taken hold of his entire body.\n\n\"Out with it. You're better than this, Roquefort.\" Sergeant Manchego said.\n\n\"They killed him. Killed a guy right in front of me, but it wasn't the blood or the screaming that bothered me. No, it wasn't enough just to watch the murder. Afterwards they made us eat him!\" Roquefort choked out before spewing up blue and white chunks all over the pavement.\n\n\"Jesus!\" Sergeant Manchego exclaimed.\n\n\"Jesus!\" he said again, unperturbed by the cigarette butt that now burned his fingers.\n\n\"I can't do it anymore, Sergeant. I just can't.\" Roquefort said, his eyes pleading for mercy. Sergeant Manchego looked away.\n\n\"I'll talk to the Captain. Until then, stick to the job. If we can get them to take the bait, maybe we can roll one of them up the ladder and bring you out.\" Sergeant Manchego said, dropping the butt and leaving Roquefort to quiver alone in the alley.\n\n \n\n\"Sir, do you have a moment?\" Sergeant Manchego asked, rapping on the door to get the Captain's attention.\n\n\"Oh, what, er, yes, what is it, Sergeant?\" Captain Halloumi asked, putting aside the report he had been reading.\n\n\"I just met with Officer Roquefort. Sir, if his intel is credible the mob have resorted to cannibalism as a means of rooting out cops. He - \" Captain Halloumi stopped Sergeant Manchego short with a wave of his sausage-fingered hand.\n\n\"Let's just keep that under the rug, shall we? One of Sergeant Bryznda's men in Homicide pulled that little stunt.\" Captain Halloumi explained.\n\n\"HE WHAT?!\" Sergeant Manchego said.\n\n\"You don't have to tell me, Sergeant. The kid fucked up. But he meant well. He figured this way we could nail them all on charges of cannibalism. That gets them behind bars and does a hell of a lot better job turning the public against them than tax evasion. He got a little carried away, we've reprimanded him, it's time to move on.\" Captain Halloumi said, fixing Sergeant Manchego with a pair of watery eyes that broached no argument. Satisfied that Sergeant Manchego had received the message, Captain Halloumi dismissed him with a puff of his mustache.\n\n\n\nCaptain Halloumi plopped himself into the straight-back chair across from Superintendent Gouda.\n\n\"Well, Captain, let's have it.\" the Superintendent said. \n\n\"By now you've already heard about the little mishap with Sergeant Bryndza's man.\" Captain Halloumi began.\n\n\"I'd hardly call an orgy of cannibalism a little mishap, but yes, I'm aware of the incident.\" Superintendent Gouda interrupted.\n\n\"Yes, well, nevertheless, the situation has been dealt with. I'm pleased to report that all agents are making good headway. Sergeant Manchego's man thinks he can pull off a sting within the month, and Sergeant Bryndza's man is writing up the report on the -\"\n\n\"No. Sergeant Bryndza's man will destroy all evidence that we were ever involved in that, you hear? There's no way I'm going to the Mayor and telling him one of our men instigated cannibalism just to bag a few old, Italian men too bored to run their deli legally.\" Superintendent Gouda said.\n\n\"Very good, sir. I'll relay the message. I've also received some reports of human trafficking, but I don't have any men directly involved, so the intelligence is spotty at best.\"\n\n\"Don't you worry about the human trafficking, I've got my own men on that, Captain.\"\n\n\"Ah, uh, of course.\" Captain Halloumi said, pondering just how* many men the force had monitoring the mob now.\n\n\"If there's nothing else I have a meeting with the mayor.\" Superintendent Gouda said, peering over his glasses. Captain Halloumi caught the hint, and took his invitation to leave.\n\n*\n\n\"I hope you have some good news, Superintendent.\" the mayor said, continuing to look out the window.\n\n\"I wish that I did, sir.\" Superintendent Gouda said, addressing the mayor's back.\n\n\"By all accounts the mob continues to grow. Their crimes grow more brazen and numerous. Our undercover operatives think they're close on a few angles, but we need more time.\" Superintendent Gouda continued.\n\n\"Damn it, Gouda! Time is something we don't have. How many man have I given you? How many millions have we thrown at these investigations?\" The mayor said, spinning to face the superintendent so that Gouda could witness the full measure of the mayor's rage.\n\n\"I know, sir. We just want to be certain. They learned from Al Capone. They're cautious. They think like police. Hell, if I didn't know better, I'd think they were all officers.\" Superintendent Gouda chuckled, trying to break the mayor's fury, but if anything the mayor's mood only worsened.\n\n*\n\n\"Jesus!\" Officer Roquefort exclaimed after ripping the sack off. Superintendent Gouda's bloodied face greeted him. He had been lead in, head covered, hours ago and strapped to the chair. At Don Taleggio's insistence every member of the Pecorino family had taken turns beating the man. He had cried out as only a gagged man can, but with each broken bone his cries had grown weaker, until they ceased entirely. The beatings had continued for a half hour more for good measure. Now, everyone having had their turn, Don Taleggio had ordered the men to remove the mask and dispose of the body.\n\nOfficer Roquefort's exclamation recalled Superintendent Gouda to consciousness. Roquefort bent down and carefully removed the gag under the guise of undoing the Superintendent's bonds.\n\n\"Shh, sir. Pretend to be dead. I'll get you out of this once we're out of the warehouse.\" Roquefort whispered.\n\n\"It..grghs...to top...fissk...mayor.\" Superintendent Gouda spluttered before coughing blood onto Roquefort's ear. He reeled backwards, gasping for air, but his lungs couldn't be satisfied, so he died instead.\n\nRoquefort continued to untie the body, then drug it out of the warehouse.\n\n\"Sir, might I say you are doing a fine job.\" Roquefort said, stuffing a stubborn leg into the trunk. He climbed into the driver's side and turned the ignition.\n\n\"The Fontina family send their regards.\" the car speakers announced before erupting into a ball of flame." ]	[ 1, 1, 5, 11, 31 ]	[ "1491394933", "1491437008", "1491424465", "1491424259", "1491415642" ]
	[WP] You're an asshole writing about your day. In your mind nothing you've done is abnormal or immoral.	2	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "I have good plans. Maybe the greatest plans. You wouldn’t believe the plans I have.\n\nEvery day I wake up, and I’m thinking. About all these people out there. Bad people, good people. I want to stop the bad people, help the good people. Now the worst people there are out there, they want to hurt the good people, so that’s why I need to stop them. The plans I have to stop them are the best.\n\nAnd I’m going to stop them, with my plans, the best plans that are out there. You don’t even know how good these plans are. It will be amazing when the bad ones are gone. The good people will stay good and the bad people will be gone. They will know that my plans are better than their plans. Then they’re gone.\n\nI have friends that know bad people who hurt good people. Sometimes good people turn into bad people because bad people made them bad. I have plans for those people too, you’ll love my plans. They’re the best plans.\n\nSo this is important, you will love my plans. Remember that. I’m bringing my plans to everyone, everywhere. Bad people and good people. Except there will be no more bad people.\n\nTomorrow I will take these plans, the best plans I have. Once my plans are out there, among the good people, the bad people. Tonight? I tweet.", "Dear Diary,\n\nFucking kids were playing on the road again. So selfish, always spending time having fun to make hard working people like me jealous. Cunts. And then crying when I bumped my car into them. They should've of known not to get in my way. Parents threatening to arrest me because of course they always see their children as flawless and perfect. They didn't understand the hardships their kids caused me. So I killed the dog after they went inside to call the police, show them how I feel. Now I can hear the fucking sirens, and I just wanted a quiet evening to practice my saxophone until 2 am. Guess I'll have to go and explain to those idiot cops what really happened." ]	[ 1, 1, 2 ]	[ "1491413244", "1491414487", "1491414035" ]
	[WP] In a world that's become overpopulated with superheroes, you are what's known as the 'Superhero Hitman' - for your power is the ability to strip people of their superhuman abilities.	0	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "She can astral project and move things with her mind. Day by day she gains more weight, trespassing from overweight into obesity. I strip her of her power. Last time I've seen her, she was running to catch the bus and much thinner than before. \n\nHe's a narcissist who can read minds. Problem is, nobody thinks about him as much as he thought they would. He falls into depression, buys a gun, and scribbles down suicidal thoughts in his journal. I strip him of his power. He's happy again - able to walk around believing that the world revolves around him once more.\n\nHer skin is poisonous. Anyone who touches her skin - even accidentally - will die. She wears gloves, scarves, sweaters, jeans, boots, and a ski - mask year round. I strip her of her power. This weekend she's going to the beach, excited about getting her first tan. \n\nHe has skin as hard as steel, impenetrable, indestructible. He hasn't made love to a woman, since the night six years ago when he lost his virginity. The female had needed surgery and was told she would never be able to bear children for the rest of her life. I strip him of his power. He's happily married now, with baby number 9 on the way. \n\n\n\n" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491415890", "1491419591" ]
[removed]	[WP] In a secret psychological experiment you, and 12 other children, were forced to solve increasingly complex physical and mental challenges in order to survive. You and 2 of your classmates are all that remain, but you have escaped into the outside world to kill your captors only to discover ...	3	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nResponses must be at least 30 words. Prompts that are likely to generate such responses are also not allowed. This is essentially a fill-in-the-blank, or you asked a question likely to generate a simple answer. Prompts should encourage a story or poem. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/63ocsk/wp_in_a_secret_psychological_experiment_you_and/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491425591", "1491426192" ]
	[WP] you live in a world were knowledge is used for currency, you discover something ground breaking potentially making you the richest person on earth.	8	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "It happened on accident. I didn't mean for this to happen. But now that it has, it will eventually change my life as well as the lives of everyone else on the planet. If you're reading this then someone has stolen it from me and I am most likely captured or dead. \n\nI'm 22 years old so I don't remember much about it because I was too young. I was browsing youtube and stumbled upon a user called \"rick's_story_arc\". I clicked on it and was redirected to the user's profile. He had zero subscribers and no profile picture. But he did have one video. It was named \"THE SAUCE\".\n\nCuriously I clicked on it and was again redirected, this time to the viewer page. It was locked and had a password. 8 spaces long. Sweat on my brow, I drew on all the knowledge o could and I put the pieces together. The user name (Rick) and the video name (the sauce). And I knew I had the answer. \n\nI typed in the 8 letters and hit enter. SZECHUAN.\n\nThe video unlocked and I saw a grainy late 90's handheld video. The man in the video called himself J.R. He stood there, unblinking and telling the viewer \"this is not a joke, this is a secret that no one must know. This knowledge would make anyone the richest person in the world and that's why it must be locked away\" he then turned the camera around and showed a chalk board with a list on it.\n\nLooking over the list it was easy to see that this was a recipe, but not just any recipe but the recipe for...Mulan's limited time offer Szechuan Sauce from McDonald's.\n\nI took as many pictures as I could of it and closed the window. I knew I had stumbled upon a great secret. And no one can know, not yet. \n\nI'm writing this as a warning. Do not go looking for this video, I have not been able to sleep for 2 days now. And I know that I am being watched. The world is not yet ready for this recipe. \n\nBe careful out there. Knowledge is power but this knowledge has taken my power, taken my peace of mind. \n\nThe Szechuan Sauce recipe must not fall into the wrong hands..." ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1491431725", "1491434222" ]
	[WP] It is the year 2031. Streaming has entirely dominated the world. DVDs are obsolete, few and far between. Cinemas are dead. Netflix rules over all ... except one town. Within this town sits a beacon of hope - The Last 'Blockbuster'.	212	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Chad looked out his window to the glistening city with a sigh. He knew all of them out there were connected in a way he could never comprehend. For reasons he couldn't or didn't want to understand, he just hadn't made it into the echelon of income that would allow him to join the rest of the human race. He could barely pay rent, never mind afford the insurance to get the chip implanted into his brain.\n\nForgoing the view of the 'big city' across the river, he slipped the worn and outdated VR set over his eyes. The archaic surround-sound system woven into his old-fashioned 360 swivel-chair crackled into being.\n\nHis vision was soon replaced by the 'virtual mall' his membership allowed. Ever since the conversation to 'universal chip standards', the options for people that could only afford VR were diminishing. Most modern shows and movies weren't even designed to be seen through an eye-set. \n\nChad tried to keep his Field of View down as he passed by businesses with desperate hucksters. The guy flipping a \"Cash for Bit-Coins\" sign seemed to stare at him with disdain as he passed, even though Chad knew he was just as poor off as himself if he was relegated to such a job in virtual sales. Chad didn't even bother to let his hunger's imagination wander as he passed by various restaurants. Any slop-shop that was still delivering without Chip systems were never going to be worth the money and agony. Besides, he was just here to get a movie to drone out the boredom. Maybe there'd be a directors cut of a movie he knew he liked if there wasn't something new worth his time.\n\nThat's when he saw a strange glow of blue and yellow. That shop wasn't there the last time he'd been around, Chad thought. He didn't recognize the shape of the logo as anything distinct, but he did know the words said \"Blockbuster\". Since Chad was often a bit relegated to the past, he knew it was a reference to an attraction that had a line wrapping around the street, even if he wasn't sure why he knew that. It seemed especially dated when things like lines no longer existed, but Chad did notice that it was advertising movies. Might as well give it a shot.\n\nChad swiped over the door icon, transitioning into a room lined with titles in a dizzying level of display. Normally he was used to just 'entering' into a menu screen, where he could search by title, genre, or actor. He felt overwhelmed to just see hundreds of titles in seemingly random order splayed along a maze of digital mesh.\n\n\"Why hello there!\" \n\nThe sole other avatar in the store was a man behind an elevated counter. There were an infinite amount of combinations the system could use to make appearances, and yet this guy was clad in an over-sized, starchy blue shirt and sporting an overgrown balding pattern that left Chad just a bit embarrassed for him. His shimmering user-tag just said \"Garth\".\n\n\"Are you a member of our Game Pass program?\" \n\n\"Wh-what?\" Chad asked dazedly, still not entirely sure what he'd just gotten himself into. \n\n\"Oh, you must be new!\" He said with delight, sweeping his hand over the digital room before them. \"Take a look around! You can digitally rent anything you see, as long as there is a at least one code-sleeve behind the icon, of course.\" He didn't quite smile, so much as he leered with a predator's gaze, Chad thought.\n\n\"Oh, okay,\" was all Chad could mumble, not used to such an awkward and unexpected 'physical' encounter with someone. Usually you had to click 'Okay' before speaking to a representative. \"So wait,\" he said, everything just starting to settle into place, \"This is just for rentals?\"\n\n\"Oh no, of course you are free to pre-order any file you wish from us, with only a mere 20 percent convenience fee applied!\" He nodded enthusiastically, gesturing to the bevvy of glowing image icons around them. \"Of course, most people prefer to borrow them from us. For a mere third of what it costs to own the movie forever, we're more than happy to loan it to you. Just make sure to relinquish the code within three days, or you'll be charged an inconvenience fee!\"\n\nChad furrowed his brows in thought. He knew things like the 24-Hour Craigslist shop and things like that were known for shady deals, or the Used Modem dealers were notoriously slimy, but usually digital media was sacrosanct. \n\n\"This sounds like a marked-up service like those 'Lump Credit NOW!' ads you see on the Price is Right Podcast,\" Chad exclaimed, shaking his head. \"Most of the things I see look half a year old. Why would I want to do this?\" Garth recoiled a moment, but only seemed amused by the challenge.\n\n\"Because what other choice do you have? If you could afford a Chip you wouldn't be here. If you were smart enough to evade the Cyber Patrols you wouldn't be here. But you aren't either of those things, are you?\" Garth perched his hands on the edge of the counter to the point it made his knuckles white. \n\n\"A digital era made us a slave; What once was King met it's grave. Though money shifts and markets crash, we return among the ash! When you can't obtain society's luster, go **** yourself and shop Blockbuster!\"\n\nChad only blinked, both literally and digitally under the spell that Garth wove with his shimmering holographic presence. \n\n\"Oh, yeah, that makes sense,\" was all Chad could respond, staring around vaguely. \"...Do you have some sort of discount if I borrow from you in bulk?\"\n\nFingers weaving together, Garth's avatar only smiled.\n\n\"Oh, my child, we are back, and we have such sights to show you.\"", "The locks on his Tesla thunk shut, the motors whirring off almost inaudibly as the car ticks down. The kids outside the corner store throw strange looks in his direction as always. In the beginning, they were surprised, the vapos dropping out of their mouths when they first saw the dusty car pull up. They spoke in hushed tones, wondering how there was still someone who actually drove a car. Talked about how that must be one of the few manually driven cars left in the world. Their surprise had morphed into indifference over time. They knew he was there every Fiveday, the strange old man who drove the car. His shoes clapped along the broken pavement, the faded \"One-Star\" barely visible through the layers of dirt and dust. He ascended the steps of the plaza, and pulled open the old door, stepping into the dimly lit store. The shelves were dusty and mostly empty, a few covered with plastic wrapping. Bernard was standing at the counter, in his same worn-out blue and yellow polo. Felix and Nils were there too, soda-pops in hands, watching another old Christopher Nolan on their Persoscreen. Those two didn't vary much, but I suppose Nolan is a respectable enough vintage. Bernard lifted a hand in greeting to him as he hung his leather jacket on one of the door scanners and made his way to the counter, flipping Bernard a toonie. Nils turned his head from the screen but his eyes remained. \"How's the wife, Cona?\" he asked. \"She's good. Been really into that whole yoga thing lately, how about your husband?\" he played at the lining on the corner of the counter, the adhesive so worn out it was a wonder it was still attached. \"A pain, why do you think I come here to watch in this dusty old buster?\" Nils took a swig of his Pibb and turned back to the movie. \"Fair enough.\" Bernard came back with an ice-cold Loganberry and leaned down on the opposite side of the counter.. \"What'll it be today, Cona? Want me to queue up the usual?\" He asked, fingering through the stack of Sci-Fi DVDs behind the counter. \"Nah, not today Bern. I'm thinking something a bit older...\" \"Oh, so what, Last? Awakens? Rogue is pretty good, if you like something a little different but still from that era.\" His fingers played over the spines of the cases of each movie as he mentioned them, a twinkle in his eye. \"Nah, I'm thinking Empire today.\" A grin found its way onto his face. \"You got it, partner.\" He taps his card on the console and Bernard swings out the Persoscreen, loading up the movie.", "It was barely a memory. A memory of a memory really. That is what started it all. Why she had been willing to abandon her parents and friends.\n\nIt was strange now to think how far gone the world was now. A million channels to tell you what to think and instant access to anything you might want to see, at the speed of thought. \n\nAt first, it was so expensive and bulky. Then, everything got smaller so that having full immersion while streaming had become the fad. It became popular almost overnight.\n\nIt didn't take too much time for humanity to devolve into mindless beasts.\n\nSpouting off random information as fact. Strange tribalism based on the shows they participate in. The stench of death permeated the land so she ran. She looked up finally at the large wall unsure how she would ever scale the monstrosity looming over her. \n\nTo her left she heard rustling and saw a hidden door pop open. She felt frozen as a short, balding man made his way over to her. Was this really it? \n\n\"Why are you here?\"\n\nShe almost flinches at how harsh he sounds but this could be her only shot at not being kidnapped for a reality show.\n\n\"I heard about a store people had before Stream. A place that has been protected from the corruption of digital media. I am in the right place?\"\n\nHe turns back to the door. She feels panic trying to erupt when he turns back he says, \"Welcome to Blockbuster, please remember to rewind.\"\n\n", "\"Day breaks, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no spouse, hold no lands, and have no children. I shall wear no suits and drive no cadillacs. I shall live and die at my post. I am the DVD in the slot. I am the watcher behind the counter. I am the shield that guards the locally sourced film entertainment. I pledge my life and honour to Blockbuster, for this day and all the days to come.\"\n\nAt the head of the assembly, beside the popcorn machine, store manager Chet Glertch raised his fist. \"So we say.\"\n\n\"So we say.\" The employees in blue raised their fists.\n\n\"The past months have not been easy. Those to come will be no easier.\" Chet walked the line. As he passed every employee, he shook their hands and gripped their shoulders. \"It's times like these that we remember Gloria Hudgins.\"\n\n\"Gloria Hudgins,\" the assembly intoned.\n\n\"Who gave her life ripping a satellite dish off the roof of a betrayer's house,\" Chet said. \"And we remember Kenny Phillipopolous.\"\n\n\"Kenny Phillipopolous.\"\n\n\"Crushed while sabotaging those machines that sought to bring so-called 'hi-speed internet' to our fair enclave.\"\n\nA petite brunette spat on the floor. \"INTERNET! SATAN! WIFI!\"\n\n\"I admire your dedication, Julia.\" Chet brought out from behind the store counter an ethernet cable tied into noose. \"Let's not forget that this is what awaits us. In the very moment you lose focus,\" he slipped the noose over his head, \"they get you.\" He pulled the noose tight.\n\n\"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!\" A pimply boy fell to his knees. \"They won't noose me. They won't strangle me with internet cables!\"\n\n\"Your passion protects you, Brayden.\" Chet placed his hand on Brayden's forehead. A single tear from Chet's eye landed on Brayden's cheek. \"Your passion gives me hope, and it protects me, too. On your feet, son.\"\n\nChet handed out jobs for the day. Four employees manned the store, five were on satellite detail, fifteen headed out on perimeter patrol, and a team of hand-picked shmoozers were tasked with building connections within the municipal government.\n\nBefore they left, the employees once again bowed their heads.\n\n\"Blockbuster, for this day and all the days to come.\"" ]	[ 1, 1, 1, 5, 38 ]	[ "1491459201", "1491539386", "1491549092", "1491493104", "1491465104" ]
	[WP] The year is 2150, there are rumors floating around about a possible scientific discovery that will change the world. You are the head scientist of a field research team sent to find it before anyone else.	4	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "We were sent to the farther reaches of the solar system, where the cold ninth planet was discovered a century ago. It is massive and covered in a mysterious black ice. Before this mission, we were only able to send drones to the planet and get small samples sent back to us, this process would take months of course. Transporting even an atom from the distance of one side of the solar system to the other can be cumbersome.\n\nThe planet itself was dark, and dreary looking. The sky was always a dusty grey covered in a sheet of dark clouds. The climate was always at minimum 50 degrees below 0. The storms and freezing hurricanes were so powerful they could freeze a skyscraper solid as it toppled over. It was God's ball of wrath and chaos, that's what some of the other scientist nicknamed it anyway. We've been approaching the orbit of the planet for a couple of weeks now. This cannot be something we rush.\n\nBeing this far away from the sun, the planet doesn't receive enough light to sustain any kind of biological matter. Whatever survives there would have to be unicellular and able to survive in sub-zero temperatures. We sent a scouting crew to the planet's surface to investigate before the main arrival. Standard procedure. We have done the exact same process with Mars and a few other planets. The gravity is slightly stronger than Earth, so everyone that goes down has to where a suit that weighs nearly a metric ton to counteract any effects. We just got our first transmission last month.\n\n\"Good morning, Hades 3, this is Cerberus Scout. I guess by the time you get this it'll be more along the lines of night. Just reporting in, no signs of anything unexpected. The planets surface is really damn cold. It makes Antarctica look like a ice cream joint. Not much is happening as of late. All crew member are healthy and working at optimum efficiency. We've taken a couple samples of the minerals and whatever else wasn't black ice. The atmosphere is mostly carbon-dioxide, nitrogen and hydrogen compounds. Oxygen is in the atmosphere, there's just not enough for you to actually breathe any of it. And you would probably suffocate on the carbon dioxide before you got the chance. Other than that, everything is as it should be down here. Before I finish, Garretson says he saw some symmetrical mountain along the horizon. Obviously we can't investigate today, but tomorrow we'll move home base to get a closer look at it. Signing off.\"\n\nThe next few days we received multiple messages, mostly audio of what the mountain was. It didn't appear to be natural, meaning if it was made by nature the chances are very low, in the millionths of decimal places. The chemical structure was unlike the rest of the surface as well. There were higher concentrations of metals on the exterior of the mountain, not by much but there was still a significant difference, enough to be noticed.\n\nThe mountain became was their primary investigation, and it will be ours as well when we get there. Yesterday we received a message, a video message. Usually, these are only sent in case of something of extraordinary importance. In this case I can vouch that it was important.\n\n\"Hades 3, this is Cerberus Scout, we found something here. Not made by the nature of the planet, something artificial. Made by SOMETHING. While we were investigating the western mountain side, away from the constant wind, we found an opening. Upon further inspection we found tunnels, an entire system. Either burrowed or excavated, I don't know, but it is way to intricate for it to be naturally formed. There are levels upon levels within the mountain, passageways, corridors and a central cavern in the core of the mountain. We've only seen pictures of what Ferris' scouting bug has taken, but it looks incredible. It must be the size of a cathedral. We've only been able to map out the tunnel system however. We've only been able to explore about 13% of it, due to its extensive size. We are sending in a team tomorrow to see what's what in the center of the mountain. Hopefully we'll get some answers. We look forward to seeing you all in a couple of weeks. Singing off.\"\n\nAll of the crew on Hades 3 have been buzzing like hyperactive bees about the discovery. Until now, no other planet has been able to hold multicellular life. Mars had prokaryotic bacteria, but that was roughly all there was. For it to be even remotely possible to document something like this would be phenomenal. It would blow away the scientific community on Earth. Even if all we found was remains or skeletons of what was left, it would be the discovery of the century, maybe even the millennia.\n\nWe've actually been delayed from landing, however. Something has come up. We received a message, just text, no audio or video. It says it was from Ferris, the team member who mapped out the tunnel system. The captain has been puzzled for the past few hours as have the rest of the crew, us scientists included. The message only had one word on it, Tartarus, which was the deepest and most evil part of Hell in Greek mythology. We don't know if it's code for help or to flee or any other possible meaning. Everyone on the ship is divided as to what action should be taken. The scientists say we should investigate, the engineers say we should send for help and the captain doesn't have a goddamn clue. So we wait, I wait for what course of action we will take. The captain sounds like he will go forward and send an S.O.S. beacon before we descend, hopefully we'll figure out what the hell is going on and soon. It's time for humanity to discover its solar system neighbor." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1491493941", "1491511582" ]
	[WP] Your eyes open, and the crowds roar is deafening. Your two hands are on the ground and feet on the starting block, you look up and around you, Usain Bolt is to your left. It's the Olympics 100m final. You have no idea how you got there.	4	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "'What the hell?' I thought, my black Nike sneakers planted firmly on the terrain. My hands are shoulder width apart a few inches above my feet. I hear screams that come through as muffled at first. Then I look to each of my sides.\n\nTo the right of me is the crowd, plastering every single innard of the stadium. And a runner from The Netherlands turned her head towards me, smirking in a friendly but competitive way. \"On your mark!\" the announcer said.\n\nI snapped my head to the left, and I couldn't believe my eyes. The 100m champion, Usain Bolt, was crouched to my left, his uniform screaming with the bright yellow, green, and black colors that match his home country, Jamaica's, flag.\n\n\"Get set!\" the announcer's voice boomed once more. We moved from the crouching position to ready to leap up onto our feet to run. I'm still confused as shit as to how I ended up here, but I feel it was for a reason. The sound of a gun firing was our signal to move.\n\nRunning like the wind, I quickly was neck and neck with Usain. The Dutch runner was lagging behind plenty of other countries, according to the statements made over the speakers.\n\nMy breath shortening, I was a few feet in front of Usain, about to cross the finish line for the 100m dash. As I see the white ribbon in front of me, I run through it, Mr. Bolt only a few seconds behind. I started to breathe heavily, my hands on my knees, as I felt myself losing my balance, somehow ending up on the ground like I did when I ended up at these Olympic Games." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491500399", "1491533187" ]
