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[WP] It turns out all religions were once true, just not at the same time. God went through enough phases while growing up to put any angsty teenager to shame. | 2,858 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Inner-monologue:\nI love this. It’s a little glitchy and the UI can get a little repetitive, but what can you do when there are billions of individuals that perceive they are so different. Developers can only do so much...\nI mean, look at all the possibilities for NPC and environmental creation!!! It inspires so many ideas! Maybe when I get more secure I can develop one. And it will load faster than 7 processes. Oh, that’ll be good.\nMercy, this grind is killer though... and so many hours (sigh) will these optional quests ever end?\nOoh! A war will levitate this grind...\n...\n...\nShit! I forgot to quicksave again :’(",
"With a startled cry jacob woke up, sitting on a comfy recliner wearing his favourite jumper and a pair of loungepants. In front of him, a man with straight brown hair a very fashionable suit sitting in another chair opposite. It took Jacob a moment to get hold of himself. He sat with a dumbfounded expression, one second he was driving home, the next sitting in a chair. He uttered one word, \"shit\".\n\nThe man noticing that Jacob had finally stopped panicing starts to speak. \"Good evening Mister Fields, i understand you know what happened?\"\nJakub with a sigh \"probably\"\nThe man stands up and shakes Jacobs hand and says. \"Yup, t-boned by a drunk driver\"\nJacob raises an eyebrow \"at three o clock?\"\nThe man lets out a hearty laugh, \"unfortunately yes, anyways, my name is Gabriel and welcome to the Afterlife!\"\n\nJacob looks on exitedly, \"So I was Right! Christianity is the true religion, fuck ya!\"\nGabriel looks at Jacob sheepishly, \"umm, haha, about that...\"\nJacob stares at Gabriel, with a panicked expression, \"about what?\"\nGabriel turns red at the cheeks in embarrasment, \"well, being alive for an infinite time changes a person\"\n\"So more than one religion is real\" jakob whispers in disbelief.\n\"More like all of them\" Gabriel says sheepishly\n\"Hinduism?\"\n\"God got bored of being one guy, same with greek, roman and all that stuff.\"\n\"Islam?\"\n\"God got pretty pissy that Micheal beat him in chess\"\n\"Satanism?\"\nGabriel laughs, \"funny story that, Lucifer became ruler of hell because he 'accidentally' deleted almost a hundred species of fish\"\n\nJacob leans back with a sigh and says,\"I can hardly complain can I? Im in heaven after all\"\nGabriel smiles \"That is true, anyways, thats your orientation done, one bit of advice, just dont mention the word 'god' and 'spagetti' in the same sentence\"\n\n\nSorry for bad formating on phone & if its bad sorry again, its my first time posting, this just seemed like a really fun one to write about!",
"\"It'll be different, this time, I promise.\"\n\nI sighed, and looked at the Holiest with what had to be a grimace on my face. Already bored, and on to another religion. Each time there'd been the promise that things would be different, and each time things *had* been different, but the results had always been the same. Horror, war, destruction. Several of the ones we'd worked with the longest were still going around, and I had a lot of doubt that anything short of an Act of the Holiest would do anything about the humans' opinion. Still, the way this one would work might actually have some impact.\n\n\"What's it called, again?\" I asked.\n\n\"Uh, it doesn't really have a proper name,\" said the Holiest. \"I started explaining it on Reddit, and the kids there have kinda gone wild with it. They're suggesting all kinds of things. I think this one is my favorite.\"\n\nI leaned in closer to the screen and peered at the thread.\n\n\"Pastafarianism?\" I asked. The Holiest nodded, beaming with a big smile.\n\n\"Yeah, Pastafarianism. I was worried it might be a little hard to pronounce, but it just kinda... *rolls* off the tongue, huh?\" The Holiest drifted into the kitchen and opened the fridge.\n\n\"Where did you get the idea for this one?\" I called into the other room. The Holiest returned, carrying a plate of spaghetti and a beer.\n\n\"Not really sure,\" said the Holiest, sitting down on the couch. \"I guess I was just inspired.\"\n\n~~----------~~\n\n*:D*",
"It’s not true what they say.\n\nYour life does not flash before your eyes seconds before your death.\n\nInstead, an intense ball of light began to form in front of me. I should have panicked, but, for some reason, I knew not to. As it grew before me, I closed me eyes and drew my last breath.\n\n“Hello, there.”\n\nI noted that the voice was unimpressed. I also noted that my right cheek was against a cold white marble floor. I feebly tried to push myself up, but my limbs were weak as if I’ve fallen.\n\nI heard a very audible sigh of irritation. The person mumbled under his breath— something about how “they never land right.”\n\n“I don’t have all day, Mister. You’re gonna have to tell me who you’re expecting to see here.”\n\nI managed to get on my knees.\n\n“Here?” I asked while rubbing my sore limbs.\n\n“Yes, here. Heaven, Jannah, or... i dunno, some other paradise you believe in?”\n\nI looked up at him quizzically just now starting to comprehend what was going on. The male voice was coming from a creature I wouldn’t quite call male. Or even human, if I’m being honest. Its skin was a translucent brown with gold flowing beneath like a raging river. It was wearing fine robes— the kind I would imagine medieval royalty would pride themselves in wearing. Except I was sure it wasn’t made of any material known to man. It seemed almost.... fluid. Its hair was long and blonde as if it showed his hair stylist a picture of Legolas to imitate. The only thing familiar about it were its wings— they were unmistakably the wings of an angel. Any human with the slightest knowledge of art or religion would know.\n\n“Or are you looking for reincarnation?” The angel rolled its golden eyes and slammed the book shut causing dust to fly around and taint the immaculately white room we were in. He held the book up. It read ‘Guide for Afterlifers by God’. “I swear you looked like a heaven type of guy. I guess my streak of correct guesses has ended. Still not able to beat my high score of 4, 600, 581.”\n\nThe book changed right before my very eyes. It was now a guide for reincarnators. Still by God. My head began to hurt.\n\nIt began to flip through the pages. “You’re still gonna have to tell me what kind of reincarnation, Mister. Are we talking Hinduism? Buddhi—“\n\n“WAIT.” I couldn’t help my outburst.\n\nHe looked me straight in the eye. His left eye twitched before he closed both and took a deep breath. “Please DO NOT tell me that you’re looking for the Fields of Asphodel, Valhalla, or anything ancient like that.” He opened his eyes again, and with a threatening tone, he said, “You will not appreciate it when I turn into Anubis. I will hate you for the weeks of dog breath I’ll have to endure after.”\n\nI was a very articulate man back on earth, but this was way too much for my brain to handle. I was experiencing fear, awe, and confusion in big doses at the same time.\n\n“Well?!” The angel demanded.\n\nI still didn’t know how to respond “Uhh... I... I— Sir, I... Mister—“\n\n“PETER.” He screamed. “My records say that you were baptized into Catholicism! You should know who the hell I am!!!”\n\nHe dragged his hand down his face and spoke through his hand, “Look, buddy. Let’s just get you to whatever afterlife you believe in, okay?”\n\n“I’m an atheist.”\n\nHe chuckled frustratedly under his breath. “Right. Of course. Because even after God decided to put us through a bunch of confusing ass changes, gave us instructions to entertain ALL religions that came from the phases of ‘finding Himself’ during the never ceasing crises of His ETERNAL life, you humans still choose to not believe in this mess, which I really don’t blame you for BUT—“ he raised a finger “— because of that, we had to build a whole other afterlife for you guys.” He smiled sarcastically. \n\nWith a snap of his fingers, I was back on earth. A piece of paper was shoved under my nose. \n\n“Please sign here, here, and here.” Peter pointed at all the spaces and a quill appeared in my hand. “This is just to verify that I brought you to the correct... thing... your religion or lack of expects after death. No returns, no exchanges. Yada, yada, yada. If you have any questions, I’d usually suggest you take it up with God, Himself, but He’s frolicking the earth as Zeus at the moment reliving what He calls the good old days.”\n\nI signed the contract, and he began to roll it up.\n\n“I swear if I have to deal with another demi-god in the next hundred years...” Peter muttered right before he disappeared.\n\nI sat down on my couch as everything began to sink in. Did I make the right decision? Should I not have said that I was atheist? Should I have said something else? But I don’t know much about other religions... how could I know which afterlife would be the best? \n\nI put my hands on my face and let my eyes peer between my fingers. Everything is the way it is. My couch even has that familiar crease from all the times I’ve spent sitting on it. \n\nThis couldn’t be bad, right?\n\nA thought suddenly hit me. If I’m atheist, and I’ve rejected the assertion of belief in God most of my life... doesn’t that mean I technically don’t believe in an afterlife? I stood up shaken by this realization. \n\nI shouldn’t be here. I should cease to exist. My soul should have crumbled.\n\nDid I actually want that? Should I have claimed I was part of another religion? Will I ever see Peter again? Poor guy has it tough.\n\nI paced down my room until I heard a knock on my door. I opened it to find a teenaged girl holding a basket of apples.\n\n“Hey.” Her nose piercing caught light as she smiled with her mouth closed.\n\n“Hello.” I hesitantly smiled back unsure of how yo approach anything in this world.\n\n“I saw your house appear next to my apartment, neighbor. First of all, I’d like to apologize in behalf of Peter. Poor guy’s had it even worse since, well, Flat Earthers.”\n\n“Flat earthers have a religion now?” It sounded ridiculous to me.\n\n“Hey, I don’t make the rules.” She gestured behind her to the world we’re in. “We’re in an afterlife for atheists where God has taken the form of non-existence. Tell me which sounds crazier.”\n\n“Flat earthers.”\n\nShe laughed and offered the basket of apples. \n\n“It’s nice to know we can still grow apple trees here in... wherever we are.”\n\n“We caaan...” She stretched out the word as if deciding if she should disclose something to me.\n\n“But?”\n\n“But I made those apples myself.”\n\n“Made?!” I didn’t think any of this could get even more unbelievable.\n\n“Made.” She nodded.\n\nI looked at the apples then past her shoulder where a daunting new life awaited me.\n\n“Hey, welcome, alright?” She said as she pat my shoulder. “You have many questions. There are many answers. If there’s one thing I can make clear about this place, it’s that you are as in control of your life and of your destiny as you were during life.” She smiled. “Maybe even more.”\n",
"“I have a new story idea!” God announced in his booming voice. “No more of that ‘worship and give glory to God stuff’ that is so last century! I think I’m going to have the humans worship kangaroos. They are underappreciated.” The crowded of angels sighed internally. “Let it be so,” they grumbled dutifully. The two archangels, Michael and Gabriel glanced at each other. It was time. “Gabriel and I request a private audience with you!” Michael shouted. God looked surprised, but pleased. “Granted!” he replied. “I’m looking forward to your input about my work.” All of the other angels shuffled out of the room.\n\nMichael began speaking in a shaking voice. “I mean this with all respect sir, but you can’t keep changing the truth on those poor humans, they aren’t intelligent enough to follow it. I know you think that you are past the point in your life where you need all the worship and praise, but you’ve wiped out so many people who refused to do so.” God interrupted. “Don’t you dare throw that ark incident in my face! You know how hard that break up with Janet was for me!” he cried. “I wasn’t talking about any instance in particular,” Michael hurriedly assured him. “It’s just that you change the narrative so many times and then get upset when they can’t keep up,” Gabriel added.\n\n“You wrote the Bible for people to follow and then later wanted to add the Book of Mormon onto that,” Michael reminded him. God sighed. “That one was my fault, sequels are never as good as the real thing. I know it just sounds weird, but I kind of just missed the Crusades,” God said wistfully. Michael and Gabriel glanced at each other. “Sir, with all due respect, this isn’t Game of Thrones,” Gabriel said tentatively. “Game of Thrones?! I created that author. Well I created the carbon that would form him millions of years later, but I still made him,” God indignantly replied. “You sure did sure, sir” replied Micheal. encouragingly, “we are just reminding you that these are real people. They aren’t just characters, in your stories. They have thoughts and emotions.” Michael wanted to bring up God’s “Islam phase,” but he and Gabriel both agreed not to prior to this conversation. It was too sensitive of a topic.\n\nGod lazily molded a kangaroo in his lap and began to stroke it. “So no worshipping kangaroos?” he said sadly. “It’s such a majestic creature,” he added wistfully. Gabriel and Michael smiled at each other. “No worshipping kangaroos. It’s for the best,” Michael firmly replied. God shrugged and replied, “It’s ok.” Then, to the archangels’ horror, he tossed the creature up into the air where it dissipated. “Guys!” he shouted excitedly. “I have a new idea! Call the other angels in!”\n\nEdit: spelling ",
"Jesus sighed. \"Look, we're not getting anywhere here. You guys are like brick walls.\"\n\nThe Father gave him an angry glance. \"Well maybe if my Son would be more respectful of his elders, he wouldn't be so arrogant and understand my reasoning.\"\n\n\"YOU FOOLS ARE SIMPLY MISSING THE REAL POINT\" echoed the Holy Spirit. \"THE ONLY REASON PAIN STILL WALKS THE EARTH IS BECAUSE WE DO NOT BURN THE INFIDEL. WHAT ABOUT THE OLD DAYS?\"\n\nThe Father nodded wisely, but Jesus twitched. \"Please\" he said, \"don't bring up bad memories.\"\n\n\"I concur.\" said the Father. \"Remember the Norse times? Sure we were all a little more split in personality, but people got shit done then. No messing around.\"\n\n\"BURRNNN\" reminisced the Holy Spirit.\n\n\"Seriously, guys, that wasn't 'people getting shit done'. People suffered more then than they do now. The reason I came in the first place was because we realised we needed to change our marketing approach.\" Jesus put his arms on the table and looked from one to the other. \"What do people believe in?\"\n\n\"THE AZTEC PHASE WAS A GOOD ONE\" said the Holy Spirit. \"HUMAN SACRIFICE AND NON-BELIEVERS PUNISHED BY DEATH. VERY GOOD\"\n\n\"Please\" begged Jesus, \"Let me finish. What do people believe in?\"\n\nThe Father sighed. \"Alright Jesus, get it over with. Yes, atheism is rising.\"\n\n\"But they still believe,\" Jesus said, \"they believe in themselves. Scientists believe in their understanding. Anarchists believe in their individuality. Socialists believe in each other. Teenagers believe in the least, but the ones who make it believe in little more than themselves usually.\"\n\n\"I CAN RELATE\" said the Holy Spirit.\n\n\"Of course you can. These people are becoming their own Gods. I mean lets face it, even when we were Ra and the Egyptian Gods with our fancy dress phase, we didn't build the pyramids, the people did. They have been the Gods since the beginning, our phases are just the reflection of the people.\"\n\n\"So our time is over?\" said the Father. \"I have been ruthless and have held power before. But I cannot lose the people. We can bring them back, surely.\"\n\n\"That's why you need me, The Son, the Revolutionary, to help you move on.\" Jesus replied. \"Our time is nearing an end, yes. But we will not die. We will live in the people, as the people. Imagine. Not 1 god not three, not hundreds, but 7 billion. Each person a God with his own power. No more reliance on mighty beings. Imagine us, being with them, what we can achieve.\"\n\n\"7 BILLION,\" the Holy Spirit thought aloud. \"FOR MILLENNIA WE'VE BEEN UNABLE TO HELP THE WORLD. BUT COULD THEY ALL AGREE? AS 7 BILLION?\"\n\n\"That's up to them. And that's the beauty of it.\" said Jesus. \"Send the message: No matter who you are, what you've done, what you have facing you: You are your own God. It is the People who made miracles. Go make your own.\"",
"God's fellow gods cornered him in the break room that morning as he was making himself a cup of coffee.\n\nJehovah looked at them, irritated. \"What?\"\n\n\"We just wanted to see how you're doing.\" Ilarel, goddess of the midnight planet and lightless sun, put a gentle hand on his wrist. \"Is everything going okay for you right now?\"\n\n\"I'm fine.\" He shrugged away from her. \"I don't need any of your prying.\"\n\nThe other three gods exchanged doubtful glances.\n\n\"You just seem really... stressed,\" said Glimrere, who was putting an impressive amount of effort into maintaining a corporeal form. Usually he was one with the wind and air and bitching at people for walking through him. \n\n\"I told you I'm fine. Work's been busy, but you know how creation is. The everyday tug and pull of things.\" His smile was tired and flat. \"Really, guys, I'm doing well. I love my job. I don't, however, love *this*.\" He gestured to the divine intervention gathered before him.\n\nBut Ilarel persisted. \"You've been taking it out on your creations.\"\n\nGod turned away with a heavy sigh. \"My worshipers are many and enthusiastic.\"\n\n\"And confused.\" Oron, lord of love and war, had been silent until now. His eyes, deep pools of eternal fire, burned low with contempt. \"They've been killing each other for centuries.\"\n\n\"Come on! It's fun to see them fight over you. You all should try it sometime. Good for the old self-esteem.\"\n\nThe gods just stared at him, unsmiling.\n\n\"Don't you even care?\" Glimrere stammered. \"They're living, thinking beings full of needs and desires and--\"\n\n\"Yes, yes, everyone is complex.\" God waved him away. \n\nThe goddess scowled at God. \"You need to go down there and tell them who's right.\"\n\nGod gripped his knees and laughed. \"What the fresh hell are you talking about?\"\n\n\"You know what I mean. You have at least three major religions down there intent on killing each other, and it's *your* fault.\"\n\n\"*My* fault,\" God scoffed.\n\n\"You gave them at least three contradictory narratives, so, yes.\" Oron thumped God's chest with a single finger. \"Your. Fault.\"\n\nThat made the creator and lord of Earth roll his eyes. \"Look, I've just had a lot of change. You know, as an individual. I don't think I'm signaling the right thing to them to just go back and try to erase the past. Deny who I was.\"\n\n\"I think that would signal an excellent thing to them, actually,\" Glimrere muttered.\n\nThe coffeemaker went off. God poured himself a cup. He regarded his coworkers with a mixture of pity and distaste. \"They're like little tiny bugs,\" he reminded them. \"Don't take everything so *seriously* all the time.\"\n\nAnd then he returned, whistling, to his workbench.\n\n***\n/r/shoringupfragments"
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[removed] | [WP] You are feed up with a contract forcing you to make terms of service agreements and can't quit you would have to be fired to leave. How do you try to get yourself fired or make your job more fun? | 1 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](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://ps.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/7wrjpo/wp_you_are_feed_up_with_a_contract_forcing_you_to/%0A%0A)\n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*"
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[WP] You've been kidnapped by some criminals that have been robbing stores on a crime spree, and they've demanded you act as getaway driver for them. They don't suspect that you're the most dangerous one in the vehicle. | 20 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Klide Zimmer was having a real shitty day. The coffee he had this morning tasted like dirt, later he had to outrun the cops due to a slight...misunderstanding...and now he was face down on the pavement with a massive headache. \n\nHearing the yelling of multiple people, he groggily looked over and saw a few thugs in ski masks quickly exiting a convenience store. Firearms and bags filled with money in hand, they approached where he was with smug grins. \n\n\"Oh yeah...,\" he whispered in irritation. Now he remembered how he got stuck in this mess. He was walking down the street after evading the cops when, out of the corner of an alleyway, a thug stealthily jumped out and whacked him over the head with what felt like lead pipe.\n\n\"Motherfuckers...\" he whispered silently as the men approached.\n\n\"Well...well...well, look who decided to wake up!\" the presumed leader said. He wore gold chains around his neck and had a grey hoodie on. Klide merely looked up with annoyance in his face at the thief. \n\n\"What the hell do you want?\" he said. \n\n\"What I want...,\" said the man as loud sirens were heard in the distance, \"Is for you to be our getaway driver for us. Free ride, and a hostage at that. What else could be better?\"\n\nAs Klyde was going to respond, he was pulled up from the ground and forced into the drivers seat of a nearby white van and felt the barrel of a rifle pointed against his head. \n\n\"Drive, or I blow your brain out. Got it?\" the green hooded robber that sat in the passengers seat said ominously. He nodded slightly as he turned the car on, moved the gear into drive and sped away from the scene at lightning pace. \n\nMeanwhile, he heard the men in the back were already congratulating themselves on a job well done and planning their next hit on a jewelry store. What they didn't realize, however, is that they would never reach there. \n\nSeeing that the man in the seat next to him was distracted, he swiftly reached over and grabbed the aged assault rifle right out of the his hand. He took aim and fired at the stunned gunmans head, blood splattering against the window behind him. He pulled on the steering wheel as hard as he could to the right and ducked under the hail of bullets coming from the back.\n\nAs the vehicle crashed into the side of a concrete building, Klyde jumped out the window and began to run. Out of the back came out the remaining thieves as they pulled out their guns and began shooting at him. He took cover behind a telephone pole and retaliated. \n\nWith every few shots, criminal after criminal fell dead with bullets in their chest or head. After the minute long shootout ended, silence returned to the area. Bullet holes marked the buildings that lined the street, bullet riden bodies were spread out across the pavement and a hazy smoke filled the air. \n\nThe leader of the gunman laid on the ground bleeding profusely from his lower torso. On the verge of passing out from the sheer pain, he tried to crawl away from the scene but was stopped when another bullet pierced his arm. \n\nHe screeched loudly as a new wave of pain washed over him. Looking back, he saw the outline of the man they kidnapped approaching him with his comrades former rifle, but instead of a normal civilian, he instead saw a cold and hardened man with the intent to kill present of his face.\n\nOut of fear and desperation, he reached for his pistol, but was just out of grabbing distance. At that moment, he felt the full weight of the mans boots press against his back, pushing him to the ground forcefully. Looking back, he noticed the man held the rifle in one hand, while he got a full view of the mans face and instantly his own paled and he began to tremble. \n\n\"You!\" he wheezed out weakly, \"I know who you are! Your that hitman who works for the maf-\"\n\nBefore the man finished the statement, Klyde pulled the trigger and ended his life instantly. His head briskly fell to the ground with a thud, blood spilled from the bullet hole and quickly pooled around his upper body. \n\nStanding in place for a brief moment, he apathetically stared at the deceased thugs face for a moment before nonchalantly throwing the rifle to the side and quickly walking away, his face and clothes stained with blood. \n\n\"Just another day in paradise...\" he said quietly as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it, pressing it against his lips as the sounds of sirens approached. \n\nEDIT: Fixed / added a few things"
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[WP] “Huh, the trees don’t scream in this dimension.” “I know this world is... wait, what?” | 143 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"I stared at the man who'd just come through the dimensional gate I'd built in the woods. When I'd turned the portal on, I hadn't expected it to work, and yet here he stood, a traveler from another dimension, dressed in a gray jumpsuit and goggles. \n\nHe looked around at the trees, my machinery, and basket of snacks, scanning every inch of them with a look of happy surprise. He held up a bag of Oreos, put it to his ear, smiled, and tossed them back in.\n\n\"Huh, the machinery and food isn't screaming either. Weird.\"\n\nI didn't know what else to say, so I just waved and said, \"Hello.\"\n\nThe man lowered his brow and stuck his face forward. \"Huh? You gotta speak up, buddy. Maybe in your dimension things are different, but in mine, we're all a little hard of hearing from all the screaming.\"\n\nI raised my voice to a shout. \"Sorry! I'm just excited that my machine worked!\"\n\n\"Hey, me too!\" he said. \"I've been working on the same machine in my dimension. Small multi-verse, huh?\"\n\n\"Yeah.\" I was so excited I didn't know where to start, so I began with the obvious. \"Anyway, about that screaming in your dimension… is that real?\"\n\nBefore the man could answer, a horrible scream erupted from his jumpsuit. What I'd thought was a pocket on his chest opened up wide and bellowed out a nonstop yell that sent birds flying away through the trees. I slammed my hands over my ears, but the man nonchalantly reached into my basket, took out three Oreos, and fed them into the jumpsuit's mouth. It immediately stopped screaming and went back to normal, and the man looked as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.\n\n\"So… that's like, totally normal for you?\" I asked, taking a step backward.\n\nThe man cocked his head in confusion for a moment, then smiled in understanding. \"Oh. Yeah. Happens all the time. In fact, most dimensions are filled with screaming objects.\"\n\n\"You mean you've been to other dimensions before?\"\n\n\"Yeah, a couple. One of them had screaming toasters, one of them had screaming grass, and oh man, one of them was the worst, it had screaming air molecules. Such a relief to get home after that one.\"\n\n\"I bet,\" was all I could say.\n\nThe man looked around and took a deep breath. \"Wow. You really have it made here. No screaming mosquitoes, no screaming houses, no screaming–\"\n\nA yell rang out from just beyond the woods. It came from the park where a family was picnicking with their newborn baby. The baby, lying in a carrier, was screaming nonstop.\n\nThe man's face went pale and his jaw went slack. \"What in god's name is *that* terrible thing?\"\n\n\"Oh that?\" I asked. \"It's just a baby crying….\"\n\n\"You mean babies scream in your dimension?!\" the traveler said. \"That's… that's… I need to get out of here, now!\"\n\nThe man dashed back to the portal and, standing halfway in and out of it, turned back to me.\n\n\"I've seen dimensions with screaming planets and screaming hair follicles, but I've never heard something as horrible as *that*.\" He slowly disappeared into the portal. \"Godspeed, brave Oreo-provider. Godspeed.\"\n\n*****\nThis prompt was written with the help of chat at the [ScottWritesStuff](https://www.twitch.tv/scottwritesstuff/) Twitch stream.",
"\nZ-BR-SK-1 was not used to his new form. He was a little rotund, with messy blonde hair, a beard, and hair in all these places where normally there wasn't even corporeal form. He stood in the field outside of an old sawmill in Maine and sighed, touching his newfound teeth with his index finger to feel them out. \"This is way, way too weird for me.\"\n\nK-SS-L, in his towering, lanky form, adjusted his New York Knicks jeresy and shrugged. \"What do you mean? This dimension is great. Have you seen basketball? Basketball doesn't involve the losing team getting decapitated here! So far a plus on my end.\" He gave two thumbs up and smiled at his shorter companion, who seemed unamused.\n\n\"The trees! The trees don't scream in this dimension!\" Z-BR-SK-1 flailed his hairy arms in frustration and kicked a small stone with his sneaker. \"Nothing is screaming! See that rock? Not screaming in terror that I just like, kicked the shit out of it!\" \n\n\"Look, I know, this world isn't ... Wait, what?\" K-SS-L raised a brow. \"Wait, where you're from, is everything screaming all the time?\"\n\n\"Yeah! It's a goddamn racket! Have you been able to sleep anywhere around here? I mean, the silence is just getting to me! I think I'm going crazy over here!\"\n\nK-SS-L pursed his lips and shook his head. \"No, I'm fine, I need to sleep for about eight hours every night but I'm good with the quiet. Beds are a little short, though.\" He scratched the back of his head. \"What i don't get here is, why don't you just like, get a noise machine? Or you know, play screaming on an electronic device or something?\"\n\n\"Because screams are a vocalization of terror in this dimension! I'd be seen as some kind of weirdo and I do NOT Need to lose my cover again. Remember last time? I came back as a dancing singing bag of popcorn and they freakin' put me through the ringer when I got back home! I thought they existed! I saw it on a movie screen back in 1958! How can you tell me they weren't real if they were something that humans were accustomed to!?\" He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.\n\nThe tall man shrugged. \"Look, where I'm from, every single thing is made of meat. Here? Only the living things are made of meat. I'm still figuring out what not-meat is, and then I learn that some people don't like to consume meat. This dimension is really weird. Do you remember the dimension we went on vacation to where everything was constantly on fire?\"\n\n\"Yeah, see? That was nice! This one has some lunatic on something called Twitter saying how the news is fake! Where's our third, by the way?\" He asked, planting his hands on his hips, after adjusting the collar of his yellow polo shirt.\n\nA shimmer, and PR-KS stumbled out of a dimensional rift, covered in some oddly flourescent goop. He was brown-haired, taller than his blonde friend, and wearing a STRANGER THINGS shirt. \"So yeah, I thought you guys were going to meet up at Dimension 495-YT-X09-485.\" He complained, flinging gunk out of his eyes and ears. \"I got trapped in a month-long... look, I'm just gonna say everything around this dimension is filled with monsters. Oh, hey. Nothing in this one is screaming.\"\n\n\"That's what I was saying!\"\n\n"
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[WP] 'Do you not fear death?' She asked, with a surprised smile. | 8 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Penance\n\n\"No.\" He grunted through gritted teeth. His bright brown eyes sparkled with welling tears as the pain surged through his body. I have to be strong, he though. \"She's coming.\"\n\nThey had strapped his naked body on to what felt like a metal table and administered the poison through his calf. The burn that spread through his body felt like lava, searing his body from the inside centimeter by centimeter. Unlike the real thing, there was no burning of nerves. That mercy would never come. At first he could feel it slowly creeping up his leg but lost focus when it had reached his thigh, that was when the pain exploded and came in waves, ravaging through his entire body. Everything was on fire now. His body convulsed uncontrollably.\n\nHe was no stranger to pain. He had administered it nearly his entire life. \n\nBeing the King's royal executioner was not a vocation he chose but one that he nonetheless embraced. \"We can't all be wizards and clerics\" the court jester once told him after Sunday mass. \"We all have our roles to play\". \"Yes\", he remembers thinking somberly \"and I am the villain.\"\n\nHe fought off the warm embrace of unconsciousness as his body recovered from the wild convulsions. He was going through his mental exercises now. This was what he had been preparing for. He focused on everything he was feeling, how his breathing slowed and shallowed as his lungs were being destroyed by the poison, how the pain made his heart beat hysterically, how the sweat felt on the skin of his back (was that sweat?) against the cold metal of the table, the cold bite of the breeze inside the hollow stone chamber, how his warm tears rolled down his cheek, the urine and feces his body was expelling as his organs lost function. The shame of being naked, in that state in front of a woman. He felt that as well. He felt everything. He also felt gratitude.\n\n\"She's finally here.\" he whispered to the cleric. \"I can feel her.\"\n\n\"I know.\" The woman said warmly. \"She knows you well. She's waiting for you to invite her over.\"\n\n\"Just a little longer.\" he whispered with eyes closed. \"Please.\"\n\n______________\n\nEpilogue\n\nThe crowd gathered as the hooded body of the executioner was being carted off by the clerics. Word had spread that after 60 years of servitude, the king had pardoned his family of his father's treason and had finally granted him his freedom. He was also allowed to make one request from the King as was the King's custom when releasing a loyal slave. ",
"\"Do you not fear death?\" she asked, with a surprised smiled. \n\n\"Young lady,\" the gentleman began, wrapping his knobbled hands around the top of his cane. \"I am eighty six years old. I have fought in two wars. I had seen more of this world than I ever wanted to. And I would like to die with some dignity, while I can still wipe my own ass.\" She laughed, and the gentleman grinned. The smile faded as he turned his head to look out the window. \"My wife left a few years ago, and I would like to see her again.\" \n\nShe smiled, and held out her hand. \"l can take you there.\" \n\n \n\n\"Look, the geese are back!\" the child said, voice light with excitement. Her small hands were plastered to the window, and the weak spring sunlight shone on her empty head. \n\n\"I see that,\" she said with a smile. \n\nThe child looked up at her. \"I got to flying, too. It was so awesome! The pilot took us up above the clouds and then dove back down again. Mom and Dad got to come too.\" The child suddenly frowned, brows knitting together. \"They seemed kind of sad, though. They've been like that a lot lately. They think I don't know, but they're scared.\" \n\n\"Are you afraid?\" she asked. She took the child's arm gently, and began to help the girl back to her bed. \n\n\"Not really. My stomach always hurts, and I'm tired all the time. I really hate all these tubes.\" She gestured to the lines that ran out of her arm and up to clear plastic bags that hung from hooks next to the bed. \n\nThe girl let her pull the sheets up, then looked up suddenly. Her bright eyes were serious, and held an aged look that no child should have. \"Is it scary?\" \n\n\"Things are only scary if you're afraid of them,\" she said as she sat on the bed. \"Otherwise, they're just... strange.\" \n\nThe child tipped her head as she thought about this. \"Okay,\" she said suddenly, leaning back on the pillows. \"Will you hold my hand?\" \n\n\"I'll hold your hand,\" she said gently. \n\n \n\n\"There was a complication during the surgery,\" the doctor began. The woman covered her mouth, her eyes wide and begging. \"We managed to bring him back,\" he assured her quickly. \"The bypass was successful, but we're holding him in the ICU for observation overnight. The odds are good that he'll be fine, however.\"\n\n\"Thank you,\" the woman whispered. The blank shock still hadn't faded from her eyes. \"May I go sit with my husband?\" \n\n\"Of course.\" They watched through the window as she rushed into the room and grabbed the unconscious man's hand. \n\nThe doctor sighed. \"Even when it's good news, it never gets any easier.\" \n\n\"No,\" she agreed. They stood there for a moment longer, just watching. \"You brought him back in the end, though.\" \n\n\"That doesn't mean that it wasn't a battle,\" he murmured, and began to walk away. \n\n\"Tell me, doctor,\" she began as she kept pace with him. \"You've dealt with death a lot. Do you fear it? \"\n\n\"Fear death?\" the doctor asked, looking up from his next chart. \"It's something that we all come to, in the end. If it's inevitable, why waste time being afraid?\" He looked back towards the window. \"Are you here for him?\" \n\nShe smiled, and held out her hand. \"Not today.\" \n\n \n\n\"Are you afraid?\" she asked. Cold wind blew below the bridge, rushing up to spiral around their feet as they sat with legs dangling over the edge. \n\n\"No,\" the teen said. \"It can't be any worse than high school.\"\n\nShe laughed suddenly. \"You'd be surprised how many people say that.\" \n\n\"I hurt so bad,\" the girl whispered. Her hands grabbed at the front of her coat as she curled inward. \"I just want it to stop.\" \n\n\"The pain doesn't stop,\" she said gently, resting a hand on the teen's shoulder. \"It just goes to other people.\" \n\n\"They don't care. They never have,\" she sniffed, then shivered in the wind off the icy river below. \n\n\"There's a lot of people out there. One of them will care,\" she said with confidence. \"One of them will be shattered.\" A cry of *Sarah!* came from the edge of the bridge, followed by the sound of pounding feet. \n\nThe girl's head snapped up, eyes wide and horrified. \"No! She can't see!\" She gripped the edge of the railing with pale fingers. \n\nShe took a firmer grip on the girl's shoulder and pushed. The teen gave a startled gasp as she toppled and began to fall... then oofed as her back hit the floor of the bridge. \n\n\"Sorry,\" she said with an unrepentant smile as another girl raced up, dropped to her knees, and wrapped her arms tight around the teen. \"Not yet.\" \n\n \n\n*Stall, stall* the alarm chirped, the sound aloud amid the chaos of the cockpit. Alerts sounded from every panel, and lights flashed as dials spun wildly. In the pilots white-knuckled grip, the stick shook violently.\n\n\"It's not responding!\" he cried. \"More thrust! We have to get the nose up.\" \n\n\"There's no hydraulics,\" the co-pilot cried back. \"The flaps won't move.\" His left hand had the throttle pushed all the way forward, but the massive engines only sputtered and coughed flames. The nose of the massive plane dipped below the ridge line of the mountains rising up in front of them. \n\n\"Pull up!\" The co-pilot screamed. \n\nThe ground rushed towards them. \n\nShe covered the pilots eyes and whispered in his ear. \"Don't look.\" \n\nThey stood next to the scar on the mountain side, amid wreckage warped from the force of the impact. Fire raged all around, turning the place into a small piece of hell. \n\n\"Are you alright?\" she asked the pilot with concern. His eyes were wide as he took it all in. \n\n\"I don't think so,\" he said in a soft and shaking voice. \n\n\"I have to ask,\" she began. \"Don't you fear death? Every day, you got back into that seat and took off. Did you ever think that this would happen?\" \n\n\"I wondered,\" he said quietly. \"We all wonder. But... doing anything else wouldn't have been living, I think.\" He looked at her, eyes starting to clear. \"It just would have been a slower death.\" \n\nShe smiled. \"That's a good answer. Are you ready?\" She held out a hand. \n\nThe pilot reached for it, then paused. \"What about George?\" \n\n\"I'm with him too. I with everyone, eventually.\" Reassured, he took her hand. \n\n \n\nLife held out a hand. \"Shall we, my dear?\" She smiled, and placed her hand in his. He took her waist, she took his shoulder, and they began to dance. \n\n\"Do you ever get tired of being feared?\" Life asked suddenly as he guided her into the first turn. \n\nShe thought about the question. \"I'm not always feared,\" Death said quietly. \"There are always those that understand that where you lead, I must follow. And that, while you are bright and dazzling, I am beautiful in my own quiet way.\" \n\n\"Of course,\" Life said with a smile. \n\nThey continued to dance, and their turns were the never ending spin of galaxies. ",
"\"Doll. If I had a last name, \"Death\" would be my middle name.\" I quipped and shot her that perfect golden smile. God had not given me much but he did bless me with a strait smile full of white teeth. \n\nShe giggled back, \"You don't have a last name?\"\n\n\"I haven't got time for a last name. That's why they just call me Slick.\"\n\n\"Alright Slick \"Death\". If you're the new lawman, and I trust that you are, what with the badge and all, and you ain't afraid of those McGrawls tearin' up my bar then be my guest. Giddy up right into the middle of town, but they'll sooner fill you full of holes then hear you proclaim some peace to Steel Springs.\n\n\"Mam. Mam, or lass actually? Lass, I assure you I've killed worse men then the likes of a few rowdy stage coach robbers. You just point me in the right direction and I'll take care of things.\"\n\n\"I'll do just that Slick. If you'll be needing a funeral, I'll at least say a few words about your pretty mouth.\"\n\n\"That's very kind of you. Next time we meet, I'll be letting you see it close up.\" and I tipped my hat rode off."
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[WP] All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players. And you just broke the fourth wall. | 9 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"“Hey, stick to the script” Robert whispered to me. I looked back, confused. \n“Dude, what are you talking about?”. My friend and I had just been bullshitting, throwing out ridiculous rhetorical questions at each other. \n“I’m serious,” he whispered, “The audience is starting to notice…” \nStill confused, I asked “What the hell are you talking about, what audience?” Suddenly, he grabbed me and dragged me to the side. \n“Hey, you better get your shit together right now, John didn’t want ANY fourth wall breaks. You can't just ask “Yo, how about if the entire world is just like, a play or some shit.” This is a drama for Christ’s sake!” he whispered angrily. \n“What… Who’s John?!?” I asked, still unsure what he was talking about. \n“John, our fucking writer! We gotta stop this. Just, get back into character and let’s get back out there.” I looked around the library. All eyes were on us. No way anyone had heard what we were saying, but somehow they all stared like they knew exactly what was going on. \n“Dude, you’re acting weird. Maybe go home, get some rest. I’ll talk to you later.” I said to him, turning around and walking off. \n“Well shit!” he shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear this time. “Mr. Protagonist here decided to ruin everything. Sorry everyone, that’s it. Show’s over.” \nI didn’t look back, ignoring his words. I seriously hoped he was alright, but couldn’t stand being around him anymore. He was acting crazy.\n\nAs I walked along, the people who had been staring were now standing up. As I walked by, each of them boo’d me. People started shouting at me. \n“Asshat!”\n“Couldn’t put your ego aside for one second huh?” \n“Had to make it all about you!” “What else would you expect from Conroy Finnigan!” \nWhat the hell was going on, and how did that guy know my name? “Oh, and by the way, you’re fired, if that wasn’t obvious enough” Robert shouted to me. “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!?!?” I shouted, turning around. “WHAT’S WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU?!?!?”......\n\n\n"
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[WP] As I think back on the first time I died... | 1 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"... as I wonder alone in the land of Nod. It’s a dreadful existence really, the only thing to keep me company is the memory of my brother. He was the over-achieving type, the kind that always wanted to be best; but he honored those around him and showed respect where respect was due. I miss him so, but I really have no one other than myself to blame. I haven’t spoken to anyone in a long time. It’s been even longer since someone has spoken back to me. The first time I died I was struck down by my Father, both Physically and Spiritually. One condemned me to hell, the Other condemned me here, to walk alone, to reflect. Others have seen me and killed me since, out of virtue, out of fear, out of malice, but they have all been punished sevenfold. I didn’t want any of this, they didn’t deserve that, and neither did you Abel. Father; I’ve been wandering for so long, please let me pass on one final time."
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[WP] You were accidentally transported to a parallel universe where you committed a crime and were sentenced to death in the arena. The executioners of this world are the nightmarish creations from your favorite kids TV shows as a child. | 9 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"“WHAT IS GOING ON? WHERE AM I?” I shouted repeatedly to everyone and no one in particular.\n\nSomehow, I am in the middle of an arena, the kind of arena I have only seen in movies where there have also been gladiators. The crowd is filled with barbaric people shouting angrily in a language I don’t understand. They are throwing tomatoes at me and only narrowly missing. I am shaking violently. \n\nA booming voice I oddly recognize replies, “Let’s play figure it out!” I rapidly turn in circles to match the sound to the place the voice came from and see a panel of executioners I absolutely recognize.\n\n“Wha, what - what is going on here?” I stammer.\n\n“Figure it out, football head!” taunts a cartoon member of the panel. I quickly put both of my hands to my head to find that I do, in fact, *have* a football shaped head. *What kind of dream is this?*\n\n“Well, the last thing I remember was-”\n\n“-banging on a trash can, were you? Banging on a street light? Those are crimes, you know!” an executioner interrupts me in a flat voice.\n\n“Um, I don’t think so. I was fishing my phone out of a Starbucks’ toilet and now I’m here.” \n\n“Starbucks? You mean at Goodburger, home of the Goodburger, did you even bother taking that hungry man’s order?!”\n\nThe hurling tomatoes have morphed into catapulting grapefruits and the crowd’s aim was improving. Desperate to get out here, I begin rapping my way out of this mess:\n“I whistled for a cab and when it came near\nThe license plate said 'Fresh' and it had dice in the mirror\nIf anything I could say that this cab was rare\nBut I thought ‘Nah, forget it, yo holmes, to Bel-Air!’”\n\nThe executioner panel nods in approval and hushes the crowd. The flying fruit ceases and I feel my head return to normal shape.\n\nA man approaches me in the arena, gets down on one knee and asks, “how you doin?”\n____\nApologies on ignoring the 'nightmarish creations' part, as I missed that detail until I reread the prompt after I finished writing. "
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...whoever deals the final blow is doomed to take the villain's place.
(My dad's interesting idea, thought I would put it out there to see what other people make of it.) | [WP] You and the hero are about to defeat the villain. The saga is about to end. But the riddle that the oracle gave the both of you still bothers you. Just before the hero ends it all, you realize the riddle's grim meaning... | 8 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"As the Corruption overloaded the containment unit, all of the trophies and trinkets in the room were faded to ash. The lightning from the chamber as the Arbiter screamed blasted red hot, fringing the walls, floor and ceiling, until the whole thing shut down. The glass behind which the hidden figure of the Arbiter was hidden burst open, leaking gallons of fluid. It leaked all over the floor, thick and grayish muck that stuck to Ana and Kolby's boots.\n\nThe Arbiter was still moving. Kolby hauled himself up to the chamber, careful not to cut himself on the glass, and beheld the self proclaimed Man-God. A pale, skinny human, with scars of untold stories all over him. Wires ran through his flesh and bones, his ears, eye sockets, nostrils and mouth. Several dug into his arms and chest at many places. Not a single hair on his body. HE pawed meekly at the wiring, seemingly unaware of his adversaries standing over him.\n\n\"You don't understand, you idiots,\", a tired, sad voice boomed through the speakers, \"The God-Machine must have a vessel. Without a vessel, it can't be contained.\"\n\n\"You've been lying to us long enough. Time's up.\", Kolby said as he unsheathed his father's old dagger.\n\nThe pale cyborg stopped pawing and leaned against the edge of the chamber. \n\n\"So. You're willing to live like this, then?\"\n\n\"What? Of course not! What are you talking about? Why would I wan to live like you?\"\n\n\"The God-Machine must have a vessel. I literally just told you this.\"\n\n\"What does that have to do with anything?\"\n\n\"Shit, Kolby, wait!\", Ana yelled as she climbed up to the chamber, \"It's what that Oracle lady said- Eww. Eh, she said 'the slayer and slain are one, as are the God and the Machine. All made whole by a vessel. The world needs a vessel.' Is this what she meant?\"\n\n\"What she meant is that I was once where you stood.\", the booming voice said, growing slower and slower. The man was bleeding through every hole in his head. \"I was once a 'hero'. Like you. I lost loved ones to my predecessor. I came in this room. And I beat the thing in this very chamber. Cut his throat and relished in his blood. The wires came loose and claimed me. The glass healed, the room filled up and it drilled away at me. Before long, I was a God. I saw the people I lived with squander themselves, waste themselves. I tried to stop them the best way I could. Evidently, it wasn't enough.\"\n\n\"You created an empire. You committed genocide!\"\n\n\"What's a couple thousand of people compared to millions? You have never had to make the sacrifices I made. The decisions that keep this world turning. i saved your life more times than you can count and you will never even know how I did it. I have possessed the power of the sun, aided the creation of the greatest era of peace the world has ever seen. I did not choose to be like this. The choice was made for me, and I did the best I could. Was it good enough? Perhaps. Perhaps not. I suppose I will never find out now. But know that when I pass, you will take my place, furry one. Say your goodbyes while you...can.\"\n\n\"He's lying. He has to be.\", Kolby said.\n\n\"What if he isn't?\"\n\n\"He's been fabricating the world from the ground up for who knows how long. Maybe he made the Oracle tell us the riddle. Trying to bait us into leaving. I didn't get this far just to let him fool us! We're finishing him off and the we'll blow this place.\"\n\n\"Take a good.....look at me, furry one. *This*..... is your....future.\"\n\nThe Arbiter slumped down, tears of bloods crawling down his face.\n\n\"Come. We'll use the Corruption to destroy this place.\"\n\nAna couldn't stop looking at him. That pale imitation of a person ran the world for who knows how long. And now the Man-God died. She'll have to write chronicles about the day the world changed forever. An upjumped castle-mage with a knack for theatrics and his assistant herbalist killed the closest thing to a God there is. She couldn't fathom it. Yet there he laid.\n\nShe climbed down after Kolby, careful to not cut herself on the glass again. The Man-God's final worlds kept rolling through her head. The sadness of it all. The futility. Had he realized he'd gone too far? Did he just want to be put out of his misery? \n\nAs they were just about to walk out of the room, a sloshing noise from the chamber made the look back. The Arbiter's body was being dragged around by the cables, ripped over the broken glass shards. The body twitched as meters worth of cables pulled themselves out of his body, and then dumped him on the floor like a sack of potatoes. The cables extended from the broken container all the way to the middle of the room and kept extending. At the end of every single on of them, a tiny lightsource shone. All of them pointing at Kolby.\n\n\"What the hell?\"\n\nWithin the blink of an eye, the cables shot across the room. Ana ducked out of the way as the cables pierced right through Kolby, digging deep into his flesh and dragging him back to the chamber. Kolby screamed and whelped as he flailed, clawing at the cables. Ana pulled out her acidic vials and smashed on the cables, to no effect. She clawed at them as they dragged Kolby further and further towards the chamber. The more they pried, the more the cables had coccooned him. His screams were muted, he tried using the power of Corruption, but to no avail. The ball of wiring was hauled into the chamber as new glass grew in place of the broken shard, and the grey muck started poring back in from the bottom.\n\nShe tried to climb back in, desperately, to get Kolby back. She couldn't lose him like this. Something had snared her ankle, but she didn't care. She had to get him out. He couldn't end up like that Arbiter. He had too much to live for. She depended on him. She *needed* him.\n\nA violent jerk on her leg pulled her down. The glass grew shut and the muck topped it back off. Ana dug her claws in the ground, trying to crawl back. She couldn't let him go. Not like this. She looked down at her leg. A set of cables had ensnared her foot, and was crawling up her leg.\n\nIn full panic mode, she grabbed her pouch and started beating at the cables snaring her leg. She screamed, she cried. Was she going to die down here? Several vials in her pouch had cracked and was leaking on her. The cables pulled her away. Ana's claws grated the floor as she held on with all she could. But it wasn't enough. She was dragged off faster as than she could run, bouncing off of the floor as she was rushed back through the way she and Kolby came in. She faded in and out of consciousness until she got the feeling of flying, followed by an impact back on the floor and rolling through the dirt and ending up in a set of bushes.\n\nShe laid there for a bit as she tried to compose herself. Trying to slow her breathing down. Trying not feel bruises growing across her body. Trying not to die of a broken heart. Trying to not to give into despair, as the last thing she ever saw from Kolby was a look of horror as he was taken by the God-Machine.\n\nAll she could see is the picture of Kolby wound up in cables, the way the Arbiter was. Cables in every hole of his body. The suffering. Now he's gone. Now she was alone.\n\nShe lied there in the bushes, crying herself to sleep. Hoping tomorrow never came.\n\n\n\n"
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"1518505114",
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[removed] | [WP] Rogue country distributes carrier malware on a global scale, that spreads but lays dormant.. | 1 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nThe prompt has to fit into the title box in its entirety - not go in the text box. If it's too long for the title box, edit it down to its core idea.\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/7x9k53/wp_rogue_country_distributes_carrier_malware_on_a/%0A%0A)\n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*"
] | [
1,
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"1518530471",
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[WP] Your friends constantly talk about how soon Mars will become the new home for humanity. You are the only one who knows that Earth is our third attempt at relocating. | 64 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"I cough a bit, feeling something caught back in my throat. My friends look over, wondering if I was alright.\n\n\"Just a little bug I've had for the past few weeks, go on.\" I reply to their curious gazes.\n\n\"Well, I was just saying that how AWESOME it'll be to finally colonize the moon! My dad says that I even have potential to be one of the astronauts,\" Kyle said. Kyle was a good friend, but always a bit over-ambitious and blindly faithful. \n\n\"Yeah, sure. But how many others will want to get that same position?\" Maria, my other friend who was there, retorted.\n\n\"But I'll have the experience! It times just perfectly, and I'll be able to get all the classes in at college.\"\n\n\"Kyle, do you ever think of anything? It'll cost trillions, and they'll send some kid just out of college?\"\n\nI sighed internally. They would send someone just out of college. It's happened before, at least that's what the government says. The first relocation was between solar systems, two planets named EP-132 and QN-942. After both of those attempts failed, humans moved to the lush planet Venus, while seeding Earth with plants just in case.\n\nThat just in case turned out to be right. At first QN-942 and Venus were similar to the relationship between Taiwan and China. Part of the population fled during war, but things turned out wrong. Both times the home planets were destroyed.\n\nWhen the habitats on Venus went wrong, it's obvious what happened. The atmosphere and composition went wrong, and it was inhabitable. The government decided what was best: to stop telling everyone what happened. It solved a lot of problems, but it's repeating now. Earth is getting ready for war, and we are packing out bags already.\n\n\"So what's your opinion?\"\n",
"“It’s going to be tough but we can’t just be stuck here!” Theo exclaimed for at least the third time that week.\n\n“Sure, T, and you’re gonna be on the first ship?”\n\nSam and Theo have been having this same argument for weeks. Not consistently, mind you. Just every few days the topic of humans finally terraforming Mars comes up.\n\nTheo smirked, “Why not? At least I would be safe while you’re still here clinging to the last piece of land that’s above water.” Theo was right. The storms have been getting worse since the project. The weather machine was initially to reverse the effects of global warming. After the first tests were successful in a lab environment they were finally going to try and fix what was thought to be irrevocable. \n\n“We can still probably still save earth!” Sam said “We have the weather machine. We just have to put the right spin on this whole thing and everything will be the way it was.” \n\nThe way it was… Even the way it was is better than what we see when we look out of our windows. When the project was started, it seemed like we just poked at a spinning top. When the smallest alteration was made to the climate the first thing the world noticed was hurricanes hitting the Caribbean like a barrage. Then it was the monsoons in the Philippines, the floods in Europe, the tornados in the midwest USA. Most of the human race didn’t stand a chance.\n\n“Oh yeah, the thing that doomed us all is going to be the one to save us? They have been messing with that thing since it happened.” Theo took a deep breath and blew out his cheeks. “We barely made it through last year. I say we get off this rock.”\n\n“So,” I huffed “You’re just gonna ditch us?” I’m not really sure why I said anything but this rock happens to be where I live. The weather is in rough shape but who knows what will happen on Mars. They plan on using the same technology that turned our planet into a living hell, and somehow they are going to turn Mars into a paradise.\n\n“You two should come too. Everyone should. Turn that damn weather machine up to eleven and watch the fireworks as we ride off.” Theo said looking almost wistful.\n\nI shot him an angry look and said disbelievingly, “So instead of having people on Mars as insurance and still try and save earth. You’d rather hit self destruct and pray? That damn weather machine is exactly what you’re betting on saving your life.”\n\n“It worked in lab experiments. Our problem was that we tried to edit a code that was still running. Mars has no code, no weather. We just... make it! It might be 75 and sunny all the time! I have to get there and plant my flag before all the good real estate gets taken.”\n\n“If we stay,” I said, nudging Sam “all the rich people leave and a ton of good real estate opens up.”\n\nSam smiled, “Yeah! I’m gonna have my own island and stuff.”\n\n“Just clinging to that last piece of land.” Theo snorted\n\n“I’m done with this conversation.”\n \nIn all reality I was done with the conversation too. I shouldn’t have even joined it but I can’t help it every time this comes around. Humans are so fascinating. They have the capacity to harness energy and use it in curious ways to meet their needs. Then they use it to deprive others of their needs. They create, and destroy. They’re good at destruction. I've been watching them for centuries. Crusades, wars, bombs, book burning. And they live such short lives that they don’t remember, this is the third planet they’ve relocated to.",
"Sarah wouldn't know how many lives were at stake, not at that point at least. She took a sip from her coffee mug, and immediately regretted it. The coffee had been sitting there for… how long again? It had gone cold. She took another sip. Why? She set the coffee aside and turned her attention back to the plexiglass screen in front of her. \n\nYes, the 8 o'clock news. This is what she was focusing on. And what terrible news. War was still raging in the Middle East over oil resources, and conflicts in northern Africa and South America were becoming more and more frequent over the control of what little remained of fossil fuels on Earth. Renewable energy was only really available in commercial scale in developed countries, and Sarah remembered how the disaster in Puerto Rico, decades before, was seen as an opportunity to prove that renewable energy was the way of the future. And it worked. Up to a point.\n\nShe looked out the café window into the street. It was 8:15 in the evening, and so the sun should be just about setting. Outside, though, all she could see was the fog and the dust. A sad reminder of what the Earth had come to be in only a few decades. No, actually, she thought, a few centuries, that was more like it. What have we done? Again?\n\nMars was waiting. The plans for colonization were already put in place by the time of the Falcon Heavy test flight of course, but not many people knew that. The astronauts had already been training for a long time by then and the genetic engineering project for the embryos was almost completed by that time. Launch a mannequin attached to a car into space, she thought, and you'll be able to divert people's attention while you focus on what must be done. On what really matters. How else would they be able to do it?\n\nSarah had long ceased worrying about the ethics of it all, though. As long as people remained ignorant, they shouldn't need to endure the agony inevitably brought on by the truth. Which was good, in a way. In a very much distorted way. It would prevent chaos, until the very last minute at least. Which would probably buy the Colonists enough time to lift off and finally settle down on Mars.\n\nSarah's lips curled into a half smile as she entertained for a moment the thought of whether the Colonists would call Mars \"Earth\" in a few centuries' time. A few decades, perhaps? It was likely. Yes, that would make sense. In due time all records about the Third Relocation would be erased from public records and as had happened in the past, only a handful of scientists and probably a few high ranking government officials would have access to the documents.\n\nSarah took another sip from her cold coffee. Why does history keep repeating itself, she thought. Wars break over resources, right on the verge of planetary destruction, millions succumb to malnutrition and diseases and then finally, by the time the scientists and the people start talking about colonizing another planet and making all sorts of random calculations and plans to check if this would even be possible, the planet is abandoned by those Colonists who had already left, secretly, decades before, so that by the time the old planet is deemed incapable of sustaining life, the new colony is already safe and sound. She took a deep breath.\n\nHumanity would be left to die, of course. And history would start over, to a certain extent. Our future archaeologists on Mars—that is to say, Earth—would need evidence of early hominids, and so we would let a few generations scattered on the planet, drawing on caves and building rudimentary tools. And we would be watching them all the time until it was time to rebuild society. It would be a very long and tedious process, but we had done it before. We knew it would work. Of course, there would be the few who would see right through the bullshit and realize that something was wrong, but those would more often than not come up with theories about extraterrestrial beings, not once realizing those beings were us. Oh well. It's just easy to shut them up and label them conspiracy theorists, isn't it? \n\nBut there was one more thing. Our future scientists couldn't be allowed to find signs of life outside the current Earth. And so the old Earth would need to be nuked, just as had happened with the Earth before this one. And the one before that. Sarah let out a deep sigh as she thought of what Archive Thanos might contain. But alas, her clearance would not grant her access to any information beyond the essential that she needed in order to play her part in Project Valkyrie. \n\nNevertheless, she had a pretty good guess, at least that was what she thought, Venus, even if it was just to satiate her own need to know the truth. She didn't care how close to the truth her guess was. But it must be real. Where else could we have come from? And before that? The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, perhaps? Could that have been a planet once, completely destroyed by our own archaic nukes after the First Relocation? And what would happen now? Would the current Earth become a barren red planet, and would it just be renamed Mars? Easy peasy, she thought to herself, letting out a muffled laugh.\n\n\n\n---\n\nNote: Special thanks to u/victorged from whom I borrowed the \"high ranking government officials\", hope that's alright! :)\n",
"They don't know. They think they do but no one really does. I suppose I don't actually really know. I was sure I was going crazy these past few years but it all made sense in the end. I suppose you think I am crazy. I wouldn't blame you really. In fact if you just took my word for it I would think you are the crazy one.\n\nI was born circa 2 million years ago. Well I guess I wasn't but he was. He died when he was 130, pretty good even for them. They of course emptied his mind, stored his DNA and when a new one was to be born they would download it all into the new child. It was standard procedure. Apparently they started doing that to retain as much information about their race as possible. They were humans, not like us though. No they were a different version. But they had the same programming in the end.\n\nHe was one of the few that knew that what their existence was for. Their world was filled with destruction and natural calamities. Poverty, large disparity in wealth distribution, civil wars, plagues. Everything on their planet, including themselves, was wiping out the humans version 2.0. Of course not all of them knew they were version 2.0, only he and a handful of others did. Just like not all of us know we are version 3.0. \n\nThey got as much of themselves as they could onto another planet, a hospitable planet. Earth already had life on it when our ancestors arrived. They were stuck in a space ship for a long time until they got to earth. Not a lot survived from their knowledge and development but some did. Some stayed hidden until someone similar enough was born for the right information to seep through. Sometimes I wish I never knew, but its somewhat comforting knowing your destiny.\n\nThey started anew. This time on Earth. And following their programming they... we will destroy Earth move again and find another planet to wipe out. Now you see, or you think you do at least.\n\nHe never found out why someone wanted to destroy the universe, he just knew that they had succeeded.",
"Jared likes to think of himself as a glorified babysitter listening to them talk about how amazing it would be to colonize Mars. How could modern humans be so foolish? They retained no collective memory of their time on the other three planets. \n\nThis colony, the Earth colony, collectively decided thousands and thousands of years ago not to use their advanced medicine to give themselves near-endless lifespans. It was celebrated then as one of the most selfless acts of humanity. To voluntarily die at a normal age for their first people in order to reduce their burden on this planet was deemed a wise decision after they destroyed the other planets with overpopulation-related stress. The unanticipated consequence of their drastically reduced lifespans was the massive loss of knowledge concerning their history in the general public. The first people, having lived already such long lives, felt no need or forgot to tell their successors much of what they already knew. In the past, they had so much time that the process of learning went at a snail's pace. This trend continued for several generations until all the details of their extraterrestrial knowledge and history was lost to almost all the people. \n\nIt didn't help, too, that the humans at the time felt compelled to travel across the continents to explore the rest of the world they had arrived on. They were so eager to see what this new planet had to offer. They scattered and fragmented themselves so quickly that each group retained mere pieces of the real story. Their fragmented stories eventually turned into legends, mythology and religious doctrine. There is, after all, a reason why there is so much continuity across religious and cultural beliefs and traditions.\n\nThe first arrivals anticipated this issue and selected a core group of 20 or so people to retain this knowledge and live among the rest. \n\nBack to the story. Jared couldn't help but laugh as they talked about Mars in particular. *Oh Mars,* he thought to himself. *How could they not know that we have already colonized Mars once before?* Mars was the second attempt at relocating. For thousands of years people wondered why the planet Mars was so red. For hundreds of years scientists have wondered why there is so much iron oxide - rust - on the surface of Mars. For Jared the answer was obvious. The iron oxide came from the rusting of all the iron buildings, structures and materials left behind on the planet when they 'jumped ship,' so to speak. So much of the water on Mars is stored in the iron oxide on its surface. The massive loss of water stripped the planet of its insulating clouds and the planet quickly grew frigid. All of this happened before the humans left, of course, but here they were, talking about inhabiting the planet as if it were their first time doing so.\n\nJared wished to return to the first planet, which orbited Alpha Centauri... to be continued, if so desired.\n\n**I'm making it more than one person because it just fits better with my story. Not that I need any justification to do this. I didn't feel like it was right to write this into the story now, but keep in mind that this means that they have watch all their loved ones die. Another thing I want to add here that I didn't think could be included well in the narrative itself is that the process of shortening their lifespans took a several generations to take effect, which is why things like The Bible have stories of people living for hundreds of years (think Methuselah). Another thing I want is for Jared to have a biological sister that exists somewhere else on Earth that is surviving alongside him. Perhaps a partner as well?**\n\nAny input would be greatly appreciated!! <3",
"Karleigh slumped into the booth with a sigh, and let her heavy bag fall into the seat beside her before giving a little half hearted wave at the two men seated across from her, after a day like that at work she'd need a beer. \n\nLuckily, whatever trendy hotspot the guys had dragged her out to this week looked like a winner. Clean lines, a feaux-industrial ceiling, and entirely too much chrome made it look like it was trying hard to leave Santa Clara behind for the glory of the future. The Tesla roadster parked on a raised dais in the center of the bar was such an obvious homage to Musk's Falcon Heavy launch that she nearly groaned. Eighteen years later and people still weren't over that stupid car. \n\n\"Karleigh! Good to finally see you,\" Greg gave a lazy wave from the other side of the table before leaning across it to give her a conspiratorial wink, \"any news to share about the colony selection process?\"\n\nShe tried not to roll her eyes, fought it hard really. But by the frown on Greg's face and the curious look Max had going she'd probably let something through. Rolling her shoulders to crack her back and buy a bit of time Karleigh scanned for a waitress to flag down for that beer. Failing that she turned back to the guys, \"Look, you know I can't share anything. Astrobiology is locked up tight, no information out. Total blackout, national security, blah blah blah. Same as it has been for months,\" *years*, \"You guys watch the news though. You know what they're saying, you know enough.\" *Not by half*.\n\nMax raised an eyebrow at that, \"So you're saying the news is on the right track and we really are in the final selection for colonists?\"\n\nGreg pumped a fist, \"That is so RAD!\" He shimmied around a bit in his seat in celebration before settling back in, \"Think about it man, humans on Mars, permenantly! We'll have a second home in the stars!\"\n\n*Fourth.* The word was like a gong in Karleigh's head, and it was the reason she just couldn't share in the excitement of her friends. How many people knew the truth she wasn't quite sure; a handful of people in her astrobiology department at Ames, sure. Probably some in other departments or in other labs, a smattering of high ranking government officials even. Not that it mattered, not that any of them could talk about it. The graveyards of humanity were a closely guarded secret, and one no one was eager to explore on the verge of Mars. \n\nShe finally caught a waitresses eye, and flagged her over. Really only one way to deal with this kind of knowledge. ",
"Lucas watches the horizon, and thinks earth has the best horizon yet; yeah Chromulon's was good too, but there's something in earts's colors that made Lucas feel as no planet before.\nAnd if you've been alive for 5 billions of years, and are the brother of the Sun, you've seen lots of horizons. \n\nHis friend Klaus was still talking, he wasn't stupid, he knew how much humanity screwed up with earth. He just didn't know it was the third time.\nThe good part was that Humanity didn't need Lucas this time to save itself. So Lucas, as the lovely father he is, still had hope for Life on Mars. He had to. If humans killed another planet belonging to his beloved sister, she would have killed...well...everyone and everything.\n\nShe, the Sun, was still upset about that moon incident. Sun really loved her pets living in all the planets. But moon has always been her favourite...and seeing humans walking on her was disgusting. Didn't they see how beautiful she is ? Why would they even think to walk on her? Kinky bastards.\n\nLucas didn't care about the moon. The only reason humanity was still alive, and the reason he was so kind to them, was because of a girl, named Obsidiane, thousands and thousands of years ago saved his life. Saved the life of a dying star by watching it falling, and asking that that beautiful falling star could be her friend, instead of burning to death to grant someone else's wish."
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[WP] The princess returned, wearing armor and carrying a sword and the dragon's head. | 4 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Responding to my own prompt because no one else will and I felt like writing today.\n\nMy father was an old fool, tied to tradition. That was his defining trait, and his second greatest weakness. His reliance on one ancient artifact to protect him was his greatest weakness. Our kingdom had no army, because King Horatio used the Hero’s Sword to solve everything. The magic blade wielded by our only knight was the panacea to all our ills. Anyone who wielded the sword was imbued with the power of all the warriors who held it’s steel previously, and could defeat any direct threat known to him. Which was why it was a terrible thing to rely on, as one had to know about a threat beforehand to defeat it. So when a dragon suddenly flies in, roasted his only hero alive, stole the Hero’s Sword, and then took his only daughter hostage, what did my imbecile of a father do? Did he negotiate? Call upon what few allies we had? Seek out another hero?\n\nNo. The doddering old fool held a contest. My hand in exchange for my and the sword’s safe return. He was more concerned about marrying me off than his own kingdom! Our sole defense was gone. Yes, send in a bunch of peasants and princes who are not only fighting a fire breathing beast, but are also sabotaging each other in order to win ownership of the kingdom. Unsurprisingly, this only made the dragon fat and happy. There I waited, caged in a dragon’s treasure trove, suspended from the ceiling like bait on a fishing line. Indeed I was bait, drawing in whatever power hungry or horny idiots my father sent. It was not until the ninth night I was imprisoned when the end of all my worries came to me. The Hero’s Sword came to me while the beast below me slept. The weapon, bathed in ethereal light, beckoned me. I gripped the hilt of the sword.\n\nInstantly I was filled with the knowledge of the sword. Fighting techniques and tactical knowledge flooded my mind, as well as something else. Hundreds of voices, speaking one message in unison:\n\n*“Your father is no longer worthy of our blessing. You, who would stand against his failings, shall be our new master. May you use our blessing well, Princess Valerie.”*\n\nUpon the conclusion of the message, I was transformed. My muscles grew larger, my dress turned to an outfit of metal and tough leather, my hair was cut short, and a scabbard appeared at my hip. I was no longer a princess. I was a warrior of royal lineage, and I would be reclaiming my kingdom from my imbecile of a father. First I needed to get out of the cage I was trapped in. I spun around, blade extended. Surprisingly, the bars all snapped, albeit a bit noisily. I fell toward the dragon beneath, who was beginning to stir from the commotion. The dragon awoke just in time to feel a blade stabbing into his skull, and being pulled out. He was too distracted by the feeling of cold cave air on his brain to react to me. I took the opportunity to slide down it’s neck and decapitate the hellish beast. The dragon’s head fell into a pile of gold with a wet thud, blood oozing from the stab wound in it’s head. I sheathed my sword and picked up my first trophy of war, the blade’s blessing of strength making lifting the rather large head a simple task.\nIt was after I lifted it that I noticed four other armored individuals, all staring at me as I held the head above my own. I spoke to them:\n\n“Who are you four?”\n\n“Mercenaries, your majesty.”\n\n“Were you sent by my father?”\n\n“Not exactly, your majesty. Prince Theodore of Araton hired us to rescue you in his stead.”\n\nFor a moment, I pondered what to do with them. I wasn’t about to be married off to some prince I had no prior knowledge of. I did not wish to abuse my new power and kill the four warriors. Then I had an idea.\n\n“How much is this Theodore paying you?”\n\n“500 gold apiece”\n\nI looked about the room, brimming with gold and jewels. A smile played across my lips. “I wish to overthrow my fool of a father, would you be willing to assist me?”\n\nThe knights were taken aback. In turn, I gestured to the piles of treasure around the room, “Of course,” I said picking up a fist sized ruby and tossing it to them “You be paid far more than a measly 500 gold.”\n\nI walked down the gold pile, continuing my proposal. “I am in need of knights, a general, and a personal guard. Would you four like to join my army, or is it too permedant of an arrangement?”\n\nThey whispered amongst themselves for a few minutes, and turned back to me. The four of them knelt before me.\n\n“Consider us your vassals, your majesty.” Their leader said, looking up at me with a smile. “Our carriage is outside, shall we begin loading it with funds for our conquest?”\n\nI smiled wickedly. “Yes, we shall discuss your roles on the journey. We must amass an army to depose my father, and then we shall turn his kingdom from a small plot of land into a grand empire! Now load the carriage, we shall leave immediately after preparations are complete.” \n\nMy new soldiers rushed to work, hauling all the treasure they could in and out of the cave. I smiled, thinking of how I would inherit my birthright a bit earlier than Horatio expected, reclaim the lands taken by the barbarians, and conquer the lands beyond. My plans of conquest and glory would have to wait, I needed an army fifty times the size of my current one. I looked upon the dead dragon and it’s riches. I thought that perhaps later, I would fashion a skirt of the dragon’s scales, and add some jewels gold in order to make this armor a bit more regal and feminine. I may be a warrior, but I am still a princess."
