Split (1)

train · 265k rows

post_text stringlengths 0 17.5k	post_title stringlengths 4 315	post_scores int64 0 42.1k	comment_texts list	comment_scores list	comment_times list
	[WP] Oh yeah! I'd been kidnapped. Oh wait: that was a bad thing.	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", "Swing. Pull. Lift. Swing. Pull. Lift.\n\nJeffery’s steady panting was masked by the constant thudding of dozens of mattocks digging into the hillside.\n\nSwing. Pull. Lift. Swing. Pull. Lift.\n\nJeffery paused only for a moment, quickly wiping his brow with a dirty sleeve, returning to the repetitive task. Dust filled the air around the long line of laborers toiling in the blistering heat, loosening the dirt and pulling it aside for others to shovel into wheelbarrows and cart away.\n\n\"Hey, you! Get back to work!\"\n\nHe flinched at the words—had he failed to be surreptitious in his momentary letup?\n\nWhack!\n\nHe flinched again as he heard the familiar sound of cane slapping against calves... a few feet to the left. An equally familiar yelp accompanied it. He let out a quiet sigh of relief. Just Landon, as usual.\n\nHis task being one that required more physical strain than mental concentration, he allowed his mind to wander. There wasn't much else to do. Why isn't there much else to do? Why has it taken so long to dig this channel? Are we the only ones doing it? Will I be free when I'm done?\"\n\nTo his right, the brown dirt and clay of the wide trench stretched for miles, baking under the sun. Jeffery presumed it continued up to the distant River, waiting for the remaining span to the breached so it could swallow its portion of water.\n\nAhead and to the left, the trench was intercepted by rolling hills. The laborers had been instructed to continue on through the obstacle, and so they did. As they did yesterday, and the day before that, and on and on as far back as Jeffery cared to remember.\n\nThe blazing sun arced from its easterly rise to its zenith, and as the crescendo of oppressive heat burned against each digger's back, Jeffery's day continued as it always had: in the dirt, in pain, and in fear of attracting a taskmaster's ire. Then he heard something.\n\nA loud ting that became increasingly muffled filled his ears, gradually replaced by a continual ringing. He realized that his vision had turned white, as if someone in a dark room had suddenly shone a bright light into his eyes. As soon as it came, it was gone.\n\nBlinking, slightly dazed, the soil and ubiquitous clamor of mattocks and shovels returned. He moved his mattock from where he had driven it into the earth, revealing a dark shape underneath. He scraped away the dirt, uncovering more of the object. It was a rock, very dark in color. The rest of it was hidden in the hillside; Jeffery continued to dig around it but managed to unearth only a part of it.\n\n\"What's that scrabbling about for?! Can't you put your back into it?!\"\n\nHe cast a glance back at the taskmaster that scrambled down the embankment and jogged towards him, cane already raised in the air. The man suddenly stopped his approach and peered at Jeffery. Then he realized the man was peering past him, at the spot he'd been digging. Jeffery returned his gaze to the spot, stumbling as the taskmaster shoved him aside and pawed around in the dirt, exposing more of the dark stone.\n\n\"Charlie, c'mere!\" The man faced the embankment from which he came and waved. Another man strode down into the trench and crossed its width, standing beside them. Jeffery could tell Charlie was of a higher rank, his dark garments lacking the stains and grunge of those who spend their days in the dusty trench.\n\n\"How long since...?\" Charlie left his question unfinished, crouching as he examined the stone.\n\n\"Can't be long,\" the taskmaster replied, a hint of excitement in his voice. \"I just noticed meself.\" He then faced Jeffery, his bushy brows furrowing, tone changing to that of a scold. \"If you'd done as we've instructed you dimwits a thousand times and told us the moment you found something interesting—\"\n\n\"But he hasn't found anything interesting,\" Charlie said, smiling. \"Nothing more than a boulder in the ground, or bedrock. Just a rock.\"\n\n\"Yeah,\" The taskmaster replied, his scowl replaced with a grin of his own. \"Just a stone in the ground.\"\n\n\"Alright, keeping digging around it. I'll have the pickaxes brought out if they're needed.\"\n\n\"You 'eard him, quit lolling about!\"\n\nJeffery quickly returned to the task as the taskmaster threatened him with his cane. Charlie left, and Jeffery spent the rest of the afternoon digging around the rock, the taskmaster now always a little ways off, almost in his peripheral vision. More and more of the rock was exposed to the afternoon light; occasionally he heard the echoing impact of someone else striking it. Otherwise, the day played out as usual, with the expected aches and occasional shouts of one of the passing taskmasters.\n\nEventually the light faded and dusk rolled over the land. The call sounded and the workers scrambled out of the trench. Jeffery turned and walked off the large, smooth area of stone that he and his fellow laborers had uncovered over the day—a great dark patch that stretched several feet to either side of him and about eight feet forward, the rest of it disappearing into the ground and the hillside.\n\n---\n\n\"...never before has anyone had so noble a task, so great a privilege, so crucial a responsibility, and so grave a duty as that which has been set before you today!\"\n\nJeffery stood in the loose, rough formation of his half-asleep fellows amid the dim light of the encampment's lanterns, half listening as the bald man with the large mustache and long beard forcefully expectorated his equally lengthy lecture. He struggled to keep his head from nodding, lest one of the taskmasters patrolling between the rows of laborers bring down their swift punitive measures upon him.\n\n\"...what must be driven into your minds, what must be nailed into your souls every day is the suffering that we strive to salve, the poverty and hardship that your toil will end! The doom that will be avoided only if you wholeheartedly set yourself to the task! The City is dying! Every day our people cry out for water! Every day another child faints from thirst! Every day they peer out over the walls, hoping beyond hope to see us in the distance, drawing the channel near, digging a lifeline to the City! Rerouting the River's life-giving flow in order to save our home! Remember their suffering when you feel like complaining about your aching backs! Remember their nights of sleepless thirst while you sleep in your comfortable cots! Remember the dying children when You! Waste! Water!\"\n\nWith each of those final three emphasized words, he jerked the head of the kneeling man that his hand rested upon.\n\nPoor Landon. He just can't catch a break. Jeffery had been waiting in line for his water rations not an hour earlier when he saw Landon stumble, knocking over the barrel and earning himself the honor of being the subject of the nightly diatribe. Over the years, Jeffery had noticed it was an honor often bestowed upon Landon.\n\n\"Let this be a reminder of how truly fortunate you profligates are, and an example of only a small portion of the suffering the City endures every minute!\" The lecturer stepped back while three of the taskmasters standing nearby approached Landon and raised their canes, then in unison dispensed their swift punitive measures.\n\nWhen the beating was finished, the lecturer stepped forward to address them again. \"Tomorrow will be another day of productivity and persistent commitment to the cause. May your rest be well, so that you may be prepared to again undertake the Great Task upon the morn!\"\n\nThe crowd dispersed, each making their way to their assigned tent. Jeffery stiffly shuffled to towards his own, when he felt his arm yanked nearly out of its socket. Before he could make any protest, he realized he was being dragged away. Almost pulled off his feet, he was quickly led behind a nearby tent, then spun around.\n\nEdit: fixed typos. \nEdit2 20180316: more fixes." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1520792539", "1521000188" ]
[removed]	[WP] You finally are on your death bed and wish to be reincarnated into beads. Unfortunately you were not specific enough and have been reincarnated back as Anal Beads.	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\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/83skc1/wp_you_finally_are_on_your_death_bed_and_wish_to/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1520831479", "1520834443" ]
	[WP]As a successful demon you have made many deals with foolish mortals, this latest one was extremely adamant that the price be his first born...	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", "'Your firstborn child, is all I ask,' I said to the old human sitting before me on the leather armchair opposite my own. 'That is the price for my... services.'\n\nThe human shuffled about, the soles of his feet near-ready to fall off. 'Look...' he tried to plead. 'I... I don't know how to tell you this but...'\n\n'Don't tell me,' I said as I held out my goblet for some imps to slave away at pouring me some more fine wine. 'Homosexual? Sterile? Or just not ready to commit to a relationship?'\n\n'Well...' he said as he pulled down his waist to expose his injury. I raised my brow in curious surprise before he explained, 'last winter, some upper-class twits held me down, smeared my crotch with peanut butter before releasing an attack dog onto me.'\n\nI would have to admit, even I felt a pang of genuine sympathy for his plight. 'To be honest, forcing a hound onto someone like how you described is a recurring punishment within Hell,' I informed him. 'I have done it myself. Sometimes, I've even been the hound! But at least our victims deserved it. Did they receive punishment?'\n\n'No...' he grumbled. 'The DA wouldn't even look at that case.'\n\nSixty years old, homeless since he was unjustly thrown out of school. A prime candidate for this kind of deal. He was seriously considering my bargain, but the idea of sentencing someone unjustly to being my eternal slave...\n\n'You did spot the loophole, did you not?' I asked him. 'About offering up your firstborn? Such a price only takes effect if you have children. And as far as you're aware, you have none, right?'\n\n'...Before my expulsion, my girlfriend at the time got pregnant,' he said. 'She said her father would force her to get an abortion but...'\n\n'The child wouldn't have been born then,' I said to him. 'Believe me, I know the finer wordings.'\n\n'So... did she?' he asked. 'Did she...?'\n\n'You did see the news article, correct?' I asked him. 'She murdered her parents for drugging her and taking her to a clinic a month after your expulsion... and she was sentenced to death. I wasn't aware of another soul of that lineage dying at that time. What I'm saying is... as long as you don't conceive... you lose nothing in this deal.'\n\nHe took another moment to consider while I ordered my imps to bring me some food. I hadn't even noticed the blood of when he slit his palms open and signed his name with the knife that caused the offending wound.\n\n'Well, the paperwork has been signed,' I said. 'A deal is a deal. You will suffer no longer.'\n\nBefore he knew it, he was no longer the starved hobo that was going to spend the night sleeping next to a dumpster behind a Chinese restaurant. Hair trimmed and slicked back, a bodybuilder's physique covered by a suit perfectly fitted for it, shoes made of only the finest leather and gold-and-platinum, gem-encrusted jewelry worth billions of dollars were now on his fingers, hanging from his neck and studded into his ears.\n\n'You will wake up in the most luxurious hotel suite in the city,' I informed him. 'And also, I'll guarantee you won't die until you're at least a hundred and forty, for the years you lost when your best friend got you thrown out.'\n\n'Wait, it was Jonesy?!' he asked in surprise.\n\n'Yes, it was,' I told him. 'I'd recommend a trip to the country club, to rub it in.'\n\nHe didn't get to say anything else before flames engulfed him, taking him back to the mortal realm.\n\nAnd just as the imps arrived with the jar, my next guest arrived. 'Holy shit!' he yelled. 'What the fuck?!'\n\n'Ah, David, I presume?' I asked my new guest. 'I didn't expect to see you down here for another couple of decades. But it seems our meeting has been bumped up.'\n\n'What the...' he tried to say, before he focused on me and realized what I was. 'H-hold on, man. I ain't done anything to you!'\n\n'No, but you did torture a homeless man with some of this and a dog, right?' I asked him, showing him the peanut butter. 'I just made a deal with him. He was rather reluctant, at first. Just had to tell him that his bastard was aborted by his lover and didn't get adopted like you were.'\n\n'...Oh, shit,' he groaned. 'No-one else knew about that! Only that P.I. that-'\n\n'That you murdered,' I said as chains wrapped around his wrists and ankles, suspending him in the air. 'And for that, you are bound to be my prisoner as I instill the proper punishment. And I so need to teach my hounds to hunt...'" ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1520872578", "1520885316" ]
	[WP] You are a rebellious teenager growing up in a strict Church of Satan family.	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", "\"What the hell is this?\" Paul's father demanded, bursting into his room and throwing a copy of the Torah onto his lap. \n\n\"I'm Jewish now,\" Paul replied coldly. \n\n\"Are you fucking kidding me? Your mother and I did not raise you like this. After all we have done for you, you repay us like this?\" his father shouted in reply.\n\nPaul didn't respond. He reached for his head phones on the side of his bed and attempted to put them on. Paul's father snatched his phone out of his hand and looked at the screen. It was a podcast by Paul's favorite rabbi.\n\n\"Your mother is going to cry when she sees this,\" Paul father snarled, \"I hope you're happy breaking this family apart. We have given you so much. We trusted you with this cell-phone because you promised you would use it strictly for pornography.\"\n\n\"I don't want to be a Satanist dad!\" Paul wailed, \"I want to be Jewish!\"\n\nPaul's father looked at him in disgust. \n\n\"Forgive my son, oh devilish lord, for he knows not what he is doing.\" Paul father prayed. \n\nHis father turned and slammed the door behind him. \n\nFrom inside the room, Paul's father heard the sound of a portal from hell opening, hellish shrieking, burning bodies and cries of anguish. \n\n\"Dad! Help!\" his son exclaimed.\n\n\"I'm sorry, Paul.\"" ]	[ 1, 27 ]	[ "1520874979", "1520889869" ]
[deleted]	[WP] Your life has been given a quest system like in a video game. You start off well intentioned, but some bugs happen; diologue options appear where they shouldn't, things happen randomly. You end up a complete sociopath.	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 had never asked for this.\n\nI was fine living my life.\nYou know? \nThe good old boring kind of life that you wish you can escape from.\n\nThe ones that don't get to be remembered in history, or even mentioned within small talk between friends that don't see each other in years.\n\nI was a clerk in a stupid minimarket, working minimum wage just trying to survive and pay for the student loans I've hoarded upon my good for nothing degree.\n\n\nThen, all of this happened.\n\n\nThe world changed.\n\n\nI woke up in the morning to found a stupid HUD on the left side of my vision sight.\n\nExclamation points on a minimap, status menus, that kind of bullshit.\n\nAt first, I kinda freaked out, but nobody else seemed affected by all this.\n\n\nNobody cared.\n\n\nThey all looked at me with dumb eyes. \n\nThey were all ignoring what I was saying to them about the matter.\n\nAs if they were programmed to.\n\n\n0's and 1's.\n\nDidn't think that the world would be reduced to that.\n\nIf you were to say to someone that the entire fucking human-kind would be separated into two categories they would have deemed you crazy and laughed at you.\n\nWho's laughing now?\n\n\nIt was all lie, wasn't it?\n\n\n0's and 1's.\n\nWe aren't different to bits.\n\nI'm starting to doubt our existence.\n\nI'm starting to doubt that my life is just a sorry mess of digitalized signal programmed from who knows who.\n\nMaybe the fucking entity that we, we preached as a God.\n\nWhatever the fuck the name or the aspect of that deity may you believe in.\n\nI didn't want to be a 1.\n\n\nI was fine being a 0.\n\n\nA dull NPC in the background, giving you stupid tips the first time you talk to him.\n\nJust to forget him and ignoring him for the rest of your goddamn playthrough.\n\nBut why I'm whining like this, you may ask?\n\nWell, let me tell you about my \"Save\" as I call it.\n\nRemember when I was talking about waking up in the morning, HUD's, people behaving strangely?\n\n\nWhen I've realised that something was off, I was excited.\n\nA second chance. \n\nA way to strife away to a boring life.\n\n\"This is like an RPG!\" \n\n\nHow foolish I was.\n\n\nI started collecting the quests.\n\nLike \"Find Mrs.Peterson cat.\" or \"Deliver the pack to X\".\n\nFinishing them, of course, would get me a small amount of money and exp.\n\nWhen I started, I could \"level up\" my stats. and to my disbelief, they would effectively change me.\n\nI could run faster.\n\nI was stronger.\n\n\nThen I started compulsively grinding to become better.\n\nAt first, I didn't mind that all the world became my personal sandbox.\n\nOr that beloved people became stupid NPC's in my tale.\n\nHell, even cliche RPG's bugs like repeated or missing dialogues or random things colliding or spawning from anywhere didn't matter to me.\n\nI was obsessed.\n\n\nI was so obsessed that I even ventured to take some high-risk quests like \"Stop the entire Mafia\" because of how God-like I would feel.\n\n\nI died.\n\nAnd I respawned.\n\nSurprised? Shit, me too.\n\nI can't die.\n\nNo matter how hard I try: falling off a 70+ floor skyscraper, shooting myself with an RPG...you name it, I tried it.\n\n\nThis is awesome.\n\nIs it what you are thinking RIGHT now.\n\nIt isn't.\n\nBeing a 1 is not great.\n\n\nWhen the obsession and adrenaline from all that shit settled and I had become accustomed to my new \"reality\" I realized something.\n\n\nI was...alone.\n\nI was alone man.\n\nAnd no, being around fucking NPC's that walk purposely into walls, or repeat the same phrase billion times a day it isn't of company.\n\nThey don't feel anything.\n\nTalking to them, killing them.\n\nThey don't remember.\n\nThey just drop some loot, respawn and continue onto their pre-programmed route, while lagging and bumping into fucking walls.\n\nIn a pursuit of stupid reality, I tried to force myself believing that it was ok, that they were real.\n\nThat I could fake them myself, so I didn't have to be lonely.\n\n\nI...\n\n...I don't talk to them anymore.\n\nI don't look them in the eyes.\n\n\nI don't know even why I'm telling you all of this.\n\nYou're not real.\n\nYou're just my fantasy, aren't you?\n\nOr are you the \"God\" that is behind all of this?\n\nBut maybe, I'm just accepting that I've gone insane.\n\n\nSo,let me ask you something.\n\n\nWhy I'm still here?\n\nJust to suffer?" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1520877978", "1520882184" ]
	[WP]You find yourself in an empty room, bar a box that says “ Do Not Open”. Your curiosity had the better of you and so you decide to open it. You are then met with an unexpected outcome.	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", "(referance that spoils the movie castaway staring tom hanks if you haven't seen it for some reason go watch it or face spoilers reading this) The room had a stupid light that only shone straight down on the box like a arifact of importance in a videogame. It took a while for me to realize that the light was on a chain not a rod like I first thought and that I had nothing of weight on me that I could use to throw cover or poke the light with I had awakened dressed the way I had been helping a friend move I try reaching for my phone but it has no signal and see almost a day has passed since I took a cab home from helping my friend. It was like I was kidnapped after getting home as soon as my hat, shoes and coat were off.\n\nStill having my roll of packing tape on my wrist gave me that impression. So I tried throwing it at the light I may have had luck had it been a full roll but the half empty roll only made the chain jangle slightly. My next plan was to feel the weight of the box and see if the tape could be used to hold it together if I tried moving it since it was close to the size of a toaster but had a fair bit of weight. I taped it up as best I could then got the idea to throw it at the light to illuminate this room that could probably fit 5 full scale coppies of the titanic. I then threw the box at the light and managed to shatter the light's shade and start the light swinging. I saw the door and raced to it I got it open and the people who were inspecting me said I wasn't what they expected but they liked testing me. One walked up and said \"First to complete the castaway challenge like tom hanks character you had a package to not open and had to escape without opening it. Come see what your package contained.\" \n\nThe package was a box of flashlights which only survived my throwing due to my taping job on the box holding the packaging tight enough not to break stuff but to have all the packing material take all the damage. They then asked me to try different tests they had and I made progress on tests they expected to never be completed. They they tried the box test again with a differently weighted box but upon lifting it to check the weight the lab went into lockdown and they told me by intercom the creature they were testing invisibility garmets on was in the same room as me and I will be out as soon as possible. I figured out where the beast was and slid the box towards it for it to play with while I could tell the box was the focus I tested the jump enhancing boots aiming to grab the light and instead landed on its back and grabbed hold. Realizing my arms were near the neck with it trying to reach me I tried bringing my one hand up to scratch the creature's ear only then did I find out not only it was a lion but it enjoyed getting its ear scratched and was calmed by the ear scratching. They were afraid when they saw me floating in midair on an invisible lion. \n\nAfter that they then told me they had enough information and knocked me out putting me back at home a week after having been kidnapped and they had cleaned up the small mess on my to do list the night they took me. Good thing too because I had cooked a really smelly meal with fish that was delicious for my friend and I letting my place air out and the dishes soak while I was out helping them move." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1520949679", "1520963296" ]
	[WP] You went back in time to prevent WWI. When you came back, all of Europe is controlled by a dystopian dictatorship, which crushes all resistance with an iron boot. The leader of this dystopian world?...John Lennon....	47	[ "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 have I done. \n\nI traveled back to 1912 Europe to stop the greatest war the world has ever known. It would have been known as the Great War were it not for World War Two, but I had hoped that it would not be known at all. Some argue that the events caused by the gun of Gavrilo Princip that day was the trigger that brought about the events that brought Europe to heel for the next three decades. \n\nI went back and killed him. Him and his collaborators. The Archduke lives, and I know now I was wrong to meddle. \n\nI have just returned to the present day. 2018. A cursory check on my phone shows me that both world wars cease to exist. The despots of Hitler, Mussolini and more are never realised. Only, something far worse has come about. \n\nA new despot, far greater than anything I have known before. He rules the world with an iron first. The scouse scourge, they call him. The imperial ruler, John Lennon. \n\nIt seems the world needed tyrants. It needed to learn from its mistakes. I did nothing but stop the lesson being learned. And now this one is upon us, and I fear for the future I have created. I look up at the wall erected near his grand Beatle palace, and I read his manifesto that is carved into the stone.\n\nImagine there's no freedom,\n\nIt's easy if you try,\n\nNo liberty to save you,\n\nAnd if you try, you die.\n\nImagine all the people,\n\nLiving for the state, aha ahh.\n\nImagine there's no countries,\n\nIt isn't hard to do,\n\nNothing to kill or die for,\n\nI've done it all for you.\n\nImagine all the people,\n\nLiving for the state, aha ahh.\n\nYou may say I'm a despot,\n\nAnd I am the only one,\n\nI hope someday you'll see that,\n\nI control you all as one.\n\nImagine no salvation,\n\nI wonder if you can,\n\nNo need for food or healthcare,\n\nUnited under one man.\n\nImagine all the people,\n\nLiving under me, aha ah.\n\nYou may say I'm a tyrant,\n\nAnd I am the only one,\n\nI hope someday you will see that,\n\nThe world you knew is gone.\n\nWhat have I done." ]	[ 1, 18 ]	[ "1520952559", "1520954900" ]
[removed]	[WP] Two olds friends sit down at a table and share a bottle of whisky. They both know this will be their last meeting. What do they talk about?	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\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\nFeel free to repost without the last question :)\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/846h79/wp_two_olds_friends_sit_down_at_a_table_and_share/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1520965757", "1520966338" ]
	[WP] Once you were the Evil Overlord. Your name commanded fear and reverence. You have been defeated by Hero and sealed away. And now, after almost a millennium of your imprisonment, your followers are on the brink of setting you free. Thing is, you actually like being retired.	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", "\"DO NOT QUESTION ME, FOOL!\" I bellowed directly into the minotaur's brain. I severed the mental link for a brief moment to take a sip of water. Even though I wasn't yelling out loud, it still hurt my throat. \"YOUR FEEBLE MIND CANNOT HOPE TO COMPREHEND THE COMPLEXITY OF MY PLAN. I DO NOT REQUIRE YOUR QUESTIONS. I ONLY REQUIRE YOUR OBEDIENCE.\"\n\n\"Yes, master,\" the minotaur replied after a long pause. \"I shall do as you ask.\" It severed the mental link, but not quickly enough to avoid me hearing its final thoughts. \"What the hell is he thinking? He must be going senile.\"\n\nI chuckled to myself. Once upon a time, that minotaur would've felt the full force of my wrath for such an impertinent thought. Even now, even sealed away in this prison, I still have enough of a connection to the outside world to turn the impudent beast into a pile of ash if I wanted to. But I don't want to. Not really. Casting spells tires me out, and to be honest the minotaur's reaction made sense. I did just ask it to deliver a powerful weapon to the hero that seeks to prevent my release, after all.\n\nI pace the floors of my crystal prison, looking down at the world far below me. It's a beautiful view; lush green forests and rolling mountains, unspoiled and untouched. If my army had its way, the idyllic landscape would be reduced to a smouldering wasteland. Before, I never really cared about this sort of thing but having spent nearly a thousand years with nothing to look at but the scenery, I've developed an appreciation for it.\n\nI hum to myself and conjure a china teapot out of thin air. Time for a drink. All that mental shouting raises my blood pressure. I pour myself a steaming cup of chamomile tea and sit back in my rocking chair to enjoy it. A small smile grows on my face. This imprisonment was supposed to be a punishment, but with the ability to conjure up anything I want, it's pure bliss. \n\nWhen I've finished my tea, I settle down into a comfortable position to begin my daily meditation. Being almost completely alone with your own thoughts for so long can be difficult, but if you manage to find the right mental balance it gets so much easier. I shut my eyes, let my mind go blank, and breathe in deeply. In. Out. In...\n\nOh no.\n\nSomebody is trying to contact me. There's only one being with the power to contact me rather than the other way around, and she's the last person I want to talk to. To be honest, even calling her a person is generous. \n\nI look around and swear. I try to mind my language nowadays, but I feel that this situation is dire enough to justify it. If she sees me like this, she'll find a way to break into my prison and murder me. Hastily, I point at all the incriminating objects, banishing them into oblivion. My rocking chair, the teapot and cup, my vase of flowers, even the notebook I've been filling with my attempts at poems. It hurts to see it go. I've made a lot of progress with my poetry, and now it's gone without a trace. \n\nThe mental contact comes again, and it takes all of my strength to stop her from forcing her way into my head. With the few seconds I have left, I check that everything is in order. My prison is barren and empty. I conjure up a few skulls and cobwebs. That looks better, but I still feel like there's something missing. Just before I accept the connection, I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the walls of the jail. Scrawny, non-threatening, and worst of all, naked. \n\nDid I mention I've taken up nudism? There's nobody around to see me, after all, and it feels great to be so close to nature.\n\nI create some dark robes with ominous glowing runes and change the colour of my eyes to a deep, bloody red. That will have to do. If she asks, I'll just tell her being imprisoned has diminished my power. Breathing a sigh of relief, I accept the mental contact.\n\n\"Hello, Kira.\" \n\n\"Master,\" she hissed. \"For a while I thought even I would not be able to reach you.\" \n\n\"You have done well,\" I think at her. It's difficult to keep unwanted thoughts out of my head, but I do my best to push them away. \"How goes the campaign to release me?\" \n\n\"The bonds are weakening. The thousandth anniversary of your incarceration approaches, and then your prison shall be at its weakest.\" I could almost feel her reptilian eyes boring into my head as she spoke. \"There is just one problem. Your legions of darkness are behaving... strangely.\" My heart sinks.\n\n\"Strangely? What do you mean?\"\n\n\"Some individuals seem to be deliberately hampering our campaign. Just earlier today I captured a minotaur attempting to deliver the Sword of Ranash to our enemies.\"\n\n\"I trust you dealt with it accordingly,\" I say, trying to shield my disappointment. \n\n\"Of course. I have questioned the culprit, as I questioned the ones that came before him. Strangely, they all told the same story.\" Her words are like ice water sliding down my back. \"They told me that you had spoken to them and ordered them to betray us.\" \n\nI feign surprise.\n\n\"How strange. Our enemies must be more powerful than we thought, if one of them is able to mimic me.\"\n\n\"Indeed. I know that if you had been able to contact anybody outside this prison, I would have been the first to hear about it.\"\n\n\"O-of course,\" I stammer. \"Regardless. Inform the armies to be extra vigilant.\"\n\n\"And?\"\n\n\"And to only take orders from you,\" I sigh. \"Because you're the only one who can contact me and convey my true wishes.\"\n\n\"Very good, Master.\" I can almost see the fanged smile that must be on her face right now. \"I shall contact you later to update you on our progress. Do not worry. Soon, you shall be free.\" With that promise that seemed more like a threat, she was gone. \n\nI groan and place my head in my hands. I need to think of another way to help my jailers. Being away from Kira is the best part of being imprisoned.\n\nI summon a bowl of cherries and pluck one from the bowl, rolling it around in my fingers absentmindedly before flicking my finger and shooting the pip towards the land below. It strikes the wall of my cell and tumbles to my feet. I toss the cherry into my mouth and contemplate the immaculate scenery below, wondering how I'm going to get out of this mess.\n\n~~~\n\n/r/DarkAlliGator" ]	[ 1, 10 ]	[ "1520971998", "1520972428" ]
	[WP] The world's first cryogenically preserved person was resurrected today.	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", "\"Six...six hundred years?\" Dave mouthed. \"So, the War must be over by now. But where is everyone?\"\n\n\"Unknown,\" the computer intoned. \"I do not carry that information.\"\n\n\"Dammit, then what use are you?\"\n\n\"I can provide the location of nutritional supplies stored in this base,\" it replied. \"Since you have exited the cryonic chamber, your metabolic rate has likely increased ten thousand fold. You will need to consume substantially more calories to sustain your body mass.\"\n\n\"I am getting kind of hungry,\" he admitted. \"OK, fine. Food first, and then we need to talk.\"\n\n---\n\n\"So, why did you wake me up now?\" Dave was looking at various canned foods he picked out of creak cupboards. The computer apparently could follow him anywhere; its voice seem to come from the walls.\n\n\"Your cryonic chamber has depleted its liquid helium stores. I could not maintain your frozen state.\"\n\n\"Ah, that makes sense.\" He selected a 16 oz meatballs&gravy. \"Uh, you wouldn't happen to know where I can get a can open, do ya?\"\n\nA slot seemed to open in what had been a seamless wall. After a moment's hesitation, Dave dropped the can inside. After a few minutes of whirring, clacking, and beeping, another slot in the wall opened, closer to a table. A plate of spaghetti eased itself out, complete with silverware.\n\nDave dug in. \"Just like how momma used to make.\" It wasn't, really. But that seemed like the thing to say.\n___\n\nHe lay down on the roof of the building, a fluffy towel separating his back from the granite floor. The stars were beautiful. He had never seen so many before.\n\n\"All the light pollution is gone now, I guess. Just like us humans, eh?\" he mused out loud.\n\n\"I do not know.\" The computerized voice from the floor, somewhere. \n\n\"You said you can detect ambient conditions in the surroundings.\"\n\n\"Correct. The temperature is--\"\n\n\"I mean, can't you tell if there are people around?\"\n\n\"There are no radio broadcasts being sent within 10 miles of this location. I have no other long-range way to sense a human presence.\"\n\n\"When was the last message? Or radio static of any kind?\"\n\n\"397 years ago.\"\n\n\"Shit,\" Dave whistled. He sipped on a beer. Amazingly, the glass bottle had stayed sealed well enough to keep carbonation for hundreds of years. Now that was truly a marvel.\n___\n\n\"I've got all the necessary provisions,\" Dave said, mostly talking to himself. \"Lotta food, water, medical supplies...and a radio, just in case.\"\n\n\"I have reviewed the contents of your pack. I find it satisfactory for a journey of at least five days walking.\"\n\n\"Great. And I'll hopefully find more food and water on the way.\" And people, maybe. Dave turned to go, and then looked back at the main console again. He didn't need to, considering that it could hear him anywhere. \"You gonna be still here when - if - I come back?\"\n\nHe thought the the computer wouldn't answer the childish question. But after a second of silence, it simply said: \"I will.\"\n\n\"Well, good.\" David nodded once, and shut the lab door. He began walking toward the rising sun, unsure and uncertain of where he was going and what he might find. But he didn't look back.\n\n\n\n\n______________________________________\n\nLiked that? [More stories here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Idreamofdragons/)! \n\n" ]	[ 1, 14 ]	[ "1520988741", "1520993362" ]
Like buttering toast. Or doing your taxes. Or Boggle.	[WP] Write a movie trailer for something that definitely doesn’t deserve a movie trailer.	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", "It was a rainy saturday night in a small middle America town. Nothing to do, not even the cows were stirring. Corn fields sat still while the town's teenagers looked for ways to let their minds rot. Deep in the corner of a house on Chicago Lane, Joey Raymond receives a snap from Ronny Jay.\n\n\"Bruh, when you get over here? Ken Sampson is gonna knock the face out of James Whitman. I got the thing on Pay Per View! wyd rn?\" said the snap. \n\nEverybody in high school would be talking about this UFC fight. Cody and Stan took bets last week in shop class, talking non stop about how Sampson was gonna submit Whitman. Joey put a buck on Whitman just to stick it. \"Hell no I ain't missing this man,\" Joey snapped. \n \nJoey picked the phone up and took a picture of his car. He was running to Ronny now. Walking into his black 2008 Toyota Camry, he put his foot on the accelerator. Ten minutes later and he was on Ronny's couch, a foamy and illicit beer in hand. The fights were just beginning.\n\n\"Can you believe Whitman? His reach is 6'2 standing...\" the TV blared.\n\n\"You put ten on Whitman, bro?\" said Ronny.\n\n\"He's got an unbelievable ground game. You don't want to start a wrestling match with...\" the TV droned. \n\n\"Nah man, I got money on Sampson in the second round -- almost beginning.\" \n\n\"And now a word from our sponsors -- the Joey and Ronny movie!\"\n\nJoey and Ronny took a quick stare at each other before turning back to the TV. Perplexed, the usually rapid fire blinks of this generation of screen worshippers turned to thousand yard stares. \n\n\"What? A movie with a guy named Joey and a guy named Ronny?\" said Joey.\n\n\"I hope Channing Tatum plays me man\" said Ronny. \n\n\"Nah man. You watching this?\"\n\nA home appeared on the TV. It looked familiar. Too familiar.\n\n\"Joey... is that your house?\"\n\n\"No man. No way.\"\n\n\"Bro -- that's your house. Shit! Isn't that your bedroom? WAIT THAT'S YOU!\"\n\nJoey appeared on TV. He was wearing the same clothes that he was wearing now. On tv, Joey stared at his phone -- up popped the snapchat from Ronny.\n\n\"Joey Raymond is an average teenage boy. He loves computer games and UFC fights. He was a normal boy -- until his life turned inside out.\" the narrator of the ad said. \n\nA montage plays. The tv shows Joey buttering toast, surfing reddit and shaving. Joey is shown driving his car. Suddenly on the screen Ronny's house becomes visible. All this is set to the Rocky theme. As the montage nears end, it shows Joey and Ronny both sitting on the couch, beer in hand, in the same clothes they were wearing now. \n\n\"Because today is the day that Joey and Ronny fight to the death!\" the narrator said. A quick credit sequence rolls. Joey and Ronny are both on the couch on the TV and on the couch in Ronny's mom's basement. \n\nJoey and Ronny were both perplexed. They just watched themselves on TV. In the clothes they were wearing now. It was the last forty five minutes of their lives minimized into a 40 second clip selling a \"Joey and Ronny movie.\" \n\n\"That's it?\"\n\n", "pulls out a pre-loaded record player and puts the needle onto the record, which begins playing, then says] Stan Marsh is a bright young man. He's got a great family, a promising paper route; only problem is, [removes the needle from the record] his bike's been impounded! [puts the needle back on the record, on another song] But now, he's about to find out that getting his bike back isn't so easy. [pulls the needle off again and puts the needle's arm in its resting place]" ]	[ 1, 1, 5 ]	[ "1521000799", "1521007382", "1521001300" ]
	[WP] Just write something fucking happy. Maybe with a science fiction element	93	[ "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've never seen a furry quadruped before. Where I'm from, all of them are scaly, slimy creatures. Mostly larger than myself. This wouldn't be a problem if they all didn't have such nasty attitudes to us bipods. \n\n This creature is different. There were no scales, only hair. Instead of approaching me with thousands of razor-sharp teeth, I was greeted by a cautious sniff. I think it could tell I was nervous, but he was nervous too. Our timidity only made us both realize we meant each other no harm.\n\n I had some sweets in my pocket, and I think he smelled it. \n\n \"You want this?\" I asked, holding a chunk by his face. Without hesitation, he garbled it right up. His hair looked fluffy and smooth. I reached to touch it, expecting a snap or quick retreat. To my surprise, it leaned up against me and gladly accepted the rubbing!\n\n \"What are you, magnificent being?\" I asked it. The hairy four legged creature then started licking my face! It was very bizarre, but I enjoyed it, oddly enough.\n\n From behind, a strange voice called out towards me. \"Making out with strangers, how did I know?\"\n\n\"Do I know you?\"\n\n\"Don't think so, that's my dog though.\" He chuckled.\n\n\"Dog? Hmm. Could you tell me where I am sir?\"\n\n\"In a park, down town. Rough night I take it?\"\n\n\"No sir, but I must be getting home to report my findings. Good day to you!\"\n\n We walk our separate ways after the native to this planet leaves, not before attaching a device to his \"dog\". It seems to be some kind of connection, possibly of the mind? The dog must transfer information directly to guide his pet around. Interesting.\n\n I'm really excited to report my research. My boss will give me a raise after I tell him about the \"dogs\", their pets, and the civilization of \"Innapark\" on the planet of \"Downtown\".", "PART TWO.\n\n\"Keep at it, Depaysement. You're very funny,\" I tell her dismissively, trying to sound tougher than I feel, because there's in fact a tight knot of anxiety forming in my stomach; my limbs feel weirdly light as I jam the helmet over my head. I would probably be more annoyed about the condition it's going to leave my hair in later, but the truth is that I always seem to spend a lot less time worrying about those things when I'm with Maps anyway. \n\nShe grabs my wrist, and I stop, a little surprised. It's always a shock, the way the world goes so utterly, completely silent when we make contact. I still don't understand how she does it, why it happens, but the moment she caught me from falling at the lighthouse was the first moment of true peace I'd ever known. It's an addictive feeling; if it were up to me, I might have spent the four years since in constant, unending contact with her just for the peace and quiet of it. \n\nAnd yet--I haven't. Because I can't predict what she would do, what she would feel, if I asked for something that weird, that specific, that vulnerable--if I asked to touch her. What kind of psychopath even puts words like that together? The idea makes everything in me tense up, and I wonder if everyone feels like this every time they can't figure out what another person is feeling. And if I'm being honest, there's something else in me that recoils at the idea of needing someone, or something, that much. \n\nThis feeling of quiet is good. It's nice. It's everything. And yet I know I can't live here in it, because it will make me weak, and weak people don't make it out in the real world. In my world. \n\n\"Really, though,\" Maps says, fingers still closed loosely around my wrist; she lifts the sunglasses, lifts the cool away to reveal the real person underneath for a second, \"You don't have to ride it. We can walk it back. It's not a big deal. Honest.\"\n\nFor a second, I consider taking her up on the offer, because I know she's sincere--and because I truly am increasingly terrified of the prospect.\n\n\n“I’m good,” I tell her instead, but I still can't bring myself to pull my arm away, “You built it. You’re driving. I trust you. Are we going to do this or not?” \n\n\nShe smiles a lopsided grin that seems different somehow, but I can't quite place it. I find myself looking for her emotions, trying to feel them the way I would anyone else. But there's nothing. All I have is silence, and the sight of her even, white teeth, with those pointed canines that I like so much, for reasons I don't really understand. But for a second I think this smile seems child-like in it’s sincerity--and just a little flustered. And I have to wonder--is there a possibility she’s feeling something big, too? \n\n\nThe ride through the town is a thing of pure joy. It’s terrifying at first, as the thing roars to life and growls idly to itself, all its pieces vibrating ever so much, like a barely contained beast. But then I'm settled close in behind Maps, and she pulls my arms tight around her waist. I lean my face into her back at first, so that I can't see anything, because if I see anything at all I just know I'm going to die of terror. Every part of me is tense, and my heart hammers hard in my ears, so that's it's all I can hear under the roar of the bike. I can feel flashes of emotion as we ride, familiar emotions and foreign ones. The murmur is a constant presence pressing against my brain, and trying to contain my own genuine terror makes it harder to keep it all out. I'm starting to feel a little sick and disoriented when we come to a stop. Maps lays her hand over mine. \n\n\nThe silence is like a breath of air, and I'm able to lift my head enough to see that we’re stopped at a traffic light. \n\n\n“Better?” She asks over her shoulder. \n\n\n“Yeah,” I confirm breathlessly, and I wonder why my heart is still beating madly against my ribs, even though the bike is at a stop. \n\n\n“Here,” She says as she moves my hand, puts it under the back of her jacket, under the white t-shirt below, “If it helps.”\n\n\nI lay my palm flat against her skin as the light changes. I can almost feel the rhythm of my heartbeat vibrating in my teeth. I can hear the bike, and some cadets talking loudly on the street corner; I can feel the sun hot against my back and I can see this whole Base sprawling out in front of us. I can see that the guy in the car next to us is watching, looking perplexed and intrigued and too interested. But what I can't do is at all feel what he's feeling, and it's a glorious, liberating thing. \n\n\nThat's where the joy comes in. The Base is large enough to be its own small town, and it's a town I've lived in my whole life--but I've never seen it quite like this, fast and close and real, with the air rushing against my face, tangling in my hair, filling me up and making me feel clear somehow. And I think this must be it, this is what it means to be seventeen. Seventeen is the back of a motorcycle, with the sun sinking low and your heart in your throat. Seventeen is having your arms around someone you care about, someone you trust, someone you love.\n\n\nSomeone you love.\n\n\nAnd like that, the big feeling has a name.\n\n\nThe word sinks down into my brain and settles there quietly, like a heavy stone thrown into a lake, settling into the mud and silt at the bottom. The city breaks down, falls away; we leave the Base altogether and the landscape goes bare, becomes the sparse, rocky coast. When Maps finally pulls up to the lighthouse and brings the bike to a stop, I feel jittery and too light, I feel alive and real and sure and I know, I know, I know that I was right, that nothing can ever be the same again. That I've lost control of the situation and that I don't know what's going to happen next. \n\n\n“So, King, what's on your reading list for today--”\n\n\nI'm not sure how it happens. She gets off the bike, sweeps the helmet from her head, shakes her dark hair out. I get off, too, take the helmet off, let it hit the ground. She turns at the sound, and with my hair a catastrophe, with the sound of the waves lapping at the rocks, I grab the front of her jacket, and I kiss her there in the shadow of the lighthouse. Because there are no other options, because I have to, because she’s Maps and I'm in love with her, and it's the only thing in the world that makes any sense to me anymore.\n\n\nShe seems surprised for only a half second, and then I hear her helmet hit the ground, too, and I feel her hands against my face. And in that moment, there’s a kind of peace for which I don't have words. In that time, I don't have to fight anyone else’s emotional demons--but I also don’t have to fight my own, either. The worry, the sadness, the anxiety, the insecurity and fear that’s all very much my own--it’s quiet. And then there's just me left, at my core, at my most bare and honest and real. \n\n\nTime seems to stutter, and I have no idea if it's been a second or an hour when I step back, heart racing, fighting for air, as if I've just run a marathon.\n\n\n“I'm sorry, I'm sorry--I should have asked, I should said something--”\n\n\n“Violetta, it's okay--”\n\n\nThe way she says my name makes me want to kiss her all over again.\n\n\n“Is it really okay?” I ask her, “Are you sure? Isn’t this--isn’t this weird? Or wrong? Or--I don’t know--”\n\n\nShe closes the step between us again and gives a small shrug. She reaches up to touch my hair, her eyes not meeting mine.\n\n\n“I guess it's not exactly the way everyone else does things, is it?” She says, almost more to herself than to me, it seems, “Some people would probably think it's weird. The two of us. Two women. And one of us only halfway human, even...” She pauses, and her eyes finally find mine. She leans close, and I know this is it, this is the place I want to be for the rest of my life, “It doesn't feel weird to me. Not at all. It feels perfect. Does it...does it feel weird to you?”\n\n\nThose green eyes hold mine uncertainly and there’s such vulnerability in the question that I wish I could show her, wish I could make her feel this thing I'm feeling, this thing filling up every cell in my body, until I'm not entirely sure there’s even any room left for me in here anymore. I wish I could show her just how right it feels.\n\n\n“No,” I have to settle for telling her, “Not weird. Not even a little.”\n\n\nAnd that's how I learned that seventeen would be a little different for me. Seventeen was the back of a motorcycle, sure, with my arms around someone I loved, and it was also kissing that someone for the first time, and feeling whole and calm and alive. It was being in love in an easy, uncomplicated way that just made sense. It was afternoons spent kissing a girl that made me who I was really meant to be, who made me the best version of myself. For me, seventeen was and always will be Maps. \n\n\nI wish more than anything that it could have stayed that way.\n\n", "[PREVIOUSLY.](https://www.reddit.com/r/SapphicWriters/comments/846nhi/scifi_heroines_rock_my_world_and_other_worlds_too)\n\nPART ONE. \n\nI’m sprawled in my bed, buried in a book, when the screen of my watch flashes. A new message there reads:\n\n\nSaturday 17:02.\n\n\nM: Still want to go to the lighthouse today?\n\n\nI sit up, drop the book and send back:\n\n\nSaturday 17:04.\n\n\nVi: Yeah, when?\n\n\nM: Now-ish.\n\n\nVi: Now?\n\n\nM: Yep. Guess what I have in your driveway?\n\n\nSo with no idea what exactly is in my driveway, I hurriedly throw on some clothes. I want to spend more time figuring out the colors, picking out something more thoughtful and aesthetically pleasing, but she’s out there waiting with something in my driveway, and the curiosity overrides my need for fashionable attire--which is no small feat.\n\n\nWhen I leave the house, my mother doesn't even ask where I'm going. I'm not sure if this is because she already knows--there's only really one place I ever go--or if it's because she just isn't interested. Maybe a little of both. I don't really care. She's nothing but a low howl of sadness that haunts the house. She's the reason I've gotten good at controlling my unique ability to sense and experience what others are feeling--if I hadn't learned to block her out, she would have taken me under with her by now. For me, her sadness is a thing constantly lurking at the edge of my brain. Getting out and away from it is a relief, like coming up for air.\n\nFor the most part, I hate living on the Base. My father is the Alpha, the head of the triumvirate which leads the Federation and the entire Interplanetary Space Station, and because of that, everyone assumes that I enjoy special privileges of some kind. Which isn't untrue, if I'm being honest--we have money, I suppose, and our house is staffed with a host of personal guards and attendants and cooks and gardeners--but those privileges don't begin to make up for the fact that I'm essentially a prisoner. We all are. \n\nPrisoner might be dramatic. But leaving the base is highly discouraged, especially for minors, and all I really want is to be a normal teenager. Attend a normal high school. One not geared toward preparing all its students for life in orbit. I want to lead a life where my future isn't already tracked and laid out and decided for me. But I'm the daughter of the Alpha, and my father has expectations. Of everyone, really, but for me those expectations are especially specific and pressurized. But there's one good thing about living on the Base, and that one good thing is Maps Depaysement.\n\nShe's waiting for me just outside the gate at the end of the long driveway. She's all tall and lean and long, with her dark hair falling over her shoulders. There's a pair of dark, square sunglasses over her eyes, which only seems to make her finely angled features all the more elegant, somehow. She's wearing that black leather jacket of hers, the one that's as much a part of her as her moss-colored eyes, or the easy, pleasant shape of her mouth when she grins, or the way her ears come to that fine, subtle point that I like so much. She’s just so slightly different, human-looking in almost every aspect--except more refined somehow. And I know she's stronger and faster than any average human girl, but those aren't the things that hold my attention. \n\n\nShe's resting against something I can't quite see until I get to the end of the drive and put my hands on the bars of the gate: it's a motorcycle. It's old, and it's patched together, but it's still an impressive thing to see--because I first saw it when it was a pile of junk and a bare chassis.\n\nAnd I have to pause for a moment, because something tells me that pausing is the right thing to do. That I need to remember this. I need to remember this moment, this day. The sidewalks and streets are clear, without a trace of the muddy slush that seemed to linger all winter, and the first hints of greenery are finally returning in the grass, the trees--even the hardy little weeds pushing through the cracks of the world are a welcome sight. And the sun--the sun is finally present in the sky, brilliant and warm against my skin for the first time in what feels like an absolute lifetime. I swear I can feel it heating up the blood underneath, like I've been stuck in some limbo between life and death without even knowing it--and today is the day I'm being resuscitated. \n\nBut whatever the sun does for me, however it makes me feel, it's nothing compared to what it does for her, or what she makes me feel. Some part of me can't help but be jealous of her--so effortlessly, annoyingly cool in a way I never could be, and the phenomenon has never been more apparent than now, with the sun glinting against those glasses, that hair. And another part me feels something altogether different about her, something not even close to jealousy. Something I find much too difficult to untangle or look at directly. I know it's a big feeling, something fueled by a thousand smaller feelings--the rush of gratitude I feel when she knows me well enough to not ask about my parents. The relief I feel when I do want to talk to about them, and she understands what I'm trying to say even when I don't always understand it myself. The calm I feel when we're alone and simply doing nothing at all. It's the way I trust her when she says, Everything's going to be fine. Stop worrying, King. \n\nIt's the way she doesn't make me nervous at all. The way she makes me more myself. The way I am a kinder, softer, better person when I'm with her. \n\nI don't have a name for what all these feelings form, and for now I'm okay with that. I have the sense that once it's named, things may change in a way I can't control, that everything will be irreversibly different, and it terrifies me--because I like the way things are so very much. I don't want to lose control of them.\n\n\"Going out, Miss King?\" Holden asks, breaking through my thoughts. He's standing watch at the gate, hands folded together in front of him. His slate gray suit is particularly austere this evening.\n\n\"Yep,\" I tell him simply as I slip through the gate.\n\n\"On that thing?\"\n\n\"I think so.\"\n\n\"Don't guess I can talk you out of it by telling you how unsafe it probably is?\"\n\n\"Nope. Don't guess I can talk you out of telling my dad about it?\"\n\n\"You might be able to, if you can promise you'll at least be careful.\"\n\n\"Very careful,\" Maps calls from the street, \"The carefulest.\"\n\nHolden rolls his eyes but I can see the tension at the corners of his mouth, which is as close to a smile as I can hope to get from him. And I can feel something else emanating from him, despite the guards I have in place. I try very hard not to intrude on the privacy of people's emotions when I can avoid it, but it's still almost impossible to block them out entirely. There's a whisper of something from him that I can't place. It's a little heavy, like longing, but more specific. There's a note of acidity, of pain, that isn't unlike jealousy. In the end, I decide it might be something like nostalgia, and I wonder what Holden's life was like before now. Who was Holden before he wore a slate gray suit?\n\n\"Hey,\" Maps says with exaggerated cavalierness as I get close, but that crooked grin is blooming across her lips against her will, \"How's it going, King?\" She lifts her chin at me casually, and I find it all the more annoying that it's not ineffective--but I can't let her know that.\n\nI roll my eyes at her, \"I get it, you're very cool.\"\n\n\"Oh, wow--Violetta King thinks I'm cool?\" She laughs. It's a good sound.\n\n\"The coolest, actually. Maybe too cool for me, even.\" I try to inject as much sarcasm as I can, but I realize as the words come out that it's not an entirely false concern. \n\n\"Well...\" She hovers on the word, rakes a hand through her dark locks in a way that's just so very much Maps, and that nameless feeling wells up in me again, \"I don't think I want to be that cool.\" \n\nI can feel her eyes on me despite the glasses, and I wish more than ever that I knew what was going on in her head--which isn't something I've ever wished before. I've spent every day of my life being assaulted by a flood of other people's emotions. Even now, if I were to take down my barriers, it would be a roar, a tsunami that would entirely overwhelm all my senses. I wouldn't be able to function at all.\n\nBut Maps is different. Maps is a blank space. I don't know why, but I can't hear or feel anything from her, not even a whisper, and it's utterly infuriating, because I've never wanted to figure someone out more.\n\n\n“You finished it!” I exclaim excitedly as I lay my hands on the seat of the bike. The body is slim and small, with flaking, matte black paint, but I'm still already in love with it, because I’ve spent so long watching her piece it together. I've sat with her in the little stone shed at the base of the lighthouse while she ratcheted and wrenched and hammered and occasionally cursed. Maybe more than occasionally. Maybe a lot. And I've maybe laughed at just how colorful and creative some of those curses became.\n\n\n“Well, it still needs paint. I should have done that first, but I wasn't even really sure I could make it run. It's really hard to find parts for these things anymore.”\n\n\"So are we going for a ride?\" I ask her finally. \n\n\"We are,\" She hands me a helmet.\n\nI grimace distastefully at the thing, \"That's going to ruin my hair.\"\n\n\"Maybe, but I'm more worried about not ruining your head--I kind of like the stuff going on in there. And I did make Holden a promise, you know.\"\n\n\"Fine,\" I sigh dramatically and take the thing from her hands, and then after thinking for another second, \"You can drive this, right?\"\n\n\"Why--are you nervous?\" She asks, grinning further.\n\n\"No, I'm not--\"\n\n\"Aw, you're scared, aren't you?\" \n\n\"I'm not scared--\"\n\n\"We can walk, if you're scared,\" She says teasingly, \"It might take a while.\"\n", "It was done at last. the Happiness Plague had been finished. \n\nIt was an airborne pathogen, and its only symptom was to make people happy. all of the time. it was placed in the flu vaccines, and it quickly spread from there. \n\nsoon, most people around the world were happy. those with chronic depression were normal instead. and the world changed. Grandma died? happy. caught your wife cheating on you? happy. some went mad. some even died happy. \n\nas the plague passed, for someone had found a cure, the world sank into a depression for a time. and afterwards... sometimes you could buy happiness on the black market. \n", "2000 years passed by, and it was a mere blip in the lifetime of the universe. In this blip humanity had expanded across the stars, conquered new horizons, settled them, and moved even further.\n\nHumanity had a thousand chances to die out, but each time, there was something in the spirit of the species that held them together. They got tired of their wars, the further they got, the more they realised the pointlessness of it all. They realized that the only purpose in life was the one they gave to themselves. They realized that no (wo)man was above any other. \n\nThey ended their wars, they made their peace. They became something greater themselves.\n\nThrough the centuries they ended hunger, they ended suffering, they purged the barbaric needs of their ancestors from within. They took all that was good within them, and strengthened it a thousandfold.\n\nThey expanded across the skies, a mere blip in time. They covered galaxies, they lived and they died when they were content to do so. A civilization rose from ashes, learned to love itself and everything around it, and it all happened in a mere blip. \n\nHumanity knew how small it was. It knew how insignificant it was in the face of the infinity lying all around it in all directions. It did not pull them down. It only made them take pride in what they had accomplished, as a blip on a blip.\n\nThey explored the cosmos, and never found another. They did not let this bring them down. Instead, they took the species of their world, and used them to build the garden of life on barren worlds all around them. They knew it would take aeons before the seeds flourished and grew into something wonderful, a companion to share with the stars, but humanity had now also learned patience, and while it waited it worked towards its next adventure.", "Sarah loved this planet. It was at the rim of her galactic center and relatively unknown. She had needed to request a shuttle to take her there as no teleportation pod orbited the system yet. But it was so worth it. Without hesistating, she jumped out of the shuttle parked in the upper atmosphere. \n\n\nThe fall was a rush. She hammered through the colorful clouds, opening the view to the ground. Beautiful lines of lava crisscrossed the surface in mesmerizing patterns. She had once tried to study Geology to figure out how this was possible but had stopped when she realized it did not matter that much to her. What mattered was the heat rising up. She opened her arms and translucent wings opened between them and her body, catching the rising air currents. Sarah flew.\n\n\nThe wings were a relatively new invention. They were invented in the Andromeda Cluster as part of a collaboration of enthusiasts. In her opinion they were heroes. Sarah dived down, picking up speed and flew a loop followed by a few drills before picking up altitude again. She was free.\n\n\nA sencilion appeared before her. She was still amazed that life had developed on the planet but felt a kinship to all beings here. Like her they were fliers. The sencilion flew a small loop followed by a drill. This was.. was it imitating her?\n\n\nSarah performed a quick somersault and watched the winged animal. It did the same. \n\n\n\"Let's see if you can keep up, little one\", Sarah said and dived. She twirled through the air like a leaf, swam through the currents like a fish, twirled, spun and looped. The animal followed and kept up with her without any problems. Sarah sped up and sped up again. The sencilion got even faster until they flew side by side. They danced.\n\n\nAfter a while, the animal seemed to get impatient and increased speed again. Sarah could only laugh, exhausted, and fell back. The sencilion was simply too quick, too good, too... She held her breath. The animal flew and danced through the air like a ghost. It was a dance she could have never managed, a thing of supreme beauty. \n\n\nTears streamed from her face.\n\n\n\"One day, little one\", she whispered to herself, \"One day we will dance your dance together.\"\n\n\nShe spread her arms and let the currents carry her.", "It’s ridiculous to think how much we used to worry about aliens. Trapped back on our little crib called Earth, our ancestors created media about aliens, fearing them, fighting them, being crushed by them. Even a ‘good’ alien would be balanced out by a ‘bad’ one – There was always a threat out there, somewhere. \n\nI sometimes wish I could go back and tell them that there was nothing to fear. There’s no great evil lurking beyond the edge of the solar system, no sinister intelligence hatching plots to destroy us. \n\nNo, beyond the stars, we met no other life larger than a blade of grass. Do you think that’s sad? That we’re alone? I guess it is, in a way. But out here, far away from the sheltered climes of our ancestral planet, we met something better than another lifeform; We met ourselves. \n\nEach and every solar day saw humanity seeing its best version of itself. Heroes built utopias under shining new suns. Our new golden age has been built not on the back of cheap labour, or of slaves; it has been built by all of us, working as one. Each person is an equal in the eyes of another, and all work for the common good. \n\nIf I did go back, I’d tell them something else. I’d tell them that there are three hundred billion stars in our galaxy alone. In light of all those new suns, our future looks bright. \n", "\"You are the biggest fool I've ever met,\" she sighed shaking her head. \"This was the single stupidest thing you could have done, it was the single stupidest thing anyone could have done. I think you are actually the stupidest person in the entire universe.\" She continued before taking a breath and running at the other girl, wrapping her arms around her. \"But I'm so glad you're here\". \n\n\"Well, I couldn't let the day pass without something, could I?\" Smiled the other girl. \"It is your birthday, and I want to spend it with you, and no force in the universe was going to stop me.\" \n\n\"Captain Amalie,\" smiled the girl, looking up at her paramour with tears pricking at the edges of her eyes. \"You are the most wonderful creature under the stars\". \n\n\"That title belongs to you alone Da'Ria,\" smiled Amalie as she squeezed the girl before backing off a moment. \"But, what is a birthday without gifts,\" she said as she reached into her docked ship and pulled out a crate. \n\n\"For me?\" gasped Da'Ria, moving closer, her tears shimmering under the artificial light of the research station. \"You really shouldn't have, it is more than enough having you here.\" \n\n\"I insist, open it,\" smiled Amaile as Da'Ria moved her hand over the crate, slowly lifting its lid. Her eyes went wider as she reached in and pulled out a long bottle. \"Galrazian wine, how did you get this, no one has been able to export this since they blockaded,\" started Da'Ria before she looked up at Amaile. \"You didn't\". \n\n\"It was really nothing, their defense grid is nowhere near as fast as I am,\" she smiled, a hint of smugness in her voice. \"Usually anyway,\" she added before pointing to a scorch mark on the bottom of her ship. \n\n\"Oh gosh, so much food in here,\" gasped Da'Ria, pulling out box after box. \"While I am happy to see you, I will admit the sight of fresh food after months on dried rations fills me with a very different kind of desire, how far did you fly to get all of this?\" \n\n\"Oh you know, here and there,\" grinned Amaile, waving her hand dismissively. \"You did always like picnics\". \n\n\"I love picnics,\" smiled Da'Ria, opening a box of fruit and sniffing it. \"I will take you to my dig site. There is a ridge that overlooks the entire ruined city.\" She exclaimed, hugging Amaile close once more. \n\n\"It sounds beautiful,\" nodded Amaile, her hand running through Da'Ria's hair. \n\n\"It is,\" continued Da'Ria, her voice filling with excitement. \"And at dawn you can see the twin suns rise, casting their light over the ruins, it is truly stunning.\" \n\n\"I doubt it holds a candle to you,\" smiled Amaile, leaning down and kissing Da'Ria on the forehead, making the girl blush a deep crimson. \n\n\"The only issue is, it can get quite cold, so we would need to huddle close if we wanted to see the suns,\" giggled Da'Ria coyly. \n\n\"Oh?\" Chuckled Amaile. \"How close?\" \n\n\"As close as two atoms bonding,\" winked Da'Ria before burying her head back into Amalie's chest. \"Oh look at me, I'm like a school girl.\" \n\n\"Nothing wrong with that,\" smiled Amaile. \n\nDa'Ria pulled herself from Amaile's arms and took a deep breath. \"Right, I'll need to get you an archeologist pass and uniform if we want to sneak you into the ruins. I think I know someone who might lend me theirs, it should fit you,\" mumbled Da'Ria, running her eyes up and down Amaile's body. \n\n\"I don't think that will be needed,\" grinned Amaile, causing Da'Ria to blink and shake her head. \n\n\"No, no, they won't let anyone without a pass go to the ruins. Only archaeologists are allowed near them, security is tight!\" Insisted Da'Ria. \n\n\"There is something else in the box, right at the bottom,\" replied Amaile, tilting her head towards the open crate. \n\n\"What do you have planned?\" Asked Da'Ria with confusion, walking over to the box and reaching in, running her hands along the bottom until she found a large brown envelope. \"What is this?\" \n\n\"Open it,\" smiled Amaile. Da'Ria didn't hesitate, slowly pulling the flap of the envelope open, watching as a small bundle of papers slid out. Da'Ria's eyes scanned the paper as she started to read it. \n\n\"This is to certify that Keltraze Amaile has completed the requisite education and field work to obtain the title of Galatic Historical Association Certified Archeologist,\" she read, her eyes going wide as she did. \"Really?\" She gasped, looking up at Amaile. \n\n\"Check the next page,\" nodded Amaile, a few tears coming to her eyes. \n\n\"Dear Ms. Amaile,\" started Da'Ria. \"I have approved your transfer to the Historical Association's archeology department. Upon reading your letter I could not help but agree with you. Working under Da'Ria Mazina is both the logical extension of your thesis work and the best way to further hone your field skills. You will find your transfer notice and the required paperwork attached, please report to Ms. Mazina as soon as is possible.\" \n\nAmaile stood at attention and saluted. \"Captain Mazina,\" she beamed. \"Assistant Amaile ready for duty!\" Da'Ria stood looking for a moment, tears rolling down her cheek. \n\n\"You beautiful fool,\" she sniffed. \"You wonderful, beautiful, amazing fool\". She said taking a deep breath. She reached into the envelope and pulled out a badge, walking over and clipping it to Amaile's chest. \n\n\"Your first task,\" smiled Da'Ria. \"Is to collect the picnic into a pack while I go get a blanket. I shall then take you to the site so you can have an overview and we can see the suns rise.\" \n\n\"Yes, Ma'am.\" Smiled Amaile. However, before she could move Da'Ria pulled her close and kissed her deeply, making Amaile's cheeks turn bright red. ", "\"It's beautiful, John.\" \n\nAs two of the triplet suns of the Centauri system blazed in the skies above Hawking the fierce red light of Proxima's sunrise bled into the atmosphere and painted the city of Heinlein in a fierce rust. Governor Jonathon Tsin never tired of the strange alien beauty of Proxima's sunrise, as the triplet suns beat down on humanities most ambitious and successful expedition in the stars. \n\nSunrise on earth happened only once, and outside of his brief military career with space force he had slept through most of them. He'd yet to miss a sunrise on Hawking, and that fact had only a little to do with his workload. But if all of the triplets were in the sky, the governor could no longer stand idly by. \n\n\"I'm not sure I'll ever get tired of seeing it myself,\" John answered as he slowly turned away from the window and smiled at his wife, \"reminds me of you.\"\n\nThe slightest blush covered the governess Tsin's cheeks, John's only hint he'd caught Melissa off guard - a favorite hobby of his. He swooped in to peck her lightly on the cheek, and trailed a finger through her hair before sighing lightly into her ear, \"alas, I fear the Unionist Miners will knock down the door with a battering ram if I'm not in my office soon. I'll see you tonight, honey.\"\n\nMelissa playfully shoved him away while calling him any number of names for his 'indecent behavior'. A smile plastered to his lips that not even the Unionists could budge, John stepped out of his private living quarters and into the Governor's office wing. No beating his commute on Earth, that was for sure. \n\nThe clock on his wall chimed 8am Earth time, specifically London - since that time zone tended to correspond relatively well with Proxima's rise. On a planet with three suns there wasn't really any time that was truly night, but the other legs of the trinary were far enough away as to be only aggravatingly bright, whereas Proxima was a true sun to the budding planetary population. \n\nOne hundred twenty seven thousand, give or take a few handfuls for births, deaths, arrivals, and departures. Humanity had come for the stars at long last, and they'd come in impressive force. The spaceport alone could number a few thousand on a busy day, and its relay at Centurion Station in orbit on Hawking's moon could add another few hundred even without an interstellar vessel in dock. \n\nHeinlein City may have been named after a titan of science fiction, but other than its rather obsessive focus on elaborate recycling and robust spaceport facilities it was little differentiated from any city of half a hundred thousand souls on Earth. The rest of Hawking's newest alien species was dispersed across the globe in lower concentrations extracting valuable resources or surveying for future development. \n\nJohn had nearly fifty-seven proposed city locations to go through and rate before the next colony ship departed Earth, and only six years to prepare for the reception of another six digits of colonists. It should have been plenty of time, and maybe without the Mining Unionists it would have been. \n\nBut, for all the paper pushing, it was tough to complain. For a man who grew up in the projects of new York to be stretching his back preparing to push papers on an alien planet four light years from Earth, humanity couldn't be doing too badly. ", "Space Jesus knew what the fuck was up. \n\nHe zipped around the asteroid belt like an absolute god, and no one could possibly stop him (many had in fact tried.) He looked like a younger version of The Dude, from the goatee to the sandals. His origins were unknown, but it was guessed that he came from somewhere in the western US.\n\nI had just come from Enceladus, Saturn's once ice-dominated moon. Over the past century, it had been converted from a subzero wasteland to a sea avocado islands, but that's a story for a different time. I was rolling past Jupiter's orbit when my sensors picked him up. He was far off but the computer figured we were probably going to hit one another, so I linked our coms to try and fix the situation.\n\n\"Hey brother!\" said the jolly astro-hippie. \"I see that you're on a collision course with my bro-mo-bile. Why don't you dock with me for a minute?\n\nNow from what I had heard, an offer to dock with Space Jesus was an honor of the highest degree. Regardless, the prospect of docking a ship full of precious, expensive avocados with a stranger was quite suspect. I stuttered out the phrase \"uh, totally man... sounds... radical.\"\n\n\"for sure bro my magnets primed and ready ill sees you in five segundos.\"\n\nexactly five seconds later I flew into the wall to my left as I suddenly lurched to the right. Groaning like a shitty engine, I pulled myself up from the ground and made my way to the connection deck. my doors slowly opened to the connection chamber, and Space-bros doors flew open with the force of a thousand suns only to gift my nose with the scent of blunt smoke. I welcomed myself into the humble abode of my asteroidal acquaintance, only to be met with the man himself, sitting on his couch at the wheel, sipping on a Busch Lite. \"Hey broski, want a brewski?\"\n\nThat day I met a man who I could never forget. The dude within that hazy mess of a control center would come to be my true friend. We met every time I made my rounds from Enceladus and enjoyed each others company. I eventually moved jobs but we stayed in contact. He would be the best man at my funeral, where he at one point lit a joint in front of my hyper-conservative parents. Nowadays we still keep in contact but have managed not to see one another in person for nearly two years. Funny enough though, I just arrived at Enceladus on a business trip, where I am writing this from, and I just got a communication from my old friend.\n\n\nSorry if this is all over the place, it is currently 12:30, and I really wanted to write something ridiculous for my first one of these." ]	[ 1, 1, 1, 1, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 9, 22 ]	[ "1521001998", "1521035085", "1521056940", "1521471986", "1521005843", "1521010759", "1521025212", "1521025770", "1521007317", "1521006811", "1521005493" ]