	[WP] He had no arms or legs, he couldn't see, hear or speak. This is how he led a nation.	6	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Unfortunately it took the death and subsequent dissection of the first Uhrkan receiver for humanity to plunge into the Age of Xynve. The world's top scientists had worked day and night trying to discover more. \n\nWhen these cells were added to mice, they appeared to be able to communicate with one another regardless of proximity, whether or not they were raised in seclusion, and in spite of severely debilitating disability. Some had shown the ability to also effect the world around them via what looked like telekinesis. Those privy to this information in the scientific world were astounded and a few of them leaked the information, thinking it wrong to hide this from the rest of humanity.\n\nDuring this time, a dark hole appeared on the far side of the world, near Australia. It began to swallow more every day. Land, animals, homes, water... Whatever hit the anomaly became unreachable. The nearby evacuation caused global turmoil, and rampant fear. \n\nTheories abounded, nations fought, and finally one small group of scientists received their government's secret approval to add the previously unknown sensory receptors of the Uhrkan to a human being. The nature of his existence was already as extreme as it got and heavily controversial on its own. Although he had a fully functional human brain, he'd also been connected with technology to the point that he could only be considered cyborg.\n\nWhen the new sensory cells were integrated with his system, he immediately reached out to satellites, bypassed the security systems and alerted the entire internet connected world as to the whole situation. He also began the most intense description of an entirely new sensory experience as the world fell into blackness. \n\nHe had no arms or legs, he couldn't see, hear or speak. This is how he led a nation. With a herculean task similar to a sighted person explaining the color red to him, he found a way. He explained the qualia of Xynve using everything from computer generated imagery to mathematical dialogues. He had the attention of the best minds on the planet, who worked tirelessly to explain it to the rest.\n\nHe communicated to us that it was imperative we all change, as our world was changing and it was time to adapt or die. The first Uhrkan receiver had been meant to warn us of this ahead of time, but it had been killed too quickly. There was still time, but it was quickly running out. Those countries that were still outside the ever expanding blackness united into one.\n\nThe whole of humanity from the least to the greatest began the intensive process of learning to shut out all of their previously important senses and focusing on their newly acquired scientifically altered sense. Sensory deprivation tanks and mediation became more important than food. If there had been more time, this step would have been unnecessary, but the mind made connections must faster when the senses were deprived. \n\nWhen the finality of the blackness was closing in, he'd reached out to each of us in a way we'd never previously experienced and as a species, we opened our collective sensory receptor. The brief moment of pain was followed by an intensiveness the closest comparison that could be made would be that of falling rapidly into space and exploding into a million pieces, only to come together again.\n\nThe Uhrkan were waiting for us, like proud parents holding their beloved infant for the first time. The Age of Xynve had begun.\n", "Ever since I was a young boy \nTo rule them was my call. \nFrom Sudan down to Benin \nI must have tried them all, \nBut I ain't seen nothing like him \nIn any tyrant's hall \nThat deaf dumb and blind kid \nMakes everyone his thrall \n\nThey've built for him a statue, \nHe's part of the machine \nFeeling out the traitors \nAlways kills 'em clean \nMakes laws by intuition, \nThe resistance fighters fall \nThat deaf dumb and blind kid \nMakes everyone his thrall \n\nHe's a Junta wizard \nYou must say he's for real \nA Junta wizard, \nOr else he'll have you killed! \n\nWhy do you think he does it? I don't know! \nWhat makes him so cruel? \n\nHe ain't got no distractions \nCan't hear any rebel, \nDon't see U.N sanctions, \nLand's a living hell, \nAlways gets a elected \nNever seen him fall \nThat deaf dumb and blind kid \nMakes everyone his thrall \n\nI thought I was \nThe last of the true kings, \nBut I just handed \nMy actual crown to him \n\nEven on the battlefield, \nHe can beat my best \nHe leads them all in \nHis disciples do the rest \nHe's a crazy flipping tinpot, \nBut he'll never fall \nThat deaf dumb and blind kid \nMakes everyone his thrall " ]	[ 1, 2, 5 ]	[ "1491502612", "1491508089", "1491506547" ]
	[WP] "What the hell is a wizard doing on a space station?"	4	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"Well you see where I'm coming from. Dont you Vader?\" Voldemort rattled, ignoring Darth Vaders question.\n\n\"Your offer is impressive. However, you haven't answered my question. What is a wizard, and how did you get in here?\" Darth Vader announced, in a threatening yet monotone voice.\n\n\"A wizard is someone who possess magic, and can harness it. I was able to get in here, because I'm a wizard who has harnessed a great deal of magic\". Voldemort began to smirk as he finished speaking.\n\n\"Tell me Wizard, what do you know of the force?\" Vader brought his right arm up, performing a hand motion as if he were choking the air.\n\nEyes widened and unable to breathe, Voldemort reached for his wand, grabbing it in a swift motion. Vader stopped.\n\n\"Is that a stick?\" Vader sounded baffled, even through his ventilator.\n\n\"Avada Kedavra\" the words were sharp and decisive. The spell hit Vader hard in the arm, making him stagger.\n\n\"Your stick just caused a great deal of damage to my robotic arm!\" Vader exasperated, sounding offended. Vader regained his balanced and ignited his red light sabre.\n\n\"That looks cool.\" Voldemort said, sounding intrigued.\n\n\"I know\" Vader responded as he struck Voldemort in the chest. Killing him instantly.\n\n\"He did not know the power of the force\" Vader recited as he was stolled out to get brunch down the hall.\n\n\n\n" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1491512859", "1491516888" ]
[removed]	[WP] You are a fat and physically unfit main character in a video game. Describe your feelings towards the player for making you run and sprint non-stop.	4	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "I wanted to stop and breathe but my legs kept on moving as I leaped onward through the desert heat. I stared up at the glaring sun that made my whole body feel on fire. For a brief moment I entered shade but was cruelly forced out of it by the invisible force known as the player. I powered on through the harsh winds, and my muscles ached with agony. I would rather die than continue but I had no choice, and even when I did die I just came back to life and ended up being subjected to even worse torture. And the word part was the sand. It was coarse. Irritating. Rough. And it got everywhere.", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nWhile it doesn't seem to be your intent, the mods reserve the right to remove anything we feel may become harmful to the community. This includes prompts likely to generate such responses. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/6401f5/wp_you_are_a_fat_and_physically_unfit_main/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1, 1 ]	[ "1491567797", "1491568465", "1491570444" ]
[removed]	[WP] Need help with a senior quote	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nPrompts are meant to inspire users to write their own work, not write something for you or give you ideas. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/640d4t/wp_need_help_with_a_senior_quote/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491571741", "1491571770" ]
	[WP] Someone finally proves that the afterlife exists and it is just one "place" where everyone ends up, no matter how good or bad you were in life. There is no Heaven or Hell and whatever we do in life appears to have no consequences in the afterlife.	36	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "I remember I saw the original announcement on television in my living room. A hundred thoughts rushed through my head at once as I attempted to sort out the implications of what I had just heard. What would this mean for me? What would it mean for the world?\n\nIt didn't take long for suicides and homicides to skyrocket. The reason for that being that our actions don't have consequences, and if you missed a deceased loved one you could choose to see them again within moments. It was an eerie ability that had become universal. I thought about it some. Partially out of curiosity and partially out of loneliness, but the action of physically killing myself kept me away from the idea.\n\nOf course it didn't take very long for cults to start popping up. After a couple months it seemed like you'd hear of a local group suicide every other week. \n\nIt feels wrong to say, but for a time I thought things had changed for the better. Hell, most people did. Homelessness and unemployment were at an all time low, religious wars tapered off, and people in general became more optimistic. As far as we were concerned, we would never have to permanently lose someone again. After about a decade things seemed pretty great for the whole human family.\n\nBut then the truth started leaking out. First one whistle blower announced he had overseen the project to fabricate evidence of an afterlife. He was quickly delegitimized and never heard from again, but it was too late. Soon after the first whistle blower's announcement came out, several more followed in suit. Eventually there was conclusive evidence that several nations had worked together to create this falsehood in the hopes of decreasing population size. Can't say it didn't work.\n\nIt's been twenty years since the original announcement and things aren't very different from the years before it, only our human family is about 30% smaller.\n", "‘….so in conclusion, Professor, you conclude that there is no salvation when we die? No Purgatory? No Hell?’\n\n‘Correct. The books prove it. And if only we had found them 2,000 years ago, we might have saved mankind a lot of grief.’\n\n‘Thank you. That was Professor Janice Yaffle, head of comparative religious studies at Harvard, discussing the ancient scrolls discovered in Mexico last year. And now over to Mike with the sports. Are you still backing the Hawks tonight, Mike?’\n\n——————————————————————————————\n\nThe Vatican was not a good place to be right now.\n\n‘Fuck it!’\n\nBoth Cardinals sat in front of the Holy Father, heads bowed, staring at their shoes.\n\n“FUCK IT!! FUCK THIS, FUCK THAT……AND FUCK YOU TWO!!’ He pointed at the pair, his hand shaking with rage. ‘You told me,’ he struggled for words. ‘You told me when I took this fucking job that this was taken care of!’ The Pope turned and kicked out at a chair. It rocked to a precarious angle, and the cushion flew off towards the door.\n\n‘Holy Father, I did say….’ began Cardinal Thomas.\n\n‘DO. NOT. INTERRUPT. ME.’ \n\nThomas became quiet.\n\nThe Pope’s voice lowered, rumbled, became somehow more threatening than before. ‘You pair of worthless cunt-buckets told me, right at the start, that this had been buried forever. Gone. Vanished. Two thousand years of technology, and you cannot manage to burn paper. You are a goddam shambles.’\n\nCardinal Ledsom went to say something, but catching the lightning in his boss’s eye, decided to remain silent.\n\n‘I tell you now - heads will fucking roll for this. Literally. I’ve had Ayatollahs and Imam’s on the bloody phone to me all morning. And those soldiers - well, they ain’t happy.’ Pope Ryan turned away, looking for another object to assault.\n\n‘I have a meeting with the accountants in an hour. They are going to tell me exactly how much this shit-show will cost us. And you can be sure,’ he turned back to the Cardinals, ‘that this - problem - will be reflected in both your pay packets. ‘Don’t be booking any opera tickets, boys.’\n\nRyan plonked his butt down on the edge of his desk and crossed his feet. ‘So, how do we fix this?’\n\n‘W..w..well, sir,’ stammered Ledsom, ‘We need to undermine this whole…incident. We need to establish the moral high ground.’\n\nRyan snorted derisively. ‘Moral high ground! After what we - no, you - have been up to for hundreds of years? No choir boy safe unless wearing triple underwear. Jesus Christ….’\n\n‘Ah, Father, we need to go after the source,’ Thomas said, glancing pensively at Ledsom for support. ‘We need to undermine their credibility.’\n\n‘Yes sir,’ chimed Ledsom, warming to the task. ‘We need to cast doubt, spread aspersions, confuse and obfuscate. We need to put so much contradictory information out there, that the whole basis of their claims is buried under a swamp of shit.’\n\nRyan bit his thumb in contemplation. ‘And how do you propose to do that, pray tell?’\n\n‘We have just the man, Your Holiness,’ said Ledsom, handing the Pope his iPhone. Brought up on speed-dial, already ringing, was ‘The Whitehouse’." ]	[ 1, 3, 8 ]	[ "1491578029", "1491595639", "1491582083" ]
[removed]	[WP] You hate the choices you made in life and are an unhappy, middle aged man who wonders if death is really all that bad and if he should just end it.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nWe feel that asking users to write about suicide is harmful. It can be hard to tell if someone's writing fiction or making a cry for help. In the event there's any truth behind this for you or someone you know, we recommend checking out /r/suicidewatch or /r/depression. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/641unf/wp_you_hate_the_choices_you_made_in_life_and_are/%0A%0A)" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491586489", "1491586536" ]
[deleted]	[WP] When you get to be 18, you can pick a statistic. Any time you see someone, you'll know that statistic about them.	72	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "With great power comes great responsability, or not. My best friend turned 18 a month ago and drunkenly, in his most important moment up untill now, chose to see how high the drug stats of other persons were. How high is your bloodalcohol, how much nicotin is in your body and the like. The only thing he now uses this for is to get people drunk on partys. He isn't using it in the police, not even to help the first aid people. I wanted to do something different, something I could use in my everyday life. And I was currently thinking it through. What stat of a person was truely important. What hidden perk would be usefull in my life?\n\nI didn't want to make it an industrial skill only applicable in work, like my brother who could see the money anyone made within a month and now criticising societys inequalitys, quickly rising through the ranks of the Party called 'Die Linke'. I wanted something I could use to better understand people, and income and drunkenness was not quite the best measure.\n\nI had decided on their current personality stats according to the myers briggs type indicator, in percentages. \n\nThis was a great tool for anyone in any situation. I had read the myers briggs types so many times in the last month that I would be a fucking mindreader as soon as I got 18.\n\nThe day before my 18 birthday was there and as per usual, my best friends came and made me drunk in the evening. Everybody was there: Celine, Robin, Daniel, Henrik, Madita, Merle and ashit tonne more, all in all, 20 people were sitting and drinking in my garage. I don't know what happened, but the next day I woke up seeing the likelyhood people would fuck me, and I cursed the world for my misfortune. That liter bottle of 50% Absint between me and Dan might have been a bad idea.\n\nFuck!", "As part of the evolution of The Internet of Things, coupled with the changes of our society in light of the Democratic Government Collapse of 2020, an unusual experiment was put into place that so far has proved rather fruitful. At the age of majority, any citizen may write an essay stating what they feel they have the right to know about any other registered citizen. The Machine processes these essays, and forever after they have access to that statistics. Checks are in place to ensure what is requested is accurately represented and feasible, and the writing process ensures that \"joke statistics\" are weeded out. So long as the statistic can be given a number, it can be requested. I had a girl in my final class who wanted to know the likelihood an individual would like the same music she did, for example, claiming that this knowledge would make it easier to judge their personality on a number of levels. This was actually granted. I know another guy who wanted to go into law enforcement who wanted to know the likelihood someone would commit a crime. This was also granted, but something must not have worked as expected because he ended up going crazy and killing himself just a few years later. There was a white nationalist who actually asked to know \"how white\" a person was, and The Machine must have had a cruel sense of justice there because that request was also granted. Surprise, the world wasn't as pure as he thought it could be... and neither was he!\n\nJust one number, one \"stat\" was all you could ask for. This was supposed to keep us all from being alienated behind computers acting alone. The idea that knowing that anyone watching us could theoretically know anything about us was supposed to keep us honest... as much as cameras keep honest people honest can be, I suppose. And that was the rub. I knew that anyone might know, say, how much I made in a year, or how much I weighed, or how old I was. They might have been clever, and wanted to know how inebriated I was, or what my blood type was. Maybe they wanted to know my social security number. You never knew unless someone told you, and few people were dumb enough to tell you. \n\nSo I wrote my essay on why I would benefit most from knowing the percentage someone was deceiving me in a given minute.\n\nPeople lie all the time. \"How are you?\" you ask, and they reply with \"Fine\" when they know damn well they aren't fine. But it's not always black and white. Maybe they think they're fine, but there's something eating at them they aren't acknowledging. So I worded that essay to ensure it was a percentage. And since conversations ebb and flow, changing as they do, I wanted an update in a given interval. I thought \"hey, every sixty seconds won't be that overwhelming, right?\"\n\nSome days, it turns out it really is overwhelming. It's made it hard to date. I can tell when a partner isn't that into me, and sometimes forget that this doesn't mean they aren't maybe putting those concerns aside to give me a chance. It's made it frustrating to deal with salespeople, because they are actively trying to deceive me on how good a product is and why I need it, even if it turns out the product is good and I may just want it. Don't get me started on how those numbers start to flag when dealing with individuals who are religious, or stumping for a politician.\n\nI could have done a lot with these statistics, but over the years I made a decision. I was going to go out of my way to find out what statistics other people chose. After all, for a program that was supposed to make \"honest people honest\" it seemed downright wrong that the only entity that knew this answer was The Machine. I could compile a list, maybe be part of the check and balance of the system. Maybe I could find where others had regretted their choice, or where a choice might excel. Maybe there was a few statistics that people weren't really following that should be followed, or some that were being followed but perhaps reported erroneously. In a world where anyone might know anything about a person, who is to say there weren't people out there lying about what \"their\" statistic was?\n\nWhat I've chosen is in a very gray area as far as legality is concerned, but in this new world where we know every adult we meet has the potential to know one solid thing about us, it seems the best way for me to use my statistic was to make sure that people weren't abusing this... and the more I learn that people are abusing this, the more I've begun to question if The Machine is abusing this, and just where it gets some of its statistics from.", "A lot of people asked me what stat I picked when I turned eighteen, a lot of guys said stupid things and I wondered if they actually thought it out. From little on I knew what I wanted and how I would get it. I sort of had a hidden side to me...one that others would not want to know. If they did, well they wouldn't for long. Seeing so many pass by along the street percentages flying past my field of vision. Technology was and is a great thing but it gets overwhelming. The chips they implant into your eyes had to be checked like any other part of your body. They could malfunction, create errors. Give you unwanted or dangerous stats of somebody. \n\nThen there it was the percentage at a level that I never had seen before. One hundred percent. My eyes widened as large as my body would let them. Focusing on...a young man? He wasn't even a man, a teenager too young to get his stats implanted. This wasn't right. My stat was supposed to see the percentage of threat level in the stat that they had chosen for their own. We locked eyes and he ran. The boys back at the station wouldn't believe me if I didn't have proof that somebody this dangerous was running around. Setting my mental cam on instant I started recording. Never getting a view of his face since the first encounter. Then, out of nowhere, past the busy streets and into the alleyways that most never dared to go. He vanished. They'd never believe me and of course I was getting my boss blaring in my ears.\n\n“What the hell do you think you're doing chasing some kid!? You're supposed to be on incognito patrol and all I get back from you is this!? Report back to the station immediately!” I know he wouldn't believe me, he never has, never will. Unless your mental recorder is on at the exact moment of the stat flashing, it won't show. It will only show again if you get eye contact. The kid was smart. A sort of reminder to you. I sighed knowing once again I'd get written up for not using my mental recorder properly. I muted him, not wanting the blaring echos in my head. It was no use, I tried to help this forsaken town but I guess my methods we’re never effective.\n\n“Hey cop guy.” It was a teen voice. Slightly cracking, not yet settled into it's adult range. We made eye contact again, it was the one from before. Yet as soon as I tried to set my recorder on again I received an error.\n\n“What the hell!?” I pulled out my stun gun ready to shoot, but it felt hot in my hand, so hot I dropped it spilling a few cuss words from my lips.\n\n“Calm down old man. I won't hurt you. You seem like could be of use to us. There's a lot more to the stat world than most would like to believe. I'm an observer, and I'd like to recruit you.” The smirk that coated the teens face made me sick but the still lingering pain in my hand made it hard to think of any kind of snappy comeback.\n\n“Recruit me?” This kid was spouting nonsense, like one of those new age cults that I had to bust down every once in a while.\n\n“Yes, to the higher states. If you really want to save this place, I can help you. If you help us.” I wanted to grab my gun again. Shoot this mad man in the head and end his insanity. If I wasn't in incognito mode right now I'd actually have my lethal weapon. Then something was touching my forehead. It was my stun gun, at point blank range to the skull the shock could be lethal, but there was no hand on the trigger...it was floating.\n\n“I thought I wouldn't have to resort to this but it's agree to be recruited or die on the spot. I don't like to waste my time old man. I'm very busy and you're wasting it as we speak. Say yes.” His face devoid of all emotion, sweat rolling down my neck, running tracks past the implant at the base of it. Panic took over.\n\n“F...fine I'll join your higher state or whatever bullshit this is. How the fuck are you levitating my stun gun?” As soon as I finished saying that it dropped to the ground sparking. \n\n“Welcome to the elevated Mr. Samulae Johnson.”\n\n\nI got way too out of hand on this lol", "So LPT: Don't show up drunk to stats day.\n\nLet me give you some background. For the record it was the day after graduation, which was the worst timing possible. Of course my family had to throw the grandest of graduation parties. And of course my drunk uncle showed up, as usual. Except this time I actually took that tequila shot he always pestered me to take. I had finally graduated, why not? The problem was when I took the next tequila shot, and the next. You see where this is going. Here I am, drunk out of my mind and underage. I doubt my parents ever knew, they were too engrossed in showing off to as many people as they could find. \n\nThe next morning I wake up still drunk with 15 minutes to get to my appointment. I slam a cup of coffee, and grab my bicycle to ride to the statistics building. I need to pee. Have you ever had a horrible hangover piss? I haven't yet, and it's painful. But I'm already drunk and in the stats line. You would think the workers there would notice an underage drunk getting in line, filling out the paperwork, and waiting for the injection, but no. Those workers are more indifferent than the DMV. So there I am nearly dying and I start asking the attendant if they know where the bathroom is. They don't, or they wouldn't respond. Did I ask loud enough? Are they listening? Dammit DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE THE DAMN BATHROOM IS? \n\nSo one thing led to another and now I know how likely a person is to know the location of a bathroom. It's really not helpful at all, and I wasted my statistic. I can't believe the guy at the counter took me seriously, this has to be a running joke for them. Come on man, I was drunk at the time! Let me have a do-over! Bastards. " ]	[ 1, 1, 6, 12, 22 ]	[ "1491594829", "1491643121", "1491616845", "1491596690", "1491599414" ]
[removed]	[WP] The people from your past wet dreams are getting tired of your sporadic encounters, and take matters into their own hands. (Potentially NSFW)	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nErotica is not allowed. This includes prompts likely to generate such responses. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/644lx9/wp_the_people_from_your_past_wet_dreams_are/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491616435", "1491616544" ]
[removed]	[WP] You and your closest friends watch as a nuclear warhead descends upon your city. You look at one another, and you think of one last thing you can say or do to make them laugh.	2	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"Hey...\"\n\"Oh my god, oh my god--\"\n\"Hey.\"\n\"What is it? Oh god, I'm so sorry. About everything. Those times where I flaked out on plans, and--\"\n\"Don't pay attention to it. Hey, d'you remember the funniest time of our lives?\"\n\"The funniest..?\"\n\"Let me divulge you. Senior year, 2012. The world was coming to an end, remember?\"\n\"I think I know this.\"\n\"I hate telling this story sometimes.\"\n----Recollection----\nTwo men sit at a dimly lit bar on the corner of 4th Street in their small town. They are dreadfully young, horribly drunk.\n\"Aye, missus,\" one says, his whole body wavering as he spoke. The other is staring intently at his drink.\n\"Yes?\"\n\"The world is ending tomorrow, y'know that?\"\nShe laughs, glancing at one of her friends. He's wasted. \n\"Of course,\" she says, \"which means that we should hook up so we don't die as virgins!\"\nHe slams his drink down and gulps. \"Yes! Read muh mind. I have my car. My buddy here will drive us.\"\nThe other looks up from his drink, first at his friend, then at the woman adjacent. He visibly winces and looks back.\n\"If he's willing, I'll go right now,\" she says as her friends start to laugh.\n\"Oh wow. I don't have condoms, I'm sorry. But...\" He looks around, panicked, \"We can figure something--\"\nSwiftly, she stands up from her chair and takes his collar with impatience. \"C'mon, lover-boy.\"\nBut as he stands to go into paradise, his reserved friend wheels on the two and puts his hand out. \n\"You're not taking him!\"\nLover-boy is appalled. \"Why..?\"\n\"What? Dude.. Look at him! Her..? Him!\"\nHe looks at her, and winks. \"What are you talking about? I'm lookin'.\"\nShe goes to try and take him out of the bar, but his friend doesn't hesitate to throw a punch at the woman. It's a direct hit, but she throws a harder one back. He's out cold. And in the hysteria, Lover-boy vomits and passes out.\n----Present----\n\"Dude, you punched a drag queen.\"\n\"I sure did. Protecting you of course.\"\n\"I'm more surprised we were charged with that than underaged drinking.\"\n\"Or that you thought she was a gorgeous mademoiselle...\"\n\"Oh, we were wasted.\"\n\"That we were.\"\n\"I'll miss you, man.\"\n\"...Nah, don't worry. I'll see you in the morning for work. Cheers.\"\n" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1491631995", "1491633238" ]
	[WP] While browsing Craigslist, you find a listing for an invisibility cloak. The picture is of an empty box with the caption 'More trouble than it's worth, FREE'. The box arrives with a small note - 'good luck'. You are surprised to find that it really does contain an invisibility cloak.	23	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "As I put the cloak on, I saw something. Short, quick flashes of a giant... eye. An eye made of fire that seemed to be trying to stare into my soul, but couldn't. The eye was just... off kilter, maybe it needed glasses. As soon as I had thought to suggest so, the visions stopped. I was left standing, off balanced, in my room. I fell to the ground, bringing my admiring-mirror down with me. As I stood it back up, I noticed something. My face was gone! In its stead was a much uglier mass of air that hadn't a scrap of respect for the art of self-adoration. In fact, the ugly mass had replaced my entire body, the only parts I had left were my hands!\n\n\"Normally, I would want to return my body back to its rightful place, but it would be a crime to return those hideous arms to you.\" I said to my hands. \"They've always been holding you back.\" With that, I nodded, content with my decision to never take the cloak off again.\n\nJust then, I heard a knock at my door. I quickly washed my hands with the coconut scented soap I had kept for such an occasion. I wanted my new self to be at its best for our first company. I opened the door and before I could say anything, a wave of ugly knocked the air out of me. Before me, stood the most repugnant little man that I had ever seen. He was small, hardly anything more than bones, wrinkled, hairless, save for a few long strands, stood with horrible posture, and smelled like sewage. The tiny suit he wore did nothing to help him, its well designed nature merely accentuated his flaws.\n\n\"I need to have a word with you.\" he said, in a surprisingly soothing baritone. \"I initially felt the note would be enough, but the fate of the world depends on this.\" He pushed past me and walked into my home. \"I see you are wearing the Precious. Have you seen the Lazy Eye?\"\n\n\"Get out of my house you ugly beast!\" I mouthed, not realizing that my breath had yet to return.\n\n\"Good question. The Lazy Eye is a monster, an amalgamation of evil. He looks over Mauron's empire, and sees any who dare to wear the Cloaks. This is why I've come. Seeing as you are wearing the Precious now, Mauron's men are undoubtedly on their way.\"\n\n\"Get out of my house!\" I yelled, air finally in my lungs.\n\n\"Not until you take off the Precious.\"\n\n\"What? N- no! It's my house, get out!\"\n\n\"I don't think you understand. The Mauronic are on their way to kill you. They will do anything to get the Precious back.\"\n\n\"What is the 'Precious'?\" I asked, half gagging on his stench.\n\n\"The Cloak that you are wearing. It is one of four, the One to Rule Them, Mostly. It's sort of a co-ownership kind of thing. It's technically the most powerful, but the one that grants flight is pretty powerful too, and it was just easier to say that they both rule them all.\"\n\n\"I just realized that I don't care. I'm keeping my robe and you need to leave.\"\n\n\"I know that the feeling of power that the Precious grants you is incredible, but you must give it up. If Mauron gets the Cloak, he can use it to do unimaginable things. He'll have the power to take over the world!\"\n\n\"Yeah, how would that happen?\"\n\n\"He would use it to assassinate all world leaders and escape without being seen! No one would be able to find him, he would be unstoppable!\"\n\n\"What about heat-vision goggles?\"\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"It just makes him invisible, right? Well, why can't they just use heat-vision to see him?\"\n\n\"I- I mean... I'd imagine-\"\n\n\"Yeah, imagine. Ya don't know. So, why don't you get outta my house and come back when you have some proof that that wouldn't work.\"\n\nThe man stuttered, a bit dumbfounded, and then leaped at me, screeching like a banshee and grabbing for my robe. I ran for my 12 Guage and shot him several times. When the cops came, I hid my beautiful hands out of sight under the carpet." ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1491639938", "1491675491" ]
	[WP] You piss off the god of dramatic irony.	10	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Triggered, that's how I felt. How does he dare? How does a weak mortal have the guts to piss me off? \nI the god who has been erased from their memories. Making such a daft reddit post, besludging my name? Oh but I'll show him, the tiny bastard! \nI'm angered by the little shit as i walk towards the end of my cloud looking for the speck of dust that disturbed my slumber. As he slowly comes into view i grab the zipper of my pants...\n\nA little earlier this happened on earth... \n\n\"... Of dramatic irony\" i type. And send! 'there,' i say to my friend. 'Let's see what they'll comment on this one.' i look at my friend, he doesn't seem to be amused by my reddit post. 'what?' i ask him, commenting on his nervous expression. 'nothing,' he says' i'm just superstitious, ' he says,' 'i mean if you jinx this you might feel horrible for the rest of your life! what if you' ve just pissed off a real god?'. \n'you sure are crazy,' i say as i check if the ring is still in my pocket. I take it out and it falls! Shit! \nLuckily i can grab it just before it tumbles into the street sewer system. I smile at my friend 'see? No jinx'. I straighten the sleeves of my versace coat and step into the limousine which will drive me to my girlfriend's house. Today is the day! \nWe drive up to the house and i order the driver to stop. I open the door and can just barely stop myself from stepping into a pile of horseshit. I sigh as i order the driver to drive a few meters further. As i step out i try to walk as slowly and silently as i can to the house. Suddenly the limo honks, forgot my guitar! Damn it! I hope i didn't wake her. Maybe i am jinxed?\nI walk up to the house and stop just under her balcony, i throw a little pebble at her window. No reaction. Another pebble. No reaction. I decide to throw a bigger stone but it just comes surging back. I duck and the stone barely misses me. She woke up! She opens the door as i start singing the love song from Pippin; the broadway musical. \nShe smiles and starts crying when i show her the ring. \n'oh Urina, my dear Urina, will you be my wife? And please answer quickly 'cause i' m almost pissing myself fearing you'll say no'\n'oh you pissboy!' she happily shouts, 'unless the gods oppose of course i will marry you! Only a sign of the gods can stop me from saying yes' \n\nThe god grins devilishly as he takes his Johnson in his hands, he aims and relieves himself from his holy waters, completely soaking the poor boy in piss. \nThe girl is grossed out and says 'well... That'll do as a sign of the gods. I guess it is a no. Farewell Pisser, i' m breaking up with you! '\nThe boy is flabbergasted as he falls to his knees.' WHY??' he cries. \n'because!' the god's voice booms, 'when you piss off a god, you will be pissed on, by a god. Think before you offend someone on reddit!' the god says as he disappears, zipping his flie up again. \n" ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1491655884", "1491682740" ]