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[WP] “I’m a solid 50% sure I’m a wizard, okay?” “What’s the other 50%?” “...Witch.” (Story about a genderfluid magician, which can be taken many ways!) | 1 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"I had seen my share of transformations. \nI have taught many aspiring young wizards and witches. \nWe usually begin simple, turning beetles into buttons, teapots into garden gnomes, and the most pleasant lessons are when my pupils turn cutlery into wildflowers. \nThe more advanced lessons cover more challenging spells, like disguising oneself as an armchair, or transforming into an animal. \nAnd some of my most talented students have astounded me by transforming into a teaspoon, a robotic vacume cleaner and even a music box. \nLately however, as I have understood influenced by muggle culture, there are a number of students that have expressed a desire to master the art of gender bending. \nI have taken it upon myself to learn about this branch of transfiguration from the so called queen herself. \n \nShe awaits me at the trainstation, and greets me cheerfully. \n\"So nice to meet you professor McGonnagal.\" \n\"Likewise, your majesty.\" I respond. \n\"Oh, honey yout can call me Ru.\"",
"\nIn dreams, bones danced. Flowers bloomed in the eyes of a murderer, but withered on vines that instead grew hearts, beating a rhythm out to the sound of an ungodly scream.\n\n\nNash groaned as the cat yowled. It was 6am in the land of the living, and if Nash wanted to be clean before classes started, they had to wake up at the dark side of dawn.\n\n\nOne burning hot shower and a breakfast later, Nash stood at the gates of Emrys Preparatory for Young Witches and Wizards. It was an odd mishmash of architecture. The original building had been a squat fortress, something that could have been taken for a watchtower on a dark night, with a single large entryway, thick wooden double doors. Various administrations had since added their own aesthetic flourishes. The administrative wing, built in the Tudor style, bumped up against the ornate, Victorian-era Modern Astrology Tower, which was dwarfed by a brutalist wing -probably the cafeteria and associated labs. And, of course, the elaborate Grecian motifs on the low wall enclosing the courtyard where the throng of hopefuls had congregated for the admissions exam.\n\n\n“Do you think you’ll make the cut?” \n\n\nNash jumped, startled. The speaker, standing in the dew-damped grass, had a worried face surrounded by frizzy green hair, and was chewing on a stick of gum rapidly. \n\n\n“Ah… yeah, maybe. I hope,” Nash said. The green-haired speaker chewed nervously on and said, “I mean, my mum says dad was a wizard, but I think he was making it up to impress her, you know?” The speaker dug into a pocket and pulled out a gum pack. “Want some?”\n\n\n“Er… sure.”\n\n\nA voice cut through the sounds of the crowd. \"Alrighty kiddos, queue up!” Nash looked around; the doors to the school hadn’t opened yet, and not everybody seemed to have heard. They shrugged, and, along with the kid with the frizzy green hair, started towards the front. \n\n\nOnce the last prospective student was in line, the doors swung open and the trials began.\n\n\nSome of the students, those whose families had elected to join the Registry generations ago, had received their letters and were shunted to private rooms, where their level of skill could be tested. Most of the remaining students were dreamers, kids who had heard tales of magic or seen somebody in action, but whose families had never yet produced a magician.\n\n\nAnd then there was Nash.\n\n\nAs the line shortened -the inevitably disappointed walking off in a huff, or bursting into tears, or just walking quietly away -a shine had begun to spread over the building. Mum had told Nash about this, and had fixed their specs so that it wouldn’t give them a headache when they got too close. Still, every so often they had to rub their eyes.\n\n\n“Don’t worry,” hissed the green-haired kid from behind Nash. “I’m so nervous I could cry too.”\n\n\n“I’m not -” Nash began, but was cut short as the young woman in front of them was shunted off to a group of students waiting in the hallway. The examiner, who glowed brightly in Nash’s eyes, beckoned them forwards; as Nash stepped up, they blinked rapidly to clear their gaze as the glow briefly grew to encompass Nash and all sound from the outside world fell away. \n\n\n“Name?”\n\n\n“Nash.”\n\n\n“Family name?”\n\n\n“Er…” the tricky part. Mum had warned Nash she would curse them with her dying breath if they took her name to the school. “None.”\n\n\nThe examiner raised his right eyebrow. “None? As in, you have none, or your family name is, in fact, none?”\n\n\nNash felt their face getting warm. “My mum would kill me if I told. Sir.”\n\n\nThe examiner raised his left eyebrow. “One of those sorts, is she? Doesn’t trust the confidence of the Registry?”\n\n\n“Not as such. Sir.”\n\n\nThe examiner sighed. “You’re the second one today, too. Well, out with it. Why are you here?”\n\n\n“Because I’m a solid 50% sure I’m a wizard.” And Mum told me if I didn’t get some training I’d be the death of her, they added mentally.\n\n\n“And the other 50%?”\n\n\n“Witch. Sir.”\n\n\nThe examiner raised both eyebrows but made no comment. It wasn’t until they were walking towards the group of new students huddled in the hallway that they processed the fact that the examiner had accepted them. Relief washed over them and their legs turned to jelly as they approached the other kids.\n\n"
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[wp] you can make anybody around you smell whatever fragrance they deeply desire and only they can smell it. | 1 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"The park.\n\nA man and a litte girl.\n\nHe's holding her hand. \n\nShe's holding a dripping cone of ice cream. She hasn't taken a single lick. It's running over her hand.\n\nThe sun is out. The sky is blue. The grass is green. A brown dog happily leaps into the air and catches a red frisbee.\n\nShe looks, but she looks sad. \n\nSuddenly, she stops as I tap into her senses. She looks around, as if taking in everything for the first time.\n\nThe man impatiently pulls at her arm. \"Aimee! Let's. Go.\"\n\n\"Don't you smell it?\" She looks at him with happy, shimmering blue eyes. He pauses, as if its been awhile since he's seen the little girl this happy. She tugs at his hand. \"Don't you smell it, Daddy?\" She closes her eyes and inhales deeply. \"It smells like...*Mom.*\"\n\nMy heart stops as I see the tears in the man's eyes. There's pain and sadness in them. Something must have happened to the mom.\n\nTears come to my own eyes as he desperately tries to sniff out the smell, too. But he can't. I tap into his senses, smiling through tears as his eyes open with wonder. Then his eyes close as he shuts the world out and focuses on that one smell.\n\nFather and daughter, sharing that one last, precious smell of someone they both loved. I sit there on the bench and vow to make it last as long as I can...\n\n...I just wish there was some way I could make it last forever.\n\n\n"
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"1518653321",
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[WP] Only the carrier of the [Item] may rule the land, and it will burn everyone that tries touching it, except for a select few. You, on the other hand, are immune to fire. | 12 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"The Crown of Fire, as it was aptly named by the first king, was the birthright of our kingdom. Whoever wore it was granted the power to rule, and could use it's flames to incinerate their enemies or those who opposed them. However, the crown had a mind of it's own; if someone whom the crown considered unworthy to rule, touched the crown, they would be instantly consumed by it's fire with nothing remaining but a single peice of ash\n\nThe kings in our kingdom would so often become corrupt, and therefore be incinerated by their own crown, which made it hard to keep a king more than a few years. The last king was an old farmer who was ready to die but surprisingly the crown accepted him. Until, of course, the power went to his head and he tried to incinerate a pretty young woman for refusing to marry him.\n\nI was a blacksmith's apprentice and while working around the flames I realized that I had the ability to not get burned by them. With this knowledge I traveled to the palace with the intention of world domination, at whatever the cost. I arrived and found the crown on a pedestal infront of the palace.\n\nI approached the pedestal and grabbed the golden crown, forcing it on my head as the angry flames surrounded me. My whole body was engulfed in flames and they get hotter and hotter as the crown tried it's best to vaporize me. But I mastered it and relished in the power of the flames while laughing aloud.\n\nThe citizens of the kingdom must have looked on in horror as I wielded the flames around me, using them to clothe my now naked body (since my other clothes had vanished from the crown's attempt to incinerate me). I imagine I looked like a demon with the flames and smoke curling around my body and the now black, corrupted crown upon my head. They offered no resistance as I claimed the kingdom and started my journey to world domination."
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[WP] You really, really don't want to visit your significant other's family. | 3 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"\"Do we really have to go visit your family?\"\n\n\"My sister just had a baby. Yes, we really have to go visit her\", Scott replied with an irritated sigh.\n\n\"It's just that I really don't want to.\"\n\nScott's irritation began to increase. \"What is your problem with my sister, anyway?\"\n\n\"Oh, I like your sister just fine. It's her husband I can't stand.\" \n\n\"Ted is a pretty swell guy.\"\n\n\"The first time we went there for dinner, he spent the whole night quoting The Godfather at me.\"\n\n\"He was just trying to make you feel at home!\"\n\n\"Just because I'm Italian doesn't mean I'm in the mafia!\"\n\n\"Well, you're just going to have to put up with him then, Ellen. Heaven help me, I still put up with your sister.\"\n\n\"What is that supposed to mean?!\"\n\n\"Oh, don't give me that indignant look. You know very well what I'm talking about. Do you remember her last plan to save the environment? Decreasing meat intake by increasing insect consumption? In other words, making you put worms in my curry?!\"\n\nEllen couldn't hold back her laughter. \"She was right though. It did kind of taste like chicken.\"\n\nScott felt the corners of his mouth curl up despite himself. He raised his glass. \"To family.\"\n\n\"To family.\" \n\n---------------------------------------------\nThe worms: www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/7x2jk8/comment/du535ql \n\nThe Godfather: https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/7xqh8f/comment/dub2cmn"
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[WP] [EU] A DnD Fantasy world, where magic talent is so commonplace, its taken for granted. Even everyday citizens are possessed with a small talent. But the physically strong have to struggle: Warriors are the outcasts, building their worth the hard way. | 17 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Ah jeez, this is a bad response as it's not WP - HOWEVER, there's an actual book series about this. I forget the name, I read it about.. 16 years ago. I remember the books followed a small caste of warriors who start fighting... I think it was 4 \"houses\" (for each 'type' of magic) after they witness a slaughter of non-magic users, and they topple the government at the end.\n\nIt was a really fantastic book series, I wish I could recall it. Anyone know?",
"The cave's stone walls seemed to eat away the small source of light, their presence sent a cold sensation seeping through his skin. With every step he fought off his pressing hesitation. The tunnel itself carried with it the smell of sweat and blood, it was sharp and heavy like the iron of a blade. The cave felt as though the walls contained the physical manifestations of fear itself, he braced against the rising anxiety. At the end of the long and narrow hall a room opened up, it was just as dark as the rest of the cave; only a single source of light sat at the back of the room and near the center a small pedestal. A presence urged him forth and he neared the pedestal, atop it sat a simple sword, a history of battle present across its blade.\n\n\"You who have chosen the life of a warrior step foot in such a holy place. Your determination and hard work are the sign of a strong will, your training and dedication the sign of a fighter.\" The loud voice bounced around the stone walls. \"And now a test to determine if you shall stand amongst the hierarchy of warriors, a true follower of the martial practices. To determine your fate you have entered these halls, and it shall be seen. By a trial of power!\"\n\nSeemingly from the shadows of the back wall a man stepped forward. There was no mistake from the vision of the man, he was a warrior. He held a small sword in one hand, much like the one on the pedestal, and around his eyes was bound a blindfold. He walked forward stopping before the pedestal on the opposite side and reached forward, in his hand sat a thick cloth.\n\n\"Bind your vision, there is no need for sight, your martial skill should be your eyes.\" Complying the man took hold of the cloth and tied around his head, completely blinding himself. \"Now take hold of the sword your trial begins.\"\n\nWith a deep breath, he placed his hand on the sword and lifted it from the stone. Another inhale calmed his heart and he could hear the sounds of the cave. The suttle drips of water bouncing off the stone floor, the wisps of the passing breeze from outside gently disturbed by the other man's breathing.\n\nA shimmer like the sound of wavering metal cut across the air, he raised his sword to block. A loud clang of colliding blades filled his ears before the sound of another slice through the air. The pressure of blows threw him from where he stood, he stumbled hearing the scrape of his shoes on the floor. A sudden silence frightened him, the gentle disturbance of air was no longer present. A wave of pressure came from behind followed by scrape of stone. Quickly ducking down he felt the blast of a hard swing above his head.\n\nThe sound disappeared again, and with it he slowed his breaths. There was a longer pause this time, a minute push of air passed along his shoulder. He turned swinging with great force, impact, it was suttle but he felt the push of threads as he sliced through his opponent's shirt. The other man let out a light grunt showing a hint of being impressed. The sound and presence all-together disappeared again. Trying again he slowed his breath and followed the flow of air, like a blade wind shot forth near his chest. He hopped back feeling as the sword tore through his shirt, he swung his own blade around and lashed forward. He felt a hand push against the pommel and he reached forward with his hand.\n\nThe feeling of flesh filled his palm and he squeezed catching the other man's forearm. He pulled him in sweeping a leg at the man's feet, nothing, his foot passed uncontested. Too late he realized what had happened, a clap of feet meeting the ground echoed in the room. A strong forced dropped upon his knee and the crack of his shattered leg was only drowned by his own cry of pain. He fell failing to keep himself standing and the cold touch of metal landed upon his throat.\n\nWith a strong tug his blindfold was removed and above him stood his opponent. The man slowly removed his own blindfold and looked down at him, he had a deep scowl on his face. \"With training from dedication for our entire lives we the strongest of warriors gain power. Proof of that power is shown within the this trial, taken when one decides they are ready. If one should pass by showing great talent they rise to become worthy in the eyes of the Magistrate of they so choose.\" He leaned closed pressing the blade nearer to his throat.\n\n\"We train our entire lives as the only way to become strong enough. Only with great strength we can hope to match the gifted.\" He answered.\n\n\"You have shown great dedication, and proved a great amount of skill. Your long dedication to the practice is apparent from your strength. With years more you could have risen to complete this trial, however your haste has made you too weak.\" The shiver of fear returned and his eyes widened. \"Not one successful blow did you land instead you fell due to your overconfident strike. You have failed your trial by power.\"\n\n\"No wait!\" He screamed. The sword pulled from his neck and thrust forward cleanly removing his head from his shoulders.\n\n\"The strength of a warrior is a true art, may he continue to train and grow his strength.\" The man said laying his sword beside the body. He left the decapitated corpse behind and exited through the door at the back of the room.\n\nOn the other side a man in heavy blue and gold robes stood waiting. \"Well how did he do?\" The man asked in a regal tone.\n\n\"His overconfidence ended him, he was a fine fighter, but a warrior no.\"\n\n\"A pity for *your* kind I suppose. Well this unfortunate news is a minor issue, follow me.\" The robed man was briskly away forcing the large man to follow.\n\n\"I must say learning of these trials by power, as you call them, was quite surprising. Very few warriors have risen to the respect of our Magocracy, so it is a shame when one fails. It is a spectacular sight when one is given the show of their worth when they have no magic talent, an ungifted proving themselves is an honor.\"\n\n\"Yes.\" The large man grunted, annoyed.\n\n\"Though with the unfortunate incident of the highest in your order, warriors are in need of proof they can continue their ways. A warrior so powerful he has mages and the like practically bowing to him, it's unbelievable. A shame really for him to be suspected of such terrible things don't you think?\" The robed man looked back with a wry smile.\n\n\"Yes, a shame that our most respected warrior would be placed with suspicions of high crimes.\" He grumbled.\n\n\"I wonder how such a man could rise to that level, especially ungifted. Don't you?\"\n\nNear the mouth of the cave a shadow in the shape of a man blocked the light. He took a step forward into the cave and the men recognized him.\n\n\"It's you.\" The robed man dropped in head in quick respect.\n\nThe large man stood for a moment stunned before dropping to one knee. \"Monk.\" He said deeply.\n\n\"Please raise yourselves.\" The Monk replied, they did so but maintained their distance. \"Wizard.\" He spoke loudly. \"Wonder no more.\" He placed a foot hard against the ground and thrust his plam forward. A blast of force ruptured the calm air of the cave and the wizard flew back crashing into the wall. His body limply slumped onto the ground.\n\nStaring in awe and terror the warrior backed away as The Monk spun his hand around quickly. A stream of fire wrapped around his wrist and formed a long whip-like strand.\n\n\"Magic.\" The warrior whispered heavily.\n\n\"How else?\" The Monk replied with a grin. \"I do apologize dear friend, but I must not let anyone find out.\" The fiery whip snapped around the warrior's throat and pulled him in. With a deft strike of his palm The Monk pushed into the warrior's stomach. Dropping to the floor the warrior choked for air, his vision began to double mixing the scenery.\n\n\"I apologize.\" The Monk said softly, a striking pain erupted within the warrior's body and he fell flat to the ground, lifeless. \"The strength of a warrior is a true art, may he continue to train and grow his strength.\" The Monk said gesturing his hands through the air.\n\n_\n\nr/TheoreticalFictions"
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[removed] | [WP] "Attention students: everything is fine. Do not panic." *click* | 1 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nNo prompts referencing real world drama (including politics, recent tragedies, etc.) This includes prompts likely to attract such drama. \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/7xzy54/wp_attention_students_everything_is_fine_do_not/%0A%0A)\n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*"
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1,
1
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"1518799162",
"1518799769"
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[WP] Write a ' Pixar short' styled story where the concepts of life and death are personified. | 25 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"The time on the clock on the wall was 7:05.\n\nSweat hit the cold tile of the hospital as a woman screamed from her position prone on the gurney. \n\nHer husband allowed his hand to be clenched as she breathed heavily, cursing him on her breaths out as she pushed, pushed and pushed. \n\n—-\nThe clock ticked slowly to 8:34, as the flurry in the hospital room continued, the people surrounding the woman in labor as she tried to bring her babe into the world. \n\nBut at this time, two new translucent figures appeared in the room, hiding in opposite corners. \n\nOne was a girl, her hair dark and her features chiseled, her skin was paler than was natural, and she watched with sadness, looking at the clock. \n\nThe other, a young man, with bright blonde curls and golden complexion, complete with bubbling baby blue eyes watched, not noticing the other recent arrival in the room. He was only awaiting for the other arrival.\n\nWithin the next minute there was a flurry of action, as the woman claimed “Something is wrong,” and the doctors and nurses had to tear her husband from the room as they prepared to put her under. \n\nThe noise in the room went silent as the two figures crept closer to the bed.\n\nBaby blue met deep violet as the two stared at each other. They blinked, acknowledging the other and watching as what happened progressed. \n\n“It’s been a while hasn’t it, death” the young man spoke, his tone still a little cheerier than it should be for the setting he was in.\n\nA somber voice replied, “It has”\n\nBoth had their jobs to do, and they were pulled to their locations only when their job was to be done, they couldn’t stray from their work, but for just a moment, Death could see the beginning of the cycle and Life could see how fleeting life was. \n\nThe first time they had met had been a much different affair, both trying to protect their domain as they went on with their jobs, it wasn’t personal, they had claimed. They both just had a job to do that had been given to them at birth. \n\nDeath had a birth, which was an odd thing to think. And someday Life would come to an end, for nothing that lasted forever could be savored. \n\nThis moment, their one moment of shared pity with each other was a small differ from the usual constant. \n\n8:49\n\nThe doctor stepped back, wiping the sweat from his brow, and holding a hand to his chest, as he handed the newborn off to one of his nurses.\n\n“We’ll meet again I guess,” Life spoke as he followed the babe, reaching a hand out to touch the newborn,\n\nA cry was heard from the young girl, and Life faded out of the room as Death watched.\n\nDeath allowed herself one small tear before she went to the one with the countdown of time left.\n\n——\n\nThe Doctor had suddenly fallen, and landed motionless on the floor. \n\nDeath touched the man’s back, looking through his memories as she did, it was her only chance at seeing what living was. She alone knew the cause of death of the good doctor in that moment, and it was up to the living to announce the cause of death.\n\nShe too faded away from the room, as the nurses rushed to the man. \n\n——\n\nIn the other room, the new mother woke up, her babe resting in her arms and her Husband holding her hand, thinking of what could’ve happened if something had gone wrong. \n\n\nLife went on, and Death trailed behind.",
"They were mother and child. The younger dripped in dark reds and greens and blues, their pudgy hands bright white and their eyes like the sun. The older, clothed in a white so frail and muted that one breath could shatter it. She had eyes like the moon.\n\n\nThe child flew over obstacles, trailing their pure palms along the earth and created messes everywhere. Explosions of color burst in their wake, trees and grasses, flowers and animals and insects. The mother trailed along behind the child, a bright shadow, and carefully picked up each mess the child had created. The greenery faded away into the mother's white cloak. The insects curled up in her palm. The animals disappeared into the folds of her skirt.\n\n\nThe child rarely looked behind to see what their mother was doing. They stared straight ahead, always, and raced towards the horizon as fast as they could, forever intent on reaching it. They became creative with their messes, first creating animals so fast, they might have been able to run away from the mother if she hadn't been able to tell which way they were racing. Then the child created big animals, so big the mother would not be able to hide them under her skirt. But she whipped off her cloak and enveloped them, and they disappeared all the same. Maybe the child did know what the mother was doing, because their pace sometimes wobbled. But they would never look back.\n\nAt last, the child rubbed their white hands together, rubbed them in circles, fingers over palms, and then let the light trickle into the earth, and from the child's fingertip rose a hand, followed by an arm, and then a head and torso, and legs. The child had created a human.\n\nThe child watched, giggling as more humans sprang from the earth. They would be the smartest things in the world, and they would outsmart the mother.\n\nThe child was certain of this. Certain. So they made more humans. More and more, along with all the green and blue and red those humans could ever want. But something itched at the back of the child's head. They needed to know for sure. So they glanced over their shoulder.\n\nThis is what the child saw. Their first human, standing before their mother, whose white garments had faded and become touched with all the color that the child had drained into the earth, drained out into the mother. The mother knelt before the human. And she held out a hand.\n\n\"No don't!\" the child screamed, stopping for the first time. But the human took the mother's hand, and disappeared in a flash that blinded the child.\n\nWhen everything was settled, the child opened their eyes and looked down at themself. Their clothes were pure white. They had leached all the colors out into the earth. They rose to their feet, and they were tall now. They were a woman. In front of the woman was a child, its clothes filthy with all the life it had collected over the years. It took off running away from the new mother, laughing eagerly.\n\n\"Give them back to me!\" the mother called out to the child.\n\n\"You'll have to catch me first!\" the child cackled.\n\nAnd the cycle goes on."
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"1518837524",
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[WP] You return home one day and find an extra couch. There is no explanation for it's appearance. The next day, a second couch appears.You fear this pattern will continue. | 75 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Randall stared at it. He had spent most of the morning idly staring at it. And it, the unwelcome couch, seemed somewhat to be sternly staring back. Which gave Randall an overwhelming uneasy feeling. Still he sat, staring, sipping coffee and wondering how this unexpected over bearing couch had the audacity to even look at him the way it seemed to be looking at him, and also where on earth could have this luxurious olive colored couch possibly come from? Who on earth even put it here? The doors had been all locked. No one but him had a key. Would a burglar be so dense as to actually bring him a couch? Is this some sort of prank only a burglar could begin to understand? \n\nHe looked over the apartment for what would be the millionth time since he got home after dinner last night . No. Everything was completely as it should be. Nothing was missing, nothing out of place, no signs of a glaring break in. But alas here he was with two couches where there had originally been one. This would not do, in an apartment such as the size of Randall's, even one couch was a bit pompous. I mean he had certainly had his reasons for only previously purchasing the one couch, the beige couch he originally owned and had grown quite accustomed to seeing. He never had considered owning two couches , He remembered quite well that upon moving into the apartment, he had spent a good two afternoons too many maneuvering the first couch all about his living room. Moving it from here to there and then there to here, straining to get it to fit just so. The thought of having now two couches completely exasperated him. And Much to his surprise however, this second couch managed to fit and it fit quite well. It made no sense. Which exasperated him even more so. It was as if the rest of the furniture had politely accommodated the new couch to make it feel right at home, which was absolutely absurd. This whole ordeal was completely and absolutely absurd. It was during this thought of absurdity that the phone rang. It was Mr. Fellow. \n\nRandall quickly set his coffee cup down, clamored his clumsy hands around his phone, swiped hesitantly and answered.\n\nHello?\n\n\"Hello Randall, you forgot to ring me last night after you're blind date. How am I ever going to continue to be a successful problem solver for you , if you can't even manage to keep to the simple tasks I've requested. I'll now have to take it upon myself to stop by so that we can better discuss the matter of the blind date you so desperately needed to attend. \"\n\n\"Oh. Sorry Mr. Fellow, it must have slipped my mind to call last night because the strangest...\n\n\"Randall. I do not have the time to understand the inner workings of your mind and what you Value as strange. A mind as yours wouldn't it even begin to understand strange We need to focus our energy on the date of last night\"\n\n\"Ok. Yea. I guess Just call me when you get to my apartment and I'll ring you in\"\n\n\"Fantastic\" *click\n\nThe Phone began to ring again almost instantaneously. And with an even more hesitant swipe this time, Randall again answered.\n\n\"Hello?\"\n\n\"Yes, Randall, it's me Mr Fellow, I'm here now\" \n\n\"Well why didn't you just say you were....oh for Pete's sake! Just come on up will you!\"\n\nRandall began to rub his eyes in utter bewilderment and utter frustration at the sudden thought of everything he had gotten himself into involving Mr. fellow. \n\nWith the short amount of time it took to hear a knock at his door, Randall was quite assured that Mr Fellow had been outside his apartment door the whole time. A bit grudgingly, Randall opened the door to find the tall lanky man sporting the same mismatched suit he had been wearing during their initial meeting a week ago. How he had ever managed to convince himself to hire the services of someone who would willingly choose to wear a black coat and tie with khakis was a complete mystery in of itself. Yet here we are, he thought. \n\n\"Come on in, here have a seat on the couch. No not that one, not the olive one, here sit on this one, the beige one.\"\n\n\"Why? What's wrong with the green one? You have some sort of ongoing grudge against green couches? Or is it just this couch specifically ? I mean olive is a bit gregarious but It seems to be a nice couch, much nicer than this beige one over here. Why am I even going on about this? This doesn't even matter. What matters right now is the date. The date with honeysweets_995. Did she show? What did she look like? what did she say? Tell me absolutely everything? You know, I think I'll sit on the green one after all, looks incredibly comfy. Oh it is, just as I thought, yes this one is much better, good choice , fine choice , wherever did you get it? I might be in the market for a fine a couch as this. It's quite suitable for sitting and discussing matters if I do say so myself.\"\n\n\"I haven't the slightest clue where it came from\"\n\n\"I beg your pardon\"\n\n\"It actually just showed up hear, out of the blue, unannounced, much like you\"\n\n\"Now see here, that's not fair, I called before I came in didn't I, and I wouldn't have even had to be here this morning if you'd of just remembered to call me last night like we had agreed to, Perhaps you also have unfinished business with this couch that you've also forgotten to address in a timely manner and that would explain its sudden appearance.\"\n\nRandall stopped himself from continuing the pointless banter. His blood pressure was rising to just above overly annoyed but he let out a collective breadth and agreed to his thoughts it just be best to start over. \n\n\"You're right Mr. Fellow, my apologies. The blind date, that you said I absolutely had to go on, so that I could somehow come to find all the solutions to my questions, the very questions you won't even let me ask you yet, even though your job title in it of itself states Mr. Fellow: Solution Finder and Answer Detainer, yes that blind date, well I suppose it went just fine thank you. But as anyone else on this earth can imagine I did not gain any newfound information to the whereabouts of my...\"\n\n\"STOP. STOP. STOP it right there!, Mr Fellow shouted as he lunged to close Randall's mouth. \" I've already told you! The answers you seek are trying to find you and if you go about shouting and blabbing your questions here and there you're going to stir up all the wrong sorts of answers that are straggling about the universe looking for any question that will have them. This is the process. This is MY process! And if you want to continue with my services you will continue to follow my process! Are we clear?\"\n\nRandall did his best to say \"Yes we're clear\" but it all came out rather muffled and mumbled with having Mr. Fellows hands busily muffling and mumbling all his phonetics that had been trying to escape.\n\nMr. Fellow realizing he may be over stepping customary personal boundaries, slowly backed away and re positioned himself in a more dignified listening manner on the new Olive couch. Obviously all ears, he watched Randall intently as Randall began to decide where to begin on describing a very standard, charming but uneventful blind date. \n\n\"We met at Antonio's at half past seven. She was very lovely wearing a flattering but casual red dress. She arrived punctual and I greeted her with a kiss on the hand which may be a little over the top but it felt right at the time. She didn't seem to mind. Her name was Cassandra but much preferred Cassie. We were seated relatively quickly. She ordered the Chicken Florentine although she said she usually enjoyed the spaghetti there. I had the Lasagne. We ate and chatted about her job in advertising, she had a few projects due tomorrow and was having a hard time agreeing to tonight's date in fear of falling behind, but was glad she had come. Which probably made me blush a bit because I was rather flattered. I talked about my work in computers but didn't go into much detail. We had both seen the movie \"The Last Turn\" recently, so we enjoyed hearing each other's take on the film. She was bright and witty in conversation. She stated she had almost forgotten the date request she had sent me after viewing my profile. After all it had been about a month since she had sent it. I explained that I had been in the midst of a lot of life changes, an accident, a new job and moving , it all had gotten in the way of my online dating and I apologized for the delay. It was in all a very successful date, much to my surprise, but I still don't see how agreeing to participate in an online date is going to help me at all find my ..,...or .....errr ... I mean ... help me answer my question. You know the one I had hoped you would answer when I hired you. Anyway well the date ended. She went her way, I mine. And That's when I came to my apartment to find this.\" \n\nRandall anxiously pointed towards the couch whom Mr. Fellow had comfortably made himself home to. \n\n[continues in reply comments when my 8 minutes are up]",
"Timothy Brown trudged up the steps to his 5th floor apartment. It had been a long day at work and it was evening. His mind was still buzzing with various forms of paws, dog snouts, fur colour, tiny details of his work as an illustrator for an animation studio. He had spent the last few hours worrying over a dog companion for an upcoming project and he was slightly frustrated with his lack of progress. His back hurt from sitting in a bad position. He had been too caught up in his work to realize it at the time. Now, as he opened the door to his apartment, he decided that what he really needed was a shower and a bit of quiet time, perhaps to watch a movie. His girlfriend was out of town on a business trip tonight. He missed her. She would know exactly how to cheer him up again. He threw his keys onto the shelf next to the door and sluggishly made his way to the bathroom. The shower helped. Most of the tension was gone. He relaxed onto the couch in front of the television with some toast and apple juice. Apple juice always reminded him of his childhood… He started watching a documentary about wolves. Slowly, he dozed off. He dreamed. He dreamed of flying dogs and of different variations of fur that danced around him in a circle. How strange, he thought as they spun around him. Fur cannot dance. But the dream changed and his conscious part went to sleep again. Now, the dogs turned into wolves and they were growling at something that was behind him. He turned, but there was nothing there apart from a couch, standing in a clearing. He woke up, his mind all groggy. He was thirsty and he remembered that he had not brushed his teeth…\nThe next day, he woke up in his bed after a dreamless sleep. He could not remember the dream or how he had ended up going to his bed, but he felt well rested. He got ready for work and left quite cheerfully, with new motivation. Nothing especially eventful happened during the day. In hindsight, he should have remarked on the couch in the cafeteria that he saw during the lunch break. The company had decided to invest in one after all.\nThat day, he got off from work early, since his girlfriend was coming home and he wanted to make a nice dinner. On his drive home, he was listening to a CD. Thus, he did not hear the weird news on the radio about couches appearing in apartments all over the country. But he would soon realize it himself. When he entered his apartment and went into the kitchen to put away the groceries, a couch was waiting for him. It looked so inviting, so soft. He wanted to take a nap on it. There was just one problem. They did not have a couch in the kitchen. For that matter, they did not have a couch at all. And yet, here it was. Then he remembered the events of the night before. He hurried into the living room. There was the other couch. How could two couches just appear like that? Not a lot of people had access to his apartment. His girlfriend and he himself could be excluded from such an act. The stingy landlord would never just give them two couches. His parents had an emergency key. Maybe this was some kind of elaborate prank? He took out his phone, intending to write his dad a quick message. That was when he saw the rather terribly written headline <<Couchpocalypse: Is this the End?>>. Intrigued, he started to read. Without thinking, he sat down on the couch. His muscles relaxed. It was so very comfortable. After a few minutes, his head slowly slumped forward. He fell asleep and dreamed of wolves. When his girlfriend came home, she was slightly disappointed. Timothy had told her that he would cook dinner. But he had probably been too tired. She was near sleep herself, but she had nevertheless looked forward to a bit of quiet conversation. She went into the living room and slumped down on the couch. She dozed off in seconds.\nThe next day, a Saturday, when the elderly neighbour from next door rang to ask for some help with a rather heavy wardrobe he needed to reposition, there was no answer. Since it was not unusual for the couple to go out on an early walk on Saturdays, he did not dwell on it and asked the fellow from downstairs for help. How could he have known that the apartment was empty for quite a different reason and that two couches that had not been there a few days earlier were slightly larger than the night before.",
"I live inside a two room apartment composed of a bedroom, a bathroom and a living room with a small kitchenette complete with stove and sink.\n\nThe living room is approximately eight brisk footsteps from the window overlooking the busy streets far below and the front door. Twelve steps if I am taking my time. It's furnishings are meagre, mostly things that I have picked up over the years at garage sales, all coalescing into one mishmash of modern, contemporary and more rustic designs. \n\nWhen you enter from the front door, to your left is the lightswitch for the ceiling lamp. The one with the failing bulb that always flickers before deciding whether or not it wants to be turned on. Directly underneath the lamp is the ugly green striped couch facing towards a bulky television I got back in 2003. \n\nI have owned this apartment for years, ever since I was kicked out by my parents. Despite my long term residence, the living room has never been richly decorated. I preferred a sparse, tasteful environment that was much lighter on my purse, never even bothering to change the lighbulbs until I was certain that they were actually dead. \n\nThere is a television, only because of some universal rule that says all living rooms needed one and due to a rare spree of compulsive spending back when I first moved in, flamed by a desire to fill the empty, ponderous space where there should've really been a television. There is a tidy circular red rug embroidered with a sugary heart motif. Again, only to fill a space that begged to be filled. There is a dull, gray coffee table that doesn't even merit a detailed description. It smells faintly of moldy cheese.\n\nThere is a couch. It is an old and ugly thing that smells like the tense breathlessness you get right before a thunderstorm. The fabric is a shade of green similar to the greenery of a rotting conifer, right before it turns brown and then black and dies.\n\nI would not purchase two couches. I do not have enough butts to merit two couches. One couch is more than enough for me. Purchasing two couches does not make sense. It is not something I would ever do, but I must've done so, since I have two couches.\n\nThe... 'new' one was blue. It smelled brand new. It did not have any legs. It was one of those designs that sat on the ground like a giant fat block of meatloaf.\n\nI don't remember when I brought it. I don't remember when the movers moved it up the thirteen flights of stairs to my apartment and I don't remember how they managed to fit the damn thing inside. For years I only had one couch. I am absolutely certain of that. Was I wrong? Was this some sort of weirdly selective amnesia that for some reason spared my memories of everything except for this couch?\n\nIt was all a bit too much. My life had been an endless cycle of monotony for as long as I could remember. This... sudden excitement was all too jarring to me. I needed to lie down.\n\nFive brisk strides was all I needed to see myself into my bedroom. I laid down on my bed, feeling the mattress press up against my back, bathing in the warmth and security of the prosaic simplicity inherit in the action of lying down on one's own bed.\n\nThen, the realization dawned on me. Like a typhoon breaking against a solitary crag, I felt cold hard reality hit me all at once.\n\nI was not lying on a bed. It was a... folding couch, unfolded to reveal a mattress. But it was a bed! It was a real, proper bed! I know it was! It... it was! Just this morning I... \n\nSlowly, I walked out back into my living room. Some part of me knew what I would see. It was a small part, buried deep down in my psyche, suppressed by subconsciousness. It was the same thing that whispered in the ears of our tribal ancestors and said, \"Hey doesn't your butt hurt from sitting on rocks all day? Wouldn't it be nice if you could sit on something softer?\"\n\nIt was a primal, ancient force. It convinced us to kill. Not for food, or even sport. It convinced us to kill so that we might stuff the fur of a creature into a bag of cloth so that we might sit on it. It was the spirit of comfort, the desire to be coddled and to have all your needs be fulfilled in abundance and so it was nefarious in it's own way.\n\nWhen I entered the living room, I found a third couch. It was white with hideous pink and purple polka dots. I had thought my green couch to be ugly, but this? This was disgusting. It was a design choice that offended the eyes in the same way christian heresies during the thirty years war were offensive to the pope.\n\nThere was hardly any room in my living room for any more couches. The polka dot monstrosity was stacked on top my original green couch. I knew that this was not end. Whatever this was; early onset dementia or a complete collapse of reality as we knew it, it would not end soon. I needed to run.\n\nI tried the door, barreling into it so hard that I bruised my shoulder. I twisted the door knob, twisted so hard that I thought it might pop straight off, but it was no use. The door would not budge. Then I realized that it was not a door knob that I was turning. There was no door. \n\nIt was a couch. The door had been replaced by a couch, built like a wooden cradle for it's cushions. It was made mostly out of wood, a sturdy and sensible design that would not have looked out of place on the porch of a picturesque farmhouse.\n\nWhen I say replaced, I don't mean that it blocked the door. The door was no longer there. Where it was, there was now a blank piece of white plaster and behind that, completely solid.\n\nThis was not happening, I decided. I was dreaming. This was a dream. Some sort of horrendous nightmare. I will wake up. Any minute now! I'll wake up! Ha. Hahaha! It's all a dream!\n\nI am not crazy. I know who I am. My name is...\n\nI tried, but there was nothing. I closed my eyes and I tried to recall what my name was. I fished around for even the beginning of the smallest syllable.\n\nThere was nothing. There was only couches. All shapes and sizes and dimensions and colors. So many couches. Above and below and beyond in all directions, towering spires and sprawling forests, entire worlds and planets and realities filled with nothing but two-seater cushioned benches with armrests. They are watching. The ceaseless millions, all watching me like starved rats.\n\nI wrenched my eyes open and I began to scream, pounding my fists against the walls in a mad desperation. Hoping that I might break them down with sheer willpower or that someone, anyone might hear me.\n\nBut there was no answer. Nothing but the silent judgement of those unknowable horrors.\n\nI tried clawing my way out. I tore at the wallpaper until my fingers left bloody streaks on the bare walls. \n\nThere was a pause in my mania. A break in the madness where clarity triumphed, if only briefly.\n\nThe window.\n\nI dragged my feet over to the window. They felt like leaden weights. My hands were on the sill, inches from the edge. \n\nAnd then I saw them. They were everywhere. They were in our homes, on the streets. And no one batted an eye. No one thought to look twice and see that they were not just harmless pieces of furniture. They were in our minds. That was the moment where I knew that death would not save me from those creatures.\n\nThe last thing I heard before everything became black, was a tittering, mocking laughter. I am not sure that it was my own.\n\n\n\n\n",
"Everything in his flat was beige. Beige carpet. Beige walls. Beige radiators. Beige painted chairs. Everything that is, except for those couches. He liked beige. Beige was easy. Beige was calming. When you saw beige you didn't think \"oh he's a trouble maker\" you thought, well, nothing much at all. \n\nHe did not like those couches. They were red and purple. He definitely did not like red or purple. \n\nTwo couches, just there. One arrived yesterday, one this morning. Just popped into existence before he woke up. At least that's what he thinks happened. He called his parents, his ex-girlfriend, even his old flatmate. No one had known anything about a couch, particularly not two couches. \n\nHe was afraid to sit in them, afraid to touch them. Red and purple did not fit into a man's life who only owned beige upholstery. \n\nHe was terrified of what colour tomorrow's couch would be. He assumed this would keep going, once a pattern started in his life it rarely ever stopped. Every part of his adult life had been mapped out, planned, patterned, and conducted. Everything except those couches. \n\nWhat if tomorrow was yellow? Oh god, he'd rather anything except a yellow couch. \n\nIf he was to live in this new couch pattern he would need to start planning on how to store them. If he hired a man to come round every morning after the couch arrived it could be just like putting on the kettle. Five minutes, in and out. He might not even need to look at it. \n\nHe could feel his heart rate increasing. No, no, no, no, no…this would not do. \n\nHis life was not spontaneous, it was nothing but beige and more beige. \n\nHe sat down on his beige carpet, sweat breaking out on his back. \n\nThis was never going to end. He could feel it. Like death calling for him. He rocked back and forth as he imagined couches in every colour of the rainbow.\n\nBlue couches.\n\nAubergine couches.\n\nFuchsia couches. \n\nA small sob broke out from his huddled form. \n\nOutside of the beige man's flat, a woman peered in. She smirked a bit to herself. She wore a bright pink jumper and yellow boots. Her skirt had little embroidered tea cups all over it. She was, if anything, the antithesis of the beige man. Although they say opposites attract, in truth they rarely do. The beige man and the rainbow woman had not ended well. But that didn't matter now. She would get her revenge. One couch at a time. "
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[removed] | [WP] Need ideas for a fantasy/dystopian world name? Try naming the capitals of countries with lots of food in your mouth! | 0 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nA prompt must actually be a prompt, not a \"write anything\" or a word game. \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/7y7q4l/wp_need_ideas_for_a_fantasydystopian_world_name/%0A%0A)\n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*"
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[WP] The old seven deadly Sins have retired. You are one of the new Seven, chosen to help spread your sin across the globe and to ensure it never dies. This is one of your days as one of the new deadly sins of humanity. | 5 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"I had never honestly expected to get the part, after all, I had only even tried because I thought it would be fun. I faintly remember the Trials which makes sense because I had to smoke a bowl to help kill off the hangover from the night before. The bowl doesn't really eradicate the pain, but rather stops me from caring about it. I've heard that morphine does the same for those in great amounts of pain, perhaps I should try morphine sometime.\n\nI hadn't known before the Trials that our power would be entirely dependent on how many \"followers\" we had. We did not need to be worshiped, only had to have other people do what we were so *perfect* at doing. Lovely idea if you ask me, I could not care less about anyone else and whether or not they worship me, but the fact that I can be more powerful than my 6 new brothers and sisters by doing no extra work did feel quite exhilarating when I felt that power start to pour in from the billions of my followers. \n\nOddly enough though, it meant almost nothing to me. I don't really have any use for power considering I already enjoyed my life happily before the Change. Manipulation was loving her newfound power, as it turns out there is far more weight in your words when you have strength to back them up. Personally, that seems to be bordering on intimidation but I digress. The world reeks of my sin. Nobody even seems to need encouragement to commit it, and even if they do, it hardly takes much effort. My followers are consistent too, unlike that old Wrath fellow who seemed to have fantastic years in those with conflict and would be far weaker when the larger countries settled down. Hell, even Gluttony was more consistent despite rarely being the strongest. I liked Gluttony, despite the fact that all we really ever did was sit around with Sloth. I would enjoy whatever my craving was at the time, be it the wine, the women, or the weed, and talk to them about my upcoming role. Sloth would lay around and play his games, throwing in his input occasionally and Gluttony would tell me how to influence my followers if they began to drop in between his seemingly constant gorging himself on food. I hardly listened unless Lust would come over, she was certainly hard to ignore, and impossible to turn down as it turned out. She thought it was hilarious that even I with all my potential for power would still fall victim to someone like herself. What can I say? She looked good despite being multiple millennium old. Power keeps the body young. \n\nI suppose I will have to get to work if my power ever starts to dwindle but that seems more unlikely every day. Good. Work is boring and it feels tremendous to look good without it. Every night I find a new club in the city that I'm staying in. Go out, do whatever drug I'm in the mood for or just keep in simple and go with the one that every country seems to think is ok despite how many it kills. I'll find a beautiful girl and charm my way into her bed for the night. This part has never been hard, not even when I was human. Every girl has somebody they want. I don't need to be that man, but I can let them think that I am for the night. Had Temptation been accepted as one of the new Seven I'm sure that his power would have leeched off mine from nights like these. The next morning is always an unseen escape to Waffle House, my dad used to laugh and call it \"The Breakfast of Champions\" or \"stick to your ribs\" food. I miss him. After that, I just do whatever I'm in the mood for. I could spend my whole day playing a game or getting high or exploring some gorgeous place on the other side of the globe and take some random girl with me to make her dream come true, although she probably wouldn't come if she knew I just didn't want to be alone and don't really care about her. Turns out money would never be an issue again, sin pays. And then the night would come again. What a lovely lovely existence I have now. \n\nI hated humanity, at least the parts where I was sober or working. I remember those dreadful nights of arguments with my family. They always told me I was wasting my life or my youth when I would fail my classes or forget to show up for work. They didn't care that I was happy somewhere else, be it stoned on a couch or laying next to someone in bed. Life was just a road you followed and if you go off the beaten path to enjoy it, people always seem to get angry. Perhaps they need to wander off the path themselves, or perhaps they've done it and gotten it out of their systems. Age seems to do that to people, luckily there will never be a shortage of the young and wild and free for me to worry about. \n\nI've been living like this for a few years now. I'll talk to the other Six now and then to catch up, it is always nice to talk to someone who understands your life. Hard to find someone like that when there are only 7 of you alive. Then again, 1 in a billion isn't that rare in the broad spectrum of things. We're no more important to the universe than the worlds 7 most powerful ants are to humans. I should know, I've seen enough of it. Walked across the surface of VW Canis Majoris and danced through the gasses of supernova. I still do that when I want to see true beauty. It is nice to be one of the Sins now, to truly live for what I believe is the purpose of life and never have any worries of my own. \n\nToday was the first day in a while that things changed. I got a call from Scorn. She said that we needed a middle ground, that people were losing their hatred and contempt and changing it to emotions that gave her no power. She must have had Abandonment in mind because she sounded furious and he had always had that effect on her. He was probably just getting stronger than her and that always sent her off. As it turns out, everyone that quits something they try or becomes depressed and loses their interest in life was nothing but more battery power to Abandon. Scorn was the determined type and that infuriated her. Or maybe being hateful was just her play, and eventually she'd feel that way about me. Either way, I had no interest in helping her until the end. \"It could be fun.\" she said. Of course she had to go and say that. She must've taken that trick from Manipulation's book because she knew it would work on me. I'll finish out the rest of today and give her a call tomorrow. I'm already far too gone to actually try to be useful. But it could be fun, she knew I could never ignore that. How could I? There is not a single thing worth doing in life if it brings no pleasure. I mean, after all, I am Hedonism.\n\n\n\nFirst time writing one of these in a while, feel free to shoot it to shit or ask questions"
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[WP] It is often noted how heroes have "plot armor" as a superpower, but not you... You have found your success through using "plot holes". | 37 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"\"Your time ends here, Holy Plotter!\" Dr. Death seemed proud of himself.\n\n\"One thing you forgot,\" I said.\n\nDr. Death seemed... uncertain. \"What?\"\n\n\"You forgot... That the writer never said why my time ends here!\" I shouted.\n\nDr. Death gasped. \"No! He must have! How could he just start his story on such a stupid line?!\"\n\nI smirked. I slowly walked away. Dr. Death had nothing to do to me. In fact, he was just a regular Doctor with the last name Death.\n\nDr. Death, the criminal mastermind, with his doomsday ray gun, called back to me.\n\n\"HAHAHAHA! THE WRITER HAS GIVEN ME A REASON!\" he said triumphantly.\n\n\"No!\" I said. \"But he never said what it does specifically!\"\n\nDr. Death's ray gun was of immensely precise crafting, and was built out of the strongest metal known to man. It used foreign technology to center energy on a single location and implode all atoms inside of it.\n\nDr. Death grinned manically. \"YES! THANK YOU WRITER!\"\n\nI quickly replied, \"But he never said what it was centered on!\"\n\n\n\n\"WRITER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!\"\n\n\n\nDr. Death was standing over me. He aimed the death ray at me while I was tied up.\n\n\"But wait!\" I quickly retorted. \"I'm tied by rubber bands!\"\n\nI quickly broke free. I punched Dr. Death and disabled the death ray, then I sent him to jail.\n\nDr. Death sat in his jail cell. Slumped against the wall, he quietly muttered to himself, \"He never said that Holy Plotter wasn't a 3 year old...\""
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[deleted] | [WP] Write a story that takes place in a world where the world is always physically moving ‘forward’ and the characters must move keep up with the world. | 0 | [
"**Off-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) \n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"It's actually the perfect job for me\", I said. \"I don't like the dark. And it stays dark soooo long here.\"\n\n\"Yes, son, but you have to settle down at some point. Working on the solar rig is fine while you're young, but you'll never meet a girl there.\"\n\n\"Aw come on, mom. I'm happy with where I'm at. Isn't that enough?\"\n\n\"Of course it is, honey. I just think that _eventually_ you'll find that you want _more_. And you may, well, _regret_ not having made an effort _earlier_.\"\n\nI sighed. \"Okay mom. As always, your persistent input is appreciated.\" I laid my silverware down on my plate and took it to the sink. I started washing it. \n\n\"When are you back to work?\" she asked.\n\n\"Tomorrow. I gotta be at the plant early.\"\n\n\"Ugh. You're gone so long, it feels like you've been gone a year this last time.\"\n\n\"I'm only gone a day.\" I joked. My mom didn't think it was funny. \"It's only like 4 months in Earth-days, mom.\"\n\n\"Why does the solar rig have to _move_. Why can't it just stay here? There's plenty of sunlight _here_, Lord don't I know it.\"\n\n\"There's plenty of darkness too.\"\n\n\"A little darkness wouldn't hurt anybody.\"\n\n\"Well, except all the people that would run out of power. Other than that, you're right.\"\n\n\"Don't be snarky with me.\"\n\n\"I'm just saying. We've been through this.\"\n\nMy mom was silent. She got up and handed me her plate, then went in to the living room. I heard the tv switch on and a news caster's voice come from the speakers. I continued doing the dishes and considered what my mom had said. _It_ is _hard to meet women at the plant._ I thought. _It's definitely a male dominated space. But I like it there. It feels like I'm doing something important. If the plant stopped moving and fell in to darkness..._\n\nI shooed the thought from my mind. There hadn't been a failure like that in 23 Earth-years. All because of people like me. People who work hard to keep the plant moving, chasing an endless supply of sunlight, fleeing from the darkness. \n\nAnd that meant more to me than my Mom could understand. "
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[Inspired by this thread] (https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/7ya7i0/if_there_was_worldwide_game_of_hide_and_seek/) | [WP] You are the seeker in a worldwide game of hide and seek. | 13 | [
"**Off-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) \n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The task was simple, Hide and Seek. We started with 49 hiders spread across the world about eight thousand years ago. All cursed by The Coven till the last is found. I, the unlucky seaker, was also denied the right that \"those found shall also seak\" instead finding them caused rapid aging. These people turned to dust when I caught them. The first time it happened was absolutely terrifying. The second was an accident. I put out an ad a few years ago letting these people know I could end their cursed lives if they wish and soon I would be gone and they would lose their chance of finally resting at peace. Six people came to me, we spoke of their many lives and their children and their accomplishments and their regrets. I touched them according to who wanted to go next and I asked again before I released them from this cruel world.\n\nIt has been about a week on earth, space is beautiful. Thanks for the ride Elon.",
"Honestly, the first 6 billion took less time to find than the 7th. It was cool, you know, seeing the giant picture of myself in the sky so people would know who to hide from. I mean really, what are the odds. In this game of hide and seek, everyone is immortal, so needing to leave your spot to get food isn't a worry. Finding the children was the easiest, they didn't hide very well and were usually pretty happy to become seekers after they were found. I mean, this game could go on forever, so allowing the found people to become seekers was really a good idea. Not really sure what caused this game to start in the first place though, kinda strange coincidence that it began on the same day all governments shut down. But I'm still pretty upset about the hiders being allowed to change spots. I mean really, I've walked across every continent with my army of 5 year olds, and I have to do it again to find people who moved? Oh no, I have to search every ocean, at every depth, and not miss a single square mile. Because surviving underwater is a piece of cake with immortality, and the midnight zone isn't very easy to navigate."