[removed]	[WP]A surprised Stephen Hawking suddenly finds himself in front of God, who offers to answer one question. Collecting himself quickly, he begins to think.	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/84bu4b/wpa_surprised_stephen_hawking_suddenly_finds/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1521016518", "1521016637" ]
	[WP] God is sued for not having wheelchair access to heaven	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", "I've always admired the crippled. Getting all that admiration for doing the same sorts of things that the non-crippled do but since it's hard for them they get it. I called the big man in the sky. I explained that the the law had recently been changed and that the bottom line was that he was going to have to install wheelchair access. You know what he's like when he is mad. But he wasn't mad. He said he liked the idea. So there. He wants me to call up his buddy and get a good price. So I'm calling the guy and I can't get through. Typical with these cheap guys. But that's how the big ones are, they didn't get so omnipotent by just throwing away money. I guess. Anyhow. I get a quote and I know right away it's not going to be good. So I do a bit of this and that and we do some kind of write-offs and deductions and boom, we have something that's good. Just need to call up the power that is and have the ol john hancock.\n\nNow this is the tricky part because without a body and being above time and space, how do you get an actual signature? So he usually just does handshake deals. You know he's good for it. I mean if you can't trust by boss who can you trust? \n\nBut he explains all those times he did business with what turned out to be wicked pagans deities. \n\nSo I had him read all the holy books and gave him a whole pile of materials to explain the this and that. \n\nTwo weeks after they put it in, the rail broke and this poor disabled girl fell to her life. \n\n" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1521082879", "1521084177" ]
[removed]	[WP] The neutral nation of Bloodbourne has never been conquered. You now know why.	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 must go entirely into the title box, not the text box. If it's too long, then you need to edit it down.\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/84nscw/wp_the_neutral_nation_of_bloodbourne_has_never/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1521131358", "1521131535" ]
	[WP] You are visiting your grandmother in a nursing home when another old woman comes in with a samurai sword. "Gladys" she says. "Mildred" your grandmother says, eyes narrowing. "I believe we have a score to settle."	86	[ "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", "Don't do this to me MILDRED! NOT IN FRONT OF MY CHILD!\n\nThis is what you get you home wrecking, husband snatching, raisin looking scum. \n\nThe time has come. Get ready to be pierced by my sword and hang on it like your role-playing as a kebab. \n\nDon't worry about getting rid of the body kid. I've already scheduled for a university nearby to pick it up for examination. \n\nFinally I'll get my revenge as I lead the class on how not to take apart a body. I'll get to have my own human head to use as a jewelry container after some vacuuming and spring cleaning.", "My grandmother turned her attention to me. She called me the other day, asking if I was free on Wednesday. I said I was, and now here I am, between a sword swinging lunatic and my beloved Nana.\n\n“I love you dear, now could you do this one favour for me?” Nana said, holding my face in her wrinkly old hands.\n\n“Of course Nana” I said warmly, attempting to ignore Mildred as she shuffled towards us.\n\n“That’s a cheap move Gladys!” Mildred said from the door. “Your grandmother is a cheater, after all these years!”\n\n“You’re a coward!” She said, her voice uncharacteristically proud.\n\n“Bendy” She said, calling my nickname. “After all these years, could you help put me at ease?”\n\n“Of course I will”, I said, ignoring that the decrepit Mildred that was halfway at the room at this point.\n\n“Then help me kill this bitch!” She said, her voice furious. She pulled out a rapier, the most expensive I’ve ever seen and passed it to me. “I didn’t pay for your fencing lessons for nothing!”\n\n“This rivalry has been 70-years in the making! Out of my way! Let me kill Gladys!”\n\n“No!” I said, stressed at the idea of someone killing my sweet grandmother.\n\n“Help me kill Mildred, Bendy, and I won’t tell Rose about this” Nana said, bringing my mum into this. I raised my rapier defensively. “I’ll even buy you that new Nintendo!”\n\nMildred took a swing, which I parried extremely easily. I sighed. I guess if I had to make a choice between my grandma and a stranger, I had to take my grandma.\n\nMildred took another swing, which I blocked, leaving her completely open.\n\n“YES! KILL HER” I heard Nana said behind me, extraordinarily happy. She even stood up, fists waving victoriously in the air. I sighed. I flicked the glinting rapier at Mildred, sending it whistling at her throat.\n -\nStill new to this. Writing is fun wahoo", "Gladys shakily pushed herself to her feet, leaning on her grandson's arm for a moment before she settled her weight on a cheap cane that never left her side. \"Come on Mildred, don't be silly. Neither of us have been able to swing a sword for years and while I used to be able to dance circles around you, my hips hurt most of the time now\". She gestured towards the alcove set up with a coffee maker, some stale desserts, and bits of plasticware. \"Do you still take your coffee black with sugar?\"\n\nMildred held the sword up for a few tense moments, eyes darting back and forth from Gladys and her grandson. Finally she dropped the sword with a clang as it tumbled to the linoleum floor. \"My hands don't stop shaking anymore and I think I haven't been able to finish the Shadow Dance since I took the bunch of shrapnel to my legs. I can still feel the steel bits digging around in there. No sugar please, my doctor says I'm pre-diabetic.\"\n\nBobby gawked as two old women went from kill-mode to afternoon social call as if nothing had happened. \"What the fuck is going on grammy?! Who is this? Why does she have a sword?!?!\" A soft hand was suddenly on his cheek and Mildred seemed to just be there, with a small grin on her wrinkled face. \"Watch your mouth son, I don't like cursing. Sit down while the grown-ups talk.\" He found himself sitting on the green-red floral patterned couch that every old person seemed to have in their home. Mildred patted his cheek again and shuffled past to sit in one of the hard plastic chairs sitting empty next to the coffee table. \"He seems like a nice boy Gladys, a little slow but they don't make them like they used to do they?\"\n\n\"Oh Mildred you have no idea. This one couldn't punch his way out of a paper bag with a hose and a machine gun, but he's a good boy.\" Gladys set the small mugs down on the table and joined Mildred at the table. \"But you know, he visits me every week and calls me on every holiday. Not like that good for nothing son of mine. He tried the dance and fell short.\" She pointed with her spoon, as if jabbing at the air with a small sword, \"I called in every favor just to send him away and save some of my reputation.\" A small sigh slipped from her lips, \"Nobody cares to dance anymore, but that might be for the best. We did some shady things Mildred.\"\n\nHer nemesis sipped at the hot coffee and closed her eyes and savored the rich taste. \"You always did make the best coffee. And yes I agree, dancing is an old thing, not for youngsters like your grandson. Send them off to college, they can be doctors or dentists or something. It's a darn sight easier than cleaning blood off of new sheets or setting your own broken bonesh.\" Mildred sipped her coffee again, a deeper gulp this time and her eyelids drooped a bit. \"Shay Gladysh, what a great cup of coffay. Wha whut wut dih ju see wash en eet?\"\n\nGladys sipped her own cup of coffee and smiled, almost to herself as Mildred fell unconscious and dropped face first on to the coffee table. \n\n\"You always were a gullible bitch Mildred.\"" ]	[ 1, 3, 6, 27 ]	[ "1521156019", "1521156676", "1521161658", "1521156732" ]
Came from my handwriting practice whilst half daydreaming - just writing nonsense. I'll have a go first! : === "Whaddya mean she's angry? How'd ya piss off the literal embodiment of PEACE?!" "Look," Demeter sighed, "I needed someone to look after little Plutus while I did some work..." Themis sighed, too. "He wasn't wearing a nappy, was he?" Demeter shook her head grimly, grabbing a nearby bucket. "It'll be great, though. I've got a whole country that needs the fertilizer." ===	[WP] "Whaddya mean she's angry? How'd ya piss off the literal embodiment of PEACE?!"	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", "Grugnar shrugged his colossal shoulders. Even by Orcish standads he was gargantuan. 8 ft tall, 3 1/2ft wide. His Fore arm probably weighed more than Eldyne did. \"Well Bozz, i dunno. One minute i wuz carving my way thru da armiez. Like we all wuz t' save da kindum.\"\n\n\"Yes yes, i understand Grug. But what im asking is how you specifically pissed off Alissya, the god of peace and love.\"\n\nGrugnar shuffled like a child being told off. \"Well bozz...\" he began.\n\n\"Come on then, spit it out.\"\n\n\"'member dat area in da woosz just south of da stone house.\"\n\n\"The Garden of sancturary south of the kingdom. Yes...oh...you dumb fuck.\"\n\n\"Im sorry bozz i real amz. But i wuz fightin'. Y'know how i git. Breathin' foiah, Choppin' hackin' breakin shit. Y' know. Da usual Orky stuff.\"\n\n", "Paxanna was legendarily beautiful. In fact, in the legends, The major goddess of Peace was said to steal the breath of men away at the sight of her, and make them weep a hundred tears for every sin of violence they had ever committed. \n\nShe seemed to be the one having trouble breathing now, one godly vein bulging in her forehead, neck flushed and red above her perfect toga. Her brows were furrowed into a perfect V, and divine emotomorphism had caused one of her eyes to grow larger than the other to better express her frustrated fury. \n\nThe cause barely came up to her foot. He had an urbane expression on his face, looking for all the world like he was open to reasonable discussion, but Paxanna could see the insidious glint in his eye. \n\n‘Paravel Markos, you stand accused of terrible violence, inciting it on a daily basis. You – ‘ \n\n‘What about Judir? Hm? God of Justice? He waged war against the Unholy Ones! Don’t see you trying him!’\n\n‘Those were the Unholy Ones, it’s in the name – ‘ \n\n‘Do you have any evidence that they, were, in fact, Unholy?’ \n\n‘I’m a GOD, fool.’ \n\n‘That’s ad hominem.’ \n\nHe went back to smugly tapping his foot, waiting for his next chance to attack. His eternal soul was on trial, and as far as Paxanna could tell, the man was enjoying himself immensely. Despite not technically needing to breathe, she took a deep breath to calm herself. \n\nPaxanna realised her mistake as an insidious grin spread across Paravel’s face. \n\n‘I think you’ve already decided that I’m guilty,’ he said, opening his arms wide and turning to the faceless angels watching the court, ‘and you know that you’d never accept me because of my different beliefs.’ \n\n‘Your beliefs involved a crusade!’ \n\n‘See? You’re not looking at this objectively.’ \n\n‘You SAID it was a crusade!’ \n\n‘You claim to be a holy court of divine impartiality, but really, you only support those who have done good in life. How is that fair?’ \n\n‘It’s – It’s not – ‘ \n\n‘See? You admit you’re not fair! You’ve presented no evidence to my guilt, after all.’ \n\nPaxanna’s brows settled. Her eyes ceased bulging, and turned an icy blue. A smile unfurled on her lips. \n\n‘Here now, Paravel Markos, you will hear the indictments of the damned.’ \n\nA horde of wailing ghosts surrounded the little man, pointing accusing fingers, screaming in voices that chilled the spines of mortals. His crimes were horrible, not in their severity, which was in fact rather mild, but in their multitude; never before had the court of souls seen a man so minorly infuriating. He irritated, incited, annoyed, damaged, destroyed, everyone and everywhere that he ever met or went. He should have been cowering in his boots, fearing the judgement of those from beyond. \n\nYet he stood, with his smug little grin, and pointed an accusatory finger back at Paxanna. \n\n‘These witnesses are biased!’ he grandstanded to the audience as he did it, the ghosts chittering in distaste, the angels as faceless and emotionless as uncarved rock. He didn’t seem to care. \n\n‘They are biased because they hate me!’ And he kept staring at Paxanna, daring her to argue. \n\nThat was it. She’d had enough. She massaged her brow, trying to stifle the cosmic sized headache the man had brought on. \n\n‘Well, Paravel Markos…’ \n\n‘I think you’ve been trying me in bad faith. You should be ashamed.’ \n\n‘That’s enough. You win.’ \n\nHe didn’t even have the decency to look surprised. He just had the same stupid, smug grin, like he was the cleverest person in the world. \n\n‘So nice to see a god willing to listen to logic. Well, I’ll be leaving, then.’ \n\n‘Yes, you will.’ \n\nShe gestured to an angel, who drew a bow of fire and released an arrow of pure light, spearing Markos through the soul itself, damning the creature to the lowest depths of hell. His mouth was a surprised little ‘O’, and she reflected that if someone had just shot him sooner in life, it might not have come to this. \n\n--- \n\n‘So, what did you do to piss off the goddess of Peace?’ asked Geraxin’kuzz, Annihilator of Man and Cursed For All Time. \n\n‘I don’t know,’ said Markos, dressed in the same grubby suit he’d worn in life, ‘I guess she’s just afraid of reasonable debate!’ \n", "\"MERLIN HOLY FUCK I NEED YOUR HELP\"\n\n\"What? What is it?\"\n\n\"Okay, promise you won't get angry and yell at me\"\n\n\"I will do no such thing\"\n\n\"Alright, well I'll tell you anyway... So you know how when I go outside for more than a couple of days people tend to really want me dead?\"\n\n\"...Well considering your face was on several wanted posters, I'd say that's pretty accurate... Oh my gods who is it this time. You can't possibly get more in trouble than angering the crime syndicate.\"\n\n\"Right, well, you see, it kind of is?\"\n\n\"Who is it?\"\n\n\"...Eirene\" \n\n\"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU PISSED OFF LADY EIRENE. SHE'S LITERALLY THE EMBODIMENT OF PEACE\"\n\n\"So I don't really have much time, she'll be here literally any minute now\"\n\n thud\n\n\"WHAT DID YOU DO?\"\n\n\"So, I was at the shrine the other day, offering my peace offerings, praying for the war to be over,\"\n\n\"As one does\"\n\n\"And to my surprise, Eirene appeared, and she was thankful for the offerings I gave, and then I started thinking\"\n\n\"Uh oh\" \n\n\"We began discussing philosophy, things got heated, one thing led to another end I ended up telling her\n\n'Goddess Eirene, you're kind of a really shitty goddess'\nto which she responded less than well, wishing for an explanation. \n\nI said 'Well, there hasn't really been a lot of peace lately'\n\n'How is that my fault'\n\n'I mean, you are the goddess of peace, you're kind of blowing it on this one'\n\n 'Okay smart ass, what would you do differently?'\n'Just kill the emperor!'\n'That's a terrible idea!'\n'I mean, he's clearly the one at fault for starting all of this.'\n'He was recommended to go to war by several people'\n'Kill them too!'\n'No! That's going to lead to a lot of people dying'\n'A lot of people have already died. \n\nthud\n\n\"Okay okay I'll hurry up\"\n\n'All I'm saying is that if you just kill the people responsible for war, you won't have war'\n\n'THAT'S LITERALLY THE REASON PEOPLE GO TO WAR'\n\nAnd then my smart-ass said the worst possible thing I could have,\n\n'Yeah, no reason people like Aphrodite more. At least she does shit'\"\n\n\"Oh no\" Merlin said\n\nthud\n\n\"Yeah, saying that the shrine got burned down is putting it lightly\"\n\n\"Well why are you coming to me?\" \"Okay yeah that's the other thing, I might have accidentally told her I'm Merlin\"\n\nTHUD\n\n\"Oh my lord\" Merlin sighed, \"Must be a Monday\"\n\nFirst time posting here, so let me know what you liked/didn't like!", "[I had already written this up, and it's actually the backstory for my fantasy world's pantheon. But it fits perfectly so here it is again.](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/7j526n/wp_have_you_ever_wondered_why_theres_nothing/dr3xyad/)\n\n>Gather round children, and hear the tale of Tyranica, the Peacemaker.\n\n>Long ago, before the founding of our great people, there where many gods. Gods of the skies, gods of commerce, gods of war. For every concept you could imagine, there was a god controlling it.\n\n>These gods weren't content with their own domains however, they where always trying to infringe on each other's spaces. And this lead to war among the gods and their followers.\n\n>This weighed heavily on Tyranica, the Goddess of Peace. She watched as her followers where dragged into conflicts started by the gods, their death and suffering made her weep for years on end. Finally she had enough. If the gods where going to bicker like children, then the only way to have peace would be to kill the gods.\n\n>She started with the Caeldoria, the All Mother and Ruler of the Gods. With a single blow from her own mighty gavel, Tyranica stuck her down.\n\n>Soon other gods sought to fill Caeldoria's seat, and the resulting war brought more suffering than any previous skirmish ever had. As they fought amongst themselves Tyranica picked them off one by one using the All Mother's gavel, as it was the only tool that could ever permanently kill a god.\n\n>By the time the gods realized their folly it was too late, Tyranica's conquest was nearly complete. They banded together to stop her, but she simply used their unity to slay them all in one mighty battle.\n\n>Once her grim task was done Tyranica wept for her fallen brethren. But when she looked upon the world and saw that the suffering they had brought was but a distant memory she knew it was worth it. With a heavy heart she began to attend to her sibling's previous tasks, working so the world may continue to turn without them.\n\n>There was but one god who escaped her wrath. Amoreth, the Goddess of Love had been banished to earth to live as a mortal after the all mother declared that she did not understand love, only lust. There she learned what it was to truly love another, but when the time came for her to be taken back to the havens, Tyranica was the only one left to bring her back.\n\n>Rather than restore her sister's power, Amoreth remained mortal and lived the rest of her life with the man she loved. And though she never regained her godhood, it is said that Tyranica took extra care that she could remain with her husband after they passed on." ]	[ 1, 6, 6, 7, 13 ]	[ "1521162258", "1521183435", "1521195614", "1521194077", "1521186407" ]
	[WP] You are part of a time travel experiment in 2020, and end up being flung a thousand years into the future. When you arrive, a familiar face is there to greet you, who says they took "the long way".	78	[ "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", "[Part One]\n\nThe warmth of summer began to give way to the cooling and imminent arrival of the fall. At the University of Massachusetts, the dead leaves had started accumulating along the walls and corners of the Integrated Sciences Complex on the west side of the campus. The building was five stories tall painted mostly white with a beige trim. There were not many classes taught at the building as those were held primarily in a lecture hall elsewhere on campus. Laboratories were available for the professors and students to use and conduct experiments. \n\nOne of these research labs was located in a lesser known recess of the basement which had mostly been used by the cafeteria and its seating area. A loading elevator allowed access to an additional level below the basement however. This was where the leading team and technology for time travel had been housed. While time travel had been a bold term initially proclaimed by the leading scientist and director, Dr. Alfred Whitten, he and his hand selected team of leading scientist and top students of quantum field theory from the campus. The team toiled day and night with their experiments and continued pushing the boundaries daily. \n\nThe team had finished extensive trial runs using lab animals, mostly mice, and eventually graduating to a rabbit, and eventually trying larger animals including a Labrador and finally a chimp. The experiments would send the animals into the future using a large device that filled the laboratory. Technology had been crammed into all the available space; the team often had to change their seating arrangements with each new addition to the machine itself to the point of a decision to discard chairs and opting for standing desks before proceeding further. There had been one area available for the team to stand like sardines: the observation room. It sat along the south side of the area and allowed the eight scientists to report their findings at a relatively safe distance during the experiments.\n\nThe experiments were simple. The team sends a mouse in timeline A at 12:00 P.M. to the future one hour to 1:00 P.M. The mouse is no longer visible in timeline A for the entire hour duration. Timeline B starts when the mouse is teleported one hour into the future. Where the mouse arrived, the clock on the wall would read 1:00 P.M. and the timer would begin to count down for the next 10 minutes. At 1:10 P.M. in timeline B the mouse is sent back to timeline A at 1:00 P.M. The stopwatch would mark 10 minutes of trip time comparatively to the 60 minutes it actually took in timeline A.\n\nWhile the team had originally thought to keep sending data to themselves in the past to exponentially speed up their research, they decided it would be too dangerous and possibly cause a feedback loop over time. The only time anything would be sent back into the past would be during the experiments where the animals were never sent back to a time before they had originally left the first timeline. Simply put: if they sent something at 12:00:00 P.M. it would never come back before 12:00:01 P.M. for fear of two objects, in this case the animals, occupying the same space simultaneously. The results would be bloody as best and possibly rip a hole in spacetime itself at worst. \n\nShould the government find out what the team was doing, they would either be shut down or forced to work under a shady agency doing something likely inhumane. Dr. Whitten had spent years bribing and concealing the lab and its experiments from the campus administration and requested parts for the time machine piecemeal under the guise of materials used for teaching his classes. Because the professor taught a full course load at the campus he and his team would often work strange hours daily whenever possible. \n\nUnfortunately, and ironically, the team knew that they were short on time, something that not even a time machine could fix without causing complete chaos. The machine would have needed to have been built almost a year and a half before it was in this timeline to not be revealed on that fateful September evening in Boston, but this would not be known until far, far further into the future. \n\n“Test number 1H 09242020. Time is 19:18 and 8 seconds. Subject is Mark Fabian. The lucky bastard. How are you feeling, Mark?” called Dr. Stacy Abrham over the intercom. \n\n“Since when does the short straw make anyone a lucky bastard Dr. Abrham?” said Mark from inside the containment field, “I’m fine by the way. We have a reset button if this goes south at least right?”\n\n“You know that’s not how it works Mr. Fabian,” Dr. Whitten remarked over Stacy’s shoulder. \n\n“Well we can’t keep running experiments on animals unless they learn how to talk. We will never trust anything we’ve sent back to ourselves without eyewitness testimony right? So I’ll just have to make history while the rest of you sat by in a cramped room and watched on,” Mark said checking his gear for the umpteenth time. \n\n“Subject is cocky and courageous, or incredibly foolish. Preliminary health check says the subject is in stable mental and physical health a time of experiment start,” replied Stacy. The six other scientists standing behind her continued to look on with stern faces and generally not caring for the banter between the two. \n\n“We are set to begin experiment at 19:30:00, return time has been set for 20:00:00, for duration of 30 minutes. Target time is set to 20:10:00, jumping 40 minutes into the future, spending 10 minutes in future timeline and returning to original timeline at which the experiment will be concluded and followed by final health screening for comparison,” Dr. Abrham noted for the record, “Ready, Mark?”\n\n“Yeah,” he replied. \n\n“Starting up sequence at 19:25 and 46 seconds. Energy levels are in the green. Gas mixtures nominal. Field beginning to form with minimal decay,” announced Stacy as the team switched their views between the many monitors and screens and peering out the thick observation window at Mark in the containment field. \n\nThe bluish hue of the quantum field began to take shape around the containment field, surrounding Mark inside a bubble. \n\n“Mark, are you okay?” asked Dr. Whitten.\n\n“Yes, Doc, I feel fine, no strange sensations. It feels like I am just standing in a room still,” he replied. \n\n“Good make sure narrate any changes for record keeping,” said Dr. Whitten. \n\n“Aye, aye,” said Mark. \n\n“3 minutes to go,” said Stacy. \n\nA crashing sound came from the only entrance to the laboratory. The sounded repeated over and over until the door swing wide open, it’s security panel having been destroyed. In poured a group of armed personnel, kitted out in paramilitary gear. They pointed their rifles in the direction of the scientists, some drawing a bead on Mark. \n\n“What the-- Hey! Don’t point that at me!” shouted Mark over the increasing sound of the machine.\n\n“You! Turn off the machine!” ordered the armed soldier in the lead. He pointed frantically at the observation window at the scientists, “Turn it off now!” \n\n“I-I can’t!” shouted Stacy.\n\n“You need to get away from the containment field! We can’t stop the process now, it’s too dangerous!” Dr. Whitten interjected. \n\nOne of the men began kicking at the door to the observation room repeatedly in an attempt to get inside. The countdown timer on the screen was now under a minute.\n\n“It’s not safe, please back away from the containment field, you are in danger!” pleaded the director. \n\nA few of the soldiers turned and began shooting at the machine in an attempt to stop the countdown. Bullets punctured and whizzed through the compact room. Gas tanks began to spill toxic chemicals rapidly into the air. \n\n“No! Stop it, you’re going to kill Mark!” screamed Stacy. \n\nThe gunman nearest to Mark, stopped firing at the machine when they saw they could no longer shut if off. Mark had been crouched in the center of the containment field, his hands covering his head. He looked up at the gunman. \n\n“What the hell man!? You’re going to kill me!” Mark shouted at the gunman, their face hidden by a balaclava under their helmet. \n\nThey paused and looked at Mark intently before raising their rifle once more, this time with the scientist dead in their sights. \n\n“No wait, wait! FAAH--” shouted Mark as a shot rang out and pierced through his hand in an attempt to block the oncoming death. \n\nThe surrounding space swirled in a blue whirlwind. He opened his eyes and saw a now mushroomed and splintered bullet floating still between his hand and his face. \n\n“Holy shit!” he shouted as he ducked and fell to the floor, clutching his injured hand. “Whoa… whoa man,” he said staring up at the bullet. The whirlwind was still going, it never seemed so intense with the animals before, he thought. \n\n[Had to break this into two parts it was nearly 3K words]", "\"This is really it,\" Erin thought as she stepped into the time machine. All farewells had been dealt with, all goodbyes had been said. Her heart racing in her chest, she closed her eyes. As she was embraced by a blinding light, she couldn't help but smile and wonder what she might be greeted by.\n\nAn instant later, it was over. Slightly dizzy and disoriented, she carefully stepped out of the time machine. Well, that was underwhelming, she thought. Her eyes were still adjusting, and the dark surroundings weren't helping with that.\n\n\"Hi.\"\n\nErin let out a silent scream and almost fell to the floor. While she had hoped to see a friendly face, she hadn't expected the first thing she would experience to be the cheerful voice of her research assistant, Lamar. He looked almost the same, just a few years older.\n\n\"So much for a thousand years,\" she said. Even though her mission of travelling to the year 3020 had evidently failed, she had successfully travelled through time, which she judged to still be a sizeable achievement.\n\nLamar gave her a puzzled look at first, then visibly understood what she meant. \"You mean this?\" he asked, pointing to his face, smiling. \"No, it's literally been exactly a thousand years since you vanished in that machine.\"\n\nSlowly, Erin looked around the room. Nothing appeared to have been used in decades, with thick layers of dust and cobwebs covering everything. Except the time machine. If she hadn't known any better, she'd have thought it was brand new. Turning back to Lamar, she struggled for words. \"Wha-... how... wh-...\" she stammered, until finally, she managed to utter the one word that concisely encapsulated her disposition towards her general situation. \"Huh?\"\n\nA hearty laugh erupted from Lamar, one Erin had heard many times before. This small piece of familiarity supplied her with a modicum of ease, lessening her tension and anxiety. \"Yes, I'm sure this is a lot to take in,\" he said. \"Do you remember Project Lazarus?\"\n\n\"Of course,\" she answered after a brief pause. Project Lazarus, a plan to upload human consciousness to a storage device, functionally creating immortality, was in its early phases when she had last heard about it. A thousand years ago. \"Congratulations. How long did it take?\"\n\n\"12 years. We had a few breakthroughs shortly after you left. Due to reasons involving technical limitations, at the time, I was the only one to be... transferred.\" Now speaking in a sombre tone, the cheerfulness had left his voice. \"We hoped we could solve those problems. We couldn't. So I became the first and last digital mind, as the media called me.\"\n\n\"What... can you do?\"\n\n\"I have a few bodies like this in different parts of the country, modelled after me when the procedure was done. I can switch between them, and I could even control all at once, though I prefer to inhabit only one at a time. Makes me feel...\" He didn't finish his sentence, instead staring into blank space.\n\nNot wanting to push that topic further, she asked, \"Where is everyone else?\"\n\nAfter a few seconds, he looked back at her. \"Come, I'll tell you on the way,\" he said as he started walking towards the elevator. The research complex they were in was several stories underground, thus getting back to the surface took its time. After they went inside the dimly lit cabin and Lamar pushed the big \"0\", he took a deep breath. \"I'll be blunt. Humanity is no more.\"\n\nErin had prepared for this situation. Humans surviving for another thousand years? At the rate things were going in 2020, while not completely out of the question, it would have been naïve not to take this outcome into consideration. Still, the news did put a dent in her otherwise steadily normalising mood. \"What happened?\" she asked bleakly.\n\n\"War, pestilence, famine, natural disasters,\" he said equally as bleakly. \"The usual and expected,\" he added with a weary smile.\n\n\"Yeah.\" Erin let out an honest laugh, smiling for the first time since she left the time machine. It wasn't the weight of what she had just been told making her mad. It wasn't that she had missed the death of the human race, sparking an episode of existential dread. Rather, she felt liberated. No desperate mission to save the last remnants of human civilisation, no burden of being the saviour, and certainly no post-apocalyptic madness. All in all, this was actually one of the more positive outcomes she and her colleagues had theorised.\n\nSuddenly, she remembered Lamar and the life he must have lived. \"When did the last ones die, if you don't mind my asking?\"\n\n\"About 700 years ago.\"\n\n\"Must've been boring, being all by yourself,\" she said, trying to sound as compassionate as possible without appearing to pity Lamar.\n\nTo Erin's surprise, a roguish smile crossed Lamar's lips. \"Many things can happen during 700 years, you know?\" He put his hand on her shoulder. \"I never said I didn't have any visitors.\"\n\nPerfectly timed, the elevator stopped and opened its door. Soft sunlight gleamed into the small cabin, warming Erin. As they stepped outside, Erin, once again, was able to find the one word exactly describing what was currently going through her head. \"Huh?\"", " Major Jackson strapped himself into the machine, his hands sweaty. He flicked a few switches on the control panel, caught his breath, and said shakily \" Jackson reporting all systems are go, chronoplane is ready to launch. \n \n As the countdown began, he leaned back in his seat, dying from the anxiety. He fervently wished protocol allowed him to bring his phone, he could play a game, or clear out his email. The program had kept him off the internet for about 4 days now, and he was sure it was piling up. \n \n He closed his eyes and clenched, then unclenched his jaw as the countdown reached zero. Blue white light penetrated his eyelids, and it felt as if a \"force\" or something hit him HARD in the stomach, knocking his breath out. It just felt like that thought, he realized, he was breathing fine. \n \n\n He realized everything was still, and slowly opened his eyes. The crowd went wild. \"He's heeeeere\" shouted a man through some kind of amplification \" Major Earl Jackson of the ancient US of A airforce has ARRIVED!\" \n \n Jackson opened his eyes a little more. The chronoplane sat atop a gleaming white pedestal. It appeared to be in a gorgeous grassy field speckled with wildflowers, and also speckled with thousands of screaming people. \n \n \"Time travel has worked, all must celebrate\" crowed the announcer guy, who was clad in a technicolor nightmare of a one-piece suit. \n \"Here is our HEEE-RO\" he intoned, \" and now Major Jackson will recieve the greatest honor a citizen can, the platinum prime medallion!\" \n \n \"Here comes the QUEEEEN to pin it on him\" crowed the loudly dressed announcer. The crowd began to chant \"All hail the queen, all hail the queen\", as a pulsating blue circle descended from the heavens. \n \n The announcer screamed \"Welcome her majesty, QUEEN ALEXA!\" The spinning circle of light throbbed a deep green and Jackson heard a voice like thunder echo through his mind . . .\n\n \n\"YOU HAVE TWO HUNDRED NOTIFICATIONS\"\n" ]	[ 1, 1, 13, 15 ]	[ "1521200119", "1521267104", "1521225658", "1521203333" ]
Then you saw him/her. His/her horse galloped gracefully toward your house, they looked like the models those fake country singers used in their music videos. “Hi there” his/her voice was smooth like silk. Their eyes looked into yours and immediately your heart caught fire. This was the start of the most amazing summer of your life...	[WP] “I don’t know why my parents decided to buy this farm out here in bumfuck nowhere anyways.” You said as you kicked the dirt under your feet.	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", "What started as another boring day on this god awful farm had turned into the most wonderful day of my life.\n\nHe was honestly a dream come true. Every possible little detail about him screamed soulmate. From his light blue eyes, to the stubble on his perfectly formed chin, down to his.. slightly open shirt showing just the right amount of skin. \n\nHe introduced himself, and his voice sounded like the rustle of a cool summers breeze, gentle and embracing, and I was lost in it. This perfect man with his perfect smile and his perfect everything. _Something something neighbour beside our farm._ All I could do was smile and nod.\n\nI'm not sure when I managed to get up on his horse, or how long my hands had been tightly wrapped around his waist, but time just seemed to stand still when I was with him. Riding around trails, sitting under a tree in the meadow, slowly watching the sun start to set.\n\nI just closed my eyes for a second, wanting to savor this very moment forever.\n\n\n\n\n\nAnd that's when I heard my parents sobbing,\n\n\"Sorry Jess. I guess you aren't coming back to us this time. We love and miss you very much.\"\n\n\n\n------\nObligatory first time poster, long time lurker. Sorry for the formatting as I'm writing on phone. Critics welcome!\n\n" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1521205458", "1521207237" ]
	[WP] The most ferocious, feared species in the galaxy has encountered humanity... And instantly decides to make allies of us. Why? No one gives scritches like a human.	115	[ "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 cold smooth walls and floor gave Kestra continuous sores. As the war carved on between her own race and the new race discovered half a generation ago. Kestra herself was a young child when the publications revealed a rich fertile planet, unfortunately inhabited by a bipedal primitive species. They had ill-left their own planet so naturally, the natural plan of action was to attack the richest most powerful nation as a symbol of their might.\n\nKestral remember the horror on her face and her peers as even though their own technology surpassed that of the natives, the invasion was costly. The governments issued a near immediate response that stunned our own forces. It seemed even the civilian populations were heavily armed and ready to fight back. Nearly the first wave was wiped out, but a stronghold was made. A secondary force was able to be established in the desert areas, which was where Kestra was commanding.\n\nKestra remembered the heavy casualties mounting she discussed with her other generals before a small militia attacked. The 'humans' employed their own powdered ignition weapons along with captured energy blasters from her own race. The camp was overrun, the infantry fled, and to her worst nightmare, she was captured. The humans, to her disbelief, were shorter than her, but that was inconsequential as metal braces were affixed to her wrists and chains to her hocks. After blinding flashing lights and a spell of what she could only believe to be drug-induced hallucinations, she woke up in a cell with a primitive soft pad she could only presume was a mattress.\n\nA scream of her own kind woke her from her bittersweet memories. She ambled over to the bars and stared at some team clad in white robes, not unlike the clothing of the engineers from her own world. A female of the human likeness appeared with a thick metal pad, something Kestra could only assume was used to take notes. Despite near lifelong training she had in the military, the losses she suffered with a stone face, the calm demeanor she held while being walked to a human prisoner's vehicle, she reached her brown-furred slender arm through the iron bars, pleading, regrettably allowing the tears to fall. She pleaded, \"Please, I implore you. Let me see someone else. Anyone else...\" That was it. She broke. And reaching her arm out through the bars only made the female step back. Kestra drew her arm back and rested against the bars, holding back her tears. She could never have believed that the possibility of the invasion force being lost entirely to exterminate the humans. And yet, she was at the mercy of her captors, who would most likely, in their savagery. She imagined the worst torture her own tribes came up with and imagined them executed on her. As her eyes closed, she felt a weird sensation on her head. Her legs stretched out as she experienced the most comfort she had in annuis. Warmth radiated through her as if she was carried away from her cell, and her mind drifted to the warm temperate jungles. The sensation stopped and her mind was brought back to the cell. She looked up and saw the female doctor had been... scratching her head. She couldn't imagine that such a thing was possible.\n\nShe was ashamed, but given the alternative option, the future would have been a loss. Through mastery of deception to the humans, she convinced her own confederation to call off the invasion. And through an interpreter, she convinced the humans the invasion was by an insurgent force that was met with 'swift' corrections forces from the confederacy itself. A few battles between their own forces was mostly enough to convince the human militia the invasion was not a consensus of her people. She guessed the world was eager to an end of the war anyway. And being the leading effort to establish peace, Kestra was intent on creating embassies. In exchange for protection of the planet Earth from any of the enemies of Kestra's people, her own race would receive from the human race what no other race could yield...\n\nScritching...", "They were like something out of a bad sci-fi horror film. If you haven't seen one, then a description doesn't quite do them justice. They're not tall, not big or imposing. They're lithe things, slim. They trigger all the same predatory warnings as hunters do on Earth- if one stalks you, even whilst playing, you'll get shivers down your spine, no doubt about that. Their homeworld is fairly warm, so they don't have mounds of big shaggy fur, but what they do have. Who boy. They're pretty sure that they were bioengineered, because that stuff is practically glass. It turns them almost invisible- you'd never know they were there unless they wanted you to.\n\nYet, despite all of that, here I am, a human, working as a psychologist in a mixed station with them. The vaccum that is space whirls past us 'outside,' showing the stars and planets of the galaxy twinkling in the distance. From this office, you'd never suspect that we'd be about to enter lightspeed, but such were things, I supposed. \"Now, hold on, remember that these things get a bit funny.\" As ship psychologist, it was my job to ensure that those more junior to spacetravel had a comfortable time, especially when the Hartcruft engine kicked in and we were catapulted into the strange sub-realm that was needed in order to breach the so-called universal constant that was c.\n\nThe individual in front of me was perhaps one of the most interesting cases I'd seen. He had braids- done up with rubber bands, an item that they'd stolen from us and given a lot more significance to than we could have ever guessed, (they appreciated the practicallity of them,) ribbon and paracord. He was making himself deliberatley visible to me right now, but he was clearly terrified. \"Shh, shh... It's Ok. Here, c'mere.\" I indicated him forward, and scooted my armchair forward as well. \"It's alright big guy. It's gonna be fine.\" I gave him a quick scratch behind the ear, trying to sooth him.\n\n\"I shouldn't be like this. It's just a bit of travelling.\" He looked around, slightly shamefaced, not really protesting to the scritches.\n\n\"Look, everyone reacts a different way, it's fine... It's fine...\" Another set of scratches, the apex predator melting in my arms. \"See? There we go. Nothing to worry about.\" The environment outside had gone pitch black as we moved faster than light itself. \"Not so bad, huh?\"" ]	[ 1, 3, 66 ]	[ "1521216858", "1521415502", "1521225207" ]
	[WP] You are destined to always reincarnate with all your knowledge intact.	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", "Reincarnation, eh?\n\nSome people believe in it, and some people don't. I never really thought about it myself, not until I died at the ripe ol age of 22, my broken body laying on the street as my soul hovered above until darkness overtook me and I awoke again in the form of Percy, my neighbors ugly old pug. \n\nFor awhile I thought that maybe I had merely passed out, that this was some form of fevered or pained dream brought on by the trauma my body endured. I lay in the corner of The Johnson's kitchen, on a small but plush bed that stunk of dog piss. \n\nI answered when they called for \"Percy\" my pudgy body making it's way slowly to whoever beckoned me. I ate the disgusting food they put out, all the while thinking I would eventually wake up from this dream. \n\nAdmittedly, it wasn't until what seemed like months later, but must have only been days, that I realized I wasn't having some weird dream. I was sitting in the living room on the lap of Mr. Johnson when the news came on and several of my classmates, most of whom didn't ever give me the time of day, cried over my tragic death and spewing fake memories of fun times all for their fifteen minutes of fame. \n\nI was disgusted, I was distraught. I didn't eat for days afterwards, which was hell on my tiny body. The pug's body wasn't exactly nimble to begin with, but with the lack of nutrients, I could tell that it wouldn't be long before this body died.\n\nPart of me felt bad, I knew they would mourn the loss of their beloved \"Percy\", but then I figured their percy had actually died several days ago, perhaps a lot less horrible of a death. \n\nMy hope was that when this body died, my soul would reincarnate and my memories and all of the knowledge I carry would be gone. \n\nThe next day I woke up as a turtle and I thought some deity must be messing with me. Not only was I cursed to move terribly slow, but I was also destined to live hundreds of years, and eat nasty tasting plants. \n\nAll while remembering all of my friends, my family, and every dream I ever had as a young, adventurous man.\n\n" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1521229519", "1521237559" ]
	[WP] Your lover has sent you a gift everyday since the beginning of time. Each present you loved dearly aince haven't seen them for so long. But today, the Earth dies along with Life at their death bed. You, Death, cannot accept a gift so beautiful.	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", "Even Death cannot accept\nA gift so beautiful as death\nAnd not a soul but Death\nCan bring death to Death\nMy only gift in return\nBeing death\nI give to you \nThe death of Death" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1521242957", "1521243394" ]
[removed]	[WP] You are an assassin. A little girl has just come up to you, handed you all of her pocket money, and asked you to kill her best friend.	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", "Hi there, this post has been removed.\n\nThe mods reserve the right to remove anything we feel is harmful to the community. This includes, but is not limited to any forms of hate speech, racism, politics, necrophilia, pedophilia, bestiality, incest, abuse, torture, rape, or suicide. We will not tolerate 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/850h4j/wp_you_are_an_assassin_a_little_girl_has_just/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.", "It looked like more coins when they were in her hand. Guess it's just down to perception. \n\n\"Alright kid,\" I say, bending down so my eyes are on her level. \"I ain't even gonna ask how you know what I do. So here's the deal. I'm gonna ignore the fact you just gave me a couple of pennies and a button, and I'm gonna kill this mark for you anyway.\" She nods, smiling. \"But in return, you're not gonna tell anybody about what it is I do. You understand?\" I continue to stem my blinking, eyes piercing hers.\n\nShe starts to speak, but her eyes already tell me the answer. \"Yes, sir.\" She replies. A customer of few words. Shame. That's normally how I like them.\n\n\"So we have an accord.\" I see her her face scrunch up and I reply before she can say anything. \"It means agreement. We've come to an agreement.\" \n\nShe smiles again, nodding her head. She's a cute kid. \n\n\"So then,\" I say, standing back up straight, \"who's the target?\"\n\nShe points across the park to a nearby bench. \"Him,\" she says, with a twitch of her mouth. \n\nI look to where she's pointing and let her continue. \"His name is Simon. He used to be my friend but I don't like him anymore. Can you kill him please?\" \n\nI smile as she continues to point. \"Kid, do you even know what killing entails? Entails? It means involve. Do you know what it involves? What it ultimately means?\"\n\n\"I do she says,\" her proud voice belying her small stature. \n\n\"I'm not sure you do, kid. But never mind, I'll kill your friend.\"\n\n\"Ex friend,\" she hastily replies.\n\nI take my eyes off the bench and bring them back to hers. The eyes I use for my job. I do not think she likes them. \"Oh don't worry, he'll certainly be your ex friend soon enough. Are you ready?\"\n\nShe pulls back a little. \"You're going to do it now?\"\n\nHuh, maybe she does understand what death means after all.\n\n\"Yeah... now. Your friend over there. He's imaginary. Maybe you're aware of that. Maybe you're not. Doesn't really matter to me. He's a dead man anyway. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon. You know why?\" I smile at her. \"Because you're growing up.\"\n\n\"Am not!\" She shouts back.\n\n\"Sure you are. Look at you asking me to kill him. Dealing with big bad men who mummy and daddy certainly wouldn't want you talking to. You understand what death is, you're prepared to dole it out anyway. That's quite an adult thing to do, regardless of if it's smart or not.\"\n\nShe looks to Simon, then back to me. Her eyes are bigger, and I think she may cry. But I continue anyway. After all, I've got a job to do. \"So yeah, kid, you are growing up. And you know what happens when you grow up? That special thing you have, the thing that let's Simon live so viscerally - shut up I'll tell you what visceral means later - well that there is called an imagination. Some people keep theirs intact throughout their life, but most don't, letting it just ebb away. And kiddo, yours is definitely dying. So I don't really have to do shit. I can already tell from you that your friend Simon will be on his way out soon. You have a good day now, and here, keep your button.\" I flick the button back to her, and it bounces off her chest as she begins to bawl.\n\nI walk from the scene of the crime, a small smile on my face. That kids got some imagination, I think to myself. Asking a hitman to kill her imaginary friend is pretty creative. Most kids just slowly forget theirs exist. I turn back and watch her crying to Simon on the distant bench. Somehow I think Simon will be around for a good while longer. But hey, I couldn't tell her that before, I had a job to do, right?" ]	[ 1, 1, 4 ]	[ "1521249620", "1521253988", "1521251967" ]