[removed]	[WP]	0	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nPrompts go in the title. (Exceptions: [IP] and [MP]). Feel free to repost with the prompt in the title. You can add more detail in the text, but remember prompts should be a starting point and [not be a recipe](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/prompts?src=RECIPE). \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/6480h6/wp/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491670237", "1491670458" ]
	[WP] You've wondered why your partner has been acting unusual for a short while, but they just tipped their hand without realizing it: they are clearly possessed by the spirit of your late pet.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "I was walking home from work. I had turned off my phone, like I usually do, so I could think about the awfulness of life. That comforted me. Solitude, walking, and the knowledge that when I got home, my girlfriend would be there, waiting for me, looking pretty, but eager.\n\nAfter the first year, we had bought a parrot. We named him Ted.\n\n\"He looks like a Ted,\" said Lisa, as she finished her Snickers bar.\n\n\"What does a Ted look like?\" I asked.\n\n\"Like this parrot,\" said Lisa.\n\nWe had created an entire fictional world for Ted. His family was from Greece. His Great-Grandfather, Polyxenes, had fought in the war of independence, and was credited with having killed several of the Turks. Lisa used to feed him scrambled eggs and baby talk him.\n\n\"Wittle birdy wanna eggy weggy?\"\n\n\"Don't you think there's something wrong with feeding a bird eggs?\"\n\n\"Rob, don't be so morbid.\"\n\n\"I'm just saying.\"\n\n\"Caw,\" cried Ted.\n\nTed was annoying all around. He would get on your shoulder and assault your ear. He was tempermental in the morning. He constantly shit on my desk. Lisa found it cute. \"Ted just shit on your desk again,\" said Lisa, as her applied her eyeshadow and giggled.\n\nSo when Ted disappeared one day, and I claimed it was because I had left the window open by accident, Lisa wasn't having any of it. \"You know, I can destroy something you love too and lie about it,\" she would say. She took to drinking in the afternoons and sending sexts from work to her friends.\n\n**\n\n\"You're home early,\" said Lisa. \n\n\"I decided to take the afternoon off.\"\n\n\"Did you get fired?\" \n\n\"What? Er No, why would you say that?\"\n\n\"Because you're home early.\"\n\nLisa went into the bedroom. I sat down, and read the news online.\n\n\"North Korea is threatening to invade France and rename it France Jong-Un,\" I announced.\n\nThere was no response. Lisa was always quick with her banter. Hmm.\n\n\"Obama is being accused by Trump of wiretapping a litter of newporn puppies,\" I said.\"\n\nStill no response. \n\nThen I heard a caw, and everything went black.\n\n**\n\nThat afternoon, Lisa, after having a snack of birdseed, and pecking at her mirror, took the remains of her boyfriend Rob and put them in the bathtub. She spent the next several days dismembering the body, and grinding it into a paste of meat and bone. \n\nShe had been in contact with a local farm. Posing as an agriculture student, she paid them a visit. \n\n\"I have some great chicken snacks, Mr. Paul. All organic too.\" \n\n\"Already got me some chicken feed little lady,\" said Mr. Paul, as he chewed on a sprig of alfalfa. \n\nThat evening, after convincing the Paul family to spare the life of one particularly cute hen, Lisa retired for the evening with a glass of wine and the television.\n\n\"Isn't there something morbid about feeding your ex boyfriend to your new pet chicken?\" she asked, aloud, and cawed.\n\n\n" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1491685982", "1491688096" ]
	[wp] 20 years after your abortion, a man walks up to you and says he's your son.	2	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "When I was younger, I spent my first million dollar paycheck on liquor, a broad, and an abortion.\n\nTwenty years later, I was sitting in a stripper bar talking to my aborted son.\n\nBetween us were drinks and a picture of his mother that I still hadn't touched.\n\n\"She didn't abort me,\" he said, looking and sounding excited. \"She told me that she never told you, so I don't blame you for never coming to visit me...Dad.\"\n\nHe said that last word as if he had been waiting to say it to me for his whole life. It was like a sense of relief had washed through him when he had said it.\n\n\"How much do you want?\" I asked.\n\nHis brow furrowed in confusion. \"Want?\"\n\n\"Yeah. How much do you want to go away and to keep your mouth shut about this whole thing?\"\n\nHe shook his head. \"I don't...I don't understand...\"\n\n\"Look, kid. It's real simple. If you've been reading the papers about me, I have a lot going on. I'm going places. Obviously you're here for my money. So I'm asking you, how much do you want to go away and to stay away from the media? Name your price, I have a meeting in ten minutes.\"\n\nI pulled out my checkbook, and clicked my pen over a blank page.\n\n\"No,\" he said to me, pushing away from the table. \"It's alright. Keep your money. I just wanted to see who you were for myself. You don't have to worry about me going to the media, either. I wish you the best.\"\n\nHe doffed his cap, then turned on his heel and strode out. \n\nAnd that's when the nightmare begins.\n\n\n" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491742463", "1491746108" ]
[removed]	[WP] Interesting Love Story	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nPrompts go in the title. (Exceptions: [IP] and [MP]). Feel free to repost with the prompt in the title. You can add more detail in the text, but remember prompts should be a starting point and [not be a recipe](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/prompts?src=RECIPE). \n\nYour post includes too many details to be considered a prompt. It has become a story commission, which is not allowed. Prompts are meant to inspire users to write their own work, not write something for you. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/64dtue/wp_interesting_love_story/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491754526", "1491754576" ]
	[WP] "Take what need. I won't tell."	2	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "“Take what need,” the Tree said. “I won’t tell.”\n\t\nThe boy stood there, jaw hanging. His skin was rubbery with gooseflesh, and every time he tried to talk, his tongue slapped his cheeks like a wet noodle. \n\t\nAfter all, the Sacred Tree was a legend. It shouldn't have been speaking to a lowly son of a blacksmith like him. The thing had seen the beginning of the world, had been birthed by God himself, and had even given out quests to great heroes like Marcus the Brave and Julius the Triumphant.\n\t\t\n“I-I-I,” he stuttered, struggling to say something. Finally, after taking a deep breath, he simply stated: “I’m lost.”\n\t\n“You’ve been found,” the Tree replied. “Hold hand out. Clear mind. Take what need.”\n\t\nThough still thoroughly confused, he did as told, letting his hand hang aimlessly in the air as he flushed everything out his mind. He stood there, eyes closed, heart still, not a breath escaping his lips.\n\t\nThen, he felt it.\n\t\nSomething appeared in his hands.\n\t\nIt was cold and metal and had a curved handle with ridges that his skin sunk between. He knew at once it was a blade, and when he opened his eyes, he was sure it was the finest he’d ever seen.\n\t\n“That your blade,” the Tree said. “Don’t speak. It is nameless now. You will change that. You will complete your quest.”\n\t\nThough he knew better than to disobey the Tree, he couldn’t stop himself. “Quest?”\n\t\n“Go.”\n\t\nThose were the Sacred Tree’s last words, and though the boy was still puzzled, he nodded, sheathed the sword, and walked off. He didn’t know how he was going to explain it to his father, and honestly, he didn’t know what he was going to do with the thing.\n\t\nBut he had been given a destiny, and though it wasn’t clear yet, everything was about to change. At that moment, his life was clean. He had no enemies, no goals for revenge, and his biggest problem was how he was going to make his people proud.\n\t\nTomorrow would be the day where he set out. The day where he dug himself free of the smoldering ruins of his town, ran past the deadened Sacred Tree--a sad sight that signaled the end of the world--and began his quest.\n\t\nThe day where he stopped being the boy, and rather the hero.\n***\nIf you like this story, check out my sub! r/longhandwriter" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1491770815", "1491784713" ]
[removed]	[WP]SETI Mixtape	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nPrompts go in the title. (Exceptions: [IP] and [MP]). Feel free to repost with the prompt in the title. You can add more detail in the text, but remember prompts should be a starting point and [not be a recipe](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/prompts?src=RECIPE). \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/64fj0i/wpseti_mixtape/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491773472", "1491773950" ]
	[WP] Your potential relationship with someone is marked by an aura around their body that only you can see. After decades of dark cloudy auras, violently red auras and mustard yellow auras, you're confronted by someone with the most brilliant aura you've ever seen.	36	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Andrew was a natural optimist, but time had turned him into what he almost jokingly called a ‘realist’. Deeper in his heart where he knew the truth, the had to admit he had become a grumpy pessimist expecting the worst out of people. That isn’t to say he had done poorly. Andrew was, in fact, quite wealthy.\n\nAndrew squinted as the late afternoon sun cut through the gap at the side of his shades. He casually keyed the lock dongle for his Veyron and started across the crowded bank parking lot. Under his arm, a heavy bag of valuables flopped with a weight like a wet towel. The bag was full of mostly gold but a few old diamond rings and a lot of dirty, well-circulated cash.\n\nAndrew was very good at his job as a… recycler… of personal property. Something like a cross between a pawnshop owner and an asset liquidator, he had leveraged his own rather unusual ability to read people’s auras in order to choose his targets. The greedy narcissists were the easiest to be sure. They always stole, borrowed or otherwise acquired the valuables of people who trusted them, and they were always suckers to take the quick cash provided it came with a little flattery.\n\nHis success, and his talent, had led him into what many would call a charmed life. Lots of money and no small amount of success with women. Generally speaking, they threw themselves at him anyhow because of his money. Unlike most men, he didn’t have any trouble avoiding the gold diggers either. Their avarice made their aura obvious. The spoiled rich girls were also obvious. He didn’t really feel much guilt for dumping them after he got what he wanted. In many ways, he saw it as a social business transaction in which he got the upper hand. Mostly.\n\nHe couldn’t deny he was lonely, however. Most of us can delude ourselves that people aren’t really that bad. Andrew could not. It was everywhere he looked. Even now as Andrew looked up he could see it everywhere. Pride, envy, lechery… the dirty self-absorbed auras roiled above the heads of the people around him like thunderclouds of dirty oil paint.\n\nSlowly it dawned on Andrew that there was a sharp blue strobing off the walls of the bank and chrome of the cars around him. He looked around just in time to see multiple police cruisers converging on the bank from all sides. Their sirens were off, making the screeching of tires disconcerting among the otherwise normal sounds of traffic. Several other bank patrons had stopped in the parking lot around him, everyone intent on watching the unexpected drama.\n\nWithout warning or expectation, the loud bell of an alarm cut through the air like a knife. It sounded like one of those old-style alarm clocks on meth. With an ear-splitting crack the glass on the front door of the bank burst out into the parking lot, scattering light from the afternoon sun like droplets from a fountain. Four people, all dressed in black with ski masks, came through the shattered door to finish out the almost too cliché scene.\n\nDoors popped open from the police cars and a loudspeaker demanded the surrender of the criminals. Andrew was already in a kind of bemused shock even before he realized he was seeing two things he’d never expected to see in person.\n\nThere above the head of one of the bank robbers was a vibrant aura. It shimmered with colors of purple, gold and that shiny green color like you sometimes see in the northern lights. He knew nothing of the person behind the black ski mask. He couldn’t even tell if it was a woman or a man. All he knew is that for the first time in his life he was looking at an exceptional human being… and they were about to go to prison for a very long time.\n\nIn that moment he felt the weight of vanity. He was rich, popular, and so very alone. He had everything most people wanted, and he wanted only to find someone to complete him. Many thousands of times he had wished he hadn’t been gifted to read people so that he could find even the transient happiness of self-delusion afforded to others. Here, however, in front of him, was everything his heart had ever desired… and it was about to be forever beyond his grasp.\n\nNo! He silently raged against fate in his mind. This would not happen. Without really thinking it through, Andrew reached down and unzipped the heavy bag in his arms. With an underhanded flip he scattered the gold, cash and diamond rings into the air. The cash didn’t go far, but the gold did. It sailed out into the middle of the crowd of onlookers and police. The cash made a small cloud of green a few feet from him, drawing the attention of others in the parking lot.\n\nAndrew didn’t wait to see the reactions of others… he knew it wouldn’t take long for people to start trying to surreptitiously (or blatantly) start trying to scoop up some of the unexpected loot. He was already sprinting for his car. With a mash of a button on his key dongle the 16-cylinder engine roared to life and the doors unlocked. Andrew dove behind the wheel and slammed the car into drive, letting inertia close the door. The parking lot was bounded by a very low curb and sidewalk, but even so the undercarriage scrapped loudly as the car surged over the sidewalk and into the mall outlet beside the bank. Angry drivers honked loudly as he forced his way through the afternoon traffic and turned back towards the mall.\n\nYanking the parking break hard, Andrew drifted the car around the sharp corner of the mall entrance, narrowly slotting his car behind a minivan in the process of turning into the outbound traffic and through the gap between it and the next car that slammed on the breaks to avoid the insane rich guy tearing through the busy intersection. In a move any rally car driver would approve of Andrew finished out the drift and shot straight through an empty parking spot to launch the car up on the sidewalk in front of the bank. Already police were converging around the four criminals who were now on their knees with their hands on their heads.\n\nThe police obviously knew something was wrong, but nobody expects a multi-million-dollar car as a getaway vehicle so it hadn’t quite registered on them that this crazy rich guy throwing money was involved in the heist. It hadn’t really registered on Andrew yet either. Police officers started diving left and right as the green and black sports car charged towards them, its oversized engine roaring a deep-throated challenge. From the patrol cars, the popping sounds of weapons discharging came over the sound of the engine but Andrew was committed. The shooting was quickly interrupted by cursing as several civilians got in the line of fire forcing the police to stop firing. The glitter of gold and diamond was just too much for some people to resist.\n\nAndrew knew he had only seconds, and the sports car only had room for one. He slewed the car to slide parallel to the crooks, who had all started diving away from the vehicle in a panic. Andrew grabbed his self-defense tazer from the glove box one his way across the front seats, throwing open the passenger door. Without a moment’s hesitation he shot the person he was after. He simply didn’t have time to explain anything and couldn’t afford a fight. He/she thrashed momentarily and then slumped. Crawling from the open passenger door Andrew made a grab and caught a nylon harness or strap or something on the bandit. Andrew was fit, but even so it took everything he had to drag the body into the car and wrestle the legs out of the way of the door. Already the police were recovering and surging towards the car.\n\nAndrew shoved himself back over the gear shift and slammed the car into drive. With a squeal and a roar the car surged away from the bank. Several of the people still trying to find loose cash in the parking lot had to scramble and dive out of his way as he slewed the car through the lot and headed for the low mound of grass separating the parking lot from the highway.\n\nSod and grass flew everywhere as the car plowed a small furrow before it left the ground entirely on its way across the median. Fishtailng dangerously, Andrew managed to get the car centered on the highway and managed not to hit any other vehicles. With a roar he let the car have its head and within moments the car was headed away from the mall at an insane speed.\n\nHis heart thundering in his chest, Andrew turned to check on his passenger. There, inches from his nose, was the gaping barrel of a Colt 1911. It would have been more frightening if the person behind the gun wasn’t clearly scarred shitless to use it. The eyes… those brilliant green eyes, were wide and kept flicking from him to the road ahead in terror. He understood. It’s not often you get kidnapped while getting arrested for bank robbery. Boy was this going to take some explaining.\n", "\n“There’s no one out there for me Dave. There’ll never be.”\n\nPeter sat on the couch. Drinking instant coffee from his favourite mug with an ironic picture of a cat on it. He was watching reruns of M.A.SH. but not really paying attention. Dave was on the armchair, trying to solve a crossword he found in last years That’s Life magazine. The kind you find at airports.\n\n“Oh come on Peter. Of course there is. As they always say, there’s plenty of fish in the sea. You know, if global warming hasn’t killed them all yet. But that’s besides the point. There’s got to be a special someone out there for you.”\n\n“I don't think there is. Ever since Tinder did the whole ‘Glowing aura thingy based on your relationship potential’ I’ve been doing terrible with the ladies. All I ever get is a dark red, auburn and some disgusting mustardy yellow. What is auburn anyway? Is it red is it brown? It doesn't know what it wants to be.”\n\n“Look mate” said Dave, still focused on trying to solve for ‘A word that both ryhmes with, and describes a banker.’ “You’re a handsome enough guy, you got a sense of style, nice blue eyes. You can even crack a joke every now and then. I’m sure you can find the girl of your dreams out there, and once you do, it’ll be worth the wait.”\n\nPeter turned off the T.V. and took a sip of his coffee. “That’s easy for you to say. You've got Susy. I’m telling you, there’s nobody there. It’s never going to happen.”\n\nHe put down his coffee and stood up. “I’m going for a walk. I’ll see you in an hour or so.”\n\nAs he walked down the main street, Peter looked around him, searching for a brightly coloured aura. At this point, even a bright orange would do. But to no avail, all he saw was a sea of browny reds. Then, a glimmer caught his eye, in the window of a nearby toy store. As he walked over it got brighter and brighter. This was the most brilliant aura he had ever seen. Was his soul mate waiting inside the Toys \"R\" Us? As he walked over he stood in front of the glass. Searching for who it might be. Then he saw his own reflection, shining as bright a glow as there ever was. Peter stared for a moment. Looking himself in the eyes, his reflection was glowing with a bright white shining aura.\n\n“Well I guess that’s it” Peter said to himself. “I guess I really am forever alone.”" ]	[ 1, 5, 10 ]	[ "1491785002", "1491829024", "1491801204" ]
	[WP] You are the family monster, who hides in the youngest child's closet due to crippling low self-esteem. One night you hear a knock on your door and a squeaky voice says, 'It's me, Mr Monster. Don't worry, I still believe in you.'	77	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"Only cowards hide, monster. Nobody is afraid of you, but you are afraid of me, aren't you?\"\n\nHow those words had burned. They went straight into my hearts and chilled my bones. He wasn't wrong. I'd had so many heroes who would never dream of hiding. Some monsters had the nerve to actually sit on their people's chest, rendering them unable to move all, paralyzed in fear. \n\nOthers came through the ceiling with swirling smoke, glared from a door or the corner of the room, or even just made scary sounds. Some made use of shadows and noises, always moving. Others reached over the side of the bed, creeping up and sliding under the covers so when their human ducked under them, they'd be right there. A few of them even lured their humans to the hallway, appearing only when the light was turned off, disappearing when it was on, and getting closer each time. They has such timing and skill, and most of all bravery.\n\nNot me, I hid. The most scary I'd ever been was when I'd developed halitosis and one of the kids thought there was a dead animal under their bed. I couldn't take any satisfaction in it, as after they thoroughly searched with a flashlight to make sure, I took a face full of Lysol. It's hard to be taken seriously as a monster when you smell lemon fresh.\n\nThat's when I'd taken to the youngest child's closet. She was four. Her room was decorated with pretty pink frilly things, which made it incredibly hard to camouflage myself if I came out. I almost came out to scare her several times, but the frilly room didn't make for a good atmosphere. \n\nI began to suffer from panic attacks. I'd come out and the room would seem to close in on me. My hearts would beat faster than horses hooves on a racetrack, and I'd begin to feel woozy. Once I actually passed out and hit my head on a Barbie Dream house. Luckily she hadn't been there. She hadn't made the bed and the hair I'd spotted on the other side of the human shaped lump was her doll.\n\nImagine it. What would a human do to an unconscious monster? I shuddered to think of it. The hair on my arms started to stand up, leaving me looking like a puffball instead of the monster I needed to be. I was such a failure!\n\nThat's when I heard it. Footsteps, coming toward my closet door! I dove down, trying to hide behind the shoes and stuffed animals. I must blend in, I must. My breath caught. I felt like I was dying. The footsteps stopped. I could hear her breath. This was the moment. It was now or never. I was either going to lunge out and scare her or pass out on the spot.\n\nI heard a knock on the door and a squeaky voice said, \"It's me, Mr. Monster. Don't worry, I still believe in you.\"\n\n", "(Sorry for any formatting issues, on mobile)\n\nI sat in the closet, staring at the white wall through the slit in the door. It used to be blue, back when my child needed me. My child. Ha. She had not been a child for many years.\n\nI used to be her monster. I gave her nightmares, I grabbed at dangling feet, I scratched at windowsill's. When her protector had fallen, I took up the mantle. I fought viciously with the others, protecting her from them, preventing them from killing her with fear.\n\nBut the others were gone now, the ones I had not slain had left over the years to find younger, more vulnerable children to prey on. My child grew older, no longer needing me to prepare her for the harsh world.\nMy child is now grown, and I am no longer needed.\n\nSo I sit in this closet, bathing in my uselessness. Even when my child's niece spends the night, I do not bother coming out. Her own monsters follow her, and she has her own protector to watch over her. Brave and brash and effective.\n\nSo here I sit, staring at the white wall of what used to be my child's room. Useless. Simply remembering the glory days until I fade away.\n\nThen something happened.\n\nMy child walked into the room, and she transformed it. The stark white walls were painted over with the rich blue it had once been. A white dresser was assembled in a corner, small colorful flowers painted on the drawers. Dolls and toys were put in a chest, and freshly washed pink sheets were placed over the rarely used bed.\n\nSo now I sat in my closet, staring at a blue wall. How joyous.\n\nTime went by, and I continued staring, waiting to fade away. But then I heard footsteps. Not just the deliberate strides of my child, but the pitter-patter of small feet on a wood floor.\n\n\"Here's where you'll be staying hon. Why don't you go get settled in while I make some dinner?\" My child asked a question. I could smell fear, though not from her.\n\"But what if Daddy's monster is in there!? Daddy said it would follow me like it followed him. It hurt my teddy! It hurt mommy!\" A small voice. That's where the fear was from.\n\"Hey, hey don't worry. Daddy's monster isn't in there.\" My child tried to reassure the girl. I heard the doorknob turn.\n\"How do you know?\"\nThe door opened. I saw my child walk into the room with a small girl in tow. She lowered herself to the girl's level'\n\"There's a monster in the closet. But he's different. He keeps the bad ones away.\"\n\nDinner passed, and the girl was now sleeping in the freshly made bed. The others had come, to torment her with nightmares. Smoke billowed off their dark forms as they fought amongst themselves. One was darker than the rest, reminding me of a foe that I had fought so long ago.\nIt's tendrils were wrapped around her soft hair. The girl whimpered and shook in her sleep.\n\nThough I feared for myself, I could not bear to watch. I had seen this before, and knew the results if this were to continue. So I emerged from the closet, claws out and ready to strike.\n\nTurns out these ones were not used to a fight. \n\nWhen the one with the tendrils was slain, the girl awoke. I slinked back to my closet, unsure of what to do. The girl hesitantly took the covers off and walked over to the closet. She stood, staring at it, as if deciding what to do.\nThen she knocked.\n\n\"It's me Mr. Moster. Don't worry, I believe in you.\"\n\nOthers still come, hoping to prey on a weak child. But what they don't know is I am back, and I will destroy those who hope to harm my child. I will protect her. Just as I did for the previous, and will continue to do for as long as I exist." ]	[ 1, 15, 15 ]	[ "1491788430", "1491798853", "1491802994" ]
	[WP] A world without small talk.	10	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Bob is an every day man. Except one different! Bob is a midget. And, a new law is passed in his home place of Grolonia Soviet Republic; It bans small talk. This means! No short people are allowed to speak.\n\nBob waves his hands at the McDonald drielve through? And he goes to point at the burger menu-- but the drive throogh people are too far and cannot see. \n\n\"Gosh darn it\" he says and then the Gestapo arrest him for small talking...\n\n\"Sir your under arrest! You can not talk because you are to small!\" \n\"No\" says Bob to to police man. And he pushes with his arm and the police man is very shocked. Because Bob who is only Four foot two packs a very good punch.\n\nAnd so the Midget Revolutionary Army marches into Moscow, and the shells rocketed into the air above, and the concrete below shook the rumbles of the prison where Bob stands. And Bob is an expression of MIDGET SOLIDARITY in the face of a regime that is bad.\n\nAnd they fight in the streets-- twenty midgets across and they make a phalanx and they do it. When they liberate the midgets in the prison everyone cheers. And they are happy but not the evil dudes! haha they go and mad very. So much that they say 《No you cannot do thfhat》 And resist the midget hivemind\n\nTHE MIDGET swarm ASSismilate all and they will make you a midget too. The freedom to midget is assured always. Always midget is what they chant as they march onwards. The posters line the streets with midget propaganda...\n\nAnd then they make a world with No Big Talk....\n" ]	[ 1, 7 ]	[ "1491789711", "1491793935" ]
[removed]	[WP] Write a harem anime. Challenge: It's set in a retirement community.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi There\n \nYour post has been removed due to the fact that we don't allow erotica and your post was likely to produce such responses. If you have questions, please reach out to the moderators." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491837751", "1491838821" ]
	[WP] Even in a time of a galactic federation spanning thousands of worlds, there will still be those certain that civilization will collapse, and prepare for doomsday.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "The ship, engines humming, slowly ventured away from the star. The scanners reported that the ship had now officially left the galaxy. All of the five million passengers of the ship rejoiced. Many parties were held.\n\n...Here he comes. I stare at the most annoying neighbour in existence as he turns up at my house party unannounced and uninvited. I even added in hologram guards on the outside so that only registered guests could enter, yet he breezed past them. I cut my eyes at his naturally smug face. Boris was here.\n\n\"Sorry for interrupting sir, but cap'n tells me there's some disturbance in the distortion drives. I was wonderin if you'd be help'n us out and all?\" Boris asked in his typical smug yet stupid fashion.\n\nYes, of course I have to. As one of the select few distortion-physics educated mechanics on the ship, it was my job to monitor the drive and keep it working.\n\n\"OK, party's over!\" I shouted. Within a minute the guests had all translocated to the main deck, to go about their business or go home or find another party. \"This better be important...\" I mumbled softly to myself.\n\nBoris took me to the nearest crew translocation cylinder, put in his access code, and after biometric safety scans, we instantly translocated to the distortion drive control centre.\n\nNow, to fill you in, the ship was a colony ship heading to the Andromeda galaxy. It was stolen from the federation and we quickly rushed out the galaxy. I had been taken prisoner while the hijackers took the ship beyond civilised areas of the galaxy. Once they made their rendezvous with a transport ship full of conspiracy theory crazies living in the far outer arms of the milky way, I was released from custody to become a normal citizen. We could not have translocated them here due to the deliberate breaking of the translocators to stop the federation sending elite armed forces to retake the ship, which meant I could not escape home either. The crazies were all generally nice people, just brainwashed by those conspiracy videos on the internet. Even with differing doomsday theories, the passengers all agreed it would happen, so they decided to head for the Andromeda galaxy and start a multi species galactic colony.\n\nAnyway, after checking the instruments, and reading the entire manual, I found that there was no recorded incident of this happening and there was no solution. Due to the dangers of a distortion drive explosion, I ordered the engines to be shutoff while we slow down to a safe speed, so that we could try and fix the drives without them being turned on, for safety of the ship.\n\nWe couldn't fix it. We had only one choice - to float for thousands of years until we finally reached the Andromeda galaxy.\n\nI returned to my quarters and logged on to the galactic internet. This was an independent internet that was free to use no matter what. All users were anonymous and the federation could not change this because they relied on it too much. After scrolling through a few pages of Galactic Reddit, I moved on to ship mechanics forums. \n\nThe first post hit me like a capital class cannon.\n\n\"Are you seeing this?!\"\n\nThe picture attached was of the exact readings I'd just experienced - polarity fluctuation in the distortion drives. It wasn't just us - it was the whole galaxy.\n\nI entered a livechat with other mechanics working on the issue. Over the next few hours, we brainstormed solutions to the problem. There was no explainable reason.\n\nI drifted off to sleep, and when I woke later, I looked up at my screen, and as my vision came into focus on the bright monitor displaying the forum page, I could not process what I read.\n\nPage after page.\nThe same post.\n\n\"HELP.\"\n\nI opened the first post. It was an audiolog automatically uploaded.\n\n\"They came for us. They are destroying us. They tracked down our civilisation by the hyperspace signatures of the drives. Nobody is safe in our galaxy. Run while you can. Help u-\" I hear an explosion in the audiolog, then the sound of a ship tearing apart... and it cuts out.\n\n---\n\nFirst story here. I like creative writing in my free time as it is so fun. I'll probably make a sub of all my stories sometime. Thanks for reading, there will be more to come soon!\n\nEdit: Grammar corrections.\n" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491855972", "1491857981" ]
[removed]	[WP] A man cries, instantly, he becomes a woman, and goes on a long journey to reclaim his extremely manly manhood.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nWhile it doesn't seem to be your intent, the mods reserve the right to remove anything we feel may become harmful to the community. This includes prompts likely to generate such responses. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/64n0qa/wp_a_man_cries_instantly_he_becomes_a_woman_and/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491865037", "1491865318" ]