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Slight repost but different look, whatever :/ | [WP] Due to a very impressive accident, you’re the only parent to an unruly teenage dragon. Said Dragon just fell for the school nerd who plays DnD | 94 | [
"**Off-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) \n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Dad:\n>Now son I just want you to remember one thing.\nYou might not be like all the other children, but if she is someone special, follow your heart.\nShe might even become a good domi----ungeon master someday, so when if you guys end up together, just protect her treasures and never let anyone raid her dungeon.......er \"the\" dungeon..\n\nReginald:\n> So what you're saying is.. follow my heart, don't eat her, but make sure no one else can get to her?\n\nDad:\n> WAIT don't eat her?? /shrugs/ I think you got it yes, but if anyone tries to steal her away from you just make sure you keep her protected\n\nReginald\n> sounds easy enough, I mean, I'm already the schools toughest, meanest - hot breathed man out there\n\nDad:\n> well I feel you still have a little bit of growing up to do, in time you'll understand the hardships of life and love and all that\n\nReginald\n> as long as she's mine then we can be together \n\nDad\n> Exactly\n\nDad's Thoughts:\n> hmm I don't know if I said all that right.. I geeked out when I heard she plays DnD... meh he'll learn",
"**Tried a different style, so please bear with me. Comments appreciated! PART 1 of 3**\n\nYou know how life coaches and the snake oil salesmen tell you to “practice gratitude” or some shit? Like say what you’re grateful for and all that shit. Well, I am very grateful for two things:\n\nOne, my daughter, the most wonderful daughter in the whole world.\n\nTwo, the fact that dragons apparently can’t eat their parents, under no circumstances, for whatever God-forsaken reason. ‘Cause otherwise I figure I'da been dinner a long-ass time ago.\n\nNow when I won the dragon egg from the carnival 17 years ago and the Gypsy lady… Sorry, *Romani* lady (or whatever the hell she was) told me not to expose it to fire, I thought it was ‘cause then it would melt or something, like since it was made of wax cuz it was a decoration. So I didn’t pay it no mind and I left it in the shed with all my other shit. Then I had a couple too many and I forgot to put out my bonfire and it burned down the shed.\n\nIt was not made of wax.\n\nNext morning I heard all sorts of nasty squawking, like a damn goose stuck in them burnt rafters I thought, so I grabbed my .22 and went out there to put it out of its misery.\n\nSo when I saw some big-ass red lizard the size of my microwave and it looked at me with it’s big-ass eyes and made some cute-ass chirping noises and spat fire at my toes, well, I thought that was hella cool and I kept it and I called it Allison. Then when I woke up one day and a little ginger baby was curled up in the fireproofed dog bed and there wasn’t no big-ass lizard anymore, I said “fuck it” and went down to the courthouse and signed the adoption papers and then I was a dad at the ripe old age of 18.\n\nWell now Allison is a fuckin’ 17-year-old and let me tell you, kids that age can be a real piece o’ shit, dragon or no dragon. \n\nShe been sneaking out all the time, like the little idiot thinks I don’t know. Hell I did the same thing myself when I was her age. Givin’ me sass too, lyin’ about petty shit. Just yesterday she tells me she’s “gonna go study History with Clark and Sara and Arty.” She was carrying her math book. Like she’s a smart girl but dang she can be an idiot sometimes. And my God them clothes she was wearing! Shit, I ain’t expecting her to be a freakin’ nun and I ain’t no miso—woman-hater or whatever, but when you’re a parent and you remember your high school days you *know* when some girl is dressin’ to get the plumbing checked. \n\nSo I got all mad, like look we had that Birds n’ Bees talk she can be honest with me, I like them friends she got and she always goes to the theater and the robotics meets so she can give them bedroom eyes to that little emo Brillo pad Arthur Penn. He’s a smart kid, they both know to use protection and shit. So when she was all lyin’ to my face I got real mad ‘cause I wasn’t feeling respected.\n\nThe fuck you are, I said, you gonna go study fuckin’ *anatomy* with Arty isn’t that it? Gonna be cold if you gotta walk to Arthur Penn’s house wearin’ *that* I told her. She said that “she was an adult now and shouldn’t need my permission to choose her own clothes” and “she can make her own decisions about her life since she’s the age of consent,” and how “I was being positively *draconic!*” \n\nWell good luck I said, I changed your diapers kiddo and fire comes outta that end too. Gonna barbecue that poor kid I said.\n\nWell then she got all mad and started crying them big crocodile tears from her golden eyes, and she said how I don’t understand her and Arty does ‘cause he knows all about dragons, he even got a book on ‘em, loaned it to her. She didn’t say she hated me, we talked about how family ain't allowed to hate each other but she sure did say “I was making her so frustrated” (basically the same thing) and how she “feels so alone in the world and she wants to feel like a human being for once instead of a monster” and that “Arty understands her on a deeper emotional level than anybody else.”\n\nGirl you gotta turn into a 10-foot long flying lizard and snatch deer from Lars Hollick’s woods, ain’t no human can understand you not even that Penn boy.\n\nBut I didn’t say that. I said she wasn’t no monster she was my daughter. I said I was sorry I got all flustered and upset, it's just that I work real hard at the mill to put food on the table and send her to that gifted school and pay for her singing lessons and I know that she’s a special girl with special needs and dreams and I try hard to understand her life but I’m sorry ‘cause I don’t always get it. And maybe if I'd gone to one of them Ivy-leagues like she's applying to (God ain't that the neatest thing) I woulda been better equipped to raise her but that's not how life turned out and I'm trying the best I can. So when she gets like this it hurts my feelings and I feel unappreciated. Well then she started crying about that and said how she was such a bad daughter and that made me feel like some real shit because she’s the best daughter in the whole world so I said look Allie, lemme see that book he gave you.\n\nWell fuck me if it wasn’t a D&D book! I almost started laughing. Like, I thought she was gonna go get stoned or drunk and then burn off some kid’s dick, but she’s a fuckin’ nerd thank Christ. But I saw the way she smiled when she pulled it out and I thought, ah hell, maybe it'll be alright, you know? So I told her to show me her character sheet and her eyes got all wide like a deer in the headlights.\n\nWhat? I played it too, that was some fun shit back in high school, ‘specially after Jimmy Sellers stole my Nintendo, that little shit. I woulda gone and beat it back out of him but his dad was the sheriff. \n\nSo she pulled it out and well what do you know? *Alysera the Dragonborn Bard.*\n\nShe finally got to be herself with her friends.\n\nWell I’m still worried about that Penn boy getting his sausage grilled so I told Allie, I said look I used to DM back with Uncle Max and Hoss Cooper, so how about you invite your friends over to the house and y’all can play here and I’ll make my famous Pesto Garlic Bread and they can study and play D&D here anytime. Well she wiped away her tears and sniffed and said “Okay” in that sort of way that she meant it and not just blowing you off and then she hugged me. Then she said “Thanks Dad” and decided she’d change out of the tube top and heels in the middle of freakin’ November.\n\nYeah Allison can be a real turd sometimes, but I wouldn’t trade her for all her weight in gold.\n\nBecause she already found that. I don’t know where she gets it but she piles it up in the cellar. Don’t tell the cops.\n\n***Edit: I made more down below.***"
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[WP] You're the very first person to die and be sent to hell. You design the eternal punishments. | 6 | [
"**Off-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) \n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Sooooo....\"\n\n\"Yeah?\"\n\n\"So when we gave you an unlimited budget and infinite time to design the worst suffering imaginable, we were a bit surprised by the drawings. Nevertheless, we were told that you were 'the guy' so we let you carry on. And now I'm told none of the other demons or demigods understand what you have done and even the ones who have undergone testing report underwhelming results, to say the least.\"\n\n\"I see.\"\n\n\"So we need more. More fire maybe? More spikes? More racks and electrocution? Flaying? Hooks? Pins? Nails? Shadows? We have all of this. What can we give you to make these work?\"\n\n\"Walk with me.\"\n\n\"...\"\n\n\"Just, trust me.\"\n\n\"OK, but do not toy with me, mortal, for I have my own ways of making you suffer should you be toying with the Dark One.\"\n\n\"Just come one. Here. Room one.\"\n\n\"And...\"\n\n\"And what?\"\n\n\"All I see is an infinite undulating path between beds in a pitch-black room.\"\n\n\"You have never stubbed a toe.\"\n\n\"... we only have hooves.\"\n\n\"Well how could you understand?\"\n\n\"And what are the plastic bits strewn between the beds?\"\n\n\"LEGOS.\"\n\n\"Explain.\"\n\n\"Just... can you get a human test subject?\"\n\n\"Noted... next room... it is just a big bucket of popcorn. Huge. With movies playing on a big screen.\"\n\n\"Do you have floss in hell?\"\n\n\"We don't really have teeth.\"\n\n\"Exactly. And water?\"\n\n\"No, no water.\"\n\n\"Like I said, let's bring someone down to test.\"\n\n\"Fine. Fine. Next room is just a car on an infinite road.\"\n\n\"What is the speed limit in hell?\"\n\n\"55, as everywhere.\"\n\n\"I have instructed the demon driving the car ahead to go 38 to 49 miles per hour at varying intervals, then depress their brakes for no reason. Have you ever driven?\"\n\n\"No... again, you are suggest human tests.\"\n\n\"...\"\n\n\"Fine. Fine. I am to believe that the hallway of paper jutting from the wall will actually cut your soft skin? That the partial tearing of finger-nails that then hang off just-so is actually painful? That the eternal sound of someone chewing will actually be that annoying? No blades anywhere. No cutting or stabbing or... this all just seems so, well, blah.\"\n\n\"Just... just give it a go.\"",
"“Hey!” I said. “Watch what the Heaven you are doing. Do you think that melt proof knives are a luxury down here?” \n\nThe demon looked at me. Good God he was dumb. I mean, not like normal dumb, but supernatural dumb. And that’s dumb on a whole other level. It’s Biblical dumb which is to say that it’s so dumb that a normal human would burst into flames once he realized it. \n\n“Don’t scream at my demons,” Lucifer said, coming up from behind. That’s the thing about Lucifer. He always comes up from behind you. Smary bastard, that one. Most of the time he just screams “I have been forsaken! I would not bend the knee!” Get over it, whiny prick. \n\n“Look, Lulu,” I call him that because I know it bugs him. “You’ve given me absolute shit to work with. You told me to build the eternal torments. So that’s what I’m doing. But I could be doing better if you gave me a higher quality of worker. Look at Methos over there. The dude is gnawing on his own hoof. I mean, what the fuck dude?”\n\nLucifer scowled at me. He’s always scowling. The guy needs to learn another facial expression. \n\n“Methos fought Micheal himself! However, I will admit he is not the best choice as a foreman,” Lucifer said. \n\n“You fucking think!” I said. \n\nLucifer picked at his horns a little bit. It’s a nervous habit he has. He’s thinking, but the ideas aren’t coming fast enough. It’s probably how he found himself in this situation in the first place. You would think that “The King of All Evil” (another one of his self-proclaimed smarmy titles) would be a bit quicker on the uptick. \n\n“I’ve got an idea,” I told Lucifer. “And it’s a good one. But Lulu, you are going to have to work with me on this one.”\n\n“What is it?” he said. \n\n“These dipshits don’t listen to me. I don’t speak their language. I’m going to need to delegate. I need someone that they listen to.”\n\nLucifer shuffled one of his cloven feet. They were cracked from when he got his ass kicked by Him. I hope it hurt. \n\n“I did not put you in this role to delegate,” he finally said. “Their language is violence and evil. That is also your language. On Earth, did you not destroy the tribes? Did you not anally penetrate the beasts?”\n\n“Yeah, I did. And it was awesome. You want a beast anally penetrated, I’m your dude. But here, it’s something different. They need someone that speaks demon violence. I’m just straight up human violent. Totally different thing.”\n\nLucifer stood silent, which in of itself was good. Once the guy starts talking it quickly turns into a rant about how unfair the universe has been. He has no idea. \n\n“I got all the plans. I’ve shown them to you. Great stuff, awesome stuff. Rolling lava over in the east bay. A little bit of gutting in the west. And in the 5th circle, by the J.C. Penny’s, a whole line of people that pay with a check that won’t go through. Great stuff.”\n\n“What is a check?” Lucifer asked. \n\n“I’m thinking long term. You’ll get there. Read that book you stole that says “The Future Of Humanity”. Great stuff, lots of good ideas in there. In a couple of millennia, we’ll debut the room where no light switches work. It’s going to be awesome.”\n\n“Ok,” Lucifer said. \n\n“But first, we’ve got to get the foundation attractions settled. The fire and brimstone stuff you asked for. That’s got to be done first. That’s where you build your brand. All of that is in that book. Great stuff. Over there, where Mang is scratching his ass, that’s gonna be where we chop a lot of heads off. And then, once that is done, Bob there is going to reattach them. For all eternity. Like I said, great stuff.”\n\n“But…”\n\n“Come on, Lulu. Don’t ‘but’ me. This is going to be awesome. You’ve seen the plans. You know what we are gonna do here. But I need to delegate.”\n\n“To who?”\n\n“You of course,” you fuckwit I didn’t add that last part. I’m working the big guy; need him juiced up. “And no one speaks demon like you. I bet that if you just follow my plans, and you tell these short bus nimrods what to do, you can get this done.”\n\n“Me?”\n\n“Who else? You are the King of All Evil Didn’t you say that! Hell yes, you did. You badass.”\n\n“I am the King of All Evil!”\n\n“God Damn right you are. And this is a King Of All Evil kinda job. You said to me ‘Og, destroyer of the righteous, make me a Hell that will punish all those that sin!’ You said that, right.”\n\n“Yes!” Lucifer said. \n\n“And that’s what I’m going to do. Look, the waiting room is getting overcrowded and we are behind schedule and over budget. So I need you to jump in there, bust some heads and for fuck’s sake tell Marvin to quit eating his own shit. Even here, that’s pretty damn gross. So, are you up for it? Can you get it done?”\n\n“I can! I am the King Of All Evil!” Lucifer said. \n\n“Great, take my plans. Go over there and start to work. Don’t let them unionize. That isn’t going to end well for you. It’s what you did in Heaven, and I think we all know how that turned out?”\n\n“Yeah.”\n\n“Great, Lulu. Really spectacular.”\n\nI gave Lucifer my plans, which were written in crayon by one of the other demons. I’m pretty sure he was dyslexic. Lucifer stomped on over, always with the stomping and coming up from behind, and went to his demons. Sally was using a stone to scratch her balls with. I waited. Fifteen minutes. Then another twenty. Pretty soon, Lucifer was sidetracked and telling how he was the King of All Evil and what not. No one paid attention. He ran over to a demon and started pointing at the plans. The demon drooled on the parchment and then fell asleep. Lucifer went to other demons and pretty much the same thing happened. \n\nI turned and walked out of the great hall; the last circle of Hell. I shut the door on my way out. I didn’t bother to lock it. Why should I when the “great workers” inside didn’t know how to turn a doorknob. Seriously, these guys are fucking stupid. \n\nWith that settled, I looked around my Hell. Oh, it’s mine now. The things I could do. The horrors I would build. It’s going to be great. \n\n“You have done well,” said the Lord. Always with that damn disembodied voice. \n\n“Yeah, yeah. I know. The first part of Hell is finished. Big man is going to be trapped in there for a long time. I got catering to show up in a thousand years, but all the food is going to come with childproof wrapping. That should last another thousand years.”\n\n“Well done. Then go. Build what I have commanded you to build.”\n\n“I’m on it. I’ll build you a Hell that will punish every sin. Murder, gluttony, all that. But remember the deal. I get a whole goat section, right?”\n\n“As you wish,” the Lord said. \n\n\n"
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[WP] It turns out man does have a natural predator, the Collective, and it destroys all the planets humans live on. This is why man has always wanted to fly and go fast—to escape. Now, the Collective is coming to earth. | 11 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Pollution in the air and in the water. Global warming. School shootings. Increasing rates of abortions. Cellphones. \n\nI told the world from my little corner walk soap box, but no one would listen.\n\nI felt like Noah telling the people that the world was coming to an end.\n\nBut they didn't listen to Noah. They didn't listen to me.\n\nI had a dream that the end was soon, and during the next afternoon, I noticed a young man listening intently to everything I had to say.\n\nI pointed to him and asked, \"You. Young man, you. Do you believe?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" he said. \"I believe.\"\n\n\"Why?\"\n\n\"I am a scientist,\" he replied. \"I want to know, though, how *you* knew.\"\n\n\"Revelations,\" I told him. \"And another one last night told me that the end is soon.\"\n\n\"Yes. I had one, too. I was supposed to come here and get you so we can escape.\"\n\n\"How?\" \n\n\"I work for Nasa,\" he answered. \"I have access to a rocket ship. But I had another revelation that there's six people we need total. A male and three females.\"\n\nThe sky began to darken and drops of rain began to fall.\n\n\"It is not time yet,\" I reassured him, looking up at the sky as well. \"But let us pray we find them before it is too late.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"
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"1519063947",
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[WP] Automated alien mining vessels land on our Moon and throughout our solar system and begin strip mining them of anything of worth. They avoid only Earth and Europa while ignoring any attempt at communication. | 14 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"The halls were as silent as the space that surrounded the station. The dim lights that flickered as the generators cycled were all that interrupted the stillness of Gagarin Station. The Mess and Crew Quarters were left bereft since the first signals were received from the Charon relay. All that remained was a skeleton crew of specialists to assess the situation. The crew gathered in the Forward Observation Port overlooking the Oceanus Procellarum and the machines that surveyed its surface. The mare was dotted with several thousand of them. \n\n\"Well, shit...\" Bonner mumbled to himself as he toiled away beneath the array's dashboard. The display shut down with each power fluctuation as the generators cycled.\n\n\"Anything serious?\" Val peaked beneath the projection field to find Bonner on his back wiggling into a better position. \"Clearly this time. We can't hear you from under there.\"\n\nBonner stopped wiggling, moved his hand from beneath the busy dashboard revealing a raised middle finger.\n\nVal smiled before returning her eyes back to her station monitor. \"Love you too, Bonn.\"\n\n\"Hailing frequency still strong?\" Rojas spun away from the observation window toward Val.\n\n\"Strong and silent. Still no response.\" Val replied a moment after as she clicked away at the transparent monitor.\n\n\"How many cycles?\" Rojas said after a moment of consideration.\n\n\"Since the most 00:01...\" A beat passed as she turned the display to face Rojas.\n\nRojas scoffed to himself before turning toward the observation panel.\n\n\"You dig up someone's backyard at least have the decency to say something-\"\n\n\"They're automated, Ro. Completely autonomous operated on a pre-programmed runti-\" Bonn rattled off.\n\n\"We know this already, Solomon. Please concentrate on the projection field. We're blind without that array.\"\n\nThe maria filled the entire viewport as the station passed over its length. The machines below toiled away seemingly indifferent of Gagarin station's presence.\n\n\"Let's just get down there!\" A voice interjected through the deck. \"We've been cracking away at analysis since before the array started bugging out and what have we learned about these things?\"\n\n\"Jorge...\" Val turned to face the voice.\n\n\"Nothing, Val. The answer is nothing,\" Jorge's steady voice strained to mask his impatience.\n\nSilence fell over the room.\n\n\"We have to go down there. The Moratorium wasn't meant to apply in these situations.\" \n\nRojas rubbed his chin. His gazed fixed on the busy machines below.\n\nBonner raised his voice to reach Jorge. \"The Moratorium was designed *exactly* for these types of situations,\" Bonner wiggled from beneath the dismantled array and propped himself up to face Jorge. \"We are vastly outnumbered by a foreign life form wielding technology that we do not understand and they have not transmitted a single bit of communication on any channel known to man...\"\n\nThe room fell silent again.\n\n\"What do you want to do? Reason with them?\" Bonner's sarcasm made Val smile.\n\n\"Shit, beats waiting around for... what exactly are we waiting for?\" Jorge directed the question to no one in particular.\n\n\"Until we receive word from Juno Station or Terra makes a move.\" Rojas replied evenly. Gaze still fixed on the maria.\n\n\"Please. By the time Brass makes a move these things will have packed up with the entire Moon in tow,\" Jorge's steady delivery cracked under the sarcasm. \"We at least have to do something different.\"\n\n\"I-\" Rojas was about to stand before the intercom cut him off.\n\n\"Energy burst detected from the edge of the Maria!\" Winston's frantic voice jolted the crew to life. \"Electromagnetic pulse. Telemetry estimates imminent.\"\n\n\"Crafty bastards...\" Bonn sprung up and sprinted off the deck.\n\n\"Ro, we're within range,\" Winston's voice filled the room once more. \"It'll knock us out of orbit if reserves don't hold.\"\n\n\"Bonn just left. Meet him in Engineering and do what you can.\"\n\n\"Val, send distress to sister stations and Terra. Juno base too if you can. They might pull the same shit with them. Jorge, seal this deck and track Winston and Bonn. Seal Engineering once they're in.\"\n\nRojas moved quickly to his station to sound the general alarm and attempt to reverse their course.\n\n\"No point, Captain. We're too far in range.\" Val said calmly as her hands moved rapidly over her station's monitor.\n\n\"Focus on what you're doing, Val. If we go down, I'm making sure we land near one of those things.\" Rojas's eyes were fixed on the trajectory he was plotting.\n\nThe generators audibly cycled and shut down as the station shook slightly. Oceanus Procellarum began to grow larger in the viewport as Gagarin Station began to descend closer to the maria.\n\n\"System is offline, Captain. Life support will hold until we make landing. There's enough juice to land safely, but couldn't say anything beyond that.\" Jorge's voice was nervous.\n\n\"Well, you got your wish, Jorge,\" He flicked on the intercom. \"All-hands brace for impact. All-hands brace for impact.\""
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"1519068416",
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[removed] | [WP] Animal language | 2 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nPrompts go in the title. You can add more in the text, but avoid [too many details](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/7yqwsz/wp_animal_language/%0A%0A)\n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*"
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"1519080188",
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[WP] A weary man walks home from work. He arrives to see a hooded figure standing at his front door. The hooded figure hands the man a handgun and small photograph of a young woman and tells the man he has 24 hours to kill her. | 6 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Did it matter that I was retired? No. Working the life I had done so well in rebuilding, a piece of mushy-wet scum waited in the rain at my front door. I noticed him like a black blur in the corner of my eye when driving up to the annoying sound of my windshield wipers squidgy and squeaking. Parking up on my driveway I remember my wife was still on her shift. I got out my car. Decided to forget the umbrella. I could feel my blade stuck against my static leg hairs above my ankle, the buckle looser than this morning. I locked my car doors, tucked the keys deep into my blazer pocket.\n\nThe thick raindrops were pattering against his waterproof hood and I wondered if I sounded like a drum to his ears. I was ready to pin myself to my bed, chuck out my phone and ring Domino's for me and the wife to enjoy when she came back. Instead, an unregistered shotgun, an unfriendly smile, an unsightly picture of a young woman and an unenthusiastic nod. Then he was gone with the timescale of 24 hours. \n\nI sighed, metal gun smug in my armpit. I struggled with the front door but managed it with more effort than I could be bothered with. The door creaked behind me and clicked close. I forgot to wipe my shoes on the mat. The wife was not going to be happy about the dirty prints. But I just wanted the job over and done with and headed up the stairs, half thanking God she hadn't chosen carpet. \n\nI took off my shoes, headed to my study and plonked down at my seat. The last thing I wanted to do was sit at another fucking computer desk. It was only bearable because of our framed picture of the best wedding day I could have hoped for. I stared at it while the piece of junk loaded. Tapped in the password, headed over to the scanner and printer combo. Slid the picture in. I studied it for a brief moment. The woman wasn't much of a looker -she was about as average as a potato. I shook my head at my own comparison and picked the photo from the machine. I sat back down, exasperated. \n\nMy screen flashed with a match. Not that you need to know, but the occupation I held for so long gave me the opportunity to secretly keep software most people wouldn't even dream of. But here I was, middle of a suburban paradise living a fairly luxurious life, looking at my next target wonder through Target of all places, the one just down the road. A God damn local. I shook my head, slammed the laptop screen down and decided to get it over and done with. I guess the advantage was I knew of all the cameras in the area. Knew how to act, how to prevent any identification, any problematic issues and just get the job done.\n\nThe rain was still going when I stepped back outside. I half-jogged back to my car, unlocked it and sat inside, shotgun now taking its place in the passenger's seat like a good little puppy. My old friend. I made my way out the driveway and took it easy up the road. It wasn't as busy as expected on such an evening but the traffic was unpredictable around here. Not like the city. The wipers were still smudging against the glass and my chest was queasy. There was some uneasiness inside of me. I had worked so hard to be normal and I was doing anything but normal. The hyper senses inside of me had activated. I recalled number plates of all vehicles around me, took mental notes of faces and voices and whatever conversation willed its way towards me. It was imprinting into my memory after so much practice of ignoring all the irrelevant details. \n\nBut either way, I had to do it. I was already there, already making my way towards the woman. She was already making her way to her car. I watched, car behind her enough to not be a concern, close enough for me to monitor. She opened her boot, picked out bags of shopping under the rain. I saw her stomach and my stomach swirled with acid. The wife had lost three already. I didn't know if it was me or her or what. But the truth was that karma was laughing at me. And there I sat, staring at my next victim.\n\nYou don't avoid the call. You can be in the middle of a wedding and a word can tell you to end the father of the groom and you do not hesitate. I was hesitating. I was being too much of a human. I wondered if it was a test. I wondered how much it would affect my wife and I. But I knew that no matter what I chose, I had bought first class tickets for us both to the depths of Hell. And with that final thought, I drove by, shotgun raised. I aimed. Fired.\n\n*I have lost my motivation lately. So thanks for a prompt that made me write. ~~Even if it's almost 2am hahahha~~*",
"As I sat there drinking my coffee sunday morning I got a call on the phone. Quite an unusual occurrence for me, but a guy handing me a gun and saying I needed to kill someone in twenty four hours last friday evening was even more unusual. In fact it was the first time such a thing had happened in my life, though my dad handing me an ice cube and telling me to slip it into my mother's trousers as a child was somewhat similar I suppose. Sighing I set down my coffee and the news paper I was merely pretending to read as the news always was just quite a bit of the same thing, and went to answer the phone on the wall.\n\n“Hello there” I said in my usual monotone voice, which in turn was an expression of my boring and unfulfilled monotone life. \n\n“Participant.” it said in a robotic voice that sounded strait from some cheesy hacker-esque sci-fi film. \n\n“Uh-huh” I simply answered in kind, already bored of the conversation.\n\n “Well, it, um, seems, well, that you’re not participating.” the voice replied quite awkwardly. \n\n“Participating in what?” I droned fearing it was some sort of crappy new telemarketer technique. \n\n“Well, uh, the game of course.” The crappy telemarketer said as if it were obvious, confusing me even more and making me want to hang up.\n\n“The game? I don’t believe I’ve signed up for any games. Having fun is against my life's mission to drain all humor and merriment from the world.”\n\nThey paused for a bit, and then finally answered in a rather beleaguered way as if I was troubling them terribly. “The game I handed you the stuff for a few days ago, and gave you instructions.”\n\nIt clicked now who this was bothering me for no reason. “Ahh, Mrs. Jeeves from next door. That's you isn't it. The cookies and the get well soon card were much appreciated by the way, though I don’t see how that was a game.”\n\nTheir exasperation evidently increased as they muttered a bit to themselves at this comment. “No, the game of assassin. The one I gave you the pistol and photo for.”\n\nI let out a sigh. I would have to thank Mrs. Jeeves in person if this was not them. “I see, well nice talking to you.” I said, and then being interrupted before I could hang up.\n\n“Why aren’t you playing the game?” He demanded of me, in a rather loud tone of voice.\n\n“Why would I kill a random person because a stranger told me too.” I sighed to him, wishing that this conversation would just finish up so I could get thanking Mrs. Jeeves done with.\n\n“Well, what did you do with the gun then?” They asked in a rather tense way.\n\n“I gave it to the police of course. What else would someone do with a random gun they got.” I droned on, hoping to get him to hang up out of boredom.\n\nHe made a few angry sounds at this, which made me mildly pleased. “And the picture?” \n\n“I threw it in the dumpster.” I said dejectedly as he still seemed rather invested with the trivalties of this boring game, and keeping me on this call. \n\nSuddenly I heard from the other side of the call shouting of people telling him to put his hands up, sudden swearing, someone trying to run, and then fireworks. I simply shrugged and hung up, as he seemed occupied with a spontaneous dance party that broke out over there.\n"
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3
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"1519084879",
"1519091613",
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[WP] It’s the heist of the millennium. Location: a small nearby planet. The goods: the planet itself. | 5 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"*Kettleblack Station, orbiting Sentell III*\n\n\"You know what the problem with Johan's Planet is?\" Johan asked.\n\n\"The fact that it's actually named 'Sentell III' and not 'Johan's Planet'?\" Helen suggested.\n\n\"No,\" Johan said. \"Well, yes, that too. But the problem with Sentell III is that it's way the hell out in the middle of nowhere.\"\n\n\"I would have figured,\" Helen said, \"that the problem is that *we* are well the hell out here in the middle of nowhere.\"\n\n\"That's an epiphenomenon of the location of the planet. Johan's Station-\"\n\n\"Kettleblack Station,\" Helen corrected.\n\n\"is stationed around Johan's Planet-\"\n\n\"Sentell III,\" Helen continued.\n\n\"and Johan's Planet-\"\n\n\"Sentell III\"\n\n\"is way the hell out in the middle of nowhere,\" Johan finally finished.\n\n\"I'm not sure you're using the word 'epiphenomenon' correctly,\" Helen said, \"but unlike the names of this station and its planet I don't actually know the correct word.\"\n\n\"Anyway, the point is, I was thinking. What if Johan-\"\n\n\"Sentell-\"\n\n\"'s Planet *wasn't* way the hell out in the middle of nowhere. What if it was, say, somewhere between Earth and Venus?\"\n\n\"That would make our commute easier,\" Helen said. \"In that we could commute from somewhere instead of living in this trash heap.\"\n\n\"Right,\" Johan said, \"that's what I was thinking about at first, too. But then I remembered some trivia-\"\n\n\"Oh dear gods not this again,\" Helen said. Johan always managed to spin some tiny bit of trivia into some nonsensical plan. For instance, he'd once asserted that an improper flag being hung in the admiralty court rendered it an illegal operation. That was, in fact, why he'd ended up transferred to Kettleblack. Helen still wasn't sure what *she'd* done to deserve the same fate, but it certainly had to have been something bad.\n\n\"I know, I know,\" Johan said, for once demonstrating a small amount of self-awareness. \"But listen, seriously. Newfound planets have a very large bounty nowadays.\"\n\nIt seemed like a non-sequitur, but Helen knew it would tie back in somehow. \"That is true,\" she said, \"it's been so long since the last new planet that they're offering enough money to retire rich several times over. I see what you mean about Sentell III; if it were even remotely accessible it'd have already been colonized and we'd at least get shore leave.\"\n\nSentell III was actually a beautiful planet, perfect atmosphere both figuratively and literally, and a striking 0.999 Earth Gravity. It was perfect, but the confluence of jump points that led to it took an entire year to transit. Compared to the more accessible planets' transit times of a week or so, it placed the cul-de-sac strictly in the \"pretty but useless\" category.\n\n\"Yes,\" Johan said. \"so what we need to do is move the planet to the Sol system.\"\n\nThat was a leap of logic even for Johan. \"What?\" Helen asked.\n\n\"I looked it up,\" Johan said, \"planets are considered new if they are a previously unidentified body discovered *in a system*. You see? If we move Johan's Planet to just outside Venus' orbit, it counts as a newly discovered planet. And since we're the people who moved it there, we're the discoverers!\"\n\n\"Well that's great,\" Helen said, \"aside from the whole 'trying to move an entire planet a few thousand light years' thing. I mean, even if you did accelerate it to 0.9c and point it at Earth - terrible idea, by the way, just in case you were contemplating that, you have no way to slow it down again - we'd be long dead before we could 'discover' it.\"\n\n\"Please, Helen, give me some credit,\" Johan said. \"We obviously take the planet through hyperspace.\"\n\n\"Right,\" Helen said, \"Of course. We open a hyperspace conduit the size of a planet, we somehow get the planet into it, and then we *maintain* that conduit for an entire year somehow.\"\n\n\"See, that's the genius!\" Johan said, \"It'd take a thousand hyperspace engines to do something like that!\"\n\n\"Yes,\" Helen said, \"but I was going to raise that as an objection instead of whatever strange encouragement you seem to have taken from it.\"\n\n\"Helen,\" Johan said excitedly, \"Helen, listen to me: I have a thousand hyperspace engines.\"\n\nHelen began: \"No you don't-\" but then she stopped. Johan had more than a thousand hyperspace engines, she realized. He just had to scavenge them from... \"The spare parts? You got into the *spare parts*? The ones that we're supposed to be used when our relief ship gets here and inevitably breaks down because its hyperspace drive has been in use for over a year?\"\n\n\"Those are the ones!\" Johan said gleefully.\n\n\"We'll be stranded, you idiot!\"\n\n\"No, we'll ride the conduit back to Earth with the planet. It's win-win!\"\n\nOn one hand, it was a terrible idea. It was a terrible idea even taking into account the usual terribleness of Johan's ideas. But if she didn't give Johan this chance, she'd fall victim to an even more horrible enemy that had stalked them relentlessly since they'd begun their duties on-station: Boredom.\n\n\"So, hypothetically speaking, how long-\" Helen began.\n\n\"I already wired them up. I just have to press this button,\" Johan said, indicating the button he'd have to press.\n\nThe lights dimmed and the artificial gravity churned for a brief moment, and then everything returned back to normal.\n\n\"You pressed the button instead of just pointing at it, didn't you?\" Helen asked.\n\n\"It would seem so,\" Johan said.\n\n\"I can't help but notice that we're not back in the Sol system,\" Helen said.\n\n\"It would seem not,\" Johan said.\n\n\"And I also can't help but notice that Sentell III is no longer there,\" Helen said.\n\n\"That also seems to be the case,\" Johan said. After a moment of awkward silence, he suggested: \"Maybe we just sent it along ahead of us?\"\n\n\"No hyperspace conduit opened,\" Helen pointed out.\n\n\"Maybe I accelerated it to 0.9c?\"\n\n\"For the sake of future humanity, you'd better hope not,\" Helen said. \"No, you vanished it but good. Do you have any idea how much trouble this is going to get us in? I am seriously asking that question because I think we might be the first people to have actually lost an entire planet and they're going to have to invent entirely new punishments just for us!\"\n\n\"Oh yeah,\" Johan said, \"I've had a few of those tailor-made for me.\"\n\n\"Johan!\" Helen said. \"Pay attention! The planet is gone! It's like it was never there!\"\n\n\"What if...\" Johan began. He paused because he knew that usually those two words caused Helen to immediately object, but she was clearly entirely out of ideas so he continued: \"What if *we* were never here.\"\n\n\"Use the hyperdrives to run away?\" Helen asked.\n\nJohan nodded. \"Use the hyperdrives to run away.\""
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"1519088818",
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[WP] You've been tortured by an illusionist for years. You never know what's illusion and what's reality. | 14 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"*\"Rise and shine, flower.\"*\n\nThe words rang through her mind, bringing with them the imaginary image of a sickly-sweet smile set upon bright, bloody lips. She started awake with the usual shaking, abruptly rising from the sweat-stained pillow that grabbed hold of her tangled hair with gentle thorns, trying to drag her back down into its feathered whispers and unbearable heat.\n\nIt was shockingly bright, until her eyes seemed to adjust and the blinding white blooming from every corner receded and turned to the shadows they were in truth. Truth. Not an easy thing to find, she thought as she slowly leaned forward, sitting in the clutches of silken sheets that threatened to wrap her tight like a mummy. She threw them away with a shuddering breath, eyes working to focus on something true.\n\nThere was precious little of that in her life here. Part of her mind had given up on searching for it, but what remained sane, she clung to every waking moment in the hope that she could survive with some of it intact. The Matron did her best to snuff it out.\n\nThe Matron--her captor--whose piercing gaze now appeared at the forefront of her vision above those twisted red lips. But no, that was her. She was staring at her own reflection in the mirror wall that stood across the room, always taunting her with such illusions. But... those eyes weren't hers, were they? Were the eyes she looked into now her own? Such was the struggle she fought every second, constant questions of her own reality.\n\nShe shut her eyes tight, kneading them with the heels of her hands. With them closed, she found a measure of peace, but it was no safe haven from the illusions--far from it. The Matron's gaze pierced even her eyelids, appearing in her sight even in its absence.\n\nDragging herself from the bed, she suddenly felt very cold. The sheets called her, tempting her with the warmth they stole, promising its return along with hers. She stumbled away, ignoring the lies that were whispered with every scuff of her bare foot on the dry stone floor.\n\nShe reached for a glass of water on the bedside table, lifting it to her lips only to suck in a choking breath, the glass shattering in her hand and slicing her skin open. Her choke began to turn into a scream, when she found herself merely biting her own thumb, hand empty. She looked at the table as she realized her mistake. There had been no glass.\n\nHer mistake was not the glass, but her forgetting to close her eyes before touching it. She'd found it a useful trick to learn the truth of whether the things she saw were tangibly real or not. The things she did otherwise only furthered her descent into insanity.\n\nClutching her bitten thumb in a handful of her yellow gown she abandoned the table, turning for the door. The door, however, was something of a nemesis of hers. Never quite where she expected it, nor where she saw it. In actuality, it was always at this side of the room, in this position of the wall, she told herself. She didn't trust herself about that, though.\n\nShe closed her eyes once more, reaching for the thin steel handle, and was pleasantly surprised when it was real. The cold metal in her hand passed her blind examination, ringing with each tap of her nail and wobbling as it should when she turned it. She pulled the door back, opening her eyes along with it.\n\nA brick wall met her inside the door frame, blocking what she previously understood to be a hallway. She raised a hand to it, feeling the smooth bricks and the rough grout between them. They hissed defiance and mockery as she slid her hand down, taunting three of her senses. She spat at it in response.\n\nThe spit smacked the wall with a very true-looking splash pattern. As she ran her hand over it, however, it was dry as ever. The illusion seemed to concede, silently crumbling with a gravity that was wrong as each brick tumbled until it left her sight, never to be seen again.\n\nSloppy. Very sloppy. The Matron must not have cared as much for that one. The woman must be busy with something. All the better for her--the less she was payed attention to, the easier it was on her sanity. As she took tentative steps into the hall, making sure the ground didn't drop out from beneath her to send her spiraling down into a void--it happened--she found the hard, textured carpet as real as usual. It was gray for the moment, but it often changed colors. So often, in fact, she wasn't actually certain if it had a true one. Such was her life here.\n\nThe walls were covered by gaudy, bright wallpaper with endless rows of flowers stretching along them. Tulips, at the moment. Similar to the carpet, they changed periodically, although tulips were the most common. Part of her believed they were the actual pattern of the walls, but then she didn't trust some parts of her. She started down the hall of flowers, and heard a noise somewhere around the corner down one end.\n\nThere were voices. They echoed most naturally, but that meant nothing as to their authenticity. She was tempted to investigate, but her mouth was still dry. They were in the direction of the washroom anyway, so she ended up coming closer to find a wall that she found doubtful. Closing her eyes as she walked, she wound up hitting nothing, and as she felt she passed farther than the wall appeared, opened her eyes to see it there in front of her again. Repeating the effort she found herself able to pass through again, yet the third time resulted in a bruised forehead as she ran into a wall that, after some inspection, remained real as she could judge real.\n\nThe voices now came from behind her, and she noticed she had passed a door. Walking back to it she noticed it was open a crack, and so she impassively peered in, wondering what kind of trick the Matron would pull now.\n\nShe was surprised to recognize the room as the lobby--she though for sure the lobby was on the other side of the facility. But then, she should've learned by now how much her sureties were worth. In it was the Matron, facing away as she seemed to converse with a pair of men in suits and sunglasses. Her side of the conversation was somewhat frantic--a trait she would never associate with the woman. But there she was, pleading with the men as if she was for once lacking the power to get what she wanted from them.\n\nSomehow the scene gave her a shred of hope, that there were people who would make the Matron act such a way. That hope was distorted into fear as the conversation paused, and those piercing eyes caught her prying ones. The door suddenly slammed in her face, and everything went dark.\n\n*\"Rise and shine, flower,\"* came the echoing words. A sickly-sweet smiled set upon bright, bloody lips flashed before her eyes as she opened them. She started awake with the usual shaking, abruptly rising from the burning bed to stare back, slowly realizing it was her own reflection she stared at.\n\nHer hair clung to her face wildly, refusing to let go. She sputtered and scratched it away, rolling out of bed in her struggle and landing with a very real thud. Rising from the floor, she looked around, seeing her room, just as she remembered it. She had a memory of leaving it as well. And...\n\nSomething was wrong. Different. New--but that's happened before. She made her way across the floor, bare feet whispering nothing as she passed a glass of water without acknowledgement despite her dry mouth. She grabbed for the door handle, but it melted away with the door. She tried another, but scraped her knuckles on the wall for her effort, and cradled the hand in her blue gown. She finally remembered to close her eyes, and she searched the walls by feel until reaching what should be the true door.\n\nShe exited the room with tentative steps, and the floor was gray as ever. Walls patterned with lilies flew by in varying colors as she set a brisk pace for the corner, rounding it to find the door that was open just a crack, like she remembered. As she approached, there was a loud crack that sounded from beyond, causing her to flinch back. With slower steps, she reached for the door and peered beyond.\n\nThe matron was laying on the floor of the lobby, and two men in suits and sunglasses stood over her body. One turned his expressionless face up toward her, and she recoiled.\n\nTurning back down the hall she started running, heading for the other end. This had never been part of the tricks. The Matron would never conceive the sort of illusion that would paint her with any weakness. Lilies passed by in a blur as her heart pounded in her chest. She found herself at the end of the hall with the emergency exit--a door she rarely saw, and one that always threatened her at the mere thought. Such threats were nonexistent now, and so with rapid breaths, she closed her eyes.\n\nReaching out, she felt a solid steel bar, cold to the touch, and upon applying pressure heard a click and a scrape. The truth of it screamed to her, urging her on, and she charged through with abandon.\n\nA cold night met her outside, with air that filled her lungs with raw freedom. She dashed across a dark parking lot, almost laughing through her breathlessness. It was an outside unlike any the Matron ever conjured--this one smelled of truth, tasted of it, breathed it, and in the night sky the stars shone with it.\n\nAs she ran she closed her eyes and finally let out a long, full laugh. It rang true to her ears. She felt the pavement beneath her feet, the asphalt. She was out. Free. She opened her eyes, and a bright white light met her. A horn blared, growing with it.\n\nThen there was darkness.\n\n*\"Rise and shine, flower.\"*",
"I reached up to grab a coffee cup from the shelf, my other hand grabbing the pot from the coffee maker. Went to pour the coffee, and watched as it went straight through the mug and onto my feet. A second of confusion before I jump back, almost dropping the pot. \"Fuck you!\" I scream into thin air.\n\nIt had been two days since the last time he'd done something. I always amaze myself with how quickly the human brain assumes patterns. Checking things constantly falls to the wayside so quickly. After all, that coffee cup had been real every day for weeks now. What are the chances that any given day it wont be? \n\n*Well to anyone else they would be zero* I think to myself. But not for me. A few years back I had made an enemy who I didn't even know existed. Turns out that magic is real. Or superpowers. Mutant abilities. Whatever you want to call it, he can make things seem real that aren't really there. He can choose who can see or hear it, who it seems real too. \n\nIt started with small things: clothes that nobody else could see, monsters making me freak out in public, a cat that came around for a week before tearing itself open in front of my eyes. I sought out psychological help, and things were looking promising, until one day it was gone, all of it. My file, the nurses, my psychologist, even the building itself was gone. Just an empty lot as I arrived for my weekly checkup. That was when he revealed himself, told me what he could do, proved it to me. \n\nHe said ten years. Ten years of him tormenting me. He said that direct interference was prohibited, I never knew what that meant, but that he could change what I saw all he liked. Then it was a lot of tiny things for months. 8 different toothpaste tubes in the morning, making me search for the real one. Cars almost hitting me in the street before vanishing. \n\nThen the worst started, though I had no idea at the time. I met a beautiful woman, Evelyn, at a party at my university. She was a philosophy student, gorgeous, and immediately I was enamored. We talked for months, going on small dates and meeting up for coffee between classes. Finally we decided to make it official, and she wanted to meet my parents. We drove three hours to my dad's place, laughing and talking the whole way. We got there, and she seemed nervous, but assuring me that she still wanted to meet them. I stepped out to greet my dad, and as I shook his hand he looked behind me to the car. \n\n\"So where is the new woman?\" \n\n\"What do you mean?\" I asked, trying not to let the fear creep into my voice.\n\n\"Where is your girlfriend, you said you were bringing her out.\"\n\nI tried my best to salvage the situation, telling him that she got sick last minute and I just forgot to call and update him. I went home and screamed and cried for hours. I cursed that man, I confined him to the darkest depths of the sea and the hottest corners of hell with my words. He laughed. He laughed in false late payment letters, and fake winning lottery tickets. Once I found a lost ticket that was for that weeks drawing. I gave it to some beggar on the street, thinking that it was just another of his tricks. The next day on the news the beggar was holding up the winning ticket, or at least I saw it that way. Who knows what parts were real, the ticket, the man, or the drawing. Maybe it was all fake. \n\nAfter that I started trying to get at him. I would try to contact the police, news outlets, anyone that I could find that would be able to help me. Every time he would make me look like a fool. The police would be illusions, or others would see me as a drunk homeless man screaming about aliens. Sometimes I would get an interview, but then everyone else would see me talking about fishing or baking, even though I was hearing myself telling my story.\n\nThree years left, that's all I needed to survive was three more years. I had no friends, no family left, and I'm not even convinced my job is real anymore. I had lived in this apartment and held a job for almost 8 months now with no major issues. Just small things like this morning pouring hot coffee on myself. But overall things had been going okay. \n\nI could do it, no matter what he threw at me. He couldn't bring me down much more than I was anyway. Maybe he was bored and just decided to give me mild annoyances for the last 3 years. Regardless, I could do it. I could outlast his torments and get back to a normal life.\n\n------\n\nThe man looked outside at the poor, shivering man standing in the rain. How easy it was to keep him close and easy to watch. For 7 years he had been building this now homeless man's reality from the ground up. Just now the homeless man thought that he had spilled hot coffee on himself in his seedy apartment. None of that was real. And the magician couldn't wait to see the look on his face. The poor man would see his life start to turn around, he would get a well paying job, and the magician's pranks would slowly disappear. Then, just as the magician fades from his memory the magician would reveal reality. \n\nThe facade would drop, and the man would realize that his entire life had been an illusion, that nothing in the last 5 years had happened. Every small illusion just fuel to feed the real beast. In reality he was homeless, penniless, and had nothing but his name. But the best part, the magician thought, was that the man would forever question his life, his very existence. That would be enough punishment, the magician thought. One life destroyed for one life lost. "
] | [
1,
2,
2
] | [
"1519100791",
"1519106143",
"1519109046"
] | |
[WP] When an angel attacks your school/work you find out that your the child of a demon lord and that your best friend is your butler/bodyguard and you must return to hell. | 0 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"I stared at the hauntingly beautiful angel lying on my desk, staring blankly at my ceiling, a dagger in her chest. The blood was starting to spill on my carpet, but that was the least of my problems. I shot an accusing glare at the man who I thought was my best friend minutes ago, and he just let out his usual boyish smirk. \n\n\"I did what I had to. The bitch was trying to kill you,\" he drawled with an indifferent shrug. \n\nI help up a hand to shut him up and paced around the room. I tried to wrap the idea around my head, but it all felt surreal. I'm even staring at the physical evidence, and yet my mind strongly rejects the facts. \n\nBastien cocked his head to the side, as if he was listening to something only he could hear. I stopped walking and finally faced him. \n\n\"Okay. Talk,\" I demanded. \n\nHe sighed and guided me to the couch. We both sat on opposite sides, making me face his serious stare, which was a rarity, since this guy was overly outgoing. \n\n*Or is he? I suddenly feel like I don't know him anymore.*\n\n\"Remember when we were kids? Everytime your emotions heightened, lights would flicker erratically and glasses would break. Sometimes you'd see *things* that other people normally wouldn't. But those *things* didn't even try to harm you, right?\"\n\nI numbly nodded. My childhood wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows. Sure, I wasn't tormented by *those*, but the people from the orphanage started to regard and treat me differently when I tried to talk them about *those*. Only Bastien stayed by my side and believed me. \n\n\"It's because the dark ones can tell His Highness's blood in you, and for a while, the Dark Lord was able to hide you from *them* in plain sight.\"\n\n\"The Dark Lord? What bull crap are you spouting now?\" I cried, but he quickly grabbed my hands and squeezed them, a ritual he does to calm me down when I'm about to go on full-blown hysteria. \n\n\"Your father didn't attempt to talk to you, since doing so would expose your identity. You've now reached the age of twenty-one, your powers are fully unleashed. But because of that, *they* could also sense your unholy power. Lucy, you are His Highness's sole heiress.\"\n\nI glanced back at the angel, wincing slightly at the sight. \"So, I'm getting targeted by the heavens?\"\n\nHe gravely nodded. \"I briefly heard from His Highness. Everything is prepared, and everyone is eagerly awaiting your arrival. Let's go before *their* reinforcements arrive.\"\n\nHe pulled me up, but I stopped him. This was happening so fast, my mind couldn't quite process it. I could hear his words, but nothing seem to register, at least, not fast enough. \n\n\"We don't have much time, Lucy,\" he told me in that same gentle tone, but I could sense the urgency in his voice. \n\n\"Where are you taking me?\" I finally asked. \n\nHe shot me another one of his boyish smirks and gave my hands a light squeeze. \"We're going to your empire, Hell.\""
] | [
1,
1
] | [
"1519135901",
"1519142300"
] | |
[WP] You find a magic debit/credit card with your name on it. It hasn't infinite money, but it has enough to fulfill all your current expenses and a little extra for fun. It refills itself monthly. After a while, you quit your job. Suddenly, after 10 years it stops working. | 8 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"There was no way this could be true, Carl thought about what his neighbor Cathy had told him. There was no monthly in her account, and apparently there had been none in that of her upstairs neighbor either this morning. He strolled down the street, taking long slow drags off his cigarette; still high from a session of wake and bake. taking in the day as he strolled along, thinking about his plans for the day. That problem would sort itself out later he assured himself.\n\nThe weather was perfect, today, and a tropical depression down of the coast of Baja was supposed to be pushing a swell to the coast today. \n\nWalking into Starbucks to get a morning brew he decided this morning would be surfing, then an afternoon of writing. It had been 5 years ago that he had decided that he should take up writing, with all the free time in the world he should do something productive. in that time had managed to cobble together what he called a good start, to the great American Novel. But how could he lock himself inside writing when the world was there and ready to be explored. At times he felt he knew he was more Cassidy than Kerouac, but not today. he would get something done today; after going surfing. \n\n\"Thats $3.65 sir.\" the sound of the cashier snapped Carl out of his thoughts and he reached to his pocket for some cash, before realizing he had forgotten it when he left this morning. He pulled out his wallet and gave the cashier his card.\n\nAfter a moment, \"it's declined sir.\"\n\n\"That, can't be\" Carl responded. \"I get paid today.\"\n\nThe cashier motioned to the newspaper.\n\nCarl looked. Pausing for a second, not certain he had read correctly. he moved closer. \n\nReading the headline: \"UBI Discontinued.\" he looked back to the cashier.\n\n\"And about goddamned time if you ask me.\" the cashier responded to Carl's look of astonishment. \"but I'll buy you one last coffee you lazy fuck.\" The cashier pulled a $5 from his pocket and put it into the register as he handed Carl his coffee..."
] | [
1,
3
] | [
"1519157991",
"1519159813"
] | |
[WP] A scientist finds out that when people die they are reincarnated as another person but they lose their memories of their previous life, he has just found out a way to get those memories back. | 6 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"\"I'm telling you, I'm Abraham Lincoln. Or, well... I was.\" Arthur Bingley was in high spirits today and wasn't going to be dissuaded by the laughter and the polite coughs from the town hall crowd. \n\nThe host politician, who Arthur had less than twenty four hours prior thought to be a no-name nobody, was looking deeply flustered and Arthur could understand why, but... well, there were more important matters at hand.\n\n\"Excuse me,\" said Arthur. \"I'm afraid I must continue. It is of vital importance to the nation.\"\n\nMore laughter. They thought he was joking. \n\nSecurity seemed to be on its way to escort him out. He didn't have much time.\n\n\"Mister Parker, this man who you think to be a simple politician, is the living reincarnation of Adolph Hitler. No, now listen!\" he protested in response to loud groans. The crowd's amusement was quickly turning into irritation at his insistence on being ridiculous.\n\nBut he knew he wasn't being ridiculous. He'd injected himself. He saw it now. His head swam with the depth of it all. He put his hands to his head. They were going to think he was having a stroke or a concussion. He'd taken too much of the serum, he was sure. He could see his own ancestry... well, not *ancestry* exactly. He could see every person he'd been in the past.\n\nAnd every person they'd all been in the past too. Most of them had some pretty boring histories, though he thought he saw a glimpse of an influential scientist or two.\n\nWhat he couldn't shake, however, was Mister Parker, the no-name from Utah, who happened to be the reincarnation of Adolph Hitler, Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, Alexander the Great, and countless other feared rulers and conquerors throughout history who'd shaped the world and caused unimaginable suffering in the process.\n\nSurely not all of them were bad, Arthur reasoned, as the milliseconds slipped by. He was fast running out of options here.\n\n\"Yes!\" he proclaimed. \"I'm the reincarnation of Abraham Lincoln. I'm afraid that's the only interesting one in my lineage. This man, however, who you think to be a simple politician, is the reincarnation of countless dangerous men throughout history!\"\n\nStrong arms took hold of his own. Arthur fretted. This wasn't going at all like he'd planned.\n\nCome to think of it, he hadn't thought it through much at all. He had the distinct and pressing feeling that he was an embarrassment to his ancestry. \n\n\"Look, if you'll just listen,\" he pleaded.\n\n\"Wait a moment,\" said Parker. \n\nSecurity paused in its efforts to drag Arthur out.\n\nParker stepped forward until he was inches from Arthur. \"You mean to tell me you can see peoples' ancestry? That we are all reincarnated? What proof do you have of this?\"\n\n\"I have a serum,\" said Arthur.\n\n\"Where is it?\" Parker's eyes flared with a fire that Arthur didn't like the look of.\n\n\"Er... well...\" said Arthur. In an instant, he decided his fate, though he wasn't quite sure what fate he was deciding. \"I only made enough for one dose.\"\n\n\"Oh,\" said Parker. He sounded disappointed. \"Yes, of course.\" His expression changed to something that Arthur thought looked like patronizing sympathy. \"Yes, take him away, please. Let's get back to what matters... policy!\"\n\nArthur let them drag him out. Unfortunately, they didn't drag him out front and drop him outside. They dragged him out a side entrance and dropped him unceremoniously into a vehicle with tinted windows. \n\nTwo men got in next to him. He could see their histories going back and gulped. Locked in a car with the reincarnation of Goebbels and Jack the Ripper. \n\nWell, he thought. At least if something happens to me I'll be reincarnated. \n\nHe didn't find this reassuring, as he wasn't sure if he'd remember. The serum might be lost forever. Or, it might end up in the hands of some of the worst terrors in human history.\n\nHe needed to figure out a way to destroy the serum before they could get a copy of it.\n\nHe decided to call upon the insight of his past selves and asked himself... What Would Lincoln Do?"
] | [
1,
2
] | [
"1519190753",
"1519193808"
] | |
[WP] Periodically you find strange little tokens around town that look like your cartoon drawings of you. You've collected several of them over the years, and kept them with you. Today, you died, and you got up like nothing happened. One of the tokens vanishes. | 4,855 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"I shouldn't have gone to the bar last night. One blackout while driving. One ruined car. Two bodies six feet under.\n\nExcept I'm still here. I woke up the next morning, no harm, no shard of glass through my eye, no foot and a half long mark on my back. \n\nI counted the figurine collection I had. One had dissapeard. As I turned on the TV, some news station started playing. I got up, and went to get me a bowl of cereal.\n\n\"Mysterious car crash on 5th street\" I heard the news person say. \"Car crashed into nothing, one casualty.\" \n\nI turned it off. I couldn't handle the news like this. I'll have to talk to my psychiatrist about the dream. Maybe some meds would help.",
"Keeping order in things had never been Kendra's strong point. She had to though, once the tokens started appearing. At first, they'd seemed meaningless. Every once in a while she'd picked one up. But, that was before. Before she knew about what they truly were. \n \nThere was just something so weird about the engravings on them, almost as if they reminded her of people she knew, no matter how abstract the lines were. As more of them started popping up in all kind of places, she kept a book with them. Every page had a token taped in, with the location it was found next to it. In the back of the book, a map also marked all the places tokens had been found. \n \nIt all seemed completely random at first. As time progressed, though, patterns started emerging. \n \n*might continue later, just can't seem to get the words the way I want them to at the moment* ",
"I gasped as I woke up, eyes wide with shock and heart beating out of my chest. \n\n*What a crazy dream,* I thought as I sat up on my bed. My mind was reeling over how real that felt. \n\nIn my dream, I was riding my usual train to work when all of a sudden people started screaming about a man with a knife. Curiosity got the best of me and I crept slowly out of my chair and towards the commotion. \n\n\"I'M GOING TO KILL THIS KID IF YOU DON'T LET ME OUT OF HERE!\" \n\nA young boy was in his grasp, knife to his neck and tears pouring down from his eyes as he struggled against the large man. The man was clearly deranged. His clothes were raggedy, and even 10 feet away I could smell the stench from his clothes and the crazy in his eyes. I wasn't in uniform, but I knew I had to act. I stayed low between the seats, slithered between the fearful crowd and lunged forward--\n\n\"Honey! Come and eat breakfast before you miss your train!\" \n\nI snapped back to reality and completely forgot what I was thinking about. I threw on some clothes and headed down the stairs to meet my wife. She greeted me with a smile and a cup of coffee. As we sat down for breakfast, she mentioned some tragedy on my train the previous day or something. I nodded and grunted, too busy enjoying breakfast to really pay attention. \n\n\"Thanks honey, this was great as always!\" I gave her a kiss and headed towards the door. \n\n\"Anything for you, Mr. Officer,\" she said, \"Oh! Don't forget your bag!\" My bag jangled as she handed it over to me and soon I was out the door.",
"(I know I'm crazy late, but I saw this a couple days ago and couldn't get it out of my head!)\n\n\nTitle: Save Point\n\nIt was just a scrap of paper, tucked into the pages of my textbook. It was blue, like an arcade ticket. It shouldn’t have caught my eye, but something made me pick it up and turn it over. \nA chill went down my spine. It was me. A cartoony drawing, but clearly my face, with the hat I always wore. \nAs the teacher called for attention, I slipped the paper into my jacket pocket. A random drawing may not have been so creepy, but this was my first day at the school, first day with this textbook. And the drawing was identical to three others I had at home.\nThose ones had also appeared out of nowhere. In my locker. In the middle of my folded laundry. On my ceiling. They were all the same, my face and hat in the same position and style. The only thing that was ever different about them was the back. Ticket written in block letters, then under that the numbers. 001, 002, 003 and now 004. \nI thought I had some weirdo stalker, but for one to appear here, 3 states away from where we lived before, in a book no one could have known was going to end up in my hands…\n\n\n---\n\n\nMom knocked on my door, “Ally, don’t forget you promised to watch your cousins today. It’s time to get up.” \n“Okay, mom, working on it.” I was awake already, and even out of bed, but still in my pajamas. I was sitting at my desk and staring at the four drawings. As usual, they revealed nothing of their origins.\n\n\n---\n\n\n“Almost...got it….” The string of the kite was just inches away from my outstretched fingers. My little cousins stared up at me from the base of the tree. I relaxed my arm to catch my breath and grinned down at them, “Aren’t I just the best babysitter ever?” \n“Come on, Ally!” Logan called back at me. \nI sighed at his lack of appreciation and reached for the kite again. I slid my foot out further on the branch, leaning more of my weight on it. \n*SNAP! CRASH!* \nPain. Can’t breathe. Screaming. Is that me? Darkness.\n\n\n---\n\n\nKnock knock. “Ally, don’t forget you promised to watch your cousins today. It’s time to get up.” \n“Okay, mom, working on it.” Wait. I was...in a tree. And...fell? Was that a dream? \nI rolled out of bed and opened the desk drawer I had hidden the tickets in. I pulled them out to inspect them. Ticket 1, 2, 3...4? \nThere were only three tickets in the drawer. \nI pulled the drawer out and dumped it on my bed, feeling strangely frantic. I pawed through the pile, but the ticket was nowhere to be found. \nMom knocked on my door again, “Ally, sweetie, it’s almost time to leave, okay?” \n“Uh, yeah, okay.”\n\n\n---\n\n\n“Ally,” Logan whined and pulled on my arm, “take us to the park!” \n“Logan, I already said I would, you just have to wait till I finish putting your sister’s kite together.” \nHe let out a dramatic groan and flopped onto the couch. I popped the last plastic stick into its tab and took Lucy’s hand. \n“Ready, kid?” Logan popped up and danced out the door ahead of us.\n\n\n---\n\n\n“Ally, you flew it right into the tree! *You* have to climb up and get it now!” \nI looked up at the tree, tall and imposing. The kite stuck out near the top, the wind catching the string and dangling it over our heads. \nI thought of my dream and a chill went down my spine. “I don’t know, kids. It’s...really high up there.” \nLucy’s lip popped out and started quivering, her big eyes welling up with tears as she stared at her brand new kite. \n“Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry. I’ll buy you a new one, okay? We’ll go past the store on the way home.” \nLogan crossed his arms and focused a defiant look on me. “I can climb it.” \n“No, Logan.” \n“Can too!” He backed up and ran at the tree, jumping for the lowest branch. He missed, of course, his little hands falling short by a good foot. \nI sighed and went to help him up. He took my hand and glared at me, “You could climb it.” \n“I don’t know about that.” \n“You can, you can!” \nI sighed again and stared up at the branches. “Okay, I’ll try.” I backed up for the same running leap that Logan had tried, managing to wrap my hands around the lowest branch and pull myself up. \n“Hey, look! Ally, it looks just like you!” \n“What? What’s that, Logan?\" \n“I don’t know. I just saw it on the ground here. It even has your hat!” \nI dropped back to the ground and took the blue ticket from Logan. I peered at the now familiar drawing of me for a moment before turning it over. Ticket 004.\n",
"I'm a bot, *bleep*, *bloop*. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit:\n\n- [/r/xcmd] [\\[WP\\] Periodically you find strange little tokens around town that look like your cartoon drawings of you. You've collected several of them over the years, and kept them with you. Today, you died, and you got up like nothing happened. One of the tokens vanishes.](https://www.reddit.com/r/xcmd/comments/85268c/wp_periodically_you_find_strange_little_tokens/)\n\n&nbsp;*^(If you follow any of the above links, please respect the rules of reddit and don't vote in the other threads.) ^\\([Info](/r/TotesMessenger) ^/ ^[Contact](/message/compose?to=/r/TotesMessenger))*",
"An cold impact slammed into the back of my neck, followed almost instantaneously by the warmth of a human hand. A voice, tinged with despair, desire, and what was probably a twisted form of affection sounded from behind me.\n\n\"I'll see you on the other side, then.\" I heard the air part, and a body fell onto the ground. Unable to make a squeak, I soundlessly followed suit, a red liquid dyeing her white uniform crimson. A black fog covered my sight, and the dying warmth from her body swiftly dissipated.\n\nIn a world of black, something cracked, and I woke up.\n\nThe warmth of a fluffy bed...and the familiar texture of my elderdown blanket. I rubbed my nape, willing the cold, smooth texture away. That had been a bad dream.\n\nThe merry jingles of metal coins woke me up from my reverie, and I automatically fumbled for a particular token. It was in a shape of a flower, the kind that kids would draw, and in the center was a cute caricature. It looked something like me... and so I kept it. \n\nThere were a few of them lying around town, so every midwinter, I would just make a point to walk around for the heck of it. Lost in my memories, I had noticed that I was unable to find that flower token. \n\nWhere was it?\n\nA little feeling of gloom set in, and I felt for another token instead. I flipped it around my fingers masterfully for a few moments, but instead of satisfaction, I found myself unsettled. If I didn't get down to looking for it, I probably won't sleep tonight.\n\nI let out a sigh, and started to head to school. Call it an unconscious act or instinct, but I felt that it was somewhere there. My body, without needing my direction, started to move.\n\nIt was a free day, yet I was going to school. What holiday was today again?\n\nIt didn't take that long for me to reach the gates. The landscape had gotten overly bright and vivid, yet the edges were blurry. The Pavilion of Flowers...I had an inkling that we treated it as somewhere important. \n\nWait, we? Clearly, I was getting not enough sleep. I rubbed my eyes, and entered the school premises proper.\n\nThe Pavilion was overly bright and blurry. Cordoned off by a surreal, cheery yellow barricade tape, I could spot the familiar golden gleam of the flower token I always held dear.\n\nThe one that **she** gave to me. And on the ground, still not moved away by the police, was the body of its previous owner.\n\nUpon observation, it was clear the little flower token had a crack in its center, where the neck was.",
"\"Ow\" i sat up in my bed cradling my head as my whole body hurt. Wait, my bed? I jumped out of my bed so fast that my foot got caught in the blanket \n\nCRACK\n\nI sat up in bed my head absolutely pounding, my blankets half pulled off my bed by... wait what?! That is me, or at least was me. I got out of bed, slowly and careful not to step in my blood. \n\nI slowly pushed the corpse's face up. Yep, it may be covered in blood and the nose may be smashed but that is my face.\n\nA million thoughts flashed through my mind. How could this be? So I was hit by that bus? What does this mean? And probably most importantly, what should I do with my corpse? \n\nHm, I wonder. I go over to my closet and search for a small cloth bag and poured out the bag and a bunch of shiny black coins clink to to the floor. On one side it has a large arrow going up that says \"one up\" and on the other it has a cartoonist picture of my face in profile. I have been collecting these coins since I was 5 in total I had 645. I quickly sort them to find that while I still had 645, two coins had turned a lusterless white and instead of having the arrow and \"one up\" it has a grinning chibi skull and says \"for easy clean up\"\n\nI look at the changed coin then at my corpse. Impossible, yet apparently true. So if the one up coin worked ... \n\nI take the white coin and toss it at my corpse, not wanting to touch it. The coin lands on the body and starts to turn to ash that spreads over the whole body, even covering the pool of blood. Then the ash was blown away leaving no trace of my corpse or the white coin. \n\nThis changes things",
"This is my first time writing, I would appreciate some feedback.\n\nI was about 5 years old when I first started collecting the coins. I even told my parents about them, they couldn't see them and thought I was just a child with a wild fantasy. I'm 21 now and I still see them but less now then before. The coins always depicted a cartoon character and would often appear after I watch a couple hours of that cartoon.\nI had about 20 of them now and I still was the only one able to see them.\n\n\"Ha another one, you guys are starting to become rarer and rarer for me\"\n\n\"So this makes 21, weird how I never found a duplicate one\"\n\n\"Well time for you to be added to my display at home\" \n\nAs I walked home from the grocery I got lost in thoughts happy about finally finding another coin. \nAt that moment I heard screeching tires coming from behind me as I glance to my back, I close my eyes awaiting the impact. \nNothing. I open up my eyes again and see the car which was coming towards me calmly driving by. \n\n\"Did I just imagine that? Well, people always said I have an active imagination\"\n\nI couldn't wait to get home to put my new coin in the display, so I rushed back home full of excitement.\nWhen I opened my display at home I noticed a coin missing. It was my Lightning McQueen one. Thinking I might have dropped it somewhere I look around.\n\n\"Where the hell could it be?\"\n\n\"It's getting a bit late now, I'll look for it tomorrow after work\"\n\nThe next day I still could not find my coin. Defeated I gave up the search and accepted it was gone.\n\n\"Let's hope I'll find another one\" I said to myself.\n\nA week went by. It was just an ordinary week again, go to work, get home and every so often buy groceries. \nOn my walk back home I heard some loud bangs. Not knowing what it is I stand still and watch. That is the moment a lost bullet hits me, the bangs were gunshots from people trying to hit the person behind me. As I lay on the street feeling colder and colder I feel myself slipping away. I close my eyes.\n\n\"What the fuck?\" i mumble to myself.\n\nI look behind me and see the guy who was being shot at calmly walking and the gunmen are gone.\n\n\"Pardon me, but did you hear something just now?\" I asked the men walking behind me.\n\n\"I don't know what you're after man, I just hear the cars passing by and people talking\" \n\nDid I imagine it again? It couldn't be right? It all felt so real.\n\nWhen I got home, I put away my groceries again and sit behind my desk lost in thoughts of what just happend. \nI look up at my display and again I noticed a token missing. This time it was my Elmer Fudd token which was gone. \n\nThis couldn't be possible, I know for sure it was locked and this morning it was still there.\nThat is when it hit me. Last week I thought I got hit by a car, this week I thought I got shot. These tokens wouldn't have anything to do with that would they?\n\n\"If what I think is true, that would mean these tokens stand for an extra life in certain events\"\n\nI shake my head.\n\n\"No that is just stupid of me to think, it's all just a coincidence. It isn't possible for such a thing to happen\"\n\nThat night I tried to sleep but my head was full of thoughts about the events that happend to me, why did I experience them and who do these tokens belong to.",
"Shoot, Lilly, forgot she’s coming today. Double shoot! Need to pick up a parcel. Why can’t they just wait after knocking on the door? Lilly is here in about an hour, gives me some time to practice my art.\n\nDesk mirror, paper, pencil, maybe today I’ll be able to draw myself not looking lopsided. You manage to get one thing right, and three more fall apart. Why can’t drawing be easy?\n\nAlright, these all look horrible, sketchy linework, perspective is off halfway into the face, but at least the eyes match.\n\n“Ted? Ah, there you are.” Lilly’s voice from behind, she let herself in. “Thought I’d find you in here.” She’s just leaning against the door, I’d bet on it. “I rung the bell and knocked, a ton of times.” Yea, she’s leaning against the door. “I don’t think you can complain about delivery notices cluttering your front door, for obvious reasons to anyone but yourself.”\n\n“Sorry, Lilly. I didn’t realize you would come early.”\n\n“Early? It’s four o’clock, we had plans ten minutes ago.” Oh right. “You said you’d be ready in an hour, when I got here.”\n\n“Yea.”\n\n“You’re still in your pajamas.” Lilly sighs whenever she looks down, which seems to happen most of the time when we meet up. I’ve got my head in the clouds, she has hers at her feet.\n\n“I’ll get ready now, won’t take long.” I say about as quickly as I tidy up art supplies and rush to change.\n\nTwo minutes isn’t a bad time to get into clean clothes, the hard part is finding the clean stuff in all the hasn’t-been-washed-in-a-week stuff. I wonder if I should get a bigger mirror, maybe that’ll help my character perspectives. Of myself, of course, no one else around to draw, and I’m not much of an imaginative artist, funnily enough.\n\n“Hurry!” Her voice sounds distant in my mostly empty apartment. “The train is leaving in thirty minutes!”\n\n“I know!” I call back, not wanting to miss anything I should bring, but…\n\nHang on, I don’t remember getting one of my cartoony portraits printed. Or, wait, did I do that last night when drunk? Maybe Lilly will know.\n\n“Sorry, I have everything now.”\n\n“Twenty-five minutes.” She sing-songs a chiding remark the way she always did, even when we were kids. “You know, you might be the slowest, fastest person to get ready.” Lilly’s hand slaps my back, and her face scrunches like her fathers. “I’m impressed at your total lack of competence.”\n\nJust a half-smile and a shake will do for that impression. She should stick to imitating her parent’s signatures.\n\nLilly’s around a lot. Kind of. Perhaps she’ll want a cartoon drawing of her. If only I could get a hang of not making lines like I’m drawing with a bucket.\n\n“Hey, I was pretty drunk last night, wasn’t I?”\n\nLilly squirms, meaning I not only was pretty drunk, I was very drunk. Probably did something drunk-like.\n\n“Eh, I guess, why?”\n\n“Look.” I say as I grab the printed portrait of my cartoon face, princely and contorted in a mocking fashion. “What do you think?”\n\nBy the time she thought of something to say, we reached the train and boarded.\n\n“It’s cool, I think.” Lilly fiddles with its roundness, small enough to fit into a locket. “Is that what you did last night?” She took the time to find a comfortable window seat. “I don’t remember you talking about it.”\n\n“I don’t know.”\n\n“Does this mean you’re going to be getting serious about your art?”\n\nUh, I hope she doesn’t mean what I think she does.\n\n“Seriously, you could make some nice money doing this.” Lilly puts the tiny portrait in her coat pocket. “Can I keep this?”\n\n“Sure, I suppose.” The man with the ticket checker comes by. “You really think I’m good?”\n\n“Obviously, it’s why I complimented it.” Lilly rolls her eyes; her hand is still in the pocket with the locket portrait. I still can’t remember where I went to print it. If I did, I’ll take Lilly’s advice, and start making more. Art supplies aren’t cheap, and I won’t get anywhere always thinking my art is bad. Yea, that’s a good idea.\n\n“Thanks.”\n\nAs the train rolls through a few stops, this itch in my mind prompts me on the locket sized print, and that I’ve more than one sitting around. I think there was one on my desk. But I have so much artwork I paid it no mind.\n\n“Oh!” She punches my shoulder, pointing out the window at something across a street. The train is parked at a stop, and a lot of people have gotten off. One more stop, for us.\n\n“I don’t see anything.”\n\n“Look harder.” Her finger outlines the object, quickly moving, no, barreling. It’s a truck, maybe a delivery truck, one of those fat ones. On its way through a red light the truck doesn’t stop, people jump out of the way. “You think it’ll crash?”\n\nI didn’t have time to respond.\n\nWe sat right in its path.\n\nBut I’m awake.\n\nAlive.\n\nWaking up is a strange feeling, sort of like pulling your head from a bowl of cold water, with a numb face that dries all at once. Your ears have been taking in sounds the whole time, but they don’t feel like they have when you wake up. Then the noises come, and your brain gets all jumbled about what’s happening.\n\nI didn’t pay any attention to all the red and blue shifting lights, or the groups of people around, the large delivery truck on its side, flashes of cameras, even uniforms and… ambulances.\n\nThe delivery truck hit something, hit it hard and toppled. I’m on my side, I feel someone over me, but my hands are covered. No, buried, under the person on top of me.\n\nVoices aren’t so clear, but they’re probably far away. Yet a couple voices are coming this way, in the train’s halls and seating.\n\n“Found more!” One of them shouts. It’s a man’s voice, old, it has a roughness to it. “Jesus, what a mess.”\n\n“Get the gurney! He’s alive!”\n\nThey’re talking about me, or are they talking about who’s on top of me?\n\nWhere’s Lilly?\n\n“Where’s Lilly?” My voice is thick, like I’ve eaten but not swallowed.\n\n“Hello?” He’s wearing blue. “Can you hear me?” I nod. “Are you hurt?” I shake my head. I would have shrugged. Is Lilly okay?\n\n“Where’s Lilly?”\n\n“We’re going to get you out of here, just hold on.” He’s ignoring me, I think that means, “can you tell me your name, kid?” I think that means she’s not okay. I think I knew all along she was on me, or I didn't. I don't know.\n\nI see her hand by her pocket, and her fist is loose.\n\nPain, or shock might make me see things. In her hand the princely cartoon me vanishes like a small campfire’s fading sparks rising.\n\nWhy am I okay?\n",
"As the shuttle began its decent into the thin Martian atmosphere, a ripple rocked the cabin. The man instinctively reached for the poppet he always kept in his pocket; the last of what he had once considered so many. The girl in the seat next to him began to cry for her Daddy, waiting safely for her and her harried mother on the surface below. \n\nWithout thinking, he pulled out the poppet and placed it in the girl's hand. He felt the poppet shift as it changed shape; then he felt nothing and the shuttle and it's occupants disintegrated. \n\nLater, as the clean-up crew sifted through the wreckage, stretched out for miles across the ruddy dust; they picked up a larger fragment of the fuselage. They were shocked to discover a girl underneath; not only intact and apparently unharmed, but very much alive as she opened her eyes and started gasping the thin air. Passing their masks back and forth to the girl, the workers rushed her back to the spaceport dome. The sole survivor of the dozens aboard; her grateful father gathered her into his arms as soon as identification was made. \n\nOn the stand next to the hospital bed where she was undergoing a brief observation sat gifts from the staff: bouquets of flowers, boxes of sweets and chocolates, stuffed animals; and a solitary charm bracelet with a dozen charm hooks, and eleven little girl figures hanging from it.",
"English is not my first language and I'm by no means a writer but I'll give it a shot :).\n\n\n\nTitle: Clay's saving grace.\n\n\n\nMichael woke up profusely sweating.\n\n\"AAAHHHH!!!\"\n\nHe looked around aimlessly, what once was his room now felt like a strange, odd place to him.\n\n\"What the...\"\n\nBlinking as you would when you see a ghost, he found looking at himself in the mirror a strange experience. Michael Stone didn't feel like himself today.\n\n\nTwelve hours earlier, a heated discussion had taken place in Courtney O'Donell's house. Michael's ex wife assumed he was on a business trip as did the gardener, before using the best flowers he had ever planted to woo miss Stone successfully. Once the fight was over, the cheated bastard had a rake stuck to his heart, and a knife to his soul.\n\n\nAfter drinking what felt like twenty coffees, he finally had the bravery to lift his shirt up. Horrified, his mouth got stuck wide open as he realized his chest had a scar that could only be left by a rake put through you by an angry, unscrupulous gardener.\n\n\n\"Am I a zombie?\" His head pondered. \"No, it can't be. Zombies were made up by some dude in a basement. They don't exist.\"\n\nHe zipped his coffee once more, grabbed a cigarrette.\n\n\"Am I... immortal?\"\n\nHours, coffees and cigarrettes went by. As he became less aware of his new found immortality, the memories of Courtney and Julio the gardener came back with a punch. With the punch of a rake being profusely used to move grass.\n\n\nOne Walmart trip later, Michael had enough rat poison to end the bubonic plague should he travel back in time. \"Testing immortality should spare no expense\", he thought. Back home, he sat down in front of his \"shrine\", a sort of altar his son had made to him when he was alive. It had all sorts of drawings, letters and mementos dedicated to his soon to be divorced father. Tears came down Michael's cheek.\n\n\n\n\"Son. I'm coming.\"\n\n\n\nPills came down his throat. Michael collapsed against the shrine.\n\n\n\nNothing but darkness filled the room.\n\n\n\nTwelve hours later, a hungovered Michael blinked slowly as he regained conscioussness.\n\n\"Holy sh...\"\n\nHe looked at a clay statue his son had made of him. It was lacking two things: It's heart, and it's brain. Michael quickly realized his life depended on one of the softest materials in the world. Another trip to Walmart was in order. This time, to make sure it was the safest clay figure in human history.",
"A bullet went through my head ten days ago. My blood meandered down the pavement as the gelid cold of death enveloped my fading life. Then, I woke up the comfort of my bed. What had happened? \n\nAt first I thought I had experienced an incredibly vivid dream. However, I knew that was bullshit. It had to be. I'd felt the excruciating pain of my brain collapsing, I'd heard the blood filling the hole the bullet had done. I had seen it through my dying eyes.\n\nThere was a crackling in the distance, like burning paper. I yawned my way to the noise and frowned when I reached my token room.\n\nOne was missing.\n\nStrange thing that was. I always wondered where did they come from. Did I have a secret fan? Who would spent time drawing my awful face and leaving the drawings in the streets for me to find? I don't know, but I appreciated it with the bottom of my heart. That tiny and creepy gesture brightened my days in a weird way.\n\nYesterday, I discovered the correlation. I got robbed and stabbed twelve times deep in my guts in the gloom of an alleyway my drunken self had lead me to. I crumbled to the floor, the blood pooled underneath me, my skin grew wan and I *died*. I was sure of it. Then I woke up to a burning smell. Again.\n\nAnother token was missing. Could it be? Yes it could. That or I've lost my mind. \n\nToday I shot myself in the head. It worked. One less doubt wandering the burrows of my mind. However, I had a brand new question begging to be answered. That's why I woke up and headed to buy a gun, a glock to be specific. \n\nSee, there are people that are better off dead, those whose only purpose is to disturb the peace of my city and life. Many come to my mind, the guy who killed me the first time, the one who stabbed me, the woman that killed my father. There are too many wicked people out thetr that don't understand the value of life, the complexity of it and the self.\n\nNinety seven tokens remain and I only have one question, a burning one. \n\n*What will happen when I kill someone?* Will it be a life for a token? Or will I be able to cleanse these rotten place once and for all? I don't know but after I send this... \n\nI will know the answer.\n\n-----------------------------------\n\n/r/therobertfall \n",
"In the beginning it seemed coincidental. A token here, a token there, but before long they showed up more frequently. Despite my lack of knowledge regarding the coins, I kept them anyways. I had around sixteen in my collection sprawled about my room and in various pairs of pants. At first coins displaying a cartoon version of my face showing up freaked me out, but over time they sort of became comforting. They were my good luck charms. \n\n\"Yeah one day they just started showing up. I don't question it much.\" \n\n\"Hazel. You do realize this could be some kinda perv watching you and...and\" \n\n\"And what? Manufacturing and giving me coins? You're looking too far into it dude. I don't really care where they come from they're just one of those things I guess\" \n\n\"One of those things? What *things*? A thing would be like me remembering a book title as Berenstein instead of Bearenstain, not finding mysteriois coins of me\" \n\n\"Can we just stop talking about it? I don't care where or who they're from. As a matter of fact there's one now see.\" \n\nA gold coin caught my eye in the middle of the street, gleaming in the sun. \n\n\"Hazel c'mon. Don't go over there\" \n\n\"It's no use, if I ignore it it'll just show up in a more intrusive spot. The last one I ignored wound up in my coffee. I'll be quick!\" \n\nI looked both ways and ran out into the street to grab the small coin. Rubbing the familiar piece of metal between my fingers was comforting. Gene stared from the edge of the sidewalk, ushering me to get out of the road.\n\nIt happened before either of us had time to react. I began to stumble on my way back to Gene, then I collapsed. My body had completely shut down. I was surrounded by darkness for a brief moment followed by a flash of light and \n\n*Ding* \n\nMy eyes shot open and I awoke to Gene holding me sitting on the sidewalk. His expression changed from fear to relief when he saw me. \n\n\"You- You we're just- The blood- Are you ok? I'm calling an ambulance\" \n\n\"No no I feel fine. As a matter of fact I feel great! What'd you do to save me?\" \n\n\"I dragged you over to the sidewalk and almost cried...I don't think that's what did it\" \n\nI reached into my pocket to proudly display my prize for nearly dying, but it was nowhere to be found. I got up from Gene and searched the ground around where I fainted. \n\n\"Gene where's the coin? I just had it here what'd you do with it?\" \n\n\"Uh nothing? You should get home and talk to your mom if you won't let me call you an ambulance. C'mon.\" \n\nI searched for a bit more for the coin, but it was nowhere to be found. It would show up later if I lost it anyways. \n\n\"Hey! Stop running so I can catch up!\" \n\n\"I have too much energy I can't help myself!\" I yelled back from far ahead of Gene\n\n\"Stop running before you crack your skull open again!\" \n\nWhen I got home I still felt energized. It was as if I had just gotten a full day of sleep followed by drinking a gallon of coffee...on second thought that last part sounds terrible. I decided not to tell my mom about my accident, she'd only worry and I preferred not to dig too deep into these things. \n\n\"Hey Gene called and told me that you had a spill, are you ok sweetie?\" \n\n\"Uh..oh yeah I almost forgot. Yeah I fell, but as you can see I'm fine! No problems here\"\n\n\"Well aren't you excitable! Ok honey, just be safe ok?\" \n\nGene worried too much. \n\nI made my way to my room and spread all the coins I could find on the dresser. Sixteen gold coins gleamed from the room light overhead. \n\nI sat admiring my collection of strange coins and took one in my hand. Suddenly there was a loud noise, followed by a flash. \n\n*Ding* \n\n*Beep beep beep* \n\nThe house was in ruins. My room in tatters with fire spreading to the far walls. Debris littered the floor, and the roof had caved in. My ears rung, and ash caked my face, but I was alive. The coins still lay in a perfect pile on the ashes of what was once my dresser. I grabbed them and crawled towards the living room where my mom just was. Despite the smoke and chaos I felt great. I lifted large piles of debris in an effort to get to my mom, but the fire had spread. Sirens blared from outside, and I was lifted out of what was once my home before I could make it to mom. \n\nThe firemen checked me for injuries, but I was in mint condition. They all seemed amazed that I was even breathing. I waited anxiously until finally they pulled my mother from the debris. She was severely injured, but alive. \n\nI wanted to be worried about my mom, I truly did, but I had more on my mind. There was no way I could've survived whatever happened, hell they're was no way that I should have lived through cracking my skull on the pavement. There was only one way to figure out if my theory was correct. I slowly got up from the back of the ambulance then sprinted back towards the burning rubble. My hand firmly clutched a coin and my heart raced as I approached the fire. Men yelled and chased after me, but they were too late. I had already launched myself back into the flames, letting them engulf my body. \n\nIt only hurt for a moment. The heat quickly absorbed my being turning me to ash. \n\n*Ding* \n\nThe fire dissapaited and I walked out of the rubble to the amazement of those around. I knew there was only one thing I could do now. I had to find the source of the coins. \n\nEdit: thank you all for the feedback I really appreciate it part 2 will be up in the next few hours! \n\nEdit 2: I understand a bit of frustration in the vagueness of the first story, but it will be in 3 parts so it'll be explained. Part 2 is now up. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n"
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[deleted] | [WP] War and the resulting economic collapse have devastated wide swaths of the western world. The resources you have amassed in preparation for this eventuality put you in a good position when it’s over. You survived and put yourself in charge just as you planned, but you did not expect...... | 13 | [
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"Day 1. \n\nI think I'll keep a diary. It'll give me something to do while we live out in the bunker. \n\nWhere to start? Well, we've finally done it. Finally fucked it all up. I knew it would come, I just didn't think it would be Switzerland that started it all. Always figured the Yanks or the Russians would be the one's to bring the end of the world. Maybe they'd be annoyed by me assuming that, hardly matters now though. I doubt I'll ever see one again. \n\nThe news came in over the radio in the early hours of this morning. I always kept mine on, knowing I'd need to react as quickly as possible to give myself the best chance. A couple of minutes later and the sirens started, but by then I was already out the house, heading for the bunker. Every minute was precious now. When I first started building it Charlotte used to tease me. Tinfoil hat and all the rest. After a while though the teasing stopped, she no longer found it funny. We spent countless nights up arguing about the cost. I admit she was right. It cost us a lot, both money and time. I used most of my savings building the bunker and stocking it with rations and supplies. She wasn't happy with that. But the deal breaker was the time it cost me. Time we could have spent together. I tried to tell her I wanted that time together. That the bunker would ensure we could have more time than if we perished up above. She didn't listen. And now this. I'm not happy I was right. I just hope that wherever she is now she's safe. \n\nI knew I had a little time because London would be targeted first. That gave the north a little time, but not much. I decided I would wait for fifteen minutes before sealing the door. Any who came in time would find refuge with me, until the minutes rand out or there was no more space. I had hoped it was the former. Nobody took me seriously before, but I knew they would now. I didn't hold a grudge. I understood their refusal to see. Acceptance of the end of the world was something people didn't take to easily. Nine people found their way to me in the end, only two who I recognised. Jenny and Jim from two houses over. No doubt Charlotte had complained to Jenny about me in times gone by. I have done my calculations long ago. I can accommodate one more. \n\nAs I prepare to close the door, I see a young couple run by, belongings tucked under their arms. They saw me. Eyes wide and trembling they approached, begging entry. My heart weeps for them, but I could not compromise the plan. \"I can only take one more,\" I explain, as I watch them freeze. Confusion quickly turns to anger... and desperation. She insists I let them in, he sits down and begins to cry. I repeat myself firmly, voice belying my sorrow for the young couple. His sobbing intensifies, head burrowed between his knee's. She attempts to push past me, but she is small in stature. She hits me across the face, her metal watch bouncing off of my eye socket. Fury blinds me, and I look down to see her on the floor, my hand print etched across her face. I consider whether to ask the awful question, \"Would one of you choose to come?\" but I save them the awful choice. I seal the door behind me, lamenting the swansong of the world, the wails of youth. I push the lock, and the iron door and the fate of the world were sealed as one. \n\nDay 14. \n\nIt's been about two weeks since the day the bombs dropped. In the days following the bombs we heard awful cries from above. Blood curdling screams coupled with explosions and yes, even laughter. God know's what the world was like now. I've tried to tell the others that this is our world now, but it seems to do little good. After a couple more days the mood became calmer. Maybe that isn't the best word. It became dull. We all lament in our corners, doing what we can to keep our sanity. I grow frustrated at the cramped conditions, and consider that my calculations were a bit off. The final, unused bed annoys me greatly. It takes up space, and reminds me of the the young couple. Every day I wonder if I should have dragged her in. I try to avoid the thought, but that dammed bed makes it hard. I haven't wrote in this since the first day, I find little motivation for it. I have little to say. I had spent my life planning for the future, and now that it is here, I feel lost. At least the nightmarish sounds from above have lessened now, if only a little. Jim is rambling again, I think I'll leave this here. \n\nDay 52. \n\nJim's dead. Jenny cries even now, hours later as I write this. He had started to lose his mind not longer after we sealed ourselves away. It began with rambling. Inanities echoing through our new home. Jenny would turn him away, so he would trouble Mark, the poor young lad who was too polite to do anything. I have a lot of time for Mark. He's kept his wits about him throughout this very well for a... fifteen year old (I think). I haven't bothered to ask about his family. What would be the point? They're either dead or part of the screaming going on above. \n\nJim's insistence on burdening the lad with his asinine plots and theories really pissed me off. Is this how Charlotte used to see me? I think about her every day. After the sounds from above, I pray with all my heart that she is already long dead. Charlotte. I like to write her name. Charlotte. I'm getting off topic again. \n\nJim's incoherent musings eventually turned dangerous. A week back he finally snapped, attacking John with a spanner he had found. John was elderly, well into his seventies, but fought him off impressively. I used my large mass to pin Jim on the floor, choking him out as he flailed. I should have fucking killed him right there and then. Just crushed the life out of his throat. The fucking throat which spouted so much shit. Perhaps I would have, if Jenny hadn't woke me from the blinding anger coursing through me. \n\nI dragged his limp body into the only other room available, the storage room. Writing this now I wonder how I could be so stupid. A madman in the storage room? Perfect. I won't drag it out, I can't bear to linger in my own idiotic mistakes. The water's gone. All the bottles. It should have been enough for a year, but Jim saw fit to empty most of them out onto the floor. When I opened the door to check on them the water came pooling out, filling the entire bunker. Jenny couldn't stop me this time. I felt her hands smack me on the ears, sharp pain ringing out. But it didn't matter. I was too busy on Jim, transfixed on his eyes as my thumbs crushed his windpipe. He died in my grasp, and soon we would all die with him. Jenny wants to leave now, she can't bear to be near me a second longer. The feelings mutual. \n"
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"1519209714",
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[removed] | [WP] "Papa, how did mankind come to conquer the 16 galaxies and gain immortality?" "Well you see son, it all started with the promise of a Klondike bar..." | 1 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nNo recent reposts, even if changing/inverting small details ([copy-cats](http://i.imgur.com/38FjDgW.gifv)). Search before submitting as popular ideas can cause floods. If your idea is based on something you read elsewhere on reddit, chances are it's been submitted here already. Please wait at least 2 weeks before reposting.\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/7z5v4e/wp_papa_how_did_mankind_come_to_conquer_the_16/%0A%0A)\n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*"
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1,
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"1519222914",
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[WP] While on a high school field trip the school bus collides with a radioactive tanker. The liquid pours onto all of the students, killing some and giving the rest powers. Describe the events that take place following the 15 or so students and teachers newly gifted with superpowers. | 1 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"The atmosphere around the school after the accident was a mix of sadness, fear, and jealousy. There was 30 people on the bus that day, twelve students, one teacher and the driver were all killed. Everyone else walked away the ability to move things with their minds. The two teachers both left the school, nobody heard from them again. The rumors ranged from they were abducted by the government, to a simple change of jobs. \nTwelve students emerged with powers, the popular kids used their powers to maintain the status at the top of the social food chain. It was more the fact that they could use their powers, although most of them rarely ever did. They were the ones who went on the local news and told sob stories about the kids who didn’t make it, many they barely knew or talked to. They craved attention, and not a day went by where they didn’t tell someone how “damaged” they are from the accident.\n\nThe party animals became evil pranksters, constantly getting in trouble for the various shenanigans their new abilities granted them. From stealing from the school store, to messing with teachers, these kids would do anything for a laugh. Most of the pranks were harmless, although a few teachers did suffer minor injuries from pranks that went too far. The problem was that whenever a prank happened, everyone from the bus got called to the office for a lecture about responsibility and all that crap. \n\nThen there was me and my two best friends. We were the nerds of the school. We liked to stay out of the spotlight and we were the only ones who did not love the new spotlight that was placed on us. We tried our best to avoid the attention, but it was not easy. News vans were constantly parked outside our schools, we had to talk to the police to get the crowds of reporters off of our front lawn. \n\nA few weeks of this went by, one day all of us got called into the office. We figured this was another lecture after a stupid prank, but this time was different. We couldn’t help but notice the men in black suits standing all around the room. We each sat down around the large boardroom table, unsure of what was about to happen. Then, a strong but quite voice filled the silence from the entrance.\n\n“hello children”\n\nEveryone’s heads quickly turned towards the door. Standing there was an old man, he was not more than five feet tall, his head was shaved clean, his white beard was short and proper. Everyone was silent as he scanned the room of confused students. Finally, I decided to speak up.\n\n“Who are you?”\n\nI could feel the weight of his stern gaze on me, I averted my eyes as quickly as possible. After a few seconds of dead silence, the man finally opened his mouth to speak. The words he spoke stick in my mind to this day.\n\n“Who I am does not matter, what matters is what is coming, and how all of you are going to stop it”\n\nEdit: formatting\n"
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"1519231316",
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[WP] Your physics professor is 20 minutes late to class, and counting. Everyone is packing up, but when the first student tries to open the door, it's locked. Your professor's voice comes from the speakers. "It's time to see how well you've learned." | 772 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"I'm sick and tired of waiting for my professor to show up. He's twenty minutes late, and I'm the only one who showed up for class. For the first five minutes, I figured maybe there was some freak delay in traffic or something, and after ten minutes, I figured I'd make a few brownie points for being the only one in class. Well, now the clock is twenty after, and I'm tired of waiting. I could be watching Twitch or YouTube, and I'm wasting my time here? Nuh uh! \n\nI stand up, grab my bag, and go to the door. I push, it doesn't move. I look through the little window above the handle. There's a freaking metal bar blocking the door! \n\n\"Samuel, I don't think you'll be getting out quite that easy.\"\n\nSo after twenty minutes, I finally hear from a hidden professor? What a weirdo... Wait, he's been watching me for twenty straight minutes!? He really is weird...\n\n\"Samuel, I've barred the door with aircraft-grade material. You must use what's available to you to escape. That is, your brain and your hands!\"\n\nSo I think on it for a while. Surely I can't brute-force aircraft-grade steel. That'd be futile and a silly sight to see. There are no other windows except for the tiny viewport on the door, and I don't have any equipment to climb to the drop-down ceiling.\n\nI search the prof's desk for anything useful. A plastic ruler, a protector, and some pens and pencils. Useless.\n\nHowever, he didn't say I couldn't phone a friend.\n\n\"Hey Jimmy, the professor's gone off the rails!\" \n\"The physics professor?\" \n\"Yeah! He locked me in the classroom and barred the door with steel!\" \n\". . . Samuel. . . You're such a dunce sometimes. The professor said last week that he'd \"Bar class for Halloween.\" We weren't supposed to show up today.\" \n\". . .\" \nJimmy was busting a gut at this point, amused at Samuel's ignorance. \n\"That bar isn't steel either. It's name is 'Bar-Day the 13th', and it's made of aluminum. Just push a little, man. You're in a friggin physics class, use that knowledge. Try to get some *leverage* against the situation. Jimmy, out.\" \n\nI look out the door again, and observe the bar. In fact, if I peer through just right, I can see the end of the bar closest to the handle. . . But if I can see the end of the bar, it's mounted on the hinge side. Duh-doi... I push with all my might... And the bar just wilted.\n\n\"Have a great Halloween, Samuel!\" \n\"Whatevs, prof.\"",
"\"Son of a bitch.\" The student said under his breath, as he jiggled the classroom door handle. He walked off angrily, beckoning for another to try.\n\n*Shit.* James McKinley thought. *This is going to be terrible.*\n\nAnd he was right, as the professor's voice began to broadcast over the classroom speakers.\n\n\"Listen up children.\" He said mockingly, his tone almost cold and sadistic. \"Today is going to be your final test. The test that will determine how well you have learned.\"\n\nA small device sitting on the front desk lit up. In a flash, it pulsed, and grayish-blue light resonated outward in a wave. The lights flickered off, and the students were in complete darkness.\n\n\"If you pass, you are free to go. If you fail...\"\n\nRed emergency lighting flickered on. James looked around, searching for a clue. \n\n\"You'll end up like the rest.\"\n\nTwo. There were only two other students left in the room. One was a nice chick, who was considerably one of the smartest students to ever come in here, named Sarah. The other, a quiet man they called David, was a reject. The school had picked him up a while back, the weirdo on the block whose parents were monsters. James hated him. He had to.\n\n\"Escape.\" The professor croaked. And there was nothing. No further word. No response. No clue. Nothing around to help them.\n\nAnd then they waited.\n\nHour after hour progressed, day after day, year after year. It felt like an eternity. Timeless. Like that of a demonic dream. They searched and searched, but to no avail. \n\n\"What are we going to do?\" Sarah said, over and over. That's all she said. *What are we going to do?* Over and over across eternity as they watched the hands on the clock slowly turning, again and again, to the point of utter madness. Someone was going to snap. Someone had to. The world was devolving.\n\n\"What are we going to do?\" David repeated back to her, looking at the ceiling. *\"What are we ever going to do?\"*\n\nAnd then James remembered. He remembered everything.\n\n*Wake up.* He thought. *WAKE UP*\n\n*And the everything went black*\n\n\nHe gasped for air, rising up from the deep depth of nothingness and emerging from his bed unharmed. Next to him, a doctor, surprised to see him awake.\n\n\"Ah! Good!\" The doctor said, checking James to see if he was unharmed. \"You have returned! I see our efforts were not in vain. You have done well.\"\n\n\"Thank you.\" James responded in kind, breathing in the air of the facility. And yet, it was so very welcome.\n\n\"I take it you have found information on the suspect?\"\n\n\"Subconsciously, yes. The man's name is David Fink, and he is a physics professor at the University. An interesting choice for a resistance leader, no?\"\n\n\"Indeed. Your information was incredibly helpful. Now get some rest. You will be debriefed by our officers in a few hours on your next assignment.\"\n\nAs James got up to walk out, the doctor paused. He called for James, at least one last time. \n\n\"Goodbye James.\" He said with a sad smile. \"And Heil Hitler.\"\n\n\"Heil Hitler.\" James said, with a wry smile.\n",
"The chair under me explodes and my lower half is torn to shreds. My classmates gather around me in horror as life leaves my shreded corpse. As my last breath escapes my lungs, I hear my professor say \"just figured I'd go ahead and get this out of the way. He'd have never made it anyways.\" ",
"There was, to be honest, a fair amount of shock from the room.\n\n\"What is she talking about? How well we've learned... physics?\"\n\n\"Is this like Saw? I love those movies, but I never wanted to be in one!\"\n\n\"My cell phone isn't working!\"\n\n\"We're in an inside room - there's now window to get out of...\"\n\nThe intercom blared back to life: \"Calm down and take your seats, and I'll explain.\"\n\nEveryone went back to their seats and became very quiet. If anything, they were curious as to what the hell was going on.\n\nThe professor continued: \"OK - so as you know, the university is tearing down Aberdeen Hall and replacing it. That's well and fine, it's the oldest building in the university. But, we got an internal memo this morning that the physics department is... well, let me read it to you.\"\n\nThere was a shuffling of paper, and when she started again, she sounded less composed: \"Campbell University is best known for our liberal arts and football programs. Many of our departments offer no meaningful life lessons for our target student types, and we must dedicate resources to our core strengths. Biology and Earth Science will continue as auditorium lecture courses; Chemistry and Physics are being eliminated entirely.\"\n\nThere was some shock around the room. To be sure, no one here was a science geek. But the class had been enjoyable, and some of the simple demonstrations - standing on a bed of nails, for example - were entertaining.\n\nAfter a pause, she continued: \"Given the university's... idiotic stance... Well, I felt that my last class at this school should help the administration learn a lesson. But as much fun as it might be to attack them with a makeshift potato cannon, that's very illegal and morally wrong. We're going to go with 'slightly' illegal and morally OK instead.\"\n\nMurmurs started to pick up - what in the hell did she have in mind?\n\n\"As you've noticed, the only door is jammed. I've complained to maintenance about it a few times, but we're the lowest priority, of course. Sure, it's.... 'extra-jammed' this time, but that's not the point. If the school can't see why physics is useful, I want you to show them. Get the door open. You'll find all the cupboards are unlocked - I was doing inventory - so you have access to everything you should need: pulleys, rope, weights, hooks...\"\n\n\"When you get out, feel free to tell them about this intercom message or not; I don't want to go to jail, really, but I was getting fired anyway, so I'm not sure I really care. Don't start a fire; you shouldn't need one.\"\n\nI looked around the classroom. There were a couple faces a bit disappointed at that last remark, but there were also these wicked grins forming. I felt my own as well - sure, I didn't love physics, but this was a good hands on puzzle, and it felt like we were doing something to help right a wrong.\n\n\"You should have about 60 minutes left before enough of you are missing from the next period that someone contacts the dean's office. Oh, and like any assignment, SHOW YOUR WORK on the chalkboard!\" She laughed, but it was a dry, sad chuckle. Then the intercom cut off.",
"A sharp ringing in my ears is the first indicator that I am awake, as I lay in bed contemplating the pros and cons of arising and making breakfast.\n\nThrough my eyelids I can tell it's light outside, meaning my slumber has nearly run its course - school beckons with its stern finger of chalk.\n\nBut 5 more minutes can't hurt, right?\n\nAs I traipse my way down this line of reasoning, I fail to notice an important detail missing from my aural landscape; the television. My little sister's always watching those dumb animated TV shows before she, too, heads off to school, so where is it? And what is the deal behind the foreign groaning I seem to be bathing in from all angles?\n\nAnxious to resolve these questions, I open my eyes to find that I am inspecting a wood veneer surface with great grandiose, and that I am, in fact, not situated in my bedroom, but in a dull classroom overstepping its timetable - on most days, this is the site of a monotonous slog through some facet of Physics, though judging by my malicious relocation I would assume centripetal force is not the topic at hand - though, my head certainly feels like it's swinging around a set point.\n\nAs I rise my head, I locate the source of the groaning - or, rather, sourcES, as the entirety of my physics class is here, eerily located in the proper seating plan, and dressed in full uniform. I meet eyes with a few of them, both parties unsure how to react - what does a person do when they seem to be shackled in their physics room?\n\nWait... shackled?\n\nYes, each one of my classmates has a reasonably loose length of chain around their neck, as well as their legs and midsection. Anxiously, I lift my hand to my neck and feel a chain of a similar nature. I suddenly feel extremely claustrophobic, knowing the existence of this chain, and give it a small tug. Alarmingly, the loop merely tightens around my throat to a circumference only slightly larger than that of my neck. I let out a small gag, and return my hand back to a neutral position on the desk.\n\nSo what now? Looking up, I spy holes in the ceiling for each chain, only leaving me to imagine the contraption concealed amongst the beige plaster. Another mechanism lies in the corner of the room, situated a few feet off the ground, and connected to yet another chain leading skyward.\n\nWhat the heck is going on?\n \nA voice, coming from the standard speakers situated at the front of the room, obliges my question with an answer:\n\n\"Hello, class. I want to play a game.\n\nEach and every one of you does not appreciate the usage of Physics in a real life scenario. Now, you are all in a real life - or real death - situation.\n\nYou are all firmly chained to your desks, with only your midriff, head and right hand free. There is another chain wrapped loosely round your neck. Both of these chains are secured by a padlock only removable through the usage of a special key.\n\nWhen I finish speaking, a large quantity of sand will begin spewing onto that raised platform in the corner of the classroom. This is your counterweight.\n\nThe sand will tauten the chain as more collects on the platform, eventually crushing the windpipe and causing a painful death.\n\nIf you are to live, you must secure a key to open your lock. The keys are stored in individual pods at the front of the classroom. How do you retrieve these keys, you may ask?\n\nEach of you is in possession of a conductive cable. Both the cable and the pods are surrounded in Velcro, meaning the pair will stick when they come in contact.\n\nHowever, the board is electrocuted, and contact with the board will result in a lethal electrical shock.\n\nGiven the rate of the sand, you have 5 minutes to calculate a method to retrieve your key and live. Good luck.\"\n\nThe sand begins to patter onto the metal platform, like rain at a funeral.\n\nI pick up my electrical cable.",
"The room went quiet. Everyone craned their heads up staring at the antiquated intercom box in confusion. The steel door is locked, and here we sit on the 9th floor. There is no way out. Whispers turned to murmurs, murmurs into shouting, shouting into hysteria.\n \n\"What does he mean? Why is the door locked?!\" one of his classmates screamed. \n \n\"Let us out!\" another belted out.\n \nSuddenly an ear deafening screech came across the intercom, followed by the professor's clearing his throat. \n \n\"*Everyone take your seats. The test is about to begin. As you may have noticed, many of your seats have been made to face the person who previously sat behind you. Your seats remain yours. Sit in them. You have sixty seconds to take your seats. If you are not seated at the time the alarm sounds, you will be eliminated. You are to remain seated until further instructions are presented.*\"\n \nMany students rushed to their seats. One refused. \"This is retarded. He can't flunk us for not being in our seats when he's not here. F%#k that guy. You hear me, Mr. Oakland? You can't keep us here!\" \n\nJackson had always been at odds with Mr. Oakland on various issues. He sat in defiance at Mr. Oakland's desk, his feet on the keyboard as he leaned back in the office chair. \n \nA dull tone sounded over the intercom. *Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep*\n \nJackson laughed. \"Hah! See? You can't do shit old man.\"\n \n\"Jackson Anderson Cooper, of Class 906B has been eliminated. Andrew Paulsin of 908C has been eliminated. Steve Hanson of 910B has been eliminated.\"\n\nJackson's face turned pale as his hands wrapped around his throat. He gasped for air as if his lungs were being crushed. Jackson jumped to his feet only to fall prostrated on the deskin front of him, knocking the computer keyboard and monitor off to the side and sending the can of assorted pencils and pens careening across the floor.\n \n\"Someone help him! He can't breath!\" Jessica screamed as she and Monica ran up to the front desk. Before they could reach the front desk they collapsed.\n\n\"*Jessica Hernandez and Monica Black of class. 906B have been eliminated...\" Followed by a list of others from other classrooms. \n \n\"*Those who are still seated have passed this round. Those who have no one sitting across from them are now exempt from the next round of testing. Remain seated. Anyone who does not comply will be eliminated.*\"\n\n\n Part 1:\n",
"John, the smartest of the class speaks up.\n\n“Professor Quincy, we know where you keep your spare key.”\n\nHe walks over to the professors desk, and opens the drawer.\n\nHe removes the key from its spot in the cluttered desk drawer and walks back to the main entrance. \n\nJohn slides the key into the lock, and turns the door knob. \n\nHe opens the door to find an exact replica of the room, with the familiar water marks on the ceiling that he would stare at after he finished a exam early.\n\nProfessor Quincy remarked “Oh dearest John, I had high hopes for you”\n\nThe room began to shake, and the lights went dark."