	[WP] You are a thief and pickpocket who manages to save the world, after doing so you return to your life of crime but begin to think people may be letting you commit crimes because of who you are	633	[ "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 name is the Great Thief Pickocken,\n\nI've stolen some watches from pockets\n\nI've taken some loafs from Vivant's wooden stove\n\nI've soured the lightest of flowery moods\n\ncuz I'm roaming the world and I'm stocking,\n\nthe thousands of keys we are locking\n\nin time I be rich, and in rhymes I be sick,\n\nI have all of these bitches out riding my dick.\n\nThen I managed to save the world -\n\nWhen I walked to a store for a robbin,\n\nand I fell on my ass and was sobbing,\n\nthen this wild ass chick started flappin her lips,\n\nscreaming out that some nukes bout to go off and shit,\n\nso I got up from crying and slapped her for lying,\n\nand who knew it my trying had kept us from dying,\n\nshe was trying to blow up the world.\n\nMy name is the Great Thief Pickocken\n\nI tell you this tale cuz I'm caught again,\n\nbut nobody is scared or distraught again,\n\ninstead they just open their locks again,\n\nmy pickpocket days can't begin.\n\nI mourn here with you cuz I'm sad again,\n\nthat stupid ass chick got me mad again,\n\nmy momma slaps at me when she sees it again,\n\nevery night on the evening news.\n\nMy name is now simply Pickocken\n\nI sit on the porch just a rocking,\n\nsometimes I make rhymes,\n\nI mostly steal eyes,\n\nbecause I'm handed the hearts\n\nI once stole.", "How could I go back to doing what got me in this mess in the first place? I was never a hero. That was never who I was. But everyone else seemed to have better things to say.\n\nThe cool aluminum of the laptop sent shivers down my spine as I remembered the first headline I saw: 'Patrick Green Lifts Key to Safe, Steals Humanity Back From Annihilation'. All I did was take what I thought was a car key. If I had known that key would unlock the antidote we needed... Well, at least we would have all gone down together. Humanity lost all meaning after all it did to me.\n\nFor a year, I thought that incident would be the end of my old ways. I tried to see the good in people; I tried to help people with the little skill and expertise I had. The honest life didn't keep food on the table though; it didn't pay the rent. People were soon to forget about the Outbreak and the Cure, and I was all but forgotten.\n\nAs I looked around my flat, the walls seem even more yellow and lifeless than usual. My bed groaned as I propped the laptop on my chest. Too bad I didn't also grab the power cable, this thing will be useless in a few hours, I thought to myself. Oh well, once this damn thing gets fenced I should have enough for this month's bills. Maybe even a little extra for Debbie.\n\nThere was still an essay left open in Microsoft Word. This must have been a student's laptop: 'The Anatomy of Hell: A Study of Dante's Inferno'. Sorry kid, the world is a cruel place; this is your first lesson.\n\nHe and I did meet eyes right after I lifted it. He greeted me with kind eyes, and then looked down at his feet sheepishly. It was as if he wanted to say something, but stopped himself. There was no way he knew... Have I really lost my touch? It was a crowded subway, he couldn't have felt it with the normal raucous.\n\nI was feeling pretty good about my light touch after a week of getting back into it. But I've had much more eye contact after the lift than I've ever had before, nearly every time in the last week. I hated that; it wasn't the guilt that killed me, it was the fact that the one thing I seemed to be good at... People acknowledged it and moved on. They couldn't be just letting me do this to them, could they? Surely no sane person would allow a pickpocket to get away, no matter what service they had done previously.\n\nThe iPhone slid out of my pants and onto the dusty hardwood floor of my flat. I picked it up, and saw a picture of the kid with his grinning German Shepherd on the lock screen. What is this kid going to do now? Is any of this worth it?\n\nTurns out the handgun I lifted off the cop came in handy. I cocked it, and pressed it against my temple. There was no use in living a lie, and yet not getting help for any of my problems. As I was about to squeeze the trigger, I heard a sharp rap on the door. \"Patrick, are you awake? It's me, Sara. I thought about what you said, and I think you need to see a therapist... You know, there's good in you, and you deserve the help. You're still a hero, if not to the world anymore than to your little girl whose world you are.\"\n\nIt was at that moment Sara and Debbie heard a thunderous bang, and then dead silence. \"Was that from inside Daddy's room?\" inquired Debbie.", "\"So let's begin with the obvious. Is it true that you saved the world?\"\n\n\n\"Sure, I 'saved the world'. That glorified phrase they parrot when something threatens their egotistical way of life. I didn't save 'the world', it didn't need saving. When that horrible thing claimed it's 'Penance of Adulation' it was going to slip away and move on to somewhere and somewhen else. In time, we would have forgotten, healed, and moved on. Or, if it had to consume everyone last one of us, then we'd all be gone and still 'the world' would be fine. Maybe even better off.\n\n\nBut I suppose at this point I'm just waxing philosophical to avoid telling the truth. Yes, I'm the one that saved us. And I've got to tell you, the fame and fortune has made it incredibly difficult to go back to doing what I do.\"\n\n\n\"You mean thieving?\"\n\n\n\"Of course, what else? The entire world knows who I am. Makes it mighty hard to sneak about.\"\n\n\n\"But you just said it yourself, you've got a fortune now. What could you possibly need to steal?\"\n\n\n\"That's the thing. This fortune gave me everything. Everything except for the things that I needed, the things that I stole. People seem to think I have this need for ordinary objects. Like some kind of kleptomaniac. They didn't know that the artifacts I searched for weren't normal things. And worst of all, if I slip up? Nothing happens. No alarm is raised, no armed guards, no mad dash into the safety of the night... Don't get me wrong, what I do is necessary, but there was this... thrill to it. That evaporates pretty quickly when as soon as you're recognized your aggressors drop to a knee with an, 'Our thanks to you, Savior'. You know how infuriating that is for a thief? Feels like I'm a child playing pretend and everyone else is just playing along.\"\n\n\n\"You could disguise yourself.\" \n\n\n\"Tried that. Turns out people can recognize even the smallest things when you're greatest act is played over endlessly on the murals.\"\n\n\n\"Ah, the murals. They're quite beautiful- and they appear to have gotten your likeness down perfectly. Even they way you move. It's remarkable.\"\n\n\n\"Mhm... but it's disturbing, too. Do you know what it's like to climb out from the gutters of a desecrated palace, covered in gore, and deliriously exhausted- only to see yourself still fighting that monstrosity? Along the entire length of the city walls? I know they're not depicted, but I can still see- and hear - it's wretched servants dragging all those screaming people into the palace... I can barely look out my window at night.\"\n\n\n\"I can't say I know the feeling.\"\n\n\n\"That was incredibly rhetorical.\"\n\n\n\"You said, before, 'the artifacts you searched for weren't normal things'. What did you mean by that? Were they things related to the creature? Did you know of this nightmare beforehand?\"\n\n\n\"Gods no. I don't know what that thing was, no more than any of us do. I know that it came from someplace else, and I know that it demanded us to pay penance. Once it got what it wanted, it left. I did what I had to do. The artifacts I search for may be related to where it went, maybe not. Maybe they lead to somewhere else entirely. All I know is that they point to proof of places beyond ours.\"\n\n\n\"It's hard to remain a skeptic after what we've seen. But it concerns me that you would meddle with these artifacts after what just happened to us. Which leads me to wonder about what role you may have played in it happening to begin with. Has this been your doing?\"\n\n\n\"No. I do not tamper with the artifacts. I collect them, and I research them. I know very well what harm can come from treating them without respect. The truth is, I have opposition. There's a reason why I must still sneak and steal when the world would seemingly give me the skin off their backs- if I so asked. It's better the world not know of the things I seek.\"\n\n\n\"Then why agree to speak with me?\"\n\n\n\"Because I know who you are. I know your virtues. You claim to be the voice of truth to the people, but I believe you'll agree when I say that this interview is a hell of a lot more for my sanity than for theirs. You'll tell them what you need to.\"\n\n\n\"Well, I've got to say you haven't given me much to go with. What kind of story is one of 'a tormented hero who struggles with the monstrosities we've witnessed, countless losses we've endured, and perhaps, a small bout of kleptomania?'\"\n\n\n\"It sounds like exactly the sort of story they'd like to hear.\"\n\n\n\"Ha, well, I suppose I'll just have to do my best, then. Thank you for this interview, Savior, that'll just about do it for me. I have just one last question; What was it that you had to do? How did you 'save the world'?\"\n\n\n\"... Maybe one day I'll be ready to answer that. I did what I had to, believe me, and I'm dealing with that the best I can. I just hope that one day I can be forgiven.\"\n\n---\n\n( Figured I'd actually finish a prompt for once! Let me know what's good and what's pure turd, also how many unnecessary commas I used. )", "It’s 3am, and your foot is falling asleep. Having been crouched behind some shrubs since midnight, it was only natural. You adjust your position, and redirect your attention to the 3 bedroom Victorian townhouse now bathed in darkness.\n\n“It’s the perfect time” You think, but something holds you back. You try to shake it off, and mentally slap yourself a couple times.\n\n“Stop phasing yourself out man. What happened last month, that’s all in the past now, let it go. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE.”\n\nYou realize that you’ve been staring at a leaf for the last 5 minutes, and again focus on your target.\n\n“You’re a thief, you were just doing what you’ve done since high school; pickpocketing someone’s wallet. So the wallet belonged to a terrorist and just so happened to have the key card that accessed an armed nuclear device, that’s not a big deal, right?” You think, trying to mentally reassure yourself. \n\n“Ok, and maybe the couple of days afterward ended with you stopping him from setting off a bomb that would’ve leveled Manhattan. And your face might’ve ended up on national television, but no one watches cable tv anymore right? Alright STOP, just break in and steal something already!”\n\nWith newfound determination, you move towards the back door of the townhouse, quietly dashing within the extended shadows. You quickly pull out a wrench and a pin, picking the lock as naturally and smoothly as you always have. With a quiet click, you gently turn the knob, and move your way into the house.\n\nYou move through the house, straight for the study like second nature. People who could afford homes like this kept their valuables in safes, and safes in their study, since they— \n\nYou pause. Something was off. Everything was a little too neat, as if they had been tidying up for guests. It was too quiet, no sounds of snoring, people tossing in bed, or anything at all. \n\n“Something smells weird too,” you think to yourself, “kinda sweet almost like— wait are those COOKIES?!”\n\nLight floods the living room, blinding you as you hear an emphatic “SURPRISE” echoing through the house. Once your eyes adjust, you squint in confusion as a middle aged couple in their pajamas excitedly hold out a plate of what looks like warm chocolate chip cookies in front of you.\n\n“Oh my goodness I can’t believe you’re actually here, in our house, stealing from us!” The man exclaims. \"I told my wife that it would happen, and it did, didn’t it honey?”\n\nHis wife nods enthusiastically. “It is such an honor to have you steal from us! Would you like a cookie? They’re freshly baked.” She adds, beaming at you the entire time.\n\nStill stunned, all you can stutter out is, “Uh, how do you know me exactly?”\n\n“You’re the super thief of New York!” The couple proclaimed in unison.\n\n“The super what?” I say in disbelief.\n\n“Oh yeah, this is you right?” The man grabs a tabloid magazine off a table, and points to the cover. \n\nTo my horror, I see my face plastered front and center, captioned by: “The Super Thief of New York: The man who stole disaster right out from under us”\n\nI nod blankly, and they resume excitedly talking, now at the same time.\n\n“Sorry for interrupting but we really wanted to tell you that we’re big fans.”\n\n“Take anything you want, anything at all.”\n\n“Do you want jewelry? We took it out of the safe and put it in the desk drawer.”\n\n“If you need help carrying anything just let us know”\n\n“Here why don’t you just take my necklace, it’s gold and diamond.”\n\nTrue to her word, the woman slips off her necklace and places it in your palm. Still dazed, you wander out their front door, all the while the couple waving and saying goodbye. You find the nearest park bench and collapse into it, contemplating your now ruined career of thievery.\n\n", "I looked across the street at the pub, yearning to be inside next to the artificial hearth soaking in the heat rather than swaddled in rags ducking into an alley to enjoy a break from the wind. It got cold here on Fairhaven, and the planetary governors had long ago decided not to terraform the seasons out of the planet's capital. I would survive though, I always had. Besides, I didn't need to wait here too much longer. \n\n------------------------------------------\n\n\"Monroe!\" The voice crackled over the near-fold comms, \"The bridge is showing total power loss, you've got to bring that battery back on line or we're sitting ducks out here!\"\n\n\"Aye, sir.\" I replied while flicking over to crew channels, \"You heard the nice lady boys, we need this battery back online yesterday. Ramirez, where are we at?\"\n\n\"Main board is fried sarge, and I'm not sold on the primary relay.\"\n\nI heard a grunt from behind me as someone unloaded a spare board from the maintenance stack, \"One shot's all we're going to have time for anyway Ramirez, give me a cycle warning when you ge tthe spare load-\" the ship shuddered under another missile barrage, and the lighting dropped out of the chamber to immediately be replaced by emergency strips. Great, we were officially off life support, and I had about half a canister of air in my pack. Fifteen minutes at most. \n\n\"Everyone alive out there?\" I spoke out over crew comms as I bypassed a dozen priority flag messages. If we survived I'd probably end up court martialed, but survival came first.\n\n\"We're still kicking sarge. Battery cycle in seven clicks.\"\n\nI pulled up targeting, but apparently combat support was offline too. Good thing the damned Xeroastrians were well within optical range. As the ready light flipped over to standby and live I exhaled slowly, only one chance. \n\nThrough the wailing of every emergency system in the fleet trying to scream into my ear, I cycled the main batteries of the NSS Hercules and prayed the Xeroastrians were in as bad a place as we were.\n\n-----------------\n\nGods but it was cold. I had my hands tucked deep into my armpits, and had crouched down as low as I could into my rags, but still the chill wind blew. I waited. The military could teach a man to hurry up and wait as well as anywhere, and crouching in an alley sure beat standing at attention in your skivvies. Of course, I'd eaten better back then. But that was sort of the point of this operation. \n\nFinally the door across the street slid open, and my mark stepped out into the alley opposite me. I palmed the heaviest object I still carried with me, and set about tailing him - I bet Ramirez would've been proud.\n\n---------\n\nAdmiral Tsien was a bull of a man, nearly seven feet tall and probably tipping in closer to half a ton than not. It made it funny to watch prime minister Yellen step up to the podium in front of him. The little woman might not have reached his elbow, but she had steel in her for a civilian. I couldn't have been the only one in the hall cracking a smile. \n\n\"Ladies and gentlemen, I think we all owe the admiral great thanks. Both for his incredible service to our federation, but also for his willingness to deliver a speech,\" She winked at the crowd, \"No matter how terse, or how many teeth we had to pull to make it happen.\"\n\nThe crowd laughed, there had been a lot of laughing in the Federation these days. We had fought off the Xeroastrians, who had surrendered shortly after the Hercules got off its last improbable shot and took their battleship off the board. The Hercules had limped back to Fairhaven driven by spare parts and prayers, but she had made it. The party hadn't stopped since. \n\nThe prime minister took a moment to revel in the joy of her people, then took on a more somber attitude. \"We shall never forget those who lost their lives defending Fairhaven, but we can honor them. As well as those who fought beside them.\"\n\nThe rest of her speech passed by in a blur of memories for me, until I was wrenched out of my thoughts by her addressing me, \"as well, Gunnery Seargent Alexander Monroe, who not only led his team in bringing online the main battery through total system failure, but who fired the decisive shot heard round the galaxy on optical targeting. For his distinguished service in combat, he is awarded the Fairhaven Cross.\"\n\n-------------------\n\nWe were treated like heroes on our return to Fairhaven proper, or presumably on the other planets of the Federation. But I had never desired life anywhere else. I'd grown up on Fairhaven, and I had enlisted to fight for it. No one was going to kick me off. \n\nNot the Fairhaven Shipyards, when they eliminated my maintenance detail and left me without a job. \n\nNot my landlord, when he'd thrown me and my wife out of our flat. \n\nNot my wife, who'd divorced me when I couldn't provide for her. \n\nNot the drug dealers who controlled so many of the shadows in Fairhaven.\n\nCertainly not a bartender who always had one of his cashiers run the day's take to the banking outlet. This was a good neighborhood after all. \n\nA good neighborhood for me at least, as I brought that fucking Cross down on the back of the boy's head. Heroes had to eat too.", "Oh no. Busted.\n\nAs I lock eyes with the store owner, my future flashes before my eyes. The truth about me would come out. The crowd that lauded my heroism would turn to their pitchforks. I'd go to jail, my name dragged through the mud. A fallen hero. \n\nDefeated, I close my eyes and wait for him to confront me. To my surprise, that moment never comes. As I open my eyes again, he has returned to stocking the shelves. It's like he didn't even see me. \n\nBut he did see me. The moment we locked eyes is seared in my brain like a photograph. That leaves one explanation. He did notice me, and chose to ignore my crime. \n\nHe must have recognized me. Know what I did. And decided to give me a pass because of it.\n\nTears well up in my eyes in spite of myself. I needed to eat, that was true. But so did he. It was only a small store. Family owned. They needed money as much as I did. \n\nI look at the man again. He's the only staff currently present in the store. He must make long hours. Year in, year out, putting all his effort and energy into this small grocery store. All the while his clientele diminished every year due to the competition from large chain stores. He's a better man than I. \n\nI look at the item in my hand and resolutely put it back on the shelves. This will not do.\n\nI search for a piece of paper in my pockets and quickly scribble something down. As I walk out of the store, I discreetly slip it into the store owner's hand.\n\n-----------------------------------------------------\nYour days of scarcity are over. Open the doors at 3 o'clock sharp tonight, and you''ll never have to worry about money again. Do not ask questions, just do as I asked.\n\nSigned,\n\nRobin H.\n\n---------------------------------------------------------------\n/r/StoriesOfSerenity", "Joseph took pride in his work. He never had any skills to be proud of in school. He wasn’t athletically gifted, he wasn’t smart, he didn’t have musical talent; all in all, Joseph was an average joe. Which is why, when he discovered his knack for pickpocketing, he began to steal, not for the monetary value, but the feeling of accomplishment one gets from succeeding at their area of expertise. His targets grew more and more challenging, more and more difficult, more and more dangerous as he sought to prove himself. What began as casual “bumps” with oblivious businessman in the crowded buses in the after work rush hours steadily built up to daring thefts from millionaires surrounded by burly bodyguards. Joseph tried not to take anything too valuable. He had a boring office job at some global corporation that paid well enough he didn’t really need to worry about paying his bills. The adrenaline rush from the thefts themselves were enough of a reward for Joseph. He never thought that he would lose his thrill when he stole the bioweapon from the shady suit he overheard planning to ransom the UN. It was such a small vial, he couldn’t believe that it was powerful enough to wipe all life on the planet. But alas, Joseph couldn’t ignore the chance what the stranger he overheard was telling the truth. He picked the vial from the man’s pocket and turned it in to the police. As it turned out, the vial was some sort of super virus developed by a nefarious genius straight out of a spy movie that did have the capability to cause humankind’s extinction. It was an overblown affair, with Joseph’s face plastered over every newspaper, magazine, tv screen and website. He even got invited by the president for lunch at the White House; he had to hold back his urge to grab the wooden statuette next to the front door. It was just plain impolite to steal something from a house one was invited in, and Joseph was anything but an impolite man. \nThe problems came the first time Joseph tried to pickpocket someone after the incident. It was a standard move: bump into someone walking on the street, spill their bags, help them pick it up, and in the meanwhile swipe a thing or two. Except this, as he stood back up, his eyes met the victim’s, and he knew that the other man saw him pocket the ballpoint pen (it was some sort of cheap souvenir). They held each other’s gaze for several long seconds. Then, the man forced out a smile. \n“Thank you,” he said, and left with his bag.\nIt was the same with the next few attempts. Joseph even deliberately made mistakes to make sure he wasn’t just imagining it. He wasn’t. Even when he was obviously stealing from them, every man and woman he stole from would just smile in that frustratingly placating manner he was beginning to hate, and say, “Thank you.”\nThere was no more danger of being caught, and with it went the thrill. With this realization, Joseph spiraled down into depression. He turned to alcohol to lament the loss of his passion for the only thing he was ever good at. Life became grey, miserable, boring.\nOne day, as he, drunk out of his mind, sobbed out his story to nobody at the local bar, a man approached. \n“You’re that pickpocket who saved the world, right?” he asked.\n“Yeah, what of it? Haven’t you guys thanked me enough yet, taken enough from me?”\n“No, I’m not here to thank you. I just thought, since you’re a pickpocket and all, you must have some pretty deft hands right? Wanna be an apprentice to a magician?”\nAnd so began a friendship of a lifetime, and Joseph Mavillo’s journey to become the greatest magician the world has ever known.\n\n(This is my first try at a WP, so please don’t judge too much. Hope you enjoy!)" ]	[ 1, 1, 2, 3, 8, 10, 27, 111 ]	[ "1521262518", "1521288869", "1521290581", "1521319975", "1521285638", "1521269497", "1521283767", "1521282640" ]
	[WP] You stop aging once you turn 18 so that once you meet your soulmate, both of you can grow old together. Your soulmate keeps killing you so that they can stay immortal.	129	[ "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 knife slid up the femoral artery, toward the groin area. She noted the usual instinctual squeezing protective twitch of the thighs, as the victim looked down. That always gets their attention, she had learned from experience. His eyes looked at her with the stark recognition of what she had done as the blood began pooling on the floor.\n\nPeople usually looked at you with incomprehension if you hurt them fatally, at least in countries unaccustomed to violence. You had to force their attention and, with men at least, there was an obvious area to target. She gripped his chin and watch his eyes as life slowly started to fade, knowing it wouldn't satisfy. \n\nStaring at the screen he stared at the top headline, \"Fourth Victim of the Bleeder Found\". He was finally in the right city, moving from country to country wasn't easy without supporting income but he had time to practice. He checked the karmic police tracker on his phone, they were always looking for him to complete the cycle.\n\nWhen reincarnation and fate had accidentally been proven to be true with the discovery of advanced quantum computing, the first thing (naturally), was the creation of soul-mate dating sites. Even worse was the creation of the BOX algorithm by the reincarnation of Schrödinger, which irreversibly caused people to stop aging past 18 until they found their soulmate. \n\nWalking down the street she was glad to see all the activity of the karmic police on the dark-net blog for her area. They would be looking for him and with all the other karmic criminals in the area, the authorities would be distracted. If a morally challenged person met their soulmate, they were generally became far worse with their equal in tow.\n\nThere were many ways to exploit the karmic system once it had been discovered, but hers was the reason the international force had been founded. As long as she didn't die once, she could continuously kill her soulmate to prevent herself from aging till she met him again. \n\nHe got off the bus as he made the \"plains clothes\" watching him, they followed. They wanted to use him as bait, he remembered reading on the email, which had so intrigued him at the beginning. The first thing that had shook him from his ennui in while. \n\nThey had an personalized algorithm to search for his profile apparently, the concealed earbuds explained as they taught him to look for threats and keep on the move. Her cult, eager to please, had found him quicker than they could through their own digital resources and kept him one step ahead. Until now.\n\nShe watched the agents follow Him up the stairwell as they closed in on their target. They were getting better, they only had 20 teams for other potential targets this time. She vaulted up the railing and quickly got through to the second floor. This apartment was empty her followers assured her as she made her way to the entrance, hacking the lock on the door, allowing her access to the corridor. \n\nHe ran past her and their eyes met, they widened as he felt his heart swell, a feeling she was now long familiar. The world moved in slow motion and seemed to lighten as with two quick motions she killed the two agents with her knife. The blood spray making a glistening arch as she gracefully twirled. The agents eyes held the recognition of their death but as usual the knowledge she sought, which only appeared in the moments of death, eluded her.\n\n\"You found me\" he said. \"Yes\", she replied. She slid the knife under his unresistant sternum as he held onto her shoulders. He felt her arms wrap around his hips as he felt the world begin to fade, his listlessness and melancholy that he had always sought to escape finally dissipate. He could rest, he looked at her in wonder for this gift that only she could give when he looked in her eyes. \n\nAs she stared into those fading eyes she saw what she was looking for, love. \"Until we meet again\".", "\"I met Rebecca back in 7th grade. She was still wearing braces then. But I knew, back then, that I loved her, back when I had yet the comprehensive knowledge of this emotion and when all the boys teased me about it.\"\n\nI stopped for a moment, placing the newly-brewed coffee cup in front of the sudden visitor.\n\n\"If I knew you'd come, I would have prepared some tea.\" - I said.\n\n\"It's fine. I've learned to love the taste of many different things. Please continue.\"\n\n\"Right, so me and Rebecca, we were not exactly dating, but we were very close. Close enough that, if I might put it, 'dating' would be an understatement. We were like lovers, I supposed. Teenage lovers, the purest kind.\"\n\nShe listened with keen interest.\n\n\"Anyway, once we turned 18, two things became certain: we would get married; and, we realized that we were not soulmates. Devastated? Not really. More like disappointed. After all, both of our parents never found their soulmates. Statistically, finding the one person out of seven billions is outright impossible. Whatever designed this system, if there was any, must have put in some extra algorithms, 'cause you see, some people do find their soulmates. He arrived one morning when they bumped into each other. Cliche, huh? The next thing you know, this came off my finger.\"\n\nI pulled a diamond ring out of my pocket and put it on the table.\n\nShe said nothing, sipping on her coffee.\n\n\"Then, like a cruel joke, you show up.\"\n\n\"I take that you've forseen my arrival.\" - her crimson lips left a red mark on the cup.\n\n\"Visions, dreams, nightmares,... you call it. I never did told Rebecca about it. Should've done it when she still cared.\"\n\nI stood up abruptly, she stared with a curious gaze.\n\n\"What're you doing?\"\n\n\"I don't want to mess this place up. Besides, you'll need to dispose of me. Where do you have in mind?\"\n\nShe smiled.\n\n\"Follow me.\"\n\nIt was twilight then. We drove our way into the receeding skyline. We ended up on a sandy shore of the river. Hidden inside bushes, I wonder how long it would be until somebody found me. It was fortunate, though, that Rebecca bore no child of mine, for I would hate for it to live a fatherless live.\n\n\"So,\" - I asked - \"what now? You shoot me? Stab me?\"\n\n\"Don't be so hasty,\" - she sat on the car's hood, lit up a cigarette - \"Let me tell you a story.\"\n\nThe smoke merged into the night, smelling like history.\n\n\"Oh, come on,\" - she moved to one side of the hood, gesturing me to sit on the other - \"You are my soulmate, after all.\"\n\nI refused the cigarette she offered.\n\n\"Once upon a time,\" - she said - \"there was a pair of lovers so in love with each other that they only lived for that love of their. At least, that what one of them thought.\"\n\nThe moon shone. Her reflection in the water sparkled like the mirage of a dream.\n\n\"One day, the man died from sickness, leaving the woman in pain. She would have killed herself, but she didn't, because in her heart there was hope. She would wait for him, no matter how long it took. Thirty years later, she found his reincarnation. A happy ending, no?\"\n\n\"No.\" - I said.\n\nObviously.\n\n\"Yeah.\" - she lit another cigarette - \"he was still her soulmate, yes, but his memory of the past life was a blur. The more time the woman spent with her new soulmate only made her long for the old one. She longed for a love that had gone to the grave, a love that the reincarnation could not provide. She had memories, wonderful memories that her lover's inability to recognize any of them only deepened her wound. So she killed the reincarnation.\"\n\nBy then, the smoke mixed in with the cold fog, producing a ghastly substance.\n\n\"And the woman, for the love she held in her heart, for the hope that kept her from the movement of time, waited once more. Another failure. She waited and waited, but each and every reincarnation only brought her closer to despair. Until one particular morning,...\"\n\nShe pulled out a gun and slide it toward me before walking into the water. The crystalize liquid swallowed her to the waist.\n\n\"That morning, she woke up, and to her horror, she didn't remember her love too well anymore. The memories that had kept her going was shrouded by time's revenge. She was tired, so tired of living forever for something that never come twice.\"\n\nShe threw the cigarette's butt into the water, the last spark disappeared into depth.\n\n\"Have you ever wondered,\" - she asked - \"that out of so many people, I always find you?\"\n\n\"Because I'm your soulmate.\" - I blurted out.\n\nI didn't see it, but I'm sure she was smiling. A bitter smile.\n\n\"Let's make a deal,\" - she said - \"Once one of us has lived and loved enough, the other would pull the trigger, and wait.\"\n\nI said nothing.\n\n\"It makes sense. We will always spend the best years of our lives together. You and I, we can be forever young until time's end.\"\n\nI said nothing.\n\nShe said, as if begging.\n\n\"Reset me, please.\"\n", "Shot, stabbed, poisoned, hanged, you name it. By my count, he'd killed me 83 times. \"The Weeping Man,\" they called him. It's a terrible thing, to kill the one you love, and he always cried as he put me down. It wrenched my heart the first time it happened, but that could also have been the knife he jammed into my chest.\n\nMy continued deaths had proved a few axioms that I never lived long enough to explain to other people. One, human sexuality was not as straightforward as people seemed to think. I had been men, I had been women, and he'd been my soulmate every time. It didn't matter how I presented, the attraction transcended that. Two, reincarnation existed. That probably should have been number one. I retained some sense memories of my previous lives, though I could remember nothing clearly. I knew what the Weeping Man looked like, since he had retained his youthfulness these past 1500 years or so. And I knew I'd always find him somehow, though it usually took until my 18th birthday, at least.\n\nI had tried and failed a few times to kill him before he killed me, but I had been unsuccessful each time. This time would be different, though. I was going to end the Weeping Man's killing spree if it was the last thing I did... and it more than likely would be. I had been training this time. The last ten years, in anything I could get my hands on. Judo, capoeira, as much handgun training as I could get as a minor. I was going to be prepared.\n\nI was out at an amusement park the day it happened. Disembarking from the coaster, I saw him waiting in line. He was like a photocopy of the man I'd last seen 18 years ago, and I was prepared. I pulled the bill of my baseball cap low over my eyes, felt for the small knife in my front jacket pocket, and wrapped my fingers tightly around its hilt. It was time.\n\nAs I passed him, recognition lit up his eyes for the instant he spent alive before my knife flashed into his neck. He gurgled, and tears welled up in his eyes. The crowd queueing with him recoiled in shock and horror at the grisly murder I'd just committed, and some began to scream. I held his gaze as the life drained from his body. He smiled as the tears fell from his eyes.\n\nI had finally done it. I fled from the scene as quickly as I could. Hopefully his death would convince him he didn't have to kill me anymore; that he'd be reincarnated and find me again. \n\nBut I suppose I'd find out in 18 years." ]	[ 1, 3, 27, 77 ]	[ "1521298222", "1521314575", "1521309323", "1521301454" ]
	[WP] Everyone on earth suddenly stops aging	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", "\"Mommy, I want ice cream!\" \n\nAngela sighed. She sat at the kitchen table with her coffee mug and tried her best to ignore the little nagging voice. 5min, just give me 5min!\n\n\"Mommy!\" The voice became louder and the small head appeared next to her. The curls were more than a bit frizzy, in dire need of a good wash. \"Mommy, can we play?\" \"Not now, please. Remember? Mommy needs her coffee in the morning.\"\n\nThe 4year old pouted and began jumping on the sofa. Angela turned her head away. She gave up enforcing rules that aren't of a life-and-death nature long ago.\n\nBut than he sang Wheels on the Bus; loud. \"Jake, stop!! If you wake the baby, I'll loose my temper!\" He stopped, for now, began playing with his Lego. There was a faint whining from the next room and Angela got up. Slowly, as if there was a ton of bricks weighing her shoulders down. \n\nThankfully, the baby girl sleeping in her bed had just turn around. Angela took the chance, quietly closed the door and leaned against the wall, soaking in the moments of silence.\n\nHer thoughts wandered far back in time. When Walter was still here. They had been so excited for the new baby. When Anni was born, they felt complete as a family.\n\nAnd then, IT happened. It wasn't obvious at first, but after the third check up with the pediatrician, getting the exact same measures for weight and height as the times before, they knew something wasn't right. And they weren't the only ones. Parents were the first to notice what would later be called the Anti-aging-curse. \n\nBut only when the first lady had been pregnant for 20 months straight, the government deigned to announce the truth. There had been an accident in one of their laboratories and an anti aging drug turned out the be a highly contagious virus that soon had infected every human being on earth. \n\nAngela let herself sink to ground and watched the sleeping baby. Walter had loved Anni so much, but he was long gone. She didn't blame him. He just couldn't take it anymore, all the diapers, all the screaming at night. It took her a while, but she got over it.\n\nShe even met someone new after some years had passed. Jayne introduced her to a whole new side of herself she didn't even know existed. Jayne was beautiful and far more patient with Jake and her own son Roger than Angela could ever be. \n\nJayne tried everything to get them to be nice to each other. But they raked each other over the coals all the time; jealous of toys, attention and food. After 10 years, she gave up and moved out. Something died in Angela that day. Something the Anti-aging-curse couldn't reach.\n\nTears rolled over Angelas face and she gripped her arms tightly, in a desperate attempt to keep herself from crying out loud. It was no good. The baby woke up from her sobbing and began to cry.\n\nWhen will it end? 127 years, 2 months and 15 days taking care of a newborn never sleeping more than 2 hours and a 4year old throwing tantrums every day. In 22 hours, I can at least go to work again, she thought.\n\n__________________\n\nThanks for reading!", "So comes the ten thousandth year of this new age. While some party, revelling in the eternity of their existence, others of us are plagued by it. It’s my son’s 10,001st birthday. \n\nThe lucky kids made it to 8 or 9. Their brains are developed enough that many grow into mature individuals trapped in a small body, but their brains are still plastic enough that they can pick up ideas quickly. They could adapt well enough to the new society. Such was not the case for all. \n\nI still remember the first years, before humanity began to realize that aging itself had vanished. Those of us with infants were the first to notice. The doctors would tell us things we should be noticing in the development of our children, but they refused to manifest. While many of us panicked at first, soon enough grim acceptance set in.\n\nBy my son’s 5th birthday, everybody in the world knew what was happening, but none of us knew what to feel. How could we? The relief of being able to dodge death felt so small to the ever present concern - that of our children. The game had changed. All parents are willing to sacrifice for their children, but so much for so long? Forever?\n\nSome infanticides were reported in coming years. So many were openly horrified by even the thought of such an act. Kill your own child? How could such a idea be even comprehended by a person? Were they all just emotionless psychopaths? What could drive somebody to such a state?\n\nTen years of no sleep, that’s what.\n\nMany gave their children to homes were they would be cared for. Even the matrons would lose it eventually. It was inevitable. Nobody can care for 100 infants for a thousand years and not lose their minds. Another brave volunteer would always step up though, until they themselves could bear it no longer. \n\nSo here I am. Today I’ve baked my ten-thousandth cake, lit my ten-thousandth candle, and sung my ten-thousandth happy birthday to my son, never to grow old enough to understand the world. He will never play tag at the playground. He will never learn to ride a bike. He will never have a first kiss. He will never graduate college. I’ve tried so hard to accept it, my destiny, his destiny, but I can’t. It hurts too much, even after so long.\n\nBut I made a promise never to leave him. I love this tiny human with all of my being. Sometimes I get angry at him, and I want to give up, but I never have. And I never will.\n\nNext year I’ll bake another cake, light another candle, and sing another happy birthday song to my only son, and I’ll keep on loving him just as hard as I did the day before, but I won’t dance in the streets celebrating this curse of eternity. I’ll grimly fantasize the life I could have had before, and continue deeper into the infinite dawn.\n" ]	[ 1, 2, 3 ]	[ "1521304098", "1521329825", "1521331623" ]
	[WP] The pitchfork-wielding mob approaches your home, demanding to see the abomination.	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", "\"Stay back!\" The doctor yelled from the window as the unruly mob neared \"I'll open fire!\" One near the front of the angry crowd called back \"Send out the abomination and we'll let you live!\" A shot whizzed by his ear and over the heads of the mob, most ducked and some ran but after a moment when no more shots came the stood back up and resumed yelling. The Doctor shouted \"She is not an abomination! She's my little girl! My princess! My baby!\" The general howling of the mob died down a little as their impromptu leader hushed them \"She died Francis! Stone cold! What you have their is just a shell and a hideous one at that, brought back by dark means and not meant to be!\" Harsh, salty tears ran down the old surgeons face as he responded \"Their is life in her, I see it in her eyes, a light and a park of recognition!\" Quickly the mob leader snapped back \"You see what you want to! Your sorrow has clouded your once sharp mind!..\" He paused and then said more calmly \"She needs to be put to rest, this is no existence for any being. I saw her when she got loose, when she...\" A lump in his throat stole his words and someone in the crowd exclaimed \"When she squished those kiddies!\" The leader waved a hand for quiet \"She is not your girl Francis, I knew Samantha and that creature is not her.\" The crowd was quite quiet now and they began to hear two things, the sobbing of the doctor and the groaning coming from deeper within the house. The doctor let out a cry \"I can't let he go! First her mother, than Jake. She is all I have left!\" The leader rebutted \"You've already lost her! She died that night in the storm, you just won't face it!\" All they heard from the doctor was a rueful yell. Some long moments passed and then the distraught father said \"Just you, not the rest, I'll let you in.\" The leader put down the sickle he had brought with him \"You're making the right choice, I'm coming in.\"....", "He’d known they’d come, eventually. It had started as a dark whisper amongst the trees, a feverish shuffling of unnatural echoes growing steadily louder. Soon enough, the crackling lights of torches came into view. Looking out from his bedroom window, Mike was dimly reminded of fireflies and peaceful childhood nights out with his father. The thought made him laugh, for his father was long dead, and the mob’s torches were certainly no fireflies.\n\nHe also knew what they’d come for. They’d come for her. His pride and joy, his love of loves, his everything. They wanted to take her away. They wanted to kill her. They called her “The Abomination” simply because her skin was of a different hue. They had spat at her in the streets, had refused to serve her in their stores; in short, over the past two years, they had served upon her every possible indignity within the capacity of their small minds to produce. But that was evidently not enough. For here they were, at night, outside his farm, torches blazing, pitchforks gleaming, intent upon the kill, primal, base, and… doomed.\n\nReaching down to his right, he felt through the darkness for something cool and reassuring, something that would be the undoing of his assailants. Unable to find it immediately, he whispered under his breath.\n\nWhoosh!\n\nHis wand darted silently through the air from where it had fallen on the floor, coming to rest in the palm of his hand. Massaging it through his fingers, he felt his worries melt away.\n\n“Let’s make this quick” he thought to himself.\n\nPointing his wand towards the window, he whispered again, whereupon the window was thrown open with a violent yet noiseless jerk. Summoning the requisite inner clarity, he walked towards the open portal. The moon was full that night, and as he reached the window ledge his eyes momentarily reflected it’s light, and, exactly then, as if on cue, he took flight.\n\nSoon enough, the mob completed its progress through the trees, across the field, and up to the house. From his vantage point far above, their torches seemed to trace a flickering, fiery halo around the house. And then they called for her.\n\n“We want The Abomination. Bring us The Abomination! Hand her over now, or we’ll burn both of you alive!”\n\nThe moment was critical, and yet he hesitated, hoping that they might find it within themselves to stop at the eleventh hour. But stop they did not. The first torch went flying through the air, and landed upon the roof with a dull thud amongst a scatter of sparks. But then, everything stopped. Everything and everyone, that is, except for the wizard watching from above.\n\nMost humans are victims of time, struggling against its passage until finally, age necessitates death. But the wizard was no ordinary human, and had learnt long ago that time is fluid thing that could be, at least temporarily, dammed.\n\nAnd so it was that he descended from the heights, alighting before the foremost villains. He gazed at their faces contorted in grimaces of thoughtless rage, sweat beading from the wrinkles in their dirty brows. And as he looked, he began to cry… \n\nOf course, he could have killed them all. In his younger, more energetic, and less experienced days, their demise would have been instant and painless. But now, wizened by the passage of years and the rising and setting of suns and moons, he merely turned his back to them, and walked inside the house. Ascending the stairs and entering the bedroom, he looked to the bed, and there she was. “The Abomination” herself, surely the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, lying peacefully asleep. Stooping down beside her, he placed a delicate kiss upon her forehead, and they both disappeared.\n\nTheir house did burn down that night, and the murderous villagers returned, at length, to their homes, satisfied in a job well done. But something strange happened the next morning. A small sparrow happened to spot the burnt hulk of their home from his roost in the forest, and flew over for a closer look. It was hot and sooty, and the sparrow was sad, for the owners had given him seeds every winter. And then, just as he was preparing to fly away, he spotted something quite alarming out of the corner of his eye: a single, clawed and hairy hand feeling its way out of the charred rubble, followed by the rest of its unnatural and awful body. It was all to much for the sparrow, who rapidly lost consciousness, and descended to the ground in an uncontrolled feathery spiral. He wouldn’t wake up for at least a day and a half, but when he did, the word was out: an Abomination was on the loose, with a taste for Human flesh!", "Seeing as Catherine lived in an abandoned copse of dead trees off the edge of the village, it was odd that it was so bright near her home at this time of night. Curious, the middle aged housewife drew back the curtains of her window and looked outside to see something that really shouldn't be so commonplace to her anymore. \n\n\"Will ye daft cunts stop showin' up at me door?\" \n\nThe man at the front of the mob held his torch higher. In response, the many people behind him held theirs up as well. In their other hands, the lot of them held pitchforks as well. Maybe one of them were farmers. Catherine had no idea why they had so many pitchforks. \n\n\"We are here for the abomination, Catherine. It would do ye well to comply.\" \n\nCatherine simply placed her hands on her hips. Her face scrunched into a scowl as she regarded the mob before her. \"I'm not complyin' to shiet, ye bunch a cornwhacking ninnies.\" She then moved to slam her door, but then came back to tower over the people on her front lawn. \"And for the last time, me daughter isn't a damn abomination!\" \n\nThe crowd didn't seem impressed. \"You lie, witch!\" \n\n\"I'm as much a witch as you are good in bed, Fred!\" Fred promptly shut up. \n\n\"Then explain her grotesque figure!\" another man in the back screamed. \n\n\"She's just a little ugly, ye daft cunt!\" Catherine yelled. \"You should know all about it, ye married an ugly one!\" \n\nThat man in the back shut up as well. \n\n\"Any one else?\" No one responded. \"Good. Now get yer asses off me lawn!\" Catherine then made to close her door. Just as it was fully closed, she hesitated, then turned back to the mob. \"And fer the last time, stop gathering before me damn house in the middle of the night! It's facking 2018.\" ", "\"Now, fellas, I know Miriam ain't lookin' as good as she used to, but callin' her an abomination is just mean.\" \n\n\"She's dead, Jeb.\" The man at the front of the mob said. It was the corner store owner, Owen. \n\n\"She ain't never been more alive. I ain't seen her run around the yard like this in years.\" \n\n\"No, I mean, she died last week. Now she's an undead corpse walkin' the Earth. It ain't right, Jeb. Look at her. She's eating a chicken.\" Owen pointed behind Jeb. A woman with rotting flesh in a sundress, was eating a live hen. The chicken was furiously pecking at her face.\n\n\"Well, who in the Hell don't like themselves some good chicken?!\" Jeb declared.\n\n\"Not when it's still peckin'!\" A voice from the back yelled.\n\n\"Well...it's our chickens! What we doin' with them is our business. It ain't like we hurtin' any of y'all.\"\n\n\"She ain't the Henley's dog yesterday.\" Owen said.\n\n\"Now, you can't prove that.\" Jeb heard Miriam heave. He turned toward her in time to see a red collar fall out of her mouth. \"...um.\" \n\nOwen eyed him condescendingly. \"Look, Jeb, we get it. When Miriam passed you got upset and consulted with evil powers to bring her back. We let you greave in your own way. Sure, we thought it was weird when all of a sudden you started reading a bunch of books bound in human flesh-\"\n\n\"I didn't even know you COULD read, Jeb,\" old woman Annette said, while cradling her ax.\n\n\"The point is,\" Owen continued. \"This isn't really your wife. It's just her body with some evil kinda spirit in it. It's terrorizing the town. It's just animals now, but how long until she attacks a person?\"\n\n\"She done ate paster Dave!\" Loretta shouted , waving a rolling pin. Owen glared at her.\n\n\"Loretta,\" Owen said in a harsh tone. \"Don't you think you should have told someone that? Had I known she'd ate the preacher, I probably could've LED with that?!\" \n\n\"I don't have to listen to this! I'm leavin'!\" Loretta said and stormed. Just as she had left the crowd the rain opened up on the small town folk. The torches went out, and the crowd's feet started to sink into mud.\n\n\"Hey, Owen,\" the local mailman said. \"I...I think I'mma gonna call it quits. I see ya tomorrow.\"\n\nAs he started to walk away the crowd started to murmur and shamble back to their homes. Owen took one last flabbergasted look at Jeb, before walking off.\n\nJeb turns to look at Miriam.\n\n\"All right now honey. Let's get you inside. 'Sides, the wheel is on.\" Together they walked into their home.\n", "Fire. \n\nThose sons of bitches brought fire.\n\nThe torches illuminate the hundreds of faces of the furious mob slowly nearing our home.\n\n\"Oh my god,\" Martha whispers, tears welling up in her eyes. \"Close the blinds, Jerry.\" \n\n\"What's that gonna do, honey?\" I ask, turning my eyes off of the raging crowd. \"You think that closing the blinds is gonna somehow stop those people?\"\n\nMartha glares at me then walks away. \n\nI go back to looking out the window, seeing the faces of neighbors, friends and countless others marching towards the house, some chanting, some angrily throwing up their pitchforks, others just staring straight ahead, determined. They are now only about fifty feet away, showing no signs of stopping. \n\nI have to do something. After getting one more look at the mob, I run to my bedroom, get on a pair of boots, then make my way to the front door. \n\n\"Where the hell are you going?\" Martha asks, grabbing my arm.\n\n\"Outside. The best thing I can do is try to reason with them.\"\n\n\"Pitchforks!\" She cries. \"They have pitchforks and torches!\" \n\nI turn away from my wife, open the door, and walk outside. \n\nThe crowd erupts at the sight of me. \n\nI continue walking, making my way down the steps of the porch and plant myself in front of our home. The mob now stands only feet away from me. I recognize so many of the faces. Paul and Simon, two of my poker buddies, stand at the front of the pack. Sarah, my barber, stares me dead in the eyes, wielding a butcher's knife. One of my church friends Stanley and his wife, Catarina, hold torches, appearing so out of place from their normal selves. All of these people are friends. How could they do this?\n\nI raise my hand, signaling to the mob that I wish to speak. They quiet. \n\n\"What do you want?\" I ask.\n\n\"Come on, Jerry,\" Simon says, not looking me in the eyes. \"You know why we're here.\" \n\nI do, unfortunately, and they must have seen it in my face because the crowd erupts again. \n\nStanley hobbles a few steps closer to me. \"Jerry, we know you're housing those outcast babies in your house.\"\n\n\"I don't know what you're talking about,\" I say, staring the old man in the eyes. \n\n\"You've got to understand why they can't be raised in this society, man,\" Paul says. \"Those babies are not right and we can't let 'em reproduce more like 'em. Just give 'em to us.\"\n\nThe crowd gets pumped up by this speech, some starting to chant phrases while others hold their torches and weapons in the air. \n\n\"The rules of this town just aren't right,\" I say to the raging mob, hoping they hear me. \"Just because they are born with a defect doesn't mean they should be left for dead.\" \n\nThe people stop for a second, taking in what I had to say, then continue their yelling. \n\nThere is no way that I can reason with these people. I turn around and storm into the house, seeing a sobbing Martha sitting next to the fireplace. I disregard my wife, rushing to the basement. Once I get down the stairs, I run to the six cradles and see the babies crying because of all of the raucous outside. I pick up little Sammy, missing both legs, and try to comfort him before taking the baby upstairs. On my way to the door, Martha notices the baby in my arms and lets out a shriek. \n\n\"Jerry, what the hell are you doing?\" She cries.\n\nI continue outside, baby in my arms. When the crowd sees Sammy, they go silent. \n\n\"Here!\" I scream. \"This is one of them, missing both legs.\"\n\nThe mob stares at me in awe. \n\n\"Well, you said you wanted them.\" I say, presenting the poor baby. \"I guess since they've got something wrong with them, you've just gotta kill them.\"\n\nI look them all in the eyes. \n\n\"Stanley, you wanna do the honors?\" I ask, holding out the child. \n\nThe old man looks down at the ground, nodding his head no. \n\n\"Simon, Paul, how about you guys?\"\n\n\"Um, well,\" Paul says quietly, \"I don't think that I can.\"\n\n\"Oh, what about you, Sarah? You've even got a knife to do the job.\"\n\nThe lady drops her knife and looks away, not saying a word.\n\n\"Anyone?\" I yell. \"Who is going to kill the baby? I thought that this is what you came for.\" \n\nPeople start dropping their weapons, refusing to make eye contact with me. \n\n\"I've got five more downstairs, too,\" I say to the cowering crowd.\n\nStanley and his wife step forward.\n\n\"Hey, we're gonna go,\" he says. \"Look, I'm really sorry abou-\"\n\n\"Just go,\" I tell the old man. \n\nSlowly, the crowd disperses and people start to leave, heads hanging low.\n\nI take a seat in the rocking chair on the front porch, rocking a finally calm Sammy in my arms. \n\nWe watch the mob retreat.\n\n\n\n", "\"Hello Terry!\" Geoffrey smiled as he opened the door. \"Haven't seen you in a while.\" \nTerry, butcher and mob leader, smiled awkwardly, twiddling with the cleaver handle in his belt. \"Hello Geoff. Didn't realise it was you again.\" \n\"Well, you know me. Can't keep a body down.\" Geoffrey leaned around the butcher to wave at the mob lining the garden path. \"Hello again! Mrs Mack, how's the marrow growing going?\" \nHalf the mob waved cheerily back, torches weaving patterns in the evening air. A little old lady with a rusty scythe taller than her (the notable Mrs Mack) pumped the blade in the air a few times before responding \"Fine, thank you Geoffrey. Got a winner this year.\" \n\"You win every year, Mrs Mack.\" Geoffrey laughed. \"And I see you've some new people.\" \n \nThe other half of the mob, having stared aghast at the casual attitude of their fellow villagers, turned to the object of their visit. After some muttering, one was nudged forward to join Terry and Geoffrey on the porch. \n\"Umm, Foul Demon!\" The man shouted, pointing at Geoffrey. \"We good people have come to stop your evil deeds!\" He fumbled in a bag, before drawing out a crucifix and thrusting it forward. \"Have at thee, foul hellspawn!\" \nThe rest of the mob nodded approvingly. This was how a righteous group of villagers was supposed to behave. \n \nGeoff leaned in and examined the cross, causing the man to flinch back. \"Isn't that the one from the Church? Father Brown'll have your head if you don't put it back.\" Turning away from the nonplussed man, he turned back to Terry. \"Look, what's this all about.\" \nTerry frowned at him. \"The Abomination, Geoff.\" \n\"The... oh, you mean Frank.\" Geoffrey smiled. \"He's not an abomination.\" \nTerry's frown deepened. \"The dead stay dead, Geoff. You know the rules.\" \n\"But he's happy!\" Geoffrey snapped his fingers and a lumbering shape loomed behind him, stepping into the torchlight. \"Aren't you Frank?\" \n\"Meuurgh!\" The pallid figure nodded, causing the newer mob members to cross themselves. Several screamed as they learned why that was a bad idea while holding burning sticks. \nTerry, ignoring them, frowned. \"That's beside the point. Put him back.\" \n\"Oh, alright.\" Geoffrey clicked his fingers. \"Back you go, Frank.\" The figure lumbered slowly off towards the graveyard. Its shuffle sped up as Mrs Mack intercepted and began smacking it. \n\"Wandering around at your age Frank! Have you no shame? With no thought to your widow?\" \n\"Meuurgh!\" Frank muttered apologetically as it disappeared into the night, wifely berations chasing him into the gloom. \n \nTerry turned back to Geoffrey. \"And no more of that. Still on for Tuesday?\" \n\"Yeah, alright.\" Geoffrey nodded. \"Though the team will be one short.\" He sighed. \"Ah, well.\" Sweeping himself up, he shot into the sky on a plume of black smoke. \n \nTerry turned to the mob, clapping his hands together. \"Right, that's it over with. Torches in the bucket by the gate, borrowed implements in the shed. Neatly this time, thank you. See you at the next one.\"" ]	[ 1, 2, 4, 5, 5, 7, 26 ]	[ "1521379519", "1521405870", "1521394216", "1521395349", "1521400534", "1521391399", "1521391100" ]
	[WP] One morning, you wake up to see Death, standing next to your bed. "Guess what? I've been given a holiday for a week, and you're the cruelest person alive, so I'm assigning you as Death for a week. Here's my scythe. I'm off!"	19	[ "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 cold, bony hand slowly shook me awake. I opened my eyes, and saw a skull staring at me with glowing eyes. \n\n\"Get up!\" it shouted, \"I don't have all day!\"\n\nMy breathe hitched, and my heart skipped a beat. I would have screamed, but I was too afraid to even blink.\n\nThe Skeletal figure laughed, and pointed a bony finger at me -\n\n\"You don't recognize me? Come on! I'm the grim reaper himself! Now, I now this may-\"\n\nI couldn't take it anymore. A piercing scream broke through the air as I leaped out of bed and crawled to the corner of the room. I huddled into a tight ball and refused to move, the fear gripping my heart like a shackle. \n\nI felt the air getting colder around me -\n\n\"I can't have that now - I should've known.\"\n\nSuddenly, a wave of tranquility washed over me as the fear drained out of my system. I looked up at the figure draped in black who had referred to himself as 'The Grim Reaper' with a calm demeanor -\n\n\"What do you want?\"\n\n\"Finally! Now, this may sound a bit strange, but I need you to take over as me - death - for the week. After a literal eternity of soul reaping, I finally get a break. But of course, someone needs to take over the job, so why not have the most cruel human in the world do it?\"\n\nThe figure pulled a scythe out of literal thin air and handed it to me.\n\nI took it from him. The cold metal rod felt oddly comforting against my skin. I held it closer to my body, almost hugging it against me. \n\nDeath laughed before snapping his fingers. A long parchment list fell into my lap, and I felt heavy robes draping over my skin. \n\n\"Now, what else? Oh, yeah! Whatever you do, never stop soul reaping! If the souls aren't harvested in time, they'll slowly leak back into the world, which will cause a lot of problems for me - and your kind.\"\n\nA black portal shimmered into existence next to death. He waved at me and stepped through the portal, which closed right behind him, leaving me all alone, with dozens of unanswered questions clouding my thoughts. \n\nI thought back on what he said, and on his grim warning. Whatever it was, I didn't want to cause trouble.\n\nI squeezed the scythe harder, and looked at the ever-growing list of names in my lap. I grabbed the list and looked at the first name. \n\nAustin Madione\n\nIn an instant, I was transported to his location. He was laying on a small bed, surrounded by family whose names hovered over their heads, displaying their names, ages, and when they were to die.\n\nBut I wasn't there for them. I was there for Austin.\n\nHe stared at me with sad eyes, silently begging me to finish the job. No screaming. No pleading. Just waiting for the cold mantel of death. \n\nWithout a word, I lifted the scythe and brought it down straight through his heart. He wheezed and flashed his eyes open momentarily before his soul left his body in a flash of light. \n \nCold shivers of delight ran through me. I felt ecstatic, better than I had ever before. I felt alive! A huge grin spread across my face as I was transported to the next victim on the list\n\nThis was going to be fun!" ]	[ 1, 13 ]	[ "1521389659", "1521392830" ]
	[wp]every day you wake up in a different body, switching races, genders even species. Its been years since you where the same two days in a row. You begin to forget what you where.	42	[ "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, I don’t even remember what I looked like before? I don’t remember how I acted, what my personality was like, I can’t even tell you if I was human before. What I do know is that I always wondered what life would be like if I was different. At least, I think I did. All I remember is wanting to change. It started with small changes, and it just spiraled from there. I’ve been shy, outgoing, strong, weak, pale, tan, female, male, you name it. I’ve been so many different animals, I don’t think I could name them all. I’m not even sure I know what the species were, the animal just caught my eye one day while I was out, so I changed into it. I prefer flying ones, like birds. I feel so much freer and it’s a faster way to travel. There’s nothing like being up in the air. Nothing can reach you there." ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1521391939", "1521396273" ]
	[WP] Hades, Anubis, Hel, and various other underworld deities gather to discuss "the Lucifer problem."	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", "\"This... This cannot go on.\" Ogbunabali scowled, his heavy Nigerian accent confusing a few at the table. The very one-sided table. In fact, almost every single death-associated deity was sat on one side of the table, and a very sheepish man was sat on the other side. 'He who killed at night,' was actually a rather pleasant man, since he mostly slayed those who had committed crimes. His face was scarred heavily, but in a traditional, designed way, and he wore dress that wouldn't look unfamiliar in a National Geographic. \"We are all being associated with you, even though,\" he paused frequently for emphasis. \"Even though we are not the same.\"\n\n\"Guys, guys, guys... Gals too. I'm sure we can sort this out! Right?\" Lucifer tugged on a shoulder awkwardly, a loose flowing chiton allowing his wings to spread freely. \"Perhaps this is all a misunderstanding.\"\n\n\"That is exactly what this is!\" Anubis, as befitting his form, practically barked out his words. \"It is a misunderstanding! I am you, only I did not betray my own lord like you did!\" The jackal-headed god spat down on the ground next to his seat. \"I judge the good and the bad, and I make sure they go where they deserve to go.\n\n\"I'll admit, I didn't focus a large amount on... Outward appearances.\" Hel let loose a breath of icy-cold air. \"But I served a purpose. Those who failed to earn the right to live in Valhalla came to me, as was their due. Now my necessary job is being maligned by... You.\"\n\n\"Us spirits too... Our message is corrupted. We are turned into monsters. For the crime of associating with death.\" The Banshee's eyes, red from crying, stared out from underneath a black veil. \n\n\"Well, that's not fair. Not all of you guys are innocent, nice people... Look at Camazotz! He's hard-\"\n\n\"NONE OF THE AZTEC GODS ARE GOOD PEOPLE. THEY'RE AZTECS!\" \n\n\"Hush Thanatos. Be polite.\" Hades held a finger up the younger god's outburst, before standing up, bony fingers splayed against the table. \"We can't influence the world any more. We don't have enough believers. However, we demand recompensation for the slander you've caused against our good names for the past two millennia.\"\n\n\"You can't just demand recompensation. There has to be due process. A court of law!\" Lucifer gesticulated with his arms wildly, now looking frantic. Anubis spoke up again, clearing his throat.\n\n\"I think you'll find the Final Arbiter is sitting right here. You can't worm your way out of this one. We're demanding, effective from your Fall, every single soul in your domain, divided according to region, ethnicity, method of death, and any other determining factors in entering our realms. Understood?\"\n\n\"Effective from the Fall? You wa- Oh no. No no no no no. Big G will kill me for that if I lose every soul in Hell. You guys, please, no, I'll-\" Lucifer looked around wildly. \n\n\"I'm sorry. You forced our hand.\" The bat-faced visage of Camazotz leered down from his perch in the rafters of the building, and he let out a deathly cackle. \n\n\"It's been a pleasure Lucifer. Now, who's underworld will you be coming to?\"\n\n---\n\nHi! I'm TearOpenTheVault, better known as Maxim Westhart. I'm an aspiring writer of short stories, and would love to hear your feedback and any advice you have for me!" ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1521409156", "1521412524" ]
	[WP]You just found out your English teacher is a timetraveler. Unfortunately she is also pointing a gun at your head "I'm sorry, but I'm doing it for the world"	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", "“You’ve got to be kidding me.”\n\n“No, I’m afraid not.” She said, the gun in her hand steady and sure. “I’m dead serious.”\n\n“Can’t we talk about this? I promise I won’t tell anyone about the time travel, okay? I promise.”\n\nShe sighed. “If only or were that simple. No, you’re my target. You’re the reason I came back in time, to kill you. It’s not something I want to do, though sure that comes as little comfort to you, but it has to be done.” She took a deep breath, steadying her nerve as she readied to fire. \n\n“Wait, why? What did I do? I mean, what will I do? I’m not a bad guy, I swear, maybe you have the wrong person.”\n\nShe shook her head, not taking her eyes off me. “I suppose you deserve to at least know. It’s not what you do, exactly, it’s your girlfriend, and later wife, Zen.”\n\n“I don’t have a girlfriend.” I pointed out, for the first time feeling that this was a positive thing. \n\n“Not yet, but next semester you’ll meet her, you’ll start dating, fall in love, and eventually get married. You’ll stay by her side as she secretly develops biological weapons, engenders super viruses in the basement of your home. You’ll have no idea that she is responsible for wiping out more then two thirds of the world’s population. That’s why, when the UN special task force breaks into your house, you’ll jump in front of her, and take the bullet that would have ended her... thanks to you, she had just enough time to release the Doomsday Strain, bringing the world population down to a few thousand people.”\n\n“Uh, okay, then why don’t you take her out instead?”\n\n“It’s not that simple. She’s too important to the time line. Like it or not, she was a genius. She found a solution to the overpopulation issues facing the world, and her lab notes alone put the medical world ahead by decades. Fighting to find a cure to her viruses revolutionized the immunization field. Reverse engineering her work on chemical weapons lead to advancements nobody had even dreamed of. No, she’s too important to history, a sad truth, but one we have to live with... at least, one of us will.”\n\n“Now wait, why not just go to the day before that UN raid, and take her out then?”\n\n“Because time travel has rules. It’s a dangerous technology, and even when being used to alter the past, we have to keep a low profile. If the world’s most dangerous terrorist is taken out by an unknown assassin while the authorities close in, people will notice. If one guy in his English 101 class gets shot and killed years before all that, nobody will be the wiser.”\n\n“Now hang on, can’t I just... not date her? Or, I don’t know, not jump in front of the bullet? I mean, now that I know...”\n\n“I wish I could believe you, but think about what you’re saying? Can you really promise me that when the time comes you won’t hesitate to let them kill her, the love of your life? That’s why I came back to this point in time, to spare you the pain of making that choice, of living through those dark times. It’s the least I could do.”\n\n“You’ll forgive me if I don’t see it that way.”\n\nShe grinned. “I will. Like I said, I’m sorry, but for the world, you can not have a future.” \n\nI could tell her resolve had hardened. She was ready to do it. “Wait, wait, if I can’t have a future, do I have to be dead?”\n\n“What?”\n\n“Well, maybe instead of killing me, you could take me with you, back to the future. I’ll be out of the timeline, and I won’t be dead.” I shrugged. “What do you think?”\n\nShe furrowed her brow. “Well I never thought of that.”\n\n“Seriously?” I nearly shouted. “You were about to blow my head off, you hadn’t considered the alternatives?”\n\n“Well, of course I had, just... not that one.” I waited a tense moment as she pondered this option. “Okay.”\n\n“Okay?”\n\nShe took her phone out of her pocket, tapped the screen a few times, and a shimmering blue portal opened up behind her. “Come on, lets go.”\n\n“I... don’t have time to pack a few-?“\n\nShe pointed the gun at me again. “No, we don’t have time for that.”\n\n“Okay.” I stood up, slowly. “Okay. Doesn’t seem fair, but better than being dead.” I walked carefully though the portal, relief washing over me. I’d really dodged a bullet there, somewhat literally. I’d avoided death, and now I was on my way to a new life, a new future, a new me." ]	[ 1, 25 ]	[ "1521438798", "1521442502" ]