	[WP] It's too late now	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"It is too late now, you are no longer my better.\" He exclaimed. I had a poor view of the current situation, but I knew what was going on. Xara had shoved me to the ground and interrupted the ascension ritual. The arcane energy that had been collected by the moon stone for eons began to flow into Xara's body. Then I heard something I did not expect. Xara was no longer laughing, he was screaming. The sound that I heard coming from him was no longer human as his body began to twist from the immense power flowing into him. I finally got off the dustly floor and chuckled, \"You really thought you could withstand the preassure of ascension without any preperations? You really are dumber than I thought. Its no womder Father chose me over you, my brother.\" I could barely see him through the manastorm that was formed with all the excess energy that his body could not take in. I could however see his eyes. In his eyes I saw regret and sorrow. Regret for all the playing around he had done in his childhood instead of studying, like me. Sorrow becauce he knew that there was nothing that could save him. He also knew that even if there was, I would have not done anything. He has earned this ending, and he realises that. He knew I would wait till he turned to ash and the stone took back all the power. Then I would continue the ritual. \"It is too late now,\" I said as I sat down in a chair and waited." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1491865769", "1491866878" ]
	[WP] You live in a world where everyone is born with one special power. You were born with the power to make people hungry. Debilitatingly hungry. What do you do?	4	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "I had starved him from three days. His spirit was nearly broken, I had almost broken him.\n\n\"You look hungry.\" I said casually as I walked into the room where he was chained up. He gave me a deathly glare.\n\n\"I've got some food for you.\" I said. He spat in my face.\n\n\"I ain't saying nothing.\" He whispered, his voice to hoarse for him to shout.\n\n\"Oh, you don't have to talk. I just thought I'd give you something to eat.\" I laughed, laying the box of food in front of him. I unlocked the cuffs on his hands. He eyed me suspiciously. I beckoned for him to open. \n\n\"It's pizza.\" I added. He cautiously opened the box very slightly and a sliver of hope appeared in his eyes. He tore open the box and grabbed two large slices, holding them over his mouth while saliva dripped from it when he noticed something. It was Hawaiian.\n\n\"Of course if you do me a favor you can get a margarita.\" I promised with a sadistic grin.\n\n\"OK, I'll talk.\" he croaked, defeated." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1491918656", "1491923733" ]
[removed]	[WP] ISIS has hid nuclear bombs in the US. One goes off in rural Kansas, and ISIS claims responsibility and tells the US that there are more bombs. They also say that you need to withdraw soldiers in the Middle East, or more will go off, in bigger cites.	0	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nWe are not currently allowing political prompts (see rule #4) as the aim of the sub is to encourage people to write and political prompts are leading to arguments instead of stories. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/64uies/wp_isis_has_hid_nuclear_bombs_in_the_us_one_goes/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.", "Despite being declared a 'hot' zone, I still couldn't help feeling cold. Nuclear winter may not have started yet, but Kansas winter has. The frigid wind filled the air with unsettling whispers.\n\nWhen the first bomb went off, I was already miles out of town. It's funny, in a cosmic joke sort of way, by driving out of town to mourn at my mother's funeral, I missed the death of every single person I had ever known. Greensburg may not have been a New York or a Dallas or a Boston where all those riots were, but it was everything I knew. \n\nNow people are talking about more bombs, withdrawing soldiers, or whatever else. I don't care anymore. \n\nAll I can do is sit amongst in the ashes, looking at the burns, and trying to help those that are left. Despite the Jameson's losing their kids who were attending school near the explosion, they were still trying to make it by. There are animals to feed, even though I doubt anyone would buy them. At this moment, there's some comfort in trying to be normal.\n\nAll I can do is try.\n\n" ]	[ 1, 1, 1 ]	[ "1491952857", "1491954237", "1491954610" ]
	[WP] You're alone in the house, with very bad eyesight. Just after you take off your glasses, shut off the light, lay down and close your eyes to go to sleep, you hear your glasses being broken. Deliberately.	9	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "One of my favorite parts of my daily routine: going to sleep. It's officially 10:00. I have work at 8:30, so I gotta be up by 7:45. I take off my glasses. The eye doctor says I have poor vision, but I swear it's not as bad as he says it is, but I need glasses anyway. So I take them off and put them on my nightstand. I shut off the light, turn over and shut my eyes.\n\nIt's completely silent except for my cat's meow from the living room. You know, the whimper-meow that they give when they're begging. I hear nothing until, after about 6 minutes of struggling to get to sleep, I hear the clear sound of my glasses breaking.\n\nCrap, my cat smashed my glasses., I thought. Gotta get new ones. \n\nI looked over and saw an unclear silhouette of a human. Looked a little shadowy. I shat bricks and turned on the light. I saw... a demon. A demon or humanoid is how I can best describe it. A human, but their hand was twisted at about a 180 degree angle. And their face... Their face...\n\nThe majority of the skin of their face was ripped off, and parts of the flesh had been ripped revealing blood. It looked mostly human apart from some creepy details, but something told me that this man... creature was not human. It ran out of the room and I never saw him again. I got up and my cat was okay and nothing was out of the ordinary.\n\nI went back into the bedroom, looked at my broken glasses on the nightstand, and said Shit, time to buy some new glasses.\n\n" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1491984191", "1491994975" ]
Whether you use Pestilence or Conquest is up to you, but I always learned Pestilence (or Pollution, if you're a Good Omens fan). Isn't Conquest a bit close to War anyway?	[WP] Non-traditional families are quite common these days, but yours might just be the strangest of them all. You werenraised by the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse	170	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"Leave. Me. Alone.\"\n\n\"You must stay awake! We must fight!\"\n\n\"War, shut up.\"\nAll I was trying to do was take a nap after school. War really wanted me to stay up. \"Thank you, Death.\" \"He has a point though. Homework much?\"\n\"How will you ever rule anything if you do not do homework?\" \"Conquest, no. Please.\" They wouldn't shut up, so I did he best thing I could. \"Guys.\" \"What?\" \"Domingo Infuego!\" A huge burning cross slammed into the Horsemen and shut them up. \"Thank god.\" \"My thoughts exactly!\" A huge voice boomed down from above. \"We agreed that you would stay out of my business when I invoke Sunday Fire!\" \"Change of plans. After the fiasco of the Skelton demons, I can't leave anything to chance.\" \"Next cosmic shift, I'm going somewhere else.\" \"To conquer?\" \"SHUT UP!!!!!\"", "\"H U M A N ! R I S E !\" A shrill whisper echoed into my ear. I opened an eye and stared at a thin, sickly looking male parody of Paris hilton dressed like a 90's punk K-pop star.. complete with oversized jolly -roger belt-buckle.\n\n\"Y'all iz gonna miss ya bweakfaaaassssssst!\" The starving drag said with a sway of his visible hip bone. I turned over. If he was cooking, it wouldn't be much...\n\nMy stomach gurgled. \n\n\"If yous gonn' starve, then you should know dat diss inn't a way to do it!\"\n\n\"Fine. Hold some eggs for me Fam,\" i groaned as the blanket was torn from my grasp.\n\n\"Good boy. Now getcha showah!\" He said while walking out of the room like a puppet on strings.\n\nI slumped out of bed and into the bathroom. There death stood in her fluffy slippers and unicorn sweatshirt. She turned to stare at me with a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. Her long black hair was messy and oily, and her eyes were filled with malice. \n\n\"Glad to see I'm not the only one feeling like death...\" i grumbled while stepping into the shower.\n\nI earned the unearthly groan from her. 100%. \n\nYou might think its weird to be naked in front of Death. I was taught that your incorporeal soul would be completely nude after death... and that greeting death nude was the truest way to die with honor. Besides, she was gone by the time I got out.\n\nI made my way downstairs, and saw Fam burning breakfast. I took my seat next to war who had a handful of crumpled papers to his right and a beatn chessboard in front of him. \n\n\"Mornin'\" i yawned.\n\n\"Gooood mownin!\" Fam greeted cheerfully. \n\n\"Hmph...\" Polly grunted, who was seated across from War. This was a typical morning.\n\nWar is a wall given form as a fattier superhuman from those Fallout games. His gut, while rotund, displayed countless scars and a perfectly cut set of abs. The rest of him was similarly toned. In his giant hands was a piece of paper yet uncrumpled. His small eyes focused on it in concentration.\n\nPolly, or Pestilence, sat across from him. She looked like a rather beautiful looking surgery addict from Bay Watch. Pamela Anderson be damned. Puffy pink lips, oversized chest, large hair, and a bronzed plastic-like complexion. Her eyes were focused squarely on the chessboard. \n\nA hand pushed forward a bishop of the same plastic she was mostly made of. Her finger lingered on it while her lips puckered. It lifted from it and she grinned smugly. \n\nWar grumbled, but not at the game. The paper in his hands became crumpled. He set it gently next to him and retrieved another. He glanced at the game and pushed a pawn forward.\n\n\"Damn it~\" Polly swore with a flop back in her seat. Her hair bounced as she slumped and pouted.\n\n\"666 to 13?\" I inquired. \n\n\"666 to 15!\" Polly whined adamantly. War rolled his eyes and relaxed his buging muscles. The white tee was now clearly visible, and the text \"Free hugs\" written in crude handwriting could be seen.\n\n\"Here ya go plumb,\" Fam said as a plate of rotten eggs, rancid bacon, withered grapes and a pile of perfectly cooked spam.\n\n\"Where's D?\" I asked while poking the spam.\n\n\"Early release in Japan...\" Polly said while still pouting. \n\n\"Oh? What game?\" I asked while Fam lit a cigerette.\n\n\"WURLDWURTREE...\" War replied with exasperation.\n\n\"... never knew she was into C.O.D...\" i mumbled. \n\n\"Heard joo gotz an intahview bae..\" Fam said while puffing out smoke.\n\n\"Yeah fam. Let's hope they like me...\" I said with a hollow laugh.\n\n\"Who doesn't like you?\" Polly interjected while sipping from a mug of overly doctored coffee. \"We like you. You got this!\"\n\nI nodded. War suddenly grunted and dropped on my plate a perfectly folded origami crane. On the wings it read, \"Good Lumpf.\" I assumed he meant luck.\n\n\"Thanks War. Very nice. Youre improving.\" I patted his arm and he laughed.\n\nThen, Death fell out of the closet clutching her girlfriend. \n\n\"How was work?\" I asked generally.\n\n\"Not done. I still have her.\" Her girlfriend deadpanned while being hugged. Death gave a thumbs up.\n\nI have such a nice family.\n\n((Kudos tp those who can recognize a weeby death! ;) ))\n\n", "The light shone through the window, and I arose. Day 2 of high school, commence. 30% chance of rain today, 10% chance it'll be the storm from south. When you're raised like me, you learn to calculate everything.\n\nNormally, when you're in high school, it's your mom or dad that wakes you up, makes you breakfast, and then drags you out the door into the car before you can finish it. Or pushes you out so you can catch the bus on time.\n\nFor me, it was Death that shook me awake, Famine who handed me breakfast, War that shoved me out the door, and Pestilence that drove me. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were my caregivers. \n\n85% chance Famine will be the one cooking, 10% it's War. Death will likely be reading the news, Pestilence is probably in the garage.\n\nHowever, when I went downstairs, it was only War's red glowing eyes that greeted me, face shaded like always by his helmet.\n\n\"Wait, where...where is Pestilence?\" I croaked out.\n\n\"Beijing\" The gruff reply of War was deep, and it always chilled me to the core. But, I saw it coming. Pestilence spent most of his time in China and America.\n\n\"Famine?\"\n\n\"West Africa.\" Again, not surprised, but I was thinking he'd be more south.\n\n\"Death?\"\n\n\"Shopping.\" Well that was new.\n\nI quickly sat down, eating my breakfast. \"Wait, but then that means...\"\n\nI could feel the smile on War's face.\n\nGodammit.\n\n**\n\nI quickly jumped out the car onto the curb. \"Okaybye!\" I quickly shut the door, but War's strong arms stopped it from fully closing. I had roughly 1 or 2 minutes before someone would come.\n\n\"Remember, kid, knock 'em dead, alright?\"\n\nI nodded. \"Sure thing!\" 45 seconds.\n\n\"You got Sports Club today, right? Pick you up at 3?\"\n\n\"Uh...3:30.\" I stammered out. Dammit just leave before people see me!\n\n\"Hmm...you think you can wait 'til 4?\"\n\nI quickly nodded. Is this guy wanting to be seen?*\n\nHe stared at me for a few seconds. \"Well? You gonna leave or what?\"\n\nThe thought raced through my head so fast I didn't anticipate it. I quickly slammed the door.\n\nWheeling around, there were about 5 or 6 people staring at me.\n\nI quickly eyed them up, calculating the damage to my reputation it would give me. Booth Collins, Smash Club, not much damage. Linda Ho, Book Club, would probably need to buy a book in exchange for silence. if A couple drama kids, nothing a Pepsi wouldn't fix, and... oh god. Jenny Marshall. I've had a crush on her for years. \n\n\"I swear, I can explain...\"\n\nBut I don't think you can explain a 7' man in armor driving you to school easily.", "When I was 10, my uncle and aunt died. To be honest, I did not feel too sorry, or sad. They weren't there when my parents were killed. But that's a soppy story, and I don't like those. No, I was saved from the orphanage but death. And before you think I killed myself, I did not. I was saved, saved from being another grim statistic, saved from self pity, and most importantly, saved from what every person fears. A mundane life.\n\n\nDeath isn't what most people think he is. He is no grim reaper, no man in a cloaked hood, no evil soul. He would always like to claim he was a fit body builder, though in truth, he was epitomised death. A bald, greying man, growing a nice pudge alongside a potential heart attack. He looked better in his younger years, malnourished and rotting away, yellow skin tugging at his ribcage. He certainly looked fit. Famine always told him that, which probably perpetuated myth of his fearsomeness. Probably helped Famine anyway, fear of Death sparked fear of Famine. Famkne liked these things, he usually told me \"I love hunger like I love your dad\". Don't ask me how Famine and Death gave birth to War and Conquest. Speaking of War and Conquest, my sister was usually never up to any good. Most people think that War and Conquest are separate, but they are not. Or at least they are not. You see, in 1991, my sister got a surgery to remove her conjoined twin, which in hindsight, ended disastrously. Now she has two responsibilities and all I hear her do is complain. Neither would I want her to take a holiday, last time she went to Aleppo, we know how it went. I sure as hell won't let her K-Pop obsession get the better of her. This time, even Pestilence agrees, for a stubborn aunt, that's rare. Politically, Pestilence could be defined as \"center of the right\", so finding out Pestilence loved Communism was much more than an irony. Pestilence and Famine both refused to let War and Conquest go to Korea, and it was very funny. \n\n\n\"You don't control me! I love Korea! The Kimpap, the teopoki!\"\n\n\n\"Sure as hell young lady! If you go, hunger and disease will end! You can't control yourself. You can't let there be 'small skirmishes'. No, you can't go!\" \n\n\nBeing forced to sit through these arguments once a day was pretty boring and it was even worse once I started getting blamed. \n\n\"Pollution! What the hell are you doing? Why are you not convincing your sister that industrial waste alone kills more than war could ever!\" \n\n\nUsually I just let Death solve everything. After all, Death does solve everything. He is a very fair father who never needs to judge our actions, just our impact.", "Today was Charlotte's first time playing Striker in the soccer game. The 4 Horsemen were so proud of her because it seemed like only yesterday she was taking her first steps\n\nPestilence: Would you like me to stricken them with the most vile plague, princess?\n\nWar: I can overwhelm them with bloodlust and have them kill each other, sweetie?\n\nDeath: How about having them all just drop dead? There's no need for overwhelming them with bloodlust. I mean, how are a bunch of 8 year olds going to kill themselves? Pulling their hair and pinching each other?\n\nFamine: Fools. There's no need for killing them when I can simply stricken them with hunger to make them too weak to play.\n\nWar: You're such a pussy, Famine. I'm sure Charlotte likes my idea best. I've always been her favorite.\n\nFamine: Wow. I'm a pussy? Who has wiped out millions without having to lift a sword or fire a gun?\n\nPestilence: (clearing his throat) Uh, remember The Plague, Smallpox, The 1918 Influenza, Ebola? I wouldn't be humblebragging about just starving millions because you kept their potatoes from growing. Try killing billions with some microscopic, unassuming microorganisms.\n\nDeath: Please. I've been around longer than any of you. Hell, I reaped Adam and Eve. I find this body count dick measuring contest amusing since I'm the real heavyweight here. Wars, famines and plagues come and go. My services are always in demand.\n\nThe 4 Horsemen began bickering amongst each other when Charlotte finally had enough and butted in.\n\nCharlotte: Daddies. It's nice you guys want to help but I think I'll be OK. I'm 8 years old and can handle these mortals myself. If any of them get in my way, I'll strike them down with lightning.\n\nThe 4 Horsemen: That's our girl. Kick their asses. Have no mercy on the mortals.\n\nCharlotte smiled and ran over to her team. This would be a good soccer game.\n\n", "I awoke to beady eyes glowering at me through the visor of a horned helmet. \n\n“Up,” said War. “Bright new day. Fresh battles. Sleep is as bad as death.”\n\n“Hey!” said Death from the kitchen.\n\n“Sorry. Sorry. Sleep is as bad as surrender. Better?”\n\nDeath smiled from the doorway, but then Death always smiled. He was holding a frying pan full of eggs and wearing his usual frilly apron.\n\n“Breakfast,” said War. \n\n“Eh,” I said.\n\n“Breakfast,” said War. He threw off my blankets. I lay there staring at the ceiling. I was just thinking I could get used to the cold, but he picked me up and thrust me into my seat at the table. Pestilence was sat there, lost in the latest issue of Nature. Beside him were a stack of other magazines on immunology. He took frantic notes on a world map, drawing violent circles around tropical areas. He scratched his proboscis and fluttered his wings with anticipation.\n\nFamine entered. “I'm not hungry,” he said. He grabbed one of the plates that Death had served and poured it into the bin.\n\n“How will you fight with no fuel?” asked War.\n\n“I need to watch my figure,” said Famine. He rolled a cigarette and his sunken eyes followed the curl of the smoke.\n\n“Oh, to be so delicate, to be as a petal, or an English summer,” he said.\n\n“I like poetry,” said War. “None of this sissy stuff though.”\n\n“Please,” said Famine. “These are the last gasps of a starved soul.”\n\nSomehow, War took offence at that. “You wanna fight about it?” he said.\n\nI just watched them all in silence as they bickered, as Famine chimed in that they were distracting him, as Death tried to act as the great unifier. It all seemed like so much effort.\n\nFamine turned to me, trying to change the subject: “You haven't touched your eggs. Want me to chuck them out?”\n\n“Apathy!” said Death. “You have to eat. We might not be around forever. We'll need you to pick up the slack, so you need to eat those eggs and grow up big and strong.”\n\n“Eh,” I said." ]	[ 1, 2, 2, 2, 6, 18, 126 ]	[ "1491991622", "1492026474", "1492034902", "1492045989", "1492012360", "1492020048", "1492000136" ]
*but one day	[WP] All your life you've lived inside the wall knowing that it keeps the monsters out, but I've day you're cast out of the wall and discover that it actually kept the monsters in.	7	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "I life inside the wall was never easy. There was never enough jobs to go around and no mater how hard you worked it was never enough to keep bread on the table but it was better then the \"outside\". At least that's what they told me. I was the in wanted step child, a curse bestowed upon my stepmother when my father, her 4th husband died but I was useful. With my job at the coal mine I was able to keep enough bread on the table to feed my three half siblings. One fateful morning as i was making my daily 3 mile commute I was jumped and pulled into an ally. The attackers took everything, from my coin purse to my shoes. The attack was enough to make me 5 min late to work resulting in immediate termination despite my 4 years of devoted work. My walk home was a long heavy one. I would be kicked out, with my mother in able to use me for my salary she would no longer allow me to sleep on the kitchen floor I would be forced to sleep in the mass shelters with 100 strangers or more. I never would have imagined the evil that sat just beyond the threshold of our front door. Perhaps if I had I would have run gladly to the mass shelters and never would have found my path. As the door swing open on squeaky hinges i saw my mother sitting across the table form lion the owner of the largest brothel in the outer wall. The moment I saw my her, my step monster, smiling I should have guessed her motives but my heart Sank with fear for my beautiful little sister shay. Then for the second time that day I was grabbed and Beaton only this time it was my freedom that was stolen. She sold me, to a brothel owner, I knew the woman was a monster but this was a low I didn't conceive possible before now. The two goons smile at me expectedly as the Coach takes us towards what I can only think is one of his many brothels. My mind is racing, how could I possibly escape this fate. The shackles shift as I fidget making the smallest of clanging, I chose to find comfort in the sound. I close my eyes and summon my only memory of my birth mother. The clanking of shackles becomes the many bracelets she wore on her wrists and ankles as she danced barefooted in our run down kitchen, she sang a joyous tune as she danced, choosing to enjoy the little things life gave us rather then all the bad. I was jostled out of my haze when goon number one decided to run his hand along my thigh. Both goons are looking at me anxious to get what they want. Little do they know I have an extrodanary ability to ruin someone's plan. Without warning I bring up my leg and kick goon number two right in the jaw, when goon number one lunged at me I raised my cufs allowing me to wrap the chain around his neck. A moment later he stopped flailing and when the chain was removed he remained still, staring at me with lifeless eyes. Seeing the fate of his friend goon number two showed his hands as if defeated. Satisfied with my work I kicked open the door jumped out and set off sat a sprint across the dirt road with no real detonation in mind. Before I could get far the back of my shirt was caught and pulled upright bringing my feet off the ground. Out of the crowd 4 peace keepers materialized all headed towards me. Typically the punishment for murder is death by hanging but seeing as I am only 16 and, until today, a upstanding citizen the council opted for a less gruesome sentence. Life outside the wall. For some this is the worst punishment possible for me, at least I'll be alive. I was given a water bottle , a knife, a pair of shoes and was sent on my way to the outside. What I found was nothing like I ever imagined. While the inside was crowded, dirty, smoggy and smelt of human waste the outside was green with vast riling hills trees and clear sky as far as the eye can see. This was not a punishment, this was Heven sent. " ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1492016051", "1492061843" ]
	[WP] You are walking through town when you are approached by a man/woman with a gun to your face. There are tears running down their face.	2	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "\"You lying, cheating, bastard!\"\n\nAs if on cue, it begins to rain. I'm glad. The rain can cover up some of her dignity. \n\n\"I am,\" I reply, evenly. There's no use denying the facts. I never have before. \n\n\"Why?\"\n\nI check my watch. \"Really, darling, this is embarrassing.\"\n\n\"I loved you,\" she weeps. The gun is like her - trembling and wavering all over the place. Her mascara is running as well, how lazy.\n\n\"I still love you,\" she sobs, voice low and yearning for reconciliation. Goodness, where are her manners? You don't do these sorts of things in public.\n\n\"Please,\" she begs. \"Just tell me why.\"\n\nBecause I think I'm beginning to love you.\n\nBut I can't tell her that. Not now... Not ever.\n\nI walk past her without a word.\n\n\n" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1492021771", "1492023526" ]
	[WP] Scientists have discovered a way to communicate with virtually every species on Earth, and they all say the same thing: You don't belong here.	7	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "You don't belong here. The shocking phrase uttered by species after species always the same. Society and the media spun themselves into a frenzy trying to understand the breadth and depth of that condemnation. What exactly does it mean, you don't belong here. Are we aliens, or is it are superior adaptations and behaviors that have truly separated us from animals? Pundits spun and struck down theory after theory, pop scientists fed the buzz as the rich and famous voiced their opinions either repudiating humanity or praising humanities virtues. \n\nSlowly some countries began to revolt trying to rip apart and destroy the millenia of civilization, roads and buildings were burned and anything deemed \"not belonging\" was destroyed. Other countries took to enshrining humanity as the only true inheritors of the planet while removing any rights or protections for animals, plants, or the land.\n\nA year later another shocking truth would rattle the world. The scientists were wrong, a few small errors in the code had made it output the exact same response for anything you hooked up to it be it animal, mineral, or machine. The news would lead to many repeals of laws in the countries that had enshrined humanity, and many lawmakers weren't re-elected. For the countries that had engaged in wholesale self destruction they would be relegated to the dustbin of history, there citizens suffering for their hubris. The scientists were driven from academia and spent their lives off the grid hiding from their shame. On the internet a few individuals smiled and laughed at the chaos a few alterations of code inserted by a virus can make on the world when technology starts to reign supreme." ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1492033991", "1492035754" ]
I think this is an interesting concept. Who is your soulmate, and how did you find them?	[wp] Tell the story of how you found your soulmate.	0	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "It's a sting that I'll always remember, a stain that doesn't fade. That's not how I like to remember us though. I like to remember the thousand grains of sand under my feet. The softness of your hand despite the damp touch of mine. The smile on your face, while the fire danced shadows across the lightness of your skin. I like to remember the waves crashing behind us in the darkness, and the gentle wash flowing over our feet only to recede again. The slow gathering of the crowd as we circled them in a wide arch. So when asked what I like to remember, I say the only thing worth remembering is you. You as you were on that night, so peaceful and pure. Guiding me, even in the night since you left on the eternal journey. So that one day or souls will collide in a great Elysium far from here, as they did on that first night. \n\nFirst time posting, don't kill me. Actually from a fantasy blog I used to write but slightly edited. Figured I'd try start posting in writing prompts to pick up my writing skills! Hope you don't hate it haha" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1492063201", "1492084574" ]
	[WP] After all these years after your dad left to go get cigarettes, he returns battered and bloody with a pack of smokes and says "You won't believe what happened"	203	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", " After all these years, I've got a story or two, \n Wanted to get cigarettes, it'll only be a few, \n Stepped outside, it was a normal day, \n I'll be back in five, I thought, I just may; \n\n\n I ran into a buddy, a guy I once knew, \n Talked off my ear, oh the shit he had spew, \n Entranced in his words, I went down a path, \n Feeling so inviting, like a really warm bath; \n\n\n Shit it has been long, but I really can't stay, \n I need to meet a buddy, I must be on my way, \n If anyone asks, you didn't see me here, \n He left without a sound, but a whisper in my ear. \n", "Dad popped in my room unannounced, like the dingus he is. \"You won't believe what happened!\" He exclaimed. I looked at him quizzically, his shirt was bloody and torn, a pack of smokes in his hand. \"Okay, Okay, so here's what happened. I went out for a pack of smokes and just as I...\" \nI groaned, already bored. \"Fuck dad, this better not be one of your stupid found a dollar stories.\" \nHe shook his head, disappointedly. \"No son. I just thought you'd like to hear the story of how I...\"\nI bashed my head against my keyboard. \"Can't you see I'm raiding pops. GET THE FUCK OUT!\"", "Hello my child, I have a story to tell.\nWhy I came home so late, bloody as hell.\n\nIt all started on that day.\nWhere I was on my way,\nto get a couple of cigs.\n\nI got hit by this weird looking arrow,\nIt hurt because so deep it burrowed.\n\nAfter I felt a burning pain,\nOther than my own blood that stained.\nMy wound was already gone,\nthen a weird guy named DIO showed up and told me I have a Stand.\nAnd he said I will be a slave for his master plan.\n\nHe creeped me out so I ran,\nwent so far and then,\nI got caught.\n\nFor so long I was a slave, battling weird battle everyday,\nUntil one day,\nThe weird guy named DIO died.\nAnd I was able to come home tonight.\n\n", "I woke up early this morning and walked to the shop around the corner for some donuts. I thought about buying a pack of smokes but I remembered I still had some at home so I walked back with my bag of donuts. \"Did you call for the bank?\" She asked as soon as I stepped foot in the house. \"No I just woke up.\" She muttered something and I chose not to hear it. Andrew was dressed and ready for school. \"Can you drive him?\" She asked me. \"Why don't you ask our neighbor again.\" I meant it, but I was still going to drive him. It got her really angry though because she took the keys from my hand and proclaimed that she'd drive him herself. Not my fault she'd rather ask that dipshit for help than wake me up. \"Go right the... Go ahead. I'm going for a walk so don't be late I still have work.\" I closed the door behind me and reached into my pocket for my pack. I still forgot to pick it up from the house. And I left my donuts! Back to the corner I walked. At first I thought I somehow walked the wrong way, but I couldn't find that donut shop. It was completely gone and I crossed the street to figure out what the hell just happened.\n\nnot done, continuing later", "I really was just after a pack of smokes that day. I walked down to the corner store where I'd always gotten my Marlboros before. They were out. The clerk said\n\n\"You're gonna want to try 'The Smoke Shop'.\"\n\nI searched it on my phone. A ten mile drive. I said \"just give me some Newports,\" but the clerk insisted, and only insisted. He refused to sell me any cigarettes. The stress was filling me up. I had to will myself not to make a scene. I needed these. \n\nI tried another store, and it was the same story. \n\n\"What the hell is with you people?\" I asked the clerk.\n\n\"Just try 'The Smoke Shop.'\"\n\nMy face reddened and I wanted to trash the store in retaliation. The trip was utterly counter-productive so far in. I saw only one option now. I grabbed the car and headed to 'The Smoke Shop.'\n\nI pulled into the lot of the shop in an outskirt of town, tucked in the pocket of some hillscape. The lot was large and filled with cars. I thought\n\n\"It can not be this busy. It's in the middle of nowhere.\" \n\nI entered the shop. It was empty, save for the deathly bored looking clerk at the register, leaning on his elbow, unaffected by my presence. I walked up.\n\n\"Uh, pack of Marlboros please.\"\n\nHe sighed, but straightened up a little. \"Why are you really here?\"\n\n\"What? Pack of smokes. Please.\" There was no way I was getting hassled again. This was where they told me to come. I was damn near ready to rob the place, just for a single pack.\n\nThe clerk leaned in this time. His eyes no longer looked bored but intense and probing. \n\n\"I... I...\"\n\nHe leaned in closer. His words rang out and echoed in my head. \"Why are you here? Why? WHY?\"\n\n\"BECAUSE I'M A BAD FATHER!\" \n\nThe clerk sunk back a little, satisfied with the reaction. \"Well,\" he said, \"you came to the right place then. We can help with that.\" \n\n\"What the hell kind of place is this?\"\n\n\"Walk with me.\" I hesitated. \"There's a free pack of Marlboros in it for you.\"\n\nI'd braved through time share talks and such before so I thought i'd go along with it. \"Alright,\" I shrugged and he led me through a door into the back.\n\n\"We here at 'The Smoke Shop,' at all of our locations, pride ourselves in bettering the future generations.\" We walked past a room that resembled some sort of laboratory. Then past an office with its blinds close. \"And it's schmucks like you that are the biggest problem. You're working against us. A damn thorn in our side.