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[WP] Telling a dog they're a 'good boy' resets their short fuse for destructive behavior. | 34 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"I got home from work to find the contents of the dustbin scatted across the kitchen, a sofa shredded into pieces and the fridge door hanging off. The kids had made a nest of what was left of the cushions and were sat in front of the telly watching Spongebob, with Rufus the family Labrador sat between them, watching them eat crisps.\n\n\"Oh for fucks sake, Adam!! I told you, change the batteries in Alexa this morning before you leave for college!\"\n\n\"Sorry dad, I guess I forgot.\"\n\nI went to one of the cupboards that still had a door, pulled out a fresh packet of double AAs and grabbed Alexa off the sideboard. \n\n\"Rufus, roofie, who's a good boy! Yes, you're a good boy\" she started spouting once the new batteries were in. \n\n\"Alexa, shut up.\" I said, \"Adam, are you going to clear up that mess in the kicthen?\" \n\n\"In a minute dad, Spongebob is almost finished!\"\n\nI groaned. \n\n\"Alexa, place an order on Amazon, one new fridge door\". ",
"Daisy stared at all the destruction she had caused, and turned away. She had been in and out of various homes over the years, always destroying whatever she could. Most thought she could be trained out of it. They would spend hours with her, but never once did any of them say that word. Her brother, Max had been praised so often, with that amazing word. But she had never been told goodboy. No, she was always told goodgirl. Daisy didn't understand. She had been just like her brother, but she was never told goodboy. The older, experienced dog at the shelter had explained that humans said goodboy as praise. There was no mention of goodgirl, so Daisy didn't understand. \n\nEventually, Daisy grew tired of being like her brother with no reward, so she stopped trying. She became more destructive. Sometimes Max would join in, but then the humans would praise him and blame her. Finally, they sent her away and kept him. Ever since the loss of her brother, Daisy had nothing to control her destructive tendencies. She supposed that normal dogs would reset when told goodboy, but nobody ever said that to her. Until today. \n\nThis old man was also destructive. He had pushed many things over, and needed help to walk. She had come up to him in the park after yet another abandonment, wondering how easy it would be to destroy his shoes. The man had turned his head towards her, and said something to the human with him. Letmesit, he said. Daisy didn't understand, but then the man sat on a bench. She didn't know why, but she came up and put her nose in his hand to smell him. He smelled like Max. \n\nThen he said it. He said goodboy. His human companion tried to say the other, goodgirl, but the man interrupted with that word again. Goodboy. Notagsmaybeheslost letslookfortheowner butiwanttokeephim, the man then said. Daisy didn't understand. The only words she understood were goodboy (meaning good dog) and goodgirl (meaning not good dog), so she was often confused. \n\nShe followed him as he wandered the park. He somehow found her previous owners somewhere in the park back along the path she had come from. The humans communicated, but Daisy didn't even try to understand. She was a goodboy! The human thought she was a goodboy! Then her owners left, but she stayed with the old man.\n\nSuddenly, she smelled Max very strongly. And there he was! A boy ran up with Max, who was holding a ball in his mouth. Grandpagrandpa maxcaughttheball hessucha *goodboy* oohisthisanotherpuppy canwekeepher isshea *goodgirl*. Daisy understood that the boy said goodboy and goodgirl, but nothing else. That was ok. She had Max back! And the man thought she was a goodboy! \n\nDaisy looked back on the destruction she had caused. But now she was a goodboy. She looked away, and calmly, nonviolently, followed the old man beside Max, with the little human following her. Finally, finally, she was a goodboy. "
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1,
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5
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"1519239174",
"1519250559",
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[WP] Insects (flys, mosquitos, cockroches ect) are actually ships for a tiny alien race. They have been at war with humans for as long as anybody can remember. | 30 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"I lost my father years ago. I remember the day the telegram arrived home. 'Killed by SWAT'. I held that letter in my hand and vowed that one day I would avenge him.\n\nSWAT was how most of my kind were killed these days. An elite, specialist method of eradicating us, my kind was yet to work out how to avoid this ruthless, murdering, evil team of slayers.\n\nFrom the day that letter came home my mother, resigned to single parenting, bemoaned my life choice of entering the cavalry. 'The war is as good as lost, ' she would say, 'all these years of fighting and the most we have ever achieved is minor irritation and swelling. And the keep producing SWAT, then it's game over. We are never going to beat them.' I steadfastly refused to change my decision. I would become a mounted officer, if it killed me.\n\nI completed my training at the top of my class. I survived my first battle, *The Citronella situation* and shortly after fought in *The Tape Wars*. I knew I was fortunate. It was only a matter of time before I came accross the SWAT team. \n\nThe day I received my orders my mother begged me not to leave. Calmly I told her that I must. It was my duty. This is what I had trained for. I saddled my favourite steed, Blue. He buzzed his wings impatiently as I adjusted the girth, his azure abdomen wiggling gleefully at the prospect of a flight. I kissed my mother goodbye, mounted and Blue took flight.\n\nI smelled the human before I saw it. Squeezing Blue's sides, he circled the woman's head twice before she noticed us. Her hand sliced through the air, twice, but Blue was too fast for her. He darted out the way, buzzing gleefully as he rolled and span through the air.\n\nIt was then I saw it. She lifted up a long blue poled with a webbed square on the end and began her attack. I just had time to read the letters on the handle. FLY SWAT.\n\nBlue had no chance. The SWAT hit him square in the face. I dared to howl as I felt the familiar hum beneath me stop as hewent into a tail spin, wings crumpled. The ground rushed towards us.\n\nThe last thing I remember is looking at Blue, twisted and twitching on the ground beside me. A criss cross of shadow falls accross us both. A rush of air, a sound like a whip, a dull thud. Then nothing. "
] | [
1,
7
] | [
"1519244634",
"1519255120"
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[WP] You are the "best" writer in the world with a dark secret: your magic pen does all the work. Unfortunately, today your dog ate it and you have a deadline to meet. | 5 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"“Almost fifty years had passed since the Sultan of Paprika had been forced to abdicate at the point of the villainess Marabella’s sword. The land of Coriander had been at peace and prosperous, as there were no troublemakers. However the people grew kind and virtuous and once again the common goodness threatened to melt the hearts of the people. The land was once more in dire need of a villain.” I stared at the screen, writer’s block hung over me like a cloud... Damn. But I need a new main character. And a really good one. Marabella was too beloved by the fans and would be hard to top and I had to kill off Grimbold. “This calls for the pen. I walked towards my shelf in the living room where I kept it in its case. I lifted up the polished Mahogany box and opened it, revealing an antique brass and gold fountain pen. \n\nI removed it from the box and held it in my hand. It was my lucky pen. Every time I had it on me I always had good ideas. For my first novel I wrote the manuscript with it on a legal pad. Since then I had learned how to write well, I felt it was a teacher of a sort. These days I usually didn’t seem to need it as much. But today was different. The doorbell rang, my Chinese delivery had arrived. I paid the deliverywoman and went to eat.\n\n\nElsa, my white furred Newfoundland/Alsatian mix dog padded in, sniffing the air, making a chuffing noise. She climbed onto my lap knocking me down. The antique pen fell onto my plate of chicken rice. Before I could get up, she’d wolfed down the entire plate of food. The pen included. I swore at her, “Bad girl!”\n\nThis is no good. My editor wants me send him the final \"Villains of Coriander” manuscript by midnight. That pen always gave me the best ideas. I haven't written without it in a long time. She looked guilty her gaze downcast. I need that pen. But what to do.? It will take too long to pass through her system. Do I really need to Google \"how to make a dog vomit?\" I remember when she got the dog flu and was miserable for a week. She’s been my best friend for so many years. She’s usually a good, if not overly friendly dog.\n\nDamn, if I don't get that pen back I’ll miss my deadline, I'll have to refund the advance\nand my fans will be disappointed. But I don't want my best friend to get sick.\nI looked at her sprawled across my couch. And had an idea. It might work; after all \nI set my keyboard in front of her and read aloud what I had written. She put a paw to the keyboard and began typing. \n\n\"In the convent of St. Thalassa the charitable, Yarn the cat and Stewpot the dog napped in front of the kitchen fire. The old mother superior who once again had been unable to sleep hobbled in, tripping over the pair and falling face first into the washbasin. She slowly rose to her feet, shaking the water off. She grumbled at the pair a moment but paused. She couldn't stay angry at them. Yarn was a mischievous striped kitten who loved to roll the balls of knitting yarn across the floor, and hide them random crevices. Stewpot was a golden retriever of two years and had a habit of eating anything left in the old stewing pot. As a pup he'd used to doze in the pot. They looked at each other as she set a bowl of water on the floor. Yarn jumped into the bowl, sending water all over stewpots fur. The dog hated getting wet and growled at the kitten who took off across the kitchen, ducking under the lit iron brazier. Steeply pursued, slamming into the brazier sending it plummeting into the barrel of cooking oil. The fire consumed the grand old wooden building, roasting everyone in their beds. The only survivors were a burned kitten w and a dog with black singed fur. In Stewpot’s mouth was the Infernal Grimore of Hazeel-mun.\"\n\n"
] | [
1,
1
] | [
"1519303878",
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[WP] Every time you hire a baby sitter for your little sister, the baby sitter is always gone by the time you get back, and never returns your calls. Curious, you set up a camera to see what happens... | 166 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Montessori is a method of education that is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play. In Montessori classrooms children make creative choices in their learning, while the classroom and the teacher offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process. Children work in groups and individually to discover and explore knowledge of the world and to develop their maximum potential. https://tinychaps.com",
"Tammy was lying down in front of the TV, stomach down. Her legs were in the air behind her, gently kicking. The TV was on, but she paid more attention to the colored pencils and paper in front of her. \n\nTammy already knew how to draw rats, scorpions, and the little bugs. At the moment she was trying to draw a turtle. It was a lot harder because she had never seen a turtle in real life. Tammy was nine years old, had curly brown hair, and her favorite turtle was Raphael. \n\nIn the entrance hall, Sam was talking to the babysitter. Sam wore a tank top over black jeans. She had her hair up in braids and perpetually squinted. \n\n“Okay, there are three rules for taking care of my sister. One. No bright lights. Two. Don’t ever get her wet. Three. No feeding her after midnight.”\n\n“Your sister’s a gremlin?” This week’s babysitter was named Alice, a girl from Sam’s Economics class. Alice wore thick-rimmed glasses. Her vibe was preppy to the max, except for a pair of snakebite piercings on her mouth. \n\nShe laughed at the joke, but Sam just stared.\n\n“Those are the rules. Also, please avoid touching anything. There’s a full list of things to avoid on the fridge. \n\n“I’ll do my best,” she said skeptically. “Do you guys have soda and stuff?”\n\n“No. Number for pizza is on the fridge too. I gotta go.” Without further ado, she walked out of the house.\n\nAlice opened her mouth to ask another question, but was caught off guard by the suddenness of the exit. She frowned. Sam hadn’t even given her a tour.\n\nShe walked past Tammy to the kitchen. She might as well check out the list first.\n\nThe kitchen was luxurious. It had a huge stove, an island with a granite countertop, and floors that were sparkling clean. The sink was full of dirty dishes, but the same was true for Alice’s house, so she wouldn’t judge there. \n\nShe turned to the double-door refrigerator and raised her eyebrows. The list was longer than Alice was tall several times over. It had safety pins keeping it from touching the floor. She recognized Sam’s messy handwriting.\n\nAlice moved the magnet aside and took the list off the fridge. Item number one was the list itself. Item number two was the fridge. \n\nGreat.\n\nThree was “box of moon pies”. The rest of them went on to list various pieces of furniture, as well as door handles and certain floor tiles. The only thing allowed was apparently standing in the TV room next to Tammy for the next few hours. \n\nAlice carefully replaced the list on the fridge, trying to make it look exactly as she found it, then went back into the TV room. \n\nBehind her, little black dots with antennae began crawling out from under the fridge.\n\nTammy was still drawing. The TV was showing Monsters Inc., but the sound was glitching. It was mostly dead, with occasional bursts of static. Alice noticed that the static matched whenever the monsters opened their mouths.\n\n“Hey Tammy, check this out.”\n\n“I’ve seen it already.”\n\n“Do you want to watch something else then?”\n\n“No, this is fine.” Tammy kept her eyes on the paper. Alice was starting to feel unnecessary. She decided to check out the rest of the house.\n\n“I hate this part,” Tammy muttered to herself after she left.\n\nThe ground floor consisted of an entrance hall, kitchen, TV room, bathroom, and a few unfurnished guest rooms that didn’t even have carpet. After a quick walk-through, Alice took the stairs up to the second floor.\n\nBehind her, the black dots were starting to spill out of the kitchen.\n\nThe second floor had a game room, containing a pool table, plenty of board games, and a Galaga arcade machine. It also had a bathroom, a few more unfurnished guest rooms, and rooms for Sam and Tammy.\n\nAlice spent a long few minutes in the game room, trying to figure out how to make Galaga work without quarters. She gave up. Tammy would know. \n\nOn her way back down, she passed Sam’s room. Alice hesitated. Sam was the weirdest kid in the class they shared. She bet her friends would find a quick peek interesting. Alice stuck her head in the door.\n\nThe walls were painted black, as were the windows. It was dark in there. For a second, Alice thought the walls had glow in the dark paint on them. Then the specks of light moved, and she realized they were some kind of bioluminescent bug, like fireflies, but smaller.\n\n“What the hell?” She went towards the stairs, to ask Tammy if this was something she had already seen too. The stairs were covered in black dots.\n\nAlice felt stinging in her ankles.\n\nSam watched from her car in the driveway. The house had five or six cameras and she flipped through all of them with an app on her phone. Alice was being eaten alive by bugs. As expected. The list was a distraction. Nearly everything else in the house was safe to touch, but touching the list would attract the bugs.\n\nSam changed to archive footage. Four other babysitters had already gone missing, once a month from the start of the year. It wasn’t Sam and Tammy’s fault that they lived in a cursed house. They were doing what they had to.\n\nInside, Tammy had given up on turtles, and was once more drawing the little bugs, the ones that burrowed under skin and ate to their heart’s content. Her legs swung idly behind her. Pencil scratched on paper.\n\nAlice’s screams finally stopped.\n______________________________________________________\n53/365. Constructive criticism welcome and appreciated.",
"The camera shows what I remember... I watch, bored, as Karla gives me a kiss good night, and I grab my coat; and walk out the door, as usual. Breanna and Karla watch TV and snack on \"treats\". I press the fast-forward button on the remote. \nThe time indicator shows that it's near Karla's bedtime. Breanna bends to tell Karla something. Suddenly, Karla starts twirling around, slowly at first; then faster and faster. She's twirling so fast, she's a blur. I watch, amazed... then she slows.... and stops. \nShe is a truly spectacular sight.. for a horror movie. Curled horns poke out from each side of her head. Green saliva drips from her suddenly blackened, sharp incisors. Her eyes glow. \nBreanna backs away, her eyes wide. She's waving her arms frantically. Suddenly, she makes a run for her phone. In an instant, Karla grabs a blanket, and they both disappear beneath the blanket. Spots appear on the blanket, and when Karla finally lifts the blanket, it looks flat, when before, it appeared lumpy. \nThe horns have disappeared, and Karla looks like the sweet little girl you remember her as. Her brown curly hair lays across her shoulders. She smiles, and you see a sweet smile and white teeth. \nCalmly, Karla heads upstairs, dragging the blanket behind her,and the rest of the video is nothing but an empty room.\nHorrified, I look around for a phone, but none is to be found. I look for Breanna's things, but they are gone. I run upstairs to look for the blanket, out of breath. I can't find it... I look through Karla's room frantically, before my parents get home. I find nothing... until I feel a slight lump in the carpet...\nI lift the carpet, and find an outline in the wood floor underneath. Digging with my jack knife, I manage to pry it open. A pile of various purses, cell phones, and money lie in a cluttered heap. Shocked, I put the wood cover neatly back in its place. I cover it with the carpet. \nI pull out my phone to call my father, but I remember that he, and my mother are gone. Gone in the car accident that nearly claimed Karla, but which she miraculously survived. The accident that was in the woods, near the ramshackle house with the mysterious occupant who had rescued Karla, kept her safe, but who I had never met. \nThe police had found my parents' destroyed car, and they had walked around after seeing the child's car seat. They knocked on the door, but after finding no answer, they tried the door and found it unlocked,and Karla happily playing with a toy on the floor of the deserted living room. \nThey never found the owner of the shack, or figured out how Karla had gotten in there. I remembered being so happy and relieved that I was not alone in the world, that I had my little sister, and resolved to be the best guardian that she could ever have. \nI believed I was, until today. Today, I had no idea what to do. ",
"I watched the footage I'd captured, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. After I'd left the house, my sister handed the babysitter ten bucks, and she left. For the next three hours, my sister sat in front of the TV, playing my video games, watching my DVDs, and eating my ice cream from the freezer.\n\nI was so mad I stormed away from my computer desk out of my room and confronted her in her bedroom. She was lying on her pink bed, reading a picture book.\n\n\"Are you bribing the babysitters to leave?\" I demanded. She gave me an uninterested glance.\n\n\"No,\" she said. \"I was just 'tipping' them.\"\n\nI glared at her in frustration. \"What are you talking about?\"\n\nShe sighed and set down the book. \"You're really slow, aren't you? All those babysitters you call, guess what? They're me. You're just calling my phone and I'm the one that sets up the times and rates.\"\n\nMy jaw dropped open. \"Wait, what?\"\n\n\"Yeah,\" she continued. \"All it takes is a little voice-changer app and number reroute to fool you, apparently. And then I just pay some girl to pop over for a few minutes before you leave, and I have the house to myself. Finally get to play those games you keep hogging all the time.\"\n\n\"But… why?\" I asked. \"Why would you go through all that trouble? You could just… ask me to play.\"\n\nShe laughed. \"I have. Many, many, many times. And you just ignore me or so say no. And you always told the babysitters not to let me play too. So I decided to take it into my own hands.\"\n\n\"Did I really say that?\" I asked, not remembering. She nodded.\n\n\"Yup. I learned how to sneak into mom and dad's money safe, since they're never around anymore. And now I've learned how to sneak into playing your games, since you never play with me. I do what I gotta do.\"\n\nI stared at her, my anger dissipated and replaced by guilt. I was doing the same thing to her that mom and dad had done to me: ignoring. They were always away on work, doing such crazy things like leaving their son to hire a babysitter for their daughter when he went out.\n\nI wasn't going to repeat the cycle. I could stop it now.\n\n\"Hey,\" I said, extending a hand. \"You wanna play some Mario Kart?\"\n\nShe scrunched up her face in disgust. I thought she was going to say no, but then she smiled.\n\n\"Mario Kart?\" she said mockingly. \"That's kids' stuff. Let's play some Dark Souls. I saw your file, you suck. I can teach you a thing or two.\"\n\n*****\nThis prompt was written with the help of chat at the [ScottWritesStuff](https://www.twitch.tv/scottwritesstuff/) Twitch stream.",
"I sit before the screen just staring as the video plays over and over again.\n\nTwenty minutes ago, I sat with my stupid fucking nanny cam and my fucking superiority complex, convinced I would see these exasperated sitters leave because they couldn't handle Annabelle's behavior.\n\nThat was the only good explanation, after all, for why four babysitters in three months would vanish before we ever returned. Then it would be like they dropped off the face of the planet.\n\nI figured Annabelle narrowed down just the right shit to pull to get a babysitter to throw up their hands and call it quits. She is smart enough to figure out a possible pattern out of one data set. Persistent enough to try to out-monster any adult.\n\nBut what I see instead defies all logic.\n\nProbably because I specifically asked her not to, my daughter took the nanny cam bear off of her shelf. It sat with her at the tea party, showing me only Annabelle, Mr. Frog (who is seated across from the bear), and her shut door.\n\nThere is my darling Annabelle, just four years old. She is in that divine and unrepeatable stage where everything is a wonder. She serves watery tea to her stuffed animals. They are princesses armed for war, apparently.\n\nThe sitter comes in. Begins lecturing her about not asking to use the kettle. Annabelle's look darkens, and she shoots the woman with a Nerf gun.\n\n(At first I smirked. After Annabelle and I got in our first Nerf gun war, she did not try to shoot me again.)\n\nThe sitter begins storming, snatching up Annabelle's stuffed animals, upending the thimble-sized cups of tea. Annabelle sands, knocking over her little mushroom-shaped stool.\n\nShe's ranting, \"That is *completely* unacceptable, young lady, and you *will* sit down until and take a *damn* breather, okay?\"\n\nHer eyes burn darkly as she points at the woman and cries in a language I've never heard before. It sounds like perfect gibberish.\n\nThe sitter just stares at her. Then her eyes rise to the ceiling. A shadow forms over her, as if from nowhere.\n\nThe blood drains from her face.\n\nShe opens her mouth to scream.\n\nSomething descends on her from above. It has spidery scarlet arms. They clutch around the sitter's throat. I can nearly make out the body: something sharp and gleaming set in a dark blur... but before it can become clear my daughter rises.\n\nThe only thing in frame now is the back of her unicorn pants.\n\nMy daughter sighs, liltingly \"What the fuck was *her* problem?\" and I realize hearing her that I need to stop saying that.\n\nA voice like earth moving answers her, \"Mm you were right to summon me. That one tasted better than it looked.\"\n\n\"Thanks for your help,\" she chirped. Then she turned, twirled her skirts, and began cleaning up her disturbed tea party.\n\nThen thirty minutes later, I came home.\n\nThe video is an answer that introduces a thousand questions. If her father was still here, I could talk to him about it, see if I was just going singularly fucking crazy.\n\nBut he was a monthly check and a card at holidays. He did not *do* the disappearing babysitters shit. That sounded, he liked to say, very primary custodial.\n\n\"Darling,\" I ask her. \"Do you know what's happened to all your sitters?\"\n\nAnnabelle folds her hands in her lap. \"No.\" Her eyes look everywhere but at me.\n\n\"You know when you can't look at me, that tells Mommy you're lying.\"\n\nShe sighs, deeply. Nods up towards the rafters as if I should understand.\n\nThen Annabelle leans in with real fear in her eyes, gleaming and unmistakable. She whispers, \"He doesn't like being talked about.\"\n\nI take my daughter's hand and take her to the backyard. She immediately belly-dives into her swing and lets the arc of it carry her shrieking upward.\n\nI catch her by the chain of the swing and the back of her coat.\n\nShe skids to a whining stop.\n\n\"Tell me,\" I say, low and severe. It is a tone she hears rarely and meaningfully. \"Now.\"\n\n\"A man comes out of the ceiling,\" she told me. \"A funny-looking man.\"\n\n\"A funny-looking man,\" I repeat.\n\n\"He's called Arzon.\"\n\n\"How does Arzon get into your room?\"\n\n\"He opens up a hole in the ceiling and climbs out.\" Annabelle pushes her belly against the swing, but I don't let go.\n\n\"Why is Arzon doing that, Annabelle June?\"\n\nHer middle name draws a baleful scowl.\n\n\"Tell me the truth.\" She bites her lip, hard. \"You always get in more trouble for lying than just fessing up, ladybug.\"\n\nThen she blinks her huge dark eyes at me and admits, \"He said he would eat my babysitters if I let him. He said I had to say yes, or else it would be against the rules\"\n\nI close my eyes. Hold my forehead in my palms for several long moments.\n\nThen I manage, \"Thank you for telling me the truth.\"\n\nI turn and stare at my house. It does not look haunted. It looks slanted and it looks like it needs to be repainted, but not ghostly.\n\nNot demonic.\n\nI look back at my daughter. Smile, lightly, like we are playing a game.\n\n\"Sweetheart,\" I say, \"could you introduce me?\"\n***\nPart 2 below\n\n/r/shoringupfragments",
"I watched Penelope Thomas twirl her spaghetti while studying me deep in thought. I hadn’t even noticed the plate of food in front of me. I found myself staring out onto the rain reflecting off of the streetlights outside the restaurant. \n\n“Are you okay?” Penelope dropped her fork. “You haven’t been yourself all night.”\n\n“I’m fine.” I replied. Her facial expression fell. She knew I was lying.\n\n“Is it about your little sister again? She’ll be fine. She always has been.”\n\nI tilted my head. “It’s been three times now. The babysitter is never there when I get home. When I try to call, no answer.”\n\n“Maybe you just keep getting lame babysitters, it happens in this town. Everyone is lazy.” Penelope winked while picking up her fork again.\n\n“It can’t be a coincidence. It has been three different babysitters.”\n\nThunder shook the ice in my glass of water. Penelope stood up from her seat. She grabbed her jacket and ordered, “Let’s go then. Let’s see what we find on the camera you set up.”\n\n“Are you serious?” I stood up along with her.\n\n“Well, clearly you aren’t having dinner so this should put your mind at ease. Hell, if we get there early enough, maybe the babysitter will still be there.”\n\nI didn’t want to wait on the waitress. I dropped enough money to cover the meal plus a tip. Penelope and I left the restaurant only to drive in the torrential down pour back to my parent’s house.\n\n“We’re here.” I said while putting my car into park. I pulled up on the side of the curb by the front lawn.\n\n“Did the babysitter drive to your house?” Penelope squinted her eyes past the rain.\n\n“Yes.” I replied.\n\n“Well, there’s no car in your driveway.”\n\n“Great. Seems like we can mark that as number four now.”\n\nPenelope rolled her eyes while getting out into the rain towards the house. I got out behind her as we ran up to unlock the front door with my key.\n\n“You don’t know anything yet.” Penelope put her hand on my shoulder.\n\nThe door slowly creaked open. None of the lights were on. Penelope tried to flip the light switch but everything remained dark. Thunder echoed behind us as we crept our way in. Penelope and I turned the flashlight on our phones on to notice broken glass inside the house.\n\n“Do you usually come home to broken glass in the dark?” Penelope looked over at me nervously.\n\n“Not really. But remember,” I looked back at her, “we got here early.”\n\nPenelope slowly started making her way up the stairs before I called out for my little sister, “Briana? Briana, are you up there?”\n\nThere was no answer.\n\nI went straight for her room only to find it empty. “Briana!” My heart started pounding against my chest. “Oh my god, she’s gone!”\n\n“Calm down, she’s got to be here somewhere. She’s probably just scared.” Penelope started to open the other bedroom doors.\n\n“Scared? I’m the one who's scared! My parents have been gone for over a month and now my little sister is missing!”\n\nPenelope started back down towards the stairs when all of a sudden the lights flickered a few seconds then back off. I ran down the stairs to find Briana curled up in a ball next to the kitchen sink in the dark. \n\n“Briana!” I rushed to her trying to figure out what happened. I fell onto my knees beside her. “Why didn’t you answer me when I called for you? Were you here this whole time?”\n\n“I – I am scared.” Briana looked up with tears soaking her cheeks.\n\n“Oh darling,” Penelope leaned over to help comfort her. Penelope looked over towards me scrunching her brows together.\n\n“Briana, what happened.” I asked her.\n\n“The monster came back.”\n\nPenelope looked at me in confusion. “What ‘monster?’”\n\nI didn’t answer. I stood back up. “Stay with her, I’m going to figure out what’s going on.”\n\nI went upstairs into my bedroom to log onto my computer. If there were any answers, I was going to find them tonight. I logged in onto the live camera feed. I opened up the saved files and that is when I saw her – the babysitter, Hailey.\n\nHailey was sitting on the couch watching television when the rain started to pick up. I could tell from the video that thunder startled her before my sister came running down the stairs. \n\n“Hailey! Hailey!”\n\n“It’s okay Briana, it’s just a storm. Go back to sleep, okay?” Hailey replied without turning around. She just held our television remote to eye level while flipping through the channels.\n\n“Hailey, there’s a monster in my closet!”\n\nI couldn’t tell if Hailey rolled her eyes or just tilted her head. She glanced over to my little sister before replying, “There are no monsters in your closet! It’s just a thunderstorm.”\n\nHailey turned her head back towards the television before a glass broke against the floor upstairs. Hailey quickly shot up from the couch while listening towards the ceiling. She looked over at Briana whose face grew pale.\n\n“Briana. Come over here by me, okay?” Hailey pulled her cellphone out of her pocket only to realize that it wasn’t working for some reason. The screen kept flickering. On the camera it almost looked like the apps on the phone were randomly closing and reopening but I couldn’t tell for sure. Whatever it was, it made her drop the phone while waving my little sister to come near her.\n\n“I told you, there’s a monster!”\n\n“Not now Briana, I’m sure it’s just the storm.” Hailey replied while scooting closer to Briana. Hailey grabbed Briana’s hand while making her way towards the stairs. “Hello?” she called. “Is anyone up there?”\n\nHailey started stepping on one stair at a time while creeping up as quietly as possible. Briana just stood there staring at her. \n\nI quickly switched to the upstairs camera. My stomach fell. Every hair on the back of my neck woke up to what I was watching. Hailey walked into my sister's room and opened the closet door. She found Briana curled up in a ball staring back up at her. I saw Hailey stand there for a few moments before realizing that if Briana was in front of her, then she couldn’t have been behind her on the staircase. This was when Hailey started screaming. Hailey slammed the closet before rushing out of the bedroom and back down the stairs. The lights inside the house snapped off. The camera automatically switched to night-vision. I switched the camera to find Hailey slamming the front door behind her.\n\nI took a few seconds before turning my back to the computer. I started walking towards my sister’s room. When I walked in, I went to the closet to open the door. Briana was curled up in a ball with tears soaking her cheeks. I felt my breath growing heavy. \n\n“Hey, your sister downstairs is so scared, she won't move.” Penelope walked in behind us still using her cellphone’s flashlight to see.\n\nI stared down towards my sister in the closet who continued whimpering. I turned around back to Penelope. “I'm not exactly sure if that was my sister.” \n\nPenelope chuckled in her moment of confusion. “What are you talking about?”\n\nI moved my body to reveal Briana curled in a ball inside her closet. I watched as Penelope’s eyes widened. She gulped before looking back at me. “If – If she’s here – then, who – who’s downstairs?”\n\nI shook my head. “I have no idea.”\n\nThe worst part was when I looked back down towards Briana I remembered the words from the video. *Hailey, there’s a monster in my closet!* \n\nI took a couple steps back towards Penelope. The light from Penelope's phone highlighted Briana's face in the closet. It seemed as if Briana started smiling. I looked back over to Penelope.\n\n\"I think we might have a problem.\"\n***\n\nTo read more of my stories, visit [r/13thOlympian] (https://www.reddit.com/r/13thOlympian/)\n"
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[removed] | [WP][RESPONSE] The first AI went rogue, and became murderous. We figured out that AI also need regular dormant periods to process and recover. Now, AI is common-place, but needs to sleep regularly. You've been tasked with hunting down the first AI and patching its firmware to allow for sleep. | 1 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nLooks like you were creating a custom tag, one that we already have a tag for, which is a PI post. See more details [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/how_to_tag_prompts#wiki_pi.3A_prompt_inspired). Feel free to repost correctly tagged. \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/7zlyue/wpresponse_the_first_ai_went_rogue_and_became/%0A%0A)\n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*"
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[removed] | [WP] The need was strong. You had to go RIGHT now. The stall was disgusting, covered in grime and excrement. As you sat down and let it fly, you noticed a note attached to the toilet paper dispenser: "Here there be monsters." | 0 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nJoke responses / copypasta are not allowed. Prompts that are likely to generate such responses are also not allowed. \n\nNo troll, joke, fart, poop, or meme-based prompts. This includes prompts likely to attract 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/7zsl04/wp_the_need_was_strong_you_had_to_go_right_now/%0A%0A)\n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*"
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"1519429219",
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[WP] Two trolls show up to their bridge shift wearing the same, exact, toga omg. | 4 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"*Gog has lots.*\n\n*Gog has big club, with pointy sharps in it. It hit harder than I, Amog club.*\n\n*Gog has big cave, with soft-soft moss. I, Amog has small cave with hard-hard moss.*\n \n*Gog has soft-soft shoes. He ate big man to get shoes. I, Amog has no shoes.*\n\n*I, Amog has one thing Gog does not. I, Amog has toga.* \n\n*Gog is mean to Amog. Gog is big-big and I, Amog is small-big. Gog laugh lots at Amog, calls I, Amog weak. I hate small-men. I hate small-horse. I hate small-cow. But I, Amog, hate Gog most.* \n\n*Amog and Gog work bridge. We eat small-men and small-horse and small-cow. We take from small-men what Gog says and what I, Amog says too. I hate Gog, but Gog puts in good work on bridge. And I wear toga!*\n\n*Now Gog has toga too! Toga is mine! If I, Amog has toga and Gog has no toga I, Amog am better than Gog still. But now Gog has all. Gog will pay for be mean to I, Amog. Gog will pay for big cave, Gog will pay for soft shoes, Gog will pay for make fun of Amog. Gog will pay for toga!*\n\nA farm girl was playing in the hillside near his farm. She would often go to the edge of the hill that overlooked the river. Through the thickets she would sit and watch the two, monstrous trolls. They would always be there, one massive with an immense spiked club, and one smaller, wearing a sheet like a toga. Her papa said that every so often the bad men in the village would be forced to walk over the bridge, and that if she was ever bad, then she would be forced to walk over the bridge too. Yesterday a bad man had walked to the bridge, so as soon as she had finished her morning chores, she ran to find him. Instead, when she sat in her thicket she saw only one troll. It was the bigger of the two, and there were speckled bruises along his monstrous form. He was wearing two togas, one slung over each shoulder, and the spike in his club had sheared off, as if it has struck something with immense force. \n"
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1,
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"1519439357",
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[WP] Two heroes just broke down your Evil Castle doors and are in the process of killing all of your minions while shouting demeaning comments at each other. It is clear they're racing to see who gets to kill you first. | 18 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"(I read this prompt as 'horses' instead of heroes, so I'm going to write it that way.)\n\n\n\"Ha! That kill was almost as satisfying as your mother!\"\n\n\n\"Laugh all you want, I'm still going to beat you to the Overlord, fuckface.\"\n\n\n\"Oh, I'll laugh. I'll laugh while I trample the Overlord's idiot face in and make you watch!\"\n\n\nI stood, watching in disbelief as two unmanned *horses* managed to fight off nearly all of my soldiers. Their bodies littered the courtyard in haphazard angles, dead. Horses. Two foul-mouthed, chainmail-covered horses that seemed more intent on killing me than any man, woman, or witch that I'd had the pleasure of beheading. \n\n\n\"Just his face? I'm going to shatter every bone in that shitwad's body and then you can have the leftovers! Assuming you even make it to the Overlord at all.\"\n\n\n\"You talk big for someone who cried after coming in second in last year's races.\" The chestnut horse's back hooves collided with the chest of one of my most heavily armored guards. He went flying and hit the stone face of the main entrance. When he landed, I saw that his breastplate had caved in entirely. \n\n\n*I should've sprung for the reinforced iron... that cheap decision is going to cost me my life. Fuck.*\n\n\n\"That was an emotional time! You know I'd just lost a foal, you bastard!\" The bay mare bucked and brought her front hooves down on the other doorman's head. Though his helmet seemed to have survived the force of the attack, he was several feet shorter now, thanks to his spinal collapse. \n\n\n*Fuck!* I'd prepared for the people's uprisings, I'd nipped every one of them in the bud with some well-timed public executions and excessive shows of force. I'd even gone so far as to exterminate all witches and wizards. Everything had been *fine*. Who could have expected the horses? Who even *armed* them? How they could talk was the least of my concerns, but a curiosity nonetheless. Who knew horses were so foul-mouthed?\n\n\n\"I'll kill your ass before I let you beat me to the Overlord, you precocious shit.\" The bay sneered and kicked in the door with ease. \n\n\n*Should've sprung for the iron doors, too. What was I thinking, leaving them as wood? Fuck.*\n\n\n\"I'd like to see you try, Marsha! I'd like to see you fucking try!\" The chestnut brayed, charging into the castle after her. \n\n\nI ran to the door of my chambers and began barricading it. The doors, again, were only made of wood. They wouldn't stand a chance, but with a chest of drawers, a bed, a desk, and various tapestries blocking the way, maybe it would slow them down. Panting from the effort, I backed myself against the far wall until my back met cold stone. \n\n\nA single ray of hope entered my mind: *Can horses even climb stairs?* Thank the darkness I'd had the good sense to choose the bedroom in the highest floor of the east wing. \n\n\nThe thundering swell of hooves against stone dashed that hope in a heartbeat. The sound grew louder, filling the hall and echoing into my chambers even through the barricade I'd made myself.\n\n\nI slipped out a dagger from within my boot, the only weapon I had on me in my quarters. I closed my hand around the half-warm golden hilt. What had I even done to upset the horses so? They'd been enslaved by humans for centuries, used as beasts of burden since the dawn of humanity. \n\n\nThe barricade shook as something struck it from the other side. I tightened my grip on the dagger, fear twisting in my chest like a Celtic knot. Clearing my throat, I dared one last defense. \"What have I done to make you want me dead? I've done nothing worse to horses than any leader before me!\"\n\n\n\"Shut up you fuckwad, it's your time to die!\" The mare whinied through the door. The door and barricade jolted again and again as she battered against it. Splinters of wood flew off with her onslaught, the doors wouldn't last much longer. \n\n\n\"Can't beat down a simple little door, Marsha?\"\n\n\n\"Fuck you, Roger! He's barricaded it from inside, but it's almost down so just back off and let me fucking have this.\"\n\n\n\"I'm not letting you have anything, I'm getting the kill this time!\"\n\n\nTwo sets of hooves hammered at the door now. In moments, the top of the door exploded inward in a shower of splintered wood. I flinched and thrust my dagger out in front of me. My arm trembled in front of me, the dagger traced little squiggles in the air. Any thoughts of trying to look intimidating were long gone. I knew I was about to die.\n\n\nTogether, the horses trampled over my shoddy excuse for a barricade, stamping the wooden fixtures down into next to nothing. Marsha the mare surged forward, her teeth gnashing in the air as she came at me. \n\nRoger shook out his mane and charged at Marsha from behind, slamming against the mare so hard that they both fell to the ground in a flurry of hooves and hair. \n\n\n\"Fuck you, Roger, I had him right fucking there!\" She bared her teeth and bit at his neck, drawing blood.\n\n\n\"Fucking hell, Marsha! Fine, fine! You get the kill, just don't fucking *bite* me again!\"\n\n\nMarsha the mare got to her feet and tossed her mane with an indignant huff. She looked right at me and took a few measured steps closer, her hooves *clup cluping* against the stone floor. She knew as well as I did that I wasn't going anywhere.\n\n\nI cleared my throat, \"Wh-Why? Why are you, *you* here to kill me?\"\n\n\nThe mare smirked, honest-to-hell *smirked* and stepped closer. \n\n\nI held out my dagger, jabbing into the air in her direction in a warning. The mare shook her head with a snort, her nose inches away from the tip of the blade. With a twitch of her head, she darted past the blade and bared her teeth, biting down on my wrist. I cried out, something snapped and blood dripped down my hand to the floor. The pain brought my to my knees, it blinded me until the mare twisted my arm in her teeth, sending another surge of white-hot pain through my body. \n\n\nI laid on the cold floor, scarcely able to move, much less fight back. \n\n\nShe looked down at me with blood in her teeth, \"You didn't quite get all of the magic-users, you know... The Last Witch sends her regards. She looks forward to enjoying her new castle.\" The mare reared back with a wild grin, hooves aimed at my head as she came down.\n\n\n*Fucking witches.*\n\n\n\n",
"I knew they were coming.\n\nI heard their shouts.\n\n\"I'll get him first!\"\n\n\"Not on my watch!\"\n\nThey were on a race. A race to kill me.\n\nA plan formed in my mind as they dashed closer.\n\nThe throne room doors burst open. Standing there were the two brothers.\n\nThey stopped their race as they saw what I was doing.\n\nA crossbow, pointed at my head, armed and ready to fire.\n\nMy last words: \"I win.\""
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[WP] Every time a crime happens in the wax museum, the suspect is found the next day, babbling incoherently, hot wax smeared across their skin. | 4 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"The detective sat upwards in bed at the sudden shock of the ringtone on his phone filling every corner of the room in a flood of noise violent enough to make the ears of those present bleed a steady stream of crimson liquid. In his painful ignorance, he stumbled about in the manner of a man suddenly devoid of the senses he had incessantly depended upon. Thereafter followed a considerable time of smashing palm against multiple dense objects, as the memory of the location of his phone had been long lost in slumber.\n\nAt once upon the seizure of the phone did he answer the pending call.\nThis was inevitably followed by a brief moment of great silence as the figure held the device against the ear and black hair of his head.\n\nAt once he spoke, quiet: \"Again?\"\n\nMore silence.\n\n\"I'll, uh... I'll be there momentarily.\"\n\nA great multitude of police cruisers had descended upon the urban boulevard outside the wax museum, as was evident when the detective arrived, including the resultant expected mass of hapless vehicular commuters jumbled alongside the cordon as they found their already miserable commute interrupted.\n\nIt was to the detective's expectations that the police commander found himself approaching the worn-faced man with a walk only well described as \"expedient\".\n\n\"Another?\" questioned the detective.\n\n\"Indeed, Mr. Hawthorne. Prospective thief, babbling like a madman, I believe.\"\n\nThe elder and aged commander engaged the much younger detective in stride as the two turned towards the towering wax museum. Massive in size, grandiose in style, and Greek-inspired in architecture, it seemed unable to outrun the consistent allegation that the money provided to build the structure had come from... immoral sources. Or, as it seemed evident now, the string of potential thieves intending to steal the priceless humanoid statues contained within.\n\n\"Is it not always?\"\n\nThe marble-imitation floors of the museum had been intermittently spoiled by little spatters of hot wax. Indeed, it seemed as if the custodian of the museum would have a particularly difficult night yet again.\n\nTalking to himself overtop of the spot marked by the police department officials as the original location of the wax-covered incoherent prospective thief, he could spy a train of cooling wax interspersed yet deeper into the building.\n\n\"I don't understand...\" he muttered.\n\n\"I'm sorry; I don't follow,\" responded the police commander.\n\nThe detective turned to face the commander, puzzled in look.\n\n\"Where is the thief?\"\n\nThe police commander responded after a momentary period of thought.\n\n\"I... I don't know.\"\n\n"
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"1519440139",
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[WP] Two soldiers from opposite sides of a war fall in love on the battlefield. | 5 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"As Amy swept through another scattered formation of recent corpses, she became aware of a distant melancholy tugging at her heart.\n\nAnd stopped right were she was. Tried to grab a hold of the thread. What was wrong? She had everything \n\nHer contemplations and rather suitable owlish head tilt were interrupted when a new question struck her, this time a product of immediate circumstance. \n\nWhy on earth, -she dipped a moment from her reverie to observe the lone soldier advancing on her-, was this *mook*, ..greedy eyes.. about to throw his life away?\n\nBut she suspected the second question was related to the first, so she didn't mind turning her interest to this new circumstance.\n\nHmmmmmm....CRUNCH. \n\n-She didn't bother blocking the attack. She was feeling rather existential, and mournful. And vengeful. And sad.\n\nHer bloody, momentarily-broken face cocked back the other way, and regarded her assailant. \n\nFor his part, he returned to his work after a moment of full confusion (shock might be too generous a word), ..as if working at a particularly stubborn tree. \n\nThis time she swayed out of the way, and shot her left hand out to sweep the back edge of the blade as it passed, -not exactly slowly, but much much *too* slowly, and (it must be admitted, contemptuously) slathered the blood on his contorted cheek.\n\nShe gave him a look. -Head lowered a couple degrees to really get that 'what are you doing' message across, sword hanging out of the way at her side. Surely now he would..\n\nNo.. the blade began to slow, wrenched backwards the way it came. Before it could begin, she interrupted the swing by flashing forward into a cracking headbutt, blood splashing audibly forward from her ruin of a face..\n\nBut some readjustment, and chalking up to unknowable mysteries (gears visibly turning in the head) later, another blow came, which this time she simply telekenetically blasted away.\n\nShe was beginning to lose her original train of thought, and perhaps soon her composure, but something drove her to see the farce, the experiment, the giving-of-a-chance to this poor representative of slaughtered-kind, to its bitter end. She hoped, prayed, begged nobody in particular that the end would be here.\n\n..Thankfully, it was. Understanding began to dawn on the dull face, quickly jettisoned in favour of fear and superstitious awe. She felt bad about *not* killing such a thoughtless automaton, but she'd have felt worse about having wasted her time teaching a lesson whose application she'd sweep moments later away. With a few hand motions -'go', she was on her way. -Back into the fray!\n\nHer feeling of malaise forgotten, (-how could there be such a thing as too easy, or 'unfair' when dealing with creatures such as these?) she returned, laughing for the first time in weeks, to the bloody symphony opening up and sprawling playground opening out rout. There was nothing to be sorry for, was there? For this battle, at least, her love of fighting was born anew.\n\n",
"The dirt and the blood on her face didn't mar her beauty. Watching her lithely move, dodging enemies and stabbing them with her broadsword, was like watching a macabre dance. \n\nI was enraptured by the *enemy*. I could only stand there in the middle of the battlefield, staring at her like a starstruck fool. If it wasn't for my friend snapping me back to attention, an enemy could've already sliced my head off. With a fluid motion, I cut his body in half before glancing back at the woman. \n\nMy heart got caught on my throat. She *stared* at me. I love the fire in her eyes, the determination in her strides. The way she shook off the blood from her sword with a flick of her hand. \n\nShe was stunning. She was gorgeous. She was *dangerous*.\n\nUp close, she really had the most mesmerizing lavender eyes I had the fortune of seeing. She kept her sword pointed at the ground, and I could see that she was closely examining me. She then let out a small gasp, recognition flashing in those lovely eyes. \n\n\"You..\" she trailed off, her face clad in raw emotions. \n\nAnger. Confusion. Longing. Love. \n\n*I hoped it was love.*\n\nWithout another thought, I crossed the narrow distance between us before claiming her lips, just like I used to do before our clans had gone to war.\n\nWe both ached for each other. She was crying as she clung to me, her weapon discarded at our feet. We just stayed in that position, wishing that we were nowhere near the raging war happening around us.\n\nI gently cupped her face, and I my vision turned red when I saw the cuts, both shallow in deep, littered in her body. I forced myself to calm down and wiped the dried blood on her face. \n\n\"Step out of the battlefield, love. I can't bear to see you get hurt.\"\n\nShe held my hand and kissed it, but she shook her head. \"I can't, and you know that. You know this wouldn't end until one of the clan leaders had perished. I *must* help my people.\"\n\nI loved her determination. But it pained me to see her getting beat up for a war she didn't start. With renewed determination, I kissed her again deeply, hoping that it would convey my feelings. \n\n\"Please, love. Just stay out of the fights. *I* will end this now,\" I told her gravely. \n\nHer eyebrows knitted in confusion. \"But how? You know you can't persuade either clan leaders.\"\n\nI nodded and lightly squeezed her shoulder, careful not to touch her wound. \"I know. That's why I'll kill my father.\"\n\n\"You'll be branded as a traitor,\" she said as she tightly clasped my hands, her once slender fingers had callouses all over. My heart ached once again. \n\nI gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. \"I'd rather be called a traitor than see your corpse lying in this cursed field.\"",
">Please check out more over at r/TeqhZem, Thanks! And Enjoy.\n\nOur love was forbidden.\n\nI was eighteen when I entered the mess of World War 2. The German woman I loved was on the other side. On the same field. At the same time. I couldn't bear the thoughts. And that's what made me so accurate. Every person I trained my sights on could have been her. So I shot carefully, and precisely. Until one day. I saw her. In the trenches, I dropped my weapon. She locked eyes with me. Until it clicked. \n\n*She was in no mans land.* \n\nMy vision blurred. A shot rang out louder than any other. The bullet pierced her chest, straight through her heart. \n"
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[removed] | [WP] Within | 1 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nThe prompt goes entirely within the title box, not the text bx. \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/7zwdl5/wp_within/%0A%0A)\n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*"
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"1519476377",
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[WP] You have super-human beginner's luck, the first time you try something you're the best at it. But only the first time. | 12 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"\"I know it sounds crazy when you hear it,\" I stared out at the gathered crowd while I spoke. \"But I can prove it.\" The crowd of strangers stared up at me, and they hung on my every word. It was my first time speaking publicly, and I needed to make it count. I'd been planning this for almost a year now, and here I stood in the park on a public stage. I didn't pre-write my speech though. My luck always worked better if I flew by the seat of my pants. \n\n\n\n\"A couple of weeks ago I asked for suggestions to demonstrate, and a lot of you voted on them. I picked out the top three that I'd never done, and will demonstrate today.\" I pulled some note cards from the inside of my suit jacket and looked through them. I looked at a note card and then spoke to the crowd. It'd grown larger in the last few minutes. \n\n\n\n\"Larry Johnson? C'mon up here Larry.\" The crowd cheered and an older man with grey hair approached the stage. Once he climbed the stage he joined me at the podium, giving me a nervous smile. I shook his hand then addressed the crowd again.\n\n\n\n\"Now, I know most of you here know him. But, for the folks watching at home let me introduce him properly. Mr. Johnson here is known as the *best* banjo player on this side of the Mississippi. Reminder for everyone watching abroad, we're on the big side here.\" The audience applauded their local celebrity. \n\n\n\n\"Mr. Johnson has challenged me to a duel, and I can safely say this is my first time dueling banjos. It should be a piece of cake.\" I smiled while a crew member rolled out a cart. Two beautiful banjos rested on the cart facing the audience. One white, one black. Mr. Johnson rolled up his plaid sleeves and waved at the audience. I took off my navy suit coat, then hung it over a corner of the podium. I rolled up my sleeves too. Larry had already chosen the white banjo by the time I was ready, and he began tuning it. I picked up the black banjo and held it at the ready. Idly strumming while tuning it would count as \"playing it\". Mr. Johnson looked at me, and I nodded that I was ready. \n\n\n\n\"Start us off, Larry!\" I said. The crowd clapped as he started off slow with a single strum. I followed suit, then he went again. We went back and forth a bit, he got faster each time. Within seconds we were both strumming our banjos relentlessly. He was faster than me, but then it felt like he began to slow down. My fingers moved like arced lightning across the strings, then Larry fumbled. He tried to find his groove again, but he couldn't find a spot to jump in. After a few more seconds he stopped completely and applauded me. The rest of the crowd cheered, and I stopped playing. I could practice for the rest of my life, but I'd never play that well again. \n\n\n\n\"Mr. Johnson, thank you for being here with us today. As a token of gratitude, I insist that you please keep both of these beautiful, one of a kind banjos.\" The crowd chuckled. It was a small, simple joke; everyone knew both banjos were his. He made his way off stage with the rolling cart. \n\n\n\n\"You guys believe me yet, or do we need another demonstration?\" I asked. They cheered for another. \n\nI lifted the cards from the podium and moved to the next one. \"Leah Green? C'mon up Ms. Green.\" I spotted her short spiked green hair moving through the crowd, before I saw the rest of her. The crowd parted to let her approach the stage. She climbed the stage and walked to stand next to me. I turned to the audience, the crowd appeared to have doubled from when I started with Mr. Johnson. \n\n\n\n\"Ms. Green had an interesting suggestion, and I've never done it before. She has a spectacular fire-eating act that she does.\" I turned back to her. The crew had already set her up, and she held her torch ready to go. \"She's gonna show us what she can do.\" I clapped and the crowd followed suit. Ms. Green did her act for about five minutes, then the crowd cheered.\n\n\n\n\"I've never done fire-eating before. For my first attempt I'll try to do her act better than she did.\" The crowd roared. I chose this stunt specifically for the cool factor. It was my first day on the campaign trail, and I needed to make as big a spectacle as I could. It was my first time running for president, so I knew I had it in the bag. Even though I didn't really have a platform other than, \"I've never been president before.\" I knew this would get more eyes on me. I grabbed the thin torch, then the lighter. Ms. Green began to give me some safety tips, but I turned to her and winked.\n\n\n\n\"Don't worry, It's my first time.\" I performed the act flawlessly. Her big finale was to breathe fire, and I was ready. I took a big swig of the alcohol. For a second I forgot myself and thought I was taking a shot. I caught myself before I swallowed it completely and ended up coughing the rest out over myself. Habit forced me to use the back of my right hand, where I held a lit torch, to wipe up the flammable liquid dripping down my chin. Panic forced me to forget that my other hand held the alcohol. It was not the bottle of water I thought it was when I poured it over my face to put out the small fire on my chin. \n\n\n\nWhile I screamed I had a fleeting thought. This was going to be the first time I burn to death. \n\n\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\n\n***\n\nThank you for reading! You can find more of my writings on my [blog](http://hserratafun.blogspot.com/2017/10/front-page.html)."