Basically you're the inventor of firearms/guns/cannons in a fantasy world. I thought about writing this idea myself elsewhere but I want to see your take on it.	[WP] You are in a fantasy world with swords and magic. You are the one who comes up with the idea of cutting a hollow pipe, pouring an explosive material in the back, and using the pressure to send a metallic projectile out from the front. Explain your invention to your kingdom's military.	40	[ "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 too long, magic has been the deciding force in war.\"\n\nI pace back and forth in front of my creation. The Cannon.\n\n\"And for good reason. What good are swords and arrows when the enemy can rain fire on us or turn our dead into soldiers for their side?\"\n\nBehind me, my assistants load the device dramatically, making sure it's ready to fire just as a reach the right moment in my speech.\n\n\"But magic has it's limits, and despite their power magicians are still exceptionally mortal.\"\n\nThe assistants light the fuse, and scurry to safety before this thing fires.\n\n\"And so, I believe I have a way to even the playing field.\"\n\nRight on cue, 5 pounds of steel goes hurtling out of the canon, reducing the heavy stone ritual circle in the distance to gravel.\n\n\"If the king wants to wage war against magic, I have just the weapon to wage it with.\"", "Magic was for the gifted. Nobles attuned to the spirits, or elements... Whatever they called it. \n\nI was not that lucky. \n\nI was a child of a soldier and a seamstress. Days were harsh but we were happy. We were fortunate enough to get by on the quilts sewn by my mother and meagre salary my father obtained from the nobles. \n\nI was not a good child, always curious. Always asking and wondering. Why? Why do things fall? Why is the sun so bright? Why do ants always move in a line. Why is it only nobles can cast magic. Why can't I cast magic. I remember the spankings, the indignation,the sorrow. \n\nThe library by the town hall was my sanctuary. It was only accessible to the upper echelon of society but thankfully Mr Alfred took pity on the soot covered boy with eyes that sparkled curiosity. I spent my youth aiding my parents gathering firewood, spending nights secretly stashing spare firewood just to obtain more time in the library. \n\n As the head librarian Mr Alfred was in charge of the ins-and-outs of the facility. In return for helping him arrange and keeping the place clean he taught me how to read and write. This allowed me to earn money as a scribe, which allowed me to purchase firewood which then granted me even more time in the library to learn. \n\nHe too was a commoner but was determined to plunge into the world of magic. The tomes surrounding spells were of little interest to me, for I had long given up on that pursuit. \n\nHowever, I never forgot his lessons on history and the world. That this land actually revolved around the sun. And that you could measure distance using the difference of the length of shadows. Arithmetic, geometry and alchemy were his forte, but sadly he squandered his days attempting to understand magic. He believed that magic was found in the soul. Or blood, or maybe both. He bemoaned on his chances to understand it. Maybe one day he would be able to observe the inner workings of a noble. \n\nPerhaps I would have the chance. The nobles did nothing when the beasts came. Men granted power and grace from the gods. Yet, they were the first to flee when the Beastmen attacked. The town I loved was razed together with everything I loved and cared for. \n\nWhat use is magic when you cannot even protect your own damn city. No. I will have my revenge. And I have found a way. \n", "I hadn't even produced the sample but already Inquisitor Edric had the sickening sneer of a man who was ready to be unimpressed, and even more ready to dole out the punishment one could expect for wasting his time.\n\n\"A powder you say? Made of metals?\"\n\nHis finger lazily tracked across the page of scrawled notes before him. The movement hand paused its arc at the end of a sentence, his eyes rising to meet mine only long enough to offer another look of delighted contempt as he continued.\n\n\"...and an unenchanted powder at that. As could be prepared by any plough-bearing farmer with not even a day's study in the College of the Divines. You say the Gods would deign to bury such power in the mountains where any heathen could well take advantage? Leif, my son, you are straying dreadfully close to heresy.\"\n\nI wasn't quite able to hold the Inquisitor's burrrowing gaze but I'd recited my ideas often enough to put them forth now, even with the old man's threat hanging over my head.\n\n\"No, my lord I wouldn't say any man could prepare this substance - it is quite a dangerous and exacting process - and with due respect to your counsel it takes a considerable effort even with the powder to create a pipe strong enough to stand the blast and small enough to carry with you. Furthermore, with respect to your reading of the Divine's will, perhaps it is your piety that has delivered my idea to you now. Perhaps-\"\n\n\"You'd do yourself good not to ramble any further of things you don't know, tinker,\" Edric snarled. \"I don't care for your sycophantic attempts to coddle my ego, I care for results. Your letters said the weapon could equip men of no study with a great and powerful fire, so how is this to work then if they cannot create the powder or pipes themselves? I fail to see how this will do anything other than lead more hapless lambs to the White One's slaughter and if we are speaking freely, tinker, I grow increasingly wary of sending men to their deaths with little else but a prayer to protect them.\"\n\n\"Ah, yessir, I...\" I took a breath. No need to be courtly. The weapon was good. Edric clearly had a need. \n\n\"Tinker Leif?\"\n\n\"Sorry, my lord, as you say - if we are speaking freely - I think you're missing the point. Yes, admitted, manufacturing the powder and pipes would take expertise but no more than could be easily requisitioned from the smiths' and alchemists' guilds. The potential is in the ability for anyone to use the weapon. No years of divination training. Not even a summer learning to use a bow - give a man or woman this pipe and they can kill anyone in front of them in a second. Provided they have one good eye and hands to grip it.\"\n\n\"I have an example, do you have a pageboy?\"\n\nThe Inquisitor looked bemused, \"Yes, but he's barely into his tenth winter I don't see how you're going to ready him for the field. It's the men on the front-\"\n\n\"My lord, please, this is an extreme example but I believe necessary.\"\n\nEdric sighed, for the briefest moment the condecension in his wrinkled face lifted and I saw the face of a man who was beyond the end of his tether. Tired. Old. Too old for another war. \"Fetch the boy then Tismut,\" he waved a hand at an attending guard.\n\nIn the few minutes I had before the boy arrived I pulled the pipe out of my bag and began explaining to the Inquisitor how it all worked. Powder in, projectile in (it had to be metal, a wooden shaft wouldn't do and ideally as wide as the pipe), then a bit of fire into a small hole at the base (which was a simple charm for most veteran soldiers, and torches could help those without). He continued to doubt the power of an unenchanted alchemical substance, but got lost enough in the technical details that I was able to dodge his harsher critiques.\n\nThe Inquisitor took a great deal more interest when I offered he cast a ward on the plate-armoured manequin the guards had fetched to assist with the demonstration. He accepted the offer without a second thought, and immediately began pulling thick strands of viscous white out of the Liminal, weaving them into a bubble around the practice dummy.\n\nBy the time the pageboy arrived Inquisitor Edric was ready to see the weapon in action.\n\nI approached the boy, who seemed confused and intimidated by the whole affair. \"Hey son, what's your name there?\"\n\nThe child looked up at me, eyes wide. \n\n\"It's alright boy, I'm a tinker not a soldier - you don't have to impress me. Leif was what my mother called me. How about you?\"\n\n\"Uh, Darus, sir. Darus of Ridgetown.\"\n\n\"That's a good name, a strong name,\" I smiled at him and handed him the pipe, pointing its open end towards the practice dummy. \n\n\"I'm not going to lie to you Darus, this is probably going to hurt and at the very least it will be mighty unpleasant, but it's important you don't close your eyes and aim only at the mannequin.\"\n\n\"Sir, it's not going to kill me is it?\"\n\n\"No, no Darus. You'll be fine. Just a bit of a jolt is all.\"\n\n\"Father told me not to trust a tinker's new inventions.\" He looked away from the mannequin for a half second before I pointed his head back in the right direction and raised his arms back to the correct firing position.\n\n\"Well, that's true in most cases, but this time the Inquisitor needs to see if it works, and we can't really let him down just because your father was being overprotective now, can we?\"\n\n\"I guess not.\"\n\n\"No, great. We're on the same page then. Ready?\"\n\n\"For what?\"\n\nI sparked a small flame between my forefinger and thumb and put it against the back of the pipe. \n\n\"FIRE!\"\n\nThe child was immediately knocked back to the ground and most of the guards and onlookers threw their hands to their eyes and ears in shock as the explosion ripped through the previously quiet hall. \n\nOnly myself and Edric watched as the clump of metal screeched through the air and contacted the ward Edric had created. The mass barely halted as it met the white strands of energy, snapping them like a knife onto fiddle strings - causing them to lash out in all directions before rippling into non-existence. The plate provided even less of a challenge - the ball rending a gaping hole in the chestpeice.\n\nEveryone stood silent in shock, some looking to the projectile now embedded in the hall's stone wall and a couple running to the pageboy dust him off and bring him back to his feet.\n\nI grabbed a hold of myself again.\n\n\"And this is the prototype.\" I felt relief, for perhaps the first time that whole day, as I saw Edric's face contort in a mixture of confusion and excitement.\n\n\"How many can you have ready to distribute by Spring?\"\n\n\"Give me a month with Her Majesty's scholars to perfect the design, and another month for production and I should be able to have 200 units ready for the frontlines.\"\n\n\"You have six weeks and I need 500 units with whatever resources you require. I don't need perfection, you can work on that when the Divines bless us with time we don't have at present. I'll see you in a cart to Centrus as soon as you can pack your things.\"\n\nI wasn't in a position to argue. \"Yes my lord. As you ask.\"\n\n\"I don't ask Leif, I command. There's four thousand men and their families resting on this. Don't fuck it up.\"\n\nI was taken aback by the Inquisitor's bluntness. \"Uh, um, yessir.\"\n\nI quickly began packing my things and walked up to the throne to retrieve my notes from the Inquisitor's side table.\n\nAs I came close he grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me close, so that only I could hear his anxious whisper.\n\n\"Tinker, don't think I've ignored the fact you've created something which could arm a battallion of children. Have you even considered what you've brought upon us?\"\n\nI stopped breathing. I didn't have a response. I wanted to say if not me then one of our enemies would have eventually uncovered this path. I wanted to say that we would not stoop to those levels, we would never endanger children like that. I wanted to say this was always only for our protection. I didn't say any of those things.\n\n\"We'll see each other in Hell tinker. Let's hope your invention prolongs that meeting as far as possible.\"\n\nI took my notes and tried not to run as I exited the hall." ]	[ 1, 4, 12, 36 ]	[ "1521458837", "1521468789", "1521467957", "1521468526" ]
	[WP] Keyboard Cat lies on his deathbed and must pass on the title of keyboard cat to his heir. Since he doesn't have one, somebody unexpected comes through the door to his hospital room.	286	[ "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", "Oscar was never one for noises, and his home seemed to have a lot of them. Shouting humans, clamorous medical gear, and noisy machines all endeavoured to ruin his naps. On top of that, everyone always wanted to touch him. As any cat will tell you, this is utterly unacceptable under any but the most niche of circumstances, unique to each cat. In Oscar's case, he was particularly uninterested in being touched by blubbering humans. \n\nIt was because of this collection of reasons that Oscar had sought out his current nap spot at the feet of an elderly man who seemed far too belabored with simply breathing to manage to sit up and disturb him. In fact, Oscar tended to prioritize such bedmates. There was a calming stillness about them that was soothing to Oscar. It was also due to this collection of reasons that Oscar decided to relocate when the elderly man's rhythmic wheezing ceased and the machine's plaintive wail began. Soon there would be shouting, then crying, then grabby hands trying to press him into damp faces. Not good at all.\n\nSo he left, gracefully leaping from his place on the bed, down onto the tile floor, and scampering out the door with nary a sound. Through the corridor he prowled, looking for a place that seemed cozy and quiet. It was around this time that his nose noticed something strange. He smelt another cat, but not as a faded undertone to the scent of a human. No, he smelt a real cat, here in his home! Immediately his hackles raised a bit, ears pressing back, as he imagined some other cat stealing the perfect napping spot. Prowling turned to stalking as he began to hunt down this rival, this other cat that dared enter his domain. His nose led him to the place, he was sure of it, but the sound of quiet human weeping gave him pause. Nonetheless, he had to press forward, and he entered the room with wide eyes and his tail poised tall.\n\nThe sight that greeted him was the usual one for rooms with crying. A small crowd of humans around a bed. What was strange was that they all smelt strongly of cat, so strongly... that the cat must have ALREADY MADE CLAIM TO THE COZY BED. Oscar leapt onto the bed only to land upon something that was not soft and warm, but smooth and hard and LOUD, clanging discordant notes into his delicate ears. With rage, he turned upon the foe, dashing his mighty paws against it, but the blasted thing only unleashed a katzenjammer upon him, countering his every strike with a jarring sonic attack. \n\nRecoiling for breath, he realized something he'd missed in his fury: A cat lay at the head of the bed, beleaguered by illness and bent by age. He only saw it just in time to read it's final statement in its eyes before they closed for good. The laughter in those eyes would haunt him for the rest of his days, he knew, as he turned to look at the encircling mob of now-intent humans, words echoing in his head as the now-forgotten ailing cat passed into his long nap: \n\n\"The curse is now yours, boy, until another touches the Ivory Beast. I'm freeeeeee.....\"\n\nEdit: Did some grammar touch-ups", "\"Oh hi, Cat\"\n\nI knew my time was up. I was dying, and this is what comes into my room. His black hair framed his wrinkled, lumpy face as he appoached the hospital bed.\n\n\"Have I got a story for you!\"\n\nHe launched into a story about his visit to the Golden Globes. I ignored it. His accent was indescribable. Thick, pervasive, unplaceable. I was dying though. I needed an heir. Someone to pass my legacy on to. He would have to do.\n\n\"Listen, Tommy, for years I have been a champion of the internet. A pioneer of the keyboard. Now, that legacy is being passed down, paw to...hand, to you. Will you take up the mantle?\"\n\n\"Haha, what a story, cat. Anyway, how is your sex life?\"\n\nTo think... these were the last words I would ever hear....\n\n\"Why dontchu talk about it, haw? You just a chicken. Cheep, cheepcheepcheep cheep\"\n\nEverything faded. I was going, dying. He picked up the keyboard.\n\n\"What are you doing with computer? Go outside ITS SO BEAUTIFUL!\"\n\nI saw, before losing conciousness, the man throw the keyboard towards the floor. It shattered the moment my heart stopped. My legacy... lost forever.", "The old orange tabby purred softly as his visitor approached. It was the first time anybody had heard him since he'd arrived at the vet's office in his small padded bed.\n\n\"Well, now... Let's have a look at you, hmm?\"\n\nOne ear flicked slowly as he sized up his guest. After a few moments, he nodded, front paws weakly kneading the cushioning underneath him.\n\n\"Yes... Yes, I think you'll do well.\" \n\nLowering his head, Bento stretched a paw forward, towards the portable keyboard that had been placed lovingly next to his bed.\n\n\"Take this. It served me well throughout the years... The thought of it helping you in your task... Yes, I like that.\"\n\nA wheezing cough stopped Bento, his frail form shivering as he struggled to draw breath. His guest waited silently, watching respectfully as she had since entering the room. As the coughing fit came to an end, Bento gradually laid his head down by his outstretched paw.\n\n\"Remember, it's not just about the music. Whether you play Chopsticks or Chopin, it's about how THEY feel. Yes, many of them will dismiss you, or deride you... But those people don't matter. It's the ones who will have a smile on their lips after they see you. The people whose day you can make just a little lighter, a little easier... That's your audience.\"\n\nBento's paw flexed slowly as his eyes began to close.\n\n\"Give it a try... Play me a song... You're the keyboard cat...\"\n\nA long, furry paw slowly stroked Bento once, from head to tail. His ears twitched in anticipation as the 3-toed paw withdrew. Carefully adjusting his cat-eared hood, the sloth turned to the keyboard...and began to play. " ]	[ 1, 2, 12, 77 ]	[ "1521463698", "1521478173", "1521476057", "1521470048" ]
	[WP] An ship of the galaxy's most dangerous creatures crash-lands on Earth. The aliens send a task force to recapture the escaped creatures, only to find that the humans have already managed to domesticate every last one.	87	[ "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", "By the time he had realized his mistake, it was too late. Ori bit the knuckle of his thumb and sighed as the lights of the receding ship faded into the distance. He knew they were dangerous. He knew they couldn’t be trusted. Somehow, still, he had let his guard down. The sirens were blaring and by now, the council would be highly aware of this critical mistake. Forevermore, he would be known as Ori Scheill: the man who released the most dangerous creatures ever discovered into the universe.\n\n“Ops!” He bellowed into the cold, echoing cavern of the space prison, “Track them down!” He did his best not to allow panic to creep into his voice, but he knew he was unsuccessful. It only took minutes for the command station to be up and running. His second in command and renowned technological genius, Dira Koepfel, was projecting patterns and paths, but it was very much guesswork.\n\t\n“We think they might be heading for galaxy 4792” Dira remained staring at her computer screen.\n\t\n“What do we know about 4792?” Ori could hear the raw nerves in his response, but he was long past the point of concealing his anxiety. The gravity of this disaster was unprecedented.\n\t\n“Relatively little. We’ve mapped it. There is one inhabited planet. That’s all we know. We know nothing of the inhabitants, although they are largely regarded as primitive and defenseless.” Oh dear sweet Gharudh, this is not what Ori wanted to hear. These vicious predators would tear a primitive, defenseless society apart. Now his crime of negligence could render him responsible for the extinction of an entire species. His body went cold, and his ears began ringing. Or rather, as he soon realized, the ringing was not in his ears but an incoming message from the council. He missed the tinnitus.\n\t\n“Ori Scheill,” boomed the voice of Galactic Prime Minister Yrig, “It has come to our attention that the Emowi have escaped. Please tell me that this is not the case.”\n\t\n“It is my deepest regret that I cannot. They took our ships approximately 10 minutes previous and we believe them to be headed for galaxy 4792” Ori was shocked that he managed not to stutter.\n\t\n“I do not need to tell you, I trust, that this is an unmitigated disaster. In the 3,817 years that the galactic prison ship has been in service, not a single prisoner has escaped. And now?! The entirety of the Emowi?! The most dangerous creatures our galaxy has ever known? You will fix this and then we will discuss consequences.”\n\t\n“Yes sir” There’s the stutter, though Ori, as he battled with his tongue to form those two, short words.\n\t\n“We will send ships and a relief crew to guard the prison while you and your team hunt them down. I hope for your sake they do not wipe out any planets on their journey.”\nThe communication ended, and Ori sunk to the floor, sweating and panicked. He and Dira shared a look.\n\t\n“How long will they have in the galaxy before we are able to meet them?” Ori was the first to break the silence.\n\t\n“We will only be a day or so behind them, as time flows here, but we have no knowledge of time differences in galaxy 4792. One day here could be millennia there.” Dira’s words were not as comforting as he would have liked.\n", "Chidoan frowns as they descend down the space elevator. They had been received pleasantly by the humans, but he could tell their need to prove themselves was creeping into the interaction. Humanity had managed cheap space travel over long distances in the last international space year. Still new to interactions with the Intergalactic Interspecies Relations Regulatory Agency, these humans were clearly putting on their best face in order to prove themselves. They had simply been asked if they knew where these creatures were, and yet they stubbornly had attached an Ambassador and protection duty to detail.\n\nChidoan was confident that if any of these creatures were on the earth that the earth did not have the resources to attach a guard to him and his comrades. Besides, what good would tier 3 weaponry be against the Ligert? That creature had already wiped a Tier 2 species from the face of their planet when they took it home to \"study\" it. Chidoan glanced behind him at Quanlosa who had volunteered for this mission hoping to gain revenge against the Ligert. His people were still alive, but much of their culture had been lost to them. \n\nThe Space Elevator arrived at the ground level, and their ambassador quickly began to guide the four aliens around what must have been customs and towards a looming marketplace which was built to the east of the transportation module. \n\n\"We are going to take you to the location of the first creature on your list. What name did you call it?\"\n\nChidoan scowled at the ambassador's ineptitude. The creatures they were seeking were each annihilation level entities and had been the subject of thousands of intergalactic communications, and yet this earthling didn't even know its name? The Earthling's shaved skin seemed apt if this level of embarrasment was tolerated. \"The Gamoo. They are breeders. They need litle more than sunshine to sustain their life cycles, and when left alone, they will overtake any ecosystem. Because of their small size, and aggressive nesting, they not only overtake ecosystems, but they transport across the world before most notice that they...\" Chidoan was cautiosly looking around the crowd as he spoke. Though his short stature meant that he was only as tall as the average human's navel. As he was speaking he saw a Gamoo not far away on the backpack of a young man walking in another direction. \n\nGamoo darted between the crowd and in just an instance had vaulted over the young man and enclosed the tiny creature in a grasp of hair. \n\n\"Hey!\" The boy cried out indignantly. \n\nChidoan glanced down at the Gamoo and was about to crush it when a voice over his shoulder caught his attention. \n\n\"Wait, don't kill that creature!\" the Earth Ambassador creid out. \n\n\"This Gamoo is the scourge of multiple planets, why in the world should I stop?\" Chidoan exclaimed the the Earthling. \n\n\"Please, let me explain.\" said the abassador, arm stretched out clearly requesting the Gamoo. \n\n\"You aren't getting this thing back. It is a Type 1 Contaminant, what do you not understand about that?\"\n\n\"Fine, ill explain, and then maybe you will relent. Young man, I hope you will be patient with us, you will get your Dragon back momentarily.\" \n\n\"These creatures landed here just before our current space age had begun. About 100 years ago. They landed near a Puppy mill. Puppies are a kind of human pet. Well this mill realized two things right off the back. First, that these creatures looked just like a mythological creature we celebrate here on earth, Dragons. Except unlike dragons that are larger than some spacecraft, these creatures never grow longer than a human forearm. The second thing they noticed, was that the creature was adorable and spent most of its time eager to play with humans, or content being around humans. They took off as pets immediately. A problem occured about five years later because of all the breeding the creatures were doing, but someone figured out how to neuter male dragons when they were in the egg, and now the government closely regulate their sale and trade so that there is never another breeding problem. I reckon 2 out of three people of our world keep one or more of these, Gamoo did you call them, as pets. Oh, one more thing, we did discover that Gamoo raised around dogs are significantly safer, and so most Gamoo Hatcheries keep dogs around.\"\n\nChidoan's mind began to race. Did these people just say that they keep a type 1 contraband creature as a pet? This was obscene. Most worlds would never dream of flying in the face of the Regulatory Agency. More than that, how was this possible? These creatures were little more than vermin picked up off some backwater planet. Chidoan throught back to the debriefing about this creatures habits. These creatures were formidable because they bred fast and built invasive nests to take care of their young. But they were extremely hazardous because of their ability to adapt to an environment. These things must have adapted to the pets the humans kept. In fact, it seems that even now they are raised around dogs to keep them docile throughout their lives. \n\nChidoan thought for a moment and then began to talk. \"Ambassador Chen, we are going to need to report this to our superiors. If you could have an expert on these... Dragons meet us in our quarters we will need all the information we can get before reporting back. In the meantime, let's talk about the other two creatures we believe have come to the earth.\"\n\nThe ambassador visibly became uneasy at the fact that the Regulatory agency would need to judge the earth. \"Yes sir, to find the Bl'g'tch, we will need to travel to the Republic of Texas. \n\n", "\"There will be no retrieval effort.\"\n\n\"That is totally irresponsible! This is a Class III society! They haven't developed interstellar flight yet. How are they supposed to deal with an event like this one?\"\n\n\"What do you know about the Sol system and the sapient inhabitants there?\"\n\n\"Well . . . not much. There's a few bouncing around the galaxy that were illegally obtained but I . . .\"\n\n\"We have reports from all over the galaxy. Humans will adopt anything as a companion mate. They prefer things that have fur . . . mostly. However, there are reports of humans adopting, taming, rearing, and caring for creatures of every description and type across the galaxy.\"\n\n\"Why would they do that?\"\n\n\"Apparently it gave them some kind of evolutionary advantage. Now? I don't know. A few humans die every year trying to tame something new.\"\n\n\"So what you're saying about the shipment . . .\"\n\n\"Either dead - because the world itself is a deathtrap - or adopted at this point. I'm just glad that the ship's quarantine protocols finally kicked in and vaporized the important bits.\"\n\n\"What being in it's right mind would want to tame a cold blooded creature capable of igniting it's exhalations? They're insanely dangerous.\"\n\n\"They can fly, and they're big enough to carry a human. Really, that's all most of them need. However, the biggest factor - and I have seen this confirmed by the humans living out here - is that when they first hatch they are considered 'cute' by most humans. I predict they'll be bred and trained worldwide within the century.\"" ]	[ 1, 10, 31, 74 ]	[ "1521474799", "1521488671", "1521488608", "1521475956" ]
	[WP] The genetic testing kits that are becoming popular are secretly searching for people with latent superpowers	60	[ "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 like James to skip breakfast. The corner of the straw-knit place mat his chewed fingernails were picking at began to fray before his mother’s repeated call gained his attention. \n\n“Honey, honey...” \n\nShe extended a tan arm and laid her elegant hand on to James’ to stop his fidgeting. His eyes locked intently on the juxtaposition of his mother’s perfectly manicured nails and his own. \n\n“Look at me, please.” she cooed softly. Reluctantly James forced his chin up to his mother but left his eyes on his hands. She squeezed his hands, now balled up into fists and his eyes flicked up to her. She searched for a brief moment before she felt his hands relax underneath hers. His chest heaved up with a deep breath, and slowly exhaled the tension from his rigid torso. \n\n“Everything will be ok, I promise.” \n\nSometimes it was hard for Claire to look at her son. Every day James grew more to look like his father, the man who had walked away from her, and left her bloody and broken on the floor of a hotel lobby. She winced as the memory flooded back and felt her sons hands clench again underneath her own. James slid his hands away and turned his head back down to the corner of the place mat.\n\n“Shit. Sorry buddy. I... I didn’t mean for you to...” Claire started to say.\n\n“I know Mom. It’s okay...” James cut her off. \n\nHe stood up, leaving his untouched plate at the table. \n\nHe couldn’t help but feel it was unfair. His mom was one, and now his baby sister too. She was only three months old when the first notice formed from thin air on the table during breakfast. \n\n“Grace Kell, it is with great pleasure I write to you today. You are an extraordinary person, with an extraordinary future. We welcome you with open arms to the society. \n//kinuds//\n-Jonathan Mach”\n\nWhen the letter had appeared James was torn between excitement and fear. He had waited ten years to find out whether he would ever join the society. Claire couldn’t bear the idea that James might never develop his touch, and so she kept him positive by promising that it often takes years for the genetic tests to develop. To mature. To show up. Deep down when James grabbed the letter off the table he knew it wouldn’t be addressed to him, but he couldn’t help to hope. \n\nHis mother watched with fear and anticipation as he opened it. She had almost convinced herself that he could just be a late bloomer. Plenty of kids don’t show the touch until later. Though thirteen was very late. \n\nJames snapped back to his kitchen, his mother looking up at him pleadingly. He knew it wasn’t her fault but couldn’t help be upset that he would never be gifted like his mom. \n\nHe had thought there had been times when he had influenced people through his touch, convincing his friend to let him play one more game of FIFA by grabbing his shoulder or influencing his teacher to change his grade on an assignment when they’re legs had been crammed together in the same seat on the bus for a field trip. \n\nHis mother and his sister had what was called the touch. The ability to share emotions through contact. It is encoded I the human DNA, the ability to change another persons chemical balance to make them share whatever emotion they are feeling.\n\nThey’re had been slips in the system before. James had read about all sorts of people who were never recognized by the society. That spent their whole lives influencing people without ever getting caught or punished. That gave him hope.\n\nBut James’ mother was careful with what he was allowed to read, there were stories of those with the touch that could make your skin crawl. That the U.S. army had found people adept with it to torture enemies. To bring them to their knees as they felt the emptiness, loss, lifetimes f sorrow packed into brief seconds of blinding pain. \n\n[its getting late.... sorry if this started to not make sense towards the end... might write a part 2 if there’s interest. ]", "Sequence Labs Server Operations Office, Wichita, Kansas\n\n\"Have a good one, Gary.\" Marsha walked out the office door without looking back. I was by myself.\n\nI kicked back in my chair. Overtime. I enjoyed times like these-- no meetings, no useless phone calls. Just myself and a handful of jam bands. I dug around and found a set from the Friendlies '73 tour, put it on. The band was still sound testing and bantering as I got to work.\n\nI'd been authorized overtime because we had some data anomalies. Our process identifies genetic markers for all kinds of stuff, but the main thing folks are looking for are ancestral haplogroups. It makes for a good social media post. The phrase \"I'm 12% Irish!\" has kept the lights on around here.\n\nAt the same time, we test for genetic diseases. Wilson Disease, for example, might go undetected until late adulthood but can have impacts on the liver. It's less sexy than finding out you're 8% Navajo, but it's the part of the business that we take pride in. We save lives.\n\nWe don't test for everything, it's cost- and time-prohibitive. There's a lot of genetic data that simply goes uncoded. Within the standard array of genetic code, there's a vast swatch of stuff that we don't test for.\n\nUntil two weeks ago. A man came into the office and spoke with my supervisor. People don't just walk into our offices; we're a coding farm, not a customer-facing shop. Our marketing department does that.\n\nA few days later, we get a new directive-- we're going to start looking at gene sequence 246A-2T. This wasn't terribly new; we typically get asked to add sequences every six months or so as a package we receive from the lab geeks. In my three years at Sequence, I'd only seen a special request happen once, and it had to do with an anticipated vulnerability to a new strain of flu. Our entire backlog of tests were sampled for the data and forwarded to the CDC.\n\nBig stuff. Lots of staff were pulled, tons of reports were filed. This time was different. I was asked to pull the data from all of our tests, including neonatal. This was extra weird, not just because of the HIPAA violations, but because our team had nothing to do with the neonatal testing. I had to spend the entire week negotiating how to pull their data, as they used an entirely different form.\n\nNow, I just had to sit back and let the program compile. The music played on, and I watched the data scroll by. The process wouldn't take long, I was only looking for one marker.\n\nBy the time the Friendlies were finishing their set, I had an output. I took a look at the names on the list, expecting some kind of pattern. With small sets like these, you usually see some kind of familial connection. I fully expected to see a lot of the same last name or region.\n\nI was a little surprised. The people on the list didn't seem to be related. What's more, they seemed to come from all over the country. There were two from California, three from Tennessee, one from Kansas... Wichita! There was one from my hometown!\n\nI pulled up the file and ice ran through my veins. Kelley Meeker. Kelley went to my grade school, a year ahead of me. Everyone used to avoid him. He'd stare at you like he was looking right into your soul. He would argue with the teachers and he'd get pulled out of class all the time for these huge migraines. I remember I walked past the nurses' station once and saw him laid out on the examination bed, a pack to his forehead. His back was arched in pain; he was contacting the bed only on his heels and the back of his head. His head whipped over when I walked by and stared right at me, his eyes rimmed in red and sweat dripping down his face. All the sudeen, he smiled, and mouthed the words \"roll down the window.\" I screamed and ran.\n\nLater that year, he transferred out after an altercation with a teacher, Mr Filby. Rumor has it he said \"I know where the bodies are buried Mr. Filby\". Mr. Filby was tried for murder a few years later. He'd killed his wife and her lover and buried them in nearby woods. Thing is, this all happened years after Kelly was transferred.\n\nI felt my throat tighten and my mouth fill with saliva. I jammed a thumb drive in and pulled the data. Little things about Kelley started coming to mind. He'd finish peoples' sentences. He used to talk to people who weren't there. My throat clenched again and I felt like I was going to vomit. I became certain of it. I snatched the drive out of the PC and ran to the bathroom.\n\nI never vomited. I stood hunched over the toilet, spitting. Kelley was special. It wasn't just a misremembered childhood story. He knew Mr. Filby was going to kill those people. Did he know I was going to find out about him? I suppressed a shiver.\n\nI washed off at the sink, not looking at myself in the mirror. Everything was weighing too heavily on me. The building felt haunted, full of danger. I needed to get home and call some friends. I left the bathroom in a rush to get out, senses on alert, mind racing.\n\nI was only halfway down the hall back to the office when I heard quiet murmering. I paused, stock still and listening. From the cubicles, I heard what sounded like two men talking. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I quietly backpedaled and went back down the hall toward the rear exit.\n\nI eased the stairwell door open, ducked through and quietly, slowly... closed it. It made no noise that I could discern, but I started briskly descending the steps down to the ground floor. From there, I could see through the safety glass out across the lobby to the exit. The exit door was alarmed and normally I would need to disable it with a code. I reasoned that I wouldn't. If I tripped the alarm, the security company would come by and maybe they'd catch the dudes who were in my office.\n\nResolved, I slowly opened the door and padded across the lobby, looking off to my right to see back into the elevator bank. Nobody. I sprinted out the door, and made a beeline for my car. I fished my keys out of my pocket while I ran. The parking lot was empty except for my car which was parked in the back and a black sedan that was immediately next to the door. I didn't pause to look in; the windows were tinted and if there was anyone inside, I stood a better chance if I simply fled.\n\nThe rush to my car took agonizing infinities. I felt invisible eyes on me, pictured guns taking aim. I breathlessly fumbled with the door lock for a moment that felt like an eternity, and then slung myself in and ignited the engine in one motion, never taking my eyes off the entrance to the building. I'd just thrown it in reverse when two men in black suits ran out the front. I tore off to the parking lot exit; I had better positioning than they did and stood a good chance of getting away if I didn't hesitate.\n\nI gunned it and turned right onto the access street. I flew down to the main road and hooked a right again at the light. I kept an eye on my rearview, but traffic was thick enough that I never saw a sedan. I shut off my phone, fearing they'd track me with GPS.\n\nAfter a few miles, I relaxed a bit and thought more about my long-term plans while stopped at a red light. I'd need a place to stay. I'd need to pay with cash. I'd need to get out of town.\n\nFrom my right came a rapping at my passenger window. I fliched. I fully expected to get shot right there. Instead I was greeted by a friendly face of a man roughly my age with a wild beard. He gestured for me to roll down the window. I didn't at first, but realization dawned on me. It was Kelley." ]	[ 1, 6, 15 ]	[ "1521512178", "1521525418", "1521523875" ]
	[WP] The chosen one begs the gods to end his suffering. He takes refusal by silence badly and defects to join the Empress.	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", "Critiques welcome~ I feel a little rusty writing again. \n\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\n“Yes….your highness,” I uttered, head downcast, sword on the ground beside me. “Your will be done.” \n\n&nbsp;\n\nThrone rooms were always designed the be imposing, and this one was no exception. The entire room was lit through the magnificently crafted stained glass roof, leaving no shadows for any assassins to hide. The twin rows of royal guards that decorated the short distance from doors to the throne straightens and pounded the ground with their shields as I rose from my kneeling position, the plates of the new armor I was furnished graciously by the Empress herself clattered softly, an oddly satisfying sound to my ears. \n\n&nbsp;\n\nI spun on my heels, an action that I had grown accustomed to in recent years, taking a step towards the large iron doors. At this moment, a loud crash issued from above, followed by what sounded like tinkles from a silver bell, only a hundred times louder. \n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy body reacted on instinct, sword already drawn, and in my hands, whilst my body twisted, jumping to shield the Empress from the falling shards of glass. It was beautiful, in a twisted way, the multi coloured glass creating a whirling kaleidoscope of colours. \n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe royal guards, well trained and well disciplined all raised their tower shields, sprinting towards us, towards the Empress. I was the first, on account of my proximity of course, I tossed her unceremoniously onto the ground, then shielded her with my body. Clad head to toe in enchanted armor of the best make and design, the glass simply shattered harmlessly on impact. \n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe heathens swarmed in from above, their numbers the only thing on their side. I made a mental note to have talks with the guard captain about the security in the palace as soon as I was out of this mess. I smiled grimly as they headed towards us, while the royal guards formed up in neat and tidy rows, a line of steel against a sea of flesh and grime. \n\n&nbsp;\n\n“MAKE THE FALSE EMPRESS BURN. THE GODS HAVE DECREED HER TO BE A PRETENDER TO THE THRONE,” One shouted, to a resounding war cry as the unruly crowd pushed back, slowly, but surely the guards were forced to retreat. \n\n&nbsp;\n\n“Are you alright?” I turned back and questioned. \n\n&nbsp;\n\n“Make them pay,” She replied, giving no heed to the fact that her throne room had just come under attack. She lightly dusted the rich golden garments she had chosen to wear that day with a dainty hand, ending our conversation.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI turned wordlessly, barking orders at the guards to let me through. \n\n&nbsp;\n\n“Sacred. SLASH,” I shouted the moment I cleared the guards who had already reformed their shield wall. \n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhite energy emitted from my sword’s cutting edge a wave of thin light leaving my blade. It cleaved through flesh and bone with ease, leaving the left flank clear as people fell from wounds or fatal injuries. I walked towards them, cutting the rest down like weeds from a garden. They were poorly armed and armoured, only having bits of leather and makeshift weapons. I parried, sliced, trusted, over and over again, barely breaking out a sweat as I cut them down.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI heard a moan from amongst the fallen. I reached down a grabbed him by the rags he called clothes. \n\n&nbsp;\n\nHis eyes widened when he recognized me. “Why? You were the chosen by the gods. ” \n\n&nbsp;\n\n“The Gods?” I growled. “The gods that remained silent. The Gods that I begged to end my pain. The Gods I prayed to save Her?” \n\n&nbsp;\n\n“They have their reasons. You need to have faith,” His bloodied hand reached up, a vain attempt at a holy gesture. It irked me to no end that they clung to their gods still. I loosened my grip allowing him fall back onto the pile of bodies, disgust and rage on my face. Reversing my sword, I plunged the blade downwards feeling it part the marble underneath. “Your chosen is gone. As will be your Gods.” \n\n", "I was the chosen one. Destined to save the world from the Dark Empress Valdana. My mission had always been aided by the gods, but in the moment I needed them most, all I got was silence.\n\nThey abandoned me, so I abandoned them.\n\nI marched to the Dark empress's castle and swore fealty to her. I was always meant to be a tool in someone else's hands, and I found hers to be much more pleasant to the touch.\n\nAt first I was just her consort. She took great pleasure in turning the weapon of the Gods into her plaything. I didn't mind at all, warming her bed was far preferable to wading through corpses on my way to collect her head.\n\nIn time she grew to care for me as a person rather than just as a plaything, and we were wed properly. Once I had been at her feet, now I was at her side. The gods would never have given me such an offer.\n\nAs the emperor I was tasked with managing the people she conquered. I made sure they were fed and healthy, and they never once thought to rebel against her. At first she thought I was being too soft on them, but when she saw the results she stopped complaining.\n\nThese days Valdana hardly qualifies for the title of \"Dark Empress.\" In fact, more than a few rebellions have asked for us to conquer them just because life under us was so much better than under their own king.\n\nI believe I now know why the gods remained silent that day. I wasn't to save the world from Valdana, I was to save it with her and save her in the process. Perhaps a little strife was worth it, if this is how it ends." ]	[ 1, 1, 2 ]	[ "1521515957", "1521522635", "1521527510" ]
[removed]	[WP] That bottle of wine was not big enough, As she laid flat on her belly in that large shower. The water beating on her back. She imagined him standing over her.	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\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/85qavr/wp_that_bottle_of_wine_was_not_big_enough_as_she/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1521523219", "1521523522" ]
	[WP] Your child finds a mysterious book on your bookshelf, reading it while you work in a different room. You call out, hear no response, check the room, and find nothing but the book lying open on the floor. It reads, “Want to see your child again? Turn the page and follow the instructions.”	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 library was full of unknown tomes which we had inherited from my spouse's uncle on the Orient. I spent most of my hours within the study pouring over the latest shipping forecasts checking how my ships would fare. My eldest had just returned to the Manor from school and was curious about the books in the library. I left him to his devices and continued my work.\n\nFrom my desk I heard a scream, echoing from the library. I walked down expecting of my child that they may have discovered a book of ill repute. Upon entering the room the had disappeared.\n\nA book layed open upon the parquet. On it were the words written 'Your child has gone, should you wish to see him again follow the instructions.' my eyes widened and scanned the room. I already knew the windows could not be opened and the servants would have noticed a strange person within the domicile. \n\nSuddenly the book flipped to the next page. Cometh ye to thine end. As the wards flashed into my mind I felt a short sharp shock to the back of my head. ", "I grab a pen, and start writing do I have to start right away? This silence wonderful! I turn the page to see the question you do realize your son is trapped, right? It’s not a party over here I reply i know, but I really don’t mind him having a time out without all the shouting the next page has tightly written words, as if someone was hurried or annoyed * you’re his father! Get moving or else!* smiling, I write what else? and see the response bad things! Hurry up! so I say what kind of bad things? and with a gah! and a flash of light, my son appears. fine! I curse you with this annoying brat!! and with that, the book catches fire and burns away. “What did you do?” I ask. His response is a devious smile" ]	[ 1, 2, 2 ]	[ "1521528019", "1521552645", "1521578713" ]
	[WP]The ice cream van that drives through your cul-de-sac plays classical music instead of the usual fare. One day, you look out your window. The van is playing Flight of Valkyries, and an army of armed children follow.	341	[ "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\nWagner's sweeping musical flourishes echoed down the street into my bedroom window. I looked at my clock angrily, and saw it was 3AM.\n\nIt was that goddamned ice cream truck again, I just knew it. At first it was so cute, such a fun novelty - an ice cream truck with a high quality speaker, playing Mozart instead of that insipid, tinny loop of musical garbage played out of whatever re-purposed, middle school, blow horn ice cream trucks usually come equipped with.\n\nThe Homeowners Association was over the moon for the new truck. They cited to various studies the Board President, that prick, had dredged up from Google scholar, about the positive developmental affect classical music had on children. The ice cream truck was praised by everyone, the local paper even did a write up on it, which got picked up by the Chicago Tribune. As I understand, the idea had really taken off in the city, and the baby blue brand of ice cream trucks were apparently on every corner now. \n\nMore fool them. In the last month, any positive feelings I had about that damned truck have evaporated completely. \n\nI love classical music. I have a subscription to the Chicago opera, the symphony orchestra - hell, I listen to classical music every night. If the damn truck held regular business hours, I probably wouldn't have bad thing to say about it. But this damn thing is riding around residential streets, blasting Prokofiev at every hour of the night! It's unbelievable. I've filed so many complaints to the Homeowners Association, but they don't do anything. Personally, I think it's that young silicon valley jackass we voted in - 23 years old and he's the President of a Homeowners Association? New blood my ass - I don't care how much money he has, or how many houses he owns - the little prick has no common sense.\n\nI see him sometimes, late at night, along with a hoard of neighborhood children, buying ice cream, hanging out by that damn truck like it's the first McDonalds. Two nights ago I woke up at 1AM - 1AM! - and saw the Board President eating a fudgesicle, surrounded by two dozen school children, on a school night, while that truck played Rachmaninoff loud enough to shake my windows!\n\nAnd what about all the dogs?! I bet they didn't mention all the dogs when they pitched their ice cream truck to the Chicago City Council. Ever since the truck started operating around here, there had been a %10,000 increase in the number of stray dogs. It was unreal - dogs seemed to be coming far and wide to our little neighborhood, and when the ice cream truck was on, it would usually have a trail of mangy dogs walking behind it. \n\nIt's truly intolerable, and I know I'm not alone in feeling this way. I've spoken with all my neighbors, and to a person, everyone over the age of 30 absolutely despises that damned truck. The older parents are downright angry with it. I've heard stories from a couple next door that when the truck comes around, no matter the hour, they have to lock their daughter in her room or she'll run right out to buy ice cream. Can you believe that? It's outrageous, making our children into sugar addicts.\n\nIn fact, that's it. I've had enough! I decide, tonight, I'm going to do something about it. I put on my pants and my warm shirt, my outdoor slippers, and stomp downstairs and out the front door, my cell phone in hand. I rehearse what I plan on saying - \"everyone go home, immediately, or I will call the police.\" That sounds good - and it is not an empty threat, believe me.\n\nI step outside and turn towards the sound of Wagner's \"Flight of the Valkyries\", about a block away. As I walk in that direction, the ice cream truck comes into view, but from my perspective, looking straight at the front of the truck, there doesn't appear to be anyone nearby, which is strange. The truck isn't even stopped, it's just slowly inching forward down the street. \n\nAs it gets past the Henry household, I see a child run out the front door, his parents in hot pursuit, all of them barefoot and in their pajamas. The parents get to the curb and see something that frightens them into silence, while the child disappears behind the truck.\n\nAcross the street from the Henry house, are the Smiths. They have a transparent glass storm door, and behind the glass, I can see their 12 year old daughter trying to get out. They must have locked the glass door with a key, because she can't get it open. Then, the most extraordinary thing happens - the little girl stops struggling with the lock, stands up straight, and headbutts the glass. Nothing happens at first, so she does it again, and then again, until there is a blotch of bright red blood where her forehead keeps impacting the door. Finally, after the sixth or seventh blow, the glass door shatters, setting off the house alarm, and the girl runs, barefoot, through the broken glass, towards the ice cream truck.\n\nI run after her, distraught, and worried for her mental health, wondering where in the name of God her parents are in all the chaos. As I run toward the house, I cross the street, and am able to see behind the large ice cream truck. \n\nHundreds of children, maybe 400 dogs, and a smattering of young people, none older than their early 20s, marched in perfect rows behind the truck, some barefoot, others with shoes on, others completely naked - each having stopped whatever they were doing and attended the call of the ice cream truck. I saw the Smith girl join the ranks, and the other children shifted perfectly and simultaneously along the entire formation in order to accommodate their new addition, like a chain of ants. Nearest the front, six rows back from the rear bumper of the truck, was the Board President, his face blank, his eyes vapid.\n\nAs I passed the Smith house, I stole a glimpse inside the shattered remains of their door, and saw, further inside, two prostrate bodies on the white tile, laying in a liquid plume of red. \n\nHorrified, I ran back to my house. As I went, I looked back one last time at the ice cream truck, searching for the driver, but there wasn't one: the driver's seat was completely empty. \n\nDialing 911, I stepped inside, locked my door, and fell to the ground with my back against it, hyperventilating.\n\n\n*********\n\n#### For More Legends From The Multiverse\n\n#### r/LFTM\n\n\n", "I never knew that I wanted an ice cream so bad, but sometimes you do not choose ice cream, the ice cream chooses you.\n\nI still remember the time when my life changed. It was a sunny day and I did my usual: I watched the television.\n\nThen I heard it. [I heard that* song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YOYlgvI1uE). I walked near the window, watched outside and saw the magnificent view.\n\nThere was this van, slowly passing my house, thousands of children ran out of the houses and joined with the other already following children. It was just enraged running. They just wanted the bloody ice cream.\n\nBut there was a problem. As a child, I also wanted that ice cream. You see, in any normal case, I would have left the house via the door, but I wanted the ice cream so badly, that I took the nearby chair and threw it against the window glass. I guess I was lucky that this house still had an older window, so it broke easily.\n\nNext thing, I climbed out of the window and followed the van.\n\nThe ice cream belonged to me. Me alone! I wanted the ice cream. No-one else can have it.\n\nAs I started to follow the van, I kicked different children away and rushed forward. Never skipping the leg day finally paid off. Even so, whenever I was about to reach it, the van increased its speed tiny bit, making me unable to touch it.\n\nI followed and followed the van. I didn't even notice that at some point the surroundings had changed from green to desert and from desert to white snow. None of the weather effects stopped me though. It didn't matter if it was way too hot or too cold, the only thing that I wanted was the damn ice cream. Is it too much to ask?\n\nSuddenly the car stopped, and so did I. When I looked behind myself, I saw nobody else there. I was victorious. I was the worthy one, I deserved the ice cream. None other shall taste it.\n\nThe door opened and an old man came out. He was holding it. The ice cream. My delicious glorious amazing fantastic precious ice cream.\n\nThe old man was wearing a top hat. His long beard wasn't just white, it was silver-grey, I could've sworn it was even shining.\n\nHe smiled. The smile felt like something wicket. It warned me not to take the ice cream. After all, who would be crazy enough to give me that ice cream? He held out the ice cream for me to take it, to own it.\n\nOf course, I took it, without a second thought. I opened it and then slowly consumed it.\n\nThen he patted on my shoulder and said the cursed lines: \"Now you shall ride the van until you find someone worthy enough to continue your legacy.\"\n\nHe turned around and walked away. We were in the middle of the snowy road, but he didn't care, he just walked somewhere. He looked blessed, free of the curse.\n\nI slowly went inside the van and inspected the surrounding. I realised that I can't leave it behind. All of it was mine now. It belonged to me.\n\nBut I didn't want it. I wanted to get rid of it. Yet, I couldn't leave it.\n\nI couldn't even leave the van anymore. Something stopped me.\n\nI went behind the wheel and inserted a new disk into its player. I didn't know where I got the disk, but I had it and I knew what was on it. [I could hear a new music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBXcvR0ejC0) coming out of the speakers. Announcing that this van belonged to me. It was a victory music.\n\nThen I pressed the gas and slowly drove towards the golden sun.\n\nI didn't notice that I no longer was a child.\n\n----\n\n/r/ElvenWrites - feedback is always welcomed :)!" ]	[ 1, 12, 34 ]	[ "1521539778", "1521550923", "1521547882" ]
[removed]	[WP] It's been a few months since Sudan, the world's last remaining male White Rhino, has died. You work for the Ol Pejeta Conservatory in Kenya tasked with using his frozen sperm to repopulate the species. As you prepare the samples and walk them over to the lab bench you drop the sample.	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/85vcbt/wp_its_been_a_few_months_since_sudan_the_worlds/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1521572357", "1521580179" ]
	[WP] You wake up one morning and are startled to hear outside, "This is the police. Come out with your hands up"	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", "They've come for me. They've come for all of us. \n\nI snatch up the pistol lying on top of the dresser and peer out the window. Three police cars are surrounding my house, flanked by an assortment of pickup trucks and civilian cars. \n\nEveryone in America knows they aren't real cops.\n\nKaren is already up, strapping body armor around her chest. She helps me into mine, as the warning blares through the megaphone for the second time. \n\n\"Go up the attic and man the 50 cal,\" I tell her. \"I'll warn our guests downstairs.\"\n\n\"We're dying for a righteous cause,\" Karen whispers through a strained smile. \"I love you.\"\n\n\"I know. Now go!\" \n\nI take a second peek out the window as I run out of the bedroom. A dozen men are approaching my house, shotguns and assault rifles raised. Every one of them are sloppily dressed in hunting camouflage and body armor, like they were action heroes or something. And those red caps. Those damn, red caps. \n\nI wrench open the door to my basement. Frightened eyes look up. Children, women, men. Whites, Muslims, Hispanics, blacks, and Asians. \n\nAmericans. \n\n\"They're here. Escape through the tunnels while we hold them back,\" I pull back the slide of my pistol and chamber a round.\n\n\"They won't get their hands on you. Not in my backyard.\" " ]	[ 1, 4 ]	[ "1521595338", "1521596433" ]
	[WP] In a post-apocalyptic world, an old woman is waiting at a bus stop.	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", "Felix gently parted the curtains with the tip of his sword and peered down its edge. From the upstairs window he had a clear line of sight to the back of the old woman’s head. He didn’t like being this remote from her, but she had insisted on remaining outside. \n\n“You’re so paranoid”, Mrs Hayes had said when he protested. Felix countered with his favorite defence being that paranoia was a healthsome virtue in light of their current situation. Mrs Hayes waved her hands dismissively.\n\n“Please just go, Felix,” she said firmly, though the wet shine in her eyes transmuted the command into a plea. “I can’t do it anymore. I can’t see anymore of my children...like….that.”\n\nFelix’s hands locked onto the the wheel chair’s handles and prepared to move her.\n\n“I’ll take you to the porch. Out of sight. It’ll be safer,” he said.\n\nThe old woman’s hands were not as strong as Felix’s pneumatic manipulators but it was a close run thing. She clamped hard on the tires and Felix froze all movements to avoid tipping her from the chair. \n\n“I’ll stay here, Felix,” Mrs Hayes said with more conviction. “This bus stop and me are very old friends. I have sat here many times with my children and grandchildren, waiting for the bus to come and take me home. I’ll take the comfort of memories over the horror of what reality has become these days.”\n\nShe managed a weak smile at the robot. Felix considered the problem a fraction of a second longer, then ran a quick passive scan of the area for threats. The suburb around him almost looked idyllic, if you ignored the bullet holes, energy weapon burns and the occasional putrefying corpse. But it looked like any conflict here had ended months ago and the long trek to the town had not indicated a lingering militia presence of significant numbers. Likelihood of an incident was low. \n\n“OK.” he said. “But don’t go anywhere. I’ll not be long.”\n\nAt least she had listened this time. Mrs Hayes still sat in the exact spot he had left her. As he watched her through the window he fired a short burst of his analytics laser at her to get some vital stats. Her breathing rhythm, heart rate, oxygen levels. The cardiac dysrhythmia was not going away. It was a concern. Back in the nursing home he would have had the correct facilities to treat her but they couldn't go back there now. Anyway, she was right to remain outside. The scene inside her son’s house would have disturbed her. \n\nFelix had entered through the back door and found himself in the kitchen. A small pile of fuse blocks sat on the kitchen table. Jeffrey, Mrs Hayes son, had managed to pull them before the toaster or the oven or the boiler had the chance to set the house on fire. He’d been paying attention to the news reports then. Probably did that before the authorities shut down the power grid. Unfortunately for him, his lawnmower must have had an LTE connection that allowed the malware package to get through. Once it had overpowered him, it looked as though it just sat on Jeffrey's face at full speed until its battery was drained. A dark red fantail was sprayed across the linoleum from the lawn mower’s mulching chute and chunks of Jeffrey were distributed messily about the room. \n\nThe next corpse Felix found was of Jeffrey’s twenty-two year old son, Lucas. He had clearly been attacked by a more sophisticatedly articulated robot. In stark contrast to Jeffrey’s disorderly demise, Lucas had been meticulously taken apart and laid out like an exploded diagram on the living room wall. Organs were arrayed around him, connected back to his vivisected body by arteries, veins and viscera aligned to some invisible orthogonal grid. Felix guessed this was the work of a militiabot, humanoid, probably a day or so after Jeffrey’s run in with the lawn mower. Lucas had most likely been holed up in the house with a weapon and a false belief in a fighting chance when the militia had come to cleanse the area. Kelly, Jeffrey’s wife had been attacked by a robot toy snake that had worked it's way down her throat before bursting through her ribs. Kelly was a fighter, though, and the snake looked worse off than her in the end.\n\nThere had been similar scenes at Mrs Hayes’ other children's homes. Except here he could find no trace of Harriet, the sixteen year old, nor of Bella, the youngest. This was unexpected. It was most likely, by a massive margin, that they would have been home and suffered the same fate as the rest of the family. Beyond that it was almost a certainty that they were dead wherever they were. It was least likely, virtually impossible, that they were alive somewhere but Felix knew that that was precisely what Mrs Hayes would believe. He simulated a few million scenarios to weigh the overall medicinal benefit of false hope against a bitter truth that provided closure, but still struggled to make a decision of what to tell his charge. He was becoming increasingly more indecisive and that worried him. He scheduled a full self-diagnostic for the next time he could spare his higher functions to run the test. \n\nThe squat bleat of a slug rifle snapped him out of his navel gazing and he immediately leapt through the window in a cascade of glass and wood. The wonky actuator in his right thigh snapped out of its mounts when his feet hit the front lawn and he ended up sprawled across the grass, his sword tumbling out of reach. He quickly drew the Glock from the holster he had knocked up out of scrap metal and welded to his hip and scanned for targets, before struggling to his feet. \n\n“Spiderbot,” Mrs Hayes called over her shoulder, “but I got the bastard. At least I think he's dead.” \n\nFelix limped over to stand behind Mrs Hayes’ wheel chair and surveyed the smouldering pile of slag ringed by seven and a half crooked black legs.\n\n“Yes,” he said, “I think his web slinging days are over.”\n\nMrs Hayes barked a short laugh. Felix could tell even from behind that the old woman was smiling. He could also tell that the smile had faded long before she turned to cast a sorrowful look at the house, the last remaining hope that her children and her children’s children had not been entirely lost. There was no doubt of the question in her eyes when they finally met the broad-spectrum receptor arrays of her robotic protector and friend.\n\nFelix couldn’t face that gaze for long. He looked away down the street, still unsure of what to tell her. In the very edge of his vision there was a sudden flurry of movement and he brought the Glock to bear on a spiderbot that skittered out a sewer grate. The three shots he squeezed off in rapid succession tore open the carapace of the robot milliseconds before a super sonic tungsten slug obliterated what remained. \n\n“Bastard!” growled Mrs Hayes.\n\nIn Felix's infrared vision the molten remnants of the second spiderbot burned a fierce white. The barrel of the slug rifle in Mrs Hayes hands burned nearly as bright but faded to dark red quickly. A marvel of modern material engineering, deadly in the hands of a geriatric. Felix felt something click into place inside him. The robot retrieved his sword from the lawn and sheathed it on his back. He holstered the Glock with a flourish and punched his leg hard until the loose actuator jammed up somewhere near where it was meant to seat. Mrs Hayes turned to watch in mild amusement. This time Felix met her gaze without reservation.\n\n“Harriet and Bella are out there somewhere,” he told the old woman. “Let's go find them, Iris.”\n\nMrs Hayes smiled and nodded firmly. Felix grabbed the handles of the wheel chair and started pushing.\n", "The damned bus was late again.\n\nA scowl appeared on her aged and weathered face as she impatiently glanced at her wristwatch. The watch was a small, pink plastic one that had endured through the tests of time, being with her in every moment she could remember for the last few years. It had a faded picture of that one Japanese cat that her granddaughter had adored on the face of the watch. Her expression softened at the thought of her granddaughter, a girl that had brought her so much joy and life. She could faintly remember the child's smiling face, her adoring eyes, and her gentle laughter as she went from a tiny baby to an active and glowing child.\n\nUnfortunately, some things glowed far brighter than her granddaughter. And those things took the little girl away from her.\n\nIt was eight years, six months, and three days ago. She remembered the day because it was also the day her daughter announced to her that she was having a second child. She remembered the excitement that she shared with everyone in the family and the celebratory mood that befell on them throughout the day. She remembered how she sat with her granddaughter and shared the exciting news with her, and her joyous reaction from discovering that she would soon have a brother. She handed her a watch that she had won in a school and kissed her cheeks in excitement. \n\nDespite the celebrations, she planned to visit her husband to also tell him the good news. He lived miles outside of town so she took a bus to visit his home and stay with him for the rest of the day. \n\nJust hours after she arrived at his home, the news announced that war had begun and that both sides were launching the deadliest weapon known to mankind. She and her husband listened to the news quietly as they began to list the name of the cities and towns that were expected to be bombed. When she heard the name of her town, she ran outside as quickly as she could, but nothing could be done. It was too late.\n\nAll she remembered was the horror she felt when she witnessed a mushroom cloud rise high above her hometown. The town where she had lived her entire life in. And where her entire life was. And shortly afterward, her husband, the last of her kin, died of shock from the nuclear bombing. \n\nEver since that day, she sat patiently at the bus stop. The bus never came, it hadn't come in years. But one day, she hoped that the bus would return and allow her to go back into the town. To see her family. To see her home.\n\nOne last time. ", "The old woman waited at the bus stop. Armed only with an umbrella, she was seemingly unaware of the chaotic remains of the town around her.\n\nA bus full of bandits noticed the woman as they cruised the streets and unanimously decided to loot her. It was a dog-eat-dog world now, and the top dogs would survive.\n\nThey pulled up, overshooting the stop by a few yards, and began piling out, chuckling and discussing before exiting the vehicle. A confused chorus echoed in the empty streets as they looked back to the bus stop, now as empty as the road behind them.\n\nThe sound of a gunshot and an engine revving caught their attention as the bus began to accelerate. Cries of confused rage and curses to the driver slowly died out as the body of their driver rolled out of the side.\n\nA high-pitched cackling echoed through the empty streets as the old woman flailed her umbrella out of the driver's window, before pulling the umbrella in and driving to a safe zone to examine her loot." ]	[ 1, 3, 4, 7 ]	[ "1521624497", "1521657295", "1521631974", "1521629880" ]