\"\n\n\"I don't know if that's the best way to approach your clients,\" I said through gritted teeth.\n\nWe came to something like a hospital room, with a chair in the middle, surrounded by equipment, all ominous in its own right. The man in the room stopped his computer work and stood attentively. \n\n\"Tell me what's going on. Now.\"\n\n\"We think it's in everyone's interest, if you forget, and move on.\"\n\n\"Forget? Forget what?\"\n\n\"Your daughter.\"\n\n\"What the hell is this? How do you know-?\"\n\n\"Think about it Allen. You know she's better off without you.\"\n\nI was angry, so angry, and crying. \"But she'll- I can't just- She needs... I love her!\"\n\n\"Then let her go.\" \n\nI looked at them each, then the door, \"I can fix this-\" They grabbed me, and threw me into the chair. The last thing I remember is a needle in my arm, and shouting, \"I love her! I love her! I love her!\"\n\n----------\n\nI woke up in a hospital. No one was there waiting. I wasn't really surprised. The nurse said I had suffered amnesia. Thankfully I still knew who I was, and that I lived in an apartment and still remembered how to get there.\n\nI'd have to figure out what it was I forgot. \n\n\"I need a smoke. Boy do I need a smoke.\"\n\n\"Lucky\" the nurse said, and pointed to a pack of Marlboros beside my bed. \"It's the only thing you had on you.\"\n", "“Mom, dinner.” I remove two scalding plastic trays from the microwave and carry them carefully to the living room. An infomercial for a bread knife that cuts through cinder blocks is blaring on the television, and Mom is in her nightly stupor. She intermittently raises her eyebrows and squints to refocus her eyes. She scowls at nothing in particular. I clear off a couple empty bottles of gin from the coffee table and set down our meals. Mom makes a gurgling sound and some spit dribbles down her chin onto her nightgown. It’s her way of reminding me to say grace.\n\nAs I’m finishing my corn kernels and thinking about what to do with Mom’s untouched meal, there’s a knock at the door. “You’ll get that, right?” I say jokingly to Mom as I head to the door. We were expecting a delivery a few hours ago, but it’s no big deal. But the man on our doorstep is not holding a package. His face is swollen and bloodied, his shoulders are slumped, and it’s been thirteen years, but I know him. I usher him in wordlessly and direct him straight to the kitchen so that Mom won’t see him.\n\nI hand him a glass of water, but I can’t muster a word to say. He sits down at the kitchen table, the one that actually used to belong to his father. He takes too deep of a breath and wheezes. Without looking up from his glass, he rasps “you won’t believe what happened”. And he proceeds to tell me, and he is absolutely right.\n\nWhen I was eight or nine, I was convinced that he was a spy for the government. Mom was still working back then, and I would come home from school and pore over old photograph albums by myself. He wore a dark suit in so many of the photos that I felt I had put two and two together. When Mom would tuck me in at night, I’d ask her when his mission would be over, and she’d look out the window for a moment and look back at me. “Soon,” she’d whisper.\n\nAround age thirteen I realized how naïve I was being. I had allowed a few wedding photos and a childish imagination to form an alibi for whatever my mother had done to drive him away. She had recently been laid off and was actively searching for work while looking after me. We would get in huge fights and I wouldn’t talk to her for days. Sometimes I wouldn’t come home at night just to make her worry. I’d wander parks and neighborhoods and crash at friends’ houses and try to deduce, based on all the bad things I knew about her, exactly how my Mom had made him leave.\n\nOver the past couple of years, after our roles had reversed and I had begun working to take care of Mom, I pretty much stopped thinking about him altogether. I concluded that something substantial must have happened, that I would never really know its extent, and that I had bigger things to worry about.\n\nSo when he told me at the kitchen table that he was a coward, that he wasn’t ready then for the responsibility, and that he had spent the last decade getting in bar fights and going in and out of prison, I really could not believe it. It didn’t align with any of the narratives I had held onto, the ones that cast him as a victim of circumstance. I would have believed an alien abduction or some unspeakable betrayal, but he just didn’t want to be around. I still hadn’t said anything and decided to keep it that way. I ushered him back to the front door and sent him outside. He was bewildered and lingered on the doorstep, but I didn’t wait around to see how long.\n\nMom gurgles again as I return to my seat on the couch. “I guess the delivery man will come by tomorrow,” I say, and begin cleaning up her dinner tray. A guy on the television in a floppy chef’s hat is using a samurai sword to rend a steel beam.", "I grabbed my mother’s hand as her breath grew ragged and harsh. Those sweet hands that comforted and consoled me, still soft and warm after all our years of hardship. \n\nI’ve known what years of parenting can do to a relationship and how it can be stressful. I admire my mother for her strength not to seek anyone out after he had left. Even after fifty years, I have a hard time forgiving the man. He was our bread-winner, the center of my mother’s love, and the one who was supposed to teach me how to be a man. I love my wife and children, and cannot fathom how a real man could leave his own. \n\nA sputtering grew louder and her hand squeezed me with surprising strength, drawing my attention out from within. \n\n“Please try to forgive him… I loved him very much,” she rasped, her first words in weeks, “I know it is a hard thing to understand. I love you guys so much. I want to…” \n\nHer voice was cut-off from a battering noise at the front door, and I turned to my wife to take my place beside my beloved mother. I knew it was not my son and daughter, they were away at school and work across the country, plus they respected my mother too much to make such noise at her final hours. I rushed to the door to see who was calling.\n\nI was greeted by a haggard young man with a wild look in his eyes. He held a pack of cigarettes in his hand, and mumbling something about Chery… no, Charlene? \n\n“Who are you?! What are you doing at our house? Where’s Charlene? Where’s my boy?” \n\n“Whoa, hold up sir,” I replied, trying frantically to placate the man. Looking past the battered and smeared face, I saw a flash of someone familiar…\n\n“My boy?! Wilson! Charlene,\" the young man called, \"I'm here. Who’s this man?”\n\n“Dad?”\n\nThe man snapped to attention, tears welling in his eyes. I then noticed that he wasn’t looking at me, but my mother, Charlene, who had roused herself out of bed with the last of her feeble strength, carried by wife, tears pouring from her eyes. \n\n“Dear Lord… Charlene. No, I was only gone for a minute. I… uh. Fell? The dreams…” the man started whispering, sagging to his knees. \n\nMy mother burst from my wife’s grip, and embraced the man. Joyous tears welled up in her eyes, as her arms lost their strength, leaving her dead in her husband’s arms, as she said, “I waited all these years. I love you Richie… I knew you’d be back.”\n\nI looked at the two, coming to grips with how much they had loved each other. I feared the young man, no, my father might have a heart attack from how much he was shaking. I noticed beside the crumpled cigarette carton was a picture of my mother and her husband that had stood beside her nightstand all of these years. Hers was still in her bedroom.\n\nI needed to know what had transpired, but I was still reeling from the shock, too. We also had a funeral to plan…\n\nMy wife steadied me as she gave me the sweetest hug. We looked down at the two of them wondering where to go from here… ideas swirling around our heads as the unfathomable replayed in our heads. My father was back.\n", "Daddy went out to the store\n\nback when I was only four\n\nNow that I have reached fifteen\n\nHe has once again has been seen\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHe didn't age a single day\n\nHe said the gray men made him stay\n\nHis escape plan was fraught with danger\n\nHe crawled his way through the air exchanger\n\n&nbsp;\n\nNow he has to fight with Kirk\n\nMom's new boyfriend, who's a real jerk\n\nHis new laser vision should do the trick\n\nI'd like to see him burn off Kirk's ... nose", "Jeremy could still hear his wife's ranting, even as he slammed the door shut and stepped out into the rain. Like the drops that fell from the sky, her insults slowly petered out as he marched away from his home.\n\nIt's been like this for weeks, Jeremy thought. He pulled his hoodie up to shield himself from the weather and walked along grey streets, running the events of the day over in his head. Charlotte was always shouting these days. Late for dinner? Told off. Wanted to fuck her in the middle of the week? Scolded. Wanted to go out with the guys for beers? The cold shoulder.\n\nJeremy seethed, thinking of how the girl he'd fallen in love with had grown into someone he had nothing in common with. Gone was the warmth of her embrace and the excitement she used to conjure in him. It had been replaced by a slow, almost glacial resentment that had worsened since their son was born.\n\nTheir son. Jacob. Jeremy had never seen anything so beautiful - but he'd also never met something so difficult. Diagnosed with ADHD, he was a handful and Charlotte had to quit her job to take care of him, which hadn't helped the situation.\n\nAs Jeremy stewed on his life, he narrowly avoided walking headfirst into a lamppost which stood up triumphantly from the concrete pavement. He cursed under his breath as he avoided it just in time, slamming his shoulder into it as he dodged. \n\nAnd then suddenly, he wasn't in the rain. \n\nJeremy blinked, still startled from being spun by the impact of the lamppost. Sunlight beat down on his skin and when his eyes opened, he could see a cloudless blue sky through brown tints. He brought a hand up to his face, feeling the sunglasses there. Then he quickly became aware that he was wearing nothing but swim shorts. \n\n\"What's wrong honey?\" came a velvet voice Jeremy had never heard before. He swung his head over, seeing sand stretching in a sprawl for miles and people lounging across one of the nicest beaches he'd ever seen. The source of the voice, a black woman with long hair tied up in a ponytail, lay on the lounger next to him. She wore a tiny white bikini and the hot sun only served to highlight the sunscreen that shone from her beautiful skin. \n\n\"Jeremy?\" she asked, tipping her sunglasses with a hand that shone with a large diamond engagement ring and revealed azure eyes that looked concerned. \n\n\"Uh...\" was all he could say. She reached over, her hand clasping his wrist. He watched, detached, as an alien touch embraced him. He saw a ring on his own hand. \n\"You okay baby?\" she asked. \n\nHe drank in the beach and the sight of this woman. Suddenly, his old memory seemed faded. Was the rainy day he'd escaped into to flee Charlotte even real? Had he been dreaming? \n\nNo. If he was, he'd know this girl's name.\n\nBut he did know it. She was called Samantha.\n\n\"Yeah...I'm fine, I think.\" he said softly. She swung her legs off the lounger and sat up, her hand rubbing his chest. He looked down at abs he'd never owned and raised an eyebrow. But it somehow all felt so right.\n\n\"We can always head home if you like. Not like it's much of a walk, huh?\" She giggled, then added a sultry: \"I'll give you that massage you like...\"\n\nJeremy awoke again. This time, he was clad in a military uniform and sat in a room with a woman who looked similar to Charlotte, but she was crying. He blinked again, trying to retrieve memories of the dark-skinned beauty he'd just been with.\n\nBut it didn't come. \n\nEvery time he tried to blink his memories back, Jeremy found himself in a new life. A new world. A new choice. And every time, he began to understand that he was seeing himself if he'd made different decisions. \n\nIt wasn't until he remembered his son coming to him at night, handing him a drawing and whispering \"I love you daddy\" that Jeremy understood something.\n\nHe'd only ever made the right choices. \n\nHis own life was the right one.\n\nAnd with that realisation, he returned to it. Charlotte was still shrieking at him when he opened the door, but Jeremy smiled at her. Then, he went to see his son.\n\n\n\n" ]	[ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 5, 11, 15, 23, 70 ]	[ "1492090675", "1492102110", "1492103027", "1492106499", "1492170492", "1492099007", "1492095986", "1492095083", "1492094533", "1492093114" ]
	[WP] You somehow discover that you've accidentally been playing life on 'intermediate' mode. You decide to attempt 'easy' and 'hard' modes.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "It took about two years to get tired of [Easy] mode.\n\nIt took about four minutes to want it back.\n\nI mean, life was great. Super duper cherry on top great. In hindsight, boredom or \"the challenge of it\" were pretty lame excuses to try [Hard] mode. I guess I got cocky. I forgot how complicated the world is for most people, how pain can pile up, how little influence we really have in the grand scheme of things. Maybe I needed this last half hour. \n\nMaybe I'll do it again.\n\nMeanwhile I'm headed to the forest. On foot, I can't risk taking my car on the road yet. I always did like a good hike. I've got to get far enough away from these guys that I can turn my phone back on in a hurry if I need to. Again. Good grief, that was worthy of a panic attack.\n\nAt least I've got full battery. The back-up I'd never used. It never occurred to me the phone would be the first thing to go wrong. I think I'm always going to have a scar from that acid leak. \n\nEdge of the forest. It feels good to be away from people. Everybody. I can breathe again. Down to 2 bars. I don't think that matters.\n\nI guess the mix-up with the police dispatcher happened while my phone was deciding to melt, right after I hit the [Hard] toggle. A couple minutes later the sirens and lights hit the gate, and another couple later they bust through it and my front door. Loved that door. That glass was in the Vatican, you know.\n\nMeanwhile, the smoke alarms are deciding their batteries suck too. That noise is the worst. I know that's on purpose but still. It was crap icing on a crap cake of everything that could go wrong, going. And I'm going to need some new fish. That's probably the part that pisses me off the most. Jojo and Amber and Franklin D Fish and the crabs... Dammit.\n\nNo cell or data service now. [Easy] mode should clear my path of any serious dangers but it still makes me nervous. Or relieved, that I'm \"off the grid\". That was the point. Almost time to do this.\n\nThen it's back to the good life. I fix enough problems I don't feel guilty enjoying my time off. The Jet Set crowd isn't as annoying as you'd think. I'll probably get a settlement offer from a very apologetic police chief in the next day or so, and a few job offers. I feel like crossing Australia off my bucket list so they'll likely dangle a huge check for the \"terrible inconvenience\" of relocating.\n\nFolks I know probably heard some nasty rumors about me that are already debunked. Sort of like the cops. The shooter they were after was probably real, and I hope everybody got out OK. I'll find out later whether they goofed up on my street name or my name or what, but good luck to whoever wound up in a spitting contest with that swat team.\n\nI think I'm far enough away from everybody. Nature has been friendly enough so far, one of those warm, light breeze days. My confidence that [Easy] mode is back on for good is rising. OK. Let's turn off the phone.\n\nI'm going to keep an eye out for a while, and keep this thing close to me, just in case. Logically, I should be able to smash the thing and stay stuck in [Easy] mode forever. But my faith in logic has been shaken with all the unlikely events of the past couple years. I've tried hard to understand it, or figure out where it came from, or find someone else who found that buried sub-menu, but so far I haven't \"lucked\" into any answers. Maybe there aren't any. I need to just flow with it.\n\nI swear to god that's Jennifer Lopez yelling to me from a hot air balloon. What are the odds?" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1492098166", "1492117267" ]
[deleted]	[WP] Very tribal like aliens are found on another planet. Soon, a group of Christian Missionaries go out to convert them, only to find the aliens have a religion very similar to Christianity.	6	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "“They know about Jesus Christ?” Cardinal Di Franco asked, leaning forward in his armchair. The scarlet of his cassock shone against the royal blue leather of his seat.\n\n“Well, the closest approximation would be The Saviour. They don't have a name for him, exactly,” Father Pembe explained, an awkward smile on his face. He was the only person in the room standing, and though very much interested in communications, his interest extended almost exclusively to the scientific study of them, not exactly public speaking.\n\nBishop Hueng was sitting in an armchair of his own, vehemently shaking his head.\n\n“We, humans, are God's chosen people. One would expect to find the concept of a saviour in primitive extraterrestrial religions. Hell, we've investigated such faiths before.”\n\n“This is different,” Father Pembe insisted. “The parallels go much further.” He opened the next slide in his presentation. It was a picture of a village situated on the cusp of a snowed-in sierra and a wide, almost glowing yellow plain. The round huts were built of gold-tinted mud bricks, decked with roofs that were cones of giant, colourful tail feathers. The xenozoologists were calling the creature they came from Peacock Mammoth, though that did not quite capture the sheer size of the creature the inhabitants of that plain hunted. The next slide was a large building at the centre of town, an oval with painted walls and a carved lattice of bones covered with a weave of smaller feathers as its roof. There, at the top of it, was what could only be described as a cross.\n\n“Everything in this culture is round. They have 360° vision. They understand round shapes better than anything. All of their art and architecture is smooth, streamlined. Only the cross has right angles. This is most definitely a Christian church.” He waved that picture away, and one of a small crowd in front of the church doors appeared. Two of the people were human, Father Lehmann and himself, both wearing filtration masks to protect themselves from the sulphuric air. The others were alien.\n\nLike humans, they were bipedal, with straight spines (or rather three thin spines instead of a single thick one), hands with opposable thumbs (or rather two double-jointed thumbs per hand), a mouth (or rather maw), and a powerful brain (or rather a sphere split into 4 even parts in their skull). On their skin they had yellow plates of thick cartilage, which became smaller and thinner at the head, where it gained various shades of indigo and blue. One of the aliens, taller than the others, had a chain around his neck.\n\n“Is that...” Cardinal Di Franco leaned forward in his chair again.\n\nFather Pembe nodded.\n\n“It's a Rosary. There can be no doubt about it. It's made of bone, not wood, but that's mostly because there's no equivalent to trees in this region. But that's not all,” he added with a glance at the sceptical face of the bishop. The next slide was of the church interior, illuminated by the sunlight shining through the feathers in the roof. In the middle, there was a circular altar, above which a cross hung suspended from the roof. It featured a rather detailed depiction of a member of the alien species nailed to it.\n\n“Incredible.” Cardinal Di Franco poured himself a glass of water. He was beyond awe.\n\n“Incredible is exactly what this is,” Hueng commented. “Tell me, when exactly did their saviour visit these people?”\n\n“From what we've been able to tell, and mind you, they have a very different system of timekeeping, it should have been around a hundred years ago. One of the town elders claims to have seen him as a youngster. They have the ten commandments, which translate to exactly our ten commandments in the right order, they have original sin, they have the story of the garden. It's a bit different, of course, not a garden at all but rather a park of fountains, and the fruit was water from a particular watering hole. Their version of Eve was talked into it by what amounts to a snake.” A video of a creature appeared. Straight as an arrow, it was sliding down one of the icy mountain slopes before launching itself into the air and grabbing hold of an airborne critter. It then extended a parachute-like skin flap and sunk softly down to the plain below, devouring its meal. “It has no extremities, and it's quite opportunistic. If one accepts a non-literal interpretation of the Bible, these are the same concepts expressed in ways different species might understand them.”\n\n“Are there any differences in our faiths?” asked the cardinal.\n\n“Yes, mostly deviations and alternative interpretations of similar concepts that would serve them better in their living conditions. Obviously most of the stories in history do not exist, and they have no Bible, nor a church as an organization, but these things emerged centuries after Jesus Christ lived on Earth, so if we're going by the century-theory, one might say they're still on schedule. But there is one major difference that struck us in particular.” Pembe took a deep breath. “They have known about alien civilizations, because The Saviour told them. He said that he's visited many of them before, and that he would ascend back to the heavens to visit countless more.”\n\n“How convenient, that they come with a theological justification for your nonsense, Father Pembe,” Bishop Hueng said, his voice thick with contempt. “I suppose they also knew you would come to visit them one day.”\n\t“They do speak of a return of The Saviour, as do we, but I do not believe myself to be that,” said Pembe, slightly intimidated by Hueng. All of this was true, he had invented none of it. “The problem is that, the way the biologists see it, these aliens will never become a world-spanning species. They're too specialized on their comparatively small plains region, and have no intention of leaving into environments they are not adapted for. To be honest, they appear to be quite the anomaly in more than one way.”\n\nCardinal Di Franco sighed, then hit a button on his armrest. The window of the briefing room cleared a little, revealing the alien world beneath, packed in it's yellow-tinged nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere. The part of the single megacontinent on its surface they could see from this angle looked a little bit like a crucifix, Pembe thought.\n\n“There is something you need to know, and it cannot leave this room.” The cardinal looked at both of them intently. “The reason why the Holy See financed a scientific expedition to this particular alien world happened on the Pope's behest. His Holiness spoke to me of a vision he had involving a group of people with yellow cartilage talking to a dark-skinned priest. He compiled the list of every single expedition member himself, because God the Father gave it to him. He believes that we must elevate this species so it may join our galactic community of the Catholic Church.”\n\nBishop Hueng laughed.\n\n“I see what is happening here. You two are trying to establish for yourselves a little cargo cult at the expense of the Holy See. We all know his High Holiness live to see the coming decade, so why not increase one's chances of being elected his successor, Cardinal?” He slapped the side of his armchair. “You two thought that having me on the mission might increase your chances of being believed back home. People know I don't believe aliens can be saved. Maybe I would have disappeared on the way back, to make sure I couldn't change my mind.” He rose, straightening his robes. “That's not going to happen. I'll be taking the express shuttle home, thank you very much.” \n\nWith those words, Bishop Hueng Qing-Han left the briefing room. Sixteen years later, he would inherit the Holy See and become the new Pope, Pope Titus III, and purge the Roman Catholic Church of those who would accept extraterrestrials into their congregations.\n\nMeanwhile, Father Pembe would become Pope Martin XI only a few years later. He was the first pope of the Catholic Church of the Stellar Peoples, whose heavenly halls would be a space station in geosynchronous orbit. Cardinal Di Franco would be known as Saint Alessandro, patron saint of alien worshippers, open-mindedness, and humility. It was not the first split in papal lines, and it would not be the last, but many hold that it was the most significant.\n\n[moar](https://whoisbetty.com/)\n\nedited line breaks because reddit is a cunt and doesn't do those like normal people do." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1492111777", "1492122671" ]
	[WP] A drug that almost no one uses today eventually becomes the "caffeine" of the near future.	2	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "MODE\n\nOn the morning of Tuesday, April 15th, 2064, at precisely six o’clock in the morning, Timothy McMillan passed from sleep into wakefulness without any incident whatsoever. Timothy, who was “Tim” to his co-workers, “Timmy” to his wife and mother, and “Mr. McMillan” to his bosses, got out of bed without so much as a yawn and made his way into the dimly lit bathroom. The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon outside of the small single-story Unit, and so Timothy performed his morning ritual by the soft early glow from the bathroom’s single sky light. Fifteen minutes past six o’clock, he emerged from the bathroom, shivering from the cool air and the cold shower. After brief consideration, he dressed in a pair of dark pants whose color of origin was indiscernible, but could have possibly been a blue or grey at some point in the distant past. They were followed shortly thereafter by a long sleeved shirt of lighter hue but similar quality.\n\nTwenty minutes past six o’clock, on the morning of Timothy McMillan’s second workday of the week, he emerged from his bedroom and into the slightly larger room that served various purposes for the Unit. Like the bedroom and bathroom, the only light that entered was that of the rising sun, from a small window set into the center of the room, and an additional sky light overhead. At one end of the room, closest to the bedroom, a sad looking desk supported the weight of several equally worn books and some writing implements. On the wall beside it was a rectangle of plastic that jutted out slightly, a single green light blinking rhythmically. At the far end of the room was a cabinet and a shelf with a pour-over coffee contraption, flanked by a few coats hanging on hooks next to a door. In the middle of the room, a plastic chair huddled under a small dining table, while in another sat a small woman who sipped at a steaming beverage while listening intently to a small plastic radio on top of the table. The soft sound of digitized conversation filled the small room.\n\n“Morning” \n\nTimothy’s wife glanced up at him briefly, before returning her attention to the radio. “Morning, Timmy. Coffee is done, I added your Mode already.”\n\nTimothy walked past her to the coffee maker, grabbing a cup from the shelf as he did. The pot of coffee rested underneath a small metal funnel, full of wet, spent grinds. Next to it was a small tinfoil blister packet, with the words “Union Ration” printed boldly in red. It rested beside a small plastic sack with same red print, and an additional line that read “Coffee”. Timothy considered these only briefly; his chief concern was the small pot beneath the little pour-over, and his stomach growled painfully as he poured himself a cup. The brown liquid inside steamed invitingly, and Timothy could smell a hint of chalky sweetness from the Moded beverage as he brought it back to the table.\n\n“Breakfast is served” he said with a humorless half-grin. “You know Kat, I was talking with some guys from over at the Plant yesterday, during Union mealtime, just talkin’ some shit you know?” He paused as she tapped the radio, lowering its volume. “They were on about some new Mode report, and how you shouldn’t dose with coffee or something like that.”\n\nKat gave him a look, one that feigned patience, but only just. “Timmy, people’ve been saying that for years.” She took a sip and continued. “The Union rep would love to stop rationing coffee, I’m sure, but can you imagine? No more coffee on top of everything else around here would be too much for me.”\n\nTimothy considered that for a while, drinking his own coffee. “Yeah, I hope nothing comes of it. Coffee definitely gets me Moded quicker anyway.”\n\n“Mmh” Kat adjusted the radio, and the voice of some daybreak caster or other rose back to a conversational volume. \n\nTimothy sipped at his drink again, and looked out of the window absently at the side of the neighboring Unit. He waited for the concoction of morning stimulants to do their work.\n\n----\n\nIt was ten minutes past seven o’clock as Timothy McMillan bounced along the cracked roadways of the Suburb, along with the fifty or so of his peers scheduled to work that Tuesday. The vehicle, a long, grey mass transport model, accelerated smoothly and silently past the innumerable rows of corrugated metal Units, staggered slightly to fit as many of the L-shaped buildings as possible into the small lots. \n\nThe sun hang in a liminal space, trapped between the endless black grid of paneled rooftops and the low-hanging haze that obscured the sky. Timothy briefly considered that this might be the brightest it got today, and hoped his Unit battery would get at least a little charge before the rays became ineffective for the day. That thought quickly passed, and was replaced by a feeling of slight giddiness. His fingertips tingled, and he licked his suddenly dry lips. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.\n\n“Kickin’ in this morning, yeah?” The man seated next to him was dressed almost identically to Timothy, and the words “Jefferson Electrical” were stitched in white on the breast of his coat.\n\nTimothy regarded him silently for a moment, lips tingling. “Mhm. still have some coffee rations left for the week. Much faster come-up when you mix, yeah? You know how it goes.”\n\nThe man grunted his agreement. “Much better mixed. Can’t stand the taste of it straight anyways.” He scratched his nose absently. “Gotta hope there ain’t anymore shortages this month, the situation with the Republic and all.” With that he turned slightly and crossed his arms, signaling the end of the casual exchange.\n\nTimothy returned his attention back to the window. He wasn’t aware of the Republic situation, but was hesitant to revive the small talk with his neighbor, and instead he stayed quiet, focused on the nothingness that blurred by outside his window.\n\n----\n\nFifteen minutes until ten o’clock on the morning of April 15th, 2064, Timothy McMillan sat at his work space at Jefferson Electrical, surrounded by an explosion of electronic detritus, poking at a bit of exposed wire with a smoldering pen-iron. To his left and right other men and women performed a similar electronic surgery, the smoke from dozens of workstations pooling against the low ceiling, swirling up into sky light recesses and back out again. The little clear air that remained was thick and hot and humid with the sweat of working bodies. The atmosphere was electrified with the tension of furious concentration, and the room was very quiet.\n\nTimothy mopped the sweat away from his eyes and plucked the paper mask from his mouth, tucking the elastic under his chin. “This one’s scrap, Jones.”\n\nA tall figure pushing a wheeled bin between rows of workers made his way over to where Timothy was seated. The man moved quickly, as if eager to impress those watching with his ability to maneuver the wheeled container. His uniform was similar to the other workers’, but ragged in a number of places, and few patches of dirty skin peeked from behind holes worn through the material. He wore a pair of scuffed eyeglasses along with a mask similar to Timothy’s, which he pulled from his face as he approached. \n\n“Right then Tim,” the man called Jones scooped Timothy’s project hastily into the container, where it clattered in amongst similar failures.\n\nWithout pause, Timothy pulled another battered device from under the table and set it out onto the table in front of him. His fingers flew over the device, removing screws and clips that held its internal mechanisms in place while he simultaneously read from an attached sticker, which detailed the necessary repairs. Jones wheeled the bin away from the table, towards the opposite end of the room, but he had already been forgotten. \n\n----\n\nAt precisely half past six o’clock, Timothy emerged from the Jefferson Electric’s building into the cool pre-dusk air. His hair was damp from sweat, and both of his eyes seemed to recede into his skull behind dark bags of skin. One twitched perceptibly as he made the short walk towards the long grey transport vehicle that had been parked since morning. Most of the others from the workshop streamed towards it as well, shuffling quietly as a loose crowd. The sun once again filled the small space between stripped earth and polluted sky.\n\nTimothy sat against the window, eyes closed and forehead pressed to the cool glass, breathing soft and shallow breaths. The transport filled steadily, until finally the vehicle closed its doors with a low electric whine, and slowly pulled onto the single road leading towards a tall fence that circled into the distance around the squat, corrugated building. A gate rose to meet the transport as it accelerated, opening outward to let the transport pass without preamble. Just outside, small grey forms stirred at the approach of the large electric vehicle.\n\nAs the transport moved beyond the metal linked gate, the grey masses resolved into several figures, covered in tattered blankets and a layer of grey sooty grime. One held up a piece of dirty paperboard, several words smeared in a dark color over its surface.\n\nNEED FOOD NEED CLOTHES WILL WORK\n\nTimothy’s gaze slid from the wretches off into the distance after a moment of quiet, resigned staring. The small group outside the transport got the same response from everyone inside, and half a dozen dirty faces followed the vehicle as it passed. Timothy looked back at them once more.\n\nThe figure holding the crude sign frowned in disgust and flipped the sign around in the air, bony wrists thrust high as if to scream at the indifferent passengers in a way that their voice could not.\n\nOn the back of the board was another message, only two words this time:\n\nJUNKIE BASTARDS" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1492121277", "1492122944" ]