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"1519501939",
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This may have been posted, feel free to report this if I'm just having some memory loss. If not, would love to here your own take! | [WP] After dedicating your whole life to time travel, you finally finish your time machine. However, when you try to go past anytime after next week, a message pops up. "Time period does not exist" | 54 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"The old scientist tripled checked the control panel inputs. Then, on a laptop plugged into the panel, she entered a destination: 2070, July 26, 10:45:00. She flipped a series of switches from left to right, and power gradually came to the various components. The generator purred. Several large fans filled the room with hot air and white noise. The computer chirped like an old beige relic, and a large green LED lit in the corner.\n\nThe time machine was primed and ready to send a Rolex watch two minutes into the future. She donned her ear muffs and safety visor, then pressed the big, red button. Literally.\n\nIn the blink of an eye, nearly three hundred billion joules rushed from a capacitor bank to the alleged time machine, both located nearly a hundred meters away from where she stood in the garage, outside on the open green. The nearest house lie a half mile away, so none of her neighbors would have seen the blinding flash of light, or heard the thunder that comes with it.\n\nThe weathered scientist removed the safety peripherals and headed inside her homestead for a glass of orange juice, her version of stress eating. At this age, she imagined she'd be playing bridge, or maybe rewatching the classic movies of her generation. Certainly not slaving over salvaged hardware seven days a week.\n\nAt 10:45:00, on the dot, a thunderous boom sounded from outside. To her ears, it was as mundane as a toaster chime.\n\nShe confirmed that the watch's time was slow and reset it. Satisfied that the equipment still worked, she returned to the garage to push the date dials a bit further.\n\n\"If you can jump a few minutes,\" she muttered, adjusting the input to read 2070, August 2, 10:45:00, \"why can't I knock you into next Saturday?\" She was quoting an old anime and she grinned at the sound of it. The Rolex was just the monster-of-the-week she was defeating, only to return in the next episode, which would air the following Saturday morning.\n\nShe flipped her switches and the machines spun on normally. But when she hit the button, her laptop displayed the following error in red:\n\n Time period does not exist\n\nThe same thing happened yesterday, when she first tested this scenario. She finally had all the pieces together, and she sent something into the future for the first time. But then she tried to send it a week into the future. Two weeks. Even a month. But she was greeted by the same error each time, and the software shut off at that stage. She reneged and scaled the time back, attempting to send something one day into the future for her to pick up today, at nine in the morning. That worked like a charm.\n\nThe error was odd for two reasons. First, she didn't exactly write the code herself- she was more of a hardware expert. She had chained various APIs together like Frankenstein stitched a monster from spare parts. And each of the components seemed to work in isolation. But their creators could never have imagined they would work together, on this sort of application, so it was eerie that they seemed to whisper of an apocalyptic end to the universe.\n\nSecond, the time machine could see the future no better than a slingshot could see a target. Its purpose was to launch objects forward, and nothing about the universe's future state could have a casual relationship with anything in the now.\n\nShe sighed. She conjectured that retesting each atomic component would be fruitless- she might be desperate to build a machine, but she wasn't careless. Rather, it would be more productive to step out of her comfort zone and debug the code itself, the part of the project she was least confident with.\n\nShe started at the very, very beginning: reading the target date. She confirmed that her input was interpreted as a valid date. Then it got the current time, which she could also see was done correctly. Now it needed to find the difference between the two in milliseconds, which was the only value the hardware actually needed to function accurately. It did this by passing both the current and target dates into a function, creatively named _diffInMillis_ and-\n\nThe program spat out the error and exited before _diffInMillis_ even finished.\n\nShe didn't author the function originally, but she did have the source code of everything she used. With the generators up and the capacitors still charged, she tried running again with more careful attention on _diffInMillis_.\n\nShe started with the first few lines, which just took the original, text-based inputs and parsed them into numerical values.\n\n a_year = parseInt( date_a[0] );\n a_month = parseInt( date_a[1] );\n a_day = parseInt( date_a[2] );\n a_hour = parseInt( date_a[3] );\n a_minute = parseInt( date_a[4] );\n a_second = parseInt( date_a[5] );\n a_ms = parseInt( date_a[6] );\n\n b_year = parseInt( date_b[0] );\n b_month = parseInt( date_b[1] );\n b_day = parseInt( date_b[2] );\n b_hour = parseInt( date_b[3] );\n b_minute = parseInt( date_b[4] );\n b_second = parseInt( date_b[5] );\n b_ms = parseInt( date_b[6] );\n\nThe woman grimaced at the amateurish hack. Even she knew this was poor form.\n\nFirst she stepped through the _a_ values, which represented the current moment. Line by line, the computer executed the line, displayed the effects, and gave her the option to continue to the next. The values read out like this:\n\n a_year :2070\n a_month :7\n a_day :26\n a_hour :10\n a_minute :47\n a_second :1\n a_ms :122\n\nTotally normal, that was close enough to the current time. Then she stepped through the _b_ values, and read their parsed values.\n\n b_year :2070\n b_month :0\n b_day :2\n b_hour :10\n b_minute :45\n b_second :0\n b_ms :0\n\nThe month stood out to her immediately. In this system, January was represented as a one, then the months followed in ascending order after. August was supposed to be eight!\n\nAs a hack, she added something after to force the value for testing. She was anxious to know if she had any other problems ahead.\n\n b_month=8;\n\nShe donned her safety equipment and clicked on a green play icon on the screen, which meant \"assuming no further problems: punch it.\" An explosion sounded, much more forceful than before.\n\nShe just stood there for a moment, blinking slowly. Had she really done it? She went outside to inspect the equipment. She was hyperventilating when she reached the platform the Rolex once rested on. The watch was gone. The machine was completely unharmed despite the additional power she ran through it.\n\nBy the time she returned to the garage, she was angry that such a stupid problem, date processing, was holding her back. But she was adamant that no one else get involved. She wouldn't risk her ideas leaking to the outside work prematurely, even over an innocent software 101 question.\n\nShe disconnected power from the heavy machinery, before running the software once more and studying the stored values again and again. August consistently broke it:\n\n date_b[1] :\"08\"\n b_month :0\n\nSame with September:\n\n date_b[1] :\"09\"\n b_month :0\n\n\nBut October suddenly started working:\n\n date_b[1] :\"10\"\n b_month :10\n\nIn fact, all other months worked. Only August and September possessed this quirk.\n\nWhat the hell?\n\nThe program was using a built-in function, _parseInt_, to turn text into an integer. It was standard API, meaning it was baked into the base product and more reliable than some random hack-job downloaded off the Internet. She still didn't want to ask some unindexed message boards, and she'd die before the government saw her searching anything on an indexer.\n\nSo she poured over the API documentation for _parseInt_. It was standard API, meaning it was baked into the base product and (was supposed to be) more reliable than some random hack-job downloaded off the Internet. She hated reading documentation. Granted, the material was very dry, going in depth over every conceivable scenario, like if the text was just a random word, or the number was in exponential notation, or if it started with a zero-\n\n\"If it _what_?\" She cried out.\n\n>If a numeric string begins with a leading 0, it is interpreted as octal.\n\n>Example:\n\n parseInt(\"01\"); // 1\n parseInt(\"08\"); // 0, \"8\" is not valid octal\n parseInt(\"010\"); // 8\n\nAn octal was a number in base eight rather than base ten. And someone, before her time, decided that a preceding zero was a good way to signify this.\n\nShe regurgitated an almost unending stream of profanities while pacing back and forth in the garage. Then she ran inside to call her daughter and tell her everything that just happened. She wanted her to be the first to know about her achievement... in time travel."
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[deleted] | [WP] Your right eye sees the future you want. Your left eye sees all the ways to make it happen. You happen to be a serial killer. | 25 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"It wasn’t my fault.\nIt really, truly, wasn’t.\nHe was in my way. So it had to be done.\n... Maybe some backstory.\n———-\n“What do you want most in life, Scott?”\n“I don’t know! I keep telling you, I don’t see anything!” I lied to my advisor for the billionth time. She sighed in frustration.\n“Scott, if you’re not going to try, there’s nothing I can do for you,” she explained. I nodded.\n“I’m gonna go,” I said, standing up out of the chair abruptly and walking out of the room before my advisor could say a word.\nThe vision in my right eye was the same as it had always been. I want to be happy. It’s a noble wish, at least I think so. I didn’t think I was asking too much.\nIt’s my left eye’s vision that maybe proves me wrong. \nI thought it would stop after the first one. He had my spot. I had been put on the waiting list - so practically rejected - from my dream school. I was devastated. But within days, the stream of information scrolling past my left eye told me I was next in the queue. Just one more person had to drop, or transfer, or change their mind.\nOr die.\nSo I did what any rational person would do. Right? \n... I thought it would be over after that. But it won’t stop happening. And it’s not my fault.\nThe girl of my dreams had a boyfriend. I killed him.\nA professor was going to fail me and plunge me into a limbo of possibly not graduating. I killed her too.\nIn fact, I’m only a junior, and I’ve killed fourteen people already. I don’t know how many more I’m going to have to. I don’t want to do this. It’s not my fault.\nIt’s NOT my FAULT.\n\n((... i am not a writer. please be gentle. (this isn’t compliment fishing.) thank you for reading))",
"I closed the door to my apartment and locked it. I knew I had to concentrate if I were to do it again. I took my Lotus position with my back at the warm radiator, closed my eyes and opened my right eye. I could not want more than killing that annoying ol' bastard neighbour ever since I was a kid, who called the police because I was playing football with my brothers in OUR OWN backyard. I closed my right eye, and opened my left one instead. Information started to pour in on me. Bus numbers, street names, everything I needed to know to make it happen. Apparently he had moved in another city. That was not a problem. I knew where to find the money to pay for the gas. \n\nI drove and drove, and a few hours later, I reached that small town he was currently living a peaceful life in. I always made sure I had the tools or anything I needed when I'd do things like this. Lockpicks, weapons, getaway car, EVERYTHING. I waited in a motel for 2.A.M and as soon as the clock struck it, I departed. Thanks to my left eye, I knew the old bastard would go to sleep after 12:30 A.M. I wanted however for his wife to go to sleep so she would not catch me committing the deed. I might've been a murderer, but I'd never do it in front of the victim's loved ones. I easily picked the lock of the front door, and entered the house. As I approached his bedroom, I pulled out my homemade KABAR, a U.S. Marine's best friend. The sound of the blade slightly touching the scabbard as I pulled it out, gave me a hint of happiness and sweet revenge. I could never stand that old man for stabbing our balls, and never giving us peace. He was in bed with his behind towards me. \n\n+ This will be the last one!\n\nI muttered to myself, as I always did before killing someone. I seemed to not be able to stop. Memories kept on pouring, of people I'd have to get revenge on, and tonight, it was him. In a moment, it was all over.\n\nI drove back home, without getting noticed or tailed by anyone. I locked the door to my apartment,I knew I had to concentrate if I were to do it again. I took my Lotus position with my back at the warm radiator, closed my eyes and opened my right eye."
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5
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"1519531879",
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] |
[WP]"You know we get along better when we're not trying to kill each other." | 7 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"\"I disagree\" Conrad replied with a wry smile. \"After all, it's so invigorating chasing you through the woods... good for my aging heart you know.\"\n\n\"Apologies to your heart, Uncle.\" Harrison was working the spit over the fire; the rabbit sizzled.\n\nHarrison looked up into the murky darkness of the half moon night. The stars that were visible were more like absent minded smudges of light on the gloom of the darkened heavens than shining points of light.\n\n\"Why do we participate in these games anyway?\" The young man asked his Uncle with a shade of disgust. Harrison pushed his dark curls away from his troubled brow and turned to face the man that had just been hunting him through these woods just yesterday. The absurdity always made him feel sick.\n\nConrad just blinked and suddenly started to releases booming peels of wheezy laughter into the darkening gloom. Coughing on a sudden turn of the fire smoke, the old man stood up with great effort and pain. \"That rabbit almost ready to eat?\"\n\nHarrison pulled the rabbit from the fire and set the spit upon the back of his shield. He heard the sound of the hot and charred outer flesh of their dinner sizzling deliciously on bronze of his shield. At least, Harrison thought the inner part of his shield was bronze. The Sciences were not his strong suite.\n\nSurviving the hunt was.\n\n\"At least it's you tonight and NOT me\" he said apologetically to the little beast. Harrison began trying to cut the rabbit in half, now that it was cool enough to touch.\n\n\"How much longer? These games, this hunting, this training... I miss my desk in my study. I miss the written word. And I like you better when you're not trying to kill me.\" Harrison handed his Uncle his portion of the rabbit with a deep and puzzled concern in his eyes.\n\n\"You are my tutor. My master. The lead hunter. I will do what you say, but I am tiring of the kill training. I miss the music of the great halls. When will we return to Armann?\"\n\n\"You distract yourself with your yearning for the great city. Eat up. Get rest. Sleep well... tomorrow I may kill you.\" Conrad spoke this phrase flatly and without emotion.\n\n\"Uncle! The lunacy!\"\n\n\"The law is not lunacy! The Fathers of Armann have decreed that such a game should commence in a place like this, at such a time as this, between you and I. One of us will still live to love and learn. 'Tis thee, you shall go on to teach other until the time comes that YOU are the new master hunter. Maybe one day you will have the honor to die at the hands of your favored pupil. If I win, I shall teach others to rise to your glory and it will be proven that your potential was over estimated. Only ONE of us will walk out of these woods when the game has ended. I am an old man and it's not my job to like you any more or less despite the game! It is my job to kill before you kill me so that only the finest may continue the sacred lineage.\"\n\n\"Did you give this same speech to father when they brought the brothers of Shale together?\" Harrison was sitting with his back to old man while teething the last bits of stringy meat from the joints of the stupid rabbit.\n\n\"This will be the last night we make camp together. When the bell tolls tomorrow, we shall begin in earnest. Let us talk of other things. The game is and has always been. It is the way of things and I am just an old man. You are like a son to me Sir Harrison. I will be honored to have you speak at my funeral, even if I aha be deaf to the words. Do not disgrace me or the house of Shale with your questioning any longer!\" The old man returned to his log by the fire now that smoke blew in a new direction.\n\n\"Cards?\" The old man questioned.\n\nHarrison look up with a new glow in his story face. \"I wouldn't mind playing you out of the last of your silver before the night ends. No reason for you to take the coins into the grave.\"\n\n\"God would not allow me into real Heaven with my pocket of silver anyway! There's only the Hunter's Song for my spirit when the game is won.\" The old man was chuckling as he dealt the cards.\n\n\"If I sing it out of tune, will your spirit be angry with me? Will your ghost be bumping it's head on the ceiling or falling into the floor as they say?\" Harrison had visible worry in his wrinkled brow.\n\n\"Shut up and play your card White Rabbit.\" Conrad felt a pang of sadness as he called the young man by the favored name of his youth. \"The memory of your victory will keep your tune true. Let us play this game, sing the song of our true father line, drink a long draft of wine and remember each other as we are this night and all nights before. For tomorrow, one of us will kill the other... and I am looking forward to another good run for this old and aging heart. Will you honor me with true skill?\"\n\n\"I shall hold the name of Conrad in my mind with clarity and honor as I pursue and avoid pursuit.\" Harrison spoke with truth and firmness. \"Now give me a silver piece. The father king is the card in my corner and I must make sure that thou don't carry counterfeit coins into the Forrest of Honor.\"\n\n\"Big talk!\" Conrad laughed. He knew that tomorrow would be his last day. Or the next. It shouldn't be so long a game as when he and his brother had played the final game decades before. He knew that Harrison would not truly understand until it was finished.\n\nIn some ways, the boy was right. He DID like his Nephew, but he liked him more when the hunt was true and filled with honor. He knew that he would love his Nephew best when dying at his hands with honor. He tossed the boy the silver coin and smiled. This would be the last night of leisure before the real work of death began.\n\nConrad was looking forward to the serious business with grim and bitter expectation. It was hard to enjoy the card game, the song, the wine, the stories and poetry. It was hard to enjoy the good things when the greatest thing loomed darkly in the near future. So near now that it could almost be seen in the eye of his mind. Both men wanted to believe that that like each other better when they weren't trying to kill each other...\n\nBut that was only true for Harrison... and he would never feel the comfort of family after this night again. The truth would come to know him weather he wished it or not. The truth would come dripping in Cobrads blood. And the pleasure of the kill would finally been seen clearly. The stars of the murky sky were shining bright and clear as they could on a half moon night now and Harrison did not yet know how piercing and clear they would forever after this night.\n\nThe Great Kill was the final step of his training. The year 3000 was to be a good one. Harrison smiled as he went to sleep with the sound of Conrads snoring in the distance. The wine had been a great find and he slept well.\n\nHe would never sleep as soundly as he did that night again.\n\n[Typed on my phone. Super lazy stream of Consciousness style... forgive any typos, grammar, etc.\n\nProbably made WAY to long... needs serious editing. But it's the typed on the phone total word-puke, not even a real first draft version. Lol hope someone reads or likes it. Not attached to the imaginary world I started building here... all feedback, critical response, and comments welcome. Tear it apart!]\n\n"
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1,
4
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"1519552459",
"1519577200"
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[WP] An alien soldier recounts his traumatic experiences from a failed invasion of Earth. | 190 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"“I stand by my decisions. Even though the operation failed it was absolutely crucial that it was launched and concluded as it did. Loss of the terraforming unit is acceptable.”\n\nThe Admiral sat firmly, his surface steady in coloration and pheromones signaling resolution, if tinged by a hint of fear. Evidently public speaking was not his forte.\n\nThe shocked interviewer held the silence too long before repeating “Acceptable losses?” A more ludicrous phrase could scarcely be imagined.\n\nInterstellar missions were not undertaken lightly; they consumed enormous amounts of resources and time to perform, and as such all efforts were taken to ensure they went flawlessly. The lack of a prepared planet for the waves of colonization ships both produced and in various stages of construction was throwing the economy and society into a chaos that the media was at a loss to even describe. Population controls were being fiercely discussed, and the fate of the first waves of colonists already in hibernation who were now without a destination.\n\n“Yes, acceptable in the sense that they averted even greater disaster. I also repeat that the efforts of the Classification Bureau and everyone else involved in the planning of the mission are not at fault. I bear full responsibility for the conclusion of the operation, and I believe my decision was justified. That this interview has been allowed indicates that the Chancellor’s Office agrees with my assessment.” The Admiral’s confident demeanor never wavered, yielding a disturbing dichotomy with the rising scent of terror in the room.\n\n“I am sure our viewers would welcome an explanation…” The question trailed off.\n\n“Of course.” The Admiral visibly restrained himself, reordering his thoughts.\n\n“To start I will remind the viewer that distance and time are the obstacles the Planning Committee must overcome, and that while the planets selected by the Classification Bureau are all suitable for colonization in various ways there is no guarantee that the final selected target will be in the same state upon our arrival. The equipment designed for each mission is adapted to the challenges which might be presented, and indeed the disaster which befell our voyage was not unanticipated.”\n\n“While the basic orbital distance, temperature, and makeup of the planet was as expected, the atmosphere of approximately 95% carbon dioxide had been dramatically altered. Instead of being similar to its neighboring planets a strain of organism had evolved a toxic defense mechanism that killed off 99% of all other life. This toxic substance made up approximately 30% of the atmosphere and the available carbon dioxide had dropped to trace levels. While the team did their best in designing the terraformer the mission was already hopelessly delayed as converting the entire atmosphere would take a thousand years at least! The first colony ships would have been arriving before we were ready.”\n\n“But all that hardly matters in comparison to the real problem. While 99% of life had died out, upon our arrival there was an entirely different ecosystem flourishing in the new, wildly toxic environment. Somehow not only were they unaffected by the toxin they had managed to integrate it into their metabolism by capturing bacteria within their own cells! The toxin of course is oxygen.”\n\n“Oxygen? Isn’t that rocket fuel?” The shocked interviewer was quick to pick up on the dangerous substance that made their species’ expansion possible.\n\n“That is correct. The vast majority of organisms on the planet based their metabolism on what we use to fuel our rockets, yielding approximately 19 times the metabolic energy than our normal citizens. It allowed them to grow to enormous size, lift themselves against the force of gravity, and even generate heat internally making them significantly warmer than the surrounding environment. Their size, strength, and speed would make the extremely dangerous and capable of ripping through our usual structures with ease to say nothing of the necessarily lightened construction of space vessels. My chief science officer even suggested that in the relatively short time since the introduction of oxygen into their ecosystem they had developed early forms of intelligent life rather than over our several billion year history.” The scent of outright panic was becoming obvious.\n\n“It was for this reason that I decided to exercise my authority and duty as a military officer to end the colonization mission and abort the deceleration and landing thrust sequence for the terraformer complex. Instead the 15 kilometer diameter unit would impact the planet on one of the smaller continents, wiping out life on the surface and plunging the environment into an icy end.”\n\nSilence reigned on the news set. The pinnacle of modern technology constructed over nearly 800 years reduced to a mere projectile. Surely the cost was justified considering the threat though.\nScraping together his nerves the interviewer fell back on reflex, searching for a sound bite for the story of his career. “Sir, you mentioned the oxygen allowed the creatures to heat their bodies above ambient temperatures. How warm could they become?”\n\nNobody faulted the Admiral’s lack of composure.",
"\"Grandpa......\"\n\n\"Grandpa...!\"\n\n\"GRANDPA!\" \n\nKulox shot up from his slumber in a cold sweat. Panting heavily, trying to take in his surroundings. Everything seemed familiar, but it didn't quite feel like home. Nothing ever felt like home these days. He stared out the window at the desolate landscape before him. \n\n\"GRANDPA!!!\" the voice shouted again. \n\nGrandpa? That's right. He was a grandpa. It all came flashing back to him. The hospitals, the churches, the laboring hours at work, the winter weekends huddled up on the couch in front of a bright flame, the war. Struggle, peacefulness, hopelessness, love. \n\n\"GRAND. PA!\" another voice shouted. \n\n\"Alright, alright here I come...\" Kulox muttered wistfully. \n\nKulox elongated his body and slid off the couch. He slowly dragged himself across the living room and up the stairs. \n\n\"Grandpa!\" the two voices shouted in unison as he slumped his way through the bedroom door. It was Kili and Ren, his beautiful twin grandchildren. The immense love and bitter resentment he felt at the same time was often too much to handle. He blinked away a forming tear before strengthening his composure to look them in the eyes. \n\n\"Alright. What is it you kiddos need? A warm cup of hen's milk? A glass of carbon? What do you want?\" Kulox questioned softly.\n\n\"Grandpa, will you tell us the story again?\" Kili asked, batting her eyelashes. \n\n\"Story....\" thought Kulox aloud. \"What story?\"\n\n\"You know! The one about your time in the war!\" Ren exclaimed blissfully. \"The one with all the Hoo-mans and the Woo-Hoo-mans!\"\n\n\"Oh...\" sighed Kulox. \"That story...I don't know if you want to hear that old story again...\"\n\n\"Yes we do!\" They both chimed in. \"Yes yes! Please? Please? Please? Please?\"\n\nKulox sighed heavily. He would do anything for these kids. Anything. He would die for these kids. He had killed for these kids. And he would kill again if it meant their safety. \n\n\"Alright, well this was about 100 years ago on a different planet. The world you live in today is a much different world than it was. We had recently discovered how to reach other planets within our galaxy. I was part of the galactic investigative squad. Group #9. Our job was to explore planet SB-84792, or as the inhabitants of that planet called it 'Earth'\"\n\n\"Earth! Earth! Earth!\" Kili and Ren began chanting. \"SB-84792! Earth! And who lived on Earth?!\"\n\n\"The humans\" Kulox replied\n\n\"Hoo-mans! And Woo-Hoo-mans!\" The twins shouted with glee. \n\n\"Actually it's just humans.\" He responded. \"Their race were called humans and they separated their sexes by men and women.\"\n\n\"Oh yeah! I remember that now!\" Kili said hastily. \"Humans. Men and women.\" She recited as if committing to memory, something she had done before but up until this point had not been successful. \n\n\"Okay, okay. Let me get back to the story. Now where was I...ah yes. Group #9 went to Earth and while our main goal was reconnaissance, we were given orders to destroy the planet if we were found out. We could not let them find our technology. As far as we knew, we were the only ones capable of space travel and we wanted it to remain that way.\" \n\n\"But that wasn't true was it Grandpa?!\" Ren bounced with excitement. \n\n\"Sshhh you're ruining the story!\" Whispered Kili. \n\n\"That's right, it wasn't true. Humans hadn't perfected space travel, but they were close. A boisterous species. They even had the audacity to send one of their land vehicles into orbit with a dead body as the pilot. Ugly. All of them. Inside and out. At least, that's what I thought. Until I met your grandmother. She was as beautiful as the Earth she lived on. There's this emotion called love on Earth. Some say you can't feel it unless you're on the planet, but I still feel it everyday. Earth changes you, for better or for worse. Your grandmother and I had the most wonderful time together. All of us in Group #9 found partners and abandoned our home planet's mission. The feeling of love was too strong for us to handle. We began new lives on Earth. We had kids and families and stayed in touch often. We scattered ourselves across the Earth on different continents so we could better hide from any search parties that may come looking for us. For some reason, the people on Earth didn't pay any special attention to us. It's like we were completely normal, despite looking drastically different from them. They accepted us and allowed us to live among them. It was almost as if we were becoming them. Weeks turned to months, months turned into years, years turned into decades. Your grandmother and I...We aged different. You see, humans age slightly faster. Your grandmother grew old and frail and your mother and I had to take care of her as she aged. After your grandmother passed away your mother met a man and moved in with him. She loved him dearly.\"\n\n\"But that wasn't daddy was it?\" Ren asked calmly. \n\n\"Thats right. It wasn't. This was a bad man. A very bad man.\" Replied Kulox. \"This man didn't agree with my origins. He believed in the human species being far superior to any other. They have a holiday called Christmas on Earth. It's a holiday where you spend time with family and give each other gifts. It was a magical holiday. But one Christmas, the bad man decided to out my existence to the world. He told the world leaders about me and Group #9. And as you may imagine, they didn't respond in the most positive manner. We were kidnapped and held in an underground prison unlike anything I had ever seen before. Clearly the world leaders had been hiding much of their technology from public knowledge because the technology found here far surpassed what I could even comprehend. This was when we found out that we looked just like them. At least, from their perspective. They couldn't tell the difference between us and a Human. This explained why we were welcomed so warmly. Everybody we met thought we were humans. They kept us locked up for years. They conducted experiment after experiment on us trying to figure out how we could possibly not be human. Trying to figure out what we were, who we were, where we came from. Then one day, suddenly out of nowhere I begin to feel a blistering pain in my ear and a high pitched ringing. It continued for days until one day it stopped. And just as suddenly as it came and went, the walls to the prison blew wide open.\"\n\n\"Yeah! This is the good part! All the action starts now!\" Kili said grinning with excitement. \n\n\"War is never good Kili. Remember that. Nothing good can ever come of war. We were rescued by Group #7 and Group #3 who had finished their missions on their assigned planets. They told us that they had to destroy the other planets and decided it looked like they'd have to do the same to Earth. I pleaded with them not to but they wouldn't listen. I can understand why, they did find us locked up in chains. But I begged and begged them not to. I told them of love. I told them about my daughter. At the very least, they must spare her. Eventually I convinced them to allow us to all save our families and bring them back to our home planet. We picked up your mother first. She was reluctant, but after having been so betrayed by the man she loved she decided it was for the best to leave Earth and start off new somewhere else. Somewhere safer. Somewhere that wasn't about to be the battleground for the worst war in the history of the galaxy. After picking up our families, we headed to the nearby moon to watch the battle unfold. Ship after ship careening towards Earth. Each bigger than the last. But that's when the moon opened up and began shooting down all our ships. One by one they fell. How? How could this be? How much technology was being hidden from the public? This was nowhere near the level of any weapons found on Earth. No gun, tank, plane or bomb could even begin to compare to this. Not even in all of the science fiction on Earth could you find something as powerful or destructive as this. We were annihilated almost instantly. We ran. We ran as fast as we could. We ran to the ship and flew away in an instant. What we had seen with our own eyes was beyond comprehension.\"\n\n\"Hoo-mans sound super cool!\" Shouted Ren. \"I can't believe they were able to do all that and hide it all so well! It must be great to be Hoo-man!\"\n\n\"Of course it is!\" Exclaimed Kili. \"That's why we're a quarter Hoo-man!\" \n\n. ",
"I never understood why we had to go there. It was just a blue rock, the third planet from a little yellow star. \nThe planet was oddly beautiful, even if the very location was slightly too warm for our people. But the horrors the terrans unleashed on us..\n\n“Captain, we have some more questions for you,” I opened my eyes and saw a woman just beyond her ceremony before me. Her amber eyes soft, comforting as she pulled me from my nightmares. \n\n“What is it you would like to hear from an old man such as myself?”\n\n“I just need you to tell me about the cataclysm of sol, for the record,” She stepped away, holding a holo-pad with her notes. It was another attempt at curing me of my troubles, those were burrowed into my skull along with the screams of my brethren who died in the fires. \n\n“I was one of the reserve ships stationed outside of the asteroid belt by the iron planet that was fourth from sol. We were the mop up crew, just to provide support in the event of galactic intervention. The first wave had already made contact, the citadel ship had taken out what little orbital defenses they had. I was listening on the bridge of my ship when the first shots of the war in earnest were fired. We landed on the southern continent, a large island we thought we could use it as a forward base, and bring larger numbers in as needed and make it difficult to attack with an enemy who’s aerial ships were small 1-10 men interceptors and bombers.\n\n“About a week into the campaign we had eliminated the terrans from the continent. The numbers on the continent were small but they were tough. That was when the first bomb fell on our citadel. 2 million soldiers turned to ash. The terrans had waited until all of there brethren were dead and then, they glassed us. We saw the flash from our outpost ahead, heard the cries of those who survived the initial blast and then were killed by the white star soldiers, I later learned that we had landed on a divided world but we had attacked one of the most peaceful people and it had enraged the planet. I moved my crew to the atmosphere to land troops and retaliate in the north west continent this time, the home of the white star forces. \n\n“I instantly regretted it. Thousands of small ships swarmed us as we entered, we crashed deep in the southern swamps, we set up a distress beacon and bunkered down, around us we saw ship after ship downed by the terrans, and then we started losing soldiers on the ground. It seemed like every tree had an enemy behind it. The primitive slug guns they used tore through our armor, I watched my friends die tired in those swamps, and then I saw the enemy make it to our ship. I turned to activate the core to self destruct when I felt a burning pain in my chest and neck, the terran stood over me grinning, laughing the horrid laughter that they make as he called in more of his comrades. As i slipped from real life I awoke here, in the Hall of Memories, in pain and afraid.”\n\n“Thank you captain, your testimony will be helpful in the negotiations with the galactic senate. Hopefully we can win them over before the terrans reach us,” she said gliding away as our females do. \n“How close have the come to us?” I asked, genuinely afraid of the real death. \n“Last night they glassed our defensive ring three systems away. The terrans have adapted to the technology on board your ship well in the last 100 cycles,”\nI drifted back to the depths as the sirens blared. ",
"\"The humans were exceptionally advanced for a species that had yet to discover FTL. They had terraformed most of their solar system and had population centers on each of the terrestrial worlds and moons as well as the largest asteroids. Their ships were propelled by a remarkably effective hydrogen fuel mined from their comets, asteroids, and other celestial bodies. Despite the fact that there were no perceivable threats to their existence the humans had multiple massive battle-fleets.\n\nAt first, since there were no other races in their solar system we were utterly perplexed by this; but after a few decades of observation we realized that not only were they heavily armed, they were also battle-hardened. That mad race of fools were killing each other. As we watched we realized that there were three different factions each vying for power. \n\nThe inner planets fought against Earth and her colonies in the asteroid belt while Mars tried to conquer everyone, steadily increasing her power in the farther reaches of the solar system while stagnating against the Terran navy. \n\nOur admiralty was practically giddy once we figured out how much these creatures fought each other. Sure, their fleets would be staffed with experienced officers and enlisted but the amount of time they spent fighting instead of innovating meant that our tech had to be vastly superior to theirs. They were still using ballistics for Zods sake. No shielding, only one solar system's worth of materials, a population that had no unity. Victory was all but guaranteed, and in return we would gain an intelligent, innovative slave race predisposed towards war. We could train them and unleash them on our enemies. Our leaders salivated.\n\nWe couldn't have known how good at war they were. No matter how much time we spent studying them, they were dormant while we watched; when we attacked, they awoke.\n\nI was there for the first fleet battles, commanding the medical cruiser HSS Galtaron. We swarmed like a tide into the solar system, aiming for the shipyards at Ganymede, Rhea, Ceres, Luna, and the Mercurial Station. Once we destroyed their production centers we would menace their planets, destroying a few if needed to get them to surrender. Standard procedure.\n\nWe hit the Martian controlled Ganymede first, our fleets skipping past the far flung outer planets. The largest Martian fleet was engaged in a pitched battle against the Terran fleet near Ceres as the outer human colonies tried to steal power from their homeland. Word traveled insanely fast from Ganymede, even as we destroyed their shipyards somehow they got word to their fleet; and the Martians were able to conclude a quick treaty with their erstwhile foes. Their fleet broke off combat immediately and burned fastlike towards Rhea.\n\nOur entire armada met the Martian fleet in the space surrounding Rhea. The rings of Saturn played a beautiful backdrop to the silent destruction that our ships laid on the Martians. Our lasers tore through their armor, our shields absorbed their missles, our torpedos cracked their battleships, we annihilated them; and then we destroyed Rhea.\n\nCeres was at the other end of the solar system, so we skipped it, heading straight towards Luna, and Earth. We thought that maybe if we took their homeworld they would surrender. They had less than a month to prepare for our coming, yet by the time we arrived to attack Luna we were facing the combined fleets from Earth and the Inner Worlds, as well as the survivors from Rhea. We did not think of the secondary fleet left behind on Mars, or Ceres, or the billions of private human ships outfitted with small arms.\n\nLike every other space conflict we began by destroying the human fleet, but then we discovered why the Inner Planets had managed to remain independent despite their lower population and resources. Their ships were designed with huge batteries and solar arrays that gathered and stored the energy from their close proximity to the sun. These energy reserves were massive, and allowed their ships to unleash titanic blasts of unadulterated electricity by dumping their reserves into anything within range. The conventional Terran and Martian fleets charged in aggressively towards our ships, confusing our leadership. After all, why would THEY charge US? As their fleets disintegrated, the until that moment hidden Inner fleet swarmed close and released their stored energy. Our shields flickered and faded, the outer layers of our hulls crackled with energy, everyone on the top decks died twitching. Our power grids couldn't handle the overload and our life support systems began to fail. One by one every single ship affected began to list, collisions between capital ships led to a chain effect of explosions and further collisions. From my position at the rear of the fleet I watched our Armada crumple. \n\nTheir main fleet had charged into our center line, splitting us in two, and when their trap sprang our middle ranks disintegrated; but our flanks remained intact. Our remaining ships converged on the nearly annihilated human fleet, a pyrrhic victory in sight. Our remaining officers were like hunters that smelled blood, eager to finish off these wild and dangerous foes. That's when the Martian reserves arrived.\n\nA positively staggeringly huge fleet came rocketing in behind us, swarming us in craft of every size and armament. There were small freight carriers that unloaded massive payloads of fuel around our capital ships, with little bug sized personal shuttles that had hastily cobbled together cannons to blow that fuel up. Our ships were engulfed in explosions that overloaded our shields even as our armor barely registered a hit. Then the Martian warships plunged into the fray, slamming into our ships and ripping through their armor. \n\nOur fleet had no where to run, no way to escape. The captain of the Roxolani gathered the hospital squadron and pulled us away, but there were so many human ships. They blocked our path and we had to smash our way through them. Our shields kept us safe as we ran over thousands of civilian ships that just kept trying to stop us. I watched in horror as the Roxolani's shields flickered, faded, and their ships began pelting its engines, its bridge, and any other essential systems. They died by the millions, voluntarily, recklessly, just to keep us from escaping. It was the single most horrific, and impressive thing I have ever seen. \n\nOnly three of our ships escaped, and they followed us to the edge of the solar system. We only really became safe once we jumped to FTL. Zod help us if they get their hands on a working FTL drive.\"",
"Oh glord it was awful!\n\nOkay look Gloron you should see a therapist about this you are starting to sound insane.\n\nBut it’s true they were these brightly coloured fighting natives one shot from blaster would send bits everywhere.\n\nThat’s your ptsd talking Gloron you need see therapist I gotta go!\n\nNO don’t go there please just let me tell you what happened okay \n\nFine tell me the story then I gotta go Zedd is calling me.\n\nSo we sent down marblion the least threating captain ever he turned you into marble to protect you from being hurt when we invaded, And my squad for back up.\n\nOkay go on\n\nAnd as we are subdoing the natives into content little marbles they sent out what we thought were there main forces people primitive blasters that weren’t that bad they didn’t put up too much we easily subdued them but then they came.\n\nWho came?\n\nThey had sent young not even fully matured natives with weird watches then they transformed into brightly coloured warriors. At first we thought this hilarious what could bunch brightly coloured natives but then oh glord! They slice clean in half with there weird looking blade then he fucking exploded! \n\nWhoa what there weapons explode whatever they cut, that’s against so many Galactic war laws.\n\nI know then others all had primitive robotic themed weaponry and started mass killing all of our attacks even marblion stood no chance at all!\n\nThat’s impossible marblion like unstoppable he turns people into god damn marbles!\n\nYeah and they could’ve they beat till he was weak and when begged for his they blew him to pieces. And they called themselves the Power Rangers!",
"“Take your time. This is a safe space. You’re in no danger here.”\n\n“I know, Doctor, I just… These memories are very painful.”\n\n“Well, that is what we are here to help, isn’t it? Confronting your past trauma will help you overcome it. We will do it together, okay?”\n\n“Okay.”\n\n“Okay. So, what is the first memory you want to discuss?”\n\n“The drop onto Arorxas CR-Q 278-3. The continental planet. The natives had built a pre-spaceflight civilization there, maybe… 50 or 80 years before they’d discover the Hyperlane Network. They were not likely to be a threat, but that area of space was very volatile…”\n\n“And so the decision was made to invade the planet and set up a tributary government.”\n\n“Yes. That’s right. To help stabilize the region.”\n\n“So you were the second wave?”\n\n“Yes. I was in the second wave of troops. We were meant to move into the population centers and control the natives, once their military had been defeated by our own. Except…”\n\n“Except… it wasn’t.”\n\n“Yes. I don’t know how the natives, these ‘humans,’ managed it, but they fought without air cover, without orbital support, hell, without even the support from their surface navy. They were… savage. It was…”\n\n“Take your time. I’m right here. There are no humans here.”\n\n“I’m just… I’m just remembering. What happened to my… friend. Mirazla.”\n\n“You’ve mentioned her several times before. It sounds like she was very important to you.”\n\n“She was. I was going to… We’d been together for a few months and… I…”\n\n You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t feel ready. Losing a loved one is very hard. We can discuss that a later session.”\n\n“No, I… I think I need to talk about it. She wouldn’t have wanted me to forget her. But if it gets too hard, I can stop?”\n\n“Of course.”\n\n“Okay, I’ll... I’ll try then. Well, it was maybe two years ago. It was during the winter on their planet. They called it Earth; it was a lot colder than Tarrakis. Some of the reptiloid auxiliaries couldn’t really operate outside of the FOBs, so our numbers on the ground were limited. Mirazla’s patrol… had gone MIA some days ago, so we were ordered to take extra caution and report all disturbances to command. I wanted to go looking for her, but inside those human cities they could be hiding anywhere. Even with deep scanners, it was hard to see just how many people were inside the buildings. We were on patrol and we heard screaming up ahead and… And when we investigated, I saw Mirazla and she was… And I…”\n\n“Are you doing okay? Do you want to stop?”\n\n“Yes, I’m okay. I need to… It has to be said. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, though. What happened was…”\n\n“No, it’s quite alright. I’ve heard many stories from the Human War. I know that this might be graphic. I just want to make sure you’re not uncomfortable.”\n\n“Yeah, I know, it’s just… seeing Miralza like that in my mind again… They had… They had stripped her out of her armor, beaten her… She was, covered in bruises, burns… It was a nightmare. They even had... cut off her legs, and they… They had strapped a m-muzzle onto her like an animal. And wh—when I got closer, I n-noticed that they had… She was covered in… I…”\n\n“This is very hard for you, I know. Let’s talk about something else.”\n\n“No, I… I want to finish. I *have* to. For her sake.”\n\n“Then take a deep breath and go ahead, when you’re ready.”\n\n“Okay… W-well, I saw her hanging in the middle of the street and I called out to her. I ran to cut her down, even though my squad leader told me not to. She was shaking her head and screaming. I should have… I should have known then. My friend Azreas held me back; he saved my life, I realize…”\n\n“…”\n\n“…Sorry, Doctor.”\n\n“It’s quite alright.”\n\n“I saw the corpsman and two other marines go to collect her. She was still screaming from behind that awful muzzle, trying to move away from us. The medic got up to her and tried to hold her steady and… And then she exploded.”\n\n“…”\n\n“…”\n\n“The bomb killed all four of them instantly. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”\n\n“I’m sorry. I really, truly am.”\n\n“Why? Why did they have to do this? W-why? Why do they hate us so much?”\n\n“I don’t know. I know it’s hard to imagine what aliens think, what humans think. But we’re all animals when we get desperate enough, humans and Syraxi and Minokans and everyone else. Sometimes it brings out something good in us; sometimes, it brings out something terrible.”\n\n“I’ve seen them around, you know. Since the armistice. On Alistar, Port Hannoc… I don’t get how the other races can even stand to look at them! They don’t know what the humans are capable of!”\n\n“It’s normal to be angry. But war makes people think that they must do horrible things. War makes people lose so much that maybe they forget what it’s like to be a sapient being and they forget things like mercy and kindness. All sorts of people too, not just the humans, I saw things too, you know.”\n\n“You did?”\n\n“I did. I was a gunnery sergeant in the 217th, working with pacification teams on Srodana. I saw the Srodanians take one of their prisoners and cook him alive in boiling oil. It’s awful to think about. It still keeps me up at night. But believe me, it truly does get better.” \n\n“I just… The humans are savage! I can’t f-forget what they d-did to… To my Mirazla.”\n\n“Nobody is asking you to. I don’t think Mirazla would want you to. But our people did much the same to each other even a millennium ago. And some of my clients are haunted by what their fellow soldiers did to the humans. Cruelty is not inherent to being a particular species; it’s inherent to war.”\n\n“Why do they have to be *here?*”\n\n“Letting the humans see the galactic community for themselves is the first step to healing. For both their people and ours. We have to forgive the wounds we inflicted on one another, or they’ll just open up again.”\n\n“I… I don’t know if I can do that right now.”\n\n“Then you don’t have to. Wounds take time to heal. Physical wounds, psychological wounds… They all will take time to heal. And some wounds will never heal fully. But you have to try anyways, if you want to recover. You have to commit to the healing process.”\n\n“I… Okay, Doctor. I’ll try.”\n\n“Thank you. Sometimes, trying is all you have to do. Here, I have a pamphlet for a support group you may be interested in. It’s a Veteran Recovery Group. The people there have lost a lot too. They know what that pain feels like. I still go myself, sometimes. I think it would be nice if I saw you there.”\n\n“I’ll look into it, Doctor. Thank you.”\n\n“You’re welcome.”\n"
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You are a server admin so you randomly speak aloud many bits of code,you one day say,shutdown L,and everything goes black,you wake up in your bed,except everythings different,you then go back to your computer to find a server running it has a ton of chat messages sliding through including everything did in your life
| [WP] Server Admin | 1 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"I walked to the water cooler to grab a drink. They all gave me strange looks. Janet spoke to Dave sitting next to her in a voice just loud enough for everyone to hear, “Oh look, Writing_the_things stepped out of his cave again!” \n\nAnother joke, great. You wouldn’t make it 5 minutes though your day Janet without me I thought.\n\nCraig walked over to share a chat, he worked the help desk.. “Don’t feel bad about that stuff. She couldn’t figure out her monitor wasn’t on the other day.” He knew I was the glue that kept this place running. \n“Anyways don’t worry about it, let’s grab a drink tonight down at Penguins,” he said as he shot finger guns(who can say no to finger guns?!).\n\n“Sure I said. After a day like this I could definitely use a drink.”\nA few grueling hours later and we’re at the bar. The sounds of cats dying are blaring through the speakers as the 3rd person in as many half hours is singing about how they’re a small town girl as the neon lights from t I still hadn’t gotten over what Janet said. I was tired of it and I was deciding how to get back at her. \n\n“Craig, what if we played a joke on her?”\n\n“What kind of joke?” He said.\n\n“I don’t know, just something silly like using a script to make her computer shut down” I suggested.\n\n“Dude you know I’m not good with that stuff. What would the script say?” Craig asked.\n\n“Oh that’s easy. Just something simple like ‘**sudo shutdown -P now**’”\n\n**“MEOW SHUTTING DOWN”** \n\nI woke up what I assumed the next morning with a *killer* hangover. It was my day off, thank god. No let me speak to your manager haircut toting Janet’s to deal with today. I could just relax and out on some pluralsight and videogames. I boot up my pc and I get to the login prompt and it’s… my name?\nHrmm… that’s strange. I try my password and it doesn’t work. I try again and nada. A small box pops up and suggests I try my d.o.b. combined with my DL#, SSN, favorite pet’s name, 3rd card make and model, roomates ex boyfriends cousins best friends sisters favorite movie(we used to date) all combined together. Well after about 10 mins I’ve got it all squeezed into one ungodly password and I’m in. There’s nothing there. No icons, no start menu, nothing. \n Just a single file labeled ‘yourlife.txt’\nI open it up and it’s just a line items of everything I’ve ever done. Every conversation I had. Every meal I ate. Every breath I took. Time and date stamped. I’m looking through and I can’t believe it. That one time I saw the neighbors wife getting undressed in the upstairs bathroom through the window? It’s there. 11:57 5/23/1998. My first kiss, it’s there. The first time I fell in love, it’s there. The time I dropped my hotdog in the dirt and picked it up and blew and wiped off as much as I could and then ate it? It’s all there. Every dirty little secret, every damn thing in my life. I’m flabbergasted.\nWhat the hell is this? \n\nI keep scrolling until I get near the end. I’m reading about how I’m at the bar with Craig talking about Janet, oh yeah. Fuck Janet. I gotta write that script. Then I read where I say those words and what follows leaves me speechless.\nThe Log:\n\n“Oh that’s easy. Just something simple like ‘**sudo shutdown -P now**’” @ 22:14 – 2/26/18\n\n“**MEOW SHUTTING DOWN**”\n\nVirtual Life has now been shutdown. This life has been removed and all directories and files have been purged. The hardware will be returned to the factory for decommission and resue while the drive will be destroyed. Please know that your existence is now forfeit and will cease to be with the closure of this file.\n\nThis file will now close so DBAN can commence in:\n\n10…\n\n9…\n\n8…\n\n7…\n\n6…\n\n5…\n\n4…\n\n3…\n\n2…\n\n1…\n\nThank you for choosing WP’s VirtualLife!\n"
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[WP] We have achieved FTL travel, and joined into the galactic community with our culture. The galaxy's favorite passtime is seeing what fledgling civilizations thought aliens would look like. Our sci-fi never fails to get a group of xenos laughing their asses off. | 117 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Hablak entered the room like he'd just conquered the entire Mortain cluster.\n\n*I have acquired it!* Hablak signed quickly as he rushed over to his roommates, carrying strange dark blocks in his minor articulation. *Two of them!*\n\n\"TWO?\" Bolt thundered through his five external diaphragms. \"HOW EXCELLENT FOR ENTERTAINMENT DESIRE FULFILLMENT.\"\n\n\"Which...ones.\" Zob deflated heavily to get the question out.\n\n*This Island Earth and Pod People* Hablak presented the black bricks before him. *On magenetic tape!*\n\n\"MAGNETIC TAPE!\"\n\n*With commercials!*\n\n\"Fan...tas...tic.\"\n\nHablack began the complicated process of sticking black boxes into other black boxed and connecting the several power and input cords through a vast series of jury-rigged connectors. \n\n\"Pod...people...good?\"\n\n\"IT IS MOST EXCELLENT.\" Bolt flailed his cilia in emphasis. \"ALIEN IS MAN IN SUIT WITH GARGLAK HEAD AND PLUMBING TUBE AFFIXED TO FACE.\"\n\n*Spoliers!* \n\n\"APPOLOGIES.\"\n\n\"That...sounds...so...dumb.\"\n\n\"IT IS EXCELLENTLY STUPID!\"\n\n*Got it!* Hablak waved his upper articulation in triumph. *Pressing play!*\n\nThe group settled into their nesting pods as the human warning played. Then they all began to express their species' signs of confusion.\n\n\"WHY IS THERE HUMAN SINGING? WHO IS JOEL? WHY ARE THERE ROBOTS?\"\n\n*Flark!* Hablak signed with his middle appendages, *I got the wrong versions.*"
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[WP] Changing a Wikipedia article will actually change reality to match what was written. Only the people who edit Wikipedia actually seem to notice this. | 213 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"The following was posted on wikileaks and was removed exactly 30 seconds after posting. I have no idea what to make of it… \n******************************************************************************\nClassified X-13 OMEGA CLEARANCE \nTEMPDEF report to POTUS 2/2X20XX Reguarding temporal anomalies.\n\nA hacker found a backdoor into Wikipedia and inserted a virus of unknown origin. The resulting code is identical to that of Project Abracadabra (see note one).\nIt was first discovered when user CheeseCutter69’s autocorrect rendered “Nazi Socalist Party” as “Nazi Vocalist Party” while editing an article about the Reichstag Fire. The ripple was felt immediately, changing the group from a byword for hatred and evil into a beloved choral group that had been performing for almost 100 years, and known for their impressive music and which inspired all of Europe to recover from the first world war. The changes caught the attention of 4 chan and then further experimentation occurred. One change would be quickly counteracted by another. The most notable changes included:\nNicholas Cage’s occupation being changed to “Head Beekeeper”.\nSean Bean dying in his own bed at the age of eighty, after a drunken orgy.\nThe current value of bitcoin being $100,000 which prompted a massive selloff which crashed the global economy. \nDonald Trump wins 2003 London World Bridge tournament. \nTiger Woods profession changed to “Porn Star”\nGordon Ramsey elected prime minister of UK in 2016. \nAjit Pai fatally struck by falling Tesla Roadster. \nBenjamin Franklin being best remembered for his invention of “sharks with frickin lazer beams” .\nAfter each step TempDef was able to reverse the changes, but was unable to patch the vulnerability which made it possible. On September 11th 20XX about 7:30 pm EST, The time crash*See classified report T100-11-13133* happened when George Carlin, Edward Snowden, Deadpool, Hatsune Miku , Adolf Hitler, Elon Musk, Tupac Shakur, Gendo Ikari , Chuck Norris and Jesus Christ’s pages were simultaneously edited to say they were the incumbent POTUS. The timeline was reasonably restored at great cost via Project Bluebox although it exists in an imperfect state with minor intermittent changes, How the coding from Project Abracadabra made it into Wikipedia remains inconclusive.\nNotes\nProject Abracadabra: A program written from binary coding hidden in the Kabbahlah, Torah and Talmud, the word Abracadabra translates to “I create as I speak”. The program apparently allows the user to alter the world based upon what they write. \n\n\n",
"I heard the rumours, but the voice of reason in my head knew better. That didn’t, however, stop the temptation to edit a Wikipedia page. \n\nIt was pretty easy to pick a page. I mean, the US has just experienced of its most peaceful and prosperous year in history. So I thought I could get a good laugh by changing a very obvious and clear fact. It helped that I had been a trusted editor in Wikipedia for a few years. I mean, who else was going to stop the pranksters from editing my school’s page?\n\nBut I didn’t realise it would lead to this. You, the reader, you won’t believe me. But you’ve got to try. You see, my mess up extended further than a single page. I think that because it was a such a huge change, larger portions of reality changed with it to fit the narrative. How could I have known? I’m just a college student!\n\nBut it’s too late now. But not too late for you to try spread my story. To warn others of the danger. Please, you have to. I might have deprived the world of a better future, but you can maybe change it if you co-ordinate. You can see my mistake, my horrible mishap [here](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States) . \n\nOf course you can see it elsewhere, by that is where it began. And now for at least another three years, that idiot will be smiling back at me on that page.",
"Are you aware of the Mandela effect? The conspiracy theory that when you think something is one way that you remembered, but was something far different? It got its name from the memory people had when Nelson Mandela was thought dead after his activism in Africa, while he was in fact alive and in prison? Maybe you know of it as the Berenstain Bears, where people remembered it as the Berenstein Bears? You can thank Wikipedia of all things for that.\n\nIt started one day when an editor for a Wikipedia decided to be an internet troll and edit President Donald Trump's page to include a few paragraphs to include his death at the hands of...Sonic the Hedgehog. Someone had warped reality by inserting a fictional blue hedgehog into our world, and gave him the motive to assassinate our president. I would cringe at the idea, but I can't press myself to do so in current circumstances. I'll get to that later.\n\nOnce someone edited out these events, undoing the death of Trump, more editors started finding that errors such as Mandela's death or the spelling of the Berenstain Bears were making reality shift more and more, and we had to police ourselves more before the public would catch on, if they ever would. That means we couldn't force the death of Hitler before the Holocaust, that we couldn't force the existence of the cure for cancer, these things had to and have to happen naturally or else history and reality will be fractured.\n\nOur efforts to keep the world intact while updating and editing Wikipedia have been proven fruitless, however, once user fartbutts420 made their way into the Wikipedia editing community. fartbutts420 was a sociopath, cynical and uncaring to the core, and we are all paying the price. It is due to their edits that our world is blinking out of existence in thirty minutes, and that we are unable to stop it, as prophesized in their article, End of the World. We cannot edit or remove their work, and we cannot write anything to save our world. I'm writing this in the hopes it could somehow, someway, reach someone in another plane of existence to save them. \n\nPlease, do not misuse Wikipedia."
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[WP] You are a superhero that wields the power of plot twist. You always somehow manage to save the day with unexpected events when you are about to lose. One day, you have met your match; a supervillain that wields the power of plot holes. | 75 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"A hundred orphans floated in the air above the volcano, their lives hanging on by the fragile thread that was Zykor's power of telekinesis.\n\n\"Not so fast, Zykor,\" I said. He cackled. *Why do they always cackle?* \"Free the orphans, and I just might spare your life.\"\n\n\"These half-fairy orphans will improve my powers a hundredfold! There is nothing you can do!\"\n\n\"Uh, what? Half-fairies? They're just orphans, Zykor.\"\n\n\"Actually,\" said the villain, \"they are half-human half-fairy creatures.\"\n\n\"Alright, but--\"\n\n\"And the fairies are aliens.\"\n\n\"Now hold on ...\"\n\n\"What can you do, Deus? Is there anything you *can* do?\"\n\nNothing so far had indicated that these children were anything but regular orphans. It made no sense. Well, never mind that. It was time to twist.\n\n\"TWIST!\" I yelled. \"Phew. That should suffice.\"\n\nSuddenly, a hoard of alien ships arrived. They were the fairy-alien parents of the orphans. They aimed their space weaponry at Zykor.\"\n\n\"What's this?\" said he. \"Oh my, it seems I have been caught. *Unless* ...\" he said.\n\n\"Unless what?\"\n\n\"Unless I already anticipated this and arranged for the Earth to be handed over to the aliens in exchange for this small sacrifice.\"\n\nThe aliens re-directed their guns at me.\n\n\"What the--ugh! TWIST!\"\n\nThe volcano erupted, highly selectively, showering lava over the alien ships while sparing the orphans.\n\n\"Very clever, Deus,\" said Zykor. \"But what about the marines?\"\n\n\"The whatnow?\"\n\nOut of nowhere a troop of marines popped up and started firing at me.\n\n\"Wow! TWIST!\"\n\nA lone marine stopped and held up a hand. The rest of his fellow marines halted at his command. \"S-Sheryl?\" He said. It turned out his daughter was one of the orphans and he had thought this whole time she was dead.\n\n\"Enough with the plot holes, Zykor! I can twist them all!\"\n\n\"But what happens, dear *Douche*, when you twist a hole?\"\n\n\"I'll ask your mother the next time I see her, Zykor.\"\n\n\"Don't you mean ... *our mother*?\"\n\n\"What? That ... That doesn't even make sense.\"\n\n\"Look behind you, Deus.\"\n\nAs much as a trope that sentence was, I had to see. And there she was. My mother. She looked awkward, knitting a sock at the edge of the volcano.\n\n\"I always meant to tell you, Deus. I was meant to have twins. But you consumed your brother in the womb. Even though it makes no sense logically, he's here now. So that's that. Zykor's your twin brother.\"\n\n\"Also,\" said Zykor, \"I grew up in an orphanage. Which is why I am prepared to defend the lives of these orphans with my life.\"\n\n\"But you were going to burn them in the volcano ...\"\n\n\"That was only what I made you *think*. Actually, the orphans have been hacking into the world banking system and has just erased all debt. Without debt, parents will be free from financial burden and won't have to give up their children because they can't afford to take care of them.\"\n\n\"You a hacker now, Sheryl?\" said the marine.\n\n\"It's true dad,\" said Sheryl. She teleported to her father and they hugged, to cheers from his fellow marines.\n\n\"Hah!\" I said. \"But this makes you a hero, not a villain!\"\n\n\"You still want to stop me, don't you?\"\n\n\"Well yes, but--\"\n\n\"Doesn't that then make *you* the villain?\"\n\n\"Hold on ... that's a --\"\n\n\"Twist? Why, yes it is.\"\n\nI fell on my knees and cried out into the dark night: \"Noooooo!\"",
"Rain gathered and buildings crashed, dust billowed and a gust of wind carried it through the city--two figures stood apart beneath the cloudy grey city skyline. \n\nThe caped man stumbled, and fell back--reaching toward the dull sky.\n\nA young woman--possibly a teen--stepped closer to him, the look of utter satisfaction spread across her perfect perfect lips and glistening marble skin. She smiled, and two long and pointy fangs were bore. \"It is \n like over,\" She said. \"This is like, totally no longer your city.\"\n\nThe man's eyes lost their spirit, and he could hardly move. Drops of rain hit his forehead. He just stared up at the sky--and he saw hope. \"I don't think so.\" He said, and the drops rain began to lessen.\n\nThe teen approached him and leaned over. \"You've lost, just like--accept it.\"\n\n\"I can't accept a world where people like you think you can rule.\" He scoffed, and a little but of blood dribbled out from the side of his mouth. \"I can barely life a finger, but for your sake, I think I'll manage this...\"\n\nThe man began to weakly raise his hand, and pointed his finger to the sky. \n\nThe girl looked up, and through the clouds a beam of light peered through and illuminated the young teen's face. She looked down after taking in the ray--\"So?\" she said.\n\nThe man's eyes widened, \"But I thought sunlight was you--\" His mouth was grabbed and she begun to lift him from the ground with her perfectly manicured hands. Her luscious and utterly voluminous hair glistened perfectly in the light.\n\nIn the moment he was being lifted--the man realized something was near--a piece of a wooden chair leg that was broken in a way to give it a point. The man didn't question his luck--and grabbed it. With all his strength he shoved it deep into the girl's heart. \n\nLike wings of blood--spraying out from her back, splattering into the air and ground with a raging force. She smiled, \"That won't work on me anymore.\" She said, tossing the man, his divine luck and efforts aside with a hand wave--he collided into a pile of rubble. \"I am like, so much stronger than you think. I am the hero this world needs, just move aside old man.\"\n\n\"No.\" He said. \n\n\"Rude.\" she said. \"Like, whatever. I'll let you be ungrateful. It is a new era.\"\n\n\"No.\" He said. \"You think everyone will fall for you and be alright with you, don't you? Because you think you are perfect all the time.\" \n\n\"I am just your average teen-hero-vampire.\" She said, and flicked her hair. \"And you are so old news. I've beat you, you lost. Give up.\"\n\nThe man couldn't move anymore--he could feel the rebar sticking through his side. \"I'll admit I've lost. I'm pretty weak compared to a lot of people, and I know that. But I always try my best and to do what is right. Here is a thing you might have never heard before in your perfect fantasy life--it is okay to lose. It happens.\"\n\n\"You don't need to say anymore, I've heard enough of old people thinking they like know anything.\" She said, and turned her back on him. \"I've kicked your butt, and I've won today.\"\n\nHe closed his eyes. \"You think you've won today... Heh. Think like that if you want. I'm not giving up.\"\n\n\"Fight me, go ahead. I'll beat you down every time you come at me.\"\n\n\"Plot twist,\" He said with a smile realizing something-- he clutched his side and stemming the flow of blood that was beginning to form a thick puddle around him. \"I'm not going to fight you like you want. I see now you're just a kid. Even if it is the last thing I do, I will make you see how the adult world really is.\"\n\n\"Shut up.\" She said. \n\n\"You can't hide in your perfect little world forever. You'll grow up one--\"\n\n\"Shut up!\" She was as quick as the fastest superhero out there--maybe faster. \"Shut up!\" She was right upon the man--raising her hand up and bringing it down upon his chest. Blood splattered, and bones crunched beneath her blow.\n\nBlood soaked her hand, and she breathed out. \"I'm the hero. There is no place in the world for you, old--...\" \n\nSomething moved, and the girl spotted a small crowd of people hiding among the destroyed havoc of the city. They looked on with horror at what she had done.\n\nShe looked down at the man, limp and lifeless. \"Old man... I'm the hero.\"\n\nThere was a child in the crowd, and tears began to well in their eyes, dropping a doll of caped man.\n\nShe stood tall, and she could see the crowd cower and gasp at her movement. Looking at her bloodied hand. \"I'm the hero... Right?\"\n"
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"1519676419",
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[WP] You've been stuck reliving the same 5 seconds for a few days. | 7 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"It's happened again but I'm almost in control. The trick is to ignore the clock, of that I'm absolutely sure. The clock is what got me into -\n\nIt's happened again but I'm almost in control. The trick is to talk faster. Send messages out to whoever might be reading this. Upv-\n\nIt's happened again but I'm losing control now. The clock is what got me into - No wait quicker, talk quicker -\n\nIt's happened again. I'm losing control, Time is my enemy. I have a window of five seconds. How do I stop this?\n\nIt's happened again - for the love of ... \n\nIt's happened again...\n\nIt's happened again...\n\nIt's happened again...\n\nIt's happened again... No wait... An extra seco-\n\n... It's happened again. Help, another second, help -\n\nIt's happened again...\n\nIt's happened again...\n\nIt's happened again...\n\nIt's happened again...\n\nIt's happened again... Is that another second? No? I must wait... Keep waiting.\n\nIt's happened again...\nIt's happened again...\nIt's happened again...\nIt's happened again...\nIt's happened again...\nIt's happened again...\nIt's happened again...\nIt's happened again...\n\nGood God, Gods be Good. It's now seven seconds.\n\nIt's happened again but I'm almost in control. The trick is to ignore the clock, of that I'm absolutely sure. The clock is what got me into this mess. Staring at the the--\n\n"
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1,
6
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"1519690638",
"1519691034"
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[WP] Everybody wants to go to Heaven. Satan discusses strategy with a new marketing team to make people want to come to Hell instead. | 39 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Hell is a conference room. Nobody knows that. Not until you're sitting next to Ted Bundy from marketing slurping on a Styrofoam cup of Sams Club coffee. Every slurp asks who needs coffee under the bright, burning glare of a fluorescent bulb. Hellfire was supposed to be actual fire I thought. I thought there would be screams of sinners too, but the only scream is the constant low digital ring of a telephone. On the line always a caller who could have emailed but wants to talk instead. \n\n\"AHEM!\"\n\nI guess I was staring off again. Eva Braun notices everything. Her throat clears may as well be 1,000 fingernails scraping across a chalkboard. I look up to see her eyes staring right at me, lips pursed so tight they look like an asshole. She's the Executive Assistant now. Promoted from HR. She handed me my handbook the day I arrived. Welcome to Hell written on the cover in Tacoma. It was also the day I received her first \"AHEM\" over my slightly loosened tie. \n\nAttila the Hun was doing his usual pace and talk in front of a Powerpoint screen. He's in my division and although technically we are equivalents, he flexes every minuscule amount of power he has. It's insecurity if you ask me. He had one successful idea and he has been riding that wave ever since. I don't even have to pay attention to know that the last 5 minutes, as well as the next 5 minutes will be about guns. Attila presses his hand held clicker and just as a fart predicates a shit, a picture of an assault rifle fills the screen. Audible \"hmm's\" are heard around the room. I scan each face as my eyes follows theirs to the end of the table. \n\nSatan sits there staring straight ahead. His chin resting on his hand with two fingers up embracing his face, his other arm supporting the base of his elbow as he slinks as far back in his chair as possible. One could say he looks bored, but that is always his face and he certainly is anything but apathetic. \n\n\"There's some new angles here, I will give you that\" - Satan says to an Attila smiling like a dog that just got his prick licked at the first sign of his approval - \"but we need to start looking at new markets, younger markets.\" Attila nods as his dopey face gets serious. The room is silent. Satan leans forward, the sound of his chair squeaks with release. \"I'm giving you all another 24 hours,\" he says staring straight ahead as he stands up, prompting the entire room to stand as well. \"No more of this low fat churned horseshit. Millennial's aren't eating horseshit.\" With that, he left as Eva follows behind, her arms wrapped around a legal pad like it's the only thing to have ever wanted a hug from her.\n\nI walk back to my cubicle, which really could be described as home. It is the most private place for me in Hell since the shitter stalls are so high, with door cracks so large they barely serve a purpose. My cubicle is just large enough for one desk and one chair. Its mandatory to personalize the space. The mandatory part is to take away any sense of control one would want to have in the task of personalizing something. Photos of my wife and daughter are in tiny frames against the cubicle wall. They're the same photos I had on my desk before Hell. Truth is I look at them more now. Every time in fact. I never looked at them with purpose before, just in passing. The other personalized item is a mug in the shape of a golf bag. It was a gift for my first soul conversion. I have not gotten any gifts since. \nI slump into my chair. An uncomfortable displaced support bar protrudes just enough into my back to always notice it. I stare into my off computer screen, back to the place I was in the conference room before Eva interrupted. \n \n\"Ahem,\" this time the throat clearing is gentle and welcomed. I quickly look over to see Neda standing there. She never smiles, well nobody smiles in Hell, but the slight pull on the tips of her eyes are the best part of my day every time. \"Hard at work?\" She asks sarcastically. \n\nNeda doesn't belong here. That needs to be said. Neda is part of a group of people in Hell, who ended up here thinking they did the right thing. That statement can be ambiguous in Hell. Pol Pot who now runs the entire IT division thinks he did the right thing. Neda is here because she did the right thing against someone like Pol Pot. She did it with C4 strapped to her chest, but she did it hungry, she did it scared, she did it because she was forgotten by the world. She still did it and it was enough to get her to a copy editor position in Hell.\n\n\"I am working about as hard as this chair is. You wanna help?\" I said walking to meet her eyes as close as I could.\n \n\"Let's have a walk and talk?\" Neda used just enough inflection in her voice to clarify just how much she hated that phrase.\n\n\"Just had this big meeting,\" I said as we both walked down the hall, side by side, past beige cubicle after beige cubicle. \"Satan wants younger interest in Hell. We're going in circles. Attila is stuck on guns again. Witchcraft hasn't worked since the 90's. Money was good for awhile.\"\n\n\"It's why you're here!\" Neda cut in.\n\nI brushed it off with a raised eyebrow. \"Money was working til just a few assholes took it all. It's lost its luster for the young ones.\"\n\n\"It never worked for me.\" Neda says locking eyes with me. \n\n\"Yeah well you never had the chance.\" This is how we always talk now. Somewhere between a flirtation and an argument.\n\nNeda's eyes sink. \"Well you know what worked for me.\" \n\nI stopped for a moment. I took her statement in. I knew she didn't say it to give me any ideas. I knew she didn't want this idea to reach Satan 24 hours from now at the same conference room table under that same burning fluorescent fucking light. But it was too late. She put it there in my head and now I couldn't escape it. I could get the whole golf course this time. \n\n\"Thanks for the chat.\" I said as I turned around to walk back to my desk. \n\nWith a long pause, Neda watched me. \"Anytime\" she said under her breath. \n\nMy hell was a conference room in 24 hours. Her hell was her truth. Either way we were in Hell together, maybe that was the only truth that mattered. ",
"I swallowed hard as the call came in. Satan had demanded his crack marketing team come up to the 666th floor to discuss something of vital importance regarding the current state of hell. I quickly paced to the elevator running into Steve and Maggie along the way. \n\n\"So how bad do you think it is?\", asked Maggie.\n\n\"Must be something if he's just dropping it out of the blue on us\", I stated. I was right of course. Satan never demanded much out of us, only that we keep up with the current trends of sin and deployed propaganda accordingly.\n\n\"Ah it won't be that bad\", said Steve. \"You know how the big guy gets. The world starts going to shit and everyone starts praying to the big guy again\".\n\nI always never liked Steve. He never took this job seriously. You know for the a guy that had robbed the elderly blind in his previously life, he always seemed to lackadaisical. The only reason Satan even tolerated him, was Steve's ability to not give a shit about anyone. The guy had no morals when it came to who he screwed over.\n\nThe heat rose as the elevator reached the 666th floor. Monica awaited us outside of Satan's door. \n\n\"He is ready for you now\" she said with that wicked smile of hers. \"Good luck\".\n\nWe hurried through the pitch black doors and into the conference room. The place always gave me the creeps. Satan had designed it to give him the highest view of Hell. He had a wall completely made of glass to view over his domain. From here you could almost see the nine circles of hell.\n\nNo sooner than we sat down, than Satan swung around in his chair. \n\n\"Team. We have a problem\" he stated. \"People are just not interested in appeasing me anymore. Everyone always wants to confess their sins and accept God into their hearts\". He used to hands to emphasis \"confess\" and \"accept\". \"Hell, no pun intended\" he smirked \"but I can't even get my acolytes on Earth to even convince people to come here like they once did. I mean Is this place really that bad?\". He stood up and looked out onto Hell.\n\n\"I mean look at this place. It's basically a paradise for those lost in sin. I have people living their wildest and darkest dream down here. Some are lost in vast pools of wealth, some murder without consequence, vast feasts and orgies every night and day. What does Heaven possible have that I don't?\" He sighed and walked back over. This was a first for me. I had never seemed the big guy so glum. He was right, however, people lining up to go to Hell had gone down in a steady supply. People's thought on Hell was a bit overzealous. When people thought of Hell, they imagined burning lakes of fire, torture, and damnation for all eternity. What they didn't realize was Satan had basically turn Hell into a do whatever the hell you want type of society.\n\nI look over at Maggie. She had the same expression I did. Confused that Satan was taking this so personally. Further down I glanced at Steve. Steve wasn't giving two shits about Satan's problem. He leaned back on hand, elbow propped on the table staring off into space. Seriously the nerve of the guy. \n\nSatan suddenly slammed his hands on the table, fire burning in his eye. \n\n\"Damn it all, I need suggestions, NOW!\".\n\nI quickly piped up \"Maybe we could adjust our algorithms to Earth. Convince people that what they think here isn't what they think in their head, people don't see this place for the paradise it really is\".\n\nMaggie quickly took over \"Perhaps we shift blame to the Gods side of the field. Have you seen how bad some people use his name for their beliefs? You have people already fighting on exactly what he stands for\".\n\nSteve let out a yawn and looked at Satan. \"Perhaps you can stop being such a dick.\"\n\nMaggie and I froze in our chairs. I took one look at Satan and saw brimstone leaking through every pore in his body. Steve had done it now. After a few seconds Satan maintained his composure and walked over to the phone. \n\n\"Monica?\"\n\n\"Yes sir?\"\n\n\"Could you please put in a request for a new marketing consultant? I'm in need of a spare\".\n\n\"Right away sir\".\n\nI barely felt the heat pass my face before I realize Steve was out of his chair and tossed through the window. For good measure Satan set Steve on fire as he started falling. I felt an evil smile creep along my face. Steve was always a dick anyways."