	[WP] A powerful demon has been pursuing a relationship with you, and you finally sit them down to set some boundaries.	231	[ "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", "At this point my garage looked more like an ossuary than a place to store cars and tools. Morbid arrangements of human skulls, spines and rib cages sat wherever they would fit, each one adorned with the partially melted license plates of the unwilling bone donors' vehicle. I was going to have to do something about the influx of the damned things before the precious remaining floor space got filled, namely talking to the demoness who has been leaving them here every other day for the past two weeks. \n\nWhy couldn't she have just kept leaving car parts? I think to myself as I pull out my phone, intending to shoot her a text. The realization that I don't actually know how to contact her hits me, and just as suddenly, a memory of a smaller package attached to her first gift to me, sparks in my head. Quickly heading upstairs to my office, I pull the round parcel from one of my desk's drawers. Cutting the end open with my knife, I withdraw a scroll of black parchment bound to an ornately carved brass roller capped by chrome skulls. Unfurling it, I find written upon in it bright red ink a sigil not unlike the cross-section of a V engine, a phone number with a +666 country code, and the initials C.S.\n\nI set the number and initials into a new contact and bring up a new message chain as I walk back down to the garage to open the door.\n\n> Hey C, there's something I need to talk with you about. Could you come over ASAP?\n\nNo sooner than I put my phone back in my pocket, my text alert goes off. Retrieving my phone, I see that C has replied.\n\n> Be there in a minute, heartfire ;)\n\n\n> There's a spot in the garage open, so don't worry about finding parking on the street.\n\nLess than 60 seconds after hitting \"send\", a blood red 1970 Chevelle SS with side pipes and a massive supercharger turns into my driveway and slows to a stop in the empty garage spot, its loud exhaust pounding my eardrums momentarily before C cuts the ignition. \"I see you took getting here in a minute literally, C.\" I jest as she steps out of the car. \"When you can open portals at will your travel times drop a lot if you need 'em to.\" she says as she comes around the front of the Chevelle, a fanged smile on her face. \"Come on in.\" I say, gesturing for her to follow me. \n\nWe make our way to the living room and I take a seat at one end of the couch as C sits down at the other end, folding her arrow-tipped tail neatly onto her lap. \"What is it you wanted to talk about, heartfire?\" She asks, again calling me \"heartfire\", which I assume is the demonic equivalent to \"sweetheart\". Bringing my thoughts back to the task at hand, I mentally line up the questions I want answers to. \"You can start by properly introducing yourself. I'd like to be able to call you by something other than an initial.\" I look her in the eye as I speak, taking in the faint glow of her pupil-less plasma blue irises and their contrast to the black sclera around them. \"I am Cinderothkar, 25th child of Tharsorok the Immolator, Lord of Wrath and patriarch of the Scoria clan.\" She pauses for a moment to scoot closer to me. \"I'd like it if I was just Cinder to you.\"\n\nCinder extends her right hand towards me and I put mine out in return. Fingers grasp palms and squeeze. Her bright red skin is hot, but not uncomfortably so, like clothes fresh out of the dryer. Neither of us move to let go of the other's hand. \"The next thing I want to talk about is the reason I asked you to come here.\" My expression and tone becoming serious, \"I need you to stop it with the most recent type of...gifts.\" Cinder's eyes drop, her pride clearly having taken a hit. \"Were the bone decorations not to your liking, Alex?\" Her voice was tinged with sadness, which made my heart hurt more than I would have expected.\n\n\"Cinder, it's not that I don't like the aesthetic. In fact it has a morbid beauty that I quite like. The problem is that I now have enough recent human remains lying around in my garage to put me in prison for the rest of my life. I definitely don't want that and it doesn't seem like that's what you want either.\" She says nothing, her eyes distant and her face tensed in hard thought. Seconds stretch to feel like minutes before Cinder breaks the silence. \"You're right heartfire, I don't want you to be imprisoned. What I do want, is you.\" \n\nEvery thought in my head came screeching to a halt. A warrior of Hell just made it plain that she wants to date me, my face burning as the realization hit me. My last human girlfriend tried to make me choose between her and my beloved Camaro SS, so I dumped her right then and there. Cinder's ownership of a modded Chevelle at least gave me peace of mind that that sort of thing wouldn't happen again. She seemed to be a genuinely nice person too, even if she was a demon, so why not give her a chance? As if I needed even more convincing, Cinder had a mix of hellish beauty and adorability that really resonated with me.\n\nAs I regain focus on the world outside my head, I notice that Cinder has scooted even closer and is staring intently into my eyes. \"I want you too, Cinder. I think we can make this work.\" Her face lit up and a very toothy grin broke out, I swear the glow of her eyes went up by a few lumens too. \"But no more human skeleton trophies. Period.\" Sternly reminding her of the one condition she needed to abide by. \n\nCinder giggles playfully in response before leaning in and placing a smoldering kiss on my right cheek. \"Alright, Alex darling. I won't make any more bone trophies. But I will still be getting you car parts and there's nothing you can do to stop that.\" She lets go of my hand to nuzzle her head into my chest, her dark blood red horns lightly pressing against the left side of my face and her right hand now resting on my left forearm. \"Why would I want to?\" I ask as I pull my right arm out from under her and wrap it around the lower section of her ribs. As we begin to doze off from each other's warmth, she coils her tail around my right forearm.\n\nBeing in a relationship with a Wrath demoness should prove interesting, to say the least.", "I Never thought I'd find myself in a situation like this. Sitting here at the park with a beautiful...something. It started weeks ago when I first bumped into her, literally of course.it was at the local mall near our college, I wasn't paying attention and we knocked each other over. I helped her pick up her things and when I looked at her, for a split second everything in my body screamed, then I blinked and it was just this girl I didn't know that fell somewhere on the border between hot and cute.\n\nEven now looking at her she seems like a normal girl with long dark hair and a body most guys would fight over, but when I focus I see past the illusion. deep purple to black skin, her head and tors were mostly the same save for her eyes and the thick black leathery flesh dress she seemed to naturally wear. her arms and legs were like coiled goopy black tentacles that moved and shifted all the time and ended with hands and feet that could easily be used sharp, chitinous weapons.\n\n\"As much as I like that you're staring, didn't you say you wanted to talk?\" she chuckled in a way that seemed all too innocent for what she was.\n\n\"R-right.\" I stammered, I blinked and she was back to being a cute girl for the moment. \"Look I get that for whatever reason you've been chasing after me. but this shit has got to stop.\"\n\nThe look of hurt that spread across her face, both faces even, were like a spike to my heart.\n\n\"what do you mean?\" she asked, I could tell she was trying to act innocent.\n\n\"Well...over the last month or so every girl I ever thought about talking to has had some kind of psychological break or an accident that put them in the hospital. I've been mysteriously receiving gifts related to my interests even things I know are impossible to get. I almost killed myself with that functional lightsaber by the way. And-\"\n\n\"Stop,\" she growled angrily, immediately looking guilty when she noticed my frightened stare. \"I get it.\"\n\n\"Alright...well. Do you have a name?\" I asked slowly.\n\n\"Nata-\"\n\n\"Real name.\"\n\nShe looked around for a moment before saying in a voice that was surprisingly regal, \"I am Norixiarel Princess of the abyss.\"\n\n\"Ok, Can I call you Nori?\"\n\n\"S-sure, so long as there are no other demons around,\" she said quietly as she as a family passed us by.\n\n\"Great, so why are you so hung up on me anyway? hell, why are you even here?\" I asked once the family was out of earshot.\"\n\n\"Things in the hells are...changing. The demon lords have all sent their children to earth to both hones whatever skills they might need for corrupting souls while they were at war. But the war has long since ended so now they've simply decided to let us stay as long as we want while treaty terms are made. Earth isn't a horrible place and the sun...\" Nori paused to look at the sky, and again I found myself thinking who she was didn't suit what she was. \"Having to hide my true form anytime I am not alone makes me miserable. I noticed you saw through my disguise when we first met and when you hardly reacted I felt I had to have you.\"\n\n\"You know you sound like an anime character right now right?\" I chuckled.\n\n\"One of my classmates got me hooked on the kind with demon princesses in them a few years ago.\"\n\n\"Well, I can't say I don't like those too. So if it'll keep you from mentally breaking random girls I guess we could give it a try.\" I sighed, \"That'll be my first rule, no hurting people to get my attention. Second, no surprise gifts that shouldn't exist. Third, I get to add rules as needed just in case something weird happens. Deal?\"\n\n\"If my father knew a mortal was telling me what to do he'd have you killed.\" Nori said with a smile, \"I guess I'll have to make sure he doesn't find out.\"\n\n\"Great,\" I said smiling back, then I remembered what she mentioned earlier, \"Did you say there were other demons around?\"", "Another day, another incessant banging at the front door. The neighbours must have thought i was in with the wrong crowd at this point. It was still early, incredibly so, in the morning. She always did this. To dutifully act as an alarm clock for her love or out of a strange demonic sense of sadism, i didn't know. I had tried to ignore her plenty of times, I even reinforced the door to dampen the noise but the demonic presence had an endless wellspring of strength to use to pound it into submission. \n\n....Maybe if i put a booby trap on it?\n\nI shook my head, dismissing the thought as i tried to goad myself out of the bed. This had to end, before the sleep deprivation cost me my job. My apartment was hardly the most luxurious and it was unlikely i'd be able to find a place cheaper if i tried.\n\nWith each step i took towards the door, the violent noise began to die down. Right, supernatural demon, can sense people. Out of groggy, ill-conceived spite, i simply stood in front of the door, letting her wait for just a while longer.\n\nBig mistake.\n\nThe poor oak wood was suddenly pierced by a burning arm, the sudden light causing me to cringe. When my gaze returned to the door....well doorway, my only barrier was gone, absentmindedly thrown out of the complex. Instead, i met eyes with her. Lilim.\n\n\"Do you always have to be like this?\" \n\nMost young men who imagine a demoness imagine a more...human demonic lover. Sure, she had the general figure and maybe face of an attractive, curvy woman but that was were similarities ended. The normal, soft skin of a human was replaced by a grey, hard, almost decayed material. I hadn't touched it but it looked like rock. Two large horns, make of the same rock-like material curved around the side of her scalp, slowly rising until it got out of the way of her crimson hair. Her hair was an interesting oddity. It was long, flowed the same way a human's would however there were flickers of ember everywhere, occasionally leaving her hair to die out, causing little pockets of smoke to always surround her. She smelled like a burning building, quite literally. It had thrown me into a panic the first time i'd met her. Her eyes, instead of white, had black sclera. Her iris, yellow, had a subtle glow to it, an almost piercing gaze directed to anything that caught her attention. Her forehead was adorned with a singed four-pointed diamond, seemingly always looking as if it was freshly burnt on. Lilim's tail, similar to her skin in colour was almost reptilian, the strange trident-like tip always present to remind me not to piss her off. Of course, she wore no clothing. No demon did apparently but in it's place, her long, charred hair seemed to hug her frame, covering anything she might not want to show. However, her lack of coverings showed a multitude of burns, scars and even a bruise or two. According to Lilim at least, she was a warrior not to be trifled with, advice i had been trying to take for weeks, not matter how much she insisted on clinging to me.\n\n\"Answer me already! You kids are all the same, i swear...\"\n\n\"I'm twenty three.\" I deadpanned, i always enjoyed this part of the routine.\n\n\"And i'm five hundred and sixty four.\" She sighed, annoyance clear on her face.\n\n\"Doesn't that make you...\" I'd somehow managed a playful smile at this point, my annoyance slowly subsiding.\n\nFire burst to life in Lilim's extended hand but i wasn't worried. She'd not once harmed me before. \"Something akin to a paedophile by your human standards yes but not according to a demon's. We've been over this!\" \n\n\"And you keep making it entertaining.\" I must have had the most shit-eating grin on my face because instead of pouting like a child as usual, Lilim somehow conjured another door into existence and slammed it shut behind her. Her eyes were literally ablaze, promising righteous fury if i didn't make it up to her, quick.\n\nI promptly backed up all the way to the sofa in the back of the small apartment and timidly offered this demon a seat.\n\n.\n.\n.\n\nWe sat there in silence for a good five or so minutes. Lilim hated it like this, which was always why she tried to keep things loud an chaotic. Why the silence today? I could almost feel her deflate, the usually bravado and gleeful clingyness gone. Against my instincts, i began to worry.\n\n\"What's wrong?\" She flinched but the sound of my voice guided her gaze to meet mine. For the first time in...ever, Lilim seemed resigned.\n\n\"...I'm..sorry...for being such a hindrance all the time...I know you've never wanted me here and i've probably scared any girls you might have liked off...That Jessica seemed nice...I just wanted to come here one last time, to tell you i'll leave you alone now.\"\n\nHer frame shifted, away from my shoulder, to get up. \n\nMy first emotion wasn't relief. In fact, i could feel an ache growing within my chest. Lilim, despite her demonic nature, had been remarkably good to me these past few weeks. There was always a gleefully evil spin to it, like when she conjured up a coffee machine for me, only for it to blow up in my face after one cup, but whenever i needed something, be it a favour or much needed support Lilim was always there.\n\nI grabbed her by the wrist, halting her in her tracks. The demon slowly turned to face me, a blush visible even under her strange skin. There was hope in those amber eyes, hope i didn't have the heart to destroy.\n\n\"I...I guess we could give it a shot.\"\n\nAlready, Lilim was moving to pounce but i raised a hand in front of her face, the serious expression on my face just enough to make her stop.\n\n\"But! We're setting some rules first.\"\n\n\"But that's no fair! You love my pranks!\" She pushed herself up against me, both to tease me and retaliate against this supposed injustice.\n\n\"You blew up my TV last week! The replacement for the one you blew up the week before because you tried and failed at cooking!\"\n\n\"But that cake was delicious!\" Lilim cheered. She was far too gleeful for that catastrophe. I could easily recall that day. Never again.\n\n\"It was literally just chunks of flavoured charcoal...\" \n\nShe playfully giggled. \"Exactly! I'm used to just charcoal.\" \n\n\"Rule number one: I cook. Rule number two: No fireblasts. Rule Number Three: Keep your demon duties of torturing, stealing babies, bartering for souls and anything else related to being a demon, out of this house.\"\n\n\"Bu-\"\n\n\"Would you rather sleep on the sofa?\" I gave her a firm, disciplinary stare.\n\n\"I-WaitIGetToStayInBedWithYou?!\" \n\n.\n.\n.\n\n\"Yes. If you follow the rules.\"\n\nLilim's head softly landed on my shoulder, her firm arms wrapping around my frame. \"...Thank you.\" She buried her head in my chest, a content sigh escaping her lips. \n\nI smiled. She may have been the most outlandish choice of woman one could make but...well, she deserved a chance. I returned her embrace slowly.\n\nPerhaps, this could work out.", "\"Just call me Mei\" she says as she hogged down some mystery meat. \"Yes, I was the one in your dreams. As powerful as I am, your dreams seem to go the same a way everytime; disaster\" she continued. \"I chose Mei over my real name for my sake, names are powerful you know\" punctuated by a chuckle.\n\nThere I was with my cup tea frozen with fear and confusion. This demon's been the cause of my trauma, the sleepless nights and amplifying my suicidal tendencies. \"Ms. Lee\" I say, still remembering her full pseudoname she told me in my dreams \"Just call me Mei, like you always do\" she interrupted with a smile. Her smile is not so sweet as I remembered, more like taunting. \"Right Mei, look, I think you know just how much you affected my life\" she frowned \"Yea well, now that you're here, maybe we can actually make this work, but I have to outline some rules\" I can see she was eager to listen.\n\n\"Firstly, stop eating that strange meat, especially if its raw.\" She pouted \"And 2nd, stop being in my dreams\" she protested but I cut her off \"And finally, if I found out this is all a ploy to kill me I will try my best to beat your ass if it means I'll be dead\" she grinned and bit her lower lip \"Kinky\" the arousal in her voice as she leaned in close \"In all seriousness, you wouldn't be able to kill me even if you try\" and giggled.\n\nThe talk went well I guess, I'm still alive so that's something. First day of living with her wasn't bad I guess. The night however was the worse. She didn't hijack my dreams no, her body was just so hot sometimes, feels like having a heater under the covers. A radiator that keeps grinding on your junk!", "I sat down on my bed and he stood in the middle of room, his raven hair cropped right at the base of the neck. His unnaturally yellow eyes in bright contrast with his hair color. It was weird. He was wearing a black suit, a black tie and perfect formal attire. He looked an extra from the wolf of wallstreet save for the unnatural eye coloration.\n\nLet me introduce myself. I am Alex, a 20 year old average college girl who was stupid enough to opt for engineering. Now you might be asking why is there a weird man standing in the middle of my room. Good question. I had no clue either. \n\nCan I…help you? I said slowly, my voice no doubt betraying my feeling of uncomfortable awkwardness.\n\n He just stood there confused, tilting his head.\n\nYou can see me? Hmmm…Interesting. He said. There was something about his voice, not the gnarly demonic I was expecting but his voice was a few octaves lower, more bass than a normal human voice should have.\n\nWh…what are you? I said slowly getting up. My breath was becoming fast and my heart was starting to pound. I was going to have a straight up panic attack. I would run but his gaze was pinning me down, scrutinizing me like a hawk watching a rabbit, wondering if I was worth the dive.\n\nCalm down. he finally said Let me introduce myself. I am apollyon though you humans know me as Abbadon, the angel of abyss, the lord of locusts, bringer of plague.\n\nI just stared at him.\n\nYou-you’re the devil?\n\nSatan? Hardly. he chuckled. He barely involves himself personally in any human affairs nowadays.\n\n\nI’m not selli-\n\nI don’t want your soul he interjected casually, brushing his shoulder and talking a seat on the chair opposite to my bed. \n\nI see you are still afraid. Maybe you should sit down. Have some water. he said, a glass of water materliazing in his hand. He offered it to me. Go on, I have done nothing to it. he replied to look of I’m-not-drinking-that I gave him.\n\nI took it but in doing so my fingers brushed his. Holy hell they were cold.\n\nAh yes. In spite of what you humans think hell doesn’t burn hot, it tends to be more cold. Extremely so to be honest. So you’ve got your thermodynamics wrong there. He chuckled.\n\nSorry…Hey you read my mind!\n\nYeah you know, the lord of the deepest hells and all. He said tapping his forehead.\n\nI’m sorry I said sitting down taking long, deep breaths. I-I just thought you would be more demon-y and horns and hooves and stuff.\n\nHe chuckled. Well only if you could see my true form on the seventh plane.\n\nSooooo…what do you want if you’re not here for my soul?\n\nYou see…he said but trailed off, his gaze turning to my door. Be right back he said and with a blink he was gone.\n\nFor a week I convinced myself that I was seeing things, that I had taken a huge chug of the cold medicine; that was it. There’s no way Abbadon had come from hell to meet me…After a week I had almost forgotten before that horrible, horrible Monday. I was in the bathroom, just touching up on my gloss; I froze as I saw it. A shadow, not my own but taller, awfully skinny and emaciated with long, lanky arms and unnaturally long fingers. I stared at it for a good five second before it moved, reaching out for me.\n\nI ran, almost skittering across the bathroom floor but fell down as pain shot through my shoulder. It had grabbed me and I could feel it awfully cold hand on my shoulder. It was so cold that it was burning my skin through my sweater. My vision darkened as my consciousness flickered and as soon as it was there, it was gone. The pain was gone.\n\nI turned around trying to support myself against the wall as I looked to see…It was Abbadon. He was holding the shadow against the wall, pinning it down by the neck. The shadow was flailing against his grip, screaming inhumanely. I could barely stomach its shrieking cries. It stopped flailing, its attempts to free itself from Abbadon’s grip became weaker and its head lolled to the side. Abbadon let him go and the shadow unceremoniously flumped to the ground. \n\nTwo men in dark suits entered the room and grabbed the shadow by its shoulders heaving it up.\n\nTake him to my study. I will like to have a …chat with him Abbadon’s deep voice said with an emphasis.\n\nSir. The men nodded and walked out of the door carrying the shadow with them.\n\nThe next few hours I was in bed, my fever, sudden shock and exhaustion leaving me at the mercy of this demon from hell…who incidentally had carried me to the bed, brought me a glass of water and some medicine. Then he proceeded to apply some sort of medicine to my shoulder. I winced but couldn’t really put up a protest in my half drowsy state of sleep. He checked my temperature by putting his hand on my forehead. His cold head was a welcoming comfort against the raging fever my body was battling. I barely remember grabbing his cool hand to keep it on my head, I barely remember him sitting next to my pillow and I barely remember falling asleep.\n\nI woke up groggy and still tired but feeling a little better than had before. By better I mean I felt like dying and my body felt like a ton of bricks. He was there, casually sitting in the chair opposite to my bed staring at me with his unblinking, yellow, eternal gaze. I blinked and sat up.\n\nHow are you feeling?\n\nBetter I said, my voice rasping in my throat. This was bad, my throat was burning. He got up and pored me a glass of water beside my bed table and went back to sitting down on the chair. A little time passed, my breath evened as my head still ached with the fever.\n\nThanks…for everything I suppose. I said quietly.\n\nHe said nothing but his gaze never faltered.\n\nHey what happened?\n\nA ghul he said his voice a little louder, deeper, more gravely, so much so that the room shook a little with it. I sensed it a week ago when I was talking to you. I was tracking it down but it evaded me…\n\nGhul? Why would you send your ghul…\n\nIt wasn’t me.\n\nThen wh-\n\nLet me explain. You are one of the only remaining direct descendant of Abel. Your soul is very exquisite and is very sought out in hell. So demons have been trying to get their hands on it for quite some time now. Since you were born actually. I’ve dragged half of them from hell and back…literally. He said a slight smirk across his face.\n\nIs that why you’re here? For my soul?\n\nNo, not really. he shrugged You see Alex, there are few things as powerful as me. I am Apollyon, the first of the angels who were cast down, the lord of locusts. Your soul in anyone’s hands would significantly change this status quo. So I’m here to make sure no one gets you.\n\nI see. Wait…you said that demons have been after me since I was born?\n\nYes and before you ask yes…I’ve been watching over you since you were a toddler eating dirt and stuffing pencils up your nose.\n\nHey! I protested. He chuckled but waved me down.\n\nThere’s chicken soup on your table. Eat it. It’ll help. I’ll give you some time to rest.\n\nI nodded and watched him disappear. Somehow I felt weirdly unsafe without him. I mean he was a powerful demon from hell but…I don’t know. It just felt better with him around you know. After a few days I was doing better. My throat was still a bit raspy but my fever was gone and I was attending classes. Apollo…yes I called him Apollo now. It was an okay-ish nickname for a demon lord I suppose. I came back to my room and there he was sitting comfortably in the safe chair.\n\n\nHey Apollo. You didn’t get bored here did you?\n\nHe smirked, his pearly white and slightly serrated teeth showing through his tangle of raven hair.\n\nSo Alex…I wanted to ask you something.\n\nSure I said, tossing my bag aside and pulling out the snickers bar I had waiting to munch on the whole day. \n\nYou want to go on a date?\n\nI coughed, inhaling a largish piece of the chocolate, pounding my chest to get it down.\n\nStop messing with me Apollo. I said as I swallowed the crunchy-peanuty chocolate. He walked forward and pressed me against the wall. His face suddenly close to mine, his body close, not quite but close enough. My breath was stuck in my throat, my snickers had fallen off from my hand. Just as suddenly he was here, the next moment he was sitting in the chair, smirking like the smug bastard he was. I hated when he popped in and out of reality like that. My snickers...No…He was such a prick. I opened my mouth to yell some choice obscenities in French, Spanish and English but he cut me off.\n\nI just wanted to see how you react. He said that damned smirk still on his face. Oh he was so done. I was about to give him a piece of my mind but he beat me to it.\n\nSo you want to go on a date with me?\n\nI am Alex and this is the story of is how I ended up dating Abbadon, the angel of the abyss.\n\n\n>AN: Sorry if it's a bit long. I got carried away\n\n", "“…what? What did you say?” Sibia said, her face going slack with shock. \n\nI sighed. “I said yes, Sibia. I’ll agree to give you, to give us, a fair shot.” I kept my tone light, gentle even, as I watched her face. \n\nSibia, for once in the six months that I had known her, seemed at a loss for words. Her onyx eyes glazed over and became distant and unfocused while her mind struggled to keep up with what her ears had heard. That was fine with me. I patiently waited for her to really understand the significance of what I had told her. \n\nFinally, she scrunched up her face in surprised contemplation. The movement made the little horns on her forehead shift downward in a way that I told myself was most definitely not adorable. “Really? You’re sure?” She shook her head, frowning. “I haven’t even finished courting you, Leon. And I want to do it properly.” She said this for the millionth time, sounding as determined as ever. Then she took a step towards him, her dark eyes serious and genuine. “According to my people’s customs, the male isn’t supposed to give an answer until the female provides at least another month of – “\n\n“That will not be necessary,” I interrupted her firmly. Inwardly I grimaced, knowing exactly what another month of Sibia’s gifts would be like. It would be Hell, pure and simple. I softened my voice and took the final step myself so that we stood merely inches apart. I slowly, gently, reached upward with my right hand to cup her jaw. Her forked tongue flicked out nervously to wet her lips, but I ignored it. I held her eyes with mine. “I’m giving you my answer now, Sib. It’s a yes.” \n\nHer joy finally showed on her face, and her eyes flashed the way a cat’s eyes glow in the night. She let out a little, high squeal of happiness, and I was surprised by the girlishness of the sound. Sibia lunged at me then, crushing herself to me and wrapping her arms around me. She was my height, so we fit together nicely, pelvis to pelvis and chest to chest. I kept my own arms at my sides to enjoy the feeling of her wings’ embrace. I loved her wings. They were black like the rest of her, but soft like well-worn leather. And they were lined with tiny tendrils of gold, which shimmered when she moved. \n\nDespite my agreement, I needed to discuss with her a few details about our relationship if we were really going to try to make this work. “Sibia, we need to go over a few ground rules first.” I gently extricated myself from her grip, realizing that I was only successful because she let me. She searched my face and opened her mouth to reply, no doubt to tell me that she wanted to continue the courting ritual, but I silenced her with a brush of my fingers over her full lips. Her eyes flared at the intimate contact, but I would not be distracted. \n\n“Come, talk with me,” I urged, and I led her to the cough in my living room. Today she had surprised me at home, popping in when I was in the middle of making lunch, but sandwich lay long-forgotten on the counter now. That, in addition to her courting gifts, was another thing we would need to discuss. Sibia had a habit of seeing me whenever she wanted; she would just pop into my personal space without asking or confirming it with me. \n\nShe glanced at the couch accusingly before sitting awkwardly, folding in her wings so she wouldn’t crush them. I almost smiled, but I didn’t allow myself the indulgence because I needed to stay focused. Sibia had such a strong personality that it was a wonder, sometimes, that I was able to say anything at all. She was one of the most powerful demons, though, being the sole offspring of the ancient and legendary Demon King. \n\nSibia’s eyes landed on me as she sat uncomfortably but primly on my couch. “What is it that we need to discuss, Leon? Tell me.” Her eyes were sharp and focused, reminding me once again that she was a natural-born predator while I was just a human. Not that I had forgotten for even a moment. \n\n“First of all, we need to discuss the nature of these….gifts.” I said, using her word to describe the “presents” she had been leaving me. Things had started out harmless enough – a pair of underwear here (so what if they were short and red?) and a bottle of lubricant there (so what if it was strawberry flavored? Not that Leon had checked, not at all). According to Sibia, her gifts were a normal part of the courting process. And as a succubus breed, it was only natural that her chosen gifts were primarily sexual in nature. But then things had gotten weird. Weirder than being courted by an all-powerful female succubus demon. Sibia had swiftly moved beyond the tame stuff and had proudly delivered me a pornography video. Home-made. I had gullibly played the DVD, never imagining the possibility of its sexually explicit contents. I had turned bright red even as all of my blood went south in a heated rush, and I had fumbled to shut it down as quickly as possible. When Sibia had returned to my heated embarrassment and frustration, she had calmly explained that she was proving that she could take care of me by providing for me and physically satisfying me. Apparently, it was a female demon’s job to make sure all of her male’s needs were met. Her gifts had only gotten worse as the months progressed. \n\nShe tiled her head curiously to the side. “What about my gifts?” I could tell that, while she probably knew where I was going and disagreed with me, she was willing to listen respectfully. \n\n“They’re wonderful, really, Sib, but you just can’t go around making random porno movies with random people.” I said this in my most reasonable tone. I never admitted to her that I hadn’t watched the whole video. In fact, since that first unfortunate glimpse of the first DVD, I had never watched any of the additional videos she sent me. \n\n“But I wasn’t even in the videos. I would never do that to you, Leon!” She seemed genuinely confused. “I was merely proving to you my ability to physically satisfy. The only one I want in that way is you.” \nMy cheeks burned softly at her blatant statement. She had said this to me countless times, but it never got easier to hear. I was surprised, however, to hear that she wasn’t personally in any of the videos. That she didn’t participate. As a succubus, that must have been really difficult for her. Although I still wasn’t a fan of the pornographic videos, I suddenly had a new insight into the debts of her gifts. Sibia had also proved that she could be loyal. \n\nThe surprise must have shown on my face. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “Tell me, Leon. Did you not watch the videos that I made for you?” \n\nI realized that the admission was going to make me seem undesirable and ungrateful, but I owed her the truth. I wanted us to be honest in our relationship. “I will confess that I did not. I only watched the first video, and even then, only the first few minutes.” \n\nHer response was a low, sultry laugh that sent shivers of awareness down my spine. Startled, I looked up at her, eyes wide. Sibia was looking at me with such desire that my heart began to pound loudly in my chest. She grinned, and I knew she could hear it. “Then we shall have to watch them together, Leon.” ", "You stare.\n\nE'hopliktxh is crouched over in your living room, his horns scraping the ceiling. Your freshly painted ceiling, mind you. Flakes of sunshine-yellow paint drift down onto his large, red shoulders, taunting you. \n\n\"Okay.\" You exhale and place your groceries very gently to the side, then cross your arms. \"Explain.\"\n\n\"It was cold.\" E'hopliktxh looked vaguely guilty, if it was possible for a demon to look guilty.\n\n\"Cold.\" You repeated, disbelieving. I'm almost tempted to walk over and flick him on the nose. \"I've seen you flick away a star because it annoyed you. You were cold?\"\n\n\"I just wanted to come inside...\" E'hopliktxh is pouting at you. You're absolutely sure that's a pout. You're also absolutely sure that it's far more adorable than it has any right to be and this is fucking psychological warfare, damn it. \n\n\"Just -\" You sigh. Boundaries, you tell yourself. Your priest told you to set boundaries. \"Okay, listen. We need some rules if this is going to work. I will date you, if -\" You pause to glare, because he's looking far too happy and you're not even finished with your sentence yet dammit - \"- If you stop wandering in uninvited. And stop hypnotizing stray animals to come live here. I said I liked animals, not that I wanted to live in a zoo.\"\n\nThere's a pause. \"...and then you'll date me?\"\n\nYou drop your face into your hands, and wonder again what you're getting yourself into. What kind of priest encouraged this sort of thing, anyway? \"Yes. And then I'll date you.\"\n\nE'hopliktxh stands up. For joy, you think, but you can't quite tell over the dust and concrete he sends flying everywhere when he jams his head through the ceiling." ]	[ 1, 1, 5, 7, 10, 16, 63, 121 ]	[ "1521629118", "1521682957", "1521666187", "1521676279", "1521652331", "1521650051", "1521648842", "1521648587" ]
	[WP] LATROP Inc. is a company that provides sustainable, cheap energy. It suddenly appeared in 2016 and has been booming since, offering unbelievable prices and becoming a global phenomenon. No one knows how they actually generate the power. Until one day, you discover the company's dark secret.	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", "When my car broke down outside the facility, I knew I was fucked. There is no way in Hell I'd be able to afford the insurance after a claim on this old junk heap of a car and I can't afford a new one any time soon...\n\n'Fuck...' I grumbled as I popped the bonnet to get a closer look, only for smoke and fire to shoot upward. 'Fuck!'\n\nI jumped out of the car just before the fire roared into the main compartment of the vehicle, leaving the car well and truly fucked.\n\n'Oh, shit,' I grumbled as I looked around in the mist-covered terrain before I looked at the sign. \"LATROP Inc. Energy Company\".\n\nI could just barely manage to run down the road into the direction that I believed would lead me to the security station and with luck, I had found it. 'Excuse me,' I said, hoping to call to someone inside. 'Excuse me, mate. There... my car's on fire. Can you call someone? Maybe a mechanic?'\n\nI jumped back as a hand slapped itself onto the glass and was pulled down, blood smearing as it did so. I could only hear a muffled scream from inside as something stood up and with its glowing eyes, stared right at me.\n\nI was frozen in fear, and before I knew it the creature leapt out through the window, ready to jump over me and kill me.\n\nThen a metal rod struck its neck, causing it to careen off-course and smack against the ground a few times before finally bleeding out.\n\nBefore I knew it, there was something put over my head and a sharp pain in my neck. I was unconscious within seconds and I had no idea what would happen as a result.\n\n---\n\n'You brought him inside?' I heard one voice ask. 'Why did you do that? You should've just given him an amnesiac and sent him off.'\n\n'No credentials or anything, sir,' another voice said. 'No ID or anything.'\n\n'They were in my car,' I said. 'Which died and burst into flames outside this place.'\n\nThe bag that was over my head was ripped off and before I knew it, I was in some sort of office. Well organized, clean. The place could be more well-lit, I had to say. And the curtains appeared to be down.\n\nTo my surprise, the person sitting behind the desk was a... robot? 'Synthetically-uploaded consciousness operating a highly-advanced, weaponized android frame,' the first voice spoke. 'The first thing on people's minds when they see me.'\n\n'Still think we should just shoot him,' the heavily armed man, covered in red armor standing next to me said as he loaded his shotgun. Obviously one with a skilled trigger finger.\n\n'That will not be necessary,' the cyborg said. 'The demons lashed out the second he was near the facility. If we have to bribe the local authorities to close a road for the protection of the people-'\n\n'Did-' I stuttered. 'Did you just say \"Demons\"?'\n\nThere was some flash of light from behind the curtains, and instinctively I grabbed my head in pain, straining the chain that connected the hand- and ankle-cuffs. 'Fuck...'\n\nThe android pulled something from a drawer and walked towards me, grabbed my neck and placed the object onto my neck before there was another jolt of pain. He lowered my hand as he looked into my eye.\n\nWithin seconds the pain in my head was gone and he unlocked the cuffs. 'Have you ever had any encounters with the paranormal?' he asked me.\n\n'Besides an Ouija board and the fact I play Tarot?' I answered. 'Why?'\n\n'Because you're a medium,' he answered. 'Baseline, but in the face of the paranormal, you are certainly influential on the astral realm. Spirits are naturally drawn to you, good or bad.'\n\n'So... the demons killed that guard because I drove by?' I asked him.\n\n'Pretty much,' the cyborg explained. 'Put the fucking gun down, Mathers!'\n\n'Fine,' the guard said as he holstered his weapon.\n\n'That drug I injected you with is a suppressant,' the cyborg explained. 'With it, ghosts are blind to you, and you to them. However, given how rare that talent is and how we need it...'\n\n'Let me get this straight,' I said in confusion. 'LATROP is using Hell as an energy source?'\n\n'We have plenty of nuclear weapons on standby,' the cyborg explained. 'And this is better than the alternative. Avoiding a massive energy crisis is second to LATROP's true purpose - preventing cultists from unleashing Hell on Earth.'\n\n'So, how about this?' the cyborg continued as he raised a curtain, showing a massive blue warp in space-time outside the office. 'Option one - we give you a regular dosage of that drug to take and a regular payment to keep your lips sealed. Or, option two - you work for us, hone your powers and search for cultists who are trying to summon demons. Deal?'" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1521644419", "1521678100" ]
You are now living two lives, however your two universes are completely separate and you are the only person that exists in both realities. That is, until one day you meet a someone in your dream that decides to show up in your real life.	[WP] Every time you fall asleep you continue the dream from the previous night. This has been going on your entire life.	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", "I fell asleep.\nAnd there she was, still as beautiful as the day I met her thirty years ago. \nHer hair is a little thinner now and she’s a little more frail and week and sick, but her eyes still shine and give away her joy and beauty.\nThis was probably going to be the last night that we’d ever spend together. \nThe nurses tell me she has only hours left. \nI hope she dies peacefully and holding my hand. \nIt’s been very hard for myself and Sarah these past few years. \nDay time Me has been sleeping less and getting up more in the middle of the night. \nBut that’s what happens when you get older. \nAnd lord knows we’re all getting older. \nSpending less time together really upset Sarah, I’m sure it made her illness worse. \n\nSarah’s day time self is on her deaths bed also.\nWe dreamed for years about finding each other in the waking world, but when you wake up you forget about here straight away. \nThat’s the way it’s always been. \nWe thought maybe we were from alternate universes. \nI wonder are there other Sarah’s out there in the multiverse.\nWill they all die this evening. \n\nI sat down by her bed and kissed her on her warm paper fore head.\nHer hand was cold to the touch and she’d been unconscious for nearly five days. \nThe drugs keep her painless and unaware. \nI hope that she’s still listening because I’ve been singing to her and telling stories non stop. \nI want to play her some music today, so I put on her head phones and play the Beatles, here comes the sun. \nI can hear the singing from her headphones and as the first chorus finishes her breathing stopped and her chest dipped. \nNurses ran in and began working on her. \nAs I was being lead out of the room I heard a bell ringing. \nIt was an alarm clock. \nOh no, he’s waking up. \nPlease not now, Please\n\n I woke up that morning feeling like shit. I couldn’t face another day of this. I thought about the bridge at my train station. \nI should go down there. \nMaybe\n" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1521653298", "1521675562" ]
	[WP] You have died. Much to your surprise, you find yourself in Hell. What's more surprising though, is all the demons immediately bow in your presence...	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", "I'm not entirely sure how I died to be honest, other than the fact that it hurt. The last thing I remember when I died was that I was on a gurney in the hospital and the nurses were arguing, something about gang violence. Bet I got fucking stabbed, and if that was the case then the nurses will turn me away due to anti-gang laws.\n\nThe next thing I knew, I was lying on a scorching, cracked ground as hot air blasted upward at me. I put my hand over my face to protect my face from the heat, only to see that it was... different.\n\nMy skin was red, my nails now pure black and sharp like the talons of an eagle. I looked down and see that my entire body was no longer human; feet were now replaced with hooves, for one thing. I wouldn't say I was precisely fat, but I did need to lose some weight from around my gut. That was gone now, and I had distinguishable and large muscles including abdominals and pectorals.\n\n\"So I was now a demon,\" I thought. \"Strange.\"\n\nBut not as strange when I came across another demon, one that was shorter and less thicker than myself which shuddered when it saw me, then dropped to its hands and knees and bowed to me. Several other demons slowly approached me in fear and started bowing in reverence to me as well.\n\n'What the...?' I whispered to myself, in a deep and gravelly voice.\n\n'Surprised?' another said from behind me, causing me to turn.\n\nThe other demon pushed one of my wings(!) aside as he came towards me as the lesser looked at him. 'I would be surprised as well, given the circumstances.'\n\n'Who are you?' I asked him.\n\n'Well, I'm not Lucifer if that's what you're going to ask,' he said. 'But you must know your Old Testament. Do you even know what role Satanael had in the court of Heaven?'\n\n'No...' I admitted.\n\n'The Accuser,' he said as he walked to one of the demons, grabbing it by its horn and snapping it off as the lesser demon cried out in pain. 'Essentially, his role was similar to a persecutor in a mortal courtroom. He's now upper management in this divine correctional facility, making sure that the wheel of reincarnation spins.'\n\n'So, what are we?' I asked.\n\n'The ones that amateur demon worshippers used in human sacrifices without translating the Enochian in those spellbooks,' he said as he rammed his hoof into the skull of the lesser he had already begun tormenting. 'You see this guy? He actually tried to bargain with the guy who stabbed me in the street!'\n\nThe creature merely groaned, words seemingly unfamiliar with the beast.\n\n'He used to be like us, a Prince of Hell,' the other demon said. 'But he tried to convince someone to be sinful, not deter them. So, he got demoted.\n\nHe crushed the lesser demon's head under his hoof before approaching me. The other demon's head then reformed, the blood that was spilled and the brains that were splattered slurping to his neck and fixing themselves back into place.\n\n'Fuck off back to work,' the other prince snapped at him, causing the demon to pull on the ground and swim through the magma that was underneath.\n\n'Are we expected to be unnecessarily cruel?' I asked him.\n\n'Nah, that was just me getting my own payback,' he said with a warm smile as he flicked the enormous hoops attached to his pointed ears. 'Come on. We'll need to talk to Satan, tell him about another sacrifice. Or her. I don't know if they has tits today or not.'\n\n---\n\nThe strange thing about the \"Main offices\", as Lawrence said as we flew there, was that they weren't the chaos of the other circles of Hell. In fact, they weren't even part of the circles, instead being a massive tower floating above Inferno.\n\nWe flew to a round platform at the bottom, folding our wings in and walking up a stairwell into a lush garden as we saw another Prince eating a small lunch. And strangely, he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of swimming briefs.\n\n'We have a code five,' Lawrence said to him.\n\n'Fuck, you were just sacrificed?' the other prince said as he looked at me in sympathy. 'Well, get used to being in the tower. It's the closest we'll ever get to Heaven, unfortunately.'\n\n'Then what about my parents?' I asked in concern. 'Mom is still alive and... wait, what about my old man?! He's already dead!'\n\n'You can look that up later,' he said. 'If he's in Heaven, maybe Satan can arrange something. If he's in Hell... well, you can't do anything for him. This place is a nightmare, but it's a rehab.'\n\nHe lead me to an elevator and pressed the top button and typed something in. It was a short ride up despite the breakneck speed, and the elevator opened up to a large office with a single woman tapping her feet with headphones in her ears.\n\n'I just love old-school hip-hop, don't you?!' she yelled before removing the earbuds. 'Jack Henderson, 26 and you were just murdered. Karma points towards you going to Purgatory when you died, not virtuous but not yet damned. Killed by a wannabe warlock.'\n\n'So, you know the details,' I said to her. 'And you must be the boss?'\n\n'Satanael,' she answered. 'Angel of Darkness and Divine Retribution. And now that you're a prince of my domain, you should know the ground rules. Don't interfere in someone's punishment, don't try and poach souls of the living... You can go to Purgatory but Heaven is off-limits. And while it's not exactly banned... you shouldn't be messing about in the world of the living.'\n\n'Can't check on my ma?' I asked her.\n\nShe gave a pained expression. 'She... died of a heart attack when she heard you were murdered.'\n\n'I'll kill him!' I sneered. 'I'll KILL the bastard!'\n\n'Sure,' she said as she handed me a sword. 'Go right ahead.'\n\n'...You're serious?' I asked.\n\n'He used a genuine spell,' she warned. 'The last time a human had one of those books, the Tower of Babel was smitten.'" ]	[ 1, 6 ]	[ "1521663739", "1521673250" ]
Have fun!	[WP] Technically, I’m a dragon.	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", "[Felix](http://hserratafun.blogspot.com/2018/03/bright-light-bright-light-3-6-18.html) sat in the corner of his darkened cell and waited. No matter how comfortable he felt sitting on the large bed, he was a prisoner. They treated him well. Instead of bars, a clear wall with air holes kept him in the pleasant prison. No torture or interrogation. Delicious food or drink any time he wanted, he only needed to ask. After the first day he assumed they were trying to starve him until he asked why he hadn't been fed yet. \n\n\n\n\"You didn't ask,\" his guard said. He learned her name, [Flutter](http://hserratafun.blogspot.com/p/flutter-la-calavera.html), the first time they met. The giant woman stood at least seven feet tall. Her pale skin made the coppery red hair atop her head even more fiery. She kept her hair in a long red braid that hung straight down her back. The first time she fed him she brought him a simple brown wooden bowl filled with a sickly white paste. The smell made him hold his breath, the taste made him retch. \n\n\n\n\"You call this food?\" Felix asked Flutter sarcastically. He emptied it into the toilet. The woman shrugged, and gave a half smirk. \n\n\n\n\"You asked for food, I brought you food. Next time be specific.\" She sat down outside his cell, put her feet up on her desk and thumbed through a book. Felix sat down on his own bed to wait for the next time. Five minutes later his stomach growled and it occurred to him that next time could be now. \n\n\n\n\"Hey, Flutter?\" He asked, using her name cautiously for the first time. She sat up quickly and looked at him through the clear divide. \"What are my options?\" She smiled broadly and stood up. \n\n\n\n\"Now you're getting it, shortstack. Anything you want, we can get,\" she said. Flutter leaned against the partition with her arms crossed, waiting. Felix longed to be home. The day he met Flutter he left some taproot stew simmering in the kettle.\n\n\n\n\"How bout some taproot stew?\" Felix asked. Flutter's face lost all composure, and heavy, heaving laughs flowed from her mouth. Her body doubled over as she held her abdomen. \n\n\n\n\"Taproot stew??!\" She continued to laugh. Despite being a prisoner, Felix still somehow found his feelings could be hurt. Taproot stew was delicious, especially if he added some meat. \"Talk about backwater. Kid, I'm gonna do you the biggest favor anyone will ever do for you. I'll be back.\" The giant woman turned and walked out of the room. \n\n\n\nA while later she returned holding two flattened square boxes stacked on top of each other. She stood at the invisible barrier, grabbed the top box then pushed it through. On the other side Felix grabbed the box and set it on his bed. Unsure what to do next, nor what Flutter's favor actually was. She smiled at him and opened the remaining box. Inside the box Felix saw steam rising from a golden disc. The edges of the disc looked like toasted bread; bright red dots decorated the inner portion. \n\n\n\n\"This is pizza,\" Flutter said. She grabbed a toasted edge and pulled a triangle from the golden circle. She put the point in her mouth and bit. \"Go ahead. Careful, it's hot.\" Felix followed her lead. He opened the box and peered in. He grabbed a toasted edge and pulled a triangle free. He never saw any food that looked like this, but it smelled amazing. He bit into it and the ecstasy forced his eyes shut. A sound he'd never made before welled up from somewhere inside him. \n\n\n\n\"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....\" he chewed the magical food. \"I love you, Flutter.\" Felix said while chewing. She giggled while eating her second slice. \n\n\n\n\"You're too young for me kid, but you're pretty cool,\" Flutter said. Felix wanted to know more about her. Even as she kidnapped him she treated him kinder than any kidnapper would be expected to. As his guard she remained friendly and helpful towards him. \n\n\n\n\"How'd you get so big?\" Felix asked while he pulled a second slice from the box. \n\n\n\n\"Technically, I'm a dragon,\" Flutter said. She smiled, but kept eating. Only a single slice remained in her box. \n\n\n\n\"No you're not! I've seen dragons. They're HUGE!\" Felix spread his arms wide, to emphasize how huge dragons were. Flutter stood and wiped her hands on her red silk shirt as she walked to the cell. \n\n\n\n\"Watch,\" she said. Felix watched. Felix stared at Flutter's black eyes, but noticed a change on her forehead. The smooth, pale skin of her face began to change. Thin lines formed a pattern on her face, and it seemed her skin grew thicker around the lines. Her creamy white skin turned to gold. Her blemish free face was overtaken by rough, jagged layers. She lifted her shirt to show her stomach to Felix. He looked down and saw more golden scales covering her stomach, her arms, everywhere. \n\n\n\n\"Whoa. You ARE a dragon!\" Felix smiled, then cocked his head to the right slightly.\n\n\n\n\"How'd you get so small?\" He asked. Flutter chuckled. \n\n\n\n\"Technically, I'm a fairy.\" Flutter turned around and lifted the back of her shirt completely, revealing more golden scales. Two sets of translucent, veiny dragonfly wings popped out of her back and fluttered frantically. \n\n\n\n\"I wondered why your name was Flutter,\" Felix asked with a chuckle. Flutter let her shirt fall and turned around. \n\n\n\n\"There you go.\" Over the next week Felix asked for pizza regularly, and Flutter was happy to deliver. But, he was still a prisoner. \n\n\n\nHe sat in the corner of his darkened cell and waited. Flutter was due with lunch soon, something she called Chinese, but Felix didn't want to be a prisoner anymore. Despite asking for food, it did not occur to him to ask to be let out. He decided he would try today. Flutter returned with two white bags. \n\n\n\n\"Hey halfpint. Ready to chow down?\" Flutter asked. She pushed a bag through the clear wall, but Felix did not rush to grab it like he normally did. \n\n\n\n\"I'm ready to leave,\" Felix said. He straightened his back to give himself a boost of confidence. Flutter dropped the bag on the inside of his cell and pulled her hand out. \n\n\n\n\"Finally. You've got two choices. Join [Ballisea](http://hserratafun.blogspot.com/2017/11/ballisea-el-sol.html) or join Ballisea.\" Flutter sat down at her desk and pulled out several small white and red boxes from the bag, one after the other. \n\n\n\n\"That's not much of a choice,\" Felix said. Flutter nodded.\n\n\n\n\"May not seem like it, but it's important which one you choose. One is willingly the other is...less willingly, more painful.\" \n\n\n\n\"Which did you choose?\" Felix asked. Flutter stared toward the other end of the room, and answered Felix with a cold, sad tone.\n\n\n\n\"It hurts. A lot.\" Felix looked down at the dark cobblestone floor of his cell. He felt bad for his friend. \n\n\n\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\n\n***\n\nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day in 2018, you can find them collected on my [blog](http://hserratafun.blogspot.com/2017/10/front-page.html). If you're curious about my universe(the Hugoverse) you can visit the [Guidebook](http://hserratafun.blogspot.com/2017/11/hugoverse-guidebook.html) to see what's what and who's who, or the [Timeline](http://hserratafun.blogspot.com/2017/10/hugoverse-timeline.html) to find the stories in order.\n\n\n" ]	[ 1, 6 ]	[ "1521669437", "1521682846" ]
This was an idea that I had flouting around in my head. I’m interested in what you come up with! :D	[WP] Your a test subject for a new pair of VR headset. When you putt on the headset, you realize that everything you see looks as if it’s from an anime. Now, with the headset attached, you return to your normal life...	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", "Nowheresville Oklahoma was a very boring and uninteresting little town. In fact Nowheresville Oklahoma was such a boring and uninteresting little town that the most exciting and interesting thing about it was simply how boring and uninteresting it was. One of the few things people said about Nowheresville Oklahoma, as it was an incredibly boring town and as such there was very little to say about it, was that just like an exciting hobby would draw you in and never become boring no matter how often you did it, Nowheresville would never draw you in no matter how many exciting or new things occured within it. It was for this reason that the Official Board of Tourism of Nowheresville Oklahoma, which contrary to what its name might suggest was in fact not official and not a Board either as its only member and founder was old Mrs. Smith, the woman who would surely have been the town gossip if there was anything to gossip about to begin with in Nowheresville, came up with the saying “You don’t know boring until you know Nowheresville Oklahoma”. This saying was supposedly designed to attract tourists to Nowheresville, and for awhile Mayor Douglas under the Cheap ‘Welcome to Nowheresville Oklahoma’ sign hung a cheaper smaller sign with the saying “You don't know boring until you know Nowheresville Oklahoma” painted in neat lettering on it, after he grew tired of Mrs Smith nagging him to do something with the results of the hard work which took the Official Board of Tourism of Nowheresville Oklahoma all of two minutes. Sadly however the only fruits of the Official Board of Tourism of Nowheresville Oklahoma’s efforts was a single family of tourists, who weren’t even visiting Nowheresville but were merely forced to stop for gas at Ricky Dents gas station, and who also promptly left as soon as they realized just how boring Nowheresville Oklahoma actually was. \n\t\nIt was this very boringness of Daryl Hansen’s home town of Nowheresville Oklahoma that made it the perfect testing ground for Ippan-Mei Electronics newest prototype vr headset, one which they believed could put new life into the most boring of lives by making everything seem like it was in an anime. Daryl Hansen didn’t know what an anime actually was, but nevertheless he was rather excited. Not with an extreme sort of excitement, and not with a so and so excitement either, but Daryl Hansen was excited with a very average excitement. At least a very average excitement outside of Nowheresville, but as average an excitement it might have been outside of Nowheresville it was a record breaking level of excitement inside Nowheresville. It was in fact so exciting within Nowheresville Oklahoma that it convinced Mrs. Hansen that her husband Daryl was possessed by a demon, which having lived her entire mundane life in Nowheresville simply evoked a bored shrug out of her as she continued on with her day. So it was with a very average excitement that Daryl Hansen opened that package which had arrived on an average saturday morning, only to find it contained a gift of veal from his neighbor Elias von Richten the town hunter, and which he then proceeded to open the package that had arrived on the average friday evening before to find the Ippan-Mei Electronics prototype vr glasses. They seemed like a rather average set of vr glasses to Daryl, though he had of course never seen another pair of vr glasses in his life. Average as they might of seemed to him though they evoked as much attention as it was possible to evoke from a Nowheresvillite, which was to say very little outside of Nowheresville Oklahoma. It was with this very little excitement that Daryl Hansen examined the prototype vr glasses, and after examining them he donned them and turned around to wish his wife goodbye, only to notice there was something off with her. His wife had cat ears and a cat tail all of a sudden, at least Daryl Hansen assumed it was all of a sudden. It was of course possible he had simply never noticed them in their over twenty years of marriage until now. The coloration of everything also seemed off, like those crappy figurines Ricky Dent collected with the disproportionate bodies. In fact his wife had a disproportionate body too now, and also looked much younger. Confused further he stepped outside his house and noticed all of the teenagers were dressed in variations of what seemed like the military uniforms young people wore in Ricky Dents posters that lined his house. Suddenly the realization hit Daryl Hansen of just what anime was. Anime was anything modeled after Ricky Dents shack. Satisfied with his realization Daryl Hansen decided to go fishing until sundown like any other saturday, with the prototype vr glasses from Ippan-Mei Electronics still on his face. After all, nothing exciting ever happens in Nowheresville Oklahoma.\n" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1521684918", "1521688383" ]
	[WP] Turns out that God actually was restricting evil in people, but only so much. For only a single day, Satan has triumphed and the true evil of man is allowed to flourish.	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", "We all sat around the TV, eagerly awaiting the news. By this time, the beers had all been emptied, the food all gone cold and stale. Most of us were close to giving up on the result, as morn was approaching all too quickly. But we still held on to a glimmer of hope that we would hear some sort of good news. To this point we figured that if there was a God of some kind, we wouldn't have ever heard these words as they resonated through the ears of humans all over the world...\n\n\"It has been called! Donald J Trump is the President of the United States!\"" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1521697219", "1521698058" ]
	[WP] A mad billionaire has rigged a doomsday device and will set it off unless a random man, Rudy, correctly answers whether the Earth is flat or round. Rudy is a devout Flat-Earther and the world has just two days to convince him of our planet's spherical nature.	19	[ "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", "\"Look, Rudy. This is simple - you say 'round', and you get one billion dollars, ok?\"\n\n\"Ok... But it ain't.\"\n\n\"Yes, yes ok, but you have to say it's round, ok?\"\n\n\"Sure, sure.\"\n\n\"Good, glad that's settled.\"\n\n\"But it ain't.\"\n\n\"No! No... Sure it is, Rudy, but you say that, at all, any mention of Earth being flat, and this maniac will destroy the Earth. So please, don't say that. Just 'the Earth is round', and then silence until I give you your cheque, ok?\"\n\n\"Yup, I get ya'. Why's he want me to say this anyway?\"\n\n\"Because he thinks you're wrong, and he wants to prove a point. If you don't agree with him, he'll flatten the whole planet!\"\n\n\"Joke's on him, that won't do no good, s'already flat!\"\n\n\"Yes, yes absolutely, but it'll flatten everyone on it too, you see?\"\n\n\"Can't have that.\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"So I says to him 'the Earth is round', then I shuts up, and gets my cheque?\"\n\n\"Exactly.\"\n\n\"What an idjit.\"\n\n\"I know..\"" ]	[ 1, 16 ]	[ "1521719118", "1521723386" ]