[removed]	[WP] Forced to play a game he hates.	1	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nPrompts go in the title. (Exceptions: [IP] and [MP]). Feel free to repost with the prompt in the title. You can add more detail in the text, but remember prompts should be a starting point and [not be a recipe](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/prompts?src=RECIPE). \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/6594ol/wp_forced_to_play_a_game_he_hates/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1492126299", "1492126365" ]
A Quote from the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss	[WP] “There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”	9,879	[ "\nOff-Topic Discussion: All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n#####Reminder for Writers and Readers:\n* Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail.\n\n* Please remember to [be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback.\n\n---\n\n[](#icon-help)[^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) [](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) [](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) [](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatroom)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n", "He had stood at the wheel for the last 3 months. Held the wheel through storm after maelstrom. Hadn't moved for almost 4 month besides short breaks to eat hard bread and drink thick mead. Only the man on the drum saw him grab the last oarman on the arf port side and toss him into the fridged water in frustration. He would be another tale of the Kraken that would quicken the crews pace\n", "Now, I'm no wise man by any means but I know when something should scare the shit out of me. Standing here now, in front of this tempest of a man I think back to how I came to be in this position and realize the signs that had been there, the warnings. Had I only been paying attention, maybe I wouldn't have fucked things up this bad between Terry and I. \n\nTerry had always been a soft-spoken man, from the day I met him he was always calm and quiet, never loud and rowdy like the other members of the team. We had worked together on the project for only a little while, but our friendship lasted beyond it, connecting at such a level that even after the last nail was struck we kept in touch with each other. He was a very interesting person, with a wicked sense of humour once you got to know him. I always knew he had a sharp tongue, but before he would only use it to tease, always making sure I knew he didn't mean it afterwards. What we had was one of the best friendships I've had with someone, though clearly there were more problems than I had thought. \n\nI began to realize that with how calm and gentle this guy was, despite looking like he could snap my neck with one hand, he would do just about anything asked of him. It was just the kind of person he was, always ready to help out someone else who needed it, be it by lending them some cash or driving them somewhere they need to go. I took this new knowledge in a new direction however, and I will admit that I was a supreme asshole in that regard. I would borrow things without planning on returning them, hitch rides from him whenever I was too lazy to drive. I'd take him to bars, places I knew he hated, just to have the influence of a tall handsome man beside me to draw in other attractive people. I'd call off our plans at the first hint of something happening with someone else. It's honestly amazing how long he put up with my shit.\n\nAt that point he had become even more quiet, withdrawing himself from almost any event, his soft comments and jokes replaced by sad smiles or frowns. I thought nothing of it of course, oblivious as I was to the consequences of my actions. But he still just kept quiet, never speaking against me or even speaking to me about it at all. But that was before what I now know was the final straw. \n\nHis sister had come to visit, staying in town for only a week or two as she had come for a wedding but decided to stay a bit longer. Me being me, I immediately saw this as an opportunity. She was attractive, I was horny, so I convinced Terry to let me have a chance with her. I think he was convinced my motivations were different, more pure than the perverted thoughts that had been running through my mind. I took her out, getting her in bed after a few days and then left. I didn't call, didn't ask about her. I didn't even bother to remember her name. I didn't think it would hit her as hard as it did, didn't know that it was just another blow after the hardships she had been facing for the past year. I would never have imagined that the result of my actions would bring me here, cowering before Terry as he nearly yelled.\n\nI had never heard him raise his voice above a certain level, the loudest having been reached on the site of the project so that others could hear him. That wasn't the case now. \n\nNow his voice crashed around me like waves, violent as a hurricane as I get knocked around by his anger. An ocean whipped by wind and storm, his anger surrounded us, almost enough to force me beneath the surface by itself. The words themselves were what got me. They were the result of his sheer rage, dark and bleak as a night with a new moon, only now there weren't even stars vainly trying to light the darkness. His eyes were dark, staring into mine with what I knew now was hatred. Hatred for who I was, what I had done. Hatred for the choices I had made. As his words force me under the surface, I can't help but shudder at the sight he makes. He is the sea and sky, storm and silence. One doesn't need to be wise to know they should be afraid, and frankly I am terrified.", "Quip crept along the concrete corridor with his usual cat-in-soft-shoes whisper. Habit, really, as he was sure this was right in the middle of shift, and the clowns he'd seen guarding the place were fabulous in thinking Rounds meant one round at the start and one round near the end. \n\nThe cable served servers which served servers. While the 'net was by its very definition without a head, one could find certain pinch points where the wires crossed oceans or pierced mountains.\n\nLike right here. \n\nAnonymous' See Storm virus has been fun; not for politicians and the military industrial complex but for most he rest of us it was like Wikileaks went Niagara. Black Hat Bunches' New Moon root kit bot brigade was a bit more effective at flipping rocks and scaring the creepy crawlers of Big Money into the light.\n\nBut this thumb drive. \nGentile Man. \nSupposedly created by Israeli forces to disable nuclear warheads and lethal drone systems of their neighbors, I'd been hacking on it for awhile now and I THINK it's ready to loot World Bank, Blackwater and others, as well as disable all the world nukes and war drones.\n\nIt might also put all the world's nuclear reactors into emergency shutdown as well, but he won't Really be sure about that one until its live. \n\nMaking it to the vertical shaft, he shimmied the vent off after unfastening the odd headed screws. \n\nDodging and ducking the far more alert staff and systems inside was a much bigger deal, but he'd trained for it. \n\n\n\n", "Love is beautifully terrifying. My father was the kindest soul who ever did live. Though my mother had died when I was young, my father had always guided me and protected me. Very rarely did I know fear growing up, because he was always there to protect me. \n\nWhen I was scared at night, he showed me how to fight against the darkness. \"Darkness itself is not dangerous; only when you let it into your heart, little one. When I lost your mother, the darkness tried very hard to invade my heart. But I kept fighting because I had you. You saved me from the darkness, so now I am here to do the same for you.\" He said this with a gentle smile, and I never had trouble sleeping all my life. \n\nWe had tried kayaking once, and gotten unlucky. The rain had come late into the trip, while we were far from shore. We returned home, and were greeted by thunder before we got there. A bright bolt streaked across the sky, and the boom came almost instantly. I fell from the small recreational boat, and was swallowed up by the waves. Surrounded by the darkness of the water, I remembered that it couldn't hurt me if I didn't let it in. I had a guardian angel there to protect me from darkness, in all of its forms. And so I was pulled out of the water by the strong arms of my father, and we floated there a while, I enjoyed his warm embrace. \n\nThe one time in my life that I was truly scared came upon my fifth birthday. Without many friends or a lot of money, my father and I enjoyed a nice dinner out together. At one point he left to the restroom, and during that time a man approached me, took me by the hand, and guided me outside with sweet promises. I was excited for some kind of surprise on my birthday, and I was naive as a child should be. My father sprinted out of the restaurant and he beat that man. He hit him, and hit him, and hit him. I thought it would never stop. I was crying, and my father wasn't comforting me this time. When the beating finally stopped, I looked up at my brave and strong father, his fists still shaking at his sides, and I swear that there was a giant smile on his lips. ", "When children experience their first disappointment, some throw a fit. Others rebel, or withdraw. Arielle started looking for answers. \n\nAt age thirteen and a half, she’d started her notebook. She copied down anything that sounded true: quotes, proverbs, even advice columns. \n\nIt comforted her to have a collection of words that would explain things, and thereby keep her from future pain and disappointment. She couldn’t imagine stating anything with the certainty expressed by the words she read; life seemed too chaotic to know what to do most of the time. So she studied. \n\nHer favorites were proverbs. She’d gotten an entire book full of them from the library, and spent a long day copying down as many as she could.\n\nWhen she became disillusioned with the truth behind one of her scribblings, she’d slowly draw a thick black line through it. She wondered if all her words would get crossed out eventually. \n\nOne night, reading in bed, she was struck by the matter-of-fact tone of a line in her novel: \nThere are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.\n\nAs advice goes, it didn’t seem too pertinent (even with her emphatic addition of “and women!!” to the first phrase). She lived nowhere near the sea, and she was rarely out late enough to notice the night sky, moonless or otherwise. But she shivered at the last few words as she copied them down. \n\nShe didn’t realize at the time that she possessed that exact anger: a slow, patient heat that had been building within her for a long time. In time, it would indeed become something worthy of fear. \n\nShe snapped her notebook closed, and turned out the light. ", "As she prepared breakfast, Katherine watched the morning news report. As expected, it was about St. Louis. \n\n“. . . In a statement regarding the St. Louis explosion caused by Diana Miller, George Hasting, the head of the newly formed Department of Extraordinary Disasters, stressed the importance of weekly screenings to prevent further loss of life due to future rage bursts.\n\n“‘The risk is not in the anger. What’s dangerous is when these people who have this condition bottle up their anger and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. If these people get angry a lot, then they are much less likely to cause something like the explosion in St. Louis. Remember, these people have lived beside the rest of us like normal; but usually they get angry and let it out on a regular basis, and most of the time you wouldn’t even notice they were any different from us. So if there’s someone you know who might be holding in a lot of anger and doesn’t really seem to get mad ever, encourage them to go get a screening so we can help them if they do have this condition, so no one else has to die . . .’\n\n“We’d like to remind our viewers that special hotline has been set up for anyone who wishes to report any suspected break risks, or who need directions to the nearest screening facility. You can reach it at . . .”\n", "The children he says over and over again. As he tears threw his work shop grabbing and tools and reworking them into hideous instruments of torment.\n\nThe workers cower in the coners of the cavernous workspace, that was dedicated to bringing joy and continentment to the children of the world. Except on nights like this.\n\nWhen the world grew so dark, that not even the wonders they worked could bring even a moment of happiness to the most innocent of mankind.\n\nAnd there jobs changed,for the season. And so would they.\n\nAs there once jolly and joyous leader worked himself into a frenzy, he changed. The red from his cheeks spread threw out his face in frenzyed rage, each labored breath melted his plump shrinking him until his suit itself became like a second skin.\n\nA single figure in the room sadly thought to himself that he was looking more like his brother. But his brother wasn't so angry, in his own way he was jolly because he was fulfilling his purpose. This was going to be madness and pain unequal in measure to the joy the now fallen saint onece brought.\n\nAnd look, his brothers and sisters were being pulled into the insanity. The diminutive body's began to stretch into gaunt emaciated monstrositys. One by one they left the his side and moved onto the work floor to aid in the destruction and perversion of this onece sacred place.\n\nThey threw so much coal into the fireplaces that the fires begin to eat the room burning it to the bare rock behind the wood. When the flames hit them they laughed as it became part of them, and deformed them even more. And when the flames grew to hot it split there body's into more terrible brothers and sisters. \"Joy was what onece brought us more family, \" the lone elf thought to himself, \"I hope this isn't there new joy. \" he added hopelessly.\n\nTossing over the train station so the toys melted and the paint turnd to burning mist. They beat what was left of the metals into chains and hooks,and hung them from the ceilings and walls.\n\nSome began to break up the floor boards and dig into the earth mining it for coal and growing the work space. \"He said we're to expect many guests. \" the lonely one thought as he tryed to save a few toys for the newcomers before they were pryed from his hands.\n\nAt last the burning saint was ready to begin his pilage, his clawed hands pulling down what was left of the once beautiful mahogany doors. And he ordered new ones be put up that could withstand the heat and strong enough to keep the intended in.\n\nAs he began to step out the one true faithful elf called his name and asked how long it would stay like this. And for a moment the mad smile feel from his face and doubt replaced it. But as his eyes looked they locked upon a burnt doll, the soul surviver of the mayhem. Then picked it up and crushed it.\n\n\"That's not my name anymore, \" he said with pain and rage in his voice. \"It will be this way until they respect innocence more than domination!\" He bellowed, to the cheers of his frightful children. With that he stormed off into the night.\n\nAt last a fire began to grow in the lonely ones heart and change him as well. Not of anger but righteous fury and hope. This new home would need order and guidance, someone to remember it's original purpose and strong enough to guide there father back to it. The flames inside blossomed his form into something so beautiful and radiant it was terrifying to his family, he would command respect and loyalty on sight alone.\n\nHe stepped forward and onto a leathery parchment coverd in names and ash. \"Well at least you got to keep your old job \".", "\nChristopher woke up in the middle of the night and decided he better take a piss before attempting to go back to sleep. As he waked down the hallway to the other side of his apartment, the corner of his eye caught something. It was the portrait of his deceased grandfather. With his mind still in a groggy state he just continued on his quest to relieve his bladder. As he was standing over the toilet his mind wondered to the portrait. He remembered that he always told him that a wise men must always fear only three things: the sea in a storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.\n\n \n\n“Oh how right you were.” mumbled Chris to himself. As he walked back to his bedroom, past his grandfather, his mind recalled a memory from when he was just about 13 years old. He was sound asleep in his childhood bedroom and was out of nowhere woken up by his father “Chris, Chris, wake up! Chris!” The child looked at his father and saw a worried face. “The cows got scared by something and they ran away. We need to go and get them.” explained his father. Chris shot up from his bed, got dressed as quickly he could and followed his father outside. Both of them grabbed a flashlight on their way out and looked for clues for where the scared animals ran off to.\n\n \n\nAll evidence pointed to the forest right next to the patch of grass the cows were supposed to be. Father and son headed into the forest, on a night like the one they were supposed to fear. The only light came from the flashlight they were holding in their hands. Without hesitation, the young boy and his father entered the dark forest and followed the road the farm animals took. About 5 minutes in, the road split and so did the tracks left by the cows. Chris followed the road to the right and his father went straight ahead.\n\n \n\nAdrenalin was pumping through Christopher’s heart as his only companion were the trees around him. As he followed the road and the cow prints on the ground, he heard a noise on his right side, he swiftly pointed the flashlight to the origin of the sound. However there was just a tree motionlessly standing. Chris shuck his head and continued deeper into the forest. The noises around him got lauder and more frequent. His flashlight wasn’t focused on the cow tracks, but on his surrounding. The combination of a forest and the moonless night made him scared and his focus was all over the place. He looked up into the air and for the first time since he was woken up realized that the moon was hiding.\n\n \n\nHe was lying on his back and staring at the ceiling and remembering that night. Even 20 years later he could still feel the fear in his bones. “Well there goes my sleep!” he proclaimed lauder then he first intended. Chris stood up and made his way to the kitchen. Again he passed his grandfathers painting and once again he remembered what he always used to say. He tried to think of the book he once read about a ship caught in a storm.\n\n \n\nIt was the HMS York. The ship set sail in an Indian port town and was supposed to go all the way to England. The queens ship was equipped by state of the art canons with the finest gun powder the British had in their arsenal and the captain and all the sailors were veterans of the sea. However all the weapons and all the years of experience between the crew has no effect on mother nature.\n\n \n\nFour days have passed since their departure and unknowingly to anyone they would not make it to the 5th one. The storm came out of nowhere and it also disappeared as quickly as it came. It was like all the gods from all the religions in the world decided to unleash their power onto the HMS York. It was a bright day with just a few clouds that divided the sky. The captain was on the deck giving orders to his sailors, when out of nowhere a razor sharp wind appeared. Just a few seconds later, Poseidon and Zeus cursed the clouds and made them black with thunder raining upon the unsuspected Englishmen. A dread filled the hearts of the sailors below the thunderclouds. The wind, the thunder and the waves were enough to send the bravest man running in fear.\n\n \n\nYou only realise how small and unimportant you are when you are face to face with the power of a god. The waves hugged the ship and water was spilling into it, the lightning was dancing to the melody of death and even the prayers of all the sailors couldn’t give them the courage to move and try to save the ship. There was over 400 years of experienced combined between them and every one of them stood still shaking in fear.\n\n \n\nThe sea swallowed the ship before the captain could even give his first order. The storm lasted only 20 minutes, but it was enough to destroy everything it encountered in its path. Out of the 45 sailors on the boat, only one of them survived. He was holding onto dear life, but he was experience enough to know that survival was not an option. He took his knife out and carved into the wooden plank he was holding on “Here lie the remains of the HMS YORK. P.S. The sea is a fickle bitch!” As he finished his message, he let go of the plank and accepted the deep abyss of the sea as his last resting place.\n\n \n\n“What was the third one?” asked Christopher as he was making himself a midnight snack. “Oh, of course, it is the anger of a patient man. You know grandpa, you thought me many thing, but I never understood this one. Why would you be afraid of the anger of a patient man? However, I had to learn this one the hard way. Pops, I am a patient man and I am extremely proud of this, but there is nothing more that I fear then when someone pushes me to the edge.” Christopher eyes started to water and a few tears dripped from them.\n\n \n\nIt has been two years since he last felt this fear and he promised himself this would also be the last time. It was just a typical day, he woke up, showered, ate breakfast, kissed his beautiful Maggie goodbye, went to work and came home. However everything that happened afterwards was anything but ordinary. As he opened the door he was greeted by a thrashed house, he ran inside and saw his wife in the living room having one of her mood swings. He tried to calm her down, but none of the usual tricks helped. She just kept screaming, crying and swearing at him. Her words still echo through his mind “IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”. This was the moment he for the first time felt the fear of an angry patient man.\n\n \n\nHe tried to unclench his fist, but her screaming just made it tighter and that is when all the fear, when all the anger was released in one swing. This was the first time he ever punched her or anybody else for a matter, but it wasn’t the last. His anger was burning and nothing could have stopped him in this moment. He kept hitting her, over and over and over again. He will never forget the sound of her skull cracking and he will never forget the blood that was smeared all over the living room.", "Raj was one of the farmers who lived with his daughter on the edge of the village. Despite his appearance ( a muscular frame sculpted from years of hard work and long jet black beard) he was one of the kindest men I have ever met. He is known in our village because although he rarely comes into town whenever he does it is a real treat. I often sat with Raj and listened to stories from his younger days or played with his daughter (she was close to my age at the time)...but that was before. \n\nOur world seems to run on the merits of physical strength and monetary standing; around the time of the incident a new lord had just taken over our land. He sent his soldiers into town to \"keep his peace\" but with no regulation things got fairly rough. The few strong men in our village couldn't stand up to the garrison of 15 well trained armed men from the castle; which meant there was no one to stop them from being base criminals. It was after around a month of their petty crime (extorting the baker, drinking for free at the inn, and just being a menace to the people) that they first met Raj. \n\nI'll never forget the day Raj walked into town pulling a cart of his fresh crops to feed the poor. His massive form was shredded and bulging; straining against the bulk of food he was bringing to town (and the added weight of his daughter on the cart). It would have taken most men using an ox to pull that cart but Raj...well he's Raj. The problems started when Raj began his usual routine of unloading half of his crop into the food bank, a donation for the town. \n\nOne of the soldiers Mark, a thin framed asshole , approached Raj and jokingly remarked about him being a waste of muscle. Raj merely apologized to the man for his perceived problem and began walking away. The other soldiers seeing the man as weak joined mark spewing insults at Raj and began hitting him as if he was an oxen. Throughout all of this Raj kept a smile on his face and apologized, he only saw the good in men, a fact soon to change. As Raj left for his farm later that evening (covered in small bruises from the switches made by the soldiers) he seemed depleted- as if it had taken the full strength of his soul to accept the punishment he was just meted. I had never seen him look haggard and worn but that night for the first time I saw his age and realized how old he actually was. His daughter was staying the night with an older women who was sick (she was trained in medicine- I don't know how she knew it). \n\nThe shitbag Mark couldn't leave well enough alone and it was on this night they decided to test their luck. I don't know what happened exactly- I only know what I heard- the soldiers ran into Raj's daughter in the early morning and by the time she got home she had suffered severe trauma. The soldiers assumed Raj was too much of a pussy to do anything and knew the town wasn't strong enough to kick them out. What they didn't plan on... was the anger of a gentle man...or should I say rage.\n\n Raj came walking down the dusty road into town a few hours later. I could tell it was him because of the size of his form with the sun at his back. He wasn't walking how he normally did, a soft gentle gait, he moved with precision and force. The ground seemed to quake at his approach and the air itself seemed afraid. When he got close enough to see his face I couldn't recognize him- his smile had melted away and a scowl twisted by rage had replaced it. His eyes which were normally filled with light and love were cold and inhuman, his beard normally well kept was twisted and wild. His hands were molded into fists, his muscular arms rippled and his veins bulged under the strain of their form- these fleshy hammers had been formed from the darkest aspects of his soul. \n\n\"Mark \" Raj bellowed with such force that the heavens shook and my body was frozen by fear. The soldier approached him somehow un-phased by this display of sheer power (he was probably too dumb to realize what happened) and placed his hand on Raj's bulging chest. As Mark open his mouth to speak he was met with a thunderous knee to the chest. In one blow Raj had broken half of Mark's ribs and dropped him to his knees. Raj placed his enormous hands on either side of Mark's head and interlocked his fingers tight- with the strength that comes from years of hard work under the sun- and ultimate rage he brought his palms together. Mark's head exploded and flattened like a pancake under the immense pressure; Raj tore out the spine from where Mark's head used to be and with a demonic roar charged the garrison house. They had forgotten that people are people and they had elicited a gentle mans rage. \n\n", "The general knocked on the door, three loud slams on the door. He was just done with the third one as the door opened.\n\n \"And who is it that disturbs the Lord at this hour?\"\n\nThe general sighed as he replied: \"I am sorry to inform the Lord that it is time.\"\n\nThe mans face was hidden in the door, but his voice upheld the welcoming tone: \"The Lord will awake shortly, would you care to join us for breakfeast, Sir?\"\n\nThe General considered the request, and stepped into the large house. As he closed the door the tall man walked down the stairs while checking his pocket watch. \n\n\"The Lord wishes to pack his things alone, but he will join you afterwards.\"\n\nThe man showed way to the dining hall and pulled out a chair at one of the ends of the table.\n\n\"Do you want any wine with the eggs, Sir?\"\n\nThe General nodded as the man poured.\n\n\"If I may ask, how was the road down here, Sir?\"\n\n\"There were...\" \n\nThe General paused, closed his eyes.\n\n\"..issues. While on the ship we met a storm, large portions of the crew passed while it fought on, when we finally crossed we had a easy road. However, there were problems with some of my men. Such gullible people, they even thought that a moonless night meant trouble for us.\" \n\nThe General paused to laugh, and toasted to the man. \n\n\"On the way we actually went through a village. The tavern was nice, cant remember the name though. The people there were scared of us, that's what war does to you, but your Lord wont face those issues, he'll be coming with us.\"\n\n\"And how did the village treat you, Sir?\"\n\nThe man sat down at a fitting distance and looked at the General.\n\n\"It treated me well, lots of taxes to collect you know. Do you know what happens to those who dont pay taxes, butler? Well, the married lot there looked terrible; rugged and loose. But the little ones....\"\n\nThe General smiled and closed his eyes, remembering the screams some of them uttered. When he opened his eyes the man was out of sight.\n\n\"No more of the wine, butler, it had an awful taste.\"\n\nThe man sat down at the end of the table, folding his hands as he looked over at the General.\n\n\"Quite so... it seems like I'll have to travel into town later today. We're out of rat poison, terrible thing these rats.\"\n\nThe man pulled out a ring and put it on his right ring finger, the ring carried the sigil of the house.\n\n\"Rats running around, ruining everything in its way. Disgusting creatures they are.\"\n\nThe General tried to move. He fell down to the floor as he tried to rise from his chair, excruciating pain started to grow from his stomach.\n\n\"Oh don't move, good sir. It'll spread faster that way.\"\n\nThe Generals eyes widened as the blade came into view.\n\n\"You know, I did always consider myself a gentle man, but times are changing, arent they, Sir?\"\n\nThe General screamed as the blade pierced through his left eye. \n\n", "The wind kissed my face angrily,\n\nWith a sharpness from the sea,\n\nI sat out looking longingly,\n\nFor him to come back home to me.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe sky was growing darker,\n\nViolent clouds and a moonless sky,\n\nMy terror grew ever starker,\n\nMy heart pleaded why oh why!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy lover was a gentle man,\n\nWhose heart belonged at sea,\n\nBut when ocean storms raged on he ran,\n\nThe storm's eye is where he'd be.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHis wrath grew with the sea storm,\n\nHis anger changed him whole,\n\nThe gentle man I knew, so warm,\n\nTransformed, a devilish troll.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI still long for my gentle lover,\n\nBut in you, I must confide in,\n\nI know wise men will soon discover,\n\nHis name, the great Poseidon.\n", "Anders, Lunas, and Waren spent several mornings like this, in one tavern or another, starting the day with bracing drinks and hot food. They adventured together, friends and comrades, loyal to one another until the end. Theirs was an unspoken accord, damn near a sacred creed. Lunas had spent so much time on her own, mourning those she'd lost, trying not to acknowledge the fact that she feared losing even more.\n\nThe way she'd lost Blair.\n\nHe'd been one of them. He'd fought fiercely, with a boisterous heart, a warmth that drew people to him, and a gentleness that kept them close. Lunas most of all. But he was tempermental, in spite of his intentions and better nature. She'd been warned of that. And she'd ignored the warnings. When it all came crashing down, and the jilted and fallen came for Blair's blood, Lunas had felt regret and embarassment, withdrawing from the debacle for her own survival. It broke her heart, and left her mourning yet again, with nobody to share the burden of her grief.\n\nShe found herself thinking of him as they sat over their brunch with their drinks, trying to ignore the empty place at the table and in her heart with her dry wit and appreciation for the others there.\n\nAnd then Blair walked in.\n\nHe didn't seem to notice them; if he did, he wasn't going to engage them. He made his way to the far end of the bar, alone, and he sat. Even now, after everything, there was a gentleness to him; he avoided those between him and the bar, clearly making apologies to others, smiling kindly at the barkeep. Others had accused him of such things being a false front; Lunas had never seen him as being false. But, she had to admit, her own bias might have gotten in the way, projecting onto Blair what she wanted to see, both in a dear friend, and in herself.\n\nAnders and Waren followed her sightline. Waren, for his part, drained his tankard and got to his feet.\n\n\"No,\" said Lunas, grabbing Waren by the wrist. \"Leave it be. We already got our justice. We already won. Why do anything more?\"\n\n\"Aw, just let me gloat a little.\" Waren sneered. \"I want to see how pathetic he's become. We stripped him, whipped him, and drove him out of town, remember? I want to see if he still has trouble walking. Besides, I need another.\"\n\nHe twisted out of her grip and ambled towards the bar. Lunas sat back. Discomfort roiled in her stomach. This was such a bad idea. She turned to Anders, who shrugged. He wasn't about to get up. He'd already done his part, said his piece, inflicted his damage a long time ago. He was content to let it lie. That sort of discretion is why Lunas had always had Anders' side, and why she'd chosen that one over Blair.\n\nBlair didn't turn to face the approaching Waren. The shaggy-haired veteran leaned over the bar to leer at the outcast.\n\nThe noise of the tavern swallowed what they were saying. Anders watched with concern. Lunas couldn't tear her eyes away.