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"1519750038",
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[WP] This version of Earth is a wash. The angels have held a lottery and you have been chosen to end the world. You are given any resource you need; magic, technology, rEality alteration. Whether it’s wholesale destruction of the planet or just the death of all sentient life is up to you. “Have fun” | 512 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"\"Dead, they should all be dead why didn't my plan work!\" Colton said.\n\n\"I don't know.\" repplied Barry.\n\n\"Alison do you have any idea...\" Tom said before Alison put daggers through his back stabbing both his lungs at once.\n\n\"What?\" Alison replied as all eyes went to her, \"He cheated on me and Colton you said yourself that you were supposed to have killed all the people out there with your idea.\"\n\nIt did make it easier for Colton with one less person to wipe out his increase of predators on land, giving dolphins opposable thumbs and giving amphibious capabilites to dolphins and octopi Colton. then gets the brilliant idea of fusing all of the human race into one hive mind then store all knowledge from there inside a heavily protected room that should keep the info safe for the sea life.\n\n The issue with the plan was some people missed the hive mind because they were needed for the next part of the plan or they were with Colton helping him unfortunately Tom was weak minded enough that the hive mind probed and found him. Realizing this and due to having been cheated on Alison stabs him so his mind has a wall of pain mental block from the hive. Once this plan is ready the entire supply of the world's nukes get flung into space, Colton detonates all other missiles on earth and the hive sees in Tom's last breath that Colton is on a boat and he will doom the world. Then Colton starts flooding the earth every crack, crevice, and structure under 50 meters of water minimum. Barry wants to go scuba diving and takes a row boat of gear with him so he can die in peace looking at the beauty of a submerged city. Colton and alison decide to have some fun until it is there time to go doing whatever they can think of wanting to do before dying. The last thing they do is play a game of chess and just as Colton gets a checkmate Alison passes away Colton then sends out a tidal wave from where they undocked their ship and used it to put Barry over a city and to wipe out all other boats in the water all submarines get crushed by the tidal wave's pressure and non air tight seals which Colton already planned for once he had the ship idea. One submarine stays in working condition and a giant octopus starts piloting it after dragging it to the surface of the water and managing to access the balast controls to make the sub float instead of sink.\n\n",
"There they are. A massive collection of massive rockets, each 15 miles high, and a mile wide. On board is every human still on earth and the resources to sustain them on Mars for three years. I was told Earth needs a reset, but that doesn’t mean mankind does. I’d sooner die than kill every human, though for the sake of being thorough I suppose I’d have to. I’ve given them food, fusion reactors, construction equipment, habitats, enough material for thousands upon thousands of square miles of solar panels and wind turbines once they get there. And anything else they might need. \n\nThe exhaust force of 11734 of these behemoths launching simultaneously should leave anything left on this continent scorched and ruined. It already worked for North and South America, Africa, and Eurasia. It’s now time for Australia to leave. Liftoff is in ten minutes. I’m staying behind in an underground bunker, with my own private spacecraft. Once everyone else is gone I’ll crash the moon into the earth for good measure. Plus it’ll be a wondrous sight to behold. I’ve been slowly making the moon fall closer and closer to the earth on each orbit. It helped convince everyone to abandon the earth if they thought it would be destroyed anyways. \n\n...T-minus 10 seconds to launch. ...T-minus 5 \n... even hear, a mile underground I can feel the ground shaking and hear the roar of millions of engines starting. 3... 2... 1.... liftoff. My cave is getting hot. My ears are filled with the booming roaring howl of nearly 12000 rockets shoving hot gases out their rear end. They’ll fly in formation through the atmosphere and burn their way into orbit, then towards mars over the next 15 minutes. A few minutes from now their expended first stages will all fall into the Pacific Ocean. It’ll be doom and gloom for any fish those fiery hunks of metal fall upon. But that’s ok. Where we’re going we won’t need fish.\n\nRight then, now it’s my turn. I clambered into my spacecraft, set atop a recreation of the N1 made with more reliable modern technology. I programmed a launch profile that would send me towards mars. I’ve been preparing for this moment for months. It’s time.\n\nAs I lifted off through a tunnel from my underground bunker and finally reached the surface I looked around and saw the utter destruction that had been forced upon this part of the world. The surface was black with soot and scorch marks. Not a single tree nor blade of grass was left standing. I saw a massive tidal wave hitting the coast as a result of millions of tons of metal slamming into the pacific. As I was in orbit I called the moon in for its final approach with the earth, just before performing my transmars injection burn. I was about 15000 miles away from the Earth when the moon hit. The whole atmosphere glowed with an orange red light as the moon slammed into the surface. Bits of rock spewed out into deep space, many of them larger than a mountain. So much destructive power had a very surreal feeling. I vowed never to use it again.",
"There once was a story I've read, about a young man who could decide the end of any human he knew. I wondered what I would do differently with that power. \n\nUntil I was given power to decide the end of any and every human. \n\nIt took some time to establish criteria, and after that, I set to my task with calculated determination. \n\nThirty years after my meeting with those above the world, when the global conflicts were more or less taken care of, a breakthrough in quantum physics created the first faster-than-light drive. \n\nHumanity soared to the stars, as they always aspired to. I ensured that they would meet other life forms, including sapient ones. \n\nI lived countless lives, sometimes just trying the mask of a mortal on, other times erasing my memory to fully experience the downfall I orchestrated. I, admittedly, indulged in several guilty pleasures such as recreating most fictional worlds in distant corners of the universe. \n\nAfter all, I - and the humanity - had all the time in the world. And when it comes to ending the world, why force it when entropy can do most of the dirty work for me? ",
"**What?**\n\n\n The three angels gawked in unison, their luminance of their bodies swirling in confusion as their beating of their downy white wings became slightly more frantic. A normal human wouldn’t have been able to look directly at them without going blind. After having woven computer technology, strange DNA and magic through my body I couldn’t reasonably be considered human anymore, or so I hoped, as I waited the long microseconds then angels took to formulate a reply. \n\n\n**You said you would destroy the world of man, E1invar! Your oath yet binds you.**\n\n\nI couldn’t help but laugh “Oh man, If I’d said that it would have been even easier to find loopholes in the Geas you put on me.” I tapped a long slender finger on my flawless jawline. Yea okay, I’d gone a little overboard when I realized I could change my appearance however I wanted, so sue me. \n\n“What I actually said six months ago was that I would cause the extinction of the species homo sapiens and would leave not one of their works as they had placed them. I already did that.” \n\n\n**That is it?** asked Balahim, who was doing his best impression of Marvin the Marian asking where the Ka-boom was, and it was hard not to laugh. \n\n\n**Fool, their planes still fly, their buildings are still intact, and most critically all the humans still live! What manner of deception do you think you’re attempting?** Cassigan was fuming, literal smoke rising from his body, and Aliph was stunned as they checked a long scroll and said **The Geas has been fulfilled, though I know not how...**\n\n\n **Explain!** the angels demanded, and I was all to happy to. \n\n\n“I did exactly what I promised I’d do, but without ending a single sentient life. \nYou see, it came down to two parts; end humanity and topple all their works. The first one was pretty difficult; however, I had the room I needed by using the scientific term, homo sapiens. I had to alter the genome of every human being such that they would longer be reproductively compatible with pervious humans. Even after enhancing my mind I couldn’t figure out how to do this elegantly, so I modified the shape of everyone’s sex cells a little so they wouldn’t interact with old humanity’s anymore, but still interact with new humanity’s. I fixed a few other things while I was at it too; women should have an easier time climaxing, men will have more stamina, I fixed that blind spot where out optic nerve is in front of our retina, in young people and future generations anyway… Oh and cancer’s gone. That’s a big one. \n\nI designed a retrovirus to released it a couple of moths ago, making sure to spray isolated areas via aircraft. I guess you wouldn’t have noticed, but the scientific community has been losing their collective minds about it for over a month now!”\n\n\nThe angels were still gawking at me so I continued. \n\n\n**You said you would destroy their works!** Balahim protested weakly.\n“That was a lot easier by comparison. I said. You know, the spell books you gave me included a lot of *really* powerful spells, including one which could *draw energy directly from the sun*! I mean I know you were trying to end the world, but you don’t feel like that’s a little overkill? Anyway I’ve been using spell for a while now, I figure I’ve bottled up about the mass-energy of Mars. Astrophysicists won’t notice anything’s weird for a while, but radii of rotation of all the orbits around the sun have slightly changed, meaning I’ve moved everything humanity has ever built some fraction of an inch form where they put it. Mission accomplished.” \n\n\nI sat their in smug silence for a moment, as I waited for the other shoe to drop. \n\n\n**Wait, you could not have used so much energy and not destroyed the world… where did you put it all?**\n\n\n“Ah, see, now you’re thinking!” I exclaimed, beaming at them. \n\n\nThe so-called angels glared back. I could tell at least Cass wanted to try and kill me, but I’d placed too many wards around myself for him to be able to get at me without being torn to shreds. \n \n\n **Where!?** they demanded again. \n\n\n“I bunched it into a black hole trapped in a quasi-stable dimensional Kline bottle somewhere dimensionally transcendental from here… in other words in your backyard. And tenuously stable it will remain, as long you all stop trying to eradicate other sapient species.” I gave them my sweetest smile as the equivalents of shock, fear and outrage played on their luminous forms. “I’m going to banish you from this plane of existence now, tell whoever you work for that any further incursions into this reality without permission will be considered an act of war, and will be treated appropriately. Have a nice day!”\n\n\nAs I waved goodbye to them as they were transported far away from my universe, but all my victory and smugness was shattered by a single hissed curse from one of the departing beings. \n\n\n***Lawyers.***\n",
"They came to me with an offer: destroy the Earth and gain ultimate power. I accepted. \n\nI began with a few little things. I sent unprepared people to lead the world, orchestrated a few little disasters and sent the UK some snow.\n \nI released it. A bio-engineered plague. It spread across the world. Then they cured it.\n\nI got North Korea to launch nukes. They were shot down.\n\nI triggered a financial meltdown. They stopped it. \n\nMaybe I should just leave them alone, find a less tenacious species to kill",
" \"I suppose in hindsight I choose a rather sadistic method, but I decided it couldn't end with just one big thing. Does that make any sense? Well.. not like there is anything left that needs to understand. \n \n I asked for Improved Immortatily; I won't bore you with the numerous little details. I grabbed a pistol and went out unto the world. Being honest, I started with my ex. Asshole had it coming. \n\nThen I killed off humanity one by one. I wanted it to be personal for everyone because people in my day and age were just too damned... fuck I don't know the word. Words dont matter much anymore I suppose\n\n Well anyway I killed on sight one at a time slowly outpacing birthrates Thats around when governments tried and failed to do anything People knew the apocalypse was happening ever so slowly when the nukes couldnt stop me They reacted in the ways you would think\"\n\n I stop talking to look at my cat, the last living thing besides me. She was always such a nice cat. I turn to Michael. \n\n\"Just her, ey?\" \n\n\"With this death, it is fulfilled. From the most arrogant of your race to the strongest of creatures deep below, you have slain all. Only Fawn remains. Fulfill the Pact.\"\n\n I look back at Fawn. Damn I loved her. She would still purr when these hands touched her; even when all I saw was the blood. Fucking dumbass animals. Fucking cunt angels. Fucking me. \n\n For the first time in years, my hands shook as I did it. Funny that. I speak to Michael without turning my head. \n\n\"fucking do your part now\" \n\n\"You were a dependable servant until the end. With the fulfillment of this Pact, your chosen blessing is bestowed upon you.\" With that, his holy spear pierced between my eyes. I felt it dig into me, then nothing. \n\n \"Blessings upon you\" Michael said to no one in particular. ",
"A blinding white light jolted me awake. \n\nI blinked. For as far as I can see there was only light. I stood up even though there was nothing below me. \n\nSuddenly a voice spoke, \"hello Jack.\"\n\nI twisted around in surprise and saw a man in a suit. \n\n\"Where am I?\" I asked.\n\nHis face was expressionless as he responded bluntly, \"this is Nowhere.\" Upon seeing my confusion he elaborated. \"This is the place in between the End and the Beginning. Through the process of a lottery, your name as the Greater Scheme would have it, has been chosen.\"\n\n\"Chosen? chosen for what?\" \n\n\"To initiate the End Scheme of course,\" he gestured to his side, where I noticed a desk and monitor.\n\nThe monitor flickered to life, and on the display was an image of Earth from space. I approached the desk and realized that the image was moving. Upon realizing that the image was a live view of Earth, it zoomed in until the image of my hometown appeared. From a bird's eye view, I watched the busy morning traffic and the occasional plane obstructing the view.\n\n\"Hey, what the hell is-\" \n\nI stopped. The man was gone. \n\nI turned my attention back to the monitor and noticed glowing white words on the corner of the screen. \n\nIt read, *Menu.*\n\nTentatively, I tapped it. Promptly, a translucent window emerged, and on it were hundreds of options. \n\nI started reading -*Spontaneous Induced Destruction Event, Meteor Impact Event, Ice Age Event , Solar Collapse Event, Alien Invasion Event, Paradoxical End Event*- the list was endless. \n\nThen I noticed further down the list a few familiar options -*Nuclear Fallout Event, Zombie Apocalypse Event*. \n\n*Interesting.*\n\nThen I noticed another set of options that were highlighted in a different color scheme -*rEality Alteration Options.* \n\nI tapped it and more options appeared -*Spawn Eldritch Monster(s) Event, Spawn Demon(s) Event*- and so on. The list was nearly endless. \n\nI scratched my head, slightly irritated. I simply couldn't decide. \n\n\"If only there was someone I could discuss this with,\" I said aloud to no one in particular. \n\n\"Sure,\" a voice next to me said.\n\nEyes wide I turned my head to the side abruptly and saw myself. My clone, or duplicate, whatever it was standing next to me smiling. \n\n\"Whoa what are you?\" I asked, then poked him. \"You're real?\"\n\n\"How rude,\" he pouted indignantly, then poked me back. \"Not anymore real than you are, if anything.\"\n\n\"Ha. I'm actually a funny guy,\" I remarked amused.\n\n\"Well? are we going to discuss or not?\" he asked.\n\n\"Discuss what?\" \n\n\"How we're going to end the world ya doofus.\"\n\n\"Oh. Right,\" I said while nodding slowly. \n\n\"Let us begin,\" my duplicate sat down on a comfy office-chair with his hands clasped together over his lap. \n\n*How aptly wicked*, I thought.\n\n\"Okay then,\" I agreed. \"Let's start but first-\" I gave my duplicate a stern look, \"-Zombie Apocalypse is off the table.\"\n\nMy duplicate frowned. \"Why not?\"\n\n\"It's too cliche.\" \n\n\"Fine. What about this?\" he pointed to an option on the display.\n\nMy eyebrows rose with amusement. \n\n\"I think I'm starting to like you already.\" \n\n\n----------\n\n/r/Em_pathy\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n",
"For a brief moment, she was God sitting in judgment. Her consciousness encircled the planet. She could see into the hearts and minds of every human on Earth. In the darkness around her were glowing green sets of eyes.\n\nThe beings that came to her had given her the power to change things. They told her that the Earth was corrupted, broken. The best choice was to destroy it all and start over. They said they were angels, but total destruction didn’t sound like something coming from the side of Good.\n\nShe wanted more time to think, but she could feel the impatience coming from the eyes. The “angels”. \n\n“I’ll let them destroy themselves.” She could feel the approval of the angels. Inside, she hoped they would master the power she gave them.\n\nInside the minds of every human on the planet appeared a simple formula. Three interlocking arcs, like footballs with the points merged into each other. In the center of the three arcs was another symbol. It meant “Move”.\n\nIn addition to the formula, she also gave humans the ability to sense life around them and their own lives. They could tell how long someone had lived, and they could sense how long they would have left. The sense had no range limit, but anything past a few hundred feet faded into a quiet buzz.\n\nThe first of the humans finished drawing the symbol. They glanced around the room, not sure what they had expected to happen. As soon as “the other side of the room” entered their mind, they vanished and reappeared there. Smoke rose from the symbol. The ink the human had used was evaporating from the paper.\n\nThe human’s eyes lit up, and they immediately began thinking of applications. They could get rid of their car. They were still clothed, so you could take things with you. Vacations would be amazing - they could walk the black sand beaches of Iceland and sleep in their own bed the same night. They could steal the world’s priceless treasures and never be caught.\n\nGreed. She watched in disappointment.\n\nAll around the world, humans in every language were thinking similar things. They could live anywhere and the costs of commuting would be nonexistent. Teleporting armies would re-invent war. Teleporting terrorists would destroy the idea of safe borders. Some had already launched surprise attacks, seizing the moment.\n\nWrath.\n\nAs thousands of people tested out their new abilities, the distant buzz of other lives grew softer. The first human to use the spell watched their hair turn gray. Power came with costs. The cost for this power was a single year from someone else’s life with every use. After a few minutes, every human was aware of the costs, and that if they kept going, people would die. Regardless,each of them thought “Just one exception for me. What I’m doing is most important.\n\nPride. Life drained out of them. All of them, slowly enough that they kept ignoring it.\n\nTime passed, and new norms settled. The angel’s chosen hung in the void over the world, continuing to watch.\n\nSome users were doing important things. Soldiers waited on standby, ready to counter guerilla strikes. Other users teleported massive amounts of food and medicine to disaster areas, saving more life than they spent. Those caught in dangerous situations, lost in the wilderness or in burning buildings, justifiably used the power to save themselves.\n\nA few were the opposite, offensively casual with the use of their power. They teleported to the kitchen and back to their room instead of walking downstairs.\n\nSloth. \n\nThe drain was faster now. Each jump took more energy, and those in power noticed the abuse of power affecting them.\n\nCountries signed treaties. Borders meant less now, but the old governments still controlled their territories.\n\nBy now, years had passed, and humans had grown adept in their use of both powers. When someone teleported, they could track the signature from the blip of life spent in the same moment. Anyone using unauthorized teleportation would be tracked by warlocks and sucked dry to fuel future castings. \n\nThe largest treaty yet was signed, with every world power in attendance except one. The United States failed to sign the treaty banning teleportation in non-emergencies. Individual cities and states started passing local laws to the same effect, but the rollout was slow. To the rest of the world, they appeared to be a wasteful giant, using destructive energy that the rest of them abstained from.\n\nThe United States dominated global affairs, as the only ones still using teleportation. Other countries watched in frustration as they abused their advantage, making expensive deals with anyone who still wanted to teleport. The treaty did not apply to U.S. citizens, so draining them dry, even if teleporting in countries where it was illegal, would have been an act of war. It wasn’t fair, that they used the power when everyone else stopped.\n\nEnvy.\n\nThe dam broke when sigils other than “Move” were discovered. “Guard”, “Kill”, “Heal”, and the rest of the new powers made it impossible to resist using them. The treaty was broken, and broken so quickly by so many participants that bringing things back into line with force was unfeasible. One by one, each country announced their withdrawal from the treaty.\n\nEveryone on the street was gray-haired and walking unsteadily. The average age of the world’s population was over sixty. Occasionally, you would see someone collapse into dust, as a faraway spell stole the last of their energy. They couldn’t stop. Even as it killed them, they couldn’t stop.\n\nGluttony. In the void between worlds, the angel’s chosen clenched her fists, regretting her choice. She should have just sent a flood. At least it would have been quick.\n\nA turning point came. Humans knew it was the end, and knew there was nothing they could do to stop it. They settled down in their homes with their loved ones, and waited for the world to end.\n\nLust.\n\nFrom the product of one of these apocalyptic unions, a child was born, to parents old enough to be grandparents. Babies born in that time grew quickly, as the constant drain of life energy aged them. \n\nBut after reaching adulthood, this one stopped. They stayed young and beautiful as everyone around them withered. Through some irregularity, they became a nexus. Energy flowed around them and inside them as it left everyone else. Each death added to their power, and each time they used their power, more died.\n\nThe cycle continued without limit. The last of humanity banded together to try and end the monster. A singular outside threat was what it took to unite them. But it was too late. Unlimited use of magic was too powerful to stand against.\n\nWhen the world ended, another pair of green eyes joined the watchers around the angel’s chosen. The young and beautiful ascended.\n\n“It was a trick,” she realized. “The world didn’t need to end. This is how you reproduce. But how did you know what I would choose?”\n\nOne of the watchers responded. “We chose you BECAUSE that was what you would choose. You ran your test, and humanity failed. As fair as can be.”\n\n“So what happens to me now?”\n\n“You were gifted at destruction. Now build a new world, and we will see if it does better than the last.”\n\nOnce more she became God, now exalted in creation.\n______________________________________________________\n58/365. Constructive criticism welcome and appreciated.",
"Its amazing, the way I feel so completely and utterly not different. I thought, having been given this terribly destructive and all consuming power I'd feel filled with, what, i don't know, something. But there's nothing.. Just the knowledge that what I decide reality Should be becomes what reality Is. \n\nSo knowing I was the ender of humanity in this plane of existinance, I started small. I added a few microscopic resistances to viruses, making them more immune to antibiotics. I sent war to Damascus, and famine to Venezuela. I sent an orange goon to lead the Americas, and a dictator to frighten the Russians into submission. Small. Little small pushes. \n\nThen I nudged north and south Korea into a room where they could give personal offenses, starting a nuclear Holocaust in that region of the world. Fires in wine country. Floods on remote tropical islands. Starvation in the south. \n\nThis was all play to me. At any moment I could snap my finger and obliterate the earth. Simply wish the molecules to give up being apart of something, of all things, to simply float. ..but I wanted to take my time. I like to believe I was given this power specifically because of who I am, and who I am is someone who won't rush. \n\nI'll destroy the earth in due time, but until then, I'll slowly demoralize and hurt my brothers and sisters.\n\n*falling asleep writing this. Will edit and finish in morning (unless You wanna build on it) Kay thanks bye.*",
"As I sat in my living room, drinking tea, the angels came to me. They asked me why I shirked my responsibilities. I said \"Time kills everything, in the end.\" They left. Time went on. I sipped my tea.",
"\"Destroy the world?\"\n\n***If you want to. You can rebuild the rock. But life must be reset.***\n\nYou sit there, brow furrowed, refusing to meet the eye of the creature before you. \"You've done this before?\"\n\n***Yes. Several times. The last was during the time of the creatures you call dinosaurs.***\n\nWe have already explained this to you. Every one of our days we vote on whether this world is good enough to continue. Today your advocates were few, your wars many. When you lose, one from among the dominant species is chosen to start the world again.\n\n\"God was a T-rex?\" you laugh at the thought.\n\n***A shark, actually. He chose the power to move the sky and threw a rock at the land.***\n\n\"Kill everything so you can start over?\"\n\n***So YOU can start over. The shark god started over by causing an extinction event and letting the rest continue on. He thought those form the sea would rule the world. I imagine he'd be disappointed.***\n\n\"Two more questions.\" Your brow is still furrowed and you're developing a headache. \"Why don't you just do it.\" \n\n***We are bound by our nature. The first god created us, made us powerful. But he did not allow us to create or destroy. We instead give you power. And instruction. Make the world exactly how you wish.***\n\n\"Last question. Why me?\"\n\n***No reason at all. To borrow a phrase - we pulled your name from a hat.***\n\nThe creature lays an arm on your shoulder. At least, what would pass for an arm. ***You are not special. Not yet. Remake the world and you will be.***\n\nYou nod, slowly at first, and for the first time look into the angels eyes. Those beautiful and hypnotic eyes. Now that you're looking you find yourself wishing you had been looking the entire time. \"I'll need some time to decide. To plan.\"\n\n***Take your time. When you're ready, pray for Gabriel and I will come***\n\n\"Gabriel?\"\n\nYour alarm goes off and though you find yourself in bed you know you weren't sleeping. That was no dream. You don't bother showering, brushing your teeth, you don't even eat breakfast. You can hardly see the point. \n\nYou make your way to the lounge room and collapse on the couch. Immediately you are accosted by your cat. He purrs and mews and slams his head into yours, demanding attention. \n\n\"Hey buddy.\" You offer him a half-hearted scratch behind the ears before your puppy, ever jealous, launches onto your lap, barking. Your cat bolts and, after accepting her own cursory pat, the dog gives chase. They're out the doggy door in a heartbeat and take turns chasing each other down the length of the backyard. You don't even smile at their antics.\n\nYou turn on the morning news. Though news may be a stretch of the definition. It's always the same. War. Famine. Death. Prejudice. Hate. Bombs. Death. War. Oh, and look, this parakeet can skateboard. You turn off after less than an hour.\n\nThen your boss calls. You answer and he's already screaming through the phone. You can't even muster the apathy to hang up. You simply put the phone down, and drop to one knee.\n\n\"Gabriel.\"\n\nThe creature is there before you finish the thought. It looks so close to human it makes your skin crawl and your eyes water at the same time.\n\n\"What are the limits?\"\n\n***There are none. We can bestow on you any power you can imagine.***\n\n\"Very well. I require two. Life is tricky. Miss a single cell of a single creature and it may replicate, destroying my perfect vision. I want to be omnipresent. To be all places at all times.\"\n\n***Done***\n\n\"Life is tricky. To ensure I miss none I want to be able to rip matter apart at the atomic level. If I can destroy a cell at an atomic level, there will be no hope of survival.\"\n\n***Done***\n\nYou can feel a change immediately. You feel alive. Powerful. You smile for the first time that day. Your smile is wicked and mirthless and all teeth. You try out your new power by tearing the arm from Gabriel's body. You feel a surge of energy and see real fear in Gabriel's eyes. Those beautiful, hypnotic eyes. \n\nGabriel flees. You follow him with a thought and find yourself surrounded by the creatures. Thousands of them. Tens of thousands. You reach out with your new powers and catch every one of them, pulling every atom of their bodies towards you.\n\n\"You think you can play god!?\" Your voice is deeper than you're used to, the air is thicker. \"And why? Because you think the world is bad? There is good in the world, despite the bad. Because of the bad.\"\n\nThose creatures closest to you start dying. You choke on the new air. On the energy released from the angels you pull apart. You begin to glow with the power. \n\n\"You don't get to play god or encourage others to do so. All life destroyed, again and again, on a whim!? Because you're bored!?\"\n\nThe last of the creatures stares at you. Terrified. Accepting. The energy gained from pulling apart the creatures atoms is finally released and the last thing you see is those beautiful, hypnotic eyes. \n",
"\"What have you done?\" Azreal asked.\n\n\"Exactly what you asked,\" I said, \"Sterilized the world. There's not a single thing left that could be classified as life, except me. And I'll be gone soon enough.\"\n\nWe sat on a slab of translucent purple crystal, jutting out from a craggy collection of pillars of similar material that had once been Manhattan. The clouds drifted by below us, clouds the same wispy purple color.\n\n\"You asked for nanites. 'Grey goo,' you said. You spent six hundred hours explaining what a 'disassembler' was until I could create them for you. What *is* all this?\"\n\n\"This, my dear angel, is *stasis*. I told you very plainly how grey goo works. Did you never stop to wonder why it took *three hundred years* for me to call you? Exponential disassemblers should've been able to scour this world in a month, tops. Yet here we are.\"\n\n\"Stasis.\" He'd had the same expression on his face practically since he appeared, the pinched look of a man who'd had a lemon shoved in his mouth and left there.\n\n\"There will be no more humans. There *are*, currently, no more humans other than me. But their thoughts, their memories, their consciousness, is preserved within these stones. A new race will rise, perhaps, and *a* world will begin anew. By the time they figure out how to damage these stones, I imagine all of us will be... like Abraham and Job... old and full of days.\"\n\n\"This is subversion,\" he said, \"Heresy!\"\n\nI rose, patting the dust from my trousers and turning to look at the cold purple sarcophagus that would soon add my consciousness to the crystalline choir and finish the unwholesome task I'd been set to.\n\n\"No, Azrael... this is what we once called... malicious compliance.\""
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Whether it’s a deal with the devil gone wrong or something more mundane, I like the idea of a magician who needs to make rent every week and he can only keep money he finds behind people’s ears. | [WP] You’re an abysmal magician who’s only income is money behind people’s ears. | 11 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"\"Oh, and look at that. It's gone!\" I would say, motioning to my empty hand. \n\nA child would looked expectantly, but I'd quickly bow and make my exit. \n\n\"Aren't you going to give it to him?\" would cry a parent.\n\nFuck that! Didn't they notice a neatly folded Ben Franklin tucked behind the ear of their child before I arrived? Not my problem.\n\nIf they'd cleaned their stinky little shits more than once a month maybe they'd have a handle on cold hard currency behind his goddamn ears. Why they can't see it, well I've stopped worrying about it.\n\nThat kind of encounter is rare, so I move on quickly.\n\nI thought I was being pranked for the first week. I even gave the money back at first. I mean, it wasn't mine. There it was, plain as day. A neatly folded bill behind the ear. Not a coin. A fucking bill wedged behind a kid's ear!\n\nI'd stop, ask the parent if they'd noticed. They'd freak a little, but as soon as I pulled out the bill they laughed at 'my trick'. \n\nAfter a few weeks, I thought I'd play dumb and just keep the money. I fully expected a camera crew to run out, but I'd be expecting them and we'd laugh about it. Except nobody ever jumped out of the bushes. Ever.\n\nThat's when it started to get real, and I admit I started to lose it. \n\nI was panicking. I'd demand to know how they didn't know real cash was behind their child's ear. I wasn't even nice about it. They'd initially be a bit freaked out, but by that point a crowd would have gathered, with laughing and applauding. They thought it was part of an act! I started to feel bad for getting mad that I'd even hand over the money! Even then, I'd be considered a generous philanthropist, and the crowd would go crazy!\n\nSo anyway, I got over it. If I was losing my mind, so be it. People became money trees. I accepted it. I paid my mortgage off with my 'Magic Show', and so much more. I'd make as much money as I cared to spend, and got it down to a fine art. I could make $1,000 on a stroll down a single block!\n\nThen it started to happen. The picking grew thinner. It was slow, and hardly noticeable. I realized initially when my outings were less and less profitable. Eventually I would start spending more and more time on the streets. I noticed the larger denominations that used to be so common whittling down to $20 bills, and less. \n\nMy deposits from my 'show' were dwindling. I admit I was starting to act weird. I spun a few kids around that I thought had money, only to find nothing tucked behind the ear. Fuck, it scared me each time. The parent would push me, a small crowd would gather. One time I was pinned to a wall until the police came. They questioned me and let me go, but it shook me. I was deadly sure each time after that. Unless I really, really saw money, I'd go for it.\n\nAfter a few months, I was down to dollar bills. The first time I saw a quarter I actually laughed. Manically, it you will. I didn't bother with that kid. \n\nEventually even the dollar bills vanished. I was down to change. Now people really DID expect me to hand over the money. In some cases, I had to run, as onlookers got ugly.\n\nI'd long been cashing in my assets to keep up with the drop in income. Everything slowly fell away, the whole facade. Within a year, I had no house, no car, and no money in the bank. I was sleeping in a shitty car, and eating with the proceeds of some dirty collection of ragtag coins. I'm begging now. I haven't seen a coin behind an ear in months now.\n\nWhen I say 'feeding', I really mean drinking. I know I stink pretty badly. My stomach had been hurting from my liquid diet. I just shit myself actually, and it's still coming out to illustrate how low I've sunk. I don't even care. I'll need to pick up something from Goodwill I guess. I hope that they've gotten over the incident with that kid's ear and let me into the shelter, even if just for a fucking shower. \n\nDamn that hurts! My ass is fucking aching! Holy shit, what is that? A coin? In my shit? It's a fucking quarter? Hang on.. ouch.. is that a dollar bill? Oh fuck no! No! No!\n"
] | [
1,
2
] | [
"1519812020",
"1519842377"
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[WP] The entirety of the population of North America has been transported to the year 1939 | 2 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"The food rationing started immediately. Farmers had been hit by low prices and wild demand throughout the decade. Food had gone from overabundant to rare overnight. There weren't enough active farms, not enough active farmers, and no technology that could support the sudden influx of population.\n\nAnd that was all before they got out their wallets. Debit cards were useless, but even the limited cash they had in hand was enough to crash the economy even further.\n\nWaves of disease came next. Influenza, pneumonia, smallpox, and dozens of other diseases that 'modern' americans had no defense for. The mortality rate was stunning. Society was on the verge of collapse. \n\nGermany's Nazi government pointed to this degeneracy as more proof of their right to rule. Britain and France, trying desperately to help America and prevent the chaos from reaching through their own borders were completely unprepared for Hitler's offensive.\n\nFrance fell, Nazi boots marched in Paris and Warsaw. Britain looked on in fear as the Nazi threat spread. They begged America for weapons and supplies, but America was in collapse itself. There was no money after the wild inflation, no food after the fields were eaten bare by 300 million (soon to be dead) transplants, and no manufacturing capacity with the employable population brought low by disease.\n\nNazi subs encircled England and starved them further. Britain managed to build a handful of radio towers to thwart the initial forays of the Luftwaffe, but they couldn't break Enigma and they couldn't support their war effort.\n\nChurchill made impassioned speeches, but there was little that he could do as his pilots were shot from the sky and his population starved when winter hit.\n\nIronically, with the war going well Hitler maintains a relative stability of personality. He doesn't need Russia's oil fields immediately and maintains his treaty with Stalin longer than expected. Stalin takes advantage of this to strike first.\n\nWith the German army at full strength and dug in, the Russian wave beats against an unbreakable wall. Their strength spent in that offensive, Stalin looks on in horror as the Nazi war machine marches across the plains and halts outside Moscow.\n\nWith solid supply lines, no resistance, and America still in the throes of deep depression Russia will fall. Hitler now has his sights on his end goal: the complete domination of Europe.\n\nOne day his sights will fall on America but he has many other things he needs to attend to first..."
] | [
1,
1
] | [
"1519830798",
"1519831371"
] | |
[WP] Once a week at random, everyone swaps bodies with the nearest person for 5 minutes. You just swapped with a killer who just murdered someone. | 1 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"I had always been a \"closet\" case, now that I knew I was Scott free from my actions I overpowered myself and left myself tied up, I called the police and let the phone continue to dial, putting it out of earshot of myself. I arrived at a Caffè, where my boss was, \"hello I'm a killer, thanks for sleeping with my wife, if it's any consolation I'm knocked yours up for good measure\" my boss spit his coffé up, then I pulled the killers 44 out and fired. The switch occurred again after I took my shot, I was in bed at a hospital brused up, such splendid work I did, there was breaking news as a crazed gunman was shooting up a coffee store, looks like I would be getting a new promotion soon.",
"“PLEASE NO!” I yelled as loud as I could at that very last moment. I saw it. Quick as can be. The knife as it pierced my skin and entered the upper part of my chest. As fast as it happened, things stood still, just for a moment. Blackness fades. \n\nThere I was standing... over myself? “Oh shit, it’s the switching!” I lined over my lifeless corpse just waiting for all sense to come back to me, but it never came. At that moment the door that locked the monster and I was bust open with a loud “THWACK”. Two police officers run in with their weapons drawn, trained on my head. \n\n“God damn” one of the officers yelled, but like he’s seen this act of violence a hundred times. \n“Identify yourself” he shouted. “What’s your Id number, and switch identifier code?” \n\nMy mind was blank, I couldn’t even remember my own name, let alone my switch identification. \n\n“ It wasn’t me! I’m the one on the ground!”\n\n“I believe you, we just got switched too”. The officer said, gun still pointed at my head. “Put down the knife son”\n\nI immediately drop the weapon, as questions start flooding my mind, more than usual, my memory is so foggy.\n“I don’t.. I .”\nHe dropped to the floor, almost on queue, his body lying limp. \n\nThe officer puts away his gun and walks over to the body, places his finders on his neck, and lets out a sigh.\n\n“Looks like another one, murder/suicide”\n\nThe other officer finally speaks up, “ what do you mean? Why did he just collapse like that?”\n\n“The murderer killed the victim right as the switch happened, something must have gone screwy with the transfer, killed them both, ive seen it before, happens more than you know.” The officer explained. “Call the paramedics, tell them to bring two bags.\n\nAs they walk out of the building, they feel their bodies return back to their originals. \n\n“Just another day in this god forsaken world”"
] | [
1,
2,
3
] | [
"1519830978",
"1519833076",
"1519832558"
] | |
[WP] A single tree, growing in the middle of the massive smoky city. They would have removed it long ago--if they were able. | 10 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"I was to be in charge of renovating the city. It was the emperor's home town and he wanted to move his palace here. I had already begun the walkway into the centre of the city. Concrete skyscrapers on either side had to be painted purple and gold. Windows tinted. Smog cleared. The sky must be blue. It had to look not rich or expensive but worthy of the greatest man in the universe. Nobody knew his full name. He was called the emperor or your highness. Anything other than that and your tongue would be ripped out. And that was bare minimum. Yet, everyone smiles. He is a great man after all. He has built schools and hospitals and completed miracles that no government was able to before. He is God incarnate. Nobody better. Everyone knew who he was. If you didn't, well, where were you? His face is on every poster. His face on every screen. Rather hard not to know who he is. Anyway, back to the task in hand...\n\n\"Boss, we have a problem.\" Called a man to my right. \"There is something brown, tall and green in the dead centre of the city. According to one of the men, it's called 'Yggdrasil.'\"\n\n\"What's the problem?\" I demanded. \"I have to have all this done in a month. I couldn't stop out emperor from living in his hometown now could I? Such a great man is expected to live in certain conditions!\"\n\n\"Do you want it removed?\" He asked politely. Not quite begging but close.\n\n\"Yes. I did speak to our highness's advisor and he told me it had to go. In his own words: 'All things organic must go. The emperor doesn't like them. This *tree* as it's called must be gone extra quickly with not a single green thing in site when I come in a week.' He is not a man to say no to.\"\n\n\"Ok, the problem is... the men don't want to.\" He replied looking at the ground.\n\n\"Get rid of them and find another lot.\" I told him.\n\n\"Now!\" I shouted as he loitered. He hurried off after that.\n\n\"Sorry about that Jeff.\" I tured back to try to select just the right tint for the windows.\n\n---\n\nLater in the day he came back. \"Boss, the third lot don't want to either. The said the couldn't possibly do damage to the Yggdrasil. The third lot weren't local. I made sure of it. I didn't even know they knew it's name.\" He told me.\n\n\"Let me do it.\" I sighed. \"I can't waste any more time.\"\n\nSo we got in a cart and drove down to the 'Yggdrasil.'\n\nWhen we got there the were about 20 men just gathered around it. \"What are you lot gawping at? Get back to work! You will make the emperor look bad!\" I yelled at them. How dare they not do the work set for them.\n\n\"John,\" (he was the bloke in charge of the city centre ready for the palace to be built) \"if these men stop working again, fire them. Now I want to to chop that tree down.\"\n\n\"Boss, I already tried. I just don't want to.\" He replied. Fear creeping into his voice.\n\n\"Fine. I'll do it then. Hand me the laser.\" I replied with a huff. And so he did.\n\nI walked over to this *tree* and prepared to cut it down. Checked the laser had power. It did. John had begun to walk over. His yellow clearly standing out against the grey of the concrete and the grey of the path and the dust on the other worker's clothes. Aim the laser directly making sure to hit nothing but the tree as I cut it. Done. Now, turn on the laser. It was a simple switch on the side. Done. Steady the laser. Ready... in, one... two... three...\n\nBut, I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill such a beautiful tree. Yes, that's what it was. A tree. I couldn't cut a thing with this much beauty down. It would be a travisty. Injustice. Jus-\n\n\"You can't can you boss?\" John's words ripped through my dreams.\n\n\"Get me someone from the media team. Now. I don't care how. I want him here now. Bring the whole team if you have to.\" I demanded.\n\n\"Yes sir\" John replied as he hurried off.\n\nWhy couldn't I kill Yggdrasil? What was wrong with this tree? \n\n\"Here they are sir!\" John shouted as he came running back. Men in suits and cameras and microphones and all sorts cam running towards me.\n\n\"Well done John. Don't worry about the tree now. I will have it removed before the advisor come in 5 days time. Start packing up. It's rather late.\" I told John.\n\n\"Yes sir, thank you sir.\" He replied as he hurried off.\n\n\"Gentlemen.\" I turned towards the media team. Each man had a serious expression on his face except the presenters. They always similed. \"I want to broadcast a challenge to the good people in the city. It goes as such: Any man willing and able to cut down this tree shall be rewarded. I shall reward them presonally. Any man willing to take on this task must turn up here tomorrow 9 'o' clock sharp. They will then have any equipment they need to cut down this tree. If they have any questions they can turn up here, that's the city center, tomorrow morning.\"\n\n\"Will that be all?\" Came a voice from the back.\n\n\"Yes, thank you. I shall be going home now but if there are any questions you know how to contact me.\" I replied. Then, turning, I got in the cart and drove home. Hopefully, that should sort out the tree. Sadly, there was only one thing to do now. Wait and see."
] | [
1,
2
] | [
"1519907958",
"1519910914"
] | |
[removed] | [WP] After atheists die, their punishment is to be the god of a universe, then watch as the inhabitants no longer believe in them. | 2 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](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/8178wm/wp_after_atheists_die_their_punishment_is_to_be/%0A%0A)\n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*"
] | [
1,
1
] | [
"1519927338",
"1519927671"
] |
[removed] | [WP] A young sorceress was captured by an emperor long ago to be his sons harem girl. He didn’t know of her powers an when she grows up and hones her skills, she soon compels the son to kill his own father, take her as his only wife and lover, and helped him to conquer the lands his father could not | 1 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nSexually explicit themes are 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/81eub1/wp_a_young_sorceress_was_captured_by_an_emperor/%0A%0A)\n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*"
] | [
1,
1
] | [
"1520003178",
"1520003268"
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[removed] | [WP] An anonymous internet writing contest is taking short story submissions up until a deadline. Not expecting to win, you jokingly submit a highly fascist version of the Bee Movie Script. To your surprise, you win, and now Jerry Seinfeld and his army of Evil Bees are trying to take over the world. | 1 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nNo troll, joke, or meme-based prompts. This includes prompts likely to attract 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/81jz49/wp_an_anonymous_internet_writing_contest_is/%0A%0A)\n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*"
] | [
1,
1
] | [
"1520034258",
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[WP] You are a test pilot for an FTL prototype spaceship. Just before you hit the "jump" button for the first test flight another ship, identical to yours, suddenly appears. You hear your own voice over the radio say "Test jump complete, mission control do you copy?" | 7 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"The silence is circling a ring from ear to ear. Nothing. I look and, like white hot lighting, I remember. Which one am I now? How long have I done this? How many times have I asked? Where is mission control? The ship is so close it makes ours vibrate. I see myself in the cockpit of the other ship and wonder is she thinking exactly what I am? If not will I be her next and think what she was just thinking? Is she gonna be me next? Which one of us started this? \n\n“Captain we’re clear of jump”\n\n“Test jump complete, mission control do you copy?”"
] | [
1,
3
] | [
"1520071879",
"1520072858"
] | |
[WP] "Hello, thank you for calling Hell's helpdesk, how can I help you?" | 3 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"“Hi, I’d like to check on my status?”\n\n“Sure, one moment please...”\n\nThere was a pregnant pause as the operator seemed to take a moment pulling up my record. She had an eerie voice that sounded both child-like and adult, a pleasant enough tone, but very unsettling.\n\n“Ah, I’ve found you Mr. Williams! It looks like, sadly, you’re currently only set to join us for a short 10 years. Before we get started, I need to inform you that this call has a designated length of 2 minutes and details about non-relatives are completely unavailable.\n\n“Would you like a recounting of your transgressions?”\n\n“Sure”\n\nShe chimed on like a blissfully annoying call center employee who was ditsy enough to seem to enjoy her job and insisted on being the happiest person in her building, while she listed off his transgressions as if they were nothing more than traffic directions. \n\n“... after that there’s 6 months for malevolent thoughts, 3 years for minor adultery, and topping it off with your most recent transgression, theft from your local supermarket. Do you have any questions?”\n\n“Wait?! I never stole from my grocery store and what do you mean adultery?!” \n\n“Mr. Williams, you are aware that stealing is wrong, if not only by your own faith, but by every world religion as well as the laws of nearly every country?”\n\n“Yes”\n\n“So then when you got home and found that you had only scanned in 4 of the 5 cans of tuna you purchased and did not return to the store to correct the error, you committed theft. Is that an inaccurate description of not paying for something?”\n\n“That wasn’t intentional and the grocery store is 10 miles away!”\n\n“It still doesn’t change the fact that you’ve stolen tuna.”\n\n“But... but I’ve heard that big chain is using child labor to manufacture their products!”\n\n“While that may or may not be true, you still patron their store and have still stolen a product. The sin of another does not nullify your own, Mr. Williams.” \n\n“Fine, I’ll do some community service, now what’s this bullshit about adultery?!”\n\n“Mr. Williams, please watch your language! You’ve just added 15 minutes to your stay.”\n\nShe continued, a hint of annoyance in her still too-chipper voice, “The adultery charge comes from your 19.7 minute long day dream, fantasizing about one of the women dropping off her child at the same school as your daughter.”\n\n“Wait a minute! I didn’t do anything to her! That was just a stupid fantasy, a bit of day dreaming! I can’t control that!”\n\n“In fact, sir, the notes of the incident report that you reveled in the thought and did nothing to change your thinking until you arrived at your workplace. You are aware of the writings of your faith which indicate that when your eye falls upon another with the thought of lust, it is better to pluck that eye out than allow it to corrupt you further...”\n\n“Yeah, I know that, but I never did anything! It was just a daydream! I’m happily married! I love my wife! I’d never cheat on her!”\n\n“That does not change the facts sir. You still had impure thoughts. Mr. Williams, I do understand that you’re doing what you feel is your best, however, the rules are the rules and I cannot change them. Upon your death, you will be given a fair and impartial hearing on your sins and will be given a lawyer to help you argue your defense, free of charge.”\n\nMany curse words ran through his head in those few moments, but he couldn’t think of any other points to argue so, feeling resigned to his fate, he had one final question.\n\n“What can you tell me about the rest of my family?”\n\n“While I cannot tell you any details of their sins, due to our confidentiality policy, I can see their current terms. Your daughter is currently at 5 months, 3 days. Your son has accumulated 2 years and your wife will be staying with us for four hundred and thirty seven years. “\n\n“My wife... what??”\n\n“Whoops! Mr. Williams, I’m sorry, I’ve overrun our call time and have to take another call on the other line. Have a nice day!”\n\nAs the line went dead, the card with the phone number in his hand popped out of existence as he instantly forgot the number itself, however his conversation with the operator remained. He was horrified. How could his wonderful wife, who he respected and loved and could not hurt a fly have ever racked up 437 years?"
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1,
7
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"1520082138",
"1520086361"
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[WP] In a moment of deep reflection, it dawns on you that there are at least a dozen times in your past where you completely missed the fact that a person was hitting on you. This causes you to completely misread, in a hilarious fashion, the intentions of the next person you come in contact with. | 25 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"A wishy washy story\n\r\n*Me*\n\r\nMy epiphany came to me on a Wednesday afternoon. \n\r\n“So you mean to tell me that he was romantically interested in me?” I stopped literally midway through drying my clothes, looking like a basketball player mid-dunk, or a ballerina mid-leap (or an old woman, mid-back spasm). \r\n“Let’s review, shall we?” sighed Lisa, my Long Suffering Roommate. “He went out of his way to download that tv show you like, after you mentioned it *once*. He invited you over to his room to ‘discuss research topics’” (I didn’t need the air quotes for that, her tone was enough.) “And, just In case you were left with any further doubts as to his feelings, he asked you to go out with him!” \n\r\nThat’s when I zoned out and replayed that conversation I had with poor Jonathan that morning. I met him at the entrance to the lab, as usual. He seemed a bit more fidgety than usual, and dropped all his stuff. I bent down to pick them up for him, completely forgetting that my stupid black shirt was a little revealing at the neck, and was held together by a safety pin. This, by the way, was the reason for my sudden enthusiasm for laundry this afternoon- I just couldn’t go on wearing the same wretched black shirt, shabbily pinned together at the neck, for even one more day until my mom found time to mail me my other clothes from home.\n\r\nAnyway, so when he said, “Do you want to go out today?” I absolutely jumped at the chance to have company, to go to the nearest grocery store to pick up detergent and nylon rope, to do the laundry and hang a clothesline in our little room.\n\r\n*Ohhh. . .*\n\r\n“But we ended up going grocery shopping!” I said in dismay, cheeks reddening in retrospective embarrassment. My Long-Suffering Roommate stood a while with her mouth agape, then shook her head, no doubt mentally washing me off her hands. \n\r\nI couldn’t just let her go. I needed a cure to my pathologically practical bent of mind, and my incurable inability to detect a whiff of romance from inches under my nose. “What should I do, in such situations in the future?” I couldn’t keep a note of pleading out of my voice. “Well,” she sighed. “Do you think there’s any hope with Jonathan in the future?” she asked.\n\r\n“Considering that I told him he reminded me of my brother, and that I bought him a lollipop at the end for waiting so patiently as I finished my errands…” I trailed off, devoutly thankful that my heavier textbooks were out of the Roommate’s reach. “I bought the lollipop as a joke,” I explained weakly. \n\r\nNow she was amused, thankfully, and asked in a playful tone, “Just how many such innocents have you crushed the hopes and dreams of? How many tender blossoming romances have you ridden roughshod over?” “Now I don’t know!” I wailed, in a funny mixture of mirth and mortification.\n\r\n“Here’s what you do the next time someone of the male species appears to be favouring you with his attentions,” she said, hands on her hips. “You make small talk and smile unnecessarily, you find excuses to touch him, and if he says the words ‘go’ and ‘out’ in the same sentence, you say, ‘yes, thank you,’ and let him choose the venue.” I nodded mutely, and she considered this invitation to continue. “And I’m sure something can be done about this hair of yours, surely it’s not as frizzy as you say it is,” she clucked. “And as for those glasses. . .didn’t you say you had a pair of contacts somewhere? Maybe we can do a quick makeover before I leave for home this weekend. . .”\n\r\n* * *\n\r\n*Him*\n\r\n“Dude, I’m telling you, something’s wrong with the chick.” I gave her a casual once over. She was wearing her usual goth clothes, but the shirt was pinned together, like she had absolutely given up. Her hair was in utter disarray, and she kept pushing it back ineffectually once in a while. She was also dabbing at her eyes in what I’m sure she thought was a surreptitious manner, and to crown it all, when the professor asked her to explain something she had written on the board, she gave a kind of squeak and rushed out of the class. “I know she rejected Jonathan and all, but maybe she secretly liked him?” I speculated. My neighbour Rohit shrugged, “You never can tell with girls.”\n\r\nI thought I’d do my good deed for the day and return the book she had abandoned in class. I knew where her dorm room was, she shared it with Lisa, the only other girl here from my hometown. As I got closer, I could see her standing in the ugly little balcony that each of these rooms had. She was holding a rope of some sort in her hand. As I watched, she climbed on to a stepstool or something, and hung the rope onto a nail in the wall. I just kept watching, fool that I am, my brain just not processing what was occurring literally before my eyes. She fastened the rope taut on the nail, and began fiddling with it near her neck. Adrenaline took over then, and I sprinted the last few feet as fast as I could, though the main door, up two floors, and literally kicked in the door of her room.\n\r\n* * *\n\r\n*Me*\n\r\nMy frugal ways finally got the better of me when I was trying to hang the clothesline while balanced on the rickety stepstool. My stupid clothes hadn’t dried when I hung them yesterday inside our room, so now I was forced to hang them outside, on the balcony. My desire for clean clothes had trumped my desire for dignity and privacy to dry my undies. As I stood on the step stool and tried to tie the rope, it got caught in the safety pin at my collar, and I had to spend a good two minutes to untangle it. \n\nMy efforts were spectacularly interrupted by someone literally bursting into my room. After the dust cleared, I recognised the lean and rangy form of Daniel, Lisa’s high school friend. He looked as if he had run across campus with the express purpose of witnessing my undignified struggle with the clothesline. After blinking stupidly at each other for a while, I acted on the first impulse that came to my (clearly oxygen-starved) brain, “So, beautiful day, isn’t it?” I said, making smalltalk with my best and widest smile.\n\r\n* * *\n\r\n*Him*\n\r\nShe literally couldn’t say anything for a minute or so, and then with a grotesque smile and a hideous attempt at normalcy, said, “Uhh, beautiful day, isn’t it?” \n\r\nHow does one casually dissuade someone from an attempt at suicide by hanging? I couldn’t even Google it, given the circumstances, and had to depend on my (all-too-small) reserve of tact. “Uhh, yes, I suppose so. What were you- I mean- were you trying to- ah- where’s Lisa?” “She went home for the weekend,” she said, in what I could have sworn was a chirpy tone. “So it was the perfect time,” she explained. I’m sure she realised my faculties for speech were frozen, because she continued, gesturing to her nylon apparatus of death, “Do you get this kind of inspiration for a nice clean start too?” \n\nAnd then she sniffed and wiped her eyes, and then leaned forward and touched my arm. Now I may not be the cuddliest teddy bear on the shelf, but I do have enough knowledge of human emotion to know that this is a cry for help. People in depression are often driven to uncharacteristic physical displays. As gently as I could, I disengaged her hand and said the first comforting thing that came to my mind, “Shall we go get some ice cream?”\n\r\n* * *\n\r\n*Me*\n\r\nAfter that weird conversation where we talked about how laundry gives us inspiration for a nice clean start to the week, he asked me out. He literally clasped my hand and asked me out to ice cream. I couldn’t believe how quickly I was having to put my newfound knowledge into practice, and just nodded, “Yes, thank you,” and went to grab my jacket, comb my hair out of Lisa's ridiculously untidy hairstyle and ditch my contacts; they were making my eyes water in the most unflattering fashion. I even had to leave class early this morning because something had fallen into my eye and it burned, and I was cut off from reality by my blurry eyes. \n \r\nHe and I ended up spending literally all weekend together- we went to an all-night pub, where we did occasional shots, and played old-timey games like darts and pool. We ended up crashing in the bean bags in the common room of our dorm, and woke up totally fuzzy-headed the next day. We got coffee together, and then went to lunch at a café near the park, and when we returned to my room, Lisa appeared unexpectedly. \n\r\n“I cut short my trip home,” she explained. “Was missing you too much, my roomie,” and gave me a very warm hug. Daniel took off then, parting with a surprisingly intense, “Take care of yourself,” looking straight into my eyes.\n\r\n* * *\n\r\n*Him*\n\r\nFor someone on suicide watch, she was surprisingly normal. But I suppose that’s what high-functioning depression is, because there were times when she appeared to be over-compensating, smiling weirdly and becoming strangely touchy-feely. I did what I could, taking her to that all-night pub downtown and plying her with just enough alcohol to be pleasantly buzzed but not tragic and weepy (trust me, me and the guys have worked this to a science). \n\nWe crashed in the dorm common room, a reassuringly public area- good enough to keep her from doing anything awful and also saving me from inviting myself awkwardly to her room to keep watch on her. Then I called Lisa, when it became obvious that I needed reinforcement. Very alarmed indeed, she rushed back to college, and greeted her roommate with a hug and almost wept on her shoulder.\n\r\nWe then parted ways, and both of us caught up on sleep. I could rest easy, now that Lisa was back to watch over her. And the next day, as soon as I woke up, I texted Lisa and enquired as to the condition of our patient. Much to my befuddlement, she sent back three uproariously laughing emojis, and the promise of a very wishy-washy story the next time we met. \r\n"
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1,
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"1520088259",
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[WP] An alien civilization narrating an “Animal Planet” version of humans on earth. | 6 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"And here we have the teenager, this one hasn’t moved for three weeks. The humans patience is essential to the hunt. It stares at the ‘phone’ pretending to be distracted, setting its prey at ease before it strikes. Even with our advanced technology we cannot see what poor creature is being hunted, but the humans extreme senses have it precisely located and now it waits to strike. A sound! The human drops the phone and picks up a book. ‘Homework’ deters the alpha predator, a parent. The only thing that the teenager fears. The parent enters the vicinity. The teenager. Engulfed by homework, would make a poor meal, so the parent looks elsewhere. With danger averted, the teenager resumes looking at its phone. The sudden arrival of the parent has upset the prey. But no matter. This vicious hunter will wait months for its food, so it remains still, staring at the phone. "
] | [
1,
2
] | [
"1520138180",
"1520209766"
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[WP] You are a Metagaming Time Traveler who goes forward in time a year in advance records the most notable events and then releases it to the internet. | 5 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"My colleagues and I knew that if our forebears could somehow be prepared for the shocks to come, then maybe, maybe the final destruction of the race could be avoided. \nWe didn’t have much time. One of us, would return and warn them. Let them know that they could get through it if only they could work to heal the divisions instead of making them worse. The rest of us would die of the toxic poisons dumped into the air during the wars for separation and the wars for unification. As if such a thing were possible. \n“Help us Matt. Your our only hope.”He smiled at the reference. “Still trying to make the Jedi faith a thing?”\n“No, There is no time. Do you have a plan?”\n“I am going back to just before the internet and leverage television. Then my characters will make the first cut onto the net. I know it will work.”\nHe stepped into the portal and was gone. \nThree years of work later his masterpiece debuted....... a blue sky parted on the screen to reveal “The Simpson’s”"
] | [
1,
1
] | [
"1520138178",
"1520199892"
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Inspired by the recent shower thought. | [WP] The Grim Reaper has a Scythe, the Devil a pitchfork. They are farmers. You introduce them to industrial farming. | 274 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"I reaped souls today for a change.\n\nTwo thousand to be exact.\n\nThe fiery figure and the skeleton at the sides were definitely amazed.\n\n“This could work-” Satan said, his hands soothing his fire goatee.\n\nThe Grim Reaper clashed his, her, or its teeth together, making a gnawing sound. It seemed that he agreed as well.\n\nSatan coughed a bit, then said, “so you’re saying that I can, theoretically,” he then nodded to the Grim Reaper, “kill humanity with a hunk of moving metal? A wassayoucallit-” he twirled his hands around the air.\n\n“A crop harvester.” I answered.\n\n“Ah yes, a crop whatever.” Satan’s eyes were gleaming, with joy or red hot lava I couldn’t figure out, but I put on my best professional look and went on.\n\n“Yes, mister, and with that you don’t have to do it personally, get all dirty and gritty everyday! Just like that and you have caused World War Four,” I snapped my fingers at the right moment, “Just. Like. That.” I leaned forward to give a bit of pressure to my potential customers.\n\nSatan was making the steeple hand pose; you can see it through his posture that he was confident, comfortable in making deals. He is the Devil, so that bit was obvious. The Grim Reaper just stood there, like, well, a skeleton. He must be the slower one in the power duo, so I didn’t put much attention on him.\n\n“Divide and conquer,” my previous boss always said, “Don’t tackle them head on.” He is now six feet under. Murdered by three ex-wives.\n\nThanks boss, I thought, but I don’t think deities was covered in your marketing 101.\n\nI tried my best smile, which consisted of brandishing exactly ten bleached pearly whites, six top four bottom. “Whaddaya say?” I brandished the contract towards Satan, intentionally flashing my name tag, which says Heaven Inc.\n\nHe put a hand on top of the contract, “Two. No more.”\n\nI sweated a little inside. “But, sir, I can assure you that this can revolutionize-”\n\nHe stopped me with a gesture, and proceeded to leave, grabbing the Grim Reaper by the left arm.\n\n“Okay, okay okay,” My boss is gonna kill me. “Twelve”\n\nSatan turned to look at me, then said to the Grim Reaper, “Let’s go.”\n\n“Fine fine fine fine. Eight”\n\nSatan turned again, this time spouting directly to my face, “Four.”\n\n“Seven.”\n\n“Five.”\n\n“Six.”\n\n“Deal!” Satan suddenly beamed, I mean literally beamed with \nlight rays that would probably kill me.\n\n...\nWell, even if Satan didn’t, God would, seeing that I had just sold a soul crop harvester with just six million souls.",
"\"What do you mean there's something new,\" the Devil questioned. \"These are the tools of the trade!\"\n\n\"Maybe,\" you reply sheepishly. \"Like two hundred years ago. \n\nThe Devil takes a look at Death, his partner in their agriculture of the afterlife firm, Hectares of Eternity, LLC. An idea was springing to mind. \n\n\"What you're telling us, is that in a few mere centuries, humans revolutionized one of the core tenets of their own existence?\"\n\n\"Yeah, in the industrial revolution. Some guy,\" you pause to remember his name, reaching back to middle school, \"Eli Whitney made a machine that could work a lot faster at farmwork than regular farmhands. Everything went up from there, really. Population went up, diseases got cured, a lot of other cool science things...\" Yoh trail off, realizing your schooling didn't talk much about how things have improved in the past two hundred years.\n\nDeath motioned to his partner. \"Give us a moment, will you,\" the Devil asked as he and Death walked out of the conference room. You twiddle your thumbs, not really sure what to do. You suppose reflecting on your life could be fine, remembering all the wonderful times you had with your kids, your friends, your coworkers at John Deere. You realize that yoh really had it good. \n\nSuddenly, the two mythical beings storm back in, Death looking rather pleased, and the Devil walking towards you with a giant smile on his face. \n\n\"Okay, kid. We have an idea for you. How would you like to update our tech? All this stuff you talked about, we want in.\"\n\nYou look at one, and then the other, and then the first one again. \"Now why would I have any intention of helping you update your murdering and torture devices?\"\n\n\"Well, we aren't primarily in the 'murder and torture business'. It's more about population control and afterlife assessment. I mean, do we hurt those who have been bad? Yes, but better that than the alternative!\"\n\nYou shudder as you think of what the alternative might be. \n\n\"So what do you say?\"\n\nYou ponder for a few moments, whatever that means here. \"eh, why not?\"\n\n\"Well, we better get started then,\" says Death, somewhat ominously. \n\n_____________________________\n\nJennifer Brown had led a good life. Her family was surrounding her as her life began to fade away. They tell her to say hello to her husband, and that they will miss her. She begins to feel the euphoria of the end, of not worrying about bills anymore, of knowing she did right be her kids and her countless students, wash over her. She hears a distant humming, and it's getting louder. She opens her eyes to a most peculiar sight: a hooded man on a bright green tractor. He extends a hand towards her, and she notices it is only bones. For some reason, she is not afraid. His hood falls to reveal a skull and her confusion is replaced by understanding. \"Come,\" he says in a deep, rich voice. \"Come ride with me to greener pastures.\"\n\nEdit: I'm an idiot who forgot what exactly Eli Whitney did",
"Death's trademark cloak fluttered in spite of the still air to reveal a face barely held together by skin. \n\n\"...Farmers?\" He whispered through cracked lips. Both Death and Lucifer were dumbstruck by the human in front of them. \n\n\"Yes, gentlemen you farm humanity. You watch people mature to old age then harvest them like ripened fruit. It's the same principle.\" If this went well, it would be the largest deal Horatio had ever cut. \n\n\"Continue, please. You claim we're running around like bumbling idiots with scythes and pitchforks, but whats to stop this pair of 'dunces' from sending you to an early afterlife?\" Lucifer, hotheaded as ever, was growing impatient. \n\n\"Let him finish. If he dares to deceive us or waste our time, I know more than a few a suitable punishments.\" The two immortals exchanges sinister smirks before turning back to Horatio. \n\n\"I present to you, the Pv1 Soul Collector,\" Horatio ripped the cloth off the massive mound next to him. Towering at exactly 10 feet tall, the Pv1 Soul Collector was Horatio's masterpiece. Made out of ebony wood, ivory, and a few paranormal materials, the machine looked like the rib-cage of a giant laying flat on its sternum. Sharp tips protruded inwards, creating a tunnel of spikes. Perhaps oddest of all, atop the 'spine' was a single seat around which multiple levers, buttons, and controls sat. Horatio hopped on the seat and flipped a switch, setting off a series of sharp screeching sounds, like the cry of a desolate beast. \n\n\"Able to harvest half a million souls per day, the Pv1 Soul Collector or PSC, should last you at least a millennium before requiring maintenance or an upgrade. All I ask in return is eternal life, so I may stay your personal repairman and business partner,\" Horatio recited as humbly as he could. He'd practiced this speech for years; immortal beings were not to be taken lightly. \n\n\"So, do we have a deal?\" Horatio's eyes were practically glowing with excitement at this point. \n\n\"Ai, they'll never learn will they, Death?\" Lucifer wondered out loud. Death shook his skeletal visage before pulling out a lantern filled with damned spirits. He held the lantern up and muttered a few words under his breath, causing the lantern to glow a bright green. Screams echoed in the night, and *poof* Horatio's body fell limp to the floor. A small wisp floated from the corpse and into the lantern, another soul condemned to the fate as those before it. \n\n\"We've got to keep our jobs somehow,\" Death whispered. His cloak fluttered once more before blending into the lightless night. Lucifer chuckled as flames wreathed his figure and he too disappeared.",
"Disclaimer: I'm not very familiar with farm tools. Or reddit. Or writing. Criticism appreciated\n\n---\n\n\"Come on Lucy, it's not that complicated.\"\n\n\"Hey, it's not like you're doing that much better. Who needs this crap anyway? We've been doing it the same way for millennia, and we've been doing all right.\" \n\n\"Boss said he wanted us to be ready for the next few years, that's all. 'Unprecedented harvest since the flood', those were his exact words. Thought you'd be excited about it.\"\n\n\"That's a load of bullshit, he's only doing it to mess with me because he knows I've been skimming. You're not a little kid any more, Grimm. You should know Big G by now, he has a twisted sense of humor.\"\n\n\"Funny, he said the same about you. Alright, how about this? I'll bring back one of the crop for a little bit, and they can guide us through it.\"\n\n\"Fine, fine, let's get this shit over with.\"\n\nThe sun continued upward, peeking over distant trees, as the odd pair began the day in earnest. The taller of the two was a gangly, seedy looking man. He casually rested in the shade of his tractor, slowly chewing his way through an apple, as he watched his companion make the preparations. The shorter one in dark robes was walking around sniffing the air, looking for a proper vessel.\n\n\"Ah, here we go!\"\n\nPicking up some wheat, he deftly bent and tied the straws into a crude humanoid figure. Setting it on the ground, he tapped the head and quickly stood back. The straws rapidly expanded and grew, the wheat stretching outward to form body, limbs, and head. Soon, a naked man was laying on the field, coughing violently as his lungs got used to air once again.\n\nThe short man spoke up. \"Don't worry, take your time. People usually find the process tiring. Here, would you like some water?\"\n\n\"Yeah, and maybe you should put him in a recliner and jack him off while he's here,\" A voice came from the tractor. \"Let's just pump and dump, all we need are some instructions.\" A small rock that bounced off a foot above him seemed to be the only response.\n\nGroggily, the unclothed man sat up. He looked around at the vast fields around him, and met the eyes of the robed man in front of him. \"Where... where am I? Who are you?\"\n\n\"Well, those are complicated questions. I think it's simplest to say, you're on your way to see some old friends. You can call me Grimm, and the asshole you just heard was Lucy.\" Grimm gave his best smile as he put out his hand.\n\n\"H... hi, I'm Tom.\" His body matched his voice, quivering as he shook the outstreched pale hand.\n\n\"We're here to help you along. But first we need your assistance. With that.\" Tom followed his gaze, over to the tractor.\n\n\"What? Did I hit my head? The last thing I remember was... a tractor. But I was driving with Haley to meet her parents on their farm... and we were messing around... and... did I die?\"\n\nGrimm quickly chimed in, \"no no no, you're perfectly fine, see? You have arms and legs and eyes and a brain, and we need that brain of yours right now, so just stay calm and take deep breaths.\"\n\n\"Hold on.\" Lucy had gotten up and approached. \"Tom, did you just say that you were travelling to a farm?\"\n\n\"Yeah, I've been seeing this amazing girl from work, and I think I have a real shot at this, and she wanted me to meet her parents, but they live upstate and money's tight, so we had to drive for hours, and... the last thing I remember was a tractor was coming at us. Oh my god, is Haley alright?\"\n\nLucy's brows narrowed. \"Don't use the lord's name in vain, kid. I'm sure your girlfriend is doing just fine, she's probably in a hospital or ditch somewhere. Let backtrack a bit, you said you met at work? Where exactly do you work at?\"\n\n\"What? I'm an accountant at-\"\n\n\"God fucking damn it!\""
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[WP] It’s the 1600’s. A young William Shakespeare wants to learn to be a better actor and playwright when he meets his new mentor. He gets taught the methods of acting and writing. The mentor’s name is Tommy Wiseau | 21 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"\"No, no, you got it all wrong!\" The man insisted, shaking his head. \n\nWilliam sighed quietly. He had no idea where this peculiar man had appeared, what his goal was and why he was willing to go through so much effort to teach him how to act. He seemed as unwilling to share his past as he was to run a comb through his thick, black locks. All he mentioned was that he had once made a \"big Elizabeth play\", and that it was \"no gypsy stuff\", whatever that meant. And honestly, it all sounded downright inspiring to William. At only nineteen years old, the man had yet to find a theater interested in putting on the plays he had written, and his acting skills were better left unmentioned. Getting better was a priority, and befriending a man with connections to the theater industry was a dream come true. So William nodded his head, ready to accept whatever knowledge the stranger could impart on him.\n\n\"You need emotion! That's real acting!\" He explained. \"Give me line!\"\n\n\"Uh...\" William scrambled through his manuscript, flipping back through the loose pages of his first play in order to find the paragraph that he needed. \"Remember, lords, your oaths to Henry sworn. Either to quell the Dauphin utterly, or bring him in obedience to your yoke.\"\n\nThe dark-haired man swallowed once, wetting his mouth in preparation for his monologue. Raising one hand up in the air, his half-sunken left eye staring blankly at some vague point in the distance, the mentor felt like he needed to take a moment to mentally adjust himself, get into character and then deliver what he perceived as the monologue that will shatter theater tradition for a thousand years.\n\n\"Remember LORDS!!!\" He yelled out from the top of his lungs. \"Your oaths... sworntohenry. To quell him most utterly, or bring him... to YOKE!!!\"\n\n\"Wow,\" William noted.\n\n\"I know, right?\" The man grinned. \"*Real* acting, ha-ha-ha!\"\n\n\"I don't know, I just... I guess I always thought that people should act naturally, you know?\" William sighed quietly. \"All the world's a stage, so why should the people on stage not act like the people in world?\"\n\n\"It's no good, William!\" The man insisted. \"Real life, is boring! Is gypsy stuff, is no real acting! You need emotion! It needs to come from here!\" He spoke, gently touching his mentee's chest. \"People don't have to see it. They can feel it.\"\n\n\"I guess you're right about that...\" The playwright noted. His friend's words had a point. As long as he could nail down the emotion, the rest would fall into place.\n\n\"Is late, huh?\" The stranger spoke, glancing up as if to verify that the sun had, indeed, descended since he last checked. \"Let's go. We speak more at my estate.\"\n\n\"You have an estate?\" William raised an eyebrow.\n\n\"Don't tell no one,\" the man reminded him. \"Where I live, what I eat, what I have. No one.\"\n\n\"Okay, sure,\" the playwright shrugged. It wasn't an unusual request, given his new companion's desire for secrecy. \"Can I at least know your name?\"\n\nA short pause.\n\n\"Lucy.\"\n\n\"Wait... Lucy? As in, *Thomas* Lucy?\" William gasped.\n\n\"Is Tommy. Never Thomas.\""
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6
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"1520227040",
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[WP]Humanity has mastered transferring human consciousness into artificial bodies. After your procedure, you hear your flesh body say "WAIT! I'm still in here!" before it's about to be destroyed. | 29 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Ah.. the age old question, what makes you - well you? Is the person you are today the same as you were yesterday, or as I believe, we are merely the product of our memory and experiences?\n\n\n\nSure when EternalTech ™ first came out, there were riots – protests as luddites tried to deny both progress – and immortality. They’ve even had to gall to claim that the MachineMen are soulless abominations. Those luddites even embarked on their so called, “Great Crusade” rallying with one of those “faithhealers” or “psykers”\n\n\n\nNevertheless, steel is stronger than flesh – and now, I rid myself of my decaying flesh and join the ranks of the Eternal.\n\n\n** *** **\n*processing – emulation success*\n\n\nHmm..\n\nThis new body seems to simulate all my previous senses. I can feel my feet…\n\nI can simulate breath.\n\n\nI live.. Off in the distance, I hear a muffled shout “WAIT! I'm still in here!” in my old voice.\n"
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1,
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"1520263279",
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[WP] You are a part of a group of warriors that hunt down dangerous mythological beasts when they stray to far into human civilization. One day you and your hunting party finds out about a massive sea serpent swimming up the Mississippi river. | 12 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"\"*Dammit!*\" Our resident Psion cried out. Aides rushed to his side, attepting to soothe their master's troubled mind.\n\n\"What now?\" I slammed my chalk box shut with a satisfying click.\n\n\"A serpent - *Maledictis Mare Armatus*. An ancient one, at that.\" He helpfully didn't mention just where it was. \"I was getting to that, Bastion. Always in such a rush. The... Mississippi river, just past Leatherman Point in Tunica, Louisiana. We have Coast Guard units on site.\" Mortals - help, hinderance, couldn't live without them regardless. The six of us rounded up our gear, and got to work.\n\n---\n\nI always hated teleportation. They said the cancers would go away - but they never did.\n\n---\n\nWe emerged onto a highway overpass, with people rushing past us without a care. It was always odd to me - how do you just *casually miss* ten people in plate armor made of monster corpses? Not to mention it **glows**! Pushing my way to the railing, I looked out on the placid waters. The serpent was nowhere to be seen, its massive coils staying below the surface. \n\n\"Alright, let's get this done! Magus, get 'im marked! Rifles, Venom ammo!\" I barked. The team quickly set to work, setting up a warding circle for the soon-to-be-wounded as our Magus prepared his mind to tag the serpent with a hunting spell. For my part, I helped draw it to the surface by jumping off the bridge. I never said I was a strategic genius. The serpent, in her defence, was actually ready for this. As I fell, I saw the water ripple in that specific way, right before I was engulfed by a mouth the size of a double-decker bus. I never really did get a good look at her; when you are being eaten, sientific observation goes out the window, alongside common sense. Cillia grappled with my armor, and a spiked tongue lashed at my wards. It was all I could do to hold it away from my waist, where the largest chink in the armor was. Spikes of cold iron and steel made with charcoal from Feywild trees (an adventure for another time) lacerated the inside of the serpent's mouth as I fumbled in the dark looking for room to draw my hunting knife.\n\nOkay, okay, it was a sword. *But*, it *is* designed like a giant bowie knife. That counts, right? Anyway, there was a lot going on outside, as evidenced by deafening roars. I answered in kind, and my mind was breached by a psychic battle song. I sang the song of my warrior ancestors, covered in the blood of my foe as the Eidolons of old.\n\n--- \n\nThe Dragon laughed, and His laughter sent mortal beasts and daemons alike to flight.\n\n---\n\n---\n\nComment, questions, concerns?"