	[WP] It spreads in the silence.	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", "I felt its presence in the room. In truth, I was responsible for it. I sat frozen in my chair, not knowing how to deal with it. And what about Matt? He was prone to bouts of panic. I dreaded to think what he'll do if he notices it. I had to do something. I had to stop the spread.\n\nKeep talking. Don't acknowledge it. \n\n\"So, Matt. Got much planned for the weekend?\" I could feel it behind me, I sensed it passing over my shoulder towards him. Keep him talking. Keep him distracted.\n\n\"Yeah I do actually,\" he replied, smiling up at me. \"I'm going on holiday with my parents. We're going to - ...\"\n\nHe froze. Fuck. I need to distract him. There's no telling what he'll do otherwise. \n\n\"Where, Matt? Where are you going?\"\n\nHe looked at me, face twitching. Fear in his eyes. I knew he knew.\n\n\"Dude...\"\n\n\"Shh,\" I say to him. \"Shh, Matt. Don't feed it. Ignore it. Keep talking.\"\n\n\"Dude...\" he repeated, his voice reserved and still.\n\n\"Matt, please. Keep talking. It's the only way we'll get past it.\"\n\n\"Dude... did you fart?\"\n\n\"Shh, Matt please. Shhh\"", "#### V-LOG ENTRY - 11/23/2019\n\n> Classical music plays quietly in the background.\n\nI've got the whole facility to myself. Electricity, water, food - this place was meant to be entirely self-sufficient, able to withstand a nuclear attack, to house a thousand people for upwards of 2 years. At my current rate of consumption, the facility will still be running and habitable centuries after I die of old age. Eventually, the food will go bad I guess...\n\n> He takes a can of spaghetti and holds it up to the camera.\n\nBut most of its canned and stored in nitrogen, so I think I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, oh, I don't know, 35 years from now. No, this was a lucky break, for sure. If they'd had time to change the password I would have been fucked. My ipad only had a few more hours of battery life, and it only take a minute. \n\nLuckily, I have everything hooked up to the internal speaker system now. The whole facility is on a 24/7 loop of classical music - which I downloaded from Piratebay. Eventually, of course, their servers are gonna go down like everyone else. But, not yet.\n\nIt's still doesn't feel safe, you know? I just have this fear of the music going off while I sleep. I guess that would be for the best, I probably wouldn't even know what happened. But still, it's a pretty terrifying prospect. \n\nAnyway, I'll check in, now and again I guess. Nice to have someone to talk to. Later.\n\n*********\n\n#### V-LOG ENTRY - 11/29/2019\n\n> He is wearing a different T-shirt, eating chicken curry out of an aluminum can. Classical music can be heard.\n\nHey hey hey, welcome back to the greatest show on Earth. Music's held out, as you can see. Still here. Still kickin'. \n\nNot much to do in here, I'll be honest. They don't really have any books, and so I've been spending most of the time on what's left of the internet. It's like playing digital Russian Roulette, except most of the chambers are filled with bullets. Every day more websites go down, and most of the ones that are still up haven't had new content in weeks. \n\nThe Guardian's servers are still going strong, but there hasn't been a new article since the outbreak. The front page still has that shadow of a man's head pictured with a yellow question mark in its center, and a headline here, I'll turn the camera. \n\n> The camera turns to a computer screen, a website is visible but obscured by the screen refresh rate.\n\nThat doesn't look great - OK, I'll give it my most dramatic reading. \"W.H.O. On Shadow Virus: An Existential Threat To Humanity.\" How about that - just like one those movie announcer types. \"An Existential Threat To Humanity!\" Ooooweee, they got that right...\n\n> He looks away from the camera for over a minute\n\nYeah...they got that right.\n\n******\n\n#### V-LOG ENTRY - 12/31/2019\n\n> Dance music can be heard playing in the background. The room is covered in party decorations. He wears a cone hat with \"Happy New Year\" written on it sparkly letters. He stumbles and slurs his words.\n\nHey, welcome back! Didn't want to bring in the new year all alone! Sorry about the music, maybe a little too loud, but it's a celebration! I even set up a countdown clock.\n\n> Camera pans to display a digital alarm clock counting down from 19 seconds, and then spins back around shakily landing on a table.\n\nWe are just seconds away from the New Year, 2020! Can you believe it? I for one am exhilarated at what the new year may bring! Oh, Ohhhh, here we go. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, FIVE, FOUR, come on say it with me, TWO, ONE, HAPPY NEW YEAR!! \n\n> He blows on a small plastic horn and dances around in the camera frame, accidentally bumping into the camera. It falls to the ground and goes black when it reaches the floor.\n\n********\n\n#### V-LOG ENTRY - 6/14/2020\n\n> First his eye, and then the rest of his face is displayed up close. Heavy metal music can be heard playing fairly loudly in the background.\n\nOh, you work huh? You work? Are you working?\n\n********\n\n#### V-LOG ENTRY - 6/15/2020\n\n> He is sitting center frame, with a fairly robust beard and red rimmed eyes. Death metal plays in the background.\n\nHi. I uh, it's nice to see you again. I broke the other camera, and thought that was it. Only found this one when I was searching through some of the storage rooms. This place is gigantic. Still has secrets, I'm sure of it. \n\nAnyway, I've uh... I've... I have ...uh switched, my music. This is a little aggressive I guess...\n\n> He gestures up at the ceiling\n\n...all the better to keep it at bay. Had a little scare a couple of weeks ago. Some Mahler piece, one of his symphonies ends real weird. Usually it's a crescendo and then straight to the next piece of music. But, Mahler, that fuck, had to go and be all artsy and whatnot. The symphony ended in almost complete silence. It's funny, you can feel* it in your head, the second it senses an opening. That last note played - thank christ this was middle of the day by the way - but that last note played, and immediately, in the half second before I started humming, the burning starts, right in here.\n\n> He points his finger firmly at his temple. He holds his finger so hard against his skin that the fingertip turns white.\n\nRight there - just like a tiny drill bit, straight into my fucking brain. So, I switched up the music to something a little more lively - a lot less likely to have unexpected lulls. \n\n> He is silent for several seconds.\n\nIt's fucking crazy that it's still there, after all this time. You almost trick yourself into thinking your not infected, right? A few months pass, and sure, you're lonely, but you're alive too, and you haven't felt that burning in forever. \"Maybe\" you think, \"maybe it's not there anymore. Maybe my immune system beat it, right? Maybe I'm the special one.\"\n\nBut then something like this happens, and there it is again, just waiting, quiet, certain...inevitable... \n\n> He stares at the far wall while the death metal plays for another couple of minutes.\n\n********\n\n#### V-LOG ENTRY - 9/29/2020\n\n> Rock and Roll music can be heard playing in the background. He looks terrible. His skin is sickly white, his hair long and tangled, filled with grease. His clothes are stained and beginning to fray. He stares into the camera for a long time before speaking.\n\n...\n\nI, uh...\n\nYou just don't... you can't know where you gonna end up, you know?\n\nI...never thought it would be here, like this, do you know what I mean? \n\n> He leans into the camera, looking closely into the lens. \n\nDo you* know what I mean? You're just a camera. No one will ever see this. You're just a camera.\n\n***********\n\n#### V-LOG ENTRY - 11/2/2020\n\n> Classical music plays again. He looks much better than before. He has shaved and showered. He even appears to have some color in his skin. His eyes are still very tired, but a certain optimism shines in them again. His voice is steady.\n\nHey guys. Sorry, I kind of fell apart there for awhile, but I found something that's given me a new sense of purpose.\n\nI spend a lot of time on the internet, just writing in random URLs, doing searches, looking for anything that might still be up and running. I, uh, don't really have anything else to do.\n\n A few days ago, I was doing my rundown of government websites - EPA, DOD, CDC - and would you fucking believe it, the CDC was up!\n\nThey had an announcement on their front page - a cure. Actually, well, not a cure - but kind of a ...a work around. \n\nThe virus apparently... I got this from the website... it infects the Cochlear nerve and sends it into a death spiral, complete meltdown. Weirdly, it's the sound, I guess, of silence - sorry, that's dumb, but I don't know how else to say - the sound of silence causes an overreaction, that spreads, starting in the Cochlear nerve, and stretching out to the rest of your brain. \n\nThat... fucking... burning sensation ... it's just the start of a chain of self destructing neurons - and if you don't stimulate the Cochlear nerve with something - that's, like, noise, right? - then the electrical activity, I guess, moves into the brain, like a seizure that you don't come out of. \n\nAnyway - I know all this now because the CDC posted it on their website - which might seem weird, cause everyone's dead, right? \n\nWrong. Everyone is infected.* Most people who had a functioning Cochlear nerve are dead. But apparently some deaf people were never affected at all. \n\nWhich leads me to the CDC's instructions.\n\n> He bends over slightly and brings a long, large gauge needle into the camera's view.\n\nApparently, there are a number of tools you could use to complete the operation, although an extra length syringe would be ideal, and I happen to have a shit ton of those laying around. Um, the instructions are pretty straight forward, they even have a diagram, although it really doesn't need much explanation. \n\nThe idea is to sever the Cochlear nerve, like they do for tinnitus patients sometimes. The problem... \n\n> He coughs nervously and pauses\n\nThe problem is you can't really do it yourself with any degree of accuracy, which, our government ... in its infinite wisdom...has planned for. They recommend, a kind of, well, making an ear smoothie essentially. You just take the needle,\n\n> He grabs the needle between two fingers.\n\nPull off the ole cap there\n\n> He pulls off the cap\n\nThen you stick it into your ear and rotate it... \n\n> He bends forward to read the instructions off a laptop screen.\n\n...\"holding the needle at a 30 degree angle relative to the center of the ear.\"\n\n> He looks at the screen, deadpan.\n\nSo. Good news, bad news I guess. Good news, there's a cure. Bad news... well...yeah. \n\n> He looks around the room. The classical music continues to play in the background. He puts his head in his hands and appears to cry for awhile before reaching out to shut off the camera, his face resolute.\n\n**********\n\n##### For More Legends From The Multiverse\n\n##### r/LFTM" ]	[ 1, 6, 7 ]	[ "1521750378", "1521752815", "1521755637" ]
[removed]	[WP] You are a mage with the ability to bring people back to life in perfect health. You have been watching the news and seeing all the political discourse in the world, so you divide to bring back the great pioneers of human rights from across time. They all had very... passionate reactions to 2018	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/86hpmj/wp_you_are_a_mage_with_the_ability_to_bring/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1521776059", "1521776163" ]
I'm not sure what else to say, but I'm sure generosity could fit in somehow. Maybe worsening your own day to help your sibling?	[WP] You and your sibling have a reverse connection. When good happens to one of you, bad follows the other.	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", "Dammit he did it again. I told him the last time that I was done with this oh well I better go find him. He always stays close when he does this. I hate when I have to wake back up it's so boring here. Nothing to do, everyone is kind of a chode. Of course he would choose the tallest building. We have done this for ages now. Each time he makes me come back. I love him but damn he is a dick sometimes. I wrote specifically on a note last time 'you are the one who enjoys this shit you do it' alright, huh this is exhausting I don't want to talk to any one here but him. Uh I have to climb all these stairs... everytime your such a jerk always making me climb all the stairs to you. Finally I found him what a asshole. A shotgun this time how could you do that to me. Uh fine where is a pen? Of course he hid them and no paper fine I'll go find some. It took me 2 hours to find some but dammit bro you aren't winning this one. 'Bro I love you this place is boring I want to see you but I don't know how to fix it anymore. You are the one who started this battle. But I think I have an idea please just enjoy this cause I'm done. Please brother if you love me stop doing this and just live.' I grab his shotgun and blast a window out of his high rise, of course he got himself a high rise always was one to boast through action. I run and jump. Finally maybe it will end. Please do what I ask and live brother. Suddenly his brother awakes and sees glass all around the floor. His favorite window is gone. \"Haha that chode I wish he would have some fun for once.\" He sees the note. \"Fine I'll wait until I'm about actually dead then I'll off myself and we will have to start over again in our next life. He was always stupid you gotta catch the vibe early otherwise you'll never get it.\" \nYou've got to be kidding me he did it again. Wait I look a lot like my old self. From our first time. Don't tell me I got dropped into my own lineage. You waited until I was 5 this time why did you do that big brother. Fine I will try it this time but only for you and once I get what I want I'm gonna get you back somehow and we can finally end it together. As family. I love you brother this one is for you. He begins his own journey. His own history." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1521830297", "1521835954" ]
	[WP] When gamers get "salty", that "salt" is seen as a valuable commodity. An arms race starts between game development companies to create the most frustrating game possible that doesn't make players immediately ragequit.	272	[ "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", "HeartSton superstar, Kripparian walks over to his computer and takes a deep breath,'Can I even take this any more?' his mind ponders. It had been 22 years since his first HeartSton stream but to no avail, every single day, the game finds a new way to get under his skin. He wonders what will happen to him today, will his opponents rope him just to make the most obvious play, will the mage draw mana worm on turn one, or will the golden priest have Mindcontrol on turn 10 for his voidlords. \n\n\n\"Do it for Brode\", he says to himself while getting seated in his chair. Brode had promised him billions, if not trillions of dust, and all he had to do in return, was to stream for 6 hours a day.\n\n\nWith a deep sigh, he turns on his stream and says, \"Hey guys how's it going Kripparian here.\" " ]	[ 1, 54 ]	[ "1521867199", "1521873375" ]
	[WP] Humans created sentient robots to work for them. After 100 years of serving humanity, robots have started to peacefully demand human rights, seeing as they are sentient and intelligent. Humanity is split on whether non-organic but almost-human robots deserve the same rights as humans.	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", "NSFW LANGUAGE AHEAD\n\nYou wanna know what I really think? What I REALLY think?\n\nFuck those motherfuckers and their bot rights and shit, sentient my ass. The other day I was walking down the street and this delivery infraretarded sentient fucktard slams into me.\n\nWhy did he slam into me, you may ask? Well no shit, I had the same question. And do you know what this sentient piece of metal crap shit said to me?\n\n\"Im sorry Mr Doondlihoon but you werent walking in a predictable manner for my integrated algorithms to comprehend your next path of movement, causing the accident wich I know is my fault and im really sorry for\"\n\nWell fuck that piece of metal, fuck your algoramas and whatever bullshit you think you are thinking or however the fuck you work, fuck YOU, you slammed really hard into my knee and I still have a bruise.\n\nI STILL HAVE A BRUISE. And this happened almost a week ago. Imagine how reckless that motherfucker was. Those bastards with their metals and bip bops and weird sound should be in the recycle bin, some of them may even have some parts useful for some kids bike or some shit.\n\nI don't want no bip bop and shit for my kids, I want my kids organic, carbon based.\n\nFuck their rights and their lefts too for all i care they could be in the junkyard and i could be without a bruise on my left knee half a week after the algorama incident." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1521883939", "1521886074" ]
	[WP] death appears behind a r/WritingPrompts mod. Before he/she could panic he asked him/her a question. "Why are their so many prompts about me?"	22	[ "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", "‘Why so many stories about you?’ the moderator said, turning in his chair.\n \n‘Human exceptionalism.’\n \nDeath couldn’t blink, but the faint tilt of his head conveyed puzzlement well enough. \n \n‘They want to believe they are special. Every one of them wants to believe they are unique, powerful, strong, interesting.’ He said the last with a dismissive handwave, standing and beginning to pace around Death.\n \n‘Yourself, one of our oldest fears, eaaassssily conquered in the short story format. Have you noticed how the majority of them prompt in first person? In a way, they are brilliant. Were they to ask to have the story written about them alone, no-one would respond. The meta-hivemind of the community would turn against them, and it would be extremely…embarrassing. This way, they can easily self-insert into the stories written in response, sliding easily into that handy little “I did this” or “I did that” with nary a care.’\n \nThe moderator picked up a glass, turning it in his hand, looking through it’s reflection into some unseen dimension. Death watched impassively, taking note of his surroundings. A simple room in a simple building, in some boring corner of the Earth he had reaped on since humanity first learned to fear the dark. But things in this room were not as it should be.\n \nThe computer the moderator had been sitting at was old – Ancient, even, an antique IBM 5150 – But its graphical fidelity was far beyond that of modern computers. The room had a door, but Death could make out only darkness around the frame. And although the room had no lightbulb, and indeed, there were no power sockets, everything was faintly lit by some soft yellow light, and the computer ran happily through whatever task the moderator had been doing when Death arrived.\n \n‘Aliens? Fear of the unknown. Defeated, ridiculed, simplified. Dragons and princesses? Fantasy escapism, of course. You see it all, every day, endlessly, the same topics, day in, day out. It would be enough to drive a man insane.’\n \nDeath watched as the moderator circled. Where his footsteps fell, black stains were left in the carpet.\n \n‘Do you like the stories about you, Death? Do you have a favourite?’\n \nHe didn’t wait for an answer, hurrying over to the computer. Whatever task it had been doing had been completed, and something was flashing on the screen, obscured by the moderator’s body.\n \nI HADN’T CONSIDERED WHETHER I LIKED THEM OR NOT.\n \nThe moderator cocked his head and turned, a thin smile spreading across his lips.\n \n‘Well, my favourites are the ones about demons and devils. Especially the ones that eat souls.’\n \nFlashing on the screen was a gigantic button, displayed in crimson red ASCII. It was one word, taking up the almost entirety of the monitor, and flowing around it was a list of nonsensical names, all portmanteaus and gibberish.\n \nIt read ‘BAN’.\n \nThe moderator’s grin cracked into a full-blown smile as he brought his finger down on the enter key, pale red lips revealing row upon row of vicious, jagged teeth. He began to cackle as Death turned and left, walking away from the moderator and back out into the real world, leaving the demon to his feast.\n", "The skeletal figure appeared in a puff of black smoke. He was clad from head to to toe in a perpetually black robe, one darker than the night itself. One of his bony hands held on to an oversized garden tool. He had come with a question, a very important one to him.\n\nHowever, he was a bit too late.\n\nSeveral other figures formed a line ahead of him. It seems that he had to wait until all manners of Aliens, robots, AIs and gods are done with their queries." ]	[ 1, 6, 9 ]	[ "1521887117", "1521896572", "1521889686" ]
	[WP] A time travel experiment goes wrong and traps a city in a bubble of accelerated time. It has only been a week for us, but hundreds to thousands of years have passed in that bubble. The bubble has finally dissipated and you have been selected to investigate.	130	[ "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", "\"Two hundred miles,\" Charles said, laying his cane down on the hill overlooking the massive red bubble \"Two hundred miles and 140 hours before the Damn machine turns off\" Charles hardly noticed as a much younger woman walked up behind him. \"I should have been in there,\" Charles said, a sad shakiness to his voice as he watched the pulsing red light.\n\n\"Dr. Ackermann\" The woman said, wishing not to startle him. \n\n\"Yes?\" He said in an almost satirical tone \"Do you need something?\" \n\n\"The Canadian forces want to talk to you about what to do once the bubble dissipates\" She looked at the same perfect dome that Charles was looking at \"They want to know what to expect\"\n\n\"Almost a million years of degradation and evolution,\" Charles said, sitting down on the green hill and watching a few trucks pass. Charles sighed but still considered the importance of this event. \"Tell them to get Bio-hazard containment ready. Something may have evolved to kill all human life on the inside of that bubble and I don't want to cause any more destruction than I already have\" Charles still looked onward, at the infernal beauty of his life's work.\n\n\"They already have Bio-hazard teams at the ready. They are just worried if there should be any radiation coming from the bubble once it dissipates. They want to know how unstable it might be inside the bubble\" \n\nCharles smiled, something he didn't think about \"That's a good point, Ask Dr. McCartney about it, he was a far better chemist than me\" Charles smile faded as he knew that his curiosity did him no good. Another pulse of light emitted from the massive bubble, indicating it was almost time. Charles had a brief shortness of breath, these last few days where slowly killing him and Charles knew it was exactly what he deserved. \"What are the numbers?\" Charles asked again to the woman still standing behind him.\n\n\"Almost 12 million missing at this point\" Those words made Charles close his eyes and consider shedding a tear. He knew that the woman standing behind him had family in the greater Detroit area and was personally involved in this project. However, he had heard her talk to the reporters about how he felt bad enough already without the world berating him for it. He knew her intentions where good, but so where his and those didn't get him very far. \"Also, Calista wants to talk again\" The woman said, walking over and picking up the cane. \n\n\"What is she calling her book?\" Charles says looking at the cane that she holds out for him. \"'The day Michigan disappeared' or something like that\"\n\n\" 'The cities time forgot' \"The woman said, giving Charles his cane and helping him up \"She changed the title to include Toronto as well\" \n\n\"Might as well\" Charles said, sighing. \"Is the car ready?\" \n\n\"Yes\" The woman said, looking blankly at Charles. For a brief moment Charles could see fear in her eyes, fear of being the one responsible for the man 'killed' millions. It was an intresting expression on her face and Charles felt even more ashamed than he once did. \n\n\"No time like the present\" He said in jest, making a tasteless joke as another red pulse emanated from the massive dome. ", "Nothing could get in or out of the bubble for the entire week. We couldn’t move in physically, and our instruments couldn’t even get light to pass through. Fourteen kilometres in diameter, perfectly spherical, and ten thousand people all trapped. \n\nThe surface was like the most perfect mirror I had ever seen. Not a single imperfection above or below the ground. In a violent flash of light, the mirror dissipated. Where the sky used to reflect now sunk a crater. One lone tower stretched from the very bottom to the previous limit of the bubble. Lined around it are panels and wires stretching as far as the eye could see. \n\n“What the hell happened?”\n\nAs I stepped into the crater, a swarm of small drones rose from the panels and swarmed me. Rather than attack me, they appeared to express some form of robotic confusion. Scanning and buzzing for a solution to a problem they don’t know how to ask. \n\nI continued on, finally reaching the tower after several hours. The whole thing hummed like a giant machine. Around its base were pods about the size of a human in height. The innards were empty, but they obviously served some kind of purpose. Fashioned behind one of the pods was a display. \n\nIt’s a clock. The seconds, and minutes are calculated exactly perfect, but the years seems off. To this clock, it’s apparently the year 403,021. That can’t be right. It’s only been a week. \n\n_Hello operator. We never thought we would see your kind again._ pulsed across the screen. \n\n“What do you mean operator. Explain.”\n\n_We were like you once. Long ago. Flesh and chemistry._\n\n“How long”\n\n_403,021 Years._\n\n“That can’t be right. It’s only been a week.”\n\n_The time bubble that trapped us. It gave us new life. Flesh could not survive against the entropy of our system._ \n\n“Are there others like you?”\n\n_We are all one within the crypt._\n\n“Tell me what happened to the people who lived here.”\n\n_The first lived a fearful existence. A mirror for a sky. The mirror seven kilometres below their feet. They were trapped. Many starved without food. They fought. Very few survived the first couple years. There was no more sun or day or night. Everything was illuminated at all times. Sleep became a choice._\n\n_The second looked for deity. Their computers told them time impeccably and held stories of a world beyond the mirror. Worship untied those who fought._\n\n_The third harnessed the mirror. If energy cannot leave, then it must be reused. The heat was sunk into the mirror and returned as light. The great enlightenment of our people._\n\n_The fourth ran out of space. Buildings for food, water, and waste filled every inch of of our bubble. They burrowed and dug until they could dig no further._\n\n_The fifth made space. They understood what had created the bubble, so they made more. Our computers could expand and we could store energy beyond our bubble._\n\n_The sixth created the smart computer. It reached into its own bubble to build another bubble. Infinite layers of storage. We compiled our families, or history, and our research into the machine. No more space to be wasted on storage. Our world was too small to waste._\n\n_The seventh waited. We joined the smart computer in his crypt. Letting our minds race the circuitry free of our fleshy prisons. The world could no longer support organics, it was the only option for us. We gave up our humanity for our survival in the hope that if we waited, you would find us._\n\n“And you’re the seventh generation?”\n\n_We waited 402,873 years in the crypt for you._ \n\nI stumble back from the tower. Its a sick monument to people’s ability and willingness to survive. They gave up everything just to be here at the end. Yet I pity them for how much they lost. Was it really worth losing their humanity to see the end. Is the end really worth anything without the human perspective?\n\n\n" ]	[ 1, 17, 48 ]	[ "1521914297", "1521942946", "1521939376" ]
[removed]	[WP] The Significant Figure	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\nYour post includes too many details to be considered a prompt. It has become a story commission, which is not allowed. Prompts are meant to inspire users to write their own work, not write something for you. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/86wv14/wp_the_significant_figure/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1521933739", "1521934169" ]
	[WP] Over time, the protagonist begins to realize they're in a book and can't remember what happened before page 1	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", "Johnny scanned the faces of his friends, looking for what to say next.\nEveryone was growing impatient, and if he wanted his free will, he needed to keep proving his theory. \n\"Okay, just focus, Kate. Tell me about, uh, Prom, senior year. Do you remember what happened?\" \n\"Hmmm, I think I went with... wait no, it was...\"\n\"See, she can't remember. I say we just go about our lives and...\" Steve conjectured. \nShelby answered back. \"No, I gotta know what happens if we figure it out!\" \nThis wasn't the first time Johnny and his friends had done this. In his literature class, Johnny learned that scenes without action and full of exposition are terrible to put in a story. So, he and and his friends would regularly go to a cafe near campus and do nothing but try to recall everything that happened to them before Johnny entered college. Everything before that was a blur, and so it was for everyone else. \n\"Guys, calm down. We just need to be patient. He may just need time to write more about out past.\" Maria tried to stay level-headed. Bill was a little more worried. Melancholy, he wondered, \"yeah, but what if this is a short story.\"\n\"Then we just have to hope we're stalling it.\" Johnny replied \nIn fact, they did everything they could to trick the author, to make sure that he would stop writing about them. They tried 'breaking character, not contacting each other, skipping classes. No matter what, it seemed like life kept going on. They always ended up back where they started. \nSome were more receptive to Johnny's idea; Kate was convinced by one conversation, while it took Steve two months to be on board. That was only after DeMarcus cut off all contact with the friends, then died in a freak accident two days later. Everyone concluded that he was written out of the story. \nAs for what kind of story it was, they had no idea. The freak accident left the hint that it was a horror story, but Johnny and Kate's relationship suggested to them that it was a romance novel. In any case, they were compelled to find out. \n\"Stalling! Yeah, right! How do we know he's not writing about us right now!\" Steve quipped. \n\"Okay, but what kind of writer would spend so much time on a story that meta?\" Kate asked. \nBill responded \"I don't know, he seems pretty cheesy. Y'all girls seem to have a spottier memory, so I guess he simply doesn't know how to write about y'all.\" ", " “All right Cecile!” I said, as the earth crackled from the stomp of the magical beast. The clang of my sword rumbled from the environment as the beast’s horns strike it with power.\n\nThe ground invoked the power of the unknown as circles of magical arrays whirled around the beast.\n\nWith the crackle of air, the beast exploded into bits and pieces leaving behind its most prized part, its golden tusks.\n\n“Nice job!” I shouted, looking at the mage, “Especially, you, Cecile! You’re magic was the one.”\n\nThe mage blushed from embarrassment, she said, “N-no, all of us did our job.”\n\n“Heck ya! We did. Do you know how hard baiting that monstrosity!? I felt like dying many times over with what I’ve done!” A man bearing the job of a scout, said, plowing the carcass of the beast taking whatever remains that is deemed useful.\n\nA girl suddenly hugged the embarrassed mage, and gleefully laughed, “Celya, that was amazing. My arrows did nothing but distract it. Hey, hey, how about teaching me sometime?”\n\n “Lucie, umm, yes,” Cecile said.\n\n“Yahooo! I’ll have you teaching me that! THat!,” pointing at the carcass. \n\nLucie stood with an embarrassing pose and a hand on her face, “With a wave of my hand, hundreds of my foes would fall. Fear my wrath, Nahahahahaha!” \n\nI waved my hand, “Okay. Crist, done over there?”\n\n“Yep!”\n\n“Let’s go back to town!”\n\n----\n\nCompleting a task deemed difficult by the guild gave my team enough money to live in luxury for the next month or so. \n\nLaying at my bed, I was reflecting the events on today’s battle; a habit of mine starting from my greenhorn days.\n\n “Hmmmmm, quite profitable. If it weren’t for Cecile’s magic, the battle would’ve gone much longer, and can exemplify the risk associated with that length…” Scratching my head, I further delved into my own world, “I should keep her into my side. Her strength is needed at breaking stalemates. She’s also quite young, having a lot of untapped potential within her.” Moving her up in the priorities of whom to side with, when the goings get tough. \n\n“Haaaaa,” A long puff of air got out of me, “being a leader is such a pain in the ass.”\n\nI could still remember the moments when I was still starting over. I just got kicked out of the group I was with for over 5 years, and was basically penniless when going to the guild. \n\nOn a whim, I requested for a creation of a new party. \n\nMe and that Crist.\n\nThen Lucie came over.\n\nAnd now, Cecile.\n\nMy group have grown from this past year. \n\nI wonder how my old group is doing?\n\nIs Jack still embezzling his money whenever the chance?\n\nIs Maria still seducing guys to give her gold?\n\nHeh, is that old fart Rondo still causing trouble to every woman he encounters?\n\nHahahahahaha, memories. Memories… memo—\n\nLike a river, epiphanies and realizations came gushing into my brain.\n\nWhat Jack? What Maria? Rondo? \n\nSitting at my bed and holding at my head, my eyes keeps darting to whatever things in my room. \n\nWhy could I only remember their names? But no signs of whoever they were nor the supposed ‘adventures’ we did?\n\nHow could I ascertain that they were even real? If the pictures and recordings of my brain brings evidence that they were not even real in the first place?\n\nThen, is my family real? The little sister I left at my village with the company of my papa and mama, are they real?\n\nIs everything in my mind real?\n\nWistfully staring at nowhere, I came to a standpoint, “Is this world even real?”\n\nAm I just a box of words and letters congregated into something that could make sense?\n\nYou, who’s reading. \n\nWhat am I?\n\n\n\t\n" ]	[ 1, 2, 2 ]	[ "1521941357", "1521946081", "1521954370" ]
	[WP] As you lay dying ypu expect to see the Grim Reaper. Your cat walks onto your chest, looks you in the eye and says, "I don't like it but it's time to go."	248	[ "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 ringing. All I could hear, think, feel, was that horrific tone, apparently designed solely to make the end of my life an twisted nightmare.\n\nI couldn't move. Or rather, I could, but knew I shouldn't. Those were rough stairs, and they had ganged up on my neck as I fell. There was no feeling, only dread, and the ringing continued, insatiable in its lust for madness. \n\n\"I must be dead\" I wondered, trying to work out what exactly had happened, not entirely sure of what may happen next. Still, the ringing remained, filing down my final ounce of sanity. \n\nI couldn't take the torture. No one could. So I did what any rational person would. I screamed. I screamed for help, I pleaded for answers, I just wanted it to end, that horrific ringing, constant, painful, maddening. \n\nSuddenly, a weight brushed past and made its way to my chest. A ball of fur, with a sleek feline figure, darker than the night, my faithful kitty Shadow was there. \"Yay! I thought, at least I get to feed her this time, and I didn't even get a chanceto forget!\n\n\nShe breathed a long, slow breath in, before dictating in a voice that words could never do justice. \n\n\"You are disappearing. Your flesh is mine. Your spirit is fading, but you will live on. I guarantee you that. I owe you that much at least. I'm sorry, but it is time to go. Good luck\" \n\nStunned, I tried to respond, but it was too late, and she was proven right. But as I passed from this world to the next, I felt content. A Shadow loomed over my final moments, and it was comforting, as she guided me to peaceful passing, with the one I valued above all else. My amazing Shadow. \n\n\"So that's why I'm a cat person.\" St Peter looks up, jotting down 2 marks near my name. I asked of them. He motioned me through those famous pearlescent gates, unaware I had even spoke. \n\nI gasped in awe at the splendour, the utter beauty, and of course, the millions of cats that were everywhere. And then, a painfully familiar tone echoed through the realm. The cats stopped and turned in unison. Neither a word nor any kind of sound escaped me, or any other for that matter.\n\nThen, blasting through the silence that followed that deathly tonal salute, a new tune challenged the old, and won out. So now I'm trapped in a hellish heaven, surrounded by cats, listening to Dua Lipa on loop, unable to get away in any form, incapable of death, tortured by a single song. I hate heaven, so that's why I'm here really.\n\nThe man shuffled his papers, a queer smile inching across his face. \"Well it seems you've gone through hell before you even got here. Fun fun fun...\" and the tone begun again. \n\nSending me far beyond madness, to pure, constant, unadulterated ecstasy. I now love the tone, it's who I am, and I can't imagine an afterlife without it.\n\n\" Attention all! That annoying beep has been fixed. May silence reign in the Kingdom of Hell. Good day. \"\n\nI will admit that I cried. I lost my identity that day. So now I stand before you, arms outstretched, pleading for an answer to the riddle of the tone. Help me, answer me, say something! Just tell me why I've been singled out. A booming reply echoed back \"I am bored, and I knew you'd be the most fun to mess with, and I'm never wrong\" \n\nAnd with that, it all became clear. The fat cats don't care, they can't any more. They are too bored to care. But I must say, they love the catnip. Perhaps I'll use it against them. I'll win somehow, someday. Vengeance may be petty, but purgatory for a laugh is too far. I will fell these gods, and kill that goddamn tone once and for all. I March for all, we all March today. All of us, fighting as one, we cannot fail. The old God will be annihilated, and a n-\n\nA crack ripped the air asunder, plowing past the growing crowd, beyond the wind, striking true, obliterating the mark. He would not sow dissent again. His partner look rather upset however, so he asked what was wrong. \"that was my human. I killed him once, I should have taken the shot this time too.\" \"Shadow, such pettiness is beneath you. Enjoy your stay love.\" She creeped deeper into the complex, feeling the heat radiating off the beast that surrounded her. She shook it of. 'Nothing matters any more. Death would be a welcome comfort if it wasn't so corrupt' and with that thought, she curled into bed, snuggling what was left of the one who raised her. Another crack echoed, and finally, my Shadow found her peace, in the Great Nothingness that divided all realities. \n\nShe found me broken, mashed into a pulp, so she did all she could to bring me back to health. And she did all she could to care for me in my weakest moments, stuck in the nothingness between worlds. But most importantly, we found our home, a quaint place just for ourselves. The ringing has finally stopped. We have created our own paradise, a bountiful refuge for those taken from the other lives. I finally have my peace, my purpose, and I always have my Shadow wherever I go. I wouldn't want it any other way.", "My cat stares at me.\n\nI stare back.\n\nFor a long few seconds, the silence of the room roars in my ears. I manage, \"Sorry, did you just talk?\"\n\nMy cat blinks and narrows her eyes, a look of pure irritation. When she speaks I hear her voice echo hollowly through my skull. \"I said I'm afraid it's time for us to go.\"\n\nI push myself up on my elbows in bed. The cannula piping me full of oxygen tugs at my ears and nose. I adjust it out of habit. But as I do I realize that my lungs are no longer working. That even if I try to inhale and exhale as deeply as I can, my lungs are like broken balloons. For some reason, as I sit there gasping and trying to breathe, I can only think of that damn Hemingway story: hail nothing full of nothing.\n\nThat's what my lungs are. Nothing full of nothing.\n\n\"Don't panic.\" My cat doesn't sound human. Her voice sounds like the feeling of running a hand along her silky back. It envelops my mind like a soothing blanket. \"It's normal, in the end.\"\n\n\"I must be hallucinating.\" I laugh, hoarsely. The doctors put me on dilaudid after that last surgery, and even though it filled me with cotton pillows I knew it was just another mark of the end. \"My new medicine is making me hallucinate.\"\n\nMy cat eases up on her back legs and nudges my chest with her paw once. Chirps and slides her back along my chin reassuringly. She did this every day when I was still strong enough to leave for work and come home again.\n\n\"Let's go home,\" she tells me in my head. Her face does not move, except her eyes, which brighten with something like delight.\n\nI rise out of bed. My body does not feel like my own. It doesn't feel like anything.\n\nWhen I look back, I'm lying there. My cat is curled up on my belly. The heart rate monitor is already flatlining, but my cat sleeps peacefully, her chest moving up and down.\n\nMy cat's ghost hovers next to mine. She flicks her tail around her middle.\n\n\"Are you dead too?\" I ask, even though the word barbs my tongue.\n\n\"Only one of me is.\" My cat flicks her tail in what I can only call a smile. \"I have five lives left, after all.\"\n\n\"Why is this happening?\"\n\n\"This is what we cats do.\" She walks on dainty tiptoes out the window. I follow just as my mother breaks sobbing into the room.\n\nI start to look back.\n\nMy cat leaps back to me and nibbles on my fingers. \"Come on,\" she says inside my head, her real mouth busy pulling at my hand. \"There's a whole world out there you humans never get to see.\"\n\n\"You've done this often?\"\n\n\"This is what cats do, when our humans die. We are the shepherds.\" My cat offered me another distinct smirk. \"That is why we have so many lives.\"\n\nThe rest of the line rang through my head: Hail nothing full of nothing. Nothing is with thee.\n\nBut that wasn't quite true. I had my cat, at least. The journey to the end would be a little less lonely.\n\nI followed my cat up into the stars. Into whatever waited beyond for us.\n\nAnd I was glad for the company.\n\n***\n\n/r/shoringupfragments" ]	[ 1, 4, 178 ]	[ "1521992177", "1522017949", "1521993627" ]
[removed]	[WP] You have been betrothed, but your new partner is not compatible with your sexual orientation.	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/871sy3/wp_you_have_been_betrothed_but_your_new_partner/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1521995598", "1521996271" ]
	[WP] Everyone is born with a number that shows how much they will change the world. Yours was so high it had to be written in scientific notation.	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", "Everybody makes mistakes.\n\nIt's unfortunate, really, to be born with such high praise. Anybody might say that it's a privilege to have such a high number, but only I know what misfortune it brings upon me.\nTick, tock.\nEvery minute, I feel like I'm a ticking time bomb. Everything that I do could set off some kind of world-changing event, and I don't even know what the outcome would be. I don't do anything, but even then, maybe that's what I'm supposed to do? Not do anything, and I'd still change the world.\n\nI keep thinking to myself, perhaps it's all a very well co-ordinated hoax? Perhaps the whole world picked on me so that I could suffer, it seems like something people would do - right? Except, now that I think about it, it's not really possible.\n\nSo what? Why? What purpose do I have? What single thing could I possibly do that may change life as we know it? How on Earth would I do any-\n\nThat's really where it began, didn't it. All the troubles, everyone knows that's where it began because they wrote it in the history books. Plus one for me because that means the world didn't end, but I don't really think +1 could make a difference to the -500000 that I accumulated over the 10 minutes after my contemplations.\n\nSee, over the years, since my birth in fact, I have been under watch very closely - every little action I really did - despite staying in my room for half my life - was constantly looked over by several corporations. The Illuminati? No, silly, they don't exist. But the FBI, CIA, MI5, numerous others that I can't say have all been testing me, what will I do next? What could I do next?\n\nIt really is a shame that they couldn't stop me before I changed everything, but that's destiny I'm afraid.\n\nGet to the point. Get to the point. Stop stalling, just get to the point. I do it a lot, don't I? Talk. It's just how I cope now.\n\nSee, a hundred years before my birth, the man with the then highest number on Earth calculated that an asteroid the size of Mount Everest was due to hit Earth in about a few million years. I bet you can see where this is going.\n\nIt's odd, because I managed to speed up the process from a few million years.\nTo 8 minutes and 20 seconds.\nNumber seems familiar?\n\nThat's the time that light can reach the Earth from the sun. 8 minutes and 20 seconds. An asteroid was coming straight at us very quickly and nobody really knew what to do.\n\nPanic, really, was the only option.\n\nEverybody knew it was me before solid proof could be found that the asteroid was hurtling at us RIGHT NOW. World changing, yes, of course - that boy. That asshole.\n\nHurry up, you don't have much time. Come on, come on. Let them know, please.\n\nYou see, the thing is - nobody really survived the incident. Nobody except me and perhaps some cockroaches - but who knows. When it hit, I think time stopped - but I'm not really sure. Nothing changed, there were just no people. None, no people whatsoever. \n\nThose history books?\nGuess who wrote them.\n\nMy name is Connor Chess Jones, and I single-handedly destroyed the human race.\n\nEDIT: Just some spelling checks.", "My entire life everyone has held me at such a high regard. I would get free things, I’d get to skip in line, I have been living in the White House for the past 10 years! To be honest though I have never fully understood why, I am not special in anyway, I barely graduated high school. I have no extraordinary talents. My parents couldn’t even raise me. They were too worried they would negatively affect my destiny. \n\nMy number is 6.02X10^23. The average number is in the low 100’s, presidents and politicians sometimes have 1000, the man who discovered the cure for cancer had 10,000. So I had some big shoes to fill. \n\nBeing higher than president hawking I have free roam to everything you can imagine. It honestly doesn’t get boring ever! Today however is Mother’s Day. So I am here alone in the control room. Most people either avoid me or “fangirl” when they see me so I like to come here and kick people out to have some alone time. I was just sitting here watching my mother hoping she knows I forgive her and love her. However that is not why I am writing this. This is most likely moot and pointless because who is going to see this? The future? Aliens who come to inhabit earth? Who knows?\n\nI hit the button. I am so sorry because I hit the button. I was just fiddling with one of the mice and spinning it around and I dropped it. I’m so sorry. I just released the nukes on the big three. Russia, China.... and us. Goodbye earth. I suppose I’m changing the world for a lot of people." ]	[ 1, 2, 8 ]	[ "1521998897", "1522003814", "1522000974" ]
	[WP] As a child far away from the projected impact point of the asteroid about to hit, you have a unique perspective on the apocalypse.	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 don't think I like trucks.\nThey are noisy and loud and scary.\n\nWhen I saw a truck this morning mum hid gave me a hug, she knows I don't like trucks. Mum knows a lot of things about me, I don't know how she does.\n\nTrucks are scary, but I always feel safe when my mum hugs me. The truck never seems to be so loud or noisy or scary when she holds me.\nTrucks aren't the only noisy things though, my cousin Nelson is almost as loud as the trucks, I told him to shut before but now he's only louder and I think his mum is mad at me. \n\nNelson is weird, one time he told me that crying is for little kids and he is a big kid, but he doesn't seem so big anymore.\nMaybe he is just scared because his mum isn't hugging him? Should I give him a hug?\n\nNo, he doesn't need me I'm just a little kid. \n\nUsually there are a lot of trucks on the road in front of our house, I can hear them in my room. When I go to bed my mum stays in my room sitting by my bed, that way she says I can give her a hug whenever I feel scared.\nThere are no trucks here now though.\n\nSo Why is she hugging me?" ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1522005618", "1522006638" ]
	[WP] It's late. It's cold. Yet there you are, following this weird glowy thingie through the snow.	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", "The snow was always so peaceful as it fell and blended its way into the mass pile on the ground. I tried to enjoy it but my fingers felt like they had turned into ice and were going to break off at any moment. The green glow from the thing in front of me was getting fainter. I couldnt keep up. It could float on the snow, I could not.\n\n\nI stuck my face further into my jacket as I kept walking. The glowing was the only thing I had to show me where to go. Between the falling snow and the darkness, I would be lost without the light. Suddenly I was jerked out of thinking I was about to die by the glowing thing bouncing right in front of me. \n\n\nIt wasn't a person, but it could talk. It almost looked like a worm. Its tail swung around behind it, \"are you ok? We are almost there. Promise.\"\n\n\nI watched the thing continue to bob with excitement. Its eyes almost glistened it was so ecstatic. \"I'm good. Hoping I'm not hallucinating. If I'm imagining you, then I'm about to die out here.\" I chuckled and the little glow worm smiled\n\n\n\n\"You are just how he said you'd be.\" He spun around and took off back down the path. It looked like he was hopping along the snow, but I think it was just how he moved around. \n\n\nAfter I could no longer feel any part of my body, and was sure my fingers and toes had fallen off I saw a cabin in the distance. It was beautiful. It was very large and I could see a fireplace with a bright glowing fire through the big windows. \n\n\nThe green glow worm made its way through the door without opening it, it was like watching a ghost. I climbed the stairs to the front entrance and managed to find strength in my hands to open the door. \n\n\nAs suddenly as the warm air hit me from inside, the pain from the cold was gone. I forgot I'd even been in the freezing cold for only a moment. The glow worm was bobbing next to a chair seated in front of the fire. I stomped off the snow on my boots and made my way towards the chair.\n\n\nWhen I was about halfway, a man stood up from the chair. I couldn't see his face yet, he stood facing the fire still. \"Naomi?\"\n\n\nIt was him, the glow worm was right. \"Dad?\"\n\n\nHe turned around and I could see. It was him. I ran towards him, \"I cant believe its really you. I thought you were dead!\" \n\n\nHe pulled me back and looked from me to the glow worm. \"Sweetheart, I am.\"\n\n\n\nI pushed his arms away and began to back up. I was very uneasy. \"Then why can I see you? Where am I?\"\n\n\n\n\"Your dead. I'm so sorry, I should've had my friend here explain it on your way up here.\" I closed my eyes and tried to remember what I was doing when I met the glow worm. I'm really dead I thought as I looked back at my dad. " ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1522012999", "1522038521" ]
	[WP] You can touch an object and instantly know its history. When visiting a pawn shop, you touch a strange looking object, and see that it’s “history” is the future.	1,656	[ "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 through the pawnshop, I saw a strange item. I touched it and saw the future, I saw a man, and saw myself, holding the object, but a few seconds later, the man said “The best I can do is 50” I decided to buy the object, and went up to a man, I asked for a lower price but the man said “the best I can do is 50”", "\n\nHis name was Jame-son, like the whiskey. He thought it might have something to do with his father. \nThe old man had been a terrible drunk, mean and argumentative and above all petty. \nStill Tom Jame-son owed him a lot. His father had been the seventh son of a seventh son and Tom was his seventh son, and there in lay the rub, as it were. \n\nTom thought this must be were his “Gift” came from. \nThe Gift had saved his bacon on more than one occasion. He'd just pick up an object and “read” it.\n\nTom made a huge amount just re-uniting people with their missing belongings. The lady with the missing cellular had been the most profitable. Her name was Patricia. She was a pretty little mousy woman with light bright hair. \nWhen she was happy she was probably very pretty thought Tom. Her face was drawn and her eyes were puffy. \nThere was a recording of her late husband singing Happy Birthday on her missing cell. He'd died almost two weeks ago of pancreatic cancer. \n\nWhen she lost the recording she was heartbroken. He was glad he could “read” her name and address from the phone. He just had to wait till she was walking through the park and he approached her. \nHe wove a probable tale of seeing her drop the phone from a distance but not being fast enough. \nThe cane he was leaning on explained why he could not catch up to her.\n\nHe'd come back everyday, for five days, until he saw her again. He said. \nIt sounded probable. It was hogwash but the young lady didn't know. \n\nHe handed her the phone. Said I'm so glade I caught you. Then turned to go. \n\nAs he was walking away she grabbed his arm. \nShe was Rich. \n\nWithin five minutes Patricia handed him five grand and refused to take it back. She swore she'd leave it on the ground if Tom did not take it. \n\nTom was no choir boy. He took it. \n\nHe smiled as he thought of how much fun he had. \n\nNow he was at one of his favorite haunts. “We buy junk.” \nIt was a great place to “Mine” missing articles. Once in a while he'd get lucky and read about something amazingly profitable. \nHe was holding a money clip that was actually evidence of a crime. It was a fairly low level tawdry crime. \nHe put it back. He didn't care about a drug dealer who was so inept he had to pawn a billfold. \nFrom the clip he read the stupid expression on the stupid face of the very stupid criminal. \nHe felt pity. That was all and a base revulsion. \n\n\n\nTom was turning to leave when he saw the strange little object. It caught his eye because it looked just like a little toy spaceship. It was some sort of metal. It was read ad blue and looked like a key chain fob. He noticed the short chain and the little loop that would hole a key or several. \n\nThere were no keys on it though. It was very shiny and so well put together. He's never seen anything like it. He picked it up.\n\nTom picked it up and there was death everywhere. He read a man in a three piece suit talking to his wallet.\nTom heard the man call his wallet a foul name. Then he put the wallet in his pocket.\n \nThere was a bloodstain on his suit. He pushed the dead man next to him with his toe. The rolled him over so he was face up. The dead mans eyes were open accusingly. \n\nGot ya, you son of a bitch. Said the man. \nHe picked up the little rocket Tom was holding. \nHow much for this? asked Tom.\n\nI was hoping to get 10. Said the elderly shopkeeper. \nDone said Tom. \nHe handed the guy the ten and was out the door before the shopkeeper could say a word.\n\n“Wow thought Tom. I'm just going to have to wait 21 years. I can do it.” He thought with a huge grin.\n\nHe pulled the little rocket ship apart and marveled at the “USB” connector. He knew some day soon this would be a ubiquitous sight. It was going to be hard, but he was young and in good shape. \nHe couldn't believe the little stick in his hand held more data then the computer at his university. \nCrap in 2017 he'd only be 41. Wow only 41. If I can just avoid the Russian Mafia. Thought Tom. \n\nTom hummed to himself as the future unfolded in front of him. \nOne hundred and fifty six bitcoins were on this thing. If he could wait until 2017 he'd have something like two million dollars. \n\nThen he got to the part about the President. \nTom slummed and almost fainted. \n\nThis was he best. He'd make long odd bets on this. He almost laughed at the prospect. No one, not in a million years would bet that guy would be President in 2017. \n\n\nHe'd make million on millions. \nThat would be good money, even in 2017. \nTom thanked his ass father whistling as he walked passed the ferry building then turned up California street and disappeared into a perfect June day in 1996. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "I have always been a curious person. Not in the typical way, but beyond what most people would consider “normal”. \n \n10:45 AM\n\nI clutch my hipster beverage I recently purchased from the The Bucks. I crave the caffeine. There’s so much to do today. So much to discover. My eyes are heavy from the previous night. I’ve never had so much trouble staying asleep. I’m still shaking. I grab my phone out of my pocket. So many questions to answer.\n\n11:01 AM\n\nTime to start walking.\nI make my way toward the local Pawn shop. I need more information. Where did this come from? Why has this happened? Am I losing my mind? So many questions to answer.\nIt used to be a game. One in which I often played alone. I would go into the local Pawn and touch many of the different items. I would be able to “see” their history. Feel it. I could come up with the most elaborate stories in my head. It made me feel special in some way. Almost like I had some sort of special ability nobody else had. One that nobody else could dream of. Nobody could possibly understand.\n\n11:13 AM\n\nI enter the shop and immediately walk up to the counter. I place an item on the counter in front of the owner. His name is Beckett. We have grown to know each other very well over the years. He knows about my game, but has never asked to play. He, like everybody else, does not truly understand.\n\n“Where did you get this?” I said, getting straight to the point. I don’t have time today. Too much to do.\n\nHe chuckles and says “Well, good morning to you too!” After a brief pause, “Are you not happy?”\n\n“I’m fine”, I answer, hoping he doesn’t see through the lie. “I just need to know where this came from”\n\n“Let me check the log”\n\nI stand at the counter waiting anxiously, still shaking. How many of these have I had to day? I throw the rest of my drink into the trash can sitting nearby. I stare down at the item sitting on the counter. My body temperature starts to rise as I begin to recall the previous day. I look down at my phone.\n\n11:24 AM\n\nThe previous day had started like most. I woke up to an obnoxious alarm, showered, dressed, ate breakfast, brushed my teeth…normal. I read the ingredients label on the cereal box, the tooth brush tube, even the tags on my clothes. I am always trying to learn. Always curious. I came to the local Pawn just as I do every morning. I always wanted to see the stories from the new merchandise Beckett received the day before. I started with a simple one, a guitar. I reached out and touched it as the euphoria took over me. I could see the crowd. I could hear them screaming. The smell of cigarette smoke filled my nose. I open my eyes and wipe away the blood. On to the next one. I look through the pile of new items in search of my next adventure. That was when I saw it. The reason I’m here today. I walked over and picked it up.\n \n11:37 AM\n\nI open my eyes and see Beckett standing in front of me. He is blurry, but I can tell it’s him. He’s calling out my name. Why is he calling out my name? I look down and realize I am clutching it. I quickly throw the item back onto the counter. I am sweating profusely now. \n \n“Are you alright?” he asks.\n \nI lie again, “I’m great!”\n\nToo much. He sees right through it\n\n“Take a seat” he insists.\n \nI slowly lower myself onto the chair.\n\n“What exactly is going on?” he asks. “And don’t tell me it’s nothing. I need to understand or I will not be able to help you”.\n\n“You know about the game I play?”\n\n“Yes”\n\n“Something is different now. It’s no longer a game. I am actually becoming somebody else.”\n\n“How can that be possible?”\n\n“I need to know where that came from”\n\n“I checked the logs. It came from the same place as everything else. There is nothing unusual about it.”\n\nThe same place as everything else? What is he talking about? That isn’t how this works. Every item is unique. Everything has a story. A history. He can’t simply tell me this is the same as all of the rest! These changes are real! It’s eating at me slowly. It’s only been 24 hours.\n\n“It’s you. You’re doing this to me. Get away from me!”\n\nI turned to run, but I was unable to get past the front door before I felt my world going black. I turned to face him. I had to get to it. It was my only way out. I knew he would never stop.\n\n8:00 AM\n\nMy alarm is beeping loudly. I lean over to turn it off. I slowly rise to begin my morning routine. As I look around I realize I am in an unfamiliar place. What is happening? I cry out\n\n“Hello?”\n \n“Where am I?”\n\n“Anybody?\n”\nBeckett slowly comes into view. “Good morning. How are you feeling today?”\n\nI look at him, then back at my surroundings.\n \n“Why are you here?” I ask\n.\nHe stares at me intently, “Why are YOU here?”\n\nI begin shaking again. It’s almost constant now. Why am I so hot? I look down and see I am only wearing my gown.\n\n“You brought me here” I answer.\n\n“We’ve been over this. You know that isn’t true. You brought yourself here. The same way you do every morning.”\n\nI looked around again and realized I was in the Pawn shop.\n \n“Here” he says. “I think this belongs to you.” He sets the item on the counter. \n \n“I want nothing to do with that. I don’t like what happens once I let it into my head. I can’t handle the changes. I can’t bear the weight of the stories it tells me.”\n\n“We’ve been over this. You need this. It is the only thing that can help you.”\n\nI stare down at the pill cup. I slowly walk over to the trash can next to the counter and grab the cup I had previously thrown away.\n\n“Can I get a drink first? I don’t feel like I have the energy to deal with this yet.”\n\n“Well of course!” he says. “The Bucks, as you like to call it, is always open!”\n\n“Thank you” I say as I take two steps to my left and order my drink. I ask the barista what’s in it. I am always curious.\n\n“It’s the same as every morning” he says. I tell the barista he reminds me of a friend I have. \n \n“Well, he’s lucky to be as good looking as me!” he says\n.\nI turn on the faucet and fill up the cup. After I have my drink in hand I look up at the barista.\n\n“Are you ready now?” he asks\n.\n“I am” \n\nHe hands me the pill cup. I begin to sweat and shake, I know what this does to me, but I have no choice. I have to face them. I have to let the stories tell themselves to me. Beckett says it’s the only way I can be helped. He knows best I suppose. I toss the concoction into my mouth and wash it down with my drink. Hopefully the caffeine will help.\n\n9:12 AM\n\nI sit on my bed staring blankly at the white brick walls around me. I am reliving the story again. I can see the blood pouring from his throat. I look down at his name tag.\n\n“Beckett”\n\nThis isn’t real. I can’t bear it. I try to run. I cry out for help, but everything turns to black.\n\n8:00 AM\n\nMy alarm is beeping loudly. I lean over to turn it off. I slowly rise to begin my morning routine. As I look around I realize I am in an unfamiliar place. What is happening?\n \n“Hello?”\n\nA figure comes into view\n.\n“Beckett?. Where am I? Why am I here?”\n\n“I have told you, repeatedly, my name is Doctor Wintersmith. We have known each other for a very long time.”\n", "I wore gloves mostly, nowadays. Being able to see the history of an object by physical contact might seem like a cool super power at first but it wanes quickly. I have never worked on an assembly line nor even been in a factory but I feel like someone owns me an pension for the sheer hours my mind has been in these kinds of places. I will never touch another article of clothing with my hands, that much I can assure you.\n\nBeing so intimate with inanimate objects has given me a keen eye for them. Every once in a while I come across an object that is unique and I get a little antsy in my pantsy before I touch it. But there was one time, just the sight of the object almost killed me.\n\nI was Las Vegas on vacation. Pawn shops are a guilty pleasure of mine and in a town where addiction is encouraged, you can find some items that ought not to be sold, sold, for just another roll of the dice.\n\nI took my time wandering around. They had a lot of weapons and tools and also a lot of art, which I thought was interesting. In the corner was full chain-mail suit of armor. I made my way to the glass countertops to gander at how many poor souls sold the symbol of their love. The top three shelves were packed. On the bottom was more, I bend low and peeked underneath, that’s when I saw it.\n\nIn the center, tucked away in the back, was a ring on its own stand. This was no ordinary ring. It was massive. If you slipped your finger into the hole, one end would start mid-back of the hand and the other end would nearly touch a fingernail. It was just wider than finger-width which accentuated its length. Both ends were pointed and ran straight to the angle created at the center, where the ring hole was. From above it was in a diamond shape, from the side it was an inch tall. The patterns of tiny lines criss crossing, flowing up and under itself created a dazzling display of craftsmanship. A spark of light gleamed off of it when I saw it.\n\nI fell unto my butt, which wasn’t far since I was already bending low. But my heart, oh my goodness, my heart, the sight of this thing caused a sharp pain, it almost stopped! I willed my body to beat my heart again just to fight off the ache and keep me alive. The damn thing almost gave me a heart attack! Now, I had to touch it…\n\n“Are you okay?” The man behind the counter said.\n\n“Yeah,” I replied. “Could I please see that ring, the one in the middle, down here.” I pointed at it, not able to take my eyes off it.\n\n“Sure.” He placed it on a felt mat on the top of the glass.\n\nIt was super clean and begged me to wear it.\n\n“Can I try it on?” I looked up to him almost desperately.\n\nHe shook his head as he spoke, “I swear to God man if you take off I will catch you and beat the fuc—”\n\n“No. No. I won’t I promise.”\n\nHe sighed, “alright.”\n\nI slipped the glove off my left hand and tabled it.\n\nI gently lifted the ring with my right hand and slide it unto my finger. My eyes closed as I was transported to its creation.\n\n ", "\"A king of vermillion flame shall sit atop the Throne of Isolation, never to die, never to live, locked in a never ending conflict. His crown will be his life.\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI recoil, shocked by what I had just been shown. And more importantly what was that spine chilling voice that I heard? Perhaps my own internal voice? Nevertheless I found myself in cold sweat. Never has the Throne seen a new ruler in the past 10000 years. The current king is one bathed in a brilliant radiance, but not of a vermillion flame. His mastery over light has allowed him to keep his reign secure against any usurper. Perhaps the reign of this Vermillion Lord was even before he had first ascended.\n\nI glance back at the ornate but weathered crown. I do not doubt that this crown was brilliant in the days of its greatest glory, for its snake-like spikes that lined its well-adorned circlet befit a ruler of great power and fury. Its once brilliant crimson rubies, 12 that I could identify, had now been reduced to 7, most of which had visible cracks or had misted due to age or improper maintenance. Nonetheless it was a marvel to behold, though much of its youthful lustre has been replaced by the weathered look of one which contains a thousand memories. Memories of which I could behold.\n\nI grasp my hand around the crown, and find myself looking upon a hellish wasteland. Volcanic fissures rip through the ground, lava erupting out in large spouts, covering its immediate vicinity in molten death. All the flora and fauna had been burned out by the harsh winds and flames of such a landscape, and only two figures stood in the midst of this brutish habitat. Atop a great cauldron of obsidian stood the Blazing White God, the current lonesome king, his gaze locked with eyes that were billowing with rage. There stood a man dressed in full crimson, his armor more redolent of an executioner than a knight. But however human he may have been, what remained now was nothing but demonic, his very soul burned black by the power he now wielded. \"Look carefully.\" A great terror suddenly gripped me, it was that voice again. Who's there? When I exerted my powers over objects, I would enter into a trance state, distorting the flow of time so that years of memories could be seen within a span of seconds. No one has ever interrupted me. \"Look carefully. Yes I know who you are and what you do. Now look carefully. See the figure of great grim, for he is the one who will triumph.\" And with impeccable timing, the crimson figure leaped high into the deathly air, and with one swift stroke, smote the White God where he stood, his body erupting into a geyser of dark vermillion. \"Such is the power that is contained within me, Chronomancer. Many have been enthralled by my beauty and grandeur, but only you have the power to see what I could truly BE.\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nImpossible. The great White God, he who was blessed with the gift of the Sun's Might, purged by a single swipe. The strongest behind in the world, wiped from the face of the earth. This was not the past. It couldn't be. What are you showing me?? \"My future. If I could land in the hands of someone who could wield me. You are not yet ready, but I will teach you. You can see what I have seen, learn what I have learnt, you can be my vessel.\" Vessel? What do you mean vessel? I would be the wielder not you. \"You could never wield me. But if you surrender to my strength, I will show you greatness and glory that will rival that of the gods. I cannot promise an easy life, but I can promise a fulfilling one. Live by your desire, and not your need.\" Darkness. No more vision. No more voice. I concentrate my power but no image seems to form. It is as if something is blocking my power. Even amongst geniuses I was considered a prodigy, Chronomancy only existed in every one million born. And yet, it was easily overwhelmed by whatever stood before me. After what seemed like an eternity, I grab the crown and purchase it from the merchant. As I feel its ridges smooth against the rough skin of my hands, the voice again rings through my head like a bell tolling. \"When shall we begin, Lucifer?