\n\nSuddenly, Waren bellowed. \"Gods curse you, answer me, you coward!\"\n\nThe tavern fell silent. All eyes turned to the bar.\n\n\"I've asked you once,\" came Blair's voice. It was crisp, and eloquent, as the bard had always been. But there was a coldness, too, a hardness that Lunas wasn't used to hearing. Steel was in that voice, in the man's spine. \"I won't ask again. Leave me be.\"\n\n\"Get out,\" Waren growled. \"You don't belong here. Anywhere near here. You are an outcast. So cast yourself out.\"\n\n\"I can live and go where I please,\" Blair replied. \"This land is free, last I checked. And you are neither constable nor adjudicator. You are not the law.\" His voice became more gentle. \"I want no further quarrel with you. Let the dead lay.\"\n\n\"How dare you sit there, like you're a person of worth, like you have a place here. You're not welcome here! You're not welcome anywhere! Begone!\"\n\n\"No.\" Blair finally turned to face Waren. His eyes, the blue of a sea about to be consumed by a storm, stared at the former comrade. \"Just because you say I am unwelcome does not mean I am worthless. Just because I refuse to engage in your petty short-sighted emotional goading does not make me a coward. And just because you want to make yourself look better by making me look worse does not make you the better man.\" His jaw tightened, as if he was holding back the fury that had once marked him as a traitor and monster, and he said the next very carefully, enunciating each word deliberately. \"Leave. Me. In. Peace.\"\n\nWaren roared, and swung with his mug. It was stoneware, heavy, and could crack a man's skull. But Blair was fast. He kicked back from the bar, his stool toppling under him, and he stayed on his feet, long limbs staying balanced. The bard grabbed the stool by the leg as it fell, and he swung it at the veteran, sweeping it to make a clear space. Waren was undeterred, and came at him again. Blair, now with the stool in both hands, shoved the seat towards the veteran. It was not as damaging a weapon as the mug, but it had reach. It caught Waren in the midsection, and the shaggy veteran exhaled a whoof of air. Blair backpedaled, then crouched, reaching out again with his improvised weapon, and got the rim of the seat past Waren's ankle, at which point he pulled the stool back towards him. Tripped, Waren fell on his ass, the mug clattering away. Blair stood.\n\n\"If I were what you say I am,\" Blair bellowed, unable to keep the heat from his voice any longer, \"I would kill you here and now, as you lay on your back with no means to defend yourself. But I am not what you said I am. What you see is not what you want to see, but the man I am now. I chose a new path. I chose to get better, do better, be better. And I am. And I do not give a single solitary rut if you believe that or not. Cling to whatever 'truth' you like; the facts are what matter.\" He removed a coin, and tossed it onto Waren's prone body. The veteran stared, confused, furious. \"Have one on me.\"\n\nGathering his cloak from where it had fallen, Blair tossed another coin at the barkeep - \"Apologies for the mess\" - and turned for the door.\n\nBefore she knew what she was doing, Lunas was on her feet, heedless of Anders reaching for her to stop her. A few quick strides brought her to face Blair, inches from the door. For a long moment, they stared at one another.\n\nFear shot through Lunas to her heart. She looked into his eyes. His frustration and anger were giving way to the gentleness she'd seen in him long before, a gentleness that had drawn them together, holding each other close at night, sharing each other's burdens of grief, celebrating one another's joys. She saw the torch burning in his soul. And, in spite of herself, embers of something within her own were stoked, turned over, sparked.\n\nHer voice trembled. \"It's good to see you, Blair.\"\n\nHe blinked. His throat clenched and unclenched in a nervous swallow. \"It's good to see you too, Lunas.\"\n\n\"Let me... let me buy you a drink.\"\n\nHe smiled. \"I'd like that.\" He looked to the bar, to the shape of Waren getting back to his feet. \"But now may not be the best time. Maybe if we meet again.\"\n\nShe followed his gaze. \"Let me talk to-\"\n\nWhen she turned back, he was gone.\n\nTears suddenly came to her eyes. Her hands clenched into fists.\n\nShe hated him all over again, yet longed to tell him how her choice had hurt her, too, and while she was uncertain if what she felt was true, if she could actually be on his side again, she was there, and she was listening, and she had missed him.\n\nHis voice lingered in her ears, as gentle as his damaged soul.\n\nMaybe if we meet again.\n\nShe bit her lip, and nodded.\n\n\"We will.\"", "We only feared the storms \nBecause the gentle man \nWas a god, \nAnd director of flight missions. \n\nOut on the perimeter, \nOn our new Earth, \nTitan's pale, blue awning \nHid the moon. \n\nEven good men become \nMasters of war. \nHe left us, \n\nDissented \nStranded \n\nOur beacon forever pinging \nCold into deep space. \n\nEdit: Formatting", "\"What was that saying about wise men and nights?\" Aubreys voice came from behind him, gentle as always, with that little tinge of curiousity he had fallen for. \n \n\"Wise men fear a night with no moon?\"\n \n \n\"That's the one. Why do you think they would fear a moonless night? I think its beautiful.\" A bit of whimsy in her voice now, hinting at a playfulness Alan knew was lurking beneath. \n \n\"Who knows, really?\" Turning, he stopped before her, staring into her eyes, \"And you're right, it is beautiful.\" He kissed her, softly, before turning back around and continuing their walk. After a few steps, he realized he did not hear the clicking foot falls of her heels behind him. Stopping again, he turned once more, seeing her staring up at the sky. \n \n\"What's wrong?\" \n \nShe lowered her gaze to his, her eyes slightly blank. \"Where are we going?\" \n \n\"Home, dear. Come along now.\" He reached his arm out and softly clasped his hand with hers. \"We're going home.\" \n \n\"Oh. What was that saying about wise men and nights?\" \n \n\"That wise men fear a moonless night?\" He continued to walk, her hand in his. \n \n \n\"That's the one. Why do you think they would fear a moonless night? I think it's beautiful\" Her voice was quieter now, growing more tired. \n \n\"I don't know, dear. But you are right, it's beautiful. Now lets get back to the home. It's gotten chilly, and I don't want either of us catching cold.\" Hand in hand, they walked walked quietly into the gentle night. Accompanied by a cool breeze and the call of an owl. \n \n \n(Edited some typos my phone didn't believe were typos.)", "The thousand terrors of life I had borne as I best could, but storms and pitch-black always terrified me. Being a kid, I often played with my childhood friend Luchresi on the shore, until one day (or should I say one night?) the devastating power of nature hit us.\n\nStorm came out of nowhere, along with heavy rain, and wind so cold it would freeze a cadaver. The clouds were so dense, no moon was to be seen, nothing could be seen really, we tried to get away from the raging sea, holding hands in the darkness so that we won't get separated - the noise was so loud and the world was so black, we'd never find each other if we let go for just a moment. We seemed to be unable to even distance ourselves from the body of unholy water, let alone getting home, so we just sat there for hours and hours until they felt like eons. And then the sun showed up.\n\nLuchresi almost died from pneumonia the following week. My sufferings were of another kind - since then I coughed for hours if I dared to enter a moist room or cellar. After having suffered that for a few times, I decided it was best to avoid such places completely. I have no idea what it would take to make me voluntarily step into one. \n\nSince that torment happened to us I am only afraid of two things: storm at sea and moonless nights. I do not and never have found a reason to fear anything other than those two. In a way, my night in hell gave me courage to always say what I want and do what I think is right and made me a person to be respected, sometimes even feared. Never will I be scared of anything else, and as long as I avoid my two fears and remain bold with everything and everyone else I am sure I will live a long and meaningful life.\n\nI have to be excused now, it was refreshing to open up to a stranger at a carnival, but a good friend of mine, Montresor - what a stupid family name, don't you think? - is approaching, I should really go and talk to him and make sure he doesn't hold a grudge against me for that admittedly tasteless joke I made a month ago. ", "I've traveled a fair bit. I've only been truly scared 3 times. They are evenly spread out over my life, so let us begin... age 21...\n\nYou know me, I always talk about Sydney this, Sydney that, but that is where I traveled when I was the age written above. I had just arrived in Sydney, and I was a stranger to the seaside. Sydney is prone to storms, I tell you.\n\nI left Canberra in autumn. I was at the Jollimont Center, with a backpack containing a few cotton clothes. I was a note-taker from the very start. I have some handwritten pages still here somewhere...\n\nI arrived at Central Station. I thought about cigarettes. Unfortunately, for a smoker, the Greyhound ride is difficult. I know you smokers will claim going four hours without a cigarette, isn't, but it's a blessing to be able to breath for four hours, without those unhealthy things.\n\nI looked out at the cooling dusk. The sky above Central Station was holding on to it's blue hue. I departed with a spring in my step. Youth was gone, yet I still pretended I had one. I never had a girlfriend in my youth, so I consider it a missed opportunity, and, really, no youth at all. You are supposed to have women in your youth. Later, I lost my virginity to a girl who stole 4 years from the remainder of my youth, by drinking herself to death in my presence.\n\nI think a lot about her, even now. She had a way of strangling up my brain, and inciting my anger. I'd give, and she'd just want more. She would assume that everything I owned was hers. She'd assume I would give her a third of my earnings. It was too close. Her smokey breathing, would keep me awake at night as I lay next to her. Girls I have now, relax my with their full-of-life breathing.\n\nShe had her good points. She'd act endearing, genuine endearment. She would never complain, even though her lifestyle wasn't predelicted to comfort.\n\nI was on the open road now. Leaving her. (a greyhound, and a stretch of road between me and her pretty face.)\n\nI decided I'd get a place at a homelessness shelter. I had $15 to my name, and you're charged at the homelessness shelters at Sydney. The street is OK to sleep on, but who wants that?\n\nMy budget obviously had a taste for stealing the nearest bedroll off a homeless man.\n\nThen I saw the sea in storm, in my travels of Sydney. I was in no mood, and the sea storm made my barely-aware, virgin, whimsical self be predelicted to hot tempers, as the landscape may predelict, angry as it was. The storm clouds swirled blue, above a deep, ponderous sea, black except for brilliant white crests.\n\nI gulped.\n\nThe wind blew as I walked down the beach. I got close to the the smashing waves. Too close. A wave bubbled around my knees.\n\nThat was the first time.\n\nThe second was at the same region, Northern Beaches, the beach, I remember even now, Dee Why. I was mentally ill. I was in a constant state of Mental Illness those days, but it could just as easily be called naivety. I'm not talking myself up, saying I'm not naive now - I'm saying I was separate entity then.\n\nGuys going to jobs, driving SUVs, wearing aftershave, and resources - not there. Just me, my virgin self, trying to satisfy my bottomless ego, when I was a oily, weasel, schizoid, manged and other illnesses, scrawny bird.\n\nI then saw the night without a moon, eating stolen chocolate, at a point in my life, where I didn't even own a blanket.\n\nThen, there is now. Anger is a funny thing. I may be about to cross the threshold over to the most peaceful place a human can concieve, but these people I had to live with, well, they got at me. I've never hurt anyone, but they've been the scurge of my life, the way they treated me.\n\nAnyway, that's all the time I've got. I will tell you the rest tomorrow. I must fight the anger now.\n\nIt's funny, the young ones, who don't think of others, plague me to this day.\n\nTHE END.", "There's an old saying that goes:\n\n“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”\n\nA normal man would take that at face value. Sure, a stormy sea is dangerous, a night with no moon is terrifying, and the anger of a gentle man is explosive. But what this saying is really about... women.\n\nWomen- emotional- often symbolized by water. When calm, gentle and soothing. But when enraged, a dangerous storm. Women- also sometimes symbolized by the moon. A dark night is nothing if you have your moon. But too many alone is insufferable. Take it from me. \n\nIf you want to stretch the symbology, we could say that women are a gentler form of man... But we all know that gentle men are just crazy.", "Becky stopped around a corner to catch her breath, her heart was racing after running what seemed like half the campus. As she stared up at the moonless night, she tried to make sense of what had just happened. \n\nShe was just about to go to a show with her friend Ron when they ran in to Ben on the way. Everything seemed fine, Becky did her best to keep her cool around him, but when she introduce Ron he just lost it. It didn't make any sense, one minute they were about to shake hands and right around when she said \"Ron\" he just pounced on him. All she could see was blood and screams and...\n\nBecky calmed herself. \"It's okay Becky, breathe. This isn't real. This can't be real. Hehe, I bet those guys met beforehand and this is just some prank meant to scare me.\" She began slowly walking back, only half believing herself. As much as she wanted to, something about it just seemed so real and sudden, but it couldn't be real, Ron was one of the nicest guys she knew, he couldn't hurt a fly. As she turned around the corner to where they had been standing in the southern courtyard she was shocked to see, nothing. Nobody was anywhere to be seen. She began calling out for Ben, or Ron, or anybody, and was answered with only a breeze, a breeze with a slightly odd smell to it. \n\n\"Oh god\" Becky said covering her face, as the breeze changed direction the smell became more intense, from an ambiguous stink to a putrid stench. It smelled like the cafeteria had dumped their bad meat at the same time that the schools septic tank had burst. Becky headed for her dorm content with never encountering this smell again, \"I'm sure Ben and Ron are fine, I'll just check in on them tomorrow\". However as she walked she had a troubling realisation: The smell had gotten stronger. Practically filling her nose at this point, she decided she had had enough of tonight, covered her nose and started running towards her dorm. Down the stairs, left around the lower atrium and two buildings past the eastern gymnasium and she would finally be... be... \n\nBecky dropped to her knees. She wanted to look away but she needed to take it all in, to find any way it could be not real.As the intense sound of blood rushing through her head faded she heard a soul curdling scream only to realize it was hers, as were the tears running down her face. Strung up against the A in gymnasium, was Ben, bloody, beaten and most notably dissembowelled. As Becky wept and scream to the air for help she felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped up so fast she felt as though she may very well leave her skin behind. As she turned she saw Ron, bloody and disheveled. \"RON! Ron oh my god Ron please help, first that whole thing before and now...\" She could barely speak as she helplessly choked on her tears. \" Oh my god Ron what happened to you WHAT HAPPENED TO BEN oh my god are you okay?\" \n\nRon grabbed her shoulders to steady her \"Hey now, it's fine, I'm fine, everything is fine\". Becky began to calm down even if only a little \"But, but BEN\". Ron pulled her into his shoulder and pet her hair as comfort \"Shhhhh shh, it's okay, what's important is that you and I are both fine, and now there's nobody in the way anymore, you should be happy.\" Ron responded. Becky pushed off his chest \"Happy?! Ron, BEN IS DEAD!!\", Her disgust was only furthered by his smile at that remark \"Exactly! Now there's no one to come in between us, Ben tried to take you away from me but now Ben's gone, we can finally be together, forever.\"\n\nRon reached in to embrace her again but Becky was quick enough to avoid it, she still hadn't made sense of any of this and things kept getting crazier by the second. Just trying to break things down made her thoughts sound like Grand Central Station during rush hour. All she knew was that she had to get away from Ron now. \"Don't you want us to be together forever?\" Ron said, his arms outstretched, creeping forward. All Becky could muster was \"Please don't follow me!\" Before taking off in a mad dash for her dorm house. She looked back for a moment to see nothing behind her before she crashed into something soft, something wet, something Ron. \"Oh come on now, I've been chasing after you for months, doesn't that earn me something?\" His facial features were odd, caricatures of what they were, his eyes seemed smaller, yet his mouth seemed larger, but all Becky could think of was his speed \" Wha- how did- when-.\" Reasoning was beyond her now, the only thing her brain would let her focus on was survival as she ran down the nearest alley. She could still hear Ron's voice echoing behind her \"You know, it really hurt my feelings when you said I was your friend^ I mean I've always been nothing but a gentleman and thats all I get?^ I guess it's true what they say about nice guys.\"\n\nBecky stopped around a corner to catch her breath, her heart was racing after running what seemed like half the campus. As she stared up at the moonless night, she tried to make sense of what had just happened. Her thoughts were cut of by a loud deep voice in the distance \n\n\"OKAY BECKY NOW YOU'RE MAKING ME MAD\" \n\n\"I COULD TREAT YOU SO MUCH BETTER THAN BEN\"\n\n\"WHY DONT GIRLS LIKE YOI GIVE NICE GUYS LIKE ME A CHANCE\"\n\n\"BECKY\"\n\nBecky was stuck in a dead end, with nowhere to run. With no escape her only choice was to hide behind the pile of trash at the end of the alley. \"PLEASE DONT FIND ME PLEASE DONT FIND ME PLEASE DONT FIND ME\" was all she could think, the closest semblance she could muster to a prayer. A prayer which was unanswered as she heard a loud * WOMP * in front of her hiding spot followed by a low animalistic growl, and the final words she would hear from the beast she thought was her best friend\n\n\"Becky... LEMME SMASH\".", "Bob was a quiet man. He was of medium height, neither tall nor short and not too thin, though on the slender side of things. He wore a button down long-sleeved shirt, blue or brown slacks, and brown shoes. He wore glasses and was slightly balding. In the winter, he wore a different sweater each day.\n\nEvery day, Bob went into the Grayson Middle School, took a cup of coffee from the teacher's lounge, checked his mailbox, and went to his room. He taught Middle School Science. Each day, his students arrived eager to see what Bob had planned for the day. His voice was soft-spoken, not particularly exciting, but the things he said with that voice made the science come alive. \n\nAt least twice a week, there were laboratory experiments or demonstrations. Chemicals made showers of sparks and colored smoke and terrible smells. Rocks gave up their secrets and, on late nights when he held astronomy club meetings, the telescope Bob had built with his own hands brought the stars and planets right to earth to tell stories of heroes of long ago, and perhaps of wonders undiscovered.\n\nYet, it wasn't for all of this that the people of Hall Grove loved Bob. No, it was something else entirely. You see, though Bob was in his late forties, he'd never married. He had no children of his own, but all of the children that came through Grayson Middle School became his. Though there were inevitably a few difficult students who caused problems, but for the most part, they loved Bob. And they love him for one reason: Bob loved them.\n\nAs a result, Bob was trusted by administrators, parents, and students alike. Students would often come and talk to him after school. He was often alone with them, and many times over his twenty-six years, students, both male and female, had cried while he helped wipe their tears, offered a sympathetic ear, or a shoulder to cry on.\n\nThe closeness he had with so many would have been cause for alarm with most teachers. After all, an aging man who has never married alone with young teenagers so often? Surely something insidious was happening?\n\nBut there wasn't. Not even a rumor. Not even once. Bob was a gentle soul. Bob simply loved his kids as two, and sometimes even three generations could attest.\n\nOne day, like any number of others, one of his seventh grade girls showed up in his classroom door.\n\n\"Mr. Johns?\"\n\nBob looked up from the papers he was grading.\n\n\"Suzette? Please, come in. What can I do for you today?\"\n\n\"I need to talk to someone Mr. Johns. I don't know who to go to.\"\n\nThere were tears in Suzette's eyes.\n\n\"Please, sit down,\" Bob said, handing her the box of tissue from his desk.\n\n\"What seems to be the matter?\"\n\nNo one knows what Suzette told Bob that day. What is known is that Suzette and her little sister and brother went to Bob's house that evening and they went to live with foster parents that weekend.\n\nThat evening, Bob went to Suzette's parent's home after dropping her and her siblings at his own. Like the conversation with Suzette, no one knows what was said. Bob never spoke of it. Not when he called the local sheriff, not when the sheriff arrived at the Terrence residence, not when he was booked into the system, not when he stood trial, and not when he went to prison. \n\nThe papers reported on that evening. The television news channels covered it. People burned up the local message boards with talk. \n\nWhen the sheriff had arrived, Daniel and Linda Terrence had been found in their home, lying in the kitchen floor. Their bodies had been cleanly decapitated. A sharp carving knife was laid on the table, yet covered in blood.\n\nBob was calmly sitting on the sofa with blood on his light blue sweater whenever there sheriff arrived.\n\nThe process of decapitation had likely taken a while given the weapon used.\nAn autopsy would later show that they had been given a strong paralyzingly agent. They'd been awake the entire time, but unable to move, unable to scream. \n\nWhen searching the residence, the sheriff's department found videos and pictures. The television news did not show clips. The newspapers did not run the pictures. The words\"Child Pornography\" were used often in the reports. \n\nNo one could believe what had occurred, the crime that the Terrence's had been involved in. And moreso, people of the small town could not reconcile the man they had known for so long with the brutality of the Terrence couple's death. When asked by the news reporters, the sheriff only ever gave one statement:\n\n\"Beware the wrath of a gentle man.\"", "Late to the party, here goes. I have substituted \"wrath\" for \"anger\" for the sake of meter.\n\n#The Wrath of a Gentle Man#\n\n---\n\n When I was still a youth my father said\n The hour draws near\n to teach you, as my father did, those things \n all wise men fear.\n\n The ocean vast, majestic, calm, the thoughtful \n heart keeps warm,\n But wisely clings to safety's shore in tempest\n and in storm.\n\n The moonlit night restores the soul, whether\n you wake or sleep,\n But 'pon new moon what evil tracks its ways\n in darkness deep?\n\n Still worse than these, the wise man knows, it's pow'r\n he can't withstand:\n Do not awake, do not arouse\n the wrath of a gentle man.\n\n---\n\n Th'unending depths, the vast expanse the sailor\n hoids these dear.\n With rope and sail and oar in hand, he conquers\n every fear.\n\n But when the waves do toss and break and rake\n him o'er the coals,\n The wise man seeks the harbor's calm, avoids \n the wrecking shoals.\n\n Still though how mount'nous are the crests, how low the\n valleyed troughs,\n The wise man fears more'n ocean storm and leaves it\n lie far off.\n\n Poseidon's rage may splinter ships, and hopeless\n sailors strand,\n But fearsome'r still than crashing waves\n is the wrath of a gentle man.\n\n---\n\n The hunter has no fear at nighttime when \n the moon is raised.\n No friend nor foe, no prey nor snare escapes\n his piercing gaze.\n\n But when the moon hath hid its face, the dark path\n he doth shun:\n The wise man tarries not at night, while shadows\n lengthening run.\n\n But still preferred is moonless night, all trackless,\n wand'ring, lost,\n The wise man knows that other fears may fetch\n a dearer cost.\n\n The hounds of hell may howl and bay within that\n trackless stand,\n But fearsome'r still in the dead of night\n is the wrath of a gentle man.\n\n---\n\n The darkened night, the raging storm, strike fear\n in wisest heart,\n If length of days be yours, my son, avoid them\n for your part.\n\n But peace, for only nature's whims are dangers\n such as these;\n Let not the troubles of this kind your arms\n t'inaction seize.\n\n Betrayal by friend, thy foe's keen sword, o'er these\n the wise prevails.\n And nature's strength the wise man turns and of it's\n pow'r avails.\n\n But though he toil, though he prepare, no matter\n what his plan,\n Even the wise man can't survive\n the wrath of a gentle man.\n ", "‘There are three things all wise men fear’ he said, ‘the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man. I think all here would agree that I am a gentle man, but you are testing my patience now, child. If you are who you say you are, you know what slander is the accusation you are making.’\n\nTaryn cast her eyes down as these words fell from the aelderman’s lips. Her spear-holding hand dropped from upright to languorous and the pointed bronze tip traced a bolt-straight line in the dusty hall floor as she stepped towards him. \n\n‘Perhaps you are right, Aelder Llewel.’ Then a pause. Taryn’s pupils glance up quickly to meet his, then fall back once more and she continues to cross the room towards the old man. The villagers hem the two in a circle like a dog and a stag in a clearing edged by hunters’ nets.\n\n‘I have been travelling so long, sir. Forgive a weary traveller. And forgive me again if what I’m about to say upsets you, but I remember my last night here was a moonless one.’\n\nThe close packed villagers can be seen to bristle. The memory forms physical ripples through the crowd. \n\n‘And that night could not have brought more fear, my child.’ The aelderman steps forward as he talks and raises his hands out low from his sides. ‘We remember the night you and the other young ones were taken every year on the night where there is no moon and the days are shortest. And we beg the gods have mercy on us and our other children.’ He was nearly shouting now. ‘What happened to you was the greatest evil this village has ever suffered, but we must put it to bed if we wish to live in the present, here, among the living, rather than continually mourn with you and our dead.’\n\nNow he was shouting. A speck of saliva grazed Taryn’s girded dress. The villagers looked away to deny the sight of the aelder angry. Taryn took another step. The two were mere yards apart now.\n\n‘With respect, aelder, the reason we might fear a moonless night is because we cannot see. But there is another reason why we could not see that night, Llewel. There were no fires. The raiders always brought fire before. Their lord Virrik called for it. Fire to burn our houses when they slaughtered us and stripped us and took what little we had. But that night there were no fires. No slaughter and no robbery.’\n\n‘THEY STOLE OUR CHILDREN. WHAT MATTER IS THERE IF THERE WAS FIRE OR NOT?’ One of the village men broke into loud sobs at this point. His wife draped her arms around to comfort him but he batted her away and for a long time only his mad sobs broke the silence in the hall.\n\n‘It was not robbery,’ Taryn continues ‘it was sale. You sold us. Your own children. All of you, all of your children. There may not have been light, aelder,’ she hissed the word out ‘but I could hear you talking to him, telling him about how soundly the village slept when you had been the one to fill the mixing bowl.’\n\n‘THIS IS PREPOSTEROUS.’\n\n‘They left you the crops, is that it? And whatever small treasures you had? Maybe they swore they wouldn’t come again? And you believed them?’\n\nThe aelderman took a breath, then, firmly ‘I will talk to this girl alone now’. The villagers were driven out by the aelderman’s two main men, who then came to stand behind him while the villagers lingered outside the hall in anticipation and torpor. \n\nAelder Llewel spoke to her quietly now, for fear, justified fear, that the village might still be listening.\n\n‘I did what was best for the village. We could not survive another raid. If they had burnt our granary again we would all be dead. You of all people should understand a person’s instinct to survive.’ And with that he gave a nod to his men that could only mean one thing, and walked past Taryn to the stand under the great hall’s doorway, turning to watch his men at work.\n\nAs Taryn crossed the floor towards the aelderman’s first man and with a swift two-handed thrust of her spear pierced his neck, his jugular, before he could even draw his sword, she could have told him about the other, the many other moonless nights over many years, which she had spent in misery and slavery and Lord Virrik’s bed, when she could only talk to the other stolen children through whispers and glances and coded messages through passed objects. \n\nThen Taryn wrenched back her spear from the corpse she had made, and lunged with it, piercing the second man’s leg through, pinning him to the floor as he fell. A visceral yelp of pain echoed in the chamber and as Taryn circled the pinned man, who though fading fast was jabbing at the air with his sword, she could have told him about the storm at sea that had killed most of her crew of stolen siblings, after she had slit Lord Virrik’s throat while he slept and commandeered the very ship that once stole them.\n\nAt last she found the right time to dive upon the man, lithe and strong from years of frenzied practice for this day, and she wrestled the sword from his man and with one swift move took his head from his shoulders.\n\nShe took sword and spear with her as she ran from the hall, in pursuit of the aelderman, who found himself once again ringed in by villagers, angry now, baying for blood to expiate the blood of their sons and daughters. Her spear thrust up under his ribs and found his lungs and heart, and as his soul fled his useless body she thought his saying had been wrong. Fear the storm at sea, and the moonless night, yes. But though she was neither gentle nor a man, he would have done well to fear her the more.\n\nEdit: typos\n", "I never once saw the captain angry. Not before that night. It was rare, a captain who never shouted. He was Stern with his expectations, but he was kind and fair. He knew what his crew was capable of, even if we didn't, and he never pushed us further than we could go. Until that night. \n\nWe had been underway for six months at that point. We hadn't seen a port in four. I was loosing track of the at-sea-replenishments we had done. We were all tired and scared. But that's war. \n\nThe admiralty had been pushing us harder and harder. Combat action after combat action, and every time we had fewer and fewer ships supporting us. I hadn't seen a sub periscope in weeks, and I was convinced they been pulled off our battlegroup. Sure the destroyers has anti-sub capability, but you can't beat a sub when it comes to tracking and killing a sub. \n\nDespite this, the peace talks were progressing, and we all expected, or at least hoped, we would be sailing home soon. \n\nTwo days before that night, the fleet force Commander had arrived via chopper and embarked on our ship. His arrival had been saluted by a full broadside. It was my first time as gun captain on one of the triple 16-inch guns. It had been easy: make sure nothing was in sight that way, point the gun in that direction, and fire. If I was lucky, I had thought at the time, it would be the first AND last time I ever had to be in charge of those guns firing. \n\nThe day before that night, the clouds started rolling our way. They were monstrous grey things spewing lightening and the wind coming off then hit fifty knots before we even saw the first drop of rain. \n\nThat afternoon the news came in from HQ: the peace treaty would be signed within days. Cease all offensive action. \n\nThe enemy had been given the same orders it seemed, as all reports indicated they were grouping up and heading home. As the flotilla bounced on the waves and tried to keep from crashing into each other, we toasted with smuggled booze and cheered the coming peace. The captain sat on the bridge sipping coffee with a quiet smile on his face. \n\nThe FFC was not so merry. He'd lost a son to the enemy, and it had been whispered since his arrival that he didn't want the war over until every one of them was dead. He stood on the bridge pouring over reports and incoming data. \n\nIt was just after nightfall with the storm at its peak when the FFC turned with a vicious grin to our beloved captain. \"We have them!\" He said triumphantly. \"We can take them by surprise and sink half their damned fleet. They are a mere hundered nautical miles west. We can hit them no and make it look like the storm did it.\" As if to underscore his point, a crack of lighting snaked across the sky and thunder boomed across the ocean.\n\nThe Captain's smile had faded. \"Sir, respectfully, we have been ordered to cease offensive action. The war is all but over. Those sailors have families to go home to as well.\"\n\nThe FFC spat. \"To hell with them. With all of them! We attack. Turn this fleet toward theirs and make preparations for combat. Now!\" His eyes darted about the bridge. \"Crafty bastards might have us bugged. We have to act before they can act on their Intel!