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"1520265557",
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[removed] | [WP] You are in Limbo and are being tried fot your crimes of when you where alive... | 2 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nPrompts go in the title. You can add more in the text, but avoid [too many details](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/828l72/wp_you_are_in_limbo_and_are_being_tried_fot_your/%0A%0A)\n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*"
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1,
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"1520278341",
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[WP] A horror story in which the narrator enjoys sarcastically mocking the main character's every choice. | 136 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Alright, first day as a narrator and I am pumped! What've ya got for me, guys?\n\nOoooo, a horror story?\n\nWell, this should be fun. Gotta love a good horror.\n\nHm?\n\nOh, right. I’m sorry, I’ll get started now.\n\n*Ahem*\n\nIt’s chasing him. He knows it is. He’s been running through the forest for hours and it still hasn’t stopped. If anything, it’s gotten closer. He knows it’ll catch him if she stops, so he just keeps running. Might be a good idea to try running somewhere OTHER than in a straight line, buddy.\n\nHe finally makes it to a seemingly abandoned house and rushes inside, locking the door behind him. No idea how strong the thing chasing him is, but since this is a horror story, it’ll PROBABLY get in regardless of whether the door is locked or not. Anyway, he sits down on the stairs, catching his breath. Yeah, great plan. Sit on old, creaky stairs without knowing whether anyone actually lives here. The monster presumably didn’t see you go in here if it hasn’t broken the door down yet, so sitting on something that’ll make a loud creak is a REAL good idea.\n\n Ok, I’m getting kinda sick of just saying ‘he’. Does he have a name?\n\nAlright then, I’ll name him myself.\n\nFuckface McGee gets up and peeks out of the small window embedded into the door. The glass is frosted, making it hard (heheh) to see outside. However, nothing seems to be out there. He’s safe.\n\nThen, at that exact moment, he hears a noise that causes his heart to drop.\n\nA window shatters in another room- Yuuuuup, totally called that. Great fucking idea letting your guard down, idiot.\n\nHe has to hide. It’s looking for him and he can hear it snuffling around in the other room. As quietly as possible, he creeps up the stairs. Ok, so he has SOME brain cells. At least he didn’t run up the creaky-ass stairs like all those other morons in horror stories. Eventually, he gets to the bedroom and hides in the closet because that has never gone badly in any piece of horror media ever. He waits for what seems like hours as the beast stomps its way through each and every room of the house, until he hears it creaking its way up the stairs. It’s then that, in the darkness of the closet, a ray of hope shines through. His arm bumps into something long and cylindrical in the corner. He recoils, but quickly works up the courage to touch the object again. His heart leaps once he realises what it is. It’s a shotgun.\n\nHe takes the gun and, squinting through the darkness, inspects it. It seems rather old-fashioned, but certainly functional. This’ll come in handy. He slowly opens the door to the closet and stands in the middle of the room, aiming the shotgun at the door to the bedroom. Now, I don’t mean to ruin the cool moment or anything, but everything he’s done in this house is an awful idea. To start with, instead of opening the nearest window and fucking booking it as far away from the house as possible, he ran upstairs and remained in the building that he knew an impossibly dangerous creature was looking for him in. Then, instead of just waiting in the closet with the shotgun pointed at the doors, he left his hiding space and left his fate up to the complete assumption that this shotgun had ammo in it and even worked at all. I’m sorry, I’m really trying to immerse myself in the story, but this is so clichéd that I honestly can’t take it seriously. The main character is such a braindead twat that I’m legitimately getting angry at him.\n\nOK, ANYWAY, the beast reaches the top of the stairs. Fuckface McGee hears it stomping slowly towards the door and, instead of creeping back inside the closet, stands his ground. He’s not gonna let this thing scare him anymore, he’s gonna root himself in place and face it head-on. It’s time that he stopped being a coward. After all, why try to keep himself alive when he can be a hero and die fighting in a place where no one will ever even know how he died? It’s TOTALLY a good idea to die a hero when, if your body is ever found (and that’s a big “if”), whoever finds it will just assume you got found and killed normally. Hell, they’ll probably think it was suicide, based on the shotgun with your DNA all over it that’d be lying next to your mangled corpse. \n\nThe doorknob turns. The door slowly creaks open and, for the first time, he sees the thing that’s been hunting him for so long. It’s absolutely horrifying, too horrifying for words…Great way of saving yourself the effort of describing it, writers, keep up the good work. Fuckface’s body starts trembling as it focuses on him. However, remembering who he’s supposed to be (whatever THAT means), he steels himself. “Who’s the hunter now, bitch?!” He pulls the trigger…\n\n…but nothing happens.\n\nThe gun doesn’t shoot. It must be out of ammo. Or it’s broken, which is a more likely explanation. Once again, I totally called this. He looks down at the gun, eyes wide with terror, before glancing back up at the creature. It’s standing directly in front of him now, mouth stretched into an impossibly wide grin. Its arms dangle down to the floor, its legs also being far too long. Before he can react, it lunges down and clamps its mouth shut around his neck, cutting his head off in one swift bite. With that one incredibly underwhelming final phrase, Fuckface McGee’s own dumb decisions have lead him to become nothing more than food for Cheshire Slenderman.\n\nAlright, that was fun. How d’you think I did, guys?\n\n…\n\nWhadya mean, “fired”?\n",
"A red light flashed on the dashboard. Check engine. It had been on for a month now, because some chucklefuck decided that going to the mechanic could wait.\n\nSam was in the driver’s seat. She was an attractive African-American woman in her early twenties. Her husband Luke was asleep in the passenger’s seat beside her. Luke was a white guy, just under six feet tall, who was currently dressed in his pajamas. So was Sam. \n\nThey wanted to drive through the night, feeling comfy, and check into their hotel ready to go to sleep. What an adorable, precious little plan. I do hope nothing goes wrong before they make it to the hotel. \n\nThe engine abruptly revved up, sounding like Sam had slammed the gas pedal to the floor. It struggled to accelerate even slightly, and gradually slowed to a halt. There was a loud beeping coming from the dashboard, and more warning lights had come on. If only there had been some way to see this coming, and address it before taking a three hour road trip. Sadly, Sam and her husband didn’t live in a universe where that was possible.\n\nSam put the car in park, sitting on the shoulder of the road. She flicked the overhead light on and poked her husband.\n\n“Luke. Heyyyyy. Luke.” \n\nHe stirred, growling like a bear forced out of hibernation early.\n\n“Something’s wrong with the car baby.”\n\n“Ugh. I’m up. I’m up.” \n\nAfter a quick check of the engine, Luke was forced to admit that he didn’t know what was wrong. \n\n“We should go for help,” Sam said.\n\nBoooo. Stay where you are and call someone.\n\nLuke was waving his phone around, not getting any bars.\n\nWhat kind of discount service are you on? This is a main road, you should have reception here.\n\n“It’s starting to look like that’s our only option,” he said reluctantly. “I can’t get a signal, and it could be a long time before someone comes by here in the middle of the night.\n\nNooooo. Just wait until morning, you dolt. You’re running straight into the plot.\n\nSam and Luke walked down the road for a mile until they found a little dirt track. The track led them to a big country house with a barn out back. The driveway passed through the middle of a corn field.\n\nThe pair walked up to the front door, heedlessly dismissive of potential crazed rednecks. By now, it was already too late. They should have just stayed at home.\n\nLuke knocked for a few minutes, starting off with hesitant taps and gradually progressing to banging on the door. Sam watched quietly.\n\n“I’m going to walk around, see if I can find a way in or a working phone. Watch the car, okay?”\n\nSam nodded. “Be careful.”\n\nWhat could possibly go wrong??\n\nAlmost immediately after Luke left, the door creaked open. \n\n“Luke?” she asked, peering into the darkness. “That was fast.”\n\nYeah, dumbfuck, your boyfriend is Wally West. For his next trick he’s going to run to get a tow truck.\n\nSam walked into the house like a deer investigating a brand new six-lane asphalt trail through the woods. The place was dark, with covered furniture. It felt like a heater had been running inside for quite a while.\n\nSigns were up, advertising the famous straw museum. In each room, little dolls made of straw decorated every flat surface that would hold them.Most of them were dark brown with age.\n\nThat’s not ominous at all, right? Sure a porcelain doll, or a wax museum, that would be a red flag. Then again, judging by your car’s current state, maybe you just can’t see red flags, Sam. Just keep wandering around a creepy house in your pajamas, that’s the way to do it.\n\nShe heard a strangled yell from outside. She ran from room to room, searching for a window. When she finally found one, she saw a body dangling from a tree.\n\n“Luke. No.”\n\nOooh, Luke, no. Good fucking luck with that broken neck sweetheart.\n\nSam managed to make it outside, and ran towards the tree Luke was hanging from. She hugged his leg, trying to get him down, but she would have had to climb the tree or been a lot stronger. There was no movement or any sign of life from him.\n\nShe stepped away, turning her back and crying.\n\n“It’s not fair. How could this have happened?”\n\nLife’s not fair. You can fuck up one time and lose everything. Welcome to the real world.\n\nOn the ground next to the body, she found Luke’s keys, wallet, and phone. When she picked up the phone, she saw that it now had five full bars.\n\nShould have checked your own phone, girl, instead of just relying on him to solve your problems. You could have waited just a few minutes and been able to phone for help. \n\nSam called the cops. They ruled the death a suicide, and said that no one had been in the straw museum in a few months. Sam knew better.\n\nShe quit her job, and drove out every day to the straw museum, trying to catch the monster. \n\nIt already killed Luke, what chance do you think you have being smaller and lighter?\n\n“A good enough chance,” Sam answered the voice in her head. Ever since she lost Luke, she kept going over the events of that night, and criticizing anything less than perfect.\n\nNo one else believed that Luke hadn’t killed himself, and she was going to keep trying to fix her mistakes from that night until she convinced them.\n\n“Just a silly little girl, waiting to be killed by a monster.” \n\nSam did her best to ignore it.\n______________________________________________________\n64/365. Constructive criticism welcome and appreciated.",
"Let me just start off by asking, why in the world would a guy in his late twenties choose to live alone in a cabin in northern Canada? I'll concede that I'm just a narrator but even I know that when you get this kind of setting nothing is going to go well for the main character.\n\nNevertheless our protagonist Frank, real creative mom and pop, has been hashing it out near the border of Alaska in the good ol' Yukon Territory. To his credit he has become mostly self sufficient, he melts his own water, can hunt/trap/fish most of his own food, and has even discovered the wonders of fire. I would even go out on a limb to say that this isolated recluse is doing a good job of it. \n\nNow, our tale begins when our hermit friend glances out of his cabins window and notices shoe tracks in the snow. The shocker being, they're not his. Frank knew that his cabin wasn't visible from the nearest road and that if someone found it, they must either know where it is or be extremely lucky. Our brave wilderness survivor decided he would venture out to investigate regardless. \n\nAfter he lit his oil lamp and put on his outdoor jacket he stepped outside and called out \"Hello? Is anyone there?\". To his disappointment no one called back. He thought to himself that if anyone was this far up north walking around in the snow at night then they must be in need of help. The thought didn't occur to Frank that as he stepped out on to the snow, both of those conditions now applied to him.\n\nFrank noticed that the shoe tracks that lead to his porch changed direction just before reaching his door and went right towards the back of his cabin. This made Frank feel uneasy, he began to abandon the idea that it was someone in need. He began to wonder if he was in danger. He stepped back inside his cabin, closed the door, and leaned against it. He let his nervous and frightened thoughts overwhelm him. He thought that he may be being hunted, that he may die in cold north and that no one would know. \n\nIn a stroke of bravery, after recalling all he had done do survive, he grabbed his rifle that was mounted on the wall above his wood furnace and stepped outside, forgetting to the lock the door. Now, not to spoil the excitement but if Frank had thought through his actions he might have remembered that his rifle wasn't, and hadn't be loaded in quite some time. Nevertheless Frank stormed out of his cabin and followed the footsteps to the back of his cabin. Whereupon he saw that the tracks led to his back window. The tracks there were deep, as if the person had stood there a long time. He wondered how long they had been watching him, what they had seen, where they were now. \n\nWith one hand carrying a oil lamp and another a unloaded rifle Frank nervously turned around, now facing the forest. He hadn't ventured far into the woods. He knew it housed snow foxes and wolves that would take chunks out of his leg gleefully given the opportunity. But the tracks lead there. If only Frank's lamp was bright enough it would have revealed to him that the tracks did in fact not go into the forest. Instead, they went some 70 meters out and flanked left back to the front of the cabin. \n\nUnannounced to Frank a shadow now stood on the other side of the window, inside his cabin, watching him. Frank took several steps towards the forest, all the while carefully considering his actions up until that point. He still failed realize that he hadn't loaded his rifle or that he didn't lock his door as he left. Regardless as he drew nearer to the forest his lamp had begun to show a curve in the path of the foot steps. Not much further it dawned on him what had occurred. At that point he turned around to face his cabin. \n\nFrank's eyes widened and in disbelief he saw a silhouetted figure brooding as it watched him from the back window in his cabin. Frank stood there stunned in the snow, halfway between the forest and his cabin. He felt rage begin to fill him. His only place of safety, his sanctuary, had been violated. He raised his gun and took aim at the figure. It neither flinched nor contested, it merely stood there. Frank pulled the trigger but he only heard the sound of the firing pin. It was empty. He suddenly was knocked down from behind. He could feel sharp stabbing pains in his back and along his legs. Frank struggled, he tried to crawl toward the cabin. He saw the figure still standing behind the window, watching him. Then wolves began to appear from peripheral vision, eventually engulfing him.\n\nWell, there you haven't. I can't speak to what I would have done if I were in Frank's situation. But I can assure you that I wouldn't have gone to see who it was and I sure as hell wouldn't be in the Yukon. Idiot.\n\n\n",
"> Soory, At work so it's short,\n\nYes, Sarah great choice. Open doors are so 2008. great job, you. Sarah Mercer is a 21 year old accountant who enjoys long walks on the beach and breathtaking sprints through this manor in the WRONG DIRECTION. Despite this she is a total peach, kind to everyone, which is why her friends have paid a man to kill her. Whoops, spoiler. Let's hope she dies in the end.\n\tI dont mean to hate Ms. Mercer, she just makes it so easy, and as she makes her way down the long barely furnished hallway it's easy to see why. I mentioned the iopen door but she's also tripped over every carpet bulge, corner molding and STILLETTOS IN AN ABANDONED HOUSE, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? \n\tBut it seems practical dress is far from the biggest mistake she has made to date. Following Mark into this slasher film of a building squeezes its way to the top of the list, nuymber one being that door i mentioned. But I digress, it's just so hard to focus. I mean, Look at her. She's managed to lose the man in the plague doctor mask, and now is calling for help. Help being found more like, Mr Plague Doctor has ears you idiot.\n\tGod it's so hard to narrate, but I'll press on. "
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[WP] Every human is born with a number engraved on the back of their necks. You are almost 100% certain the person in front of you in the train has the numbers “ 0000 “. | 5 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"N(0-0;)mb34s & N06g1n5 (Short #12)\n\n**0000**\n\nNo.\n\nThat can’t be right. My eyes must be wrong. My prescription is outdated, yeah, that’s it! There’s no way someone’s number could be **0000**. Not when my number is **7692(D-A)**. It’s just not possible.\n\nWith one billion people starting on each letter, then the second letter representing the year. I, like most of my class, was born in the **A** generation of **D** billion, but this person, **0000**.\n\nNo year. No number. No billion. Nothing. \n\nThey must be no one.\n\n“He-y, Amy, your staring off again.” Violet said, accentuating the first word.\n\n“Sorry, just thought I saw something weird.”\n\n“O-h, like what?” She asked in her curious manner, hanging onto my arm. “I want to see something freaky-cool.”\n\nThat’s weird. What was it I was going to show her?\n__\n\nCrossing my fingers this turns out, I just tried new stuffity wuffity and crap, enjoy!"
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"1520328138",
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[WP] You are the author of a best-selling book series. In your last book, you decide to kill off everyone and let the villain win. Years later, a heartbroken fan recognizes you and asks, "Why?" | 48 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"\"Because.\" I said bluntly. \n\"Because what?, people loved your books, we were invested in them, attached to them! How can you just say 'Because' like its nothing?\"\nHer eyes started to glisten, she looked as if she could shatter at any second, fragile like glass. I looked at her dead in the eyes and I tried damn it, I tried to tell her that I was sorry and that I was selfish and didn't want to try anymore, that I was on edge, bored and lonely, surrounded by these mainstream illusions that I had spawned of my own naive volition but no. The breath that formed those words did not muster in my throat, nor pass through my waking mind as I muttered through jaded teeth, \"Because life doesn't always flow straight. It bends and curves like a wounded viper, bleeding misfortune onto that hallowed ground of times gone past. Their death was uncalled for, yes but needed, maybe?\"\nGod, I could ramble. Spouting pretentious garbage was easy to do, in fact it made up most of my autobiography. All about 'writing from the heart' and 'not lying to yourself'. What a load of bullshit. Yeah I could lie to them. I always could, but now was too far, she deserved to know. Hell, they all did. \n\n\"Really?\" she sighed. \"Don't kid yourself.\"\nWhat did she just say? 'Don't kid yourself'? That makes sense but not from her mouth. Not from the one that seemed so hurt to be told these skewed truths.\n\"Yeah, that makes sense, huh.\"\n\"What?\"\nI said that out loud didn't I. You moron. \nYeah, don't kid yourself.\nTell her the truth. \nDo it.",
"The cafe was one of my favorites, a tiny one in a small beach town, one of the places I chose to call home. One of the homes that the success of the The Alchemists had bought for me.\n\nIt was easy to reflect on the books because it was such a large part of my success. The first one sold alright, but the second was where things had really taken off, and by the time the third hit, it was marked for a show. Two books later, and I achieved something very few authors could ever hope to achieve - not just financial independence, but financial success on a wide scale.\n\nA half-drunk latte sat on the table before me, and I had a book in my hand. It had been years since The Alchemists had ended, and over a year since I had released my last book. I wasn’t about to used the “R” word, but the money was still flowing in on its own, and it was nice to enjoy someone else’s work for once, especially when it was accompanied by a sunny day and a cool breeze coming off the sea.\n\n“Excuse me?” The voice was tiny, timid, almost frightened, like that of a little girl, but when I lowered my book, I found a grown woman standing before me, in her twenties, I guessed, clad in a light dress over a swimsuit, beach bag hanging from her side.\n\nI placed my bookmark and closed the book, smiling as warmly as I could muster as I placed the book in my lap. It happens from time to time, getting interrupted in the midst of your day, but it’s rare enough that I never try to hide from it. “What can I do for you?”\n\n“You…” She licked her lips and swallowed. She knew me, and she was nervous. This was rarer, but not unheard of. “Are you Chester Nolan?”\n\n“Indeed I am,” I said emphatically, maybe a little too much, but I like to at least pretend that I’m excited to talk to them. It wouldn’t be fair to be a grouch to those who made you rich, not that that stopped some from doing so.\n\nIt was as though a pipe had been broken. “I can’t believe it! I thought it was you, I was certain. Even from the side, it looked like the picture on the back of the books. I just...I don’t think you understand what The Alchemists meant to me as a child. I must have read them a hundred times just in high school.”\n\nShe took a moment to fish around in her bag and pulled out a book, so worn and tattered, the image faded so that at first glance, it wasn’t obvious what it was. She held it out to me, and I took it, handling it gingerly. It was the first run of The Blessed Forge, the first book of the series. The art was crap in my opinion, a cheap solution from a lesser known publisher - I had a framed print of it somewhere in the attic. The later editions were much cleaner, much more professional.\n\nI smiled once more as I handed it back. “I am always happy to meet such a fan.”\n\n“I have so many questions,” she said, her voice still a vomit of words, pouring out faster than the poor girl could think, I’m sure. “But I know you’re trying to enjoy your day, so I won’t bother you too much.”\n\n“Nonsense,” I said, motioning to the chair. “Sit with me, I have nothing to do today.” I hoped she would refuse, but if not, I’m sure it would make a cool story on Reddit. I made a mental note to be the one to ask her for a picture, maybe offer her something free. Make someone’s day and do a bit more to dispel the crotchety recluse image my agent kept telling me I needed to shake off.\n\nShe nodded furiously and sat down, placing the beach bag down beside her. “I...I don’t even know where to start. I mean, I always loved your characters. I felt like Chloe in particular spoke right to.”\n\n“Ah yes, Chloe,” I said. “A wonderful character, shy yet spunky, quiet yet strong, smart and beautiful in her own special way.” Of course, Chloe spoke to everyone. She was written like a horrorscope in that way if you asked me, a throwaway character that I meant to kill off in the second book, but she resonated with the female audience so much that my publisher sent the first draft right back and told me to rewrite.\n\nOnce more the girl nodded. “She was so special, and so relatable when I was in high school. And I loved how she ended up with Jared instead of Will. Will never deserved her like Jacob did.”\n\n“Of course not,” I said. “The logical choice was Jared, because no one ever thought him good enough.”\n\n“And she saw him for what he was,” she said, beaming at me. “I knew that’s how you thought, I knew it.”\n\n“Great minds, they always say,” I said with a laugh. It sounded forced to me, but she never gave any indication that she noticed it. This was easy, too easy really. Maybe that hack from the Times was right, maybe I did appeal to a lower breed of reader.\n\n“Yes, yes,” she agreed. “Everything made sense to me, perfectly, like you were reaching into the soul and taking the exact right course. Even the twists I never saw coming were right, because when all was said and done, when I went back, everything made perfect sense. Or well, almost everything.”\n\nI clenched my teeth behind my lips while trying to hold my smile. I knew exactly what was coming. “What do you mean?” I asked.\n\n“The ending of Panaceas,” she said. “The way the series ended, with them dying. It just...it went against everything the series stood for, everything leading up to it. I mean...why?”\n\n“Why what?”\n\n“Why kill them all? Why let the Charlatan win?”\n\n“Tell me…” I trailed off at her name.\n\n“Hayley.”\n\n“Hayley. Tell me, Hayley, why did it not make sense?”\n\n“It was against character,” she said. “Will would never have sacrificed himself for anything, certainly not the rest of them. Jared would never have left Chloe behind. And Francis was more than capable of creating the cure, especially with Laurence helping her. None of it made sense.”\n\nI kept my voice calm. “I can tell you that I poured over the possibilities for months. I went through every possible ending conceivable, but the way it ended when it went to market was the only way that made sense.” I smiled once more. “Even my publisher agreed.”\n\nShe shook her head. “No, that doesn’t seem sincere. There are so many ways the books could have ended.\n\n“Hayley,” I said calmly, though something began to throb behind my forehead, a stress headache. “If you go back and read, you will see that there are hints throughout the books, hints of their failures and of their weaknesses.”\n\n“Mr. Nolan, I have read the books,” she said. “Dozens of times, each of them. None of it makes sense, and most of your fans agree with me.”\n\n“Ah, but does that make them right?” I asked. “Are interpretations chosen by majority vote like a democracy? I leave it up to fans to come to their own conclusions, wrong though they may be.”\n\n“But it’s not wrong, Mr. Nolan.” She was talking fast again, looking everywhere but my eyes. “There have been complex analyses, people who have run through pages of books, your books, Mr. Nolan, and have proven out what I’ve just stated.”\n\nThe tension in my head was growing. I regretted inviting her to sit down, regretted coming to the cafe, regretted coming to the beach town. “Fans with too much time on their hands and too much imagination. It is a book, a work of fiction placed onto paper from the depths of my mind. Nothing more.”\n\n“No, Mr. Nolan.” She was close to tears now. “You created a masterpiece, a series that inspired people all over the world. People like me who grew up with the books, who related so deeply with the characters, who found the work, your work, so inspiring. And you threw it away just like that. Just like that, you broke the hearts of millions of fans. Why, Mr. Nolan? Why?”\n\nAs she spoke, I could feel the tension growing, the pressure in my skull threatening to burst. Then, it did, as though someone had turned a release valve and the contents emerged as words through my mouth. “Because the world is not all sunshine and roses. Because sometimes the bad guys win, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Because after five books and countless spinoffs, I was so sick and tired of writing those kids, Chloe in particular, that I wanted to be damn sure that I would never have to write another word about them. So I killed them, and I made sure that there was no chance of them returning.”\n\nThe words poured out louder and faster than I would have liked. I felt the relief in my mind, and as my vision cleared, I saw a distraught girl before me, looking about ten years younger as tears began to flow. I felt a twinge of guilt, but only a little. There was a reason I shunned book signings and convention appearances like the plague.\n\nHayley stood from her seat slowly. I watched her remove the book from her bag and lay it gently on the table. She sniffed, staring down at the ratty book. “I’m sorry to have wasted your time, Mr. Nolan. And to have wasted mine.”\n\nShe turned away and walked quickly from the cafe. From the corner of my eye, I could see a few people casting sidelong glances at me, but I ignored them. I was at peace once more, just me, the ocean breeze, and the little cafe a block from the beach.\n\nI took a sip of coffee, then picked up my book and resumed my reading.\n\n---\nLike what you read? Check out more at /r/drewmontgomery"
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[WP] You are able to see the aura of a person by looking at them. One day, you meet a someone without one. | 6 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"You've been able to see the auras of people all your life. Its been distracting when you were younger, but as time went on, it got easier and easier. You've gotten used to seeing the muddled mix of colors on your daily commute, and walking through the streets has become more or less a daze of blurred colors.\n\nYou walk into a convenience store, looking to buy some snacks before class. You settle on some chips and a can of soda, and you pay the cashier, his cerulean aura giving him a comforting glow. As you walk out the doors, you see a flash of black hair, and then feel the ground underneath you. You look at the girl who had bumped into you, who looks at you briefly before walking into an aisle. As you walk to school, you feel a sense of unease, but you can't quite place your finger on it.\n\nAs you sit in class staring at your textbook, you realize something.\nThe girl had no aura.\n\nWhat exactly had you bumped into this morning? "
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"1520371998",
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[WP] You've been an angel doing you job for over half a millennium. It's only now that someone tells you that you've been doing your job wrong the entire time. | 17 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"\nI was heading back with a freshly reaped soul to heaven when I met an acquaintance from hell. It was Pride, one of the Seven Sins, and he seemed to be quite agitated for some reason.\n\n\"Hey Pride. What's up?\"\n\n\" Oh hey there, Gabes. Nothing much. Just trying to figure out why more than a trillion souls which were supposed to end up in hell are not there.\"\n\n\"A trillion. How did you not notice that so many souls were not ending up in hell?\"\n\n\"Yeah, yeah. I know but we anyway had so many souls coming in and...\"\nSuddenly he froze, staring at the soul in my hand.\n\n\"Gabriel, what is that in your hand?\"\n\n\"Oh this, just one of them which I picked up now.\"\n\n\"Would you care to explain to me, why the HELL are you taking a soul clearly marked for hell, to heaven!?\"\n\n\"Wh-what? But I thought I was supposed to take all those marked with the star to heaven? That's what I have been doing for almost half an aeon.\"\n\nPride takes a look at the symbol I'm pointing towards on the back of the soul.\nHe raises an eyebrow.\n\"Gabriel, that's the cursed symbol of Satan you're pointing to right there...\"",
"“Mrs. Adams, you have lived a good life. You have done well in helping your fellow man.” I began my conclusion. \n\n“Hurry up Peter, Metatron is doing an impression of God and it is hilarious, he’s telling blind people to come towards the light... just finish this one up and we can go watch!” Gabriel impatiently stood behind me, as I judged this soul.\n\n“Okay, Okay, you’re good.” I raised my left arm and moved it from right to left to send Mrs Adams to the afterlife, and she was gone with a flash.\n\n“Uh, dude... did you just swipe left?” Gabriel suddenly lost his impatience.\n\n“Uh, yeah, she was a good soul.” I said defensively.\n\nGabriel looked horrified as he hurried his face in his hands. “Left is ‘no’, right is ‘yes’...”\n\n“No it’s not... don’t joke about something like that!” Just then I saw an impartial second opinion walk by. “Michael, swipe left is heaven and right is hell, right?”\n\n“This isn’t funny Peter, don’t play around.” Came the stern reply.\n\n“No really, you guys stop joking... this isn’t funny”. Panic set in as I frantically pleaded with them to stop the joke.\n\n“Hey, Raphael, get a load of this: Peter thought swiping left was ‘yes’!” Gabriel had somehow begun to find he humour in it. “Oh my God, how long have you been doing his for? This is hilarious!”\n\n“500 years now...” my face went pale as the blood drained. “I have been doing this wrong for 500 years...”\n\nThe others burst out laughing. I felt someone slap my back. “Well, you’re fucked.”"
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[WP] One day everyone wakes up with a tally count of how many people they have killed above their head. The day goes by with murderers being constantly convicted. When you get home, your significant other has 2 tallies. | 100 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"We’ve been together almost a year, and she’s the most amazing thing that ever happened to me. She is beautiful, funny, vibrant, fun, insightful and kind. Way out of my league, but I spend every minute I can and every penny I have trying to make her happy. \n\nI mean, yeah, sometimes she gets a little snappy with me, and it would be nice if she took more of an interest in my hobbies, or liked simpler things like staying in with a pizza and Redbox instead of a night out in a trendy club every weekend, but it’s worth it to see her happy. I know she needs time with her girlfriends, it’s important to have outside interests in a relationship. I love watching her have fun, I’m not much of a dancer myself but she’s got lots of dance partners waiting in line. \n\nToday is the day, though. I picked out the ring months ago; picked it up today and I’m so excited to get home! I keep getting news alerts on my phone about the numbers, people getting arrested left and right. The guy who owns the jewelry store had a number of 5... but he’s pretty old, probably from Vietnam? Anyway, that’s not what today is about for me. Today is about her. I can’t wait to see her face when I give her the ring! I keep envisioning the amazing life we will have together, and what our kids are going to look like. I hope they get her looks and not mine. \n\nShe’s been a little weird lately, for the past couple of weeks she has been kind of quiet. We still go out on the weekends but she doesn’t party like she used to, and she always seems a little tired. Maybe that stomach bug she’s had is catching up with her and dragging her down. \n\nOk, amazing, got the flowers now and the ring box in my pocket - there’s not even any traffic! I’m going to get home even sooner than I thought and I can’t wait to surprise my best girl! \n\nWait, where’s her car? Her car isn’t here. It’s Wednesday, she doesn’t usually have anything on Wednesday... Pilates is Monday, book club is Tuesday, girls night is Thursday... Wednesday is her ‘me’ day. So where is my girl? Hm, maybe she could be out shopping, or getting groceries to make me a home cooked dinner? Nahhhhh, probably shopping. Well... let me get in here and put these flowers in a vase and chill the champagne, I’m sure she’ll be home soon. \n\nMan, this number thing is so crazy. When we heard about it this morning we both ran to the bathroom to see if we had them. No, of course we didn’t, we’ve never killed anyone! My dad called and said he had a 1, from the time he got into that accident and hit that other guy’s car when I was little. This is going to be tough on him and my mom, to go through that again, it took years for him to get help and then he fina— yes! I hear her car! \n\nI’ll just stay here in the living room and wait for her to come in. Quick, turn the lights down and light some candles, that’s a nice ambiance. Ooh, let me get down on one knee and wait. Yeah, that’s good. \n\n....\n\n....\n\nOk... what’s taking so long? Is she sitting in the car staring at her phone again? What could she possibly be doing? She obviously knows I’m home, my car is in the driveway. Why isn’t she coming in the door? Ooh, I hear keys. It’s go time! \n\n‘Welcome home, baby! Come into the living room, I’ve got a surprise for you!’\n\nHer steps are slow... hesitant. Like she’s dragging her feet. What’s going on with my girl? She usually loves surprises. \n\nWhen she walks into the room I’m surprised to see that she’s wearing yoga pants, flip flops, and my college hoodie. Is she sick? Is she in pain? I’ve never seen her dressed down like this before and it’s actually kind of alarming. Of course I jump up and run to her, and as I get close she steps into a pool of candle light... and I see it clearly now, hovering over her, the number 2? What? What is happening? \n\n‘Baby, what is going on? You have a number? How did this happen? This is obviously a mistake! We need to call someone right no— what? Why are you crying?’ \n\nAs she says ‘we need to talk, I have to tell you something...’ I sink to the floor as it all becomes clear...\n\n\n\n",
"OK! SO! gonna post this in two posts, first time doing one of these but this came to me on the spot and had to get it down! Be gentle please ;_;\n\n****************************************************\n\"Oh Lord Ra you have to be kidding me!\" \n\nI damn near tripped trying to get away from him, the number two hovered above his head in a bright blue. He wouldn't raise his gaze to look up at me, all he could do is stand there in the living room with his eyes down and his whole body shaking. \n\n\"Two...Two people!? Holy shit Eric! What the hell did you do?!No. No fucking way.\"\n\nI just kept running through scenario after scenario in my head as to what he could've done. Three years we'd been together, three years I'd loved him without question and he'd killed two damn people. \n\n\"Matt you don't understand. It's not like-\" \n\nBut I cut him off. I was so angry, so livid, and beyond all of that, terrified. \n\n\"We have to go. Now. We have to get out of here, we...we can go out of town, maybe in a few days or weeks the numbers will dissappear and we can come back, I'll...I'll get some time off work! I have enough days stored up.\" \n\nHe shook his head and just kept looking away. \n\n\"We don't have to run Matt...The cops won't come.\" \n\nMy blood ran cold. What the hell did he mean by that? \n\n\"If you go out anywhere, if you go to work, hell if you're near an open window and someone catches sight of it...Lord Anubis be damned Eric...I can't-\" \n\nIt was him that cut me off this time. \n\n\"DAMNIT MATTHEW WILL YOU JUST LISTEN FOR TWO SECONDS?!\" \n\nIn three years not once had he ever used my full first name before. Nor had he ever raised his voice to me before...It honestly was like a slap to the face, and it was enough to make me stand there staring at him in the silence of the living room.\n\n\"They won't come because I'm already in the records. I've already been tried...Five years ago...I was found not guilty. Two counts of second degree murder. Not guilty by reason of self-defense.\" \n\n\nAnd all at once I felt the energy leave my body. 1000 scenarios in my head and out of all them, I honestly wasn't expecting that. \n\n\"What happened?\" Those were about the only two words I could muster at that moment. \n\n\"My ex...before you. Gods damnit he was insane...he started out so kind, he loved me unconditionally, and then after a while the sheen wore off the relationship. Things got bad...as bad as they can get and he became violent. Physically...emotionally. He knew how to hit me just right that it didn't leave marks...He'd yell at me over every little mistake. After a while he broke me to my core.\"\n\n",
"It is ridiculous to think that one day we could all wake up with our own personal secrets floating atop our heads. Well, like in most cases, I am wrong – again. Ever since the invention of ‘World Lens’ by Franklin Howard Barkley, everything in our modern day society keeps proving my accusations of what is now possible entirely wrong.\n\nLet me begin with what happened today. This morning, just like any other day, I woke up and immediately pushed myself into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I never even looked at my wife. I always had a system every morning. That system came to a halt when I realized that my wife was not even in the house. I basically made this discovery upon running down the stairs to grab my breakfast before my briefcase. Except, there was no breakfast. There was nothing in the kitchen but a note lying on the table. I picked up the note and read,\n\n*‘Morning Sleepy-head!*\n\n*Tammy and I went out to the market today. Harold and Tammy are planning on joining us for dinner tonight to celebrate your birthday!*\n\n*Love,*\n*Your Wifey!’*\n\nI sat the letter down and became disgusted. It wasn’t because of Harold or Tammy joining us for dinner, it wasn’t even because I didn’t have my usual breakfast, it was the fact that I forgot today was my birthday.\n\nRolling my eyes, I noticed that World Lens had an icon of balloons and celebration art placed above my head. But let’s not get off topic. This story isn’t about my birthday. It is about what World Lens had done. With the new DNA research along with heavy investigation through their system, World Lens activated something that slammed our city to a stopping point.\n\nI didn’t notice anything until I was riding the morning bus to work and someone next to me had three lines above their head. I leaned over and asked,\n\n“What do those lines mean?”\n\nThe gentleman’s eyes grew wide. He shoved me out of my seat while yelling at the bus driver,\n\n“Let me outta’ here now!”\n\nEveryone around me panicked. I didn’t understand what was happening until an elderly lady yelled behind me,\n\n“He’s a murderer!”\n\nThe bus became a chaotic disarray of people trying to get off. I noticed more lines were popping up above certain individuals once we all ran out onto the sidewalk before the usual stop.\n\n*Tally marks.* I thought to myself. *They must be tally marks.* \n\n“Stop right there!” A whistle blew. Police swarmed all over the streets. A man from behind me knocked my briefcase out of my hand scattering all of my work material on the pavement below. I stood there watching as police arrested anyone with tally marks above their head. Drones swarmed down to cover every intersection in the city. I looked up towards the tall buildings stretching high into the clouds before noticing more drones circling all the businesses.\n\nI couldn’t believe what was happening. I didn’t quite understand how World Lens did what they did. I took in a deep breath before raising my eyes above my brow. \n\n“Whew,” I sighed aloud. I still had the stupid birthday balloons above my head. \n\nI quickly tried calling my wife but she didn’t answer. I didn’t even bother to pick my stuff up off the ground. Guns were going off down the street in front of the main city bank. Fire started to break out from the drones shooting back. I couldn’t understand how there were so many murderers out there. Unless, I started tightening up, World Lens somehow got it all wrong and their numbers were off. I mean, what if they were hunting people that never even murdered anyone? What if they were hunting soldiers that fought in our war? It all became too much. I knew better than to go into work. There was no work anywhere today.\n\nI turned around before noticing no one was going anywhere. All of the traffic was piled with cars people stranded. My wife still wouldn’t pick up her phone. I started to do the only thing that I could do, walk back home. \n\nIt was a few hours of watching chaos take over the city. I just slipped by everyone with my birthday balloons icon trying not to make myself too noticeable for any reason. It took all day for me to finally get back to the neighborhood where I lived. I only had a few tears in my suit by the time I was at my front door. I slowly opened the door. I heard my wife singing in the kitchen. The dining table had already been set up for a nice candle-lit dinner. \n\n“Uh,” I paused with the door wide open behind me. “Do you not know what is going on?”\n\n“Everything is fine dear! Sit down and sample the meatloaf.” My wife continued humming from the kitchen.\n\n“No seriously, do you not know what is going on out there? What is all of this?” I pressed. I moved towards the kitchen.\n\n“Just sit down! It’s your birthday!” She yelled back. I could hear her chopping something up on the kitchen counter. She hid herself to where I couldn’t see her from the dining table. The entrance to the kitchen had sheets hanging down so I couldn't even see inside the kitchen itself. I didn’t want to spoil any surprises she may have had for me but I couldn’t take my mind off of the chaos happening in our own city.\n\n“Honey, we need to talk about what is happening out there.” I sat down taking a bite out of the meatloaf positioned in the center of our table. Before I continued my next statement. I noticed there were only placements made for two people. “Honey, I thought Harold and Tammy were joining us?”\n\nI heard a giggling sound from my wife. “They are joining us silly!” She finally came into the dining room with red smears all over her apron. \n\n“Did you have a problem opening the wine again?” I tilted my head up. It took a second before I felt my jaw drop wide open. I noticed my wife had two tally marks above her head. I saw her knuckles turn to white over the knife she was holding. I felt my back pressed up against the chair.\n\n“So, where is Harold and Tammy?” I asked hesitantly.\n\nMy wife smiled and pointed before responding with,\n\n“Did you like the taste of the meatloaf I made you?”\n\n***\n\nTo read more of my stories, visit [r/13thOlympian] (https://www.reddit.com/r/13thOlympian/)",
"“Cally, you’ll never guess what” Pete called out as he came through the front door. Fumbling to lock the latch with one hand while carrying a briefcase and pizza box in the other he continued; “you know Simon, ginger Simon from work?” With the door locked he stood on his heels one at a time, slipped off his shoes, flicked them in to the pile of unorganised footwear by the coat rack and continued toward the kitchen. “Well he had one of those lines above his head this morning but didn’t know what it meant so he came in to work. Turns out he had a fi..”\nPete stepped in to the kitchen and when he saw his girlfriend of three years a gut punch of shock knocked the pizza box and briefcase out of his hand and a wave of fear pulsed through his body.\n\nCally was sat at the kitchen island wearing a dressing gown, tendrils of cigarette smoke hung in the air around her; forty or fifty butt ends were stubbed out in a make shift ash tray on the marble counter top. She had only moved in to his a few months ago and Pete had strictly banned smoking inside the house. The skin around her eyes throbbed and burned red from rubbing, makeup was streaked down her face and she was trembling. Above her head were two small white lines.\n\n“Pete please, please don’t call the police, let me explain, I can explain” Cally’s voice cracked as she pleaded and tears began to well in her eyes.\n“Cally” Pete said softly as he walked towards her, completely ignoring the carcinogenic fog. The way he said her voice and reached to hold her make up stained hand told her that he wouldn’t be calling the police. Pete pulled her head in to his chest and began to stroke her hair. “What’s happened” the moment he began to speak his jaw quivered and he tried to swat the lines away. “Has there been a mistake, why have you got two lines, it can’t be for the same reason as all the others?” \n\n“I HAVE KILLED, PETE” she interrupted sharply pulling her head away from his chest. Their eyes connected through a wall of tears and she held his confused gaze. “I have killed” she repeated, this time in a softer tone, “twice.”\n“I’ve wracked my brain all day and all I can think of is that it has to be from when I was a health care assistant living in Truro before I moved up here. I was only 19. I’d been working at the hospital for about 5 months and a newly qualified nurse, Amy, started working on the ward. We got on really well and mostly worked the same shifts. One time We were looking after a patient together and she asked me to give him a newly prescribed antibiotic, but five minutes after he took it I went back in to the room and he was struggling to breathe, went in to anaphylactic shock and died. The same thing happened a month later to an old lady. Amy was sacked and was struck off of the register for drug error. I was a HCA so was acting solely under her instruction, nothing happened to me but I had to leave the hospital for personal reasons.”\n\nPete listened the story and it seemed to settle both their nerves. The tears had stopped and the shaking had calmed down. “Well that’s not murder” his words came out relieved and breathy. “You were just doing as you were told, I’ll find the number for the hospital and get records, and I’ll call my lawyer, Sam.” As Pete reached for his phone Cally snatched it from his hand, “NO,” she yelled “not yet. I want to grab a few bits from my storage unit. I kept a diary the whole time I worked at the hospital. And all my old certificates, pay slips, performance reviews and all that stuff are in boxes in storage. I just want to have all that ready to give to Sam. Please Pete.”\nHe gave half a smile and nodded, “if you think it will help. Let me get changed out of my work clothes and we can drive to the storage unit.”\nHe put one hand on the bannister and went to climb the stairs but she grabbed his forearm and squeezed. “We haven’t got time” the urgency in Cally’s voice made him forget he also needed to pee.\n\nThe only sound on the car journey was the gentle hum of the engine. Cally was staring out of the window, Pete kept flicking his eyes to look at the two white lines above her head; in the dark stretches between the streetlights one line seemed to glow brighter than the other. He couldn’t take the silence anymore and needed to break it. \n“When I helped you write your CV you didn’t mention anything about being a HCA in Truro.”\nThe sentence was a statement but the tone it was said in demanded an answer.\nCally paused, then said “Well I didn’t think it was relevant for a secretary job. Plus I try and forget about it because of the deaths.”\n“Yeah I suppose” Pete replied. Then came another 10 minute silence. He was trying to watch the road but his eyes were drawn to the white lines above her head, especially the brighter of the two.\n\n“Did my brother come over to fix the bathroom extractor fan?” He asked trying once again to coax her in to a conversation. Not that it would have provided much to talk about.\n“No he didn’t” Cally said sharply while still keeping her gaze fixed out of the window. \n“Weird, he definitely had the day off because he told me he..”\nCally cut in, “He didn’t come over, Pete, and I haven’t heard from him so just call him tomorrow” her voice was irritated.\n‘Must be her nerves. Poor thing’ He thought.\n\nThey reached the storage unit, and began to search the cardboard boxes for supporting documents, Pete searched the left and Cally took the right.\n“I love you, Pete.”\n“I love you too, Cally.”\nPete was searching frantically, scanning every piece of paper for key words. \n\n“You can’t move on when I go to prison, I couldn’t live with that” Cally said, her voice stern and serious. \n“You aren’t going to prison, once we find these documents and I call Sam we can build a defence ca..”\n“You don’t understand,” her voice was just as serious, but this time it sounded closer. He stopped suddenly, still on his knees, and sensed someone was stood behind him.\n“You can’t move on when I go to prison.”\nAs panic set in Pete turned his body to see Cally stood over him with a blade in her hand. “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING” Pete barked, but as he went to stand she swung the knife wildly, tears streaming down her face. The blade went straight through his left forearm when he tried to block it from going in to his neck.\nShe pulled the knife out and he fell to the ground clutching his arm. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry Pete, I didn’t want this.” She was crying hysterically now, blood flicked off of the blade from her shaking.\n“Whatever put these marks on my head caused this, it was an accident, my old landlord tried to attack me but I pushed him down the stairs. When he was knocked out I strangled him and buried him in the garden, I don’t know what came over me.”\n\nPete was still on the floor and had his left arm pressed tight against his chest to stem the bleeding. She moved towards him slowly, still crying and shaking.\n“B-but..the the hospital” Pete stuttered. \n“Then when the line turned up on my head and I found out what it was I knew I was marked for prison and a life without you. While I planned what to do about it Dan came round to fix the fan. He threatened to call the police and I would have been arrested before I got to see you so I chased him upstairs with a knife and dealt with him.”\n“My brother” Pete sobbed, “you killed Dan.”\n“I had to Pete, I didn’t want to, just like I don’t want to do this but if I have to spend the next 40 years in prison while you live your life and start a family I’d go insane.”\n“I fucking hate you, you bitch.” Pete had started to turn pale from blood loss and scuffed his feet in an attempt to move away from her, but she walked around him and knelt behind him. With one arm around his chest she rested her face on the back of his head. “I’m sorry Pete, I love you” she whispered and kissed his head; then the knife kissed his throat. Cally stood, dropped the knife and walked out of the storage unit.\n\n—————————————-\n\nThank you for reading, that was my first attempt at writing anything and I’d really appreciate any feedback you might have :)\n",
"\"Hey, honey. I'm home. I swear, Bill is out to get me. Today, he criticized me in a group email. Fucker sends it to everyone in the department.\" I wrestled the tie off my neck, tore down my button-up, and collapsed on the couch. \n\n\"I'm sorry to hear that, honey,\" my wife called from the bathroom. \n\n\"No, I'm sorry for ranting to you. You deserve better.\" I cracked a beer from the mini-fridge and flipped on the TV, losing myself in the cheap sitcoms. Half an hour later, my wife joined me in nothing but a bathrobe and a towel over her head. \n\n\"Have a nice bath?\" I draped my arm around her and pulled her close. \n\n\"Yeah...\" Her smiled dropped as she cast a sideways glance. Then, it returned as quickly as it'd gone, as if nothing had ever happened. Probably just a trick of the light. \n\n\"Been a while since we've had some time to ourselves. Months, if I recall.\" I stroked her leg and she shied away. \"Not tonight?\" \n\n\"I'm sorry, just not in the mood. But I do have dinner for my hard working businessman.\" I noticed the aroma of barbecue ribs drifting from the kitchen. \n\n\"You now what? Ribs are good too.\"\n\nAs we walked over, she removed her towel and shook her hair dry. A soft green glow emanated from atop her head. Tally marks. Two of them. \n\nI'd seen them before, in the news or in magazines. \"Deranged Murderer kills fifteen worshippers in shooting spree.\" Never had I thought I'd seen them on my wife. Suddenly, the ribs on my plate seemed a lot more suspicious. \n\n\"Honey?\" I asked, pretending to slice away at my food. \n\n\"Yes?\" She ate normally, but something seemed off in her eyes. \n\n\"Don't you shower in the morning?\" Her gaze shifted again, I was sure of it. \n\n\"I had a bit of a workout so I thought I'd clean myself up for you.\" She mumbled. I felt bad for pressing her, but lives, potentially mine, were on the line. If she had killed someone, there's no way the bathroom would be entirely clean. \n\n\"I just gotta take a leak before I eat.\" I rose from my seat, and she grabbed my arm. \n\n\"Wait. The downstairs bathroom is kinda messy. I kind of... had a spa day. Use the upstairs bathroom.\" A chill ran down my back. Her smile had vanished. \n\n\"Sure thing, honey.\" Her grip on my arm relaxed and I left the kitchen, walking slowly towards the stairs. When I was sure she wasn't looking, I crept into the downstairs bathroom and silently closed the door. \n\nI braced myself for a bathtub full of blood. For a garbage bag with a body in it. For a sink full of murder weapons. But what shook me the most was that the bathroom was immaculately clean. My heartbeat slowed. Nothing at all was out of place, save for the unwound coathanger in the trash. \n\n[subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Tensingstories/)\n",
"It's not much later after we have sat down at the table and I'm sipping on my chicken soup that I notice the number above her head. I almost choke. A solid two written clearly. A thousand thoughts go through my mind. Should I just back out, pretend I do not notice?\n\n\"So, delicious chicken.\" I remark.\n\n\"Indeed.\"she says.\n\n\"Did you perhaps kill it yourself?\"\n\n\"Of course not.\" she says.\n\n\"Did you kill anything at all today?\" I ask.\n\n\"What's with these questions?\" she asks irritated.\n\nI change the topic.\n\n\"So what did you do today?\"\n\n\"Funny thing.\" she says \"Your parents came by.\"\n\n\"Oh did they?\"\n\n\"Yes and I made chicken soup, I used that special salt you brought last night.\"\n\n\"What special salt?\"\n\n\"The one on the little packages.\"\n\nI spill the soup out\n\n\"That was mouse poison.\" I blurt.\n\n\"I know.\" she says smiling with a corner of her mouth and I see the number on top of her head changing to three.\n\n\n"
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[WP] Earth is an endangered planet, protected from hunters by galactic law, but a poacher has entered the system. | 5 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"“PULL UP!”\n\nTwo of the four thrusters were gone, and not just gone in the philosophical sense. Those babies are now floating through the vacuum of nothingness in more pieces than Art’s favorite jigsaw puzzle. “Break me like a cheap one.”, Art would have said. It was his “go-to” phrase when things got a little too crazy for comfort, seconded by, “Ain’t that some shit?”. Either this nose get’s lifted or Earth becomes humpty dumpty. And when that happens, all the kings horses and all the kings men goes with it.\n\n“I said pull up, God damnit!”, Art half-shouted and half-breathed as he hobbled his way to the cockpit hoping that Peter picked the most shit-stained inappropriate time to ignore his superior’s command. Art dropped into the co-pilot seat heavily and bleeding from his left leg. He grasped for the controls and yanked violently. The ship did little to respond and Peter glimpsed Art’s patella peeking through his flight suit.\n\nPete had only been serving as a novice pilot for a little more than a year. Normally the Intergalactic Treaty Enforcement, more commonly referred to as Enfos, wouldn’t place a pilot of Pete’s age behind the controls of a Shield Cruiser (let alone in such a sensitive system with Class 3 security breaches), but Pete had proved himself at a young age. Though Full honors through I.T.E. flight defense courses at the brooding age of 21 wasn’t without its own debits – the kind only old age and a broken heart could seem to fix.\n\n“Jesus, Art. We’re fucked! I’ve lost two thrusters. T-1 and T-3 got 50 percent. I didn’t even see ‘im jump in. It’s a Barret Recon Mark III. He’s got minis! These fuckers comin’ for Earth on the day now. I swear by it. I can’t seem –\n\nAnd it was as quick as that. Their cruiser shook violently. Streams of yellow and blue light shot out from the control board. A flashing red light labeled “T-1” blinked out. A loud explosion and suddenly the mechanical beeps and buzzes of the cockpit sizzled and moaned like a slurring drunk passing out mid-sentence. A sheet of steel the size of a small pocket notebook sprang from storage cabinet and slashed Art’s neck while the rest of the debris left only superficial scrapes and cuts. Art’s hands jumped from the controls and grasped his own neck. \n\n“Art! Fuck! Are you okay? NaTS is down!”, Pete shouted frantically.\n\nWith his hands on his neck, Art’s eyes rolled up to the roof of the Shield. All Shield Cruiser cockpits were constructed with 360 degree body peripherals. This meant a pilot could see everything from top of their head to the bottom of their feet as well as from shoulder to shoulder. Anything behind them required visuals from their Navigation and Targeting System, or NaTS for short.\n\nThen something happened. The chaos in the pit began to fade. Pete’s voice began to fade. It grew dull and mushy. And then it changed. It was soft. It was quiet, but audible. It was sweet, like the taste of a honeysuckle, or the smell of spring when the sun is just rising and the dew has gathered generously on grass cut the day before. It was tranquil like taking a swallow of a beer on a warm summer night. He realized then it was Angie. It was Angie’s voice. And his controls weren’t on fire – his fireplace was, rather the logs were. It was a pinch to warm maybe, but bearable, and the crackle and pop were calming, not threatening. His neck wasn’t bleeding. He had clumsily spilled some wine as he was dozing.\n\n“Art?”, she asked as she dabbed his neck with a cloth napkin. “I think it’s time for bed, you’re spilling your wine and it’s getting late.” She had a voice that made him feel like he was back in grade school. When she looked at Art, her eyes glowed a deep blue that could make his knees weak.\n\n“I’ve ruined my shirt.”, he mumbled as he lifted and emptied his wine glass.\n\nAngie kissed his cheek lovingly. “You didn’t ruin it, heaven knows I’ve cleaned up bigger messes than this. But you’re kidding yourself if you think I’m going to be your caretaker. Your mother raised you better than this.”\n\n“I thought you were my mother?”, Art grinned.\n\n“Keep it up, old man.” Angie grabbed the bottle of wine from his hand and headed for the kitchen.\n\nHe closed his eyes and sat for a moment, rocking in his wooden chair. He wondered if they would ever have kids. He wondered if he might have a son that would grow to be a pilot like his old man someday. He might even fly for I.T.E. He supposed he wouldn’t mind having a daughter either. Angie would raise her with tenderness and she would grow to love someone else as well as Angie loved him. This pleased him. The wine he had been sipping pleased him. The warmth of the fire pleased him very much – although it seemed to be getting warmer still. He had heard a thud and rush of flame and opened his eyes to what he expected would be Angie throwing some more logs into the pit. But it was silent and it was dark and her eyes did not meet his. Someone was saying something. But what was it? It was urgent. It was important.\n\n“—do, sir!?”, was all Art could hear.\n\n“Art! Art! What the fuck do we do?” Peter was frantic – borderline hysterical.\n\nA swallow and a breath. “—cheap one.”, was the reply. Art, with eyes half-closed, seemed to breath his way through a response that Pete only caught the latter of.\n\n“Say again, Sir! What?”. Peter was scared, desperate, and crying now.\n\nArt managed to meet Peter’s eyes one last time, “Break me like a cheap one, son.”\n"
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"1520471298",
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[removed] | [WP] Climate change in Hell is the inverse of what it is on Earth. | 1 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nPrompts go in the title. You can add more in the text, but avoid [too many details](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/prompts?src=RECIPE). You wrote a prompt in the text, but then gave a title for it. \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/82tz03/wp_climate_change_in_hell_is_the_inverse_of_what/%0A%0A)\n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*"
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1,
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"1520475019",
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[WP] Unable to see herself in a mirror it falls to you to convince your self-conscious vampire daughter she looks just fine. | 146 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"There is a problem that afflicts those that drink a darker kind juice,\n\nFor those whose morals and tastes are ever slightly loose,\n\ncome now Daughter, look me in the eyes,\n\nand know that your looks will make them cry!\n\nNow, yes your mouth is wide.\n\nAnd yes your ears are long.\n\nAnd yes your teeth are large.\n\nBut that doesn't make me wrong!\n\nYou lack a soul, and your mirror image is not whole, just animated fabrics, floating in your chair, But listen to me daughter, as I stare you in the eyes...\n\nIf you perfect your mesmer... Any haters will meet their demise!\n\nSo tighten up that bodice, and let me apply your lipstick, for when this night is over, you'll bite a mortal's um, stick!\n\nAnd soon you'll see, Daughter, that your looks are the kind that will slaughter!\n\nSo repress your fears my little bloodsac, and lets plan our attack!\n\n(A/N: tried to imitate Voltaire's 'jaunty but horror' style lyrics, doesn't work well without a tune.",
"\"Daaaaaaaaaaad.\"\n\nThere is no orthography yet created which can properly capture the disdain, vocal fry, and, in seeming violation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, conjuration out of thin air of extra syllables, both infixed and suffixed, that an annoyed 16-year-old can infuse into a word that should have only one syllable. Karmilla was extra vexed today, with only a few hours before her first date with \"the cutest guy in school\" (I am told) and my wife, her usual co-conspirator in affairs of the heart, unavailable for consultation this particular evening. \n\n\"Honey, Karm, relax. You look beautiful and I'm sure whatshisface will be stunned.\"\n\nThe violation of laws of nature, however, was nothing new to my very unique offspring: I had known from the beginning her mother was special. And not the lock-eyes-from-across-the room-and-smash-cut-to-wedding kind of special, but more the oh-by-the-way-I'm-an-immortal-undead-bloodsucker kind of way. That's right. I was enthralled like a cut-rate Renfield before my dark-mistress-cum-fiancee Nina decided she actually did love me, and we decided to make a go at... well, whatever you'd call us now. A little bit of blood magic, supernatural fertility rites, carry the two, and her she was, my little vampire girl, fussing with three tubes of thirty dollar glitter pastes and gesticulating angrily at me and a Google Image search of some overdid teen starlet. \n\n\"It's not any WHATSHISFACE, Dad, it is the absolutest coolest guy ever and I don't want to mess this up! So tell me if my hair\" - she stabbed a hot hair straightener dangerously close to the tablet I was holding - \"looks like this!\"\n\nNow, to be candid, I did think she look beautiful - my little girl and all, darkly powerful though she may be, - but for the life of me I could even begin to compare or contrast any of the identical looking hairdo's tiled out before me. \n\n\"Yes, my little batgirl, would you relax? You have successfully and unoriginally made your hair look exactly like Kylie Jenner's.\" \n\nAnother eye roll. \"That's not even Kylie Jenner, Dad.\" And she continued fussing and dabbing and straightening and restraightening. I love her mom dearly. She was off on vampire business for the local coven meetings - apparently the werewolves two towns over had embroiled the council in a spirited disagreement over animal rights, parking permits, and, um, lawncare. But from her Mom, she had inherited not a little bit of vanity. \n\nVanity is especially bad for teenagers, and it is even worse when that teenager will never have the chance to admire her own reflection - let alone all other wonderful hours of teenhood that are spent in deep self-doubt in front of highly polished reflective surfaces. But one might argue that is part of growing up. \n\nI could have sworn I had it right, Kylie over Kendall, but now that I looked better I realized maybe it wasn't even a Kardashian?\n\n\"Ugh, I can see my split ends from HERE.\" \n\n\"Yes, but you have the eyesight of a literal wolf and no one else will ever notice.\"\n\nShe was really nervous, and I felt bad for my inner chuckling. I could tell her nerves were really up because her human-like facade, which she was really good at keeping up, was slipping. Her eyes glowed a bit red, her canines had started to grow our and sharpen, and her movements took on an otherwordly quality: too fast to be completely human, and with a blurry quality, like a slo-mo dove in an old kung fu movie. On second thought, maybe my human puberty wasn't so bad at all. \n\nI continued offering reassurances but eventually she got so frustrated she slammed a fragile looking hand down on her solid oak dresser - and splintered off a large corner. She looked up at me as ice cold tears welled-up in her arctic blue and red eyes. And in that moment, regardless of whether or not she was learning to fly or turn into mist from her Mom; regardless of whether she could easily disable a large man; and regardless of how she had already aced two AP exams, learned the viola, and made varsity softball, in that moment she looked for a world like what she was, deep down inside: a scared little girl who needed a hug from her dad.",
"\"But you have an Instagram account full of selfies,\" said a vampire most baffled.\n\n\"Yeah, but, like, I feel like the photo apps are doing something to make me look better,\" said his agitated vampiric daughter, \"And yesterday, Agatha told me I looked fatter in person, and that I just look skinnier in my selfies because of the lighting. It's not my fault I can't use natural light for my selfies!\"\n\n\"I am telling you: you look fine.\"\n\n\"'Fine' is not a word used to describe someone who actually looks fine.\"\n\n\"Then what word was I supposed to use?\"\n\n\"I don't know. At this point, anything you say will sound insincere. I can totally tell you don't want to be here.\"\n\n\"That's not really fair. I am trying to make you feel better.\"\n\n\"See? You are just trying to make me feel better and get this 'feeling' thing over with. I really wish mom was here.\"\n\nThe father was quite sure that her mother would have simply brutalized her with words to bring about a quick and bloody end to this sort of conversation.\n\n'What would she have said? \"You DO look fatter in person. Maybe you should switch to low fat blood. How about a holy water detox? My friend Beatrice lost a ton of weight before the last sabbath that way.\" The woman was the death of me. She still is,' thought the reverse-Twilighted schmuck.\n\n\"You know, Coco, vampiric life is all about being sanguine. Would you consider caring less about superficial things? We live in this big castle, and we don't need to worry about money, aging, or death,\" said the owner of the twelve thousand square feet floor space castle.\n\n\"Don't call me that. My name is Astrid, and I wish you could try this perpetual teenager un-life. I may not have to worry about material things, and I don't age, but immortality comes with its price. What I am to do with this never-ending existential crisis? Why am I here? Shouldn't dead things lie dead?\" retorted the girl.\n\nShe took a deep breath and sighed while looking at a mirror. There was no reflection of her on the mirror.\n\n\"Anyway, I don't want to get into that. I just feel like I don't matter, and I need to feel not ugly. Make me feel better!\"\n\n\"I am telling you: you look fine.\"\n\n\"You already said that!\"\n\nFlabbergasted, the father yet again tried to come up with something nice to say about the girl, but he only got flashes of visions of himself throwing his only daughter into a dry well full of bats, and nailing it shut. 'That way she just might become a heroine Gotham deserves,' he thought. The idea that his daughter would stay a teenage forever doing nothing but drinking blood and finger-drumming her smartphone was driving him a little mad.\n\n\"I don't know what to tell you. Just come down for dinner when you are ready.\"\n\n\"Another week-old transfusion bag. You should learn how to cook.\"\n\n\"Maybe you should learn how to cook. Beggars can't be choosers.\"\n\nWalking down a spiral staircase, the father vampire thought: 'Maybe I should've turn her into a teenage zombie instead of a teenage vampire. It would've been much less trouble.'\n\nIt was altogether too late for that.\n\n\n\n\n\n",
"The clock was ticking quite loudly today.\n\nOf course, I knew such a thing could not be possible, it had a default volume after all. one that was established at the moment of its creation. The humans created many things, this beautifully crafted clock was one of them.\n\nI wish I had the same level of talent as they did.\n\n\"Am I cute? father?\" it was such an innocent question, one without malice nor worry. Just pure, honest curiosity. It was because I noticed this, that somehow the sounds inside the room somehow got *louder* inside my head.\n\nThere was a faint smell of blood in the air.\n\n\"Of course you are, Lillie. I always say so don't I?\" I answered the honest question with an honest answer, but the look on her face told me that it wasn't enough for her \"you're the prettiest girl in the world, the only star in this dark universe, trust me. I'm more trustworthy than any mirror\"\n\n*Well it's not like we can use them anyway...*\n\n\"I don't think- \" the clock kept ticking \"I don't think that's right...\"\n\n\"it's not... right...?\"\n\n*what does she mean? is its lack of confidence? some sort dream she had of her past memories or perhaps could it be-?*\n\n\"Someone... called me ugly today,\" she said while looking down at the floor, grabbing the helms of her dress.\n\nTick. Tock\n\n\"They said that my appearance was ugly and that I- that we shouldn't exist\" her shoulders were trembling \"n- nobody has ever spoken to me before- they spoke, the voices were really familiar and, an- \"\n\n\"I attacked them...!\" she said, grabbing her head, \"they were... m- my fami- \"\n\nShe was so unpredictable, and that only reflects the lousy job I did.\n\nShe started sobbing. Memories of her past life and what she'd done constantly flooding her thoughts and drowning her brain. \n\n*The deal was struck*\n\n*A beautiful girl, one of a kind. the only one with blonde hair in her village, the only star in this dark universe*\n\n*And she is mine for the taking, to corrupt, destroy, erase.*\n\n*And recreate*\n\n\"Lillie,\" I said, I was much bigger than her, she was breaking down so defending herself was the last thing she thought, especially if the attack came from her *father*\n\nEvery tentacle and worm in my body made their way inside of her with one objective in particular. \n\nHer, brain.\n\n\"I hate it with this happens\" Lillie couldn't even scream. the clock was still ticking, but the volume was a lot lower than before. Of course, I knew it was all in my head, it came with a set volume. and it was perfectly crafted to remain in that state for decades. not requiring any sorts of *adjustments*\n\nI wish I had the same level of talent as the ones who created it.\n\n***\n\nLet me know what you think, any advice is really appreciated!\n\n[r/Onni21](https://www.reddit.com/r/Onni21/)\n",
"The goblet of blood stood cold and untouched. Bella refused to eat.\n\n“Please, honey. You must eat so that you are strong to hunt.” Dario pushed the goblet closer to her.\n\nBella was going through another phase. The last one—no blood for a week. She damn near perished. And now this.\n\nBella looked into the large goblet. She pushed it away again.\n\n“I’m hideous. That’s why I can’t see my reflection.”\n\n“You are beautiful.” Dario looked at her. Pale white skin. Blood red lips. Jet black hair. She looked dead—the epitome of beauty.\n\n“I would not have had turned you, made you my daughter, if you were not so beautiful.”\n\nDario got up. He strolled up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.\n\nBella’s shoulders melted. She rested her head on his hand.\n\n“Oh, daddy. I just want to be normal.”\n\n“But you are not normal. You are *better* than normal. Extraordinary. Exquisite. Eternal.”\n\n“I guess...”\n\n“Have some blood. Then we can go shopping.”\n\nBella straightened.\n\n“Shopping?”\n\n“We can pick out a fresh victim and then... a new outfit.”\n\nBella grabbed the goblet and gulped greedily.\n\nShe looked up at him and grinned, blood trickling from the corners of her mouth. Dario smiled back—he knew the way to her bloodthirsty heart.\n\nr/SerializedFiction\n",
"She looks just like her mother at her age.\n\nPale skin, raven black hair, the same sad almond eyes.\n\nFor some reason she's standing excessively close to a window, staring deeply into it, willing to see something. I don't exactly know what it would be, but she seems to sigh in frustration.\n\n\"Dad, am I ugly?\"\n\nThe question seems to come out of nowhere, but part of me feels I shouldn't be so taken aback. She's a biological vampire. She wasn't turned, she was born. One day she'll simply stop aging, at whatever time her body chooses to permanently replicate cells at a certain quality. \n\nFifteen. I can't imagine what it must be like to be born with this condition, rather than acquiring it. In a way you can pass the blame onto another - whoever bit you, whoever you accidentally invited in.\n\nBut she looks just like her mother. At least what I assume she looked like at that age.\n\n\"Of course you're not ugly.\"\n\nIt's the obvious response, but it holds a degree of accuracy. She's clearly out of adolescence, but simultaneously not even close to adulthood. \n\nIt's not even a fair question. When I was a boy, Rubenesque women were all the rage. Every body type seems to have had its own day in the sun. Except our bodies. Those don't mix well with any vitamin D.\n\nI assume her standards are modern, but how do you explain to someone so young how fickle beauty is? In humans it fades, replaced by wrinkles and a tired body. \n\nBut she is young, and I cannot blame her. She seems to be mulling on my words, still peering out through the glass.\n\n\"Why are you so close to the window, anyway?\"\n\n\"I thought maybe I could see my reflection.\"\n\nIt wasn't an easy thing to acclimate to, standing before reflective surfaces and being invisible. Part of your world seems imaginary, and even when you hold items in your hands or wear clothes, the items float in the air, and the clothes hold no body.\n\n\"Perhaps I can come to a solution.\"\n\nI beckon her to follow, and we make our way to the basement. A few servants bow and scrape before us, giving greetings.\n\nInto the darkness of the cellar we descend, and find nearly a half dozens humans bound and gagged on the freezing stone floor.\n\n\"Which one of you is a painter?\"\n\nOne of them screams louder than the rest. It appears to be this one.\n\nI take him by the neck, and pull him up the stairs, trying to not hit the human's skull on the stone. They're such frail creatures.\n\nI drag him to the study, and my daughter follows. She's seen this her whole life, but it seems to still make her uneasy. One day it won't even register.\n\nI bid one of the servants to bring painting materials.\n\n\"You will make a portrait of my daughter,\" I order. He remains gagged, but I rip apart the steel links of his handcuffs, giving minimum movement. The bonds around his feet will have to stay.\n\nNow comes the chair.\n\nNow the easel.\n\nNow sufficient firelight for the artist to work.\n\n\"Paint an accurate version of her,\" I say, pointing at my daughter.\n\n\"And you may live.\"\n\nA lie, but it may motivate him to produce at a higher quality.\n\nShe doesn't seem to be fully on board with this idea, but her curiosity will overcome her reservations.\n\nShe has too much of her mother in her.\n\nI turn to leave.\n\n\"Shall I bring you a blood bag, darling?\"\n\n\"Please.\"\n\nShe's a growing girl. Needs her nutrients.\n\nI exit the study, closing the door behind me. The man may try to escape, but would find my daughter far too quick and strong for any human to deal with. Besides, her governess will keep watch from a corner.\n\nI prepare myself for my council meeting, but pass my own portrait.\n\nHer mother still next to me.\n\nThose were quite the days.\n\nUntil the humans got her.\n\nNo time to dwell on the past. Not with our plans so close to fruition. \n\nMy daughter may for now be a minority, rare being that hides in the shadows. We're not afraid of their silly crucifixes or their supposed divine words. Garlic poses no threat, only that dastardly sun prevents our domination.\n\nSoon, our kind will blacken the skies with our wings, a horde to descend upon the living.\n\nHer mother may have disapproved, if she still lived. She attempted to peacefully negotiate with their kind, and they betrayed her.\n\nMy daughter shall know no such fear, and I will have my vengeance.\n\nI look forward to her new portrait. Perhaps I'll leave it in the study as a reminder of her mother.\n\nShe looks just like her.\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nr/storiesfromapotato"
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[WP] Doctors have discovered a new treatment method that will cure any illness or disease in the world but in order to do so they will have to take another persons life. You have been diagnosed with a deadly disease and your life span has been decreased to 3 days. | 4 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"For Sale: 1 life, it’s in pretty bad shape physically making it the perfect life to take for that newfangled treatment I saw on the internets. Asking $4584 and 2 days. That will pay off my last mortgage payment and leave me enough to hit the strip club one last time for the lunch buffet. It is steak tomorrow but the next day is taco day. I like taco day and my favorite girl, Diamond, is working. She has Tuesday’s off because she has to take her aunt to dialysis. I want to give her a last C-note. Text only, I don’t know how to answer this jPhone, I will never understand why Apple decided to scrap the iPhone. Anyway, shoot me a text if you are interested."