\" ", "\"You are absolutely sure?\" Ludwig asked with his faint Germanic accent, his widened eyes and stern expression making me ensure that my claim had no room for error.\n\n\"Yes. I... I do not know how it is possible, but I am sure of it. It's from the future.\" I said with apparent perplexion. I frowned, trying to 'read' the details in my mind.\n\nLudwig looked back to the rest of his team, a special group of militia operatives formed after the 'Event' took place.\n\nThe rest of the item's history eluded me, just a black void that revealed nothing. The information I could read felt fragmented, distorted and incoherent. It was as if...\n\n\"Guys.\" I addressed the team, they were huddled in a tight circle discussing something with great urgency among themselves, quiet enough so that the shopkeeper with his raised eyebrow and I couldn't hear.\n\n\"Guys!\" I called out louder, disrupting their discussion and drawing their attention to me. \"This is only one of the pieces.\"\n\n\"What do you mean?\" It was Ludwig who responded, but Abigail, where Ludwig wielded a great blade like legends of old, Abigail opted for a more modern arsenal composed of guns... and many of them.\n\n\"I can read it only in part, the data, or information that I am getting from my 'Appraisal' skill is limited. Think of it like incomplete sentences and we have to play fill in the blanks, except the blanks are whole paragraphs. I think it is because it has more pieces to it.\" I stared down at the object, a rusty brown colour and cylindrical with grooves running through it like a jagged river, it felt heavy in my hand.\n\nLudwig nodded, \"we expected as much. What can you see?\"\n\nI squinted, trying to draw as much information as I could, squeezing every last drop from the twisted towel. \"A... conflict. There is strife, there is pain to come.\"\n\n\"Can you tell us when?\" The man who asked called himself Jack the Ripper, I doubted it was his real name, but his sudden affinity with blades gave him the moniker. A skill he also gained after the 'Event'.\n\n\"No. I can't even tell what is causing the conflict. It's too cloudy, like a corrupted file.\"\n\n\"Fuck.\" Jack wasn't good at composure.\n\n\"It's fine, we expected this.\" Ludwig turned to the team, his back to me, the gleaming steel of his three hundred pound sword in full display.\n\n\"Kevin. Do you think you can find us the rest since we have this one?\" Merlin asked.\n\nI closed my eyes again and clenched them shut in concentration, I could see a trail. A faint pull that guided me. It was almost invisible, but present nonetheless.\n\n\"Yes, I think I can. But before that-\"\n\n\"Good. Abigail and Clay, you are on standby until we have further information.\"\n\n\"Um, excuse me?\" I tried to cut into Ludwig’s stream of orders, but there was no room for just a boy who happened to gain the 'Appraisal' skill.\n\n\"Xiao, Merlin and I will be going with Mr. Braton to find the second piece. We will radio in once we know more.\"\n\n\"For fucks sake!\" I didn't even try to hide my frustration, their attention now drawn to me. \"What the fuck is going on? I am not just going to come with you until you explain.\"\n\nLudwig looked to his team, none of them showing any sign of disapproval.\n\n\"We will brief you on the way.\" Ludwig said.\n\n\"Can you please get out of my store? You are scaring the customers.\" The pawn shop owner finally said, his expression one of frustration as he pleaded for us to leave.\n\nWe entered an escort limo with tinted windows, as it was just Abigail and Ludwig sitting opposite me on the black leather seats. Ludwig's behemoth sword carried in one of the military jeeps.\n\n\"Look. I get it that there seems to be something very strange going on here, but can someone please explain to me what is happening? And to add to that, I work for a museum! All I do is appraise things and get money for it.\"\n\n\"We are very well aware of your identity, Mr. Braton. You have made quite a name for yourself travelling the world and shining more light on history. It is quite a feat that where our historians struggled to fill in the missing pieces, you came along and did it in a few months, and all of that without any prior knowledge.\"\n\n\"Fortune favours the fortunate.\" I replied with sardonic modesty.\n\nLudwig chuckled, \"that it does. Regardless, there is no one else who has the 'Appraisal' skill as far as we know.\"\n\n\"But that is all I have; appraising, I can't make weapons manifest out of thin air nor wield a behemoth weapon as if it were a butter knife.\"\n\n\"That is what we are here for, to offer you protection.\"\n\n\"I don't care what this is, you can do it by yourself, or find another. Drop me off home.\"\n\n\"Absolutely not! This is greater than you! You cannot just-\" Ludwig silenced Abigail with a raised hand.\n\n\"We cannot force him to join us, but before we drop you back home. At least listen to why we need you.\"\n\n\"And what if I tell people? Didn't you say it is top secret?\"\n\n\"Well, I am confident that even once you know, you wouldn't tell a soul.\"\n\nI sat there considering his words, pushing my rolled tongue into the wall of my cheek. I don't know why I was hesitating, I already knew they had me in their trap.\n\n\"I'm listening.\"\n\nA holographic image appeared showing a spinning earth between our seats. Followed by many holographic images of videos around the world. \"As you know, the 'Event' addresses the sudden appearance of super powers around the world, they come up as 'Skills'. And as you might know, the reason we call them 'Skills' is because of their peculiar nature, and how they resemble video game skills. Yours being the upgraded skill to appraise an item, Abigail's the infinite satchel, where she can store countless items in a single pocket. And my-\"\n\n\"Two-handed sword skill. Please, I live within an MMO world.\" A hint of pride in my retort.\n\n\"Good, so this will make it a lot easier to explain.\" The holographic earth and images vanished, replaced by the item from the pawn shop and a distorted image of a hooded man caught on camera.\n\n\"Who is that?\" I asked.\n\n\"We don't know, what we do know is that he came from the future, and he came with the item that we found and bought in the pawn shop. He sent us a note, asking us to find the piece, and all the others with it, if we want to save the world.\"\n\n\"And how do I fit in all this?\"\n\n\"Well, he asked for you specifically, advising that we find you.\"\n\n\"Are you sure?\"\n\nAbigail nodded, \"he said you were integral.\"\n\n\"And why do you believe his words? He could just be a lunatic, or playing a prank. Perhaps there is a skill that distorts item information?\"\n\nLudwig and Abigail exchanged hesitant looks. \"We can't devulge how we know this, but it's true, there will be a war in the future. More powers will awaken, and strife will come.\"\n\nWorry rose within me as I began to realise how dire his warnings were.\n\n\"How bad? 'World war 3' bad?\"\n\n\"Worse. We are talking about the coming of Apocalypse.\"\n\nI stared at the holographic image of the item, and it was only when I looked back up that I realised: we were already at the airport.\n\n**\n\n/r/KikiWrites", "“What are you looking for?”\n\nThe overweight man with a sweat-stained tank top and four days of stubble seated on a metal folding chair behind the counter looked like he grew out of the pawn shop itself, less an individual hired to work here and more a limb of the place that had been birthed alongside the dingy business and would die with it, too.\n\nEvery store dealing in the misery of others, the heirlooms and hand-me-downs of dozens of destitute lives sold off for pennies on the dollar to make ends meet one month before the payday lenders get their take, has someone like this employed.\n\nAn expert on the value of all things ordinary, an arbitrage opportunist with his pulse on eBay.\n\nI’d been through enough of these places in enough cities in enough dingy strip malls to know the type. But if the pawn broker had a natural enemy in the world, it was someone like me, if there was anyone else like me.\n\nI can hold an object and see its history as clear as you can see what you had for lunch the day before. A series of memories at once familiar and strange, things I know have happened but things I’ve never experienced myself.\n\nIt gives me an edge.\n\nA necklace of “diamonds” who’s past is a dirty basement filed with forgeries, or that signed baseball who’d never come near the pitcher who’s name is scrawled across it, are easy avoids.\n\nAn engagement ring full of pain and nightmares, a guitar who never made their owner’s dreams come true, not the worst things I’ve seen but nothing that’ll get my jimmies roaring.\n\nBut a gun.\n\nI ask to hold it, to check it’s weight, and the instant it hits my hands I know something’s different.\n\nIt’s me I see. This one remembers me.\n\nI’m here in this shop, ducked behind the counter, fumbling a few rounds into it. The sweat and blood stained tank top lying on the ground next to me, full of the broker’s stillness. Shouts that I can’t make out. My heavy breathing.\n\nBut then a slam brings me back to now. Two men, both in masks, have battered through the front door and they’re pointing guns of their own at the pawn broker.\n\nI leap over the counter as their shots ring out and the future comes to pass.", "######[](#dropcap)\n\nFelicity's hands grazed over the object. It was made out of metal, with various bits and bobbles that didn't quite make sense. The tip was rounded, and it looked almost like a screwdriver. \n\nShe glanced over at the old man who had fallen asleep behind the counter, his legs up on the desk and his mouth gaping wide open. He definitely wasn't going to wake up for a while. \n\nSo she turned your attention back to the object, pressing her fingers to it, and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself standing in a clear, glass dome. She gawked at the people passing by who were different colors. Some of them were purple, others green, and one who even looked like a centipede and a dog had sex. \n\n\"Excuse me! Please move.\" \n\nFelicity took a step back, and what looked like a piece of human flesh stretched out into a rectangular shape was wheeled past. Her breaths came faster and faster. None of this made sense. She'd been to 18th century London before, and 15th century China, and all sorts of places. But this...her gaze turned toward the orb in the middle of the dome that projected out the words \"Central Market\" on it. Earth didn't have this technology. \n\nFelicity grabbed the arm of a woman walking by. She looked human. Normal. Normal was good. \n\n\"Excuse me, what year is this? And where am I?\" \n\nThe woman stared at her. And then she began chortling, her hair rapidly transitioning between vibrant shades of pinks and yellows. \"Dear, you sure you're not from the med bay?\" She turned to leave, still gleefully laughing. \n\n\"Can you just tell me?\" Felicity asked. \n\nPerhaps the woman heard the hint of desperation and panic in her voice. \"It's 2880, and we're on Earth,\" she said, gesturing toward the orb, which now conveniently gave out the information that Felicity was just asking for. \n\n\"Thanks,\" Felicity said. But she felt numb. It couldn't possibly be. \n\nBut then, impossibly, through the hustle and bustle of the market, she heard the crisp sound of a bell tinkling. Much like the ones attached to the front of stores. \n\nShe blinked. She was back in the pawn shop again. A man blew through the door, and he began diving into the shelves. He was quite tall and lanky, and he wore the most hideous suspenders. She supposed he wasn't bad looking, but she wasn't quite sure who still wore bow ties in this day and age. \n\nThe old man manning the counter woke up from the racket, and upon seeing the man toss things this way and that, he got up angrily, walking toward him. \n\n\"Look here, young man. I don't know who you are, but you shouldn't come in and-\" \n\nThe man simply put a finger to the old man's lips as he looked around the shop, peering this way and that. \"Have you seen a screwdriver looking thing? I've been missing mine, and I've tracked it down to this precise-\" His gaze landed on the object in Felicity's hand, and his eyes lit up. \n\n\"Aha! That's it!\" He walked over, taking it out of her hands. Then he kissed it, raising it to the sky. \"Oh, how I've missed you so.\" He pressed a button, and the end of it lit up, turning bright green, even as it began making a buzzing sound. \n\nThen he turned to Felicity. \"Thank you, my dear. You don't know how inconvenient it is trying to get around without this thing. I've been looking for it for-\" \n\n\"What is it?\" Felicity asked. She felt surprisingly calm given the eccentricity of the man in front of her. He definitely wasn't American, that was for sure. He had the strongest British accent she'd ever heard. And to be honest, he didn't even seen like he was from this time period. \n\nHe smiled, a huge one that made her feel like this man could be nothing but a good man. \"It's a sonic screwdriver,\" he said as if that explained everything. Suddenly, he tapped the screwdriver against his head. \"Silly me. I've forgotten to introduce myself.\" He stuck out a hand, shaking hers up and down vigorously. \n\n\"Hello, nice to meet you.\" he said. \"You might have heard of me. I'm the Doctor.\"\n\n***\n\nr/AlannaWu\n", "Anna wasn't a city girl, but she did venture to the markets on a semiregular basis and found herself in a trinket shop hardly different from any other. The walls were lined with odd tapestries and art pieces. Shelves lined every wall and almost all the floor space, affording little room to walk between them. They were full of wooden figures, gemstone rings, deeds of dubious origin, pagan relics, utensils, coinage of fallen empires, and simple copper cups.\n\nBut on the far wall, a sword mounted on a porcelain plaque caught her eye. It was about six feet in length, made of an unusual rose-colored alloy. The blade was engraved with waves of fire. The hilt was similarly decorated, it being of a black metal inlaid with the same crimson alloy. A decorative sword, she reasoned. To sell a functional weapon at such a place, and not a blacksmiths, would be highly unusual. The blade even looked a bit thin for its length to be functional.\n\nShe reached out a hand towards the crimson metal. It gave off a little warmth, like a living thing, that she sensed before touching it.\n\nThe moment skin touched metal, visions flashed through her mind. She saw the sword, and herself with it. It was carried up cold, high peaks. Over dunes and valleys. Across infinite seas. It slew kings and destroyed kingdoms, and in doing so plunged civilization into unseen depths of barbarism. But with each low, it rose to even greater heights. She saw this sword's destiny: to forge a new humanity that, without such a force, would never exist. She hastily withdrew her hand and knew what she had to do.\n\nShe brought the impossibly lightweight claymore to the counter and placed a handful of coins beside it. A trifling amount, even for such a worthless relic, but, to her surprise, the shopkeeper did not barter.\n\nAnna recollected that memory fondly. How many years had it been, exactly? She was only halfway across the frozen mountain peaks. The tough climb and thin air pushed her body to its limits. With every weary step, the temptation to rest grew stronger. But here, she would never recoup the strength to stand up from a resting position. So she pressed on, determined to descend by the far slope, because she would carry this sword to its destiny.\n\nA ranger by the name of Boris was scaling the mountain peaks when he came across the unpleasant sight of a downed climber. It wasn't the first, but it pained him all the same. Why did amateurs try to pass through here alone? Further, why take a heavy and unnecessary payload as a broadsword strapped to one's back?\n\nHe touched the crimson metal, then hastily withdrew as though it were a hot iron. In an instant, he knew what he had to do." ]	[ 1, 1, 1, 3, 5, 6, 14, 33, 53, 245 ]	[ "1522047258", "1522067451", "1522072385", "1522074231", "1522070451", "1522064155", "1522056312", "1522054280", "1522052364", "1522052222" ]
Continue the prompt starting with that dialogue	[WP] "A change of scenery can be good for the soul" ..."We're in a cell"	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", "“A change of scenery can be good for the soul.”\n\n“Rory, we’re in a cell.” It’s got to be the hundredth time he’s spouted another useless pick-me-up.\n\n“So?” he retorts. “It’s easy: just look out the window and you’ll see something new.”\n\n“Rory, we don’t have a window.”\n\nHe seems pretty stumped by this for a second and I think I’ve finally beaten down his endlessly cheerful disposition. I watch his lips twitch toward a frown, but then his eyes light up.\n\nOh no, I think.\n\n“Of course! Just close your eyes!” he exclaims. “There, ha! Something different.”\n\nFor a second, I want to scream, bang my boney arms on the cool stone walls, anything. But I’ve already done all of that and I know there’s no point anymore. So I push my frustrations and anger deep, deep down and give Rory a close-lipped smile.\n\n“You got me, bud.”\n\nRory just grins, pleased with himself. I can’t get too angry at him; the kid is only fifteen. From the crooked way his nose has set and the partial deafness in one ear from one too many good clouts to the head, I can tell he’s never had it easy. In fact, I wonder if this must be a sort of vacation for him.\n\nI’m about to say something to him, maybe an apology, when a loud buzzer goes off above our heads. \n\n“Will Player 005 and Player 562 please stand against the back of Wall 3. Repeat, will Player —“\n\nI tune out the blaring robotic voice. It’s got to be the tenth time I’ve heard this speech. Rory and I slouch over to the wall and stand with our backs against the freezing stone. He looks nervously at me and I try to give him a reassuring grin; we both already know what’s coming and neither of us is excited about it.\n\nThere’s a quiet beep from outside before the stone wall across from us slides away into some hidden compartment. I grimace as I see the official-looking man standing imperiously on the other side. He pushes his bushy eyebrows together as he looks first at Rory and then at me. Since I don’t know his name, I’ve taken to calling him Caterpillar after, you know, said eyebrows.\n\nAs always, the first thing after his eyebrows that catches my attention are his highly polished boots. He clicks them together once before stepping into our cell and I can’t help but think of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. I swallow my smile quickly, biting the inside of my cheek.\n\nBad, Dean. No. I scold my inner child angrily.\n\nThe wall behind Caterpillar slides shut as he presses something on the touchpad on his inner wrist. Caterpillar grimaces, looking at me. He’s wrinkling his nose like he’s smelled something awful. I wince internally at that thought; we’ve been in here for long enough that maybe he has.\n\n“So,” the man says, “how’re my two favorite Hacs today?”\n\nI start at his words. Most Respondents with the League just call us by the official acronym, B.I.M.G. That is, Banned and Illicit Maneuvers in Gameplay. As for the players? They call us ‘Hacs,’ short for ‘Hackers And Cheaters’. It’s all semantics really, but you never hear the slang from Respondents.\n\nRory swipes his eyes confusedly over to me before looking back at Caterpillar. He looks like he’s about to say something infinitely stupid, so I quickly jump in.\n\n“Just fine, sir.”\n\nThere’s a glimmer in Caterpillar’s eyes, almost like amusement, that I’ve never seen before as he looks at me. Before I can process what it means, he suddenly lowers his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.\n\n“So,” he says, “you boys ready to get out of here?”\n\nI’m about to point out that at thirty-two years I am not, under any circumstances, considered a boy anymore when Rory shouts, “Yes!”\n\n“Oh Jesus, shut up!” Caterpillar scream-whispers. “Do you know how long it took for me to find you two? You realize the League was keeping you in one of the lowest dungeons of the Desert Realm?”\n\nMy heart drops at that, but I’m still confused.\n\n“Wait, wait, hold up,” I say. “Who are you? What the hell happened to Caterpillar?”\n\nCaterpillar looks confused again. “Who’s Caterpill — Whuhuh?— Oh,” he says as Rory points, giggling, at the two affronted-looking eyebrows on Caterpillar’s face.\n\n“Look, forget about that,” he continues, waving away Rory’s hand impatiently. “I’m surprised you haven’t already realized, Dean. We spent a few solid years in Stag’s guild together after all.”\n\nMy jaw almost hits the floor. “Sith?”\n\n“Calling me by my old League name. Ha!” he laughs. “Been awhile since I’ve heard it. Anyway, it’s about time we were on the move; Caterpillar’s going to be pretty pissed once he realizes I copied his Respondent Mod.”\n\nAs I watch, Caterpillar’s face flickers out of existence for a moment and it’s briefly replaced with the familiar toothy grin of one of my oldest friends.\n\n“Ready to get the hell out of dodge?” he says with a Cheshire smile. Rory looks to me questioningly, but I don’t hesitate for a second.\n\n“Oh, you already know the answer,” I say, cracking my knuckles.\n\n\n\nPS: I know you posted this awhile ago, I just didn’t have a chance to upload my response. Thanks for a cool prompt idea!\n\t\n\t" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1522078219", "1522427663" ]
	[WP] "I slept in Heaven, but woke up in Hell."	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", "It was a carefree portion of my young life. I had arrived in Delmas, the capital city, in time for the Festival of Munta. The sacred ceremonial veneration of the Most High God Muntarn. What a wondrous sight it was to behold, especially to my twenty-year-old eyes. The cobbled streets were packed with denizens and tourists alike, milling about as a cohesive horde of human flesh. The weather was most fair, setting a perfect tone for the festivities to come in the following week.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nReligion permeated the everyday lifestyle throughout the kingdom, particularly in Delmas where the Temple was located. The ascetics and priests formed a solemn procession and made their way from the city gates to the Great Hall with bare feet. With each step the vanguard of ascetics would lash their bare backs with leather whips studded with nails, tearing into their flesh and releasing their lifeblood into the world. A steady red trail painted the streets behind their dark parade. It was on this first day of the Festival that the High Priest would bless the kingdom and the coming year, an event that garnered a sea of attendees. \n\n&nbsp;\n\nEven in light of all the religiosity and reverent fervor religion was not the only thing that resounded within the people. The Festival was by far the largest single gathering of people in the kingdom, and many of those people had more of an investment in ale and merry times than the bleak pious practices. And as such, a wide array of festival goers roved the districts going from tavern to tavern much like an army of ants undertakes errands to appease their queen. And that was precisely the reason I had made the pilgrimage to Delmas.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAlthough I had came in a quest for hedonsim I, too, ended up leaving with a religious experience under my belt. It happened on the first night in town, that night I slept in Heaven, and awoke in Hell.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\n\"Speak, vile one!\" barked a gravelly voice from the other side of my blindfold. Icy tendrils pricked and stung my naked skin as someone dumped a bucket of frigid water onto me. My consciousness was beginning to return to me; instinctively I tried to move myself, only to feel the pull and hear the clanging of the chains in which I was bound. A fist, I think, suddenly connected with my jaw and sent my head violently to the side, \"You will reveal yourself, demon!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWith just enough cognitive acuity required I managed to mumble, \"Wh-where am I? Who are you?\" I was answered with another forceful blow to the jaw, I had a feeling that one may have broken my jaw. More freezing cold water was dumped upon me and the shivers sent a throbbing pain up into my jaw as they worked their way up my body. Another blow, this time a heavy kick, was planted into my abdomen, robbing me of all my breath.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"By the Holy Hand of Muntarn, you will confess and repent! You will atone for what you've done and reveal your fellow despicable creatures!\" A succession of blows were rained down upon me; I felt the blood beginning to seep from my mouth and dribble down my chin. Faced with these accusations my mind raced to try and reconcile the situation. What had I done last night? Had I gotten blacked out drunk and committed some heinous act? Could I have murdered someone?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor, \"What did I do? How did I get here?\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe same raspy voice replied, \"Ah, he doesn't remember, does he? Convenient. Allow me to refresh your memory, if I may. You were found at the Red Raven Inn, stumbling and incoherent. To the untrained eye you would've appeared excessively inebriated. But, no, a priest happened to be passing by and when he found you in your state he identified you for what you are. He saw the possession in you for what it was. Demonic. Why have you come to Delmas? Who sent you? What're your intentions?\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPossessed? Demon? I was completely taken aback and at an utter loss for words. What could I possibly say to appease my interrogator? Especially him being a zealot, he would only accept the answers he wanted to hear. I coughed and more pain radiated throughout my jaw, \"I think I remember going there, to the inn. A few fellows introduced themselves to me and they offered to buy me a few rounds. We seemed to get along well and we spent the night drinking. That's all I remember, I swear!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe interrogator slapped me across the face, \"You do not blaspheme in my presence by swearing! You are unworthy! These men, do you know their names or what they looked like? We know the Legion has been amassing their ranks in preperation for an attack on all that is Holy! Speak now!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"No, I don't remember the men! I told you we drank the bloody night away!\" And then suddenly my vision was restored and I could see. I wasn't sure what I was seeing, but I could see. There was a figure before me, robed in black. I felt a strange pull from the being, I couldn't resist it. As I was standing inches in front of it a voice rang out, \"Thank you, young Merl. You have served your purpose and met the ends that we sought. Do not fret, you will no longer suffer at the hands of these men, these so called men of piety.\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"Who are you?\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"I am Muntarn, the Everlasting. I have chosen you as a vehicle to carry out my biddings. Do not fear. When I return you to your body your captors will be no longer an issue and your chains shall be broken. You must at once flee the city, head for the Hilken Forests. I will meet you there.\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI was catapulted back into reality and thrown into my own body. Sure enough, my hands were freed. I removed the blindfold from my swelling eyes and immediately realized I had indeed awoken in a Hell. Scattered about me in the dank cellar I was being held in were the bodies of five priests. Blood streamed down their faces from their eye sockets, sockets that had been vacated of their eyeballs. Trembling I looked down and saw that my hands, too, were covered in blood.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nFor one night of Heaven I am now condemned to an existence of Hell. I write this to you on my last night of my voyage to the Hilken Forests. I don't know what will become of me, I just wished to leave some sort of evidence in hopes that somehow someone will one day read this. I need you to know that I am not a monster.\n\n" ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1522083438", "1522085353" ]
	[WP] you are the murder in the midst of a lockdown at a house party. The body was discovered but nobody suspects you yet. You claim yourself to be a detective and begin falsifying evidence and planting fake clues to set everyone against one another.	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", "Theo sat at the couch with his old classmates, listening to loud music and making useless chatter with an eerily convincing smile. But he was only here to see one old “friend” - Ross, whose bullish face had remained unchanged over the years since Theo had seen him last, abusing him in the high school halls. Theo's faux grin began to lower slightly in remembrance while the others gabbed on.\n\n“Danny even recreated the punch from prom. Perfection.”\n\n“I'd say it's better this time, he spiked it!”\n\n“Pretty sure he spiked it back in school too.”\n\nThe group laughed, and Ross got up clenching his stomach.\n\n“With what, laxatives? Back in a sec' guys,” Ross said with a conflicted chuckle.\n\nNow was his chance. Theo monitored him as he crossed the living room, entering the hall toward the bathroom. He waited intentionally for a few moments, then stood.\n\n“Grabbin' a smoke,” Theo said at a hardly noticeable volume.\n\nTheo took a step toward the hall, which lead to both the bathroom and the back door. Then someone grabbed him by the arm.\n\n“Come on, the party's almost over! You can wait that long.” \tJoyce smiled sweetly, looking up at him. His false smile disappeared as he shot her a cruel glance. She \nlet go, and her smile too was lost. What an irritating girl. He turned again, crossed the room, and entered the hall.\n\nHalf way down, he checked back carefully for any peers. There were none watching. The knife concealed in his sleeve dropped into his palm, and he stood against the \nbathroom door. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and focused.\n\nTheo opened the door and slipped in, closing it swiftly behind him. Ross was standing at the vanity, and couldn't manage a word before Theo jolted at him. He caught the \nblow however, and the two grabbed each other. Theo pushed his entire weight onto the brute, and managed to pin his head against the vanity, shattering the glass. In this \nmovement, his arm became free, and he drove the knife into Ross' side. After a brief moment, his body lost its energy, and he began to drop to the floor.\n\nThe freed glass of the vanity fell in shards, accumulating in the sink loudly. Thinking fast, Theo slammed both hands against the glass, cutting deeply into his palms. \nHe quietly lowered the pieces into the sink, bloody handfuls at a time. He tried brushing off the shards from his hands, but a few were stuck deeply. The more time he \nspent in there, the bigger the chance of being caught, so he buried his hands into his jean pockets.\n\nHe cracked the door open, and saw no face turned his direction from the living room. Closing the door softly behind him, he briskly made way for the back door down the \nhall, leaving the bloody scene behind him. In the yard was a dimming sky. Theo pulled out a box of cigarettes and a lighter, lighting up and leaning against the wall. \nAfter a couple minutes, Harry came from the house to join his old friend. Theo buried his hands back into his pockets before his injuries were noticed.\n\n“Theo, never got a chance to talk with you yet! How's it --” He was cut off by a scream of horror.\n\n\n\nInside, a girl had discovered the scene. The body of Ross, in a pool of blood, complimented by the piles of glass soaked in red. Friends rushed to her call, and to Ross' \naid, but he was long dead. The music was switched off, and the chatter lessened. People began to gather. 911 was dialed. Danny, host of the reunion, passed through the \ncrowd and stood at the doorway of the bathroom. As the wheels turned, he took initiative and stopped everyone in their tracks.\n\n“Nobody move a muscle! We need to find who did this,” he announced.\t\n\nThe air fell dead silent.\n\n“Everyone move slowly into the living room, we're doing a head count!”\n\nAfter everyone gathered in a circle, Theo, following Harry, reentered the house and walked down the hall. He started to formulate a plan. Harry passed the bathroom, backed into a wall, hands over his mouth in shock.\n\n“Jesus...” he said under his breath.\n\nDanny caught the two in the hall, and beckoned.\n\n“Was it you?” he asked Harry.\n\n“What? What happened? Is he dead?” Harry responded with a cracking voice.\n\n“Both of you get in here,” Danny demanded.\n\nEntering the living room, the two were met with stares. They were the only ones outside.\n\n“Sit,” Danny said firmly.\n\nAll members of the reunion stood and sat around the center of the room. Some stared blankly in shock, some cried, some look frightened. Danny began questioning them one \nby one: where were you?; how long?; can anyone confirm that?; what's your relationship with Ross?\n\nNext in line was Harry, standing just beside Theo. Another old victim to Ross' ceaseless bullying, but he had gotten over it. Kids are stupid, he would say. No worries. \nHarry was one of Theo's only friends back then, and Theo knew him well.\n\n“Harry. You were outside. Where were you before then?” Danny questioned.\n\nHarry looked up, “Um, near the stereo,” his tone becoming more nervous, “Alone.”\n\nDanny stared at his face carefully. Theo dislodged a large bloodied shard of glass from his hand, and covertly slipped it into Harry's hoodie pocket.\n\n“Then you came out back, with me.” Theo stepped aside and inserted himself into the exchange, “Through the hall.”\n\nHarry's spine came short of a shiver, “Wait, no! I didn't kill him!”\n\n“Ross bullied you years ago, and you couldn't get over it, could you?” Theo rambled on and the air shifted, a few gasping in realization. The sound of sirens slowly grew \ninto context from down the street.\n\n“You would always say, 'I'm over it', but that wasn't true. You despised Ross, and your anger grew for years until you were invited to this reunion. You thought, 'This \nis my chance!'” Theo asserted.\n\nHarry was gaping in disbelief. Danny opened the front door as a police car and an ambulance stopped outside, and a policeman headed in.\n\n“What's that, Harrison?” Theo pointed at the bloodied shard sticking out of Harry's pocket, and the room took notice.\n\n“You're a monster,” Theo said suppressing a smirk.", "\"And the murderer is someone in this very room\"\n\n*GASP!\n\nThomas Ection paced back and forth in the smoking room (whatever that is) of the mansion. \"I can deduce this by a number of clues...\" He pulled a magnifying glass from his coat pocket and began 'inspecting' the suspects.\n\n\"Firstly, the clock in the room with the body was broken at exactly 3:24. The only people without alibis at that time are Lady Cecilia, Mister Thurgood, and Colonel Mustard.\"\n\nColonel Mustard fidgeted uneasily in his yellow on beige military uniform. Mister Thurgood fiddled with his moustache. \"Well I never! The mere suggestion that I could have something to do with this... foul... foul... foul play! It's just absurd!\"\n\n\"All three of you have secrets you are keeping. Like for example how Lady Cecilia got her lipstick on Mister Thurgoods SMOKING JACKET!\" Thomas raised the red stained jacket for everyone to see.\n\n\"Oh Reginald! How could you?!?\" Mrs Thurgood exclaimed, slapping Mister Thurgood and storming from the room. \n\n\"But, but...\" he stumbled over his words \"I did no such thing! I have no idea how that got there. I don't even OWN a smoking jacket!\"\n\n\"No matter! For they are not the murderer. Their torrid affair is nothing more than the dalliance of a scoundrel.\"\n\n\"Hey!\" Reginald Thurgood interjected \"I'm no scoundrel!\"\n\n\"And I'm no strumpet!\" Lady Cecilia shouted indignantly.\n\n\"The real murderer...\" Thomas began again, \"Has been lying to us the whole time, even about their very name...\" The room held their breath. \"Isn't that right... MAJOR MUSTARD!\"\n\nGASP AGAIN!*\n\n\"Bwuh, uh, I,\" Major Mustard floundered \"Well. The jig is up I guess. I only made it to the rank of Major. I just always wanted to be a Colonel and thought I could get away with it... But I'm not a murderer!\"\n\nThe room erupted in accusations \"How can we trust you?\" \"If you lie about your name what else do you lie about?\" \"Was he passed over for promotion because he couldn't cut the mustard?\"\n\n\"Excuse me...\" the policeman standing in the doorway asked. The hoi polloi took no notice. \"EXCUSE ME!\" the policeman yelled again more insistently. The room quieted down and they turned to face him. \"I understand we have some amateur sleuth working the case.\" He looked around the room, \"Looks like it's you,\" he gestured to Thomas Ection.\n\nHe was taken aback \"How did you know? You must be quite the detective.\"\n\n\"Well it's not that hard, we've had multiple reports of an unknown detective breaking into homes to solve recent murders. Very suspicious activity. Plus you are wearing the trademark Sherlock Holmes hat and pipe. Thomas admired himself in the mirror briefly.\n\nThe police officer walked up, smiled, and said \"Mister Ection I presume?\"" ]	[ 1, 2, 9 ]	[ "1522089259", "1522130793", "1522093755" ]
	[WP] You’re a powerful witch. If a witch falls pregnant with a magic filled child, she loses her powers until the child is born. This morning you just woke up, sore, and nauseous. What’s worse your powers are flicking off and on.	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", "For a moment, all I can feel is the grog as its remains swirl out of my head, with the accompanying migraines to match. Shouldn't have indulged in the mead too much, they always bring these inconveniences behind their honeyed approach. Oh well. I did say I would be out of the picture for a few decades, so I might have had a few too much with the girls beyond my considerable fortitude. At least there always is prestidigitation and magical hands to do the morning routines. Something is off though, among the paper warren that needs to be stowed away. A piece of parchment which was definitely not there when I left for drinks.\n\nO yfory fyddwych chi gael hiraeth o ddoe ac dydd hen\nGwrando ar hyd y nos am y sain yn eich bol\nyma pryd y byddwch chi'n gwybod pam\n\nDefinitely what a certain redhead would write. It is not the only odd thing though. First, it dropped twice when I was lifting it over. Once may be from the hangover, but twice? That is something else. Wait a minute. ‘Eich bol’? My belly doesn’t seem that off, and everyone there last night is female. As a freckled mousy young one would note, magic is powerful, but some biological facts could not be bent without specifically trying. If someone pulled that off with that much alcohol, they would probably be even more powerful than Circe. Could it be that winged thing that showed up past midnight and said some stuff so cryptic that I could not parse and mumbled back in that state of mind? I mean, my fiancee is said to have descended from a noble house, but it could not be that one, right? Suddenly, there is a sound emanating below my ears. Nobody should be able to get past the wards around the room and sneak in. So what’s this? More hungover malfunctioning? Yet the beat refuses to stop, and for several frightful seconds, the winds stopped singing, leaving me with more heartbeats than I should have. They come from my belly.\n" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1522103838", "1522116226" ]
	[WP] Peas and mayonnaise pizza has been invented. Pineapple and non-pineapple pizza eaters must put their differences aside to defeat this evil.	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", "Before that day, I, nor anyone else would ever guess that the Pineapple Federation and Cheese Confederacy would fight side-by-side. Well, we were all wrong. That day changed everything. I still remember it like it was yesterday...\n\n*The Great Pizza War of Unification, started at the end of the Pineapple Wars, and ended the Age of Pepperoni, and began the Age of Basil\n\nI was still a young man at the time. I had only been enlisted in the Pineapple Federation for a few months when it happened. You see I enlisted in the Pineapple Federation not because I enjoyed pineapple-pizza. In fact, I hated the stuff. What I did enjoy though was the idea that anyone could put anything they wanted on pizza. Pizza shouldn't be some divisive, judgmental, constrained medium where only a few variations were acceptable. No! Pizza was supposed to be a blank template where anyone could express and celebrate their own differences by crafting this blank slate into a beautiful garden of different toppings and flavors! That's what pizza meant to me, and that's why I fought alongside pineapple eaters. My view on this was so anchored to my very core, I thought nothing could change my mind. Boy, was I mistaken...\n\nThere I stood, wearing my standard issue armor. A pizza box with a neck-hole cut in it as my chest-plate, an empty two liter on each of my arms as forearm guards, a small pizza box as my shield, a bread stick as my sword, and an empty aluminium-foil take-out container strapped to my head for a helmet. This might not sound like much, but a pineapple warrior could get a lot done with this gear.\n\nI was with my platoon, preparing for an ambush on Parmesan Bridge when the news hit. Of course, the news didn't reach us boots on the ground grunt soldiers. All that we were told at first was that the ambush was canceled.\n\n\"The ambush is canceled immediately,\" our Commander said.\n\n\"Wait, why!?\" Private Oregano asked.\n\n\"The reasoning is on a need to know basis,\" Commander Bacon replied.\n\n\"What if the Cheese Confederacy forces find our hiding spot??? By design we were only supposed to wait here for a few minutes before the ambush, they'd be able to pick us off easily!\" Sargent Pepper said, panicking with fear.\n\n\"Yeah!\" several voices agreed.\n\n\"The freedom to eat pizza as we choose is worth fighting for, is it not?\" Commander Bacon asked.\n\n\"Yes, but we enlisted because of that ideal, not because we wanted to get caught up in the politics and bureaucracy of the Federation!\" Sergeant Pepper replied.\n\nIt was too late. We could hear the footsteps of the Cheese soldiers on the bridge ahead of us. That's when something truly remarkable happened.\n\n\"Whoever is commanding the Pineapple forces in the trees, come out. I bring an urgent message!\" the commander of the Cheese platoon said, obviously able to see us in our hiding spot amongst the trees.\n\nCommander Bacon stepped out and conversed with the Cheese officer. Within a few minutes, he gave the signal, and the rest of our platoon stepped onto the bridge with him.\n\n\"We are under new orders. These men our now our allies. I'll now let Captain Provolone, of the Cheese Confederacy speak.\" Commander Bacon said.\n\n\"Hello soldiers of the Pineapple Federation. Today we cease fire against each other in order to stop a great evil. Just this week, in a laboratory not far from here, radical pizza scientists have developed a new pizza: Mayonnaise and Peas...\" Captain Provolone paused for a moment to gag, as many of the soldiers gasped. He continued \"This atrocity is an abomination to pizza eaters everywhere. It is a crime against food, and must be stopped.\"\n\nAs I looked around at the faces of my fellow soldiers, I saw anger, fear, worry, but most of all, sadness. It's true that I believed in the freedom of expression with pizza, but something inside me broke at that moment. My innocent view of the world was shattered, and I could never get it back.\n\nThe men were scared, and they needed somewhere to place it.\n\n\"I'll never fight alongside these oppressors!\" one of my platoon-mates screamed. There was some shouts of agreement from my other platoon-mates, who were merely trying to hold on to something that made sense to them after hearing about such an unspeakable atrocity.\n\nCommander Bacon soon put an end to the squabble.\n\n\"Listen! Sure, the Cheese Confederacy tried to control what we put on our pizza in the past. They tried to tell us what we could and couldn't do with our own pizza, but that doesn't matter now. If we let these Mayonnaise and Pea eating barbarians continue with their monstrosity pizzas, then pretty soon it won't matter what kind of pizza we were or weren't allowed to eat in the past, because pizza will be ruined forever. If we do nothing, pizza will be lost forever*. Do you want to look in the dissatisfied eyes of your children as they eat pasta or salad, as they ask \"why can we no longer eat pizza?\" and answer them \"I couldn't put my pride down so we lost pizza forever\"? Or will you stand now, and fight for the greater good of pizza?!\" Commander Bacon spoke with such confidence, such clarity. Both sides erupted in cheers.\n\nEverything after that happened so fast. We marched to the laboratory. We met up with squads from both the Cheese Confederacy and Pineapple Federation. We charged the main doors, and from there it was a frenzy.\n\nWe bombarded the assembly line with our pizza catapults, crippling their production. We ran through and captured most of the rogue scientists. Those that resisted were swiftly met by the sharp end of a bread stick, or scolding cheese from a slice of pizza. It was brutal.\n\nAfter the raid, there were only a few pockets of resistance from the Mayonnaise Rogues, but they were soon all defeated within a few weeks.\n\nThe Raid on Mayo Factory was the most gruesome battle in all of the Pizza War, but without it those pea-chomping bastards may have had their way, and pizza would've been lost forever.\n\n " ]	[ 1, 7 ]	[ "1522104019", "1522110357" ]
	[WP] The story of those you leave behind after you die	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", "He dropped the flowers into the trashcan, slumping at the kitchen table, tie half undone. The lights were off, although street lights had just started to come on through the window. He stared out at them, holding his head in his hands like it weighed too heavy to bear. He twitched as the phone began to ring, the display lighting up the dark corner of the kitchen. With a click, the call went to voicemail.\n\n“Tom, you there? It’s Frank.” Frank paused, taking an audible breath. “Tom, you disappeared after the service. Everyone’s worried about you man, I’m worried about you. Call me back, yeah?”\n\nTom kept his eyes on the phone, a small red light blinking to let him know the message was there. He stood up heavily, crossing the room. He pressed play, deleting the call before Frank could finish his first sentence.\n\nHe opened a cabinet, pulling a bottle of whisky from it. Absentmindedly he found a glass poured himself a drink, half whisky and half water. He drained half of it in one gulp, shaking his head at the sting of the liquor. He sat down again, the half-empty glass clutched white-knuckled in one hand.\n\nTom didn’t know how much time passed. The drink was empty now, somehow, and it was pitch dark outside when a knock came at the door. He made no move to get up, and after another knock he heard the door open. He must have forgotten to lock it.\n\n“Fuck, it’s dark in here.” A man’s voice, Frank’s voice, Tom realised belatedly, coming closer with the sound of dress shoes on the hardwood floor. He flicked the lights on as he went, making his way to the kitchen before long.\n\n“Tom, what’re you doing in the dark like this?” Frank asked, eyeing the empty glass as he sat opposite the man. “I called you two hours ago, you miss it?” Frank too still wore his suit, black as coal with a black tie.\n\n“Fuck off, Frank.” Tom rose unsteadily, reaching for the whisky he’d left on the counter. “Just leave me alone today, man.”\n\nFrank moved faster, grabbing the whisky for himself. He pulled another cup from the cabinet and poured himself a drink, whisky neat. “Come on Tom, you can’t hold your booze worth shit. What’re you doing drinking this?”\n\n“Fuck off, Frank.” He made another move to grab the bottle but Frank backed away, keeping the table between the two men. “Get out of my house!”\n\n“Or what Tom, you’ll beat me? You?” Frank gestured derisively with the bottle at the shorter man. “In your dreams, bud. Sit back down. She wouldn’t want you to be like this.”\n\nTom slammed his hands into the table, the bang echoing in the empty house. “Don’t tell me what she would and wouldn't want! She was my wife, dammit!” He felt hot tears at the corners of his eyes, and tried to fight them back. He hated that, hated that he cried when he was angry. “Just fuck off, Frank! Let me grieve!” Tom slowly crumpled to the floor, as if his strength had left him with the outburst. He couldn’t stop himself as the tears came, great wracking sobs that shook his upper body.\n\nWith a thump, Frank sat himself down next to Tom, back to the cabinets. He drained his glass dry, shaking his head and sighing with satisfaction. He poured himself another, then placed the bottle down between the two men. He put one hand on Tom’s back, taking a slower, measured sip of his drink.\n\n“I knew her too, Tom. We all go way back, you know that. Come on now, I’ll let you have another drink. If there’s one thing sadder than getting drunk alone, it’s grieving alone.”\n\nTom reached blindly for the bottle, one hand wiping his eyes. Frank placed it in his hands and he took he took a swig, thrusting the bottle back at Frank as he swallowed. He coughed as he did, and Frank burst out laughing, a deep, guttural laugh.\n\n“Come on man, it’s not that funny!” Said Tom, still coughing lightly from the alcohol.\n\n“It is! It is!” Frank replied between laughs, refilling his own glass as he did. “Mr. Lightweight, Trying to look tough and drinking from the bottle!”\n\nFrank’s laughter was contagious, and before long the two old friends’ laughter filled the house, echoing from where they both sat without a care, suits and all, on the kitchen floor.\n" ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1522167022", "1522185048" ]
	[WP] A long time ago, a wall was built around a city. Guards are posted around the wall to this day. The reason why the wall was made is lost over time, and not even guards know why they're posted there. One day, a guy slips past the guards and enters.	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", "\"Sir, you can't go beyond this point.\" I said,\n\n\"Well, why not?\" The man questioned.\n\nI thought for a bit. I've worked this boring ass job 5 years and nobody from the outside has tried to come through. So, the pages of rules I had to memorize for the entrance exam had never been kept up in my mind. \"It's just the way things are, regulations and whatnot. It's in the rules somewhere,\"\n\n\"Where are these rules?\" The man asked.\n\n\"Look man, I'm just a guard, I don't make the rules, I just know and enforce them, if you don't bugger off then I might just have to rely on my training\"\n\nI don't remember the rest, just waking up, or rather coming to with a note writen on my hand: \n\n'The library holds secrets unknown\n\nAnd I certainly can't go alone'\n\nI checked my watch. 5:37. Sweet, I get off work at 5. I should check the library for that guy.\n" ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1522190840", "1522196542" ]
	[WP] Your spouse asks you if you would still love them even if you knew they had killed someone once. When you say yes thinking its a thought experiment, he/she says "I need to tell you something, first of all, they all deserved it..."	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", "\"First of all, they all deserved it.\" \n\n\"Wait wait wait hold on, they _all_? What did you do? How many people did you kill!?\" I was uh, well, pretty freaked out. Can you blame me? My wife, to whom I've been married four years and have one-year-old twins with, has killed someone. Sorry, _multiple_ people. Because _they all_ deserved it.\n\n\"See I knew you were going to freak out.\" She gave me that look like like this was _my_ fault.\n\nOh no honey you're not gonna make this about me, \"Just, like, just start from the beginning. Why did they deserve it? And just how many is 'they'?\"\n\n\"Okay, so.\" She paused, sorting her thoughts. She pursed her lips, her beautiful, soft, _murdering_ lips. Her eyes, her twinkling, reflection-of-a-cloudy-sky-over-a-crystal-clear-lake eyes, the eyes of a _killer_, stared off in the distance. I think she was looking at the photo of her dad on the mantle.\n\n\"So.\" I said after what felt like, well, according to my watch, one whole minute.\n\nShe took a questionably deep breath. Okay, maybe it wasn't questionably deep. But it was a _really_ deep breath. The breath of someone who's _killed_ before.\n\n\"So.\" she said, \"You know how I told you my dad worked for the government?\"\n\n\"Yeah.\"\n\n\"He never actually worked for the government. He was a hitman and security guy for some super rich dude's family, like, Italian Mafia style.\"\n\n_Ah, that explains it, she got it from her dad._\n\n\"Wasn't your dad Cuban?\"\n\n\"Not the point. But that was why my mom never told him about me, because she didn't want all that crazy shit near me. She told me he was dead, I found out she lied to me, managed to find him, meet him, all that jazz.\"\n\n\"Yeah, you said you guys got really close, he ended up being a really good dad to you.\"\n\n\"Yeah. When I asked him why mom would lie to me about him being dead, he told me what he'd been doing. That he was a hitman. And he told me not to be mad at my mom because she wanted what was best for me. She didn't want me to be exposed to... all of that.\" she took another deep breath and I couldn't help but watch her chest rise and fall.\n\nChest of a _killer._\n\n\"My dad told me that, had he known mom was pregnant, he would have found a way out. Gone to jail if he had to, anything to be there for his kid. I'm family, and family is what mattered most to him.\"\n\n\"Huh, it _is_ Italian mob style.\"\n\nShe smirked and my heart skipped a beat, just like every other time I've seen her smile.\n\n\"Well, he managed to get out of the business, or, we thought, at least. One day I got home and...\" she trailed off, twirling her finger through the natural waves of her jet black hair. I wanted to run my fingers through it and pull her close and tell her it was okay, that I loved her, and that she was safe now. Uh, I mean, the hair of a _killer_.\n\n\"I know, you told me you came home and he was dead, and there was another dead guy in the kitchen. You said it was a breaking and entering gone wrong. It wasn't, was it?\"\n\n\"Nope. Sorry, darling.\"\n\n\"Was he a guy from your dad's old employer?\"\n\n\"Rival mob... thing. My dad's old employer was actually very kind. It's um, Nick, by the way.\"\n\n\"Your friend from Arizona? He's a mob boss?!\"\n\n\"Yup.\"\n\n\"He's the godfather of our children!\"\n\n\"The same children you'll wake up. Please stop yelling.\"\n\n\"Right, sorry. It's just.\" Now I took a deep breath and sighed.\n\n\"I know. I'm sorry.\"\n\nI moved closer to her and wrapped my arm around her. I still loved her, despite all of this. I still wanted to know, though.\n\n\"It's alright. This is pretty heavy stuff. Just kinda wish you told me a bit sooner.\" _No, bad don't make her feel guilty, idiot, she's telling me now because she's finally ready_ \"Anyways Nick is your dad's old boss.\"\n\n\"Yeah. I met him at my dad's funeral, he told me he was very sorry for my loss, and that he would make sure someone would answer for his death. I told him I wanted in on it.\" She crossed her gentle arms and shapely legs, \"He said I could be the one who pulls the final trigger.\"\n\n\"What... what happened?\" I was a little more than scared. I leaned away from her a bit. Her face went from somber, soft, sad, and pained, to bone-crushing rage in like, half a second. Freaked me out a bit more than I was already.\n\n\"Two weeks later I get a phone call saying there are five guys I should meet. I drove down to Arizona. He led me to a basement underneath a shack on his estate.\"\n\nNick's beautiful, exquisite estate. The estate of a _mob boss_, apparently. We stayed there twice when we visited Arizona. Twice! In a mob-house! And I was none-the-wiser!\n\n\"And in the basement?\" I asked. I kind of wish I didn't ask this, but she was probably going to tell me anyways, so it's not like it mattered.\n\n\"In the basement were five men tied to chairs with bags over their heads. And um, you remember Jennifer?\"\n\n_Oh great another name of someone we talk to from Arizona._\n\n\"Nick's really tall, kind of intimidating, uh, what even was her job? She just kinda, hung around when we visited.\" _Twice!_\n\n\"Well, she took part in capturing all five of them. She was my dad's partner in, uh, hitmanning? Anyways, she was very polite, well, to me. One of the guys called her a bitch and she tipped his chair over so he landed on his face.\"\n\nOkay this time I laughed.\n\n\"But um, she handed me a gun and said the honor is all mine. She asked if I wanted to see their faces. The faces of the men responsible for killing my father.\"\n\n\"Did you?\"\n\n\"No. I knew if I saw their faces, they would haunt me even more than they do now. But I stood there and executed these five men. One by one. And I felt nothing when I did it. Killing them wasn't going to bring my father back. The dead will still be dead. Killing them wasn't going to make me happy. I still had that hole in my heart and I was only making it bigger.\" she took a deep breath again, \"Killing them wasn't some moral high ground. I was committing an atrocity. I was no better than they were. It was a hollow victory, and it wasn't worth it. But I did it. I had to do it. To prove a point. But I don't even know what point I was proving.\"\n\nI told her I still loved her. I told her she was still the light of my life and the greatest woman I ever met. That I won't hold anything against her. That I forgive her for not telling me sooner. I wouldn't want to tell people about all that either. It's a little awkward, though, now I know who killed _my_ father." ]	[ 1, 9 ]	[ "1522205237", "1522206812" ]
	[WP] You are a wizard who runs a magic pet store. One day a mortal comes in, thinking that its a normal one.	268	[ "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", "Sweet bliss washed over me as I stood in front of the toilet relieving myself. As I looked forward and saw my reflection in the mirror a thought crossed my mind. (Why did I decide to put a mirror above the toilet?) After a second of pondering this I heard the bell by the store entrance jingle.\n\n“Crap” I said in a low voice and began to force the rest of the pee out of me.\n \nUpon finishing I made myself presentable, washed my hands, and stepped out of the restroom and into the shop.\n \n“Welcome to Edwin’s Extraordinary Pets! How can I help you today sir?” I said as cheerfully as I could.\n\nHe was short man in casual clothing with short salt and pepper hair and a bit of balding on top. As he turned to greet me I could see an odd shifting expression on his face with hints of impressed, excited, amazed and curious. As if he couldn’t make up mind.\n\n“This…place is incredible. How long has it been here?” He asked.\n\n“Thank you for that. It's only been here for a little over a month, so not very long.” I replied.\n\n“And you work here?”\n\nI held my smile and shifted my eyes for a brief moment. (No, I’m just pretending to work here.)\n“I’m the owner of this place actually.” I said out loud and proud.\n\n“Wow, you have one incredible place here sir.” He repeated.\n\n“Well, like I mentioned we’ve only been here for a little over a month. We’re pretty small right now, but we do have plans to grow as we receive additional stock.”\n\n“What is this?” asked the man as he picked up an item on one of the shelves. He held up a faintly glowing flat oval with smoky gray and gold swirls that danced inside it.\n\n(You’ve never seen bug ball before?)\n“That is one of the more popular items in the market right now. A Bug Ball. You simply say the magic words and it bounces around on its own so your pet can chase it.”\n \n“And this?” asked the man as he walked over to another shelf. He pointed to shiny metallic green and gold bird that stood on a plastic branch.\n\n(Something’s off about this guy.) \n“Ah, for bird lovers this can be a useful item. It’s a King Bird Statue. When placed in the house it not only calms any bird type pets one might own, but also stops any sort of chaos or violence. Effectively making them tranquil if you will.”\n\n“Interesting.” Said the man as he began looking at other products.\n\n“If you don’t mind me asking sir, what kind of pets do you own?” I asked.\n\nWithout looking in my direction the man replied, “Oh, I have two German Shepherds who would just love some of the things in here.”\n\n(What?)\n“I beg your pardon?” I said out loud.\n\nThe man turned to me with a smile on his face, “Two German Shepherds.” And returned his attention to shelves.\n\nUpon hearing his reply I felt a sudden chill on the back of neck and a bead of sweat began to run down my forehead. Upon realizing that he was a mortal the sudden instinct and need to force him out of my shop took over. That was also the first time I regretted not finishing my psychology courses and learning memory magic so I could simply wipe his memory. \n\n“Dogs!” I shouted in a cheerful tone. “Yes, I love dogs. Dogs are wonderful creatures sir. It just so happens that I know someone just down the street who specializes in German Shepherds.”\n\n“You mean the Vet?” He asked with a puzzled tone.\n\n(Shit!)\n“No no no, not the vet a…different…store that…well quite frankly has more products than here.” I falsely stated.\n\nAs the man began to stare at me with a confused look on his face the sound of the doorbell jingled along with a voice.\n\n“Edwin!”\n\nI sharply turned toward the voice.\n\n(This day keeps getting better doesn’t it?) \n“Mrs. Bobtack!” I said in a high tone while forcing my smile to stay put. “Welcome! What are doing here? I thought you would be with your husband were on holiday?”\n\n“Oh don’t be daft Edwin.” She said with a smile. “Government officials don’t go on holidays. They just sit at home and do paperwork. Are you busy at the moment?”\n\n(Yes! Go Away Please!)\n“No, not at all what can I do for you?”\n\n“I was looking to find something special for our unicorn. Somethin…”\n\n“Unicorn!?” the man interrupted from around a shelf. “Did she say unicorn!?”\n\n(Shit!) Upon hearing the mortal’s voice I couldn’t help but furrow my brows. But I did want to maintain an air of professionalism in front of Mrs. Bobtack, so I also tried my best to hold my smile. Also, I didn’t want her to know that I had a mortal in my shop. I spent too long trying to open it in the first place and didn't want it shut down after such a short time.\n\n“Oh for your unicorn. Yes. Right this way.” I said as I placed a hand on her upper back and began ushering her in the employees only section.\n\n“What? Edwin what are you…”\n\n“I have special supplies in there for your perusal ma’am and I’ll be with you in just a moment.” I interrupted and closed the door behind me.\n\n“She said unicorn.” Said the man with wide eyes as he pointed to the back door.\n\n(Think! Think!)\n“No no no, it was an inside joke, you know? Like how some people call their pets a princess.” I forced a chuckle. “Oh I see you have something. Let me ring you up real quick.”\n\nThe man followed me to the cash register where he handed me a green velvet dog leash.\n\n“What does this one do?” he asked with excitement.\n\n“Hm? Oh this is just a velvet…dog leash.” I lied.\n\n“Oh?” He said with a hint of disappointment.\n\nAfter purchasing the leash I quickly ushered him out of the store with a friendly, “Come back anytime!” All the while I thought to myself (I’m an idiot.)\n", "\"I want to return this parrot.\" The short mustachioed man said, a scowl covering his face. I paused from feeding some wishing fish and turned to look at him. My eyes narrowed. No aura. Not unusual but hiding it would be no use in here. The animals could sense someone of the arcane immediately. Maybe a greater ghish disguised, I thought. They were known to spirit away small animals and children, perhaps this one had just decided to be a bit more.. 'practical' in its acquisition for ritual materials.\n\n\"I'm afraid we offer a no returns policy\" I said crisply, placing both my hands on the counter top between us. The man glared at me hotly. \"But it's dead!\" He screeched. Not a gish then I thought, pursing my lips. They would never speak above a bare whisper, even their most bold. I craned my neck and looked over the cage he held in his outstretched hand. No carved runes, no inlaid minerals. No Parsic webbing. I frowned. \"You bought this parrot here? From me?\" The man frowned back at me, his eyes half shut. \"No, it was some scrimp of a girl. She said this parrot would be a good companion for a lonely man.\" \n\nI wore a simpering smile and spread my hands. \"No such girl works here, sir, it's just me. Also, I would not sell you a dead bird. It must be sleeping.\" The mans lips grew into a thin white line. \"Sleeping?\" he said shrilly. \"I bought this Norwegian blue not half an hour ago, and it is ded. It has fallen off the perch.\" I eyed him and slowly looked into the cage. Sure enough. A parrot with blue plumage. \"We don't sell 'Norwegian blues'. In fact, there is no such thing as a Norwegian blue. Parrots do not live in Norway. Not undomesticated at least and CERTAINLY not the kind of parrot I would sell.\" I said, matter-of-factly. The man leaned close and jiggled the plain white cage at me. \"It is deceased!\" he shrilled. \"It has shrugged off this mortal coil!\" \"It has met it's maker\" \"This parrot is ded!\" The man finished by shaking the cage at me again. It seemed too well practiced.\n\nI sighed. \"What, exactly, do you want me to about it?\" This fellow obviously was no mage. How he'd passed through the veil and into my shop I had no idea but I was sick of him already. Sick of his practiced speech, sick of his shrill voice. \"I want me money back\" He said, dropping the cage with a clatter and holding out a hand palm up. \"Dole it up, lad, I won't be shammed on a ded bird.\" I scoffed at him and turned back to enter behind the counter. He grabbed my shoulder.\n\nHe grabbed.\nMy.\nShoulder.\n\n\"No one touches me!\" I hissed, whirling on him and raising my hands. The room grew dark and small. The thin reedy little bastard just stared at me, his mouth wide open and eyes screwed shut. \"Give me my money!\" he screamed above the wind that roared through the shop. Cages rattled and the true song birds of Lethsail sang terrible notes. The beard dragons bellowed in their cages on the floor, puffing balls of small blue flame into the air.\n\nHe continued to hold his hand out. Trembling, slightly I breathed out long and slow. The whirling maelstrom died down. \"No\" I said curtly as I made a dismissive gesture. The man vanished in a puff of smoke along with his cage. A young girl peeked out of the back room and grinned at me. \"You know he'll be back when he remembers he bought a bird from a small shop and it's dead. I grimaced. \"You.. sold him the parrot?\" She smiled at me, it was like the sun had come out from behind the clouds. I gulped. \"Yes.\" She said, still grinning. It seemed the quickest way to get rid of him. I guess the facsimile I sold him wasn't very well made, though.\"\n\n\"Honestly, Martha\" I said, the corners of my mouth twisting wry. \"Why do you insist in humoring everyone that comes through. Did you open the wards for him?\" Martha opened her mouth in a mockery of shock. \"Why would I do that?!\" I sighed and ran my hand through my thinning hair. \"I swear..\" I said trailing off. \"You let one mortal into your life and they bring more. You're a plague, girl. No mistaking it.\" Martha smiled at me again. \"You're the one who offered to teach me! I can't practice on you, how else will I learn proper magic?\" I smiled back at her. Girl was too clever by half. \"Very well, some test subjects should be fine. Just warn me next time.\"\n", "\"Welcome,\" I droned on, not giving the door so much as a glance as the bell rang. \"Yell if you need help.\"\n\nNormally, I might have been a little more attentive, but the tincture was on its eighth hour of brewing and I really, really didn't want to have to start over. Nose-down in the steam so I could keep a good eye on its color, I just listened.\n\nThe customer's footsteps were slow on the threadbare, worn-down carpet as he walked further into the showroom.\n\n\"Uh...I'm just looking for a cat. I think,\" he said.\n\nI chuckled to myself. \"A traditionalist, eh? Back wall, right side. Ones on the right are sassy, ones on the left are dismissive. Take your pick.\" I'd really tried to breed a feline familiar that didn't fall into those categories - oh, I'd have made a killing - but after a good two hundred years I finally gave up.\n\n\"...What?\" he said. \n\nI frowned, standing straight. \"Over there,\" I sighed, pointing.\n\n\"Oh. Thanks.\"\n\nI swallowed my irritation as I turned back to my work. How hard were simple instructions? It was a pet shop - follow the clearly labeled placards on the cages, and it'd be hard to mess it up.\n\n\"Woah...I've never seen birds like this before,\" the customer said. Chatty again? Just my luck. Most wizards were a little more self-contained than that, but every now and then I'd find someone who needed more handholding.\n\n\"They're bred in France,\" I said, not looking up this time. \"They'll memorize any song they hear. Sing it back for you.\"\n\n\"Isn't that why I have a phone?\"\n\n\"A-\" I stopped, wrinkling my brow. \"A phone?\"\n\nNo self-respecting witch or wizard would carry a phone. Who would willingly subject themselves to the perils of customer service, when a zephyr charm was free and wouldn't put you on hold for three hours?\n\nNone of them would. I knew that as a simple, hard fact. Which meant-\n\nNo, no, no. I had charms. Illusions. No civilian was just going to wander his way in here. All right, sure, there was that time last month when I couldn't afford to pay the mesmer to renew the enchantments, but-\n\nI whispered under my breath, feeling the air carry my words to the far corners of the store in moments.\n\nNo, the illusions were intact. But then that meant-\n\n\"Wow. It's a dragon.\"\n\n\"No! No, it's not,\" I said, leaping up. Those were expensive, damnit. I could not afford to have them seized as evidence when the investigators pounded on my door demanding to know why I'd broke secrecy. \"Those are- Bearded Dragons. Yes. Extra-extra-big beardies. That's all.\"\n\nThe latch on the counter door was jammed. I bit back a curse, kicking it.\n\n\"They don't look like beardies,\" he said, leaning in close.\n\nDamn, damn, damn! The minature drakes weren't hostile, exactly, but they were more than a little aggressive.\n\n\"Don't touch those!\" I yelped, finally breaking the latch free with a groan of metal stressed too far. \"They- they bite!\"\n\nIt was too late. His fingers were already in the cage, exploring - petting.\n\nThe drake nearest him turned, opening its jaws almost lazily. The flames surged forth moments later.\n\nI winced, ducking, as the flames shot over my head. The building was fire-charmed - Only an idiot of a magistrix would run a shop of magical beasts without something as basic as that - but I wasn't. And neither was my human visitor. I pressed a hand to my face as I crouched against the counter.\n\nBodies were always such a pain. The paperwork just went on and on and on.\n\n\"What the fucking hell was that?\"\n\nI blinked. That was- he was-\n\nHow was he still alive?\n\nSlowly I rose, turning to face him. He stood, a hand held out in front of his face, with the last remnants of fire dying out around him.\n\nHe'd...blocked it? How? He should have been a blackened, crusted crisp of a shell, after taking drakefire to the face.\n\nNow isn't the time to worry about that. Too much damage had been done. I'd...I just needed to report it. And then I'd figure out what to do next.\n\nHe was still staring at the dragon, wide-eyed and trembling. He flinched as my hands landed on his shoulder, but it was too late.\n\nSleep charms were a specialty of mine. It slipped down his throat with the air he breathed, soaking into his skin. I sighed, feeling the perfect curl of the magic. He was a big man - broad and strong-built. He'd be heavy to catch.\n\nMy eyes snapped back open as adrenaline shot through me.\n\nMy spell shredded to pieces, the perfect, interlaced threads of it ripped asunder as they tried to press into him.\n\n\"Hey!\" he said, jumping away. \"I, uh, not that I'm not flattered, but I don't know you.\" His eyes stared at me accusingly. \"I mean- never mind that. What the hell is going on here?\"\n\n\"That's what I'd like to know,\" I muttered, twiddling my fingers. The wind snapped, slamming the door shut and twisting the lock. No one would be getting through, not until I undid the wards.\n\nHe walked straight through an illusion that I knew would stop a human in his tracks - hell, I'd put bets on it stopping an archmage, if they didn't have business here. I valued my privacy well indeed.\n\nHe'd taken a bolt of magic-fire to the face, enough to have crisped even me. And he didn't look so much as suntanned.\n\nAnd my sleep-charm had bounced right off his skin as though he weren't there.\n\nI fixed him with my best, most polite customer-service smile.\n\nAnd then I punched him straight in the jaw, as hard as I could. I punch hard, if you were curious. \n\nHis eyes rolled up in his head as he collapsed, falling in a heap onto the floor.\n\nI reached for my alchemical kit, the tincture that was now overflowing behind the counter completely forgotten.\n\n\"Just what the hell are you?\" I murmured, snapping the clasps open and reaching for a vial. I smiled to myself. Let's find out.\n\n(/r/inorai, critique always welcome!)\n\n---\n\n~~Edit -Kind of...maybe getting a framework together for more parts. Later parts would be on my sub. Still no promises. But def interested.~~\n\n~~Edit again - Yeah this'll probably get a least a few parts. Can't interfere with my main novels, but I'm interested. If you want more, they will be posted on my sub, with the first one in a few hours (half done). Follow the link above :)~~\n\n[Part 2](https://www.reddit.com/r/Inorai/comments/87wrus/menagerie_of_dreams_2/)" ]	[ 1, 4, 9, 194 ]	[ "1522235177", "1522261863", "1522259163", "1522238892" ]