\" His eyes were wild and unfocused. His anger was blinding him to reason. \n\nThe captain narrowed his gaze. \"They out number us five to one already and more forces are converging to join them even now. Even with the element of surprise, sir, we cannot expect to...\"\n\nThe FFC was shouting now. The bridge had gone otherwise silent. \"Obey my orders captain or I will have you relieved!\"\n\nColor rose in the Captain's cheeks. He stood and straightened his uniform. \"Sir, perhaps we should continue this discussion outside. It is he only place we can be sure to speak freely.\" \n\nThe FFC merely nodded and headed for the weather deck. The captain began to follow, but nervously, I stopped him. \"Sir, respectfully under these sea conditions regulations state another sailor must act as safety observer.\"\n\nThe captain hesitated a moment, but then simply nodded. \"Make sure you have a life jacket on, shipmate. I don't want to loose you.\"\n\nThe three of us quickly dawned life jackets and headed through the hatch to the weather deck. The sea rolled, leapt and dove beneath us. The sky was black but for the lightning. I lit up my watch and checked the lunar function, a habit of mine before going outside at night. It was a new moon tonight. Above he clouds the star would be dazzling. \n\n\"Wait here.\" The captain put his hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eye with an earnestness I had never seen. \"What here son. I'll talk him down. We won't be having a battle tonight.\"\n\nI nodded and the captain walked with the grace of a dancer on the rolling deck toward the life lines, on which the FFC was leaning, waiting for the captain. I posed the hatch behind us and the darkness became nearly complete. \n\nOver the roar of the storm I could hear nothing but for flashes of lightning I could see nothing. Thanks sea wracked the ship with a fury I hadn't seen in all my days. I waited uneasily for the two high up brass to decide our fate. The captain had been right: to attack would mean out death. And perhaps and end to the peace talks. \n\nMinutes felt like hours as the rain lashed down. Finally I saw a figure working its way back to me. I opened the hatch to gain some light and dark the captain returning alone. In his hand was a life jacket. The FFC's life jacket. We stepped hurriedly into the ship. \n\nI was heading back for the bridge when the captain grabbed me and held me in place. \"He fell overboard. I reached out for him and grabbed a hold of his life jacket but it ripped off. He fell into the sea. I will proceed to the bridge and sound man overboard. You get safety gear ready for the deck lookouts.\" \n\nHe handed the life jacket to me and headed for the bridge at a stroll. I looked down at the jacket, then back to my beloved captain. I set the clasps back in place and wrenched hard, tearing the securing straps from the jacket. The captain was right. The FFC had fallen overboard. \n\nA week later we pulled into home port. The war was over. I never went to sea again.", "One night, when I was a young man travelling with my family, I had made my mind up to go for a swim. We were visiting friends who lived on a small island in the middle of a lake vast in size, a thousand feet deep, a hundred leagues long and fifty leagues across. The water was calm, small waves lazily caressed the small sand beach I stood on and the water as far as I could see was like a soft mirror of the black sky, broken up with specks of white froth and reflections of moon and star. \n\nAs often is the case, I was alone. I didn't think twice about wading into the chilly waters until I was waist deep before I let myself slide forward into a small wave, like collapsing into a bed, and began to slowly swim out. Though I was still young and physically small I was a strong swimmer, growing up on a lake I've always been very comfortable in the water. \n\nBy the time I stopped my relaxed swim and stopped, treading water and catching my breath I had gone much farther than intended and carried laterally by the current. I could still see the island, though I could barely spy the lights from the cabin windows it was enough, I had my bearings. I spun myself back around, back turned to the island and marveled at the beauty of the cloudless night sky and nothing but rolling water as far as I could see. \n\nI flipped over on my back and stared at the stars as I swam eastward, correcting the drift from the current, completely overwhelmed with beauty I wondered if the miracle of my life was as meaningful as the miracle of this lake. How would you even measure such a thing, the value of a miracle? I laughed and got a mouthful of water, stopping my backstroke I tread water once more and spit the water out. \n\nI very quickly noticed I was bobbing up and down much more as I scissored my legs and waved my arms. Turning myself back to face the island, it took a few moments to spot the light from the cabin window. The light. There was only one on, my family would soon be in bed and there would be no lights. You can understand this is a troubling realization to someone who's only begun to live their life. The wind and waves steadily increasing in severity did little to calm this realization.\n\nI began swimming in earnest, telling myself I had to get home before the lights went out or it would take forever to find the beach again. I subconsciously knew I was actually swimming for my life, but I suppose I was trying to keep that fact in denial to stay calm; even at that age I knew the disasters panic can cause. I'm not sure if you've ever tried to swim any great distance at night but it becomes quite difficult to maintain your direction when the waves are larger and stronger than you, I frequently had to stop or slow and push myself up out of the water to see the island. \n\nI stopped to catch my breath and give my now aching muscles a break, gauging my distance and direction home. I squinted for a moment and wiped some water from my eye with the back of my hand, when I opened my eyes again the light from the window was gone, the island nothing more than a blurred silhouette only noticeable because it was stationary and darker than the reflective water. \n\nMy mental denial of the danger I was in went out with that bedroom light and I felt all the elements of panic start to set in. My already racing heart was now beating against my chest, my measured breathing turned instantly to deep gasps that often got bits of water from the waves in my mouth, my hands and arms began trembling and my stomach started to crawl up my throat. I closed my eyes and heard my Father's voice in my head, \"No, breathe. That's it, just breathe nice and easy. In. And out.\" My stomach settled, my heart decided it wanted to stay in my chest, and I knew what I had to do, just breathe and swim. \n\nTreading water with my eyes closed and taking those few careful breaths, I saw a bright light through my eyelids and immediately opened them to catch a glimpse of everything in perfect clarity, fully illuminated by a bolt of lightning miles behind me, then with my pupils shocked from the light everything was dark. I felt the reverberation from the thunder in my body before I heard it but when I did hear it, it was as though the sky split open and dumped all it's water back into the lake. I was already swimming, frantically toward the mental afterimage of the island.\n\nI thought to myself I was over halfway home, and then I thought I was just reassuring myself. The fast moving storm clouds made the moon and start light chaotic and ethereal. I started wondering if the silhouette I was swimming towards was the island or just that clear picture of it I've been holding in my mind. \n\nDespite the adrenaline, my legs were aching and felt as if they were pumping pure fire through their veins. I knew if I got a muscle cramp it would probably be the end of me. I stopped swimming and looked to make sure I was still heading toward the island and not just fooling myself and I was indeed. I tread water with my arms only for just a few breaths, letting my legs rest while I waited for a wave to propel me forward. \n\nI thought about surfing, I had never done it but I understood the concept well enough. I started feeling the waves with a different mindset, learning how to join with them and stiffen my body to let them carry me with little effort on my part. As I got the hang of it I became excited, the heavy rain and sporadic thunderclaps now background noise. I felt I learned to be one with the water, I had mastered the waves and with that mastery was swimming faster than I ever have before!\n\nAs I drew nearer and nearer to the island it grew larger and became clearer. I had drifted off course again, I was closer to the western point than the beach on the east where the cabin slumbered. I swam eastward again, though I couldn't see the beach I had a good idea of where it was relative to the point and it was a small island. It certainly wasn't as easy to swim across the waves as it was to swim with them, but my muscles had rested some and I still stiffened my body for moments to let the waves carry me closer to shore. \n\nThen the sky light up again, another lightning bolt to the north, I took another clear reckoning of the island with the brief illumination. I could see the beach and I couldn't be more than a hundred yards from it! I turned to face it and with the next wave I used my arms and legs to launch myself forward with it, stiffening my body and letting it carry me as I periodically kicked or fanned my arms to stay with it or on course. Then I lost it, the whole world rumbled with the thunderous boom of the last lightening bolt as I waited for the next wave I would harness.\n\nI was racing toward the beach, I could see the sand clearly and the darkness of the vegetation behind it. When I fanned my arms forward I was surprised to feel air and, looking down, I realized I was a full 5 feet above the surface of the water riding the crest of a huge wave. Like the roadrunner realizing he ran straight off a cliff, I dropped down into the water, half in the wave and half in the air as I fell. \n\nI immediately began doing the breast stroke to keep direction, though I was barely moving my arms and legs my momentum was carrying me to the shore faster than any human could swim. I felt the sand and small rocks scrape my face and mash my nose, then my chest and arms and the rest of my body was being dragged across the coarse ground. I went from being completely underwater to feeling air on my back, the wave had carried me right to the shore, I was home! I was alive!\n\nI planted my palms in the dirt and started to do a pushup, already walking home in my mind. Then the wave that carried me ashore was reclaimed by the lake, the water rapidly slid beneath me and created a vacuum in the space it left between my body and the earth, sucking my face straight into the sand. I tried to push myself up again and another large wave crashed against my back, keeping me down as surely being stomped on. \n\nI had been holding my breath too long, since I fell through the wave minutes ago. All I could think of, was that I needed to get my head out of the water before the next wave slammed me down again and I started to push myself up once more. Again the undertow sucked me down into the sand as the last wave receded into the lake, and though I struggled for my life with all my strength the wave was stronger. When the undertow subsided, my efforts to breathe were again beat down as the crest of the next wave smashed against my back. \n\nThen the undertow again, my aching arms trembled as I struggled to lift my head out of water just a few inches and breath, I could feel the air on my ears it was so shallow! Just then I remembered all the times I've heard people say a baby can drown in an inch of water and as my lungs went into convulsing spasms and my whole body trembled and felt as though it were collapsing on itself, I realized just how true that was...\n\n", "Father tells of the three times Man learned to fear. The first time was in the night and darkness, when Man looked around and found no ally, just the terror of the pitch blackness and the fury of all the night’s beasts. When Man found no silent guardian in the sky, just the unblinking and uncaring stars. The night was silent then, and man wished for the sound of the tides to guide him home. And so man learned to fear the moonless night. The second time Man learned to fear was on the cloudless seas, when Man as thrown into the arms of the tides. The waves were swords then, the winds razorblades that cut into his face, and the great uncaring tides raged like the gods themselves. That was the time that Man learned to fear the sea in a storm. But it was when Man had had enough, when he boiled the oceans in his rage, when he set the sky ablaze as his guardian had left it, when he stoppered the winds in a bottle and put the nights beast in cages that he looked at all he had done and wept. And it was then that all from the lowly beast to the wisest man to the highest god learned to fear the wrath of a gentle man. ", "As I walk through the fields of ash and fire I shudder, did I actually do this?\nAll of this? Death... because they took everything from me?\n\nI shudder and fall to my knees, sobs wracking my frame.\nIt's not right, what I did. \n\nA scream tears me out of my thoughts, a person! I have to help them.\nI rush towards the sound and see a young child burned and scarred.\n\"Are you alright young one?\" I ask reaching my hand out with a smile on my face.\n\nThe child starts looking at me with eyes that were slowly widening in fear and horror.\n\"Monster!\" The child screams face full of pain and tears, \"Demon! Get away from me! Don't hurt me!\"\n\nI startle and retract my hand, his words hurt.\n\"My child, I am no monster I-\"\n\n\"Liar!\" The child screams shrilly, \"I saw you! The look on your face as you trapped everyone in the town hall! The look on your face as the hall erupted in flames! You have no remorse for their deaths!\"\n\nI shake my head in denial, \"That is not true! I do have remorse for their deaths!\"\n\nThe child's face then morphs into an angry scowl, \"Then why are you smiling?\"\n\nI bring my hands up to my face and touch my lips.\nA smile.\n\nWhy am I smiling? ", "My name is Nathanael Osmond Durant, son of Mary and Michael Durant, nostromo of the Buonaventura II, and this is my dying confession. I write it now, while the air congealing into great snowflakes has not yet turned my fingers blue, or my eyes glassy, while the last tide still beats at the foot of this rocky, cavernous outcrop instead of swallowing it whole in foaming anger, while there is yet life beside my own in this wretched valley that we used to call home.\n\nI write not so that my sins be absolved, for they are many and great indeed, and the most recent is the greatest sin that could be, and beyond forgiving. I write not for my successors, for how could there be any, after the events that transpired? \n\nI write, and I am amazed myself at writing this, in hope. As a shipwrecked man would cast a bottled letter to sea, I will be leaving this account, wax-sealed in the oilskin case of my astrolabe (a wonderful, compact model I bought from Amsterdam ere six months, a lifetime ago in another world). I hope some sort of creature endowed with reason, and a soul, will find it, and learn from it, and remember.\n\nThere are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man. I am not wise. I foolishly braved the first, foolishly forgot about the second, and foolishly provoked the third. This, then, is my tale, and I swear, for all that my word may be worth, that I saw the old gentleman weep as his trembling hands traced doom and untold horror in the wet sand.", "We stand in the ashes of their world, the last vestiges of our energy beginning to fade. Destroyed by our imperative to conquer, destroyed by the arrogance of our maker. Destroyed by the one that came.\n\nHe arrived with little fanfare, just appearing one day in his ridiculous craft, just him and an earthling girl. No weapons, no defenses, no threat.\n\nWe showed him the glory of our empire, its reach, its wonder. He saw through it. He saw only the oppression of our subject worlds, the slavery on which be build our greatness. \n\nHe stopped to help a fallen slave, and she thanked him. There is a penalty for those who talk without permission, and we punished her. That was our fatal mistake, for that lit the fire in his soul.\n\nWe still don't know what happened, how he did it, but he turned our world, our technology against us. Our subject worlds slipped our fingers, our slaves on our own world vanished, our warriors were consumed by the rage of the wind and sea as our world turned against us. Now the our reactors fade, our machines have stopped working, and so we find ourselves here, watching the last of our power go, before the darkness comes.\n\nHe is written in the legends of the universe; His name means a healer, but he has many better names: He is the Ka Faraq Gatri. \nThe Bringer of Darkness; \nThe Oncoming Storm; \nThe Anger of a Good Man;\n\nThe Enemy of the Daleks", "When I saw him unbuttoning his cardigan, I knew it was time to leave. He was rolling up his sleeves when we made it to the door, and the last thing I heard was the cracking of his knuckles and a calm voice saying \"that wasn't very neighborly, friends.\"\n\nI don't know what happened to the men who raised his ire, but we ran out of that neighborhood and we didn't stop running until we got home. ", "The man, about 30 years of age, stood in the midst of the group, a young girl at his side, attempting to hide from the arc of people jeering and laughing at her appearance. \n\n\"Please, everybody, this is not right,\" the man said calmly, \"There is no need to treat a young girl like this!\"\n\n\"You call that a girl with that horror of a face?\" A voice called, followed by the laughter of the other 20 or so. \n\nIgnoring the taunt, the man knelt down beside the girl, asking if she was okay. She shook her head, tears flowing down her eye.\n\nThe crowd now surrounded them, leaving no gap for an easy exit. \n\nWords came from all directions, taunts that were all directed to the lonely pair in the middle. \n\nThe man kept talking, attempting in vain to defuse the situation. \n\nThen somebody in the crowd threw a rock at the girl, just barely missing her head. \n\nAnd the man became mad. \n\nFrom the depths of his coat came a dagger, and with beast-like speed and ferocity, he launched himself at the crowd, mercilessly slaughtering the people who had done that small girl harm. Within a few seconds only one remained, the one who threw the stone. He tried to escape the massacre, but was easily jumped on by the man, who plunged the knife into the man's chest, and began repeatedly stabbing him, the fire in his eyes burning. \n\nAnd then, it all stopped. \n\nThe man froze, the knife dropping from his hand onto the freshly stained floor. \n\nHe observed the aftermath, his eyes going from each body until they rested on the girl, frozen in what looked like fear and horror. \n\nAnd the man wept. ", "The sails stopped billowing and the ship sat still, on a sea as dark as wine. Christian touched a finger to his tongue, and held it out into the night. Nothing. Not even the slightest breeze.\n\n\"The calm before...\" he heard one of his men murmur. The moon was bright and stars were scattered over the sky like flowers sprinkled on a grave. \n\n> They hoisted up the flag; the skull waved furiously in the strong wind. Ahead, the tiny ship bobbed like a twig on the endless sea. They rapidly closed in on it. The captain gave the orders for the men to board. Christian couldn't pass up on the opportunity; they needed fresh water, food and of course, anything valuable would be a welcome addition. \n\n\"Captain,\" said Jonathan, \"Should I get the men to row? We can only be a da-\"\n\n\"Hush!\" commanded Christian. \"Listen! Do you hear that?\"\n\n\"I don't hear-\" Jonathan began, before his face dropped. \"I hear it. It hangs in the air like a bird of prey. It's him, isn't it?\"\n\nChristian slowly shook his head. It couldn't be. They were almost a week away from him now. If he was still alive, he was too far away for them to hear his playing.\n\n> There was a single man on board. He was calm, even in the face of a cutlass. Perhaps he wanted it ended. They took what few supplies he had, and the two wedding bands he had in his pocket. They would be worth something. They put the man in a launch boat - a tiny vessel with two oars. They gave him three days worth of water, perhaps more if he rationed well, and half a dozen biscuits. \"Please,\" he asked Christian, \"my fiddle. Let me play for my wife one last time. Agatha loved the sea. I come every year to play for her.\" The story meant nothing to Christian, but the fiddle was cheap and scratched and worth nothing. Christian let him have it. Then, they burned his ship and set him adrift in the tiny boat.\n\nDarkness came as quickly as if someone had closed a curtain. Christian looked up, hoping for a glimpse of the moon behind a cloud. But there were no clouds, no moon, and no stars. The sky was empty. Dead\n\n\"Captain,\" said Jonathan, his voice uneasy and as creaky as the ship, \"It's the fiddler. We should have killed him.\"\n\nThere was a chorus of agreement from the other men on deck. A single droplet of rain fell on Christian's hand. Under the ship's dim lantern light, he could see the rain was the same colour as the juice of a blood orange. Another drop fell on his neck and trickled down spine. He shivered.\n\n> It had been a week since the pirate ship had abandoned him. Two days since they had taken his rings. \"I'm sorry Agatha,\" he whispered into the night, \"I've let you down.\" He was long out of water and food, and his lips were more cracked than whole. The wind whispered a reply, play for me, it said. \"Agatha?\" Play for me. He picked up the fiddle with his withered, ruined hands, and he played her song.\n\nThe storm came out of nowhere. A tempest of red rain rattled the boards of the ship whilst wind ripped at the sails and whistled through the bow. And behind the dreadful storm, still the rising and falling in the night like a wave of panic, the fiddle played. The music washed into Christian's bones and through his very soul. There were screams from his crew, and he steadied himself against the wind and fought his way to the aft. He saw what they were afraid of.\n\nA huge hungry maelstrom swirled and bubbled behind the boat, pulling it ever inwards, towards its centre. A bedlam of water swirled and swished and ripped at the fabric of the sea. Men jumped overboard, as Christian ran to the wheel and furtively tried to fight the irresistible tug of the sea.\n\n> The pirate ship was not seen again. But it is said that on the calmest nights out on sea, if you listen carefully and cock an ear to the wind, you might hear the furtive notes of the fiddle player, as he sails the sea, forever looking for his love. And if you do hear him, God help you.\n\n\n\n\n", "\"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!\"\n\nEveryone paused. \"What? Thomas? What's wrong?\"\n\n\"THERE'S NO MOON! THERE'S NO FUCKING MOON!\" Thomas stood staring at the sky.\n\nEveryone shook their heads. Brian took the lead. \"So what, Thomas? Come on, we're gonna be late for the party.\"\n\n\"NO, FOR GOD'S SAKES MAN, CAN YOU NOT SEE? THERE IS NO MOON! OH, DEAR LORD, THE HUMANITY!\"\n\nThe other ones exchanged looks. Thomas being Thomas again…\n\n\"Thomas, who cares if there's no moon? Come on, the open bar ends at one, we're late already.\"\n\n\"OH DEAR GOD WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE WHERE'S THE MOON!?\" Thomas took Angela by the collar of her shirt. \n\"WHERE IS THE MOON, WOMAN, WHERE IS IT!?\" He started shaking.\n\n\"Bro, get your shit together.\"\n\nFinally, they drove off. Thomas shivered and mumbled to himself the whole way, eyes out the car window at the sky, searching.\n\nThey arrived at the party. It was a luau. Thomas managed to calm down when Jerry pointed him the moon behind \nsome clouds.\n\n\"Oh, there she is, cool,\" he said. He took a red cup and sipped. \"Man, this party is awesome. I wish I –\" he paused.\n\n\"Thomas? What's wrong?\"\n\nHis eyes were locked behind Jerry's shoulders. Jerry turned, then turned back. \"Thomas?\"\n\n\"The ocean, Jerry,\" Thomas said. \"There's a storm.\"\n\n\"Yeah. Probably gonna be good for surfing tomorrow, right? I think –\"\n\n\"JERRY FOR GOD'S SAKES THERE'S A STORM IN THE OCEAN OH DEAR JESUS WE'RE DOOMED!\"\n\nEveryone turned. Thomas was on his knees, sand dripping from between his fingers onto the ground, pleading eyes to the sky. \"OH MERCIFUL GODS, PLEASE SPARE US!\"\n\n\"The fuck is wrong with that dude?\" someone asked.\n\n\"shrooms, probably,\" another replied.\n\n\"THE SEA IS IN STORM, YOU FOOLS!\" Thomas bellowed. \"THE SEA IS IN STORM! RUN!\"\n\nBrian shook his head. \"Why do we keep bringing Thomas to these things?\"\n\n\"OH THE PAIN AND THE MISERY AND THE HORROR! THE ABSOLUTE HORROR!\"\n\n\"And now the girls are leaving. Nice going, Thomas.\"\n\n\"DEATH AND DESPAIR AND BEYOND!\"\n\n\"And the police is coming.\"\n\n\"Let's get out of here.\"\n\nThey left. Thomas stayed behind, kneeling on the sand. A police officer approached.\n\n\"Hey, buddy, you all right?\"\n\nThomas looked up, eyes red with tears. \"Officer… I'm sorry… I'm just… so afraid.\"\n\n\"It's okay, buddy. Come on, let's get you to the station and you can sober up.\"\n\nThe officer helped Thomas off of his feat. Thomas was shaking and very agitated.\n\n\"I just need you to stop screaming, okay? Can you do that? Can we go quietly?\"\n\n\"Yeah, no, I'm okay,\" Thomas said, still avoiding looking at the sea and the sky. \"I'm fine. I'll be gentle. I'm a bit angry but I'll be gentle.\"\n\nThe officer stopped on his feet. \"What?\"\n\n\"I said I'll be gentle.\"\n\nA second went by in silence. The abandoned bonfire hissed. The wind flapped the flames. The sky shifted and shuffled its clouds.\n\n\"OH DEAR LORD AN ANGRY GENTLE MAN!\" The police officer bellowed, because he too was wise like Thomas and also because I didn't know how else to end this story.\n\n\n_____\n\n\n/r/psycho_alpaca for more stories that end disappointingly.", "Angels run and demons weep when the Good Man goes to war\n\nFools rush in and wise men creep when the Good Man goes to war\n\nDrea had been a sweet, kind and loving man. Softly spoken, moving his large, wiry frame as though it were porcelain through crowds.\n\nThat time was long past. His journey, tough as it was, began with the foolish Russian incursion into his homeland three years ago. His house had been exploded, part of the bombing runs from Occupied Crimea towards Hungary. He remembered with the iron tears pricking his eyes, and the wound in his heart bleeding cold sympathy.\n\n\"Drea, don't leave me,\" his wife Nathalia pleaded, blood dripping from the edge of her mouth, the last vestiges of hope fading as the life began to leave her eyes.\n\nA clasped hand, a weeping man. Howls of raging grief, a shattered reflection of the bodies of his family, all he'd ever known, destroyed by the implacable cruelty of high-charge explosives.\n\nHis training at the camp in the Carpathian Mountains cambe back to him, fed his thirst; not for blood, but for the regrettable vengeance he must take. For Drea knew now, that was all that was left to him.\n\nHe moved into a more comfortable position, looking through the scope. Drea knew his time would be short once this shot was fired. In the crosshairs, the three men who had comdemned him to a life of loneliness that not even his new camaraderie could fill.\n\nHis finger touched the trigger of the Garand rifle.\n\nThough a small corner of his mind was howling in horror, he was ready.", "\"What about sharks?\" I ask sensei. \"I don't care how wise a man is, he can't beat a shark.\"\n\n\"A wise man knows that sharks are bound to the sea. Sharks are not worth fearing.\" responded sensei.\n\n\"Ok... but wouldn't a wise man know not to go out to sea in a storm then?\" I ask sensei.\n\n\"No wise man can predict the changes of weather. The wise man knows that storms can come at any time, thus he fears it.\" responds sensei.\n\n\"But... why is a night with no moon worth fearing? Can't a wise man not simply bring a launtern. I mean, we can predict changes of the moon.\" I ask sensei.\n\n\"Pherhaps. But if the wise man were forced out into a night with no moon, then he would have right to be afraid.\" replies sensei.\n\n\"So the wise man doesn't fear the night itself, but being forced into it?\" I ask.\n\n\"That is correct.\" informs sensei.\n\n\"But... shouldn't a wise man also then be afraid of being forced into water with sharks?\" I ask.\n\nSensei thinks for a moment... then he speaks \"There are four things wise men fear. The sea in storm, a night with no moon, the anger of a gentle man, and sharks in the sea.\"\n\n\"But a gentle man would probably be less fit then a rowdy man. Shouldn't the wise man fear the rowdy man more?\" I ask.\n\n\"Ahh, but the rowdy man is a slave to his anger. Whereas a gentle man will steer it. Because the gentle man rarely gets angry, when he is made angry, he channels it towards his thoughts, meticulously planning the downfall of those who angered him.\" responds sensei.\n\n\"But... shouldn't it be wise men who you fear then? Rather then gentle men?\" I ask.\n\n\"But a wise man might yet be rowdy.\" responds sensei.\n\n\"Then... pherhaps he should fear wise, gentle men. Because a foolish gentle man cannot plot a downfall so well.\" I point out.\n\n\"Very well my pupil. There are four things wise men fear. The sea in storm, a night with no moon, the anger of a gentle yet wise man, and sharks in the sea.\" states sensei.\n\n\"What about hurricanes?\" I ask.\n\n\"A wise man does not fear what he cannot control.\" responds sensei.\n\n\"But he can control his responce to hurricanes. He might see patterns in the clouds and hide in a shelter.\" I point out.\n\n\"Then what has a wise man to fear?\" asks sensei.\n\n\"Not looking up at the clouds often enough.\" I reply.\n\nSensei let's out an audible sigh. \"Pherhaps there is one more thing a wise man should fear.\"\n\n\"What is that sensei?\"\n\n\"An inquireing student.\"", "I can't forget that night. \n\nThat night when the full moon hid behind a dark cloud. That empty, silent night filled with heavy rains and the tossing waves of the bay, churned beyond reason. \n\nThat night when that cloaked stranger stepped into my tavern, face hidden by a bamboo hat. \n\nIt was late then. The rains that had approached with the coming of the seasonal storms were unusually strong this year, deterring most of the usual tourists and I was closing up for the night besides. But I saw a shadow by the door and the glow of a lantern. \n\nThere was a knock. I wiped my hands down and made for the doorway. \n\n\"Excuse me, I'm looking for a room.\" \n\nIt took me a second to register he'd spoken. He looked normal enough for a traveller, ragged cloak and unkempt hair. There was a sword at his side but that was not unusual too- the roads were dangerous after all, full of bandits and wild animals. \n\nNo, it was that gentle smile on his face. It looked vaguely familiar, I thought I'd seen it somewhere before. \n\n\"Come on in, I have a room or two to spare.\" I said nonetheless. I wasn't going to leave someone braving the vicious storm outside if I could help it. Besides, the bag of coins he'd jingled when he spoke told of some substantial wealth. \"Something to eat and drink too perhaps. It's a cold night out there.\" \n\n\"Ah, thank you.\" \n\nHe was soft spoken. He walked with a tall, elegant gait, not at all like the travellers I usually met. I served a bowl of hot wine across a counter and asked, \"It can't have been easy getting to Juha. The summer storms are coming in very strong this year.\" \n\n\"It was a little uncomfortable. I've been walking for days.\" he replied easily enough. \n\n\"Days? Gods, I can't imagine travelling in this rain.\" I raised a brow, \"That's rough.\" \n\n\"Perhaps,\" he made a mirthful sound. He paused briefly to drink the warm stew I had laid out for him, \"It couldn't be helped. There is something pressing I need to do in this town.\" \n\nI shrugged, \"Well, I don't know. Juha's a pretty quiet place, even for a bay town. I guess the only thing's that happened recently is the Leviathan corpse they're trying to haul into the bay.\" \n\nI even laughed then, \"You needn't have hurried for that. The Knight and his troops have been waiting for days too- it's too difficult to move something that big into the bay with the winds as they are. They're trying to arrange transporters from the Capital.\" \n\n\"So, the Leviathan is dead already.\" \n\nI didn't notice his tone. I should have. \n\n\"Well, yeah. Sir Calstrum had to battle it out at sea for a day or so but he's a tough one. All the Queen's Knights are, I suppose. It didn't take him that long to take down a Titan, even one as famous as Leviathan.\" \n\nHe looked up. I found myself startled by the intensity of his gaze. \n\n\"You should get out of town while you have the chance.\" he said, setting down the bowl of wine I'd offered him. He hadn't touched it and the wine had grown cold since. \n\n\"What-\" I startled as he headed for the doors again. \"Wait a minute-\" \n\nHe stood by the main doors, turning back briefly, \"Did you know...people once believed that the Titans were guardian spirits? Controlling the fury of the Earth so that living things might exist. With Leviathan slain...\" \n\nI stared at him as he opened the doors. The noise of the rain roared in. He loomed within the dim light of the lantern, even as he turned away. \n\nHe looked like a ghost. He was a ghost I suppose, one that I recognized in that brief moment that he'd stopped smiling. \n\n\"You're-\" \n\nRadigraz Strum, the last King's Knight, once advisor to the throne. Murderer, rebel, kinslayer. \n\n\"-just passing through.\" he said, bowing his head slightly, \"Thank you for the meal.\" \n\nHe stepped away, fading into the dark, empty night. \n\n" ]	[ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 25, 32, 36, 38, 79, 143, 162, 401, 1943 ]	[ "1492141785", "1492167945", "1492170605", "1492173023", "1492174795", "1492174984", "1492176599", "1492157847", "1492162486", "1492169597", "1492170210", "1492175706", "1492175747", "1492164794", "1492174966", "1492169542", "1492157240", "1492159859", "1492168070", "1492173802", "1492174919", "1492164935", "1492163548", "1492164521", "1492166696", "1492153392", "1492169394", "1492163029", "1492162557", "1492151598", "1492156656", "1492152515", "1492160583", "1492148751", "1492144621" ]

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