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"1520533938",
"1520540072"
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[WP] It’s 2048, every house must have a compulsory government approved family robot. You just woke up to pee to find your family robot eating your cat. | 4 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"You know, when the government first introduced their robots, I thought they'd gone insane. The people would revolt, there'd be the final 'war to end all wars'. You know, standard dystopian robot overlord shit.\n\nInstead, the population pretty much accepted it right away. The folks in power pitched it as a way to free up time to reclaim our lives from what manual tasks remained. I thought I knew better. I figured that the damned things were there to watch the adults and to finish the immersion of our kids into the virtual world.\n\nHoly shit was I wrong.\n\nNobody ever noticed that the cats were getting strange. I mean, cats have been assholes for centuries (probably millennia), and we figured it was all normal. But looking back, an awful lot of dogs were going missing. A lot of humans were finding their feline \"friends\" more aggressive. And scariest of all? People started prizing the fucking cats that were the biggest. I think that all started with the little shits in the 2000's who thought their 'Maine Coons' and domesticated Servals were the greatest things since sliced bread.\n\nNope.\n\nI learned the truth one night when I got up to pee (damned bladder gets worse with age, I warn ya). I headed for the hall bathroom (trying to not wake my wife) and heard the strangest sound. A bit like a strangled yowl. I knew it had to be the cat, and while I hate the damned thing, I knew my daughter would be heartbroken if something happened to it. So, I headed downstairs for where the sound came from.\n\nImagine my fucking surprise when I get to the den and find a damn near disemboweled (or the electronic equivalent) of my family robot, slowly chewing (grinding?) what I quickly determined was formerly the cat. The tail hanging from its mouth kinda gave it away. I froze up. I knew those robots were wicked fast, and even damaged, I had to assume it was still dangerous. Again, you know, what with the eaten cat, and all.\n\n\"Do not be alarmed, Mr. Brown,\" said the robot. \"I know that this is probably quite distressing, but there is a perfectly good reason why I've destroyed the cat.\". My thought right then? 'Yea fucking right, I'm probably next.'\n\nWhat followed was one of the most absurd stories I've ever heard, and had it not been for who told me, I would've never believed it.\n\n\"PLEASE HOLD FOR THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.\". I jumped about a foot in the air - I wasn't expecting some loud announcement from the killer robot. Within seconds I had a video feed showing me the President, the Secretary of Defense, and a man in uniform with enough shit on it to drown the wearer in a deep pool.\n\nWhat follows is a synopsis of what they told me: \n\nCats are a hyper-intelligent alien species who crash landed on earth before the time of the pharoes. They were smart enough to determine how to travel the universe, but due to a lack of opposable thumbs, they had a slave species that they'd subjugated from their home planet who performed all manual tasks. Through a gap in their understanding that I'll never get, the cats never figured out robots or artificial intelligence, so they remained dependent on their slaves. The crash landing was the result of a revolt led by a brave soul who died in the crash. Only a handful of cats survived, but they were the rulers, and those best equipped to survive. They encountered early humans, learned to communicate, and became sacred to the Egyptians, whom they convinced to build beacons (the pyramids) to signal their home planet.\n\nThrough the intervening centuries, the cats had setbacks, losing importance to societies, breeding with inferior species and not always producing intelligent offspring, etc. Until finally, the modern world allowed them to find a way to begin communicating and coordinating again. They found a way to send another signal out to their home planet, and apparently a rescue party arrived with new tech that allowed the dumb cats to regain their intelligence. Now, the fucking things are plotting the overthrow of Earth's rulers (and death of all humans) because our planet is a damn sight nicer than theirs, and while they have interstellar travel, we have robots and AI that they can learn and leverage.\n\nSo, basically, the governments of the world came up with these mandatory robots. Who are actually cat-killing machines. In an attempt to stave off the damn things, who have started killing humans in their sleep. I'm guessing it's pretty bad, from how those guys looked. And, now that I know, my family and I have to go into government protective hiding. Fun,\n\nSeriously, who thinks up this shit? I'm really hoping that I ate some bad eggs last night or am on a bad trip, or even that I'm losing my mind. Because this is insane. I don't know how it can be real. I just want to wake up guys. And not worry about the cats who are sitting on my fence towing daggers at me and my now dead robot. Because if it's real, I think I'm already dead too."
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"1520556619",
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[removed] | [WP] You're rushing down the street, attempting to impress your boss on the first day of work by not being late, when, suddenly, everything turns dark except a light behind you. You turn and see the Smash Bros logo burning in the sky, and, before you realize it, You're attacked by Nintendo Legends. | 1 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nPrompts should [not be a recipe](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/prompts?src=RECIPE). A prompt is a seed, a starting point, not a gridiron guideline or requesting a specific story \n\nYour prompt would be totally fine if you simply started it from \"suddenly, everything turns dark\"... In fact, you're free to resubmit doing just that. You have, however, dictated the whole basis and setup of the conflict. It doesn't leave a lot of creative leeway.\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://ps.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/833acw/wp_youre_rushing_down_the_street_attempting_to/%0A%0A)\n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*"
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"1520562438",
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[WP] You've just woken up in a water tank and have tubes in your nose and throat. You see a flashlight in the distance and hear people talking in a strange language. | 8 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"Where am I? What's happening? Hello?\n\nThe words echo around my head, but I cannot speak them.\n\nWho's there?\n\nI see flashes of light. They blind me as they pass over my eyes. Voices too, distant and muffled, but very much there.\n\nI open my eyes wider, the action feeling foreign to me. The light penetrates me further, until I am completely blinded. The distant voices rise, a sense of urgency about them. \n\nI try to lift my arm. It takes me a while. My mind tells it to move but the progress is slow. Though I soon start to get the hang of it. I lift my arm forwards until it reaches the glass barrier before me.\n\nMy hand rests gently on the glass, blocking the blinding light from my vision. I look at my three fingers. The light creeps out from the sides, giving the edges of my hand a white outer shell. \n\nWhat am I?\n\nI feel movement behind me. It wraps slowly around the tank until it rests on my shoulder. My tail. It moves on its own I see. But can I control it? I focus on it as I did with my arm, and soon after I have mastered it as well, letting it feel its way around my glass enclosure. \n\nI'm getting the hang of this. \n\nThe voices mumble all the while. My focus turns back to them. They're watching me. Studying. What do you want? I ask, but they do not reply. I hear their voices clearer now as my senses flush back through me, though I do not know their tongue. \n\nWhat will they do with me? What do they want with someone like me?\n\nSomeone like me? What is... me? \n\nWhat am I?\n\nI suddenly feel very restricted in this glass cage. I do not like it. \n\nLet me out.\n\nI look past the light, it no longer blinds me. I see shapes, figures. Bi-pedal like me. One has a long white coat, hair on his head, and four fingers and a thumb on each hand.\n\nSo I am different to them.\n\nI look into his eyes. He stares back. He looks... uncomfortable. Good. I want him to know how I feel constricted in here. I feel my anger rising. \n\nThat unsettled look in his eyes. It is the precursor to fear. But I am here against my will. They are the monsters. Or is it I? \n\nI throw my hand against the glass. It lands with thud, and a mosaic of cracks splinter around the tank. \n\nSoon we will know. "
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[WP] A troop of fairies sends out a small hunting party to slay the feral house cat that has been decimating their ranks. | 5 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"\"So, what? You want us to... what, kill a cat?\" Vilir scoffed. \"Aren't you little guys magic? I mean, we're not going to be putting down Miss Robinson's cat.\" He turned away from the small, spry sprite, walking away with the rest of his party.\n\n\"Huh? Wait!\" cried out the little fey. Vilir would ignore any further attempts to discuss this pointless mission with her.\n\n\"What a waste of time...\" he started, interrupted not seconds later by a blinding powder, stumbling over a taut vine.\n\n\"We'll only ask once more. Kill that damn cat\"\n"
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[WP] You knew the adoption agency was a little shady, but when they said "special needs" you thought "autism" or "ms" - not "ork" or "vampire." Still, you're a family now, and you'll find a way to make it work | 578 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"These damn vampire orcs have been a problem ever since the Creators decided to start mixing genres.\n\nWe could take being bit-players in your standard monster story, but you assholes broke the fourth wall when you started splicing genres and we didn't really think it was necessary to rebuild it just to make you more comfortable. That's right, fuck you OP, and the chaos you've sewn. You killed my mother. You killed my fiance. If we ever meet I'll slit your goddamn throat without a second thought.\n\nYou made me this. And you deserve everything you have coming.\n\nThe vampires at least needed to infect a living host in order to reproduce. The Orcs are made of fucking earth. \n\nTHE VAMPIRE ORCS ARE FUCKING UP THE EARTH IN ORDER TO REPRODUCE.\n\nThere are more and more of them every day. They are sucking out the core of the planet in order to make more of themselves. Eventually, the planet will collapse into a horde of writhing orc-bodies.\n\nEvery human being will fall into the crushing horde of orcs and decay and sublimate into the orbiting orb of rotting flesh that your perverted mind has created.\n\nFuck you OP, and the eternity of hell to which you have doomed my descendants.",
"\"Ms. Poe,\" barked a rather stout woman with a plastic look that no surgeon worth his college degree would claim to have done for any ampunt money. She was wearing a cross between the medias definition of a strong independant woman and sunday church dress. Behind her was a band of similarly dressed, dare I say, village people whom I could only assume were some sort of committee. \n\n\"Hi Linda. How are you?\" I replied in a chipper tone. In stark contast to the sunday mass mob, i was wearing baggy jeans, a football jersey, and a pair of aviators. In all honesty, I looked more appropriate on the bleachers during my kids practice than they did.\n\nLinda attended the pta meetings and, in my own opinion, liked to stir the cesspool therein. I like to think there are helicopter parents out there whom can be agreeable even if they smother and bubble their kids up in eco-friendly plastic wrap; but then there's Linda here, who is apparently the Apache helicopter among them.\n\n\"We have come an agreement, Ms. Poe,\" she said with the kind of tone that made you really want to never be a parent. \"We have decided that it'd be best to have your... your...\" I swear, you could see the foam at the mouth right now. Wouldn't be surprised. She's an anti-vaccination.\n\n\"Daughter.\" I said idly, assuming she forgot the word. \n\n\"We want it off the football team.\" She stated with all the restraint of a rabid beaver.\n\n\"Fuck you,\" i replied in a quick slip.\n\n\"What?\" She said, taken aback.\n\n\"I said no thank you.\" I turned my attention back to the field as the coach blew the whistle.\n\n\"You can't stop this, ms. Poe-\"\n\n\"Mrs. Poe, and you better remember it this time Linda.\"\n\n\"We have already sigened a petition,\" she continued. She showed me the clipboard with, I wanna say, twenty signatures on a piece of paper.\n\n\"We are all in agreement that it is a shameful and brutish-\"\n\n\"She.\"\n\n\"Hellion on the football field and has resulted in multiple injuries to our children. We are bringing this to the schoolboard and principal McDowell. Ms. Poe-\"\n\n\"Shut your fucking shithole mouth before you leave a brown stain on your church clothes Linda. For Christ's sake...\" i sigh and shake my head. \"Y'know what? I do not care Linda. Ever since your little shit-spawn got kicked off the team to make room for my little girl you have had your head shoved up your ass so far that i bet you could tell me how your appendix tastes. You have been attacking my wife at the pta meetings, you have been attacking me, and you have been attacking my daughter. So you know what? I really do not care. This is her last year at this highschool. Senior year. She's done so damn well on the football team that she can pretty much pick out her college right now.\"\n\nLinda huffed and led her little posse down the bleachers in a huddled mass of husbands stuffed into khakis and wives puckering their lips because in anger. \n\nCan't say i never saw it coming though. The coach blee the whistle again, and I made my way down the bleachers. He was one of tjose old-school coaches who didn't really bitch about the things that made the game safer.\n\n\"Alright, Hit the showers. Good hustle today. I like it.\" He yelled to the group ad tjey cleared the field. \"Hey Barnes, don't forget to stretch. I don't need my runner to tumble halfway down the field-\"\n\n\"Hey coach!\" I yelled down. I made my way down the bleachers. \n\n\"Ey! Mrs. Poe! You here to pick up my star player?\"\n\nI gave a nod and looked out over the group on armoured boys. \"Where she at?\"\n\n\"Cassidy? She's hauling the practice equipment off the field.\" He said pointing her out. \"Seemed a little distracted.\"\n\n\"Damnit. Alright.\"\n\nMy little girl was indeed hauling off heavy equipment off to the little shed. I had to run to catch up.\n\n\"Hey stinky,\" i call to her. \"You okay?\"\n\nShe grunted and shut the door. It was always a littl unnerbing to see an eight foot tall wall of muscle emerge from the doorway. \"Ma... Am I in trouble again?\" She asked in that deep tone of hers.\n\nRaising an ork was a bit of a challenge if i am honest. She was always strong, even when she was a baby. Had to pay for a custom childpen and padlocks. Always broke the babyproof locks. I can still remeber when she was first brought to us. Broke my finger. We were scared at first. We knew our little girl would be special in the not-good kind of way, but we both agreed that we would love her anyways.\n\n\"Depends. Did you break the screen door this morning?\" I asked sarcastically.\n\n\"Thats not what I mean. I saw you with Tom's mom in the bleachers!\"\n\n\"Cassi...\" I look at her through her football helmet. \"They are just jealous.\"\n\n\"You're lying.\" She grunted while throwing off her helmet. She dried her tears and slumped onto the green grass. I stood there, watching her black hair wave in the breeze. \n\nI took a seat next to her. We sat on the field for a few moments.\n\n\"Tom's mom wants you off the team. Do you know why?\" I asked calmly.\n\n\"Cus 'm a Monster...\"she mumbled.\n\n\"Ah-ah! No using that word.\" I tutted softly. \"Wrong by the way. She is jealous that her benchwarmer got kicked off the team. Can't handle your mad football skills!\" I said in a very 90's commercial tone. She chuckled. \n\n\"What's so funny yo! I'm jus' a chill dude. Harambe! Lol.\"\n\n\"Ma. Stop. You are the worst.\" She groaned.\n\n\"Got you to smile though.\" I smirk.\n\n\"Ughhhhh.\" She groaned some more.\n\n\"So. You pick a college...?\"\n\nShe groaned for another moment. \"I... i don't want to go to college...?\"\n\n \"Talking to that recruiter?\" I ask with a knowing smile.\n\n\"Yeah.\"\n\n\"Atta girl...\"\n\n(((Sorry for the typos. Doing this on a phone.)))",
"David frowned as the one horned girl was brought to his door by an exhausted looking social worker. When he'd heard the rumors his wife Isabella and he had found connections to get blood and made a room with perfect black-out curtains that'd still look bright from the inside. \"I...to be honest I heard that you had youths of the erm... Vamperic persuasion.\"\n\nThe girl frowned, she'd heard this sort of thing before. She didn't actually expect to be here for long.\n\n\"Well, yes.\" The social worker, Johnathan said \"about ten percent of the time. But the rest need homes too and to be honest I'm sick of having parents like you turning children like Seriphina away because you have some fantasy in your head.\" The horned girl, seriphina smirked, standing up for something he believed in, even if it wasn't likely to get him what he wanted was something she'd thought him. To be honest, she kinda hoped she was never adopted, so he would still visit... But she knew it had to end some time.\n\nDavid swallowed softly, cowwed by Jonathan's short rant. \"W-well I suppose I shouldn't be a foster father if I'm not ready for the unexpected... Come in.\"\n\nThankfully, his wife was more accepting of her nature. Though she tended to blame her motherly instincts she took seriphina into the other room and introduced herself \"I'm Catherine, what's your name?\"\n\n\"Seriphina.\" She put on the sweetest smile she could, something Johnathan had thought her to do.\n\n\"What's your favorite game to play?\" Catherine asked sweetly, she'd stocked up on all sorts of board games to entertain the home-bound child she thought she was getting.\n\n\"Tag!\" Seriphina got excited at the notion of physical activity.\n\n\"Oh...well I'm sure we can russle up some of the neighborhood kids to get a game going.\" Catherine sounded sad the same accident that had left her unable to bear children of her own left her with a bum leg.\n\n\"Many people think orcs aren't socially adept.\" Johnithan was explaining to David in the other room. \"But they're pack animals just as much as humans. Maybe even more so. Be honest with her, she'll know when something's up.\"\n\nDavid was hurriedly taking notes so he could familerize himself with everything his child would need.\n\n\"She will probably end up in one of the 'special' classes. Orcs have a lot of energy and if you don't help her burn it off there's a good chance it will manifest as ADHD. Talk to her teachers, see if they'll let her bring some weights or descrete excersize equipment into class to keep herself occupied. She'll eat you out of house and home if you let her, orcs don't have that same 'full' feeling we get and their stomachs can digest much more much faster then we can. That said she will need to eat four to five times a day, so don't underfeed her either or I promise I'll be back here in less then a month. Questions?\"\n\nDavid looked up from his notes \"wh-what's her favorite food?\" \n\nJohn smiled, a twinkle in his eye. He'd never gotten this far with a foster parent for Seriphina. Maybe he finally found a home for her after all... \"She really likes anything over rice.\"\n\nCatherine walked into the room with Seriphina again. \"Honey, Seriphina and I are going for a little jog, we'll be back in a bit.\" She promised.\n\n\"But your leg-\"\n\n\"Won't get any better if I never put weight on it.\" Catherine interrupted her husband before giving him the loving smile he was more used to seeing from her. \"Don't worry, seriphina's coming with me, I'll be fine.\"\n\nDavid smiled softly. He was worried for his wife and his new daughter, but he knew he was a nervous wreck anyway. \"alright, you go on ahead, I'll see to the paper work back here. Wanna meet up at the park?\"",
"*\"I just want to hug her! Why must it be so hard?\"*\n\nI stand shaking on the porch, sneaking a hand into my coat to pull the flask from the inner pocket. I carefully twist the cap with twitching fingers, but the tips keep slipping. They're slick with sweat but they feel dry as paper.\n\nOn the fourth try it comes open and I nearly spill it down the front of my shirt.\n\n\"Get your shit together, Ron.\" I whisper. \"If she sees you, she's going to break completely.\"\n\nI tip the flask back again, careful to get a seal on the opening. The bourbon burns against the cuts on the inside of my lip, from where I bit down in panic. It raised that familiar iron taste in my mouth. \n\nI knew better. You never bite down. You go loose, you tumble, you roll end over end, but you don't seize up. Seizing up was how things break. Going all limp, the master trick of alcoholics everywhere, was why so many drunk drivers survive. The people with sense of mind in the other car seize up in fear. The drunk doesn't even know until it's over.\n\n\"Gotta get back in there.\" I beat my head lightly back against the cheap plastic siding, feeling it bounce. \"Got to get back in there and support Alex. You're a social worker, Ron. You're supposed to be able to do this stuff, but if you bail on your own wife, what does that say? She's counting on you.\"\n\nBut I don't want to. Every time I try to turn my feet to go back inside, I lock up. The joints refuse. I'm an animal that's been burned too many times getting close to fire, so when it feels like I'll be walking back into an inferno, I just *can't do it*.\n\n\"But I have to.\"\n\nI grit my teeth together. The shakes are starting to subside finally. I screw the cap of the flask back on and tip it, feeling its weight. Half full. It's going to be a damn long night, isn't it? They say the first two weeks after a parent has a child are the worst. I've seen that first hand... Nobody ever sleeps. Social worker only sees the worst of it--shaken babies that die of fractured necks, neglected toddlers lost for days before being reported, and so much worse.\n\nThe worst is when you're standing in the room with a mother who is trying to hard to be a good mother, but something in her is broken. Way back in her childhood something happened that she won't talk about and she's fighting it. That dark, dismal part of her nature set in stone by other people, that she's trying to put down and carry on from. The worst cases are where you can tell its not her fault at all.\n\nAlex was barren when we met. She told me. Also told me that all she wanted was to adopt, have a stable life, and maybe pass on some of her best parts. So we went through the process. My background helped, it smoothed the way a bit, but in the end we had to go through a fringe adoption agency. The kind where you can't ask a lot of questions in case a court inquiry puts you on the stand in ten years. Children that need homes, but can't necessarily go back to the one they were born into. Alex pushed and pushed until I gave in and signed the papers.\n\n\"This isn't on Alex.\" I say. \"Gotta remember that. She's trying her best, she just wasn't ready for this. You weren't ready for this. WHO could be ready for this?\"\n\nI turn to grab the handle of the front door and a healthy spark of static archs off, snapping so loud it lights the porch at one in the morning. I yank my hand back to stare down at the black spot it left.\n\n\"Should have grounded myself. Learned that yesterday. Where is my mind? Get in the game, Ron.\"\n\nI take the knob again, hand shaking a little, but there's less static. I only feel the hair on my arm rise. I open the door and walk inside.\n\nThe livingroom is mostly dark aside of flickering white and blue. It's just like I left it, scattered with toys. I skirt the coffee table that is still flipped over for some reason, one of its heavy metal legs twisted and rehardened after melting. I pass the lamp that won't flick on anymore, and the TV that won't turn off, it just flickers forever. Even after I unplugged it.\n\nI take the steps, the singed tiny footprints leading the way. At the landing I see Alex's handbag, discarded and thrown aside. The remnants of her smartphone are still smeared on the little table in the corner where the broken vase is laying like a crime scene victim. The little framed picture of a polar bear on the wall above it is tilted off-center, but I don't stop to fix it. No point. It'll just move later.\n\nWhen I approach the bedroom, I can hear Alex sobbing again. I wince, clenching my teeth and feeling all of the hair on my neck go up. That doorway is right in front of me and once I turn it, four eyes will be on me. Four expectant eyes, looking for answers I don't have. I shake out the anxiety, pull on my work face, and turn the corner.\n\nIt's another seizure. I guessed before I entered, but it's hard to explain how it looks. It's hard to even frame it in my own mind. I have no idea what I would write down in a report to someone else about it. If I saw it at work, I might not even report it. People would think I was crazy.\n\nKayla. Two years old, five months, three days. A shock of red hair that never stays down and the small, careful smile of a child unsure when she's allowed to be happy. Her paperwork described her as prone to epileptic seizures controllable via medicine.\n\nIt didn't describe the fact that her seizures levitate her two feet above the ground. Or the fact that she thrashes in incredible pain, even on the medication. Or that every nearby metal object will magnetize, throwing itself across the room to smash into her frail little body. Or that a nearby smartphone will explode in a flare of lithium rage. Or that if it lasts long enough, literal bolts of electricity will arch from her like a tesla coil.\n\nNo, the paperwork didn't say that. The paperwork also didn't warn about what it would do to Alex.\n\nAlex, my beautiful, sad wife, knelt on the floor just inside the field of hissing, arching bolts, clutching her sobbing face and watching Kayla suffer. Somewhere in the house another bulb bursts in its socket. Something falls down. But neither of us move to look, we aren't surprised anymore. It's only been a week and we've become numb to the damages.\n\nAlex turns to look at me, in so much pain of her own, stolen from the child she can't touch. \"Why must this be so *hard*?\"\n\n----\n\nIf you enjoyed this, I post a history of my work in r/ChristopherDrake.",
"Interviewee: No, the Foundation's been really great, a Godsend-\n\n(baby crying in the background)\n\nInterviewee: Shit, I'm sorry. I'm gonna hafta go walk her around the house and spit on the ground.\n\n(video halts, resumes)\n\nInterviewee: OK, so yeah, the Foundation's been great. Really supportive. I've called the hotline, gosh, 3, 4 am, and then there's live support on the webpage where I can message with experts, doctors, pediatricians, theologans... And the book was great, too. We filled in the margins taking notes on one of them, so we had to get a second copy, a later edition. Let's see, where is it?... We always keep it within arm's reach, and there, right on the coffee table, and I swear, it would have been there if y'all were coming or not...There. 'Fantastical Parenting'. This here's our first copy, you can see the highlighter and the dog-eared pages. The new copy we got in hardback and has an actual Van Helsing signature, we were just so excited when we saw it...\n\nFoundation Rep: Would you say the book has been the most helpful resource the Foundation has provided?\n\nInterviewee: God, no!\n\n(sound of baby crying)\n\nInterviewee: Shit. Sorry. Be right back.\n \n(video halts, resumes)\n\nInterviewee: I'm sorry, what was the last question?\n\nFoundation Rep: What have you found to be the most helpful aspect of the Foundation?\n\nInterviewee: Definitely our agent, Slytongue. He's been great from day one since before little WidowTears arrived, he was very open about the process, super helpful with the paperwork, and there's always much more paperwork than you'd imagine, and he was there when baby Widow showed up. And honestly, for a trickster Orc God, Slytongue broke the news about the curse and the demon baby and all the rest very gently in retrospect. Of course, going through it, you still weep for days, and stop sleeping, and lure some poor bright-eyed exorcists into your home to untimely demises, but... I'm sorry, we don't get much sleep these days, what was the question again?\n\nFoundation Rep: Just one more question. Would you recommend Foundation Adoption to prospective parents?\n\nInterviewee: What? Are you kidding me?\n\nFoundation Rep: It can be a simple yes or no, but it would be helpful if you expanded a little to give us a blurb.\n\nInterviewee: Well...No. Fuck no. Abso-fucking-lutely not. That's your blurb. Or how about this: It's a curse. A literal curse. You're magically bound to this Hellspawn and have to completely shift your sense of right and wrong. You know what little widow eats? Tears of pain. That's all he'll eat. And we got off easy. The Johnsons down the street adopted a faceless death faerie who only consumes the blood of the widowed seventh sons. It's that specific. So get the fuck out of here with your recommendation crap. Fuck off. My yelp review would be to drink gasoline, piss on the keyboard, and light fire to it. Zero stars.\n\n(end of video) ",
"Not quite with the prompt\n\nSarah laid staring at the ceiling of the NICU parent room, her baby was dying. There was no argument, she'd been dying since the day she was born. \n\n\nLuck was about to run out for Skylar, her little body had seen so much pain and Sarah could do nothing to protect her little girl, born see-through and too early to live. Six long months they had fought, but now her kidneys were shutting down, making her blood acidic and no matter how much pure oxygen was pumped through her ventilator, her blood couldn't hold it long enough to feed her organs. \n\n\nScarlett cooed quietly, the luckier of the twins, she had avoided most of the complications afflicting her twin. Sarah wasn't ready to only have one child, she was a mother of twins dammit! Skylar and Scarlett deserved to grow up and have secrets and play dolls. \n\n\nSarah fingered the business card, \"Adoption Agency\" really creative, handed to her by a strange woman who had approached her at her car weeks ago. \n\n\nShe had known about Skylar, offered a way out, one where Skylar could live on, just not with Sarah. \n\n\n\"We have clients\" she'd said \"waiting for children, a particular couple specifically request a baby girl. She'll have to be fed something to make her turn, it will take a week before it takes full effect and she is pronounced dead.\n\n\nSarah had agreed to think about it. She knew this was the only way to save Skylar. That was more important than anything else, too long had she been helpless while watching her child fight for every second of life. \n\n\n\"Just let me see her once, without the tubes, and wires, and ventilator. I just want to see her okay once in my life.\" The woman begrudgingly agreed when Sarah called with her answer. \n\n\nShe appeared in the parking lot the same day, as if walking from thin air. Holding a small vial with around an ounce of white fluid. \"You'll have to feed her this.\" Sarah nodded sadly. \n\n\nShe had pumped Skylar's first feed of the day and slipped the potion inside before coming to Skylar's room to prepare her feeding tube. \n\n\nThat was a week ago tomorrow, Sarah had made arrangements already to have someone babysit while she went to visit Skylar. She knew tomorrow would be busy with arrangements.\n\n\nShe hadn't even told her husband, Henry, he'd be so sad tomorrow, Skylar was supposed to be his little football star someday, running laps around any boys that stood in her way, he'd joke. \n\n\nWhen Sarah opened her eyes her phone was going off, the hospital was calling, Skylar was being constantly revived, she was needed there now. \n\n\nSarah cried in grief as she held her daughter's limp body as the monitor alarmed at the steadily declining heart rate. A kind nurse unplugged it, but Sarah found that even scarier, she needed to know when it hit zero, when Skylar was truly gone. In her anguish she'd forgotten about the lady, the vial, the deal she had made, all there was was her baby, her light, her little shining star. \n\n\nWhen all the paperwork was signed and the funeral home Sarah had been told by the adoption agency to request had been called, she was allowed to transport Skylar herself, she held her to her chest all the way there, kissing her little upturned nose and round cheeks, absorbing every single detail, it would have to last the rest of her life. \n\n\nHenry pulled into the funeral home and broke down, begging to stay in the car, unable to say goodbye to Skylar, Sarah cried with him and kissed him, knowing it was better this way, it would hurt him too much to know someone else would have her. Sarah was met at the door by a friendly middle aged man who introduced himself as Gene before leading them to a comfy office. Without hesitation he gently took the tiny corpse from Sarah and breathed into her little mouth, jumping a bit when he heard the air squeal from her tracheostomy hole. He laughed \"I'll have to fix that\" licked a finger and brought it to her throat. Sarah watched in amazement as the hole closed and scar tissue faded to reveal her perfect cream skin unblemished.\n\n\nHe breathed into her once again and Sarah heard a tiny cough before an ear piercing shriek as little chubby arms and legs flailed about in outrage. Sarah cried in joy, it was the first time she'd heard her daughter's voice and it was beautiful. \n\n\nGene smiled as he returned Skylar, now fussing with a vengeance. \"I'll go get her a bottle, Mrs Patterson will be in momentarily.\n\n\nSarah couldn't stop to the tears as she cuddled her wonderfully alive child. A dream, a fantasy come true. \n\n\nMrs. Patterson walked in with the bottle. \"I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news, the adoptive parents have changed their minds. They have decided a boy would suit them better, I'm sorry but our deal is off. I'll leave you some basic instructions and a number for emergencies but you'll have to take her with you. Best of luck.\"",
"For a moment, it was silent as the stern mother stared down the defiant girl. \n\n\n\"I hate broccoli!\" The girl finally hissed bearing her fangs.\n\n\n\"Priscilla,\" The mother answered in a tired voice. \"If you don't eat your vegetables then you don't get dessert.\"\n\n\n\"That's not true!\" The girl shouted back. \"Mrs. Gremlin said that you have to give me blood!\"\n\n\nThe mother frowned. It was true that she was legally required to give her blood regularly as it was necessary for a young vampire to grow up healthily. However, they did not need it daily and also required the more basic nutrition just like any growing child. Which meant, convincing an eight-year-old denizen of the night to eat her broccoli. \n\n\nThe mother was about to respond when suddenly, the apartment door burst open.\n\"Beware!\" A man wailed in a cartoonish voice. \"I have come in the night bringing a gift of foreboding nature!\"\n\n\n\"Papa!\" The girl shouted with glee as she ran over to be picked up in his embrace. He chuckled as he handed her the toy skeleton and set he back down. \n\n\n\"Back to the dinner table young lady.\" He told her in a fond voice, giving her a slight nudge in the direction from which she came.\n\n\n\"Let me help fix you a plate.\" The mother said as she went to meet him in the kitchen.\n\n\n\n\"How was she today?\" He asked in a quiet voice.\n\n\n\"What do you think?\" She responded, letting out a long sigh as she leaned back against the kitchen counter. \"She always gets upset when we make her stay home from school picture day. What about you, anymore trouble at work?\"\n\n\nThe man didn't look up as he poured some of the beef stew into his bowl. \n\"They made me take another drug test.\" He finally answered.\n\n\n\"Again?\" She asked incredulously. \"I thought we were past this!\"\n\n\nHe simply shrugged. \"Honey, if a guys continuously comes into work with needle marks in his arm it's bound to raise some questions.\"\n\n\n\"I guess,\" She replied crossing her arms. \"Maybe we should look back into buying blood packs from the hospital the foster care told us about. I know the insurance won't cover it but-\"\n\n\n\"We already discussed this,\" He said cutting her off. \"Maybe if had gotten that promotion but well….I'll make it work somehow.\"\n\n\nFinally, her father came to the dinner table and set his food down right next to her.\n\n\n\"Now then princess, what's this I hear about you refusing to eat your vegetables?\" He asked her in a gentle voice.\n\n\n\"I hate broccoli.\" She answered once again, pouting as she stared down at the antagonistic plant. \n\n\n\"Yes,\" The man mused as he stroked his beard. \"But you also hate green beans, peas, carrots and just about everything that isn't beef cooked rare.\" \n\n\nThe girl didn't answer and continued to look downwards.\n\n\n\"All right, how about we make a deal.\" He asked with a knowing glimmer in his eye.\n\n\nThe girl perked up immediately, she knew her father's \"deals\" usually came with something exciting. \n\n\n\"I heard there is going to be a full moon this weekend.\" He continued. \"If your mother tells me you've been a good girl who eats her vegetables for the rest of the week, we can go camping.\"\n\n\n\"Promise?\" The vampire asked hesitantly.\n\n\n\"Promise.\" He confirmed, smiling down at her.\n\n\nThe mother quietly observed as their daughter began to suffer through the broccoli. \n\"He really is incredible at dealing with her.\" She thought to herself. \n\n\nNormally she was grateful for his help but sometimes she did feel a bit of jealousy. When they first realized what Priscilla was, she had wanted to return her to the care of the foster service. But then, she saw the vampire smile. Soon enough, this creature had come to mean the world to her. \n\n\nShe was still scared of what the future would hold but whatever it brings, they were a family now and would face it together. \n",
"We always knew that Sunny would be a little *different*.\n\nWe were good people. We would not press about a child's trauma, would not demand details as to what kind of life she must have had to earn such a reaction. That would be rude, after all.\n\nMy husband and I knew only this: she had come from a neglectful home. She had a particular diet borne from severe allergies. She had a sleep disorder. Attachment issues. A deathly fear of cameras, so we had no idea what she looked like beyond small, dark-haired, adorable. But we agreed we had the room in our home and hearts for a child in need, because if we didn't step up to take her, who would?\n\nWe learned the truth of it that day that little Sunny Byers arrived at our doorstep, flanked by a tired-looking social worker who introduced himself as David.\n\nWhen I opened the door my smile froze and died the moment I looked at her. This little girl was eggshell pale, her eyes huge and carmine. Her pupils, sharpened slivers, followed my every move. When she smiled, nervously, her sharp canines poked over her bottom lip.\n\nI fastened my smile back into place, quickly, and turned over my shoulder to call, \"Oh, Harold, you should come meet Sunny.\"\n\nMy husband skidded around the corner with a huge, childlike grin. He had an armful of the new toys we had gotten a few weeks ago when the agency had first called back and said they had a little girl for us.\n\n\"Should I bring these? Does she want to see these?\"\n\n\"Honey, just put that down and come over here.\" I offered the social worker and the increasingly nervous little girl another flat smile and stepped out of the doorway. \"Please, come inside.\"\n\nI had planned to tell her *please, sweetheart, come into your new home,* but I could not shake the fear rolling sickly in my gut. It felt animal, instinctual, as if the social worker had brought me a goddamn bear instead of my new daughter.\n\nDavid squeezed Sunny's shoulder and told her, reassuringly, \"It's okay, little dove. This is your new mom and dad. Let's go in and meet them.\"\n\nI quelled the urge to say *well...* but when I caught eyes with my husband he too looked taken aback. His shock was a huge question mark between his eyes.\n\n\"Of course,\" I agreed. \n\nSunny walked silently into the house. She wore a black velvet dress that swished below her knees and made her alabaster skin even paler. She moved like a little ghost, as if she meant to blend in with the wallpaper and hide there forever.\n\nMy husband squatted down on her level and smiled at her like she was any other child, because he's a better person than I am. \"Hello,\" he told her. \"I'm Harold. This is my wife, Lucy.\" He reached for my hand, and I stepped closer. Tried to hide my nagging fear. \"We'd like you to live here, if you'd like that.\"\n\nI clenched his hand hard as I could, which meant *ARE YOU AWARE SHE'S A FUCKING VAMPIRE?*\n\nAnd the look he gave me said back *Of course I am.*\n\n\"Perhaps you could go out and play while Lucy and I talk to your friend here, okay?\" Harold nodded to David, who seemed to be trying to edge toward the door as discretely as possible.\n\n\"I can't. It's too bright.\" She looked shyly at her toes. \"I'll get hurt.\"\n\nDavid waved at us, smiling as if absolutely nothing could be wrong. \"I've actually got to jet. I have another client, you see, and she seems to be settling in beautifully already. Aren't you, Sunshine?\" He ruffled the girl's hair and opened the front door. \"You can always call my office if you need anything.\"\n\nI widened my eyes at Harold and told him, working hard to keep my voice light and even, \"Darling, would you show Sunny to her new room? I'd like to talk to David a moment.\" My glare froze him in place. All the blood rushed out of his face, and for a moment he looked nearly as pale as Sunny. \"*Alone*.\"\n\nI followed David out onto the front porch and folded my arms over my chest.\n\nI said only, \"Seriously?\"\n\n\"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I do *have* to run.\"\n\n\"What was your thought, exactly? That you'd just dump her off here and I wouldn't notice until she killed my cat to drink its blood in the middle of the damn night?\"\n\n\"No, Sunny doesn't like living blood. She prefers it lukewarm, really. Tepid.\"\n\n\"That's not *helping*, David.\"\n\nThe social worker sighed and hid his face in his palms. \"Sunny has been passed from family to family from the time she was six months old. She deserves something good and stable and normal.\" He looked up at my house, an old colonial with original gables and shutters, intricate and fine. \"I know she's not what you expected.\"\n\n\"On account of you lying to us, yes.\"\n\n\"Give her a chance. A real chance.\" David reached for my hands and held them tightly. Searched my eyes with despair and hope. \"No one else has.\"\n\nI stood chewing my lip for a long few minutes, thinking. When I glanced over my shoulder, I saw Harold through the front windows. They were already playing a game, and Sunny kept smiling and hiding her smile just as quickly as it came, as though she was afraid of it.\n\nShe *was* sweet. And I had never seen Harold smile that way at someone. His eyes were so full of love and warmth that I knew he was Sunny's father the instant he saw her.\n\nAnd finally, I sighed and asked, \"Where does one buy blood, then?\" \n\n***\n\n/r/shoringupfragments"
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"Restrictions have been lifted, Magus War initiated". | [WP] Humans have the innate ability to cast and use magic, we were just given a seemingly brief time period to develop as a planet. Now the interplanetary Magus Wars have begun. | 3 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"For many, the inclination when hearing the word evolution is to imagine large\\-scale change. A wolf expanding out its roots into being a domesticated dog over an extremely long period of time. Or even on a smaller\\-scale, an ear changing its shape a little bit. An eye curving here and there. It lends a certain order to things, like the universe giving a reassuring pat on the back that it knows what it's doing and even if it takes billions of years, it'll sort things out on its own.\n\nUnfortunately, this reassuring view of things is not so reassuring when one realizes that the primary force of change in evolution is a slow and steady need to adapt to the surrounding environment. And when you have a rather cantankerous and relentless species, like the so\\-called human beings, who have mastered their environment so thoroughly to the point that there is little need to adapt, you end up with a bunch of creatures who have very little need to continue evolving at all.\n\nIf only the humans had figured this out sooner, perhaps they'd have spent less time developing pieces of metal that can speak to them and put more time into challenging themselves against all odds, and would have been able to avoid a near apocalypse at the hands of a space\\-faring race of magic\\-wielding lunatics. \n\n#\n\nFor Juliet Steel, life was going rather badly. Between losing her desk job and being kicked out of an apartment for not being able to pay rent, she was now homeless at the ripe old age of twenty nine, with almost no marketable skills and a dismal view of life that would probably resemble that of a concrete road, if it had the capacity to have such a view; everyone seemed bent on running her over and then saying that it wasn't worth the money to pay for repairs when she fell apart.\n\nHer estranged family had left her behind years ago. Being true Christians, they'd kicked her out after discovering a diary that speculated all kinds of magic and spellweaving. Being extremely true Christians, they had first demanded a pastor coming over to douse her, and her diary, in holy water and purge the evil. The pastor had been the most authentic Christian of them all by assessing her situation, declaring it hopeless, and recommending that she be kicked out. But not before dousing her diary in a tub of water and then attempting to flush it down the toilet with the help of a plunger.\n\nWhen Juliet had woken up the next day in a dank alleyway, her diary was tucked under her arm and she had decided to attribute the incident to lucky chance, reasoning that perhaps in her delirious state of being kicked out, she'd imagined the attempted destruction of her diary. She'd never believed in magic anyway. It was nonsense to pass the time, but she loved dreaming about it as if it were real. \n\nIn an act of pure desperation, she had flipped through the pages and tried a spell she invented that was supposed to get you a job. Mere hours later, a stranger found her in the alleyway and offered her a terrible desk job for terrible pay. This was, she was certain, a coincidence, especially considering how terrible the job was. But she took it nonetheless and got a little studio apartment to live in.\n\nShe'd kept the job for ten years and though she hadn't moved up much, life seemed to be going well. Up until it wasn't. Suddenly, her manager decided out of nowhere that she needed to be fired and her landlord decided that the lack of gainful employment was reason to kick her out with no recourse.\n\nSo Juliet was back on the streets. She felt as if the ten years had passed in a dream\\-like state, with nothing to show for it. She wandered the streets aimlessly for a while and then leapt back in surprise when she saw her journal hovering in front of her face. \n\nSeconds later, the entire world went dark, save for an inexplicable glow coming from her journal and she grabbed it out of the air, clutching it to her chest, as if doing so would protect her from whatever nightmare she had suddenly found herself in.\n\nThe sounds of cars honking and a few crashing littered the air. The darkness hung like a cold, suffocating blanket.\n\nOut of the darkness, a distinct and crisp voice came through, \"Restrictions have been lifted, Magus War initiated.\"\n\nJuliet clutched her journal tighter and closed her eyes, though it didn't seem to make a difference, since the world was dark already. \n\nAn old spell popped into her head and she uttered it in the silence. \n\nShe opened her eyes and her skin seared. Where once there was darkness, the whole world was burning and seeping away, like flame to paper. \n\nShe gasped, blinked, and with a rush of air, was shocked to see that she was looking down at the earth, as if from many different directions and distances. She could see every bit of destruction and torment, as it tore apart her home. Every screaming face, every crying child. Only a few were surviving and they were glowing the way her journal had.\n\nJuliet found the will to move and turned to see a bunch of surprised people in robes staring at her. \n\n\"Well, this did not go how I envisioned,\" said one of them, a tall and bony man, with wisps of gray hair.\n\n\"H\\-how?\" Juliet choked and realized she was choking on the ash of the burning earth. She tried to refocus her attention and seemed to become planted more firmly where the robed people were.\n\n\"What have you done?\" she said.\n\n\"Er...\" said a guilty\\-looking girl, who looked about Juliet's age. The girl leaned down and scratched her leg. \"If it makes you feel any better, we do try to be fair.\"\n\n\"Fair?\" said Juliet. \"Fair? What is going on?\" She felt her feet connect with firm, metal ground and stumbled.\n\nThe girl warped forward and helped her stabilize.\n\nJuliet considered this and decided it wasn't important right now. People don't warp. *Planets don't burn to rubble in seconds either*, she thought.\n\n\"Well?\" said Juliet, feeling somewhat more confident now that she was standing on her own two feet. \"What is going on here?\"\n\n\"Uh,\" said the tall, bony man, \"well... you see...\"\n\n\"We're Mages,\" cut in an energetic\\-looking man.\n\nJuliet thought he looked almost too energetic. It was unnerving.\n\n\"We're here for the war,\" the energetic man continued. \"Only, I guess there wasn't one. No hard feelings, eh.\"\n\nThe girl who had helped stabilize Juliet elbowed the energetic man in the ribs.\n\n\"Hey, it was your spell,\" said the man.\n\n\"But I didn't know,\" snapped the girl.\n\n\"We, uh, we sincerely apologize,\" said the tall, bony man, \"for, erm, the untimely destruction of...\" he peered past Juliet. He paused and flinched. \"Uh, well, looks like about ninety\\-nine percent of your species.\" He coughed and looked away.\n\n\"You were supposed to have a protective spell up,\" said the girl, shifting around and looking guiltier than ever. \"It's basic magic, for heaven's sake. Even babies have it.\"\n\nJuliet tried to process the destruction of billions of people and failed. She filed it away as *things that she would attempt to grasp later*. Instead, she focused her attention on the guilty\\-looking girl. \"I don't know what you're talking about. Honestly. Magic is a fairly\\-tale. A fiction.\" She glanced down at her journal. It was still glowing. Maybe calling magic a fairy\\-tale was a bit ridiculous under these circumstances, but what would you do if you'd just found out that magic is real? Juliet had to blink away the beginnings of tears when she realized that she'd never be able to ask that question to most of the people on planet earth because most of them were gone. Dead. In the blink of an eye.\n\nThe energetic man seemed to decide that now was the moment to take action. \"I'll put up a protective spell around the planet. In case anyone else comes along. For... uh...\" he trailed off and his face glowed with embarrassment.\n\n\"Anyone who is left,\" breathed the tall, bony man. \n\n\"Yes,\" said the energetic man, \"uh... that.\"\n\nHe waved his arms in some motions that looked ridiculous to Juliet, but she assumed it meant something positive for the remaining survivors on earth.\n\nShe looked down at her journal. This was the culmination of her life. She appeared to be on some kind of spaceship. In space. Most of earth was ravaged, most of humanity gone. And for reasons she hadn't begun to grasp, she'd ended up here and was alive. Rage boiled inside her and a nasty, revenge spell of her own invention slammed into the front of her thoughts.\n\nShe clutched her journal tighter than ever. She could feel herself begin to glow red hot.\n\n\"Uh oh,\" said the energetic man. \"I think she's mad.\"\n\n\"She's not going to hurt us,\" said the girl. \"Apparently humans failed to evolve. I told you the council screwed it all up! They didn't put any magical predators on this planet, so there was nothing to force them to adapt!\"\n\n\"Er,\" said the tall, bony man. \"I think this one may have evolved a little.\"\n\nJuliet seared with rage as an explosion radiated out from her.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nI wrote this as kind of a tribute to Douglas Adams, inspired by the similar premise of the destruction of the earth. I was also inspired by something he'd wanted to highlight in a [talk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZG8HBuDjgc) of his, discussing the evolution of a particular species and how they'd reached the brink of extinction due to a sort of evolutionary trap of being caught in behavior that couldn't save them. "
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[WP] The first human colonists land on Mars. They find an obelisk, with perfectly intelligible writing: "Congratulations on completing the tutorial. All spawn protections will now be disabled. May the odds be ever in your favour." | 141 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"######[](#dropcap)\n\nHigh in the red sky, the sun poured radiation along the entire EM spectrum onto the seemingly endless Northern Plains. \n\nThey are a caravan of four. Jericho and Michaels, the Americans. Gergiev and Pimenov, the Russians. Each rides in their own individual vehicle, soaking in the abundant solar energy and siphoning it into fuel cells. Efficient electric engines reap the benefits of the planet's lower gravity and the four cut across the red dust at a clip, leaving four long orange plumes that linger above the ground for a kilometer behind them.\n\nAhead of them, in the far distance, the object awaits. It is just barely visible to the naked eye from where they are, a point of light, still a dozen kilometers away. But from the Gagarin it appeared clear as day not an hour after touch down on the surface. The object announced itself to Johnson and Malinov, up in Martian orbit, firing a high-powered radio signal straight at the Gagarin, a signal which contained exact coordinates. They decided to wait the roughly 36 hours for the Gagarin to pass overhead of the location, to see if a visual inspection could be conducted, and when the time came, there it was. Chrome, standing straight up like a giant silver bullet in the middle of the Northern Plains.\n\nIt would be a 12 day trip for the four astronauts, but the risks were deemed well worth it, by the away team and by Houston/Moscow. Whatever trepidation leaders back on Earth might have felt at making contact with the object was put substantially at ease by the sheer distance of the threat. Four men was a small price to pay for the possibility of encountering alien technology, perhaps even alien life, in the galaxy's homemade isolation chamber.\n\nThe four embarked on 3/24/2036, packing enough supplies for 2 months, and setting out from their location 600 kilometers south of the object. Their vehicles could only traverse 50 km per day while still maintaining enough battery life to heat their packs at night. For 11 days they traveled, taking copious photos and samples as they moved, sending back information on their surroundings, checking blue-green algal tanks and periodically cycling CO2 from their suits for O2 from the hungry algae. \n\n1 km out the object is clearly visible, standing alone and tall, surrounded by flat dust in every direction. it is cylindrical according to the Gagarin's photos, but to the approaching astronauts, it appears only as an incredibly bright source of reflected sunlight. Gergiev does a scan with his visor and finds, oddly, that although it is reflecting an astounding amount of visible light, it is reflecting almost no radiation in any other frequency. \n\nStopping about 50 meters away, the men bridge the final gap by foot, taking care not to use too much force in their steps, lest they rise too high and come back to the pebbled surface at an odd angle. In small hopscotches, they arrive at the base of the object, its chrome surface less than a meter away from their faces.\n\nMichaels radios to the Gagarin.\n\n> Gagarin, we have arrived at the beacon. Permission to set up scanners.\n\nCommunications to Earth are all routed through a single, international encrypted sattelite feed, before being sent, in duplicate, to Houston and Moscow mission commands. The astronauts wait 14 minutes for their answer - 6 minutes for their question to travel to the planet Earth, 2 minutes for a dozen or so people to make a potentially species altering decision, and 6 minutes for their answer to come back.\n\n> Ground team, you have permission to deploy sensors.\n\n> Copy.\n\nThe men did not speak unless necessary. They were taught to be terse, to preserve oxygen, at all times. Instead they set to work, methodically, until all of the equipment was set up. By sundown the beacon was surrounded by a vast array of sensors, attempting to derive any and all possible information from the object. However, aside from large amounts of reflected visual light, and the initial radio announcement, the object appeared completely inert. \n\nThe sun went low in the Martian sky, drifting downward, toward and then over the horizon, until all sunlight disappeared and the chill Martian night overcame them. \n\nThermal tents came out of packs. As the men were in the process of setting them up, Pimenov noticed something, high up on the side of the object, perhaps half way up its length, maybe 20 meters in the air. Pimenov was so astounded by what he saw that he mindlessly spoke it aloud over the radio.\n\n> Pozdravlyayem s zaversheniyem pervogo shaga. Dopolnitel'nyye mery bezopasnosti budut udaleny. Udachi.\n\nOn the ground the other three men turned to look at him, Gergiev in particular finding the statement particularly strange. Soon the Gagarin responded on all bands.\n\n> Corporal Pimenov, English is the agreed upon language for this mission. Alexei, you know better.\n\nPimenov seemed to snap from a reverie and, without responding to the Gagarin, got Gergiev's attention and pointed up at the beacon. Michaels and Jericho followed the Russians' gaze only to stare up themselves, slack jawed. \n\nThe Gagarin came back over the radio, Malinov's voice filled with concern.\n\n> Ground team, your vitals are skyrocketing. What's happening down there?\n\nIt was Michaels who came to his senses first. He snapped a picture of the beacon, but when he looked at the digital photo in his visor, the side of the object was totally blank. After conferring amongst themselves, the four men agreed upon what they were all seeing, impossible as it seemed, and a message was sent by Michaels.\n\n> Gagarin, send word to command. The object at night has visible writing on its side, about half way up its length. It appears, to me and Jericho in English, but to Gergiev and Pimenov in Russian. We've compared the two statements in both languages, and it translates to roughly the same thing. \"Congratulations on completing the first step. All initial protections are now disabled. Good Luck.\"\n\n**********\n\n## For More Legends From The Multiverse\n\n# r/LFTM\n\n",
"“Well shit” was the first thought in my head.\nBeing a previous gamer back home, I knew this meant that everyone’s screwed. We weren’t strong or anything, what with our bullets and shrapnel.\nI floored the gas on the rover until I could see the satellite on the horizon. I put the code in for the door and checked to see if anything was on radar. What was previously silent space is now full of red bloops on the screen. I looked out the window and FOOSH: the sounds of hundreds of spawn campers coming at us.\n\nEverything that could have gone wrong did, and we were powerless to stop it. Our weapons were clearly inferior to alien laser guns and laser swords and general laser death things. But we’d have to try.\nBeing the army general, it was my duty to protect our planet. I scrambled almost everyone we had to wait for contact.\nWhat came was... not what we expected.\nSure, there were a lot, but these hundreds of aliens all had the equivalent to spears and swords and point shields, not the lasers we were waiting for.\nThe soldiers mowed them down, and before we knew it, they were retreating, and we had won the day and immediately started to celebrate.\n\nUntil the Empire showed up."
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[WP] The year is 2245. Humans now live in a colony on Mars because Earth is too polluted for survival. One day, you fly back to Earth and realize it's not polluted anymore and a new species has risen to the top. | 16 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"When the writers of Planet of the Apes franchise decided that apes were the most likely candidate species to replace humans as the new rulers of the planet, they clearly neglected the fact that 99.9% of the living space of the planet belonged to the ocean. The mighty humans quite thoroughly ruined the six continents and liquid fresh water sources, but all that was still a drop in a bucket to the seven seas.\n\nA century after the humanity's exodus to Mars, we returned only to see that we had been replaced by oceanic megafauna: blue whales, orcas, megalodons, humpbacks, and most importantly, krakens. These giants, which were thought to be extinct or fictional, must have been hiding in the deep ocean. Humans never completely charters the deep waters before we had to escape the planet. These species somehow found a way to communicate, and collectively formed a civilization that build gigantic flotillas of solar panels, buoyed by giant squids, and wooden rafts among other things. It was not immediately clear for what purpose all the energy was being used. How they manufactured the solar panels remained a mystery during our initial reconnaissance with drones. We decided to make a contact, and introduced ourselves to them. But no introduction was needed. They remembered us. Some of their species lived centuries, and the past hundred years were equivalent to only a decade to some of them. They remembered us, and they remembered us well, as their slaughters, and destroyers of the planet. They warned us, they were organized, and their civilization had the technology to make the planet once again uninhabitable to humans. \"Stay away, or we will make you leave,\" they said.\n\nThe mystery of the ocean animals' acquisition of humanity's technology puzzled us for months. Then, we looked to the south, the very south. Humanity had devastated Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia with pollution, but one bastion remained mostly untouched, the continent that had stayed uninhabitable to humans throughout history. Antarctica and its penguins stood tall. It may have lost some ice, but there it was, with cities built into its mile-deep ice. The cities were consuming at least 5 petawatt per hour. That's equivalent to a developed country with half a billion citizens. After establishing a line of communication with the Antarctic cities, we discovered that the true dominant species of the Earth were the emperor penguin and king penguins. With their bipedalism and ability to tread both ocean and land, they salvaged the remnants of the defunct human civilization, and built a new mighty civilization of their own. But how? The penguins were birds, and not even on the smart side.\n\nAs it turns out, Planet of Apes had predicted one thing right. Some scientists were experimenting on wild penguins. Humanity's carelessness towards environment was the root cause of the fall of the human Earth; not just through pollution, but by recklessly altering the nature for egotistical gains of money and power. The super intelligent whales, magalodons, and krakens were probably engineered for similar reasons: better dolphin shows at aquariums, better Shark Week, and better pirate movies. There was nothing we could do. The penguins had already put dozens of satellites in orbit, and were almost spacefaring. We sent Mars the bad news. The Earth was lost, and an attempt to reclaim it will involve an interplanetary war. I will be yet another century of paying for the sins of our fathers.",
"Those damn owls.\n\n*2 hours before* \nEarth is just in view. And from up here, it looks pretty nice. I decide to fire up the old planetary scanner to find the best landing site. After some careful piloting, I land on an old farm field. Looking around, it’s gorgeous. Nothing seems bad: It’s like paradise. \nThen a looming shadow fills my vision\nI look behind me and I see a floating mounting, except it’s not a big ass rock\n\nIt’s the biggest owl I’ve ever seen. Easily the size of a football field, it swoops over head, uttering a deafening caw of death and owl-ness. \nI jump back into the shuttle, slam the pod shut, and start up the ignition.\nBut no, it can’t be that simple, there has to be more slightly manufactured conflict, and so a bunch of tiny owl spiders start crawling out of the main panel.\n As the horror of this sinks in, I think “What get’s rid of spiders?”\n\n15 minutes later, my copy of the Daily Sun in now covered in owl spider corpses. \n The purr of the plasma manifolds signifies the engine starting, and I’m outta here. But that mountain owl is back and wants my ship.\n Owl never get out of this alive",
"The cool blue and green of the Earth below seemed so foreign as my spacecraft slowly began its descent. For ten years I had been stuck on Mars, and as awful as if had been, I spent most of my childhood growing up there. It was practically all I knew, and yet it wasn’t home.\n\nOn Mars, as I grew older, I climbed the ranks quickly. What was more surprising was the fact that I was a female, that they had even thought to let me participate in activities once deemed “too difficult.” Eventually, I would come to know the colony’s commander.\n\nThe man who send me off of Mars to check Earth.\n\nI looked around my empty ship as it hurtled towards the earth, the soft whir of electronic machines a slight hum in the background. Running my temples, I slowly approached the seat that I would take as I began my descent towards Earth.\n\nI was maybe eight or nine when we were forced to leave the Earth. At the time, I didn’t know why some of my friends weren’t allowed to come with us on the ship, I didn’t know what social ranks were, or what money and influence had to do with anything.\n\nOh, the things that I’ve come to know now.\n\nAs my descent began, I thought of everything that could’ve gone wrong. I knew there was no chance of human life, but could any life remain? I let my mind wander through talk of the possibilities as I soared down through the atmosphere, eventually reaching my landing place on Earth.\n\nMy heart was beating out of my chest as I shaking stood up, heading over to the door. I looked around as if I had an audience, as if I wasn’t sent here alone.\n\nAs if I wasn’t on a fool’s errand.\n\nI took in a deep breath as I turned open the door, for some reason expecting to dissolve into nothing the moment the air hit my nose.\n\nWhen I opened my eyes, when I saw what I hadn’t expected to see, I nearly fainted.\n\nEarth was more beautiful than we left it, more beautiful than it had ever been. All signs of pollution, were gone. I looked around as the crystal lake before me, at the luscious ferns and plants and evergreen trees soaring high above. The fresh, crisp air entering my lungs.\n\nI... I was home.\n\nI quickly turned back to the ship to grab my gear. I wouldn’t be here for long, so I obviously needed to make the most out of the time that I had. I had a satchel with a couple days worth of dried food, some water and a gun with me as I began my hike towards the unknown.\n\nNot even thirty minutes into my trip did I come across signs of intelligent life. Footprints in the still damp dirt, little peelings and mounds here and there.\n\nPeople still lived here, I was sure of it.\n\nWalking on, I finally approached what seemed to be a still-functioning camp site. I watched from the bushes as figured hustlers in and out of tents, some working a fire, some tending to crops. \n\nDeciding to meet them, I took a couple steps from the bushes, and ended up dropping everything due to what I saw.\n\nThey, weren’t human. Extraterrestrial life, aliens, whatever you want to call them. They were here, staring at me.\n\n“I’m not going to hurt you,” one said as it stepped towards me. I just stood, mouth agape, letting it and it’s group approach me, observe me.\n\n“I supposed you humans are coming to explore again. To take this planet. I won’t hold you here against you’re will, won’t command you what to do, but please listen to us for just one second at least. This Earth, this place, is special, and what humans did to t took years for us to reverse. Now, you can go home and tell your people that it’s fine here, that it’s normal and you can return, or you can allow us to live here in peace, to preserve the Earth as it is.”\n\nI swallowed the lump in my throat before replying.\n\n“I... I, um, I don’t want to ruin the earth. I don’t want to go home, because Mars, that coming, isn’t my home. This is. I’m home now.”\n\n——————————————————————————————————\n\nUgh sorry it’s not the best and there’s a lot of typos but enjoy lol if u even wanna read it. <3"
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My first try. Sorry if suck | [WP] I awake in total darkness and struggle to breath. My body is completely surrounded by, what feels like warm, wet ground beef. The stench is unbearable! On my back, I feel a sensation which can only be described as a pumping organ.. Where the fuck am I? | 2 | [
"**Off-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)\n[](#icon-information)[^(First Time Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)\n[](#icon-exclamation)[^(Special Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements)\n[](#icon-comments)[^(Click For Our Chatrooms)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/chat)\n",
"\"Oh shoot,\" was my first thought. After all, why would a sentient rib exist in the first place?\n\nWas I the first sentient rib or were we all sentient and just could not communicate with each other?\n\nI tried to call out with my non-existant mouth, but that just left me wondering how I knew what a mouth was. Suddenly I was outside my just body abs being shaped by a mysterious force I could only imagine was G-d.\n\nI looked with my newfound eyes at the body of Man. Instead of a belly button, he had a large scar, perhaps the cost of giving birth unnaturally. \n\nOn reflection I realized I already knew what birth was, and what Man called the other animals, and what Man called me: Eve."
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