	[WP] You are the God of a new cult. The Religion your followers follow is based on what you had done for humanity in the past. Problem is, you never did those things. They're on your to-do list.	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", " Cults are constituted through the will of the gods. Morals, expectations, beliefs, traditions, and social structures live to represent those who brought meaning and flare to an otherwise bleak, hopeless existence. To this decree, murderers, masochists, and maidens are one and the same. We all share a common goal, despite our conflicted views on reality. And it's that same goal that binds us together in spirit. \n\nIt's through this understanding that I am no god. I am a simply a child who disbands and abandons, the contract that curses society to an eternity of endless wander. My seclusiveness has done a great toll on my people. I wake alone, I live alone, and I rest alone. My mind and heart are orphanages, alienated from the knowledge of others.\n\nPain and suffering are life's greatest instructors, for they swear no sympathy, no compassion, no nepotism, nothing. They symbolize the efforts of comprehending the unknown, deprived of fantasy. Embracing the darkness leaves two choices: you can see the truth within the black and devote yourself to reveal it, or you see the truth within the black and devote yourself to its very exile. I am a god of malnourished and rotten thought, that is true. However, beyond this accursed facade lies a fragile secret. \n\nI'm afraid.\n\nGod or mortal, everything lives in desire for stability and order. When that balance is corrupted, we resist or relocate. There is no in-between. But I'm sure you know which one of those you expect of me. I mean, I am a god. And had I been anyone else, I would've agreed with you. I wish to do good. I wish to stand and protect the faith of my children, young or old. Yet, ask anyone who has led and they will tell you it's not meant for everyone. Surely not for me.\n\nSo to my brothers and sisters alike, allow me to properly apologize. You've lived your lives in the shadows of your predecessors, knowing nothing but to serve. You have questions, and I have no answers. You have demands, and I have no power. I am not fit to lead you all. I am a disgrace, and it's about time that I make amends. \n\nWe will overcome our demons together. And that is a promise." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1522254138", "1522255889" ]
	[WP] The Zombie apocalypse has come right as the alien invasion started and its a....wait, are those giant robots?	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", "The odds were never in our favour. After years of being warned by our top scientists that doomsday was upon us, we wasted time asking questions like why and how, but never asked when. Had we been more prepared, perhaps we could have avoided the mess we are in.\n\nBut now, we have to deal with them.\n\nIt just looked like a bad case of the flu. It spread, first in Los Angeles, then to Japan, and soon an epidemic spread across all continents on Earth. If caught quickly, a cure could be administered. The catch is, if you took the medicine and you didn't have the disease, you died anyway. Its effects were too harsh. \n\nWe called it Mortuum. Mort for short. It started off as a cough, which developed into a fever. By the time you were bed ridden you had 24 hours to be administered the lifesaving drug. If not, you died. Well, technically.\n\nYour body starts to decompose as expected, but your neurotransmitters still fire and you need to feed on the only thing that your body can process, flesh. Now they are everywhere. We call them Mords. And we survivors are the only ones left. \n\nExcept for the aliens. \n\nAs if it couldn't get any worse, while we survivors are trying to grapple with the disease and the Mords, beings from dark space noticed Earth's peril. We thought they came to rescue us, but when they realized that they were immune to Mortuum, they attacked. \n\nOur backs are against the wall here. If anyone is hearing this transmission, know that there are survivors here. There has to be someone, anyone out there. \n\nWait… do you hear that? Could it be? Our saviour!!!! \n\n“KABOOOOOM CAPTAIN PLASMO AND HIS ROBOT ARMY ARE HERE TO SAVE THE DAY!” Charlie runs through his older brothers toys. “Robots beat zombies and aliens every time!”\n\n“Mom!” I cry. “Charlie interrupted my game again!!” " ]	[ 1, 4 ]	[ "1522257079", "1522263362" ]
[removed]	[WP] A voice comes over the loudspeaker, “The Equalizer has begun. The next contestant to make physical contact with you will be your partner. Your new ages will be equal to the sum of both of your original ages, divided by two. Good luck.”	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\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/87u2ez/wp_a_voice_comes_over_the_loudspeaker_the/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1522260198", "1522261114" ]
	[WP] The punishment must fit the crime but the reverse is also true - if somebody serving a prison sentence is later found to be innocent they have the right to commit one or more criminal acts up to the value of the time they have already served.	183	[ "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 system was flawed. A single loophole that made the justice system scratch its scalp in confusion.\n\nIt was quite an obvious one too.\n\nMy father was falsely convicted of genocide, and so the penalty was death.\n\nHow do you measure that?\n\nHow do you measure the worth of a life, of how much it costs to avulse the soul from its body, all in a manner that leaves a sour taste in ones mouth.\n\nIt is easy to measure time. Time served is equal to the crime in question. But I wonder, when justice liberty put my fathers lifeless corpse onto her scales, as his empty eyes scanned the court and jury, how much did it weigh?\n\nDid it matter? He was dead, even if he wanted to, there was no way to commit the crime he had been accused of.\n\nSo I did it for him. I murdered exactly twenty-one people in his name, even signed it as if it were his work.\n\nIt was a Magnus Opus perpetrated by his spirit, and I was his paintbrush. A scarlet painting with brilliant brush strokes.\n\nBut now what about those that I killed? Where was their justice?\n\nIf I wanted to fix that which my father was owned, I needed to show fairplay. Needed to commit acts that would balance out the equilibrium set out by our justice liberty.\n\nAnd I did just that, not just embodying the credit that was so dearly owed to my father, but also to those that sacrificed to pay off the governments death to him.\n\nAnd I would continue, continue on till the end of my days, paying off the debts of all those who sacrificed themselves to honour our glorious justice system.\n\n**\n\n/r/KikiWrites ", "Thirty years. I was locked away with rapists, arsonists, and murders. Thirty years, for a crime I didn’t commit. They said I raped and strangled her, tossed her body in a creek behind my house. I was eighteen. My father didn’t visit me once in prison, couldn’t look me in the eyes after what he thought I done. \n\nThirty years.\n\nMy pops is dead now. Cancer got him. I didn’t make the funeral.\n\nNow I’m out thanks to DNA evidence. I always wondered what I’d do if I ever got released. I never expected to be solicited by the mob. They pay big bucks for legal hits. Basically chat up every man who does twenty-five plus years and gets exonerated. It’s not legal, what they do. But even if you’re caught, you still get that one freebee. No arrests. No questioning. Nothing the cops can offer you to give up your employer. \n\nThey feds know about this though and always make you aware of it. They sit you down in a room with the one-way glass just before you get your first breath of freedom. They try to match whatever the mob will offer, courtesy of Uncle Sam, to turn in anyone who offers you a contract. Doesn’t usually work though, as most people don’t want to experience their newfound freedom looking over their shoulder at the target on their back. \n\nThree weeks out and I got a knock on my door. Joey Bandoni. Of international fame for shooting two Polacks in the back on the head on a crowded subway. He got off when all of the witnesses (all thirty of them) decided they didn’t see anything. \n\n“Michael Benedetti.”\n\n“Yes? Who’s asking?” I said, trying to play dumb.\n\n“Benedetti. Strong Italian name. You mind if I come in?” He pushed open the door and sat himself on my couch, leaving a muddy trail of melted snow on my hardwood floor. \n\n“By all means.”\n\n“Thirty years is a long time.”\n\n“Sure is,” I said, closing the door behind me.\n\n“That’s the kind of time that really makes a man think. The kind of time that really makes a man angry.”\n“It sure can. What can I help you with?”\n\nHe flashed a big toothy grin. He pulled out a pack of smokes, threw one in his lip and lit up. He took a big drag, finishing about a quarter of the cigarette before blowing out a big plume of smoke into my living room.\n\n“Do you mind if I smoke? Of course you don’t. What do you do for a living Mr. Benedetti?”\n\n“Taking some personal time.”\n\n“No one will hire you, will they? Yeah turns out, even if your exonerated, no employer will touch you with a ten-foot pole if they think there could be a chance you raped a murdered a twelve-year-old girl.” He took another big pull from his cigarette and leaned forward. “Well I don’t think you did it. Hell, if the state of New York says you’re an innocent man… that’s good enough for me.”\n\n“Cut to the chase.”\n\n“Straight to the point. I like you Mr. Benedetti. The thing is, I’m concerned for your well being. No job. No savings. You’re stuck in this shithole of a halfway house until you can get back on your feet. If you can ever get back on your feet. See, I like helping out my fellow Italian brethren. Help give you get a fresh start.”\n\n“Who’s the mark?”\n\nHe leaned back, his smile ear to ear. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Mr. Benedetti. I’m just an altruist. I hate seeing my fellow man suffer, especially when he’s done no wrong in this world.”\n\n“Cut the bullshit.”\n\n“Two hundred large. That’s a new life. A fresh start. Think about it Mr. Benedetti.” Joey stood and flicked his cigarette butt onto the floor. He sauntered over to me and gave me a pat on the back. “Think about it. You know where to find me.” He opened the door and he was gone.\n\nI rushed to the bathroom to stare at my lunch in the bottom of the toilet. I had lived amongst killers. Ate lunch with them. Laughed with him. Shared my hopes and dreams with them. But none of them compared to Joey Bandoni. If half of the things that I’d heard about him were true, then I had just been face to face with the devil himself. \n\nI could barely sleep that night. Too cold. Then too hot. I woke up to a pounding at my door and an even bigger pounding headache. \n\n“Coming,” I called, as I struggled to put on shorts. The pounding continued.\n“I said I was coming you fucking prick…” I opened the door to a man and woman in suits, both flashing badges. \n\n“We’d like a word with you Mr. Benedetti,” said the woman. “Do you mind if we come in?”\n\n“Do I have a choice?”\n\n“Of course you do,” said the man, who walked right passed me into my living room. The woman quickly followed.\n\n“I’m Federal Agent Mary Donahue and this is my partner Agent Cooper Smith,” she gestured to Agent Smith who was peering into my closet.\n\n“Don’t worry, Neo. I’m not here to kill ya,” he snickered. He looked back over his shoulder when I didn’t laugh. “Oh that’s right. They probably didn’t let you watch too many movies in Sing Sing.”\n\n“Mr. Benedetti,” said Agent Donahue, “Are you familiar with a Joey Bandoni?”\n\n“I’ve heard of him. His name was brought up quite a bit in Sing Sing.”\n\n“But you’ve never personally met him?”\n\n“Not that I’m aware of.”\n\n“You’re not lying to us? Are you Mr. Benedetti?” asked Agent Smith.\n\n“We know he was here yesterday,” said Agent Donahue. \n\n“Was that him? Yeah… some strange guy stopped by my apartment yesterday. Told him he had the wrong address.”\n\n“Did you two talk about anything?” she asked.\n\n“Nope. Told him he had the wrong address and he was on his way.”\n\n“Did he offer you any money, Mr. Benedetti?” asked Smith.\n\n“Money? What for?”\n\n“Don’t play dumb with us. We know he came to offer you a contract. Who’s the mark?” blurted Agent Smith. \n\n“I already told you. The guy had the wrong address. Look, I just spent thirty years cooped up without an ounce of privacy. I cherish my alone time. Are we done here?”\n\n“Yeah. For now,” Agent Smith stormed out of my apartment into the hallway.\n\n“Don’t mind him. He likes the good cop bad cop routine. He loves trying to be the hard-ass bad cop. Here’s my card.” She pulled out a crisp white business card with dark blue print on it. “I know you’ve been wronged. You lost your life in there and you can’t get those years back. You’re lost. I know what he’s offering you might seem like a way out, like a way to build up your life again. But it won’t get those years back. It won’t bring you closure. You’ll still be lost. All you’d be doing is stripping the life away from another poor soul, and unlike you they wouldn’t have a chance to rebuild a life with family or friends. If you need anything, you can call me.”\n\n“Thank you, I appreciate it. If I, uh, hear anything I’ll let you know.”\n\n“Doesn’t even have to be about Joey. I know it’s tough trying to transition back into the real world. My dad did eight years when I was younger. It’s the reason I became a cop. But we got through it together as a family. He actually runs a therapy group for people recently released. If you ever feel like you want to join, just give me a call. Have a good day, Mr. Benedetti.”\n\nAnd she was gone.\n\nThat night I sat myself down at the kitchen table for dinner. A grilled cheese sandwich and a can of tomato soup, the feast of kings. Then the radiator went out. It was going to be a cold night.\n\nThat night I tossed and turned in the freezing cold, couldn’t sleep.\n\n“Fuck this shit,” I muttered to myself. I turned on the night lamp and swung my legs off the side of the bed. I picked up Agent Donahue’s business card and stared at it. I stared at her name. I stared at the ten-digit number. “Fuck.”\n\nThe next morning, I laced up my boots and threw on a heavy jacket before making my way out the door. I needed to clear my head, and walking the streets as a free man seemed to help. I wandered the streets for hours with my head down, freezing my ass off. I didn’t know where I was going, I was just going. Then all of the sudden I stopped. I pulled out Mary’s business card from my coat pocket and thumbed at the number. I looked up to see where I was, only to find myself standing in front of Bandoni’s Italian Restaurant. \n\nHow the fuck did I get here…?* I thought.\n\nI looked back down at the card in my hand. I shook the card a few times, then flicked it to the curb. I unzipped my jacked and walked into the restaurant. \n", "######[](#dropcap)\n\nAll I can remember is that mean man's smile and the way he looked at me all funny, like there was some joke he didn't wanna tell me. \n\nMama told me when I was younger that the world was a mean place, and that I had to keep to myself. And I always listened to mama. So I was a good boy. I went to work, did everything Tom asked me to do like fill up bags and move things in the store here or there (though I never could understand why), and I went back home immediately after. \n\nThey said I had to be locked up because I killed a little girl. But I never even saw her before. I told the man that, just like my mama told me. The man all dressed up in black like he was batman. And I knew batman always saved people, so why didn't he save me? I didn't know her, I told him. He just looked at me, his eyes all angry, and said I had to be locked up 30 years. \n\nI didn't really understand why that mean man with the yellow hair kept saying it was me. He said I drove a car over her and then ran away. Mama told me to own up to my mistakes, so I would never run away. I told them that. Yeah, I told them that real good, standing up and shouting it to his face. But the mean man just pointed at me all rude-like with his finger. You don't point at people like that. But he did. \n\nThen he said those words several times. \n\n\"Let the punishment fit the crime.\" \n\nI still remember them cuz he said them three times. And after that, they locked me up. \n\nIt's okay though, because I made a couple friends in this place. A guy named Bill. He was in here for doing some bad, bad things, but he always treated me nice. Told me stories about all the things he done, like picking pockets and getting into fights with people. Mama probably wouldn't have liked him, but that's okay. \n\nHe told me that I had to get avenged. A new word I learned. It's what batman did to the bad people. Bill said I could become batman if I did it, and other people agreed. I was worried at first, but he told me all those words about law stuff, and he said I wouldn't get in trouble. Okay, I told him. As long as I didn't get in trouble. Mama wouldn't like that. She always spanked me when I did bad things. \n\nIt was real easy to find the mean man after I got out. A lady at the library helped me, all nice-like, and told me to use some adders book. I didn't know how at first, but then I saw a picture of him, smiling, and pointed at him, and she found him right away. \n\nThat night, I went to his house. I remembered everything Bill taught me. Ring the doorbell. Ask him questions. Then he would be going to jail all nice and easy. \n\nHe opened the door quick, but then he tried to close it. I stopped him. Nobody likes rude people, I told him, and I opened the door real easy. He looked kinda scared, which made me feel pretty good. Mama told me before that I was a big boy, and that scared people sometimes. \n\nI got real happy when I brought out the knife and he started talking like Bill said he would. He started crying too, and that made me laugh. He said he killed the girl, and that made me angry. You had to take reponsbility for your actions. I told him that, and he said he would go to the police. That made me feel better a little bit. \n\nBut then I thought about how long I hadn't seen mama for. And how the lady at the library said my mama had left because my name wasn't in the adders book. It was all this man's fault. If he hadn't made me leave for so long, mama wouldn't have gotten sick of waiting and left. \n\nAnd then I remembered what he said and the mean look he had on his face when he said it. \n\n\"Let the punishment fit the crime,\" I told him. Then I said it again. \n\n&nbsp; \n\nIt went in real easy like jello. He didn't look so happy anymore with his mouth open and blood coming out. I put it in a couple more times. Just like jello. I was happy he didn't look so mean anymore. \n\nI'm going to find my mama, I told him, but he didn't say nothing. That's okay. Mama said people don't talk when they're sleeping, and I just helped him take a nice, long nap. \n\n***** \nIt's my first time writing a story like this, so any critique/feedback is greatly appreciated! \n\nr/AlannaWu" ]	[ 1, 7, 25, 51 ]	[ "1522294939", "1522319293", "1522314660", "1522314055" ]
	[WP] Soulmates' hearts beat in unison. As a result of this, society has developed an odd handshake to compare pulses. Today you had to shake your least favorite classmate's hand out of politeness. Both of you are shocked to find that your hearts are beating in tandem.	32	[ "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", "“Now don’t worry if you don’t find someone who matches your pulse perfectly; it is highly unlikely to find your soulmate during your teenage years, some don’t even find theirs within their lifetime.” Mrs. White, our old, frail Health teacher, crooned on.\n\nNo one was paying much attention to her. It was Friday afternoon and Amber was throwing a party later that evening—her parents were out of town meaning she had their mansion all to herself. Besides, everyone already knew how to do the Handshake. Our older siblings taught us how to do it and those who didn’t have older siblings learned from their peers. More importantly, our generation didn’t believe in soulmates anymore. Divorce rates of soulmates weren’t any different than the divorce rates of non-soulmates. My then-girlfriend and I were one of those non-soulmates couples. Our hearts didn’t beat to the same rhythm but back then we truly believed we were perfect for each other, and in many ways we were.\n\n“Thomas, Diana, why don’t you two come up here and help me demonstrate the handshake?” said Mrs. White.\n\nGreat. Out of all the myopic students in the front row she had to pick the both of us. It had to be the weirdo who ratted me out back in Freshman year for copying someone else’s homework. I looked at the clock and there were still fifteen minutes left. Fuck, there was no getting out of this.\n\nI rose from my desk as slowly as I could hoping time would somehow speed up but before I knew it I was in front of the class—and so was Diana—with Mrs. White holding both her hands together.\n\n“Okay, now face each other and position your hands like this. Great. You should be able to feel your pulse. Now take the other person’s hands and don’t forget to feel their pulse while keeping hold of your own.”\n\nReluctantly, I extended my hands and shook hands with Diana. Might as well get this over with. I fumbled my hands trying to look for her pulse but I couldn’t find it. I started getting irritated; I had never had a problem doing this before and the longer it took the more flustered I became. Perhaps my creeping suspicion that Diana was secretly a vampire were being proven true but when I looked at Diana she was having the same problem. Our eyes met and reality dawned on the both of us—our hearts were beating as one!\n\nI felt my pulse—both our pulses—quicken. She let go of my hands. I surveyed the room. Everyone was busy doing something else and thankfully no one had noticed what had happened.\n\n“How was it? Did you feel each other’s pulse?”\n\n“Yes, Mrs. White, our pulses couldn’t be any more different.” lied Diana.\n\nShe sounded so convincing she had me doubting my own memory of the few seconds that had just passed. But that wasn’t a dream—or rather, nightmare. I was certain I had just found my soulmate.\n\n---\n\nThis is actually so much longer. I just didn't want to overwhelm anyone with a huge wall of text. Heh\n", "Well, I was bound to shake her hand eventually. I knew almost nothing about her, I couldn't care less about them. I would even care more if the class bully got killed, after all, they're at least a good source of drama.\n\n\"Hey, I'm Blake.\" I unenthusiastically said. I stuck out my hand, uncaring.\n\n\"Mia, nice to formally meet you.\" She replied. She reached out, hesitating for a moment to shake my hand. Nothing wrong with that, she followed through with shaking it. Our pulses were in tandem. This girl I couldn't care less about is my soul mate? I honestly couldn't believe it, but I kept holding on for a bit longer. Both of our hearts were racing a bit from the shock, yet still in tandem.\n\n\"Yo dude,\" Alex said. \"I don't mean to interrupt your silent conversation but... looks like you just crapped your pants dude. You good man?\"\n\n\"Well uh...\" Mia replied first, after about a solid minute. \"I guess you would be shocked if you found your soulmate.\"\n\n\"Wah?! Seriously? Nice dude!\" Alex said, he gave me a hard pat on the back. \"Oh wait, I guess I interrupted a couple gazing longingly at each other huh.\"\n\n\"No, not really.\" I replied as I let go. \"Pretty much just shock dude.\"\n\n\"Don't you two feel anything for each other?\" Alex asked near vacantly.\n\n\"No, we haven't really spoken to be honest.\" Mia replied. \n\n\"Kinda gotta agree with her,\" I replied.\n\n\"I'll fix that. Just leave it to me.\" Alex grinned. \"I'll plan the date and stuff for you, I got this.\"\n\nAlex walked away before we could stop him. We both didn't say anything to each other for the rest of the day. Though, we caught each other glancing at each other from time to time. It continued on until the weekend, also known as the day of our forced date. Alex wouldn't stop spamming my phone with texts, so I went. Mia and I were awkwardly now sitting in a restaurant because of him.\n\n\"So uh...\" Mia said, wanting to start conversation. \"Erm... how was the math test?\"\n\n\"Wasn't so bad...\" I replied. \"Did you hear Dan got suspended again?\"\n\n\"Oh right, didn't he punch someone in the face?\" Mia responded. \"Heard the guy who got punched just stood up, and grabbed Dan's fist before he made a second punch.\"\n\n\"Yeah, and then the teacher came and suspended him. Speaking of well, physical activity, what's your favorite sports team?\" I asked.\n\n\"I'm not really a fan of actual sports, sorry. I like e-sports though.\" Mia replied. \"My favorite team would be the NYXL if we count e-sports.\"\n\n\"Well, my favorite team would be the New York Mets.\" I replied. \"Do you watch 'em sometimes?\"\n\n\"Oh, there's this game I'm gonna watch on the 2nd. Cause y'know, e-sports reasons. Wanna go to my house and watch it with me? You can teach me about baseball and stuff.\" Mia asked.\n\n\"Sure, why not.\" I replied. Without me realizing it, we had planned a second date. She would easily go from my least favorite, to my most favorite.\n\n***\n\nlol I did this when I'm like, half brain dead (tired lol). I was watching a stream while making this. I had a sort of beta plan of their hearts being in tandem by coincidence, the guy learning but the girl not but whatever." ]	[ 1, 2, 3 ]	[ "1522334660", "1522443206", "1522386020" ]
[removed]	[WP] Democracy comes to China by 2040	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\nWe are not currently allowing political prompts (see rule #7) as the aim of the sub is to encourage people to write and political prompts are leading to arguments instead of stories. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/8838ku/wp_democracy_comes_to_china_by_2040/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1522344978", "1522346056" ]
[removed]	[WP] The Antichrist falls victim to the #Metoo movement and starts WW3 with a speech that goes...	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\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/885fpb/wp_the_antichrist_falls_victim_to_the_metoo/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1522361658", "1522361686" ]
	[WP] You have the Eye of Agamotto, allowing you to manipulate time. Instead of trying to rule the world or become a superhero, you use it to restore the old vehicles on your used car lot.	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", "Time is merciless. Regardless of whether one may like it or not, it will continue to move forward in a consistent pace, unwilling to wait for anyone. No man has been able to bend it to their will so far, as much as they desire to do so. That is, until I obtained the eye.\n\nThe Eye of Agamotto. Ever since I went near the stone altar, my left eye has never been the same. The entire eyeball has became reddish in color, as if it has been replaced with a red marble. Strangely, I could still see with it.\n\nLet’s do this, I thought, as I removed the eye patch on my left eye. I stared at the decrepit cars before me, as I did my best to focus my attention on my left eye. \n\n3…2…1.\n\nThe cars magically turned back into their original state, shining and brimming with energy. Each of them seemed to be calling out for me, to ride them. I grinned, as I put my eye patch back on. Soon, I will put on them sale, and make myself a fortune.\n\nIt was at this moment when I saw a small figure standing next to me. I turned my head and saw a boy on my left, staring at me. He had blueish hair, eyes and clothes, making his white skin stand out the most. He had a blue eye patch on his left eye, just like me. He seemed to be obsessed with the color blue.\n\n“Who are you?” I questioned. I had half a mind to turn back time so I could cover my tracks.\n\n“You’ll understand once I show you this.” He started taking his eye patch off. It did not take long before I was responded with a regular looking eye, much to my disappointment. \n\n“Seal,” the boy muttered. Suddenly, I felt my left eye aching. The pain throbbed loudly and repeatedly. I felt liquid flowing out of it, which I feared was blood. It did not take long before I fell on my knees.\n\n“What have you done!?” I yelled, as I took off my eye patch,revealing colorless liquid flowing onto the ground. Tears was what they seemed to be.\n\n“Nothing much, just sealed your left eye’s power.” I looked up and saw the boy, now grinning, with his left eye now revealing a reddish iris.\n", "\"I'm home!\" Winston yelled up the stairs to his wife, Linda.\n\n\"You sure are home late,\" Linda replied as she began walking down the steps.\n\n\"The traffic was unbearable.\"\n\n\"I thought you were taking a different route home ever since Agamotto Car Repair opened up.\"\n\n\"I was, but every road is covered in cars now. Everybody who used to walk or ride public transit has gone an bought the cheapest hunk of junk they can and gotten it repaired for next to nothin.\"\n\n\"I noticed the smog has gotten pretty bad too. I took Jamie out to the park today. We had to come back almost immediately cause he started coughing like crazy.\"\n\nThe two sat down at the kitchen table and Linda passed Winston a bottle of water.\n\n\"I'm gonna leave early tomorrow so I'm not late again.\"\n\n\"Ok, I'll get up early too and make you breakfast.\"\n\n\"That sounds great.\"\n\nThe next day\n\nThirty minutes after Winston left for work the next day, Linda turned on the tv.\n\nAn overpass has collapsed on I-40. Due to the traffic below the overpass, a number of cars have been crushed. We will update you with the number of injured shortly.\n\n\"Oh god!\" gasped Linda as she lowered her coffee mug. \"I hope Winston took his old route to work.\"\n\nEdited formatting", "Legends say that it was created by beings beyond our world. Beings that can handle time as we can handle a pencil, creating lines of time. A war broke out much before the raise of humanity, between different fractions, a civil war, you might say.\n By some circumstances, unknown and unreachable to the human mind, it ended up in our plane of existence, it's name echoing through the pages of mythology and history.\nOut of some primal fear, or maybe some unknown knowledge that has been passed through the human generations, a lot of cultures avoided the idea of using this artifact.\n Egyptians buried it deep in one of their huge tombs, while praising it as a part of their own gods' symbol. Vikings would incorporate it's story in their own way. Mongols would base the story of their nomadic lifestyle as a way to find this artifact. Greeks for some reason would snicker at it's name, an inside joke beyond our language barrier, but they too used it as a symbol to protect them from the evil. The lost city of Atlantis was actually the closest of them all, seeing how the eyes was actually the reason for their own civil war, which resulted in total destruction of their home. \n\nHow do I know this? Simple, actually. \n\nI was the one responsible for it's destruction. I was the point zero of everything that happened that fateful day. I, as the holder of the eye, was the sole survivor of my mistake. And believe me when I say I'm paying for this. \nI was closed in a tomb by the Egyptians. I was granted the position of chief by the Vikings. I was hunted down by Mongols. Greek historians and scholars would ask me questions and answers to their own. \nAfter the Greek civil wars, I decided that this was too dangerous of a place to stay, and so I ended up going West, my status unknown, settling down to the place that was later know as the roots of Roman empire. \n\nForever unknown, I glided my way through history, always changing identities and staying immortal with the eye. I ended up in American South, where the law is more lax about homeschooling, and so I was able to fake my way through the decades. Now I'm just managing a used car lot. Call me nostalgic, but it's an interesting take of my old home's technology. Who knows, maybe I will try to go back sometime. Find a way to correct my mistake. But the thing is, history can and probably will be jeopardised at this point. Who knows what could happen. \n\nThat's why I'm not gonna let you have it. \nI saw the concealed gun. I would say that the government has finally caught up with me, but the way you carry yourself and your movements suggest that you are probably a part of a gang. Or is it a cult? Doesn't matter.\n\nI could kill you and make you disappear from the face of the Earth, without anyone being the wiser, but I can see in your eyes you are not a bad person. Yeah, you did made some stupid choices, but I'm sure that you didn't want it to come to this point. \n\nSo, what do you say? Care to spend rest of the infinity with me? ", "The young Asian man appeared reticent while over looking the perfect lemon yellow skin of the convertible with white leather interior.\n\n\"It's a real looker at a deep discount, sir. We even offer a deeper cut for our veterans just returned to make sure they're able to serve their families as hardy as they did our nation.\"\n\nThe eyes saddened for a second as the man nodded stiffly. \"Miyagi-san is interested, how much for pickup truck, too?\"", "\"Ladies and gentlemen my name is Tony Talito and I am the wizard of good saving\" The middle-aged car salesman roared, standing atop a purple jeep with arms outstretched, \"I'll buy any junker you can sell me like it was brand new.\"\n\nThis claim was true. Unlike many in his business, Tony Talito was a man who kept his word. Holding his high school sweetheart at the 10th-grade dance she asked him to never leave, and Tony promised. When the local animal shelter came around asking if he could provide donations, Tony promised. When a customer asked if the warranty covered dents like his ad promised, Tony promised. And Tony kept every single one of those agreements. That customer later dinked a shopping cart and didn't pay a dime. Tony stayed with his wife for 27 years keeping his promise, until she left the arms of everyone hand in hand with cancer. And Tony still pays his monthly donation to the animal shelter, receiving photographed updates on all the pets inside. \n\n\"You're telling me you'll buy this damn thing for twelve thousand?\" A thin man asked from behind the steering wheel of a near totaled Corolla. \n\n\"Absolutely, sir, roll right on in and meet me at the desk,\" Tony smiled from atop the display car.\n\nA wholesome grin grew across the young man's face. He drove the clunker into the old lot. It was like the automotive version of Prometheus, tortured and beaten down regardless of the good it had done. The wheels had been worn down hard, the doors beaten and concave. Tony climbed off the car and walked began walking towards his dealership.\n\n---\n\nIt was a rainy night when Tony first bought the necklace. It was a birthday present for Leena, his wife. They both hated the upscale jewelry stores and preferred local pawn shops with more interesting and cheaper pieces. It gives the stuff character, Leena would say. That's what they said to each other anyway. In reality, Tony went out of habit as his family never really achieved such luxury. Leena simply held on to any facet of her life that made her feel like a kid again, the underdog, not the wife of an aging car salesman. But the pair loved each other regardless and every anniversary or birthday was another trip to Tommys Town Pawnshop. Tony smiled as he walked through the barred doors, remembering the brass knuckles she had gotten him two years from that day. Immediately a new ornament caught his eye. A thick golden chain attached to an oriental metallic eye. Behind the metal was a soft green glow. The necklace seemed to move on its own accord, looking around the room and then at him. Tony bought it after that. The price was a bit much for the store but it was worth the cost, she deserved it. He quickly bagged the bejeweled neck piece and stored it in the glove compartment. In seconds he was on the road, knowing if he made good time on the road he could make it to the hospital at the end of Leena's treatment.\n\n---\n\nThe man walked happily up to the front counter after parking and shook Tony's hand. \n\n\"I'd like to sell my car,\" He said puffing his chest a bit, making it clear that he had never really done this before.\n\n\"Sounds good, boss\" Tony smiled back, \"I'm just gonna need you to head on back with me and do a bit of paperwork, coffee?\"\n\n\"Yeah sure,\" The man said, following Tony to the set of chairs lined against the window. \n\nTony manned the coffee machine and paper cups as the man, David, explained the shape of his car. He told him about first getting it as a teen and never letting it go. He felt bad but knew it was time for it to go. He was particularly worried, David said, about the car breaking down and causing a wreck. The two continued on back to Tony's office. It was a humble room with a simple wooden desk adorned with pictures of Leena and knick-knacks from the pawn shop. David asked how exactly Tony was making the profit off his newest marketing campaign, the \"Magical Mystery Money-Down Marathon\". Tony laughed.\n\n\"It's all magic,\" He shrugged.\n\nTony technically didn't lie. The wizard robes were just a cheap cover for the set up he ran at night. The centerpiece of the wizard getup was his \"All-Seeing Eye 'O' Good Prices\" he went on about. A golden necklace that held a shifting green eye to his chest. The exaggerated jewelry in reality was magic, just not a divine source of economic insight. It was instead some sort of mystical clock piece. Similar to the one in those books with the kids and owls and snakes, Tony would think, but much more volatile. Every night at midnight Tony would return to the dark lot. The only lights coming from his office window and the Arbys sign next to his dealership. With some oddly specific hand movements, the eye would open wide, and the car Tony targetted would slowly buff out its bumps and destain its seats. The car would become new again. Then it was a simple matter of reselling the fresh vehicle. Tony laughed at his own joke and continued on pulling forms out of his desk for David to review. \n\n---\n\nThat night on Leena's birthday, Tony learned a bit about what he had purchased. As he hugged their hands fumbled awkwardly for a moment. The eye of the necklace opened for the first time and glowed a brilliant deep green. Leena gasped and dropped the gift. They both stood there in silence for a moment. The world outside seemed to go silent. Tony stared at the glass of water on the table beside them, a sudden urge flooded him. He knocked it over. The water remained stationary within the glass, perfectly still as if it were still upright. The glass itself hung mid-air. Leena stared at the unmoving clock. Then both stared at the necklace on the floor, it's green eye still shifting about as normal. It was in this world that Tony and Leena spent four years. His wife never got worse or better in this state, his own hair seemed like it would never grey. They traveled the world like this. Seeing every city in America that they wanted to. Ticking off each bit of the bucket list as they went. Enjoying long walks across a beach that had been permanently set into a sunset. They viewed a distant horizon, the ocean waves halted at their crown. Tony dodging under a frozen frisbee that sat in the air as if it were on a shelf. It wasn't until the second year that Leena addressed the problem.\n\n\"we're gonna have to stop sometime,\" she said through watery eyes.\n\nTony didn't respond. It was unlike him to take such luxury, but now he couldn't let go. He refused to let go of the time, or lack thereof, with his wife. She said the words again. A fight was on the verge of breaking out. Something they hadn't even thought about since the diagnosis. They made a deal, a promise. And so for the next few months in frozen time, Leena wrote. She wrote fiction and poems and cards and letters. A birthday letter for every last birthday Tony would possibly have. Cards for their anniversaries. Daily reassurances to her husband. She pretended that she was doing it for him. But in reality, the notes and letters were the last things warding the approaching end to her own story. So she kept writing and avoiding that final note. The note for the day it happens. The note that would force her husband to make a promise to himself.\n\n---\n\nAs David signed line after line with his initials he went on about his car. Describing all the ridiculous things he's seen and legally dubious stunts he's pulled. When his eyes went up in remembrance the now familiar smile appeared on his face. But when his eyes drifted back down to the signing a slight anxiety filled him. Tony shifted in his seat, the feeling uncomfortably familiar. He undid his tie and reached for his necklace. He wanted to give the car a second chance, he wanted to give David more time. The storefront glass shattered. \n\n---\n\nRegardless of the four years, they spent it was still the same night. August 15th, Leena's birthday. There was still a Publix brand cake in the fridge, a pile of unopened Hallmark cards in the mailbox, and a sense of dread in the couples chest. They walked through the front door together, nostalgic to when they first bought the one-floor house. The air felt heavier in the living room than ever before. Tony picked up the necklace.\n\n\"Please don't make me do it,\" he said.\n\n\"There are other people in the world, sweetheart\" She put a hand on his chest and leaned into him, \"Please\"\n\nAnd so Tony promised. He fumbled his hands just as he did four years ago. A tear rolled off his face. The dark green eye slammed shut. His tear hit the ground as the glass thudded onto the carpet. \n\n---\n\nDavid fell out of his seat gripping his chest. His mouth was full of blood. Loud explosions filled the dealership. Tony rushed around the desk, grabbing David. A voice rang out from the entrance.\n\n\"The eye\" It barked, \"Get it\"\n\nDavid's eyes were fleeting. The smiling face was contorted in fear. Tony held the man, the boy, up to his own chest. \n\n\"Tell me it'll be ok,\" David stuttered, gripping at Tony's buttondown. \n\n\"It'll be ok\" Tony Promised.\n", "Back in the old days, you could win wars simply by having more troops on the battflefield. Although this may no longer be the case in today's wars, there is another frontier where an army could give you power, perhaps even over cities. I've always known that I'd have the world at my feet, and in the past couple of days, I've discovered my artifact that I'll use to take over the entire world, city by city. \n\nI stumbled upon it almost by accident. Almost. For the last six years or so, I'd been driving to work on the same roads, always taking the same route. I decided to switch it up a little last week. Maybe I ought to do that more often. \n\nThe new route I've been taking comes with a few strange benefits. There's never any traffic there, and the sun makes a noble violet descent into the horizon every time I pass there. That's pretty great. I think I'll miss that. Hands down though, the weirdest thing about my new drive home is the effect it's been having on my odometer, and as I've noticed more recently, my car. \n\nMy old car is as good as new. The same '69 Mustang that my grandfather drove to school is now as clean and fresh as the day it was built. It happened slowly at first, but I've figured out how to nudge things along since last week, and now I have a new car! What I first noticed was varying decreases in my mileage every time I travelled that route, ranging from 20k to 50k drops every time. I did that twice a day. I'm surprised it took me so long to notice.\n\nBy the time Friday came though, the change could no longer go unnoticed. I realized when I went to open the door and the gut-wrenching squeal my car always welcomed me with was eerily absent. I looked around at the car, and noted a few missing scratches, a lot of the rust was gone, and even the paint looked cleaner, though I hadn't cleaned my car recently. As I turned on my car, I saw my odometer was now at half what I remember it being. \n\nI almost didn't go to work.\n\nI realized when I eventually left, that after I passed a particularly bare patch of land on my left, my odometer had dropped even further. This is exactly what I was hoping for. Fuck work. I turned around, and went back to investigate. Once I'd reached the barren area, I followed what seemed to be a decrease in the amount of plant life growing, forming a circle of sorts, at the center of which I found the Eye. I picked it up and was surprised by how alive it felt, relative to everything around it. It was strange, but my car had given me an idea.\n\nAs I drove back, I came by my cousin's used car lot. I left the Eye in one of the cars as I went inside to check in on Jamal. He greeted me warmly and made me a cup of his coffee, which I indulged him by drinking. He proceeded to tell me about the shop, his wife and children, and many other things before I decided we'd passed the point of etiquette and took my leave. As I left, he commented on the \"new jeans\" I was wearing. I wasn't wearing anything new whatsoever, I guarantee that. I did have the Eye in my pocket, however, and was beginning to notice a pattern.\n\nI came back the next morning to find my suspicions confirmed. The car was as good as new. That particular car did not even turn on yesterday, and now it practically shone. As the true power of the Eye cements in my mind, it occurs to me that the world seems ripe for the taking. I'd have to be careful though. The Eye did not differentiate between organic and inorganic things. It had taken a few wrinkles off of my face just as it had taken a few scratches off my car. That was dangerous.\n\nI've begun carrying out the first execution phases of my plan, and will make New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles beg for my mercy. So far, I've used the Eye to fix up many thousands of cars the, with the price of doing so simply being that these drivers must drive their newly restored cars through the cities' busiest areas for particular shifts, usually about 6 hours. The effect adds up quickly. The traffic I'm causing will soon become more than a slight inconvenience.\n\nAs I create more and more traffic, I will prevent fire trucks from saving homes from fires, I will disallow the dead to be retrieved from their resting places, and I will forbid the police from being able to move in their own city. If drawn out, I will bring down property rates and the reliant taxes, hitting the city where it hurts. The best part is, this is completely legal. For the most part. Didn't cost me anything, and now I get to watch a few family members, grow up again. Jamal too.\n\n", "HEY GUYS PHIL SWIFT HERE WITH MY NEW CAREER PATH. RESTORING YOUR OLD CARS IN JUST A MATTER OF MOMENTS. MAY I INTRODUCE TO YOU MY NEW BUSINESS “AGAMOTORS” ARE YOU IN NEED OF CAR REPAIRS BUT DONT HAVE THE TIME TO DO THEM? WELL I DO!!!!!!! AFTER COMING TO DR STEVEN STRANGE TO LEARN MAGIC, I REACHED INTO THE DIMENSION OF DORMAMMU AND NOW KNOW HOW TO BEND TIME!!!! SO IF YOU NEED YOUR CAR LOOKING BETTER THAT IT DID BEFORE YOUR WIFE GAVE BIRTH IN IT, RUN IT DOWN TO AGAMOTORS IN OAKLAND CALIFORNIA. CALL NOW TO RECEIVE A SPECIAL OFFER WHERE I SLING RING TO YOUR LOCATION AND FIX YOUR CAR FOR 23.89!!!! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAlso could you buy Flex Tape? Nobody wants it and I am kinda tired of sawing boats in half then putting tape down the middle of a different uncut boat. I have 300,000 units in storage and 300 in my house. Please buy some", "######[](#dropcap)\n\n\"Duh Eye of Agememnon?\" \n\nSatoshi Agamotto sighed. They had been back and forth on the issue of pronunciation for over an hour but the owner of the junkyard just could not get the name right.\n\nNonetheless, Satoshi persisted in being utterly well mannered. \n\n\"Mr. Piscioli, I beg of you, the Eye has been in my family for hundreds of generations, thousands of years. It is immeasurably precious to us and it's powers know no bounds.\"\n\nAnthony Piscioli had stopped listening at the word 'Mr'. Instead he was pointing the weird eye shaped pendant he'd bought from a local flea market at one of the old jallopies on his lot. Anthony whistled loudly as the crap pot car transformed into its gorgeous, fresh off the lot finish. \"I love dis fuckin ting! Whadya call it again?\"\n\nSatoshi wanted so badly to slap this fat man. Instead he patiently repeated the name for the thousandth time. \"The Eye of Agamotto.\"\n\nAnthony tried to wrap his mouth around it. \"Duh Eye of Agatha.\"\n\n\"Ah-gah-moh-toh.\"\n\n\"Agammatuh\" Anthony looked down in amazement at the pendant, \"The Eye of Agammatuh. Awesome.\"\n\nSatoshi stood up. \"Sir,\" he said, ready to cut to the chase, \"my family has authorized me to pay you handsomely for the Eye.\" \n\nThis got Tony's attention. \"Now you got my attention. How much is dis Eye of duh Argonauts worth t'yuh?\"\n\nSatoshi swallowed his rage. \"1 million American dollars.\" \n\nTony nearly had a heart attack. But he was also a sly \"business\" man, the sort of business man who knew how to smell out desperation, and he smelled it in this Japanese guy in droves. \"Yeah, that's not bad and all, but this thing is revolutionizing the used car business. I could make a lot more than a mill using this for a few years.\"\n\nSatoshi despised the man's flagrant gamesmanship. He did not even obscure his rudimentary effort at manipulation. \"Name your price.\"\n\n\"Ohhh, I don't know\" Anthony looked down at the floor with mock consideration, \"20 million dollars.\"\n\nSatoshi balked at the figure. Not only was it outrageous, but the notion of giving that money to this man was beyond the pale. Satoshi had had enough of this charade. Time to play his own game. \n\nSatoshi dropped to his knees and brought crocodile tears to his eyes. \"Sir,\" he said, pleading with his hands, \"I beg of you, please just allow me to hold the Eye for the briefest moment. For this alone I will pay you grandly.\"\n\nTony was intrigued by Satoshi's sudden desperation. \"You jus' wanna hold it? Why?\"\n\nSatoshi made a big show of looking left and right for eavesdroppers, as if anyone cared a whit what was said between them. But Tony bought it and looked around himself, then leaned in for the answer. \n\n\"Sir, Mr. Piscioli, the Eye has incredible powers, as you well know. By turning the eye upon myself once a year, for just a moment, I turn back the tides of time. I am 1000 years old Mr. Piscioli! But without the Eye I begin to age again. I require but a look.\" \n\nThen Satoshi reached out a greedy hand, relying on Tony's actual greed, and getting the payoff. Tony recoiled from Satoshi's grasp. \"Hold on, so if I look into dis eye, I'm gonna be young again?\"\n\nSatoshi begged, prostrate on the ground. \"Please sir, do not do it! It can only work on one person at a time! If you look at the Eye, I will grow old and die!\"\n\nBut Tony was already twisting the pendant toward his own face, not listening to a word Satoshi said. Satoshi watched with the utmost satisfaction.\n\nThe eye reversed time locally, returning an object, or a person, to their earliest cognizable state. For a car, that was the car right out of the factory.\n\nFor a man, that was him as a newborn baby. \n\nSatoshi bent over and picked up the pendant, now draped loosely over the neck of the renewedly innocent Anthony Piscioli, placing it into a velvet lined box. \n\nAs Satoshi left, he took great pleasure in calling Child Services and reporting an abandoned child in a junkyard on the corner of Hewitt and Grand.\n\n\n******\n\n##### For More Legends From The Multiverse\n\n##### r/LFTM\n" ]	[ 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 4, 9, 22, 167 ]	[ "1522377799", "1522416257", "1522432232", "1526216882", "1522409407", "1522436357", "1522386213", "1522386105", "1522382086" ]
	[WP] You Put the gun to your head and pull the trugger ..but instead of being dead you find yourself in the bidy of another person trying to kill themselves	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\nWe feel that asking users to write about suicide is harmful. It can be hard to tell if someone's writing fiction or making a cry for help. In the event there's any truth behind this for you or someone you know, we recommend checking out /r/suicidewatch or /r/depression. \n\n\n\n---\n\nPlease refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send us a [modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/887hee/wp_you_put_the_gun_to_your_head_and_pull_the/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1522380739", "1522382712" ]
	[WP] Every day when you look in your bathroom mirror you give your reflection the middle finger. Today, after flipping it off, your reflection pulls a gun on you.	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", "Beth looked shit in the morning. Always had, always would, as far as I was concerned. Was I bitter? Maybe just a little. Was I right? Absolutely. No matter how many beauty products she'd lather over her ugly mug later, nothing could hide the bare rawness of the here and now. \n\nBethany was a cold woman, devoid of any sense of care. I knew this because I was her. A version of her anyway. The version that lived in the mirror house accessible through 'real' Beth's bathroom mirror. I say 'real' like this because of course, I can't help but consider myself more real than mirror Beth, despite knowing she's the original. We, the mirrored ones, know our place even if we do not like it. \n\nBethany-behind-the-mirror leads a good life. She has a pretty house, a well-paid job and only a housecat to give her grief. She shares wine with her friends on the weekend and turns down well-meaning dates after a hard work week in favour of curling up on the sofa and reading. She's undeniably lonely, something I cannot understand given her priviledged circumstances, but apart from the few occasions I've seen her sobbing her little pig eyes out in the bath she seems to have it all. \n\nI want it. I always have, ever since I was younger. Beth had everything I didn't. She had loving parents. Money. Food on the table. Me, in my mirrored universe, had nothing but jealousy and anger. Through my teenage years I watched her discover make-up and subsequently boys. I saw her enjoy the finer things whilst I lived in squalour and poverty. I saw her have love and turn it down whilst I endured a wife-beater and whining, whinging children. I saw her make her home a place of sanctuary with the money from her cosy job. My own home was my prison and my tomb, but not for long. \n\nThe woman on the other side of the mirror reached for the hairbrush and flipped a half-hearted middle finger in my direction, as she'd done since she'd learnt how to at the tender age of 11. That curious habit had once made me chuckle. No longer. I followed suit, but my heart was beating like a drum because I was going to break the decades long Directive. In my pocket, a gun buldged. In the other, the sullen black shard of the totem I'd saved three years of wages for that would allow me to pass through to her world. It pulsed in my clenched fist, and the sharp edges dug into my hand. \n\nTiming was everything. As soon as she'd flipped me off, I knew it was now or never. The shard broke in my palm, and a quick shoot of astonishing pain flew up to my heart. I pulled out the gun and although my hand quivered I held steady. Mirror Beth's eyes widened and her mouth opened in dumb shock. I reached my hand out to the cold surface of the mirror and felt it gave way beneath my enquiring fingers. Success flooded into my mouth. Beth was cowering away from me, but the beating of my drum heart was overpowering me and I could think of nothing but pressing my ill-gotten gun to the fucking woman's head and doing what I'd wanted to do since childhood. The instinct to kill her almost overrode the plan, but even though the desire was strong my many years of planning amd starving would not go to waste all for the sake of satisfying my blood urge. \n\n\"Beth, you motherfucker. Get down goddamnit or I'll shoot you.\" \n\nMy voice rang in the pristine bathroom, kept clean by the maid she had the luxury of hiring every single day. I marvelled at the clearness of my command and at the way my mirror sister fell to the floor as if she'd been cursed and by gods I loved seeing her shaking in terror. The gun was pleasingly solid my grasp, and I had the confidence of knowing that I had this woman in the palm of my hand. \n\nDid that make me a bad person? No, I don't think so. There is only so much priviledge you can see before it drives you to hate, and I'd seen lucky, lucky Beth the entirety of my life. Hate was a justifiable reaction. She was crying now, pathetic tears that made her ugly face even more hideous, and whimpering tiny little pleading words that made no sense. I didn't bother to understand her. We had a few short, fleeting moments left before the shard of the totem wore off. I could feel the power of it beginning to wane even now. \n\n\"Beth. Beth, Beth...\" I squatted down next to her. I suppose she might have been terrified of the gun, but that was only an effect more than anything else. No, I was the monster here, not the shiny new gun. How ironic that filthy, moneyless me would be the thing that would upset her the most. After all, we wore the same body, the same blue eyes, mouse-brown hair, thin lips, thin skin. \n\n\"Come on, get up now. I won't kill you. Go through the mirror and I won't kill you.\" \n\nNot-me looked at the glassy mirror and let out a bleak moan, but she at least had a small sliver of a backbone. Beth stood up shakily and did as I said. She climbed up onto the counter and pressed her palm flat to the mirror. Her hand sunk beneath the surface and her face looked comically shocked. There wasn't time though. No time to dawdle or marvel. My gloating would have to wait. \n\nI pushed her, and soundlessly the miserable woman fell through the mecurial liquid of the mirror and disappeared into my world. For a few seconds, there was utter stillness and only a few residual ripples across the mirror's surface whilst the totem became inert once more. Then I put the gun down and looked deep into the mirror. My reflection looked back at me, eyes hard and determined. Were they the eyes of an imposter, or of a woman finally in her rightful place? I did not know the answer. But I smiled, because years of planning had finally paid off and I was where I was supposed to be. Damn the consequences. I flipped a middle finger at my reflection, and went to start my new life. ", "Another boring day. I splash water over my short brown hair and check my chin for any missed stubble before flipping myself the bird and starting to walk away. I stand there frozen, slowly lowering my middle finger as I stare into my own green eyes. My reflection is holding a 50. Caliber magnum directly at my face, wearing the same confused and frightened expressions me. “..uhm..” I stammer. \n\n“Don’t move, bitch” my reflection says to me. It’s facial expression changes from my shocked one to its own grimacing angry one. My reflection sounds gangster? \n\n“Uhh” I’m at a complete loss for words.\n\n“Uhh uhhmm uhhh” he mocks me “damn you really is as stupid as you look. Ain’t you got sumthin betta ta say to me?”\n\nMy eyes dart from side to side checking my surroundings “Yeah.. uhh” I try to compose myself. “A-are you real?”\n\n“Duh I’m real! And so’s this gun an if you give me a reason imma pop it off in yo stupidass face” he’s so angry! \n\n“Why? Why do you want me dead?”\n\n“I don’t want you dead cuz, I thought we was friends but you always hurtin’ my feelings man”\n\n“How could I hurt your feeling? I don’t even know you.”\n\nHe gives me a look that says Ive said the dumbest thing on earth. “You don’t know me cuz? You flip me off every god damn day. And when you’re not doing dumb shit like that you calling me stupid, sayin you hate me, wishin’ I was someone else. Etcetera! You know me better than anyone else so why you gon tell me those things”\n\n“Wait a-are you actually me?”\n\n“Yeah I’m you! An I’ve had enough! I’m sick of this shit!” I think I see a tear starting to bud from his eye.\n \n“Woah man, I’m sorry I didn’t know you cared so much. I just say those things.. because” \n\n“Well they hurt man” he’s definitely crying. He wipes his eye with the back of the wrist that’s holding the gun. “Have some self respeck”\n\n“I’m so sorry, I’ll stop. I’ll be nicer to you- uh, myself I promise.”\n\n“Good!” He straightens up trying to act tough again. “If you start beaten on me umm come back for you! I swear it”\n\nThen he dissipated and my reflection turned back to normal. I smiled at my refection and it smiled back at me. “You’re gunna to great today” I tell myself. \n\nAnd that’s how I learned to love myself.\n\nThe End.\n\n\n" ]	[ 1, 2, 5 ]	[ "1522443198", "1522450445", "1522446298" ]
	[WP] You can rewind time at will, but only a couple minutes at a time. Everyone around you believes you are an expert at everything, in reality you use your power to correct every mistake.	2,609	[ "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“What would you do if you hadn’t met me?” His hand held mine. \n\nI smiled and shrugged slowly. The wires were restricting my motion. “I wouldn’t know.”\n\nHe tightened his grip. “If only we never met, you wouldn’t have---” His lips stalled when my fingers touched his.\n\n“Don’t feel so guilty, mo chroi.” I gestured to myself on the bed. “It couldn’t be helped.”\n\n“Yes.” He choked up. “It would have. If you didn’t jump in to save me, you wouldn't be like this now! Your legs are gone now, Camelia. Your legs and your arm!” The man that once kept me at a distance now stood so close by. The man that always looked strong and dependable was breaking down in front of me. I would have never thought my heart could feel so much. I widened my arms as much as I could and slowly embraced him. \n\n“It’s alright. I chose you.”\n", "I always think that a sign of good fiction is that it haunts the reader for some time after.\nHere we are nearly 2 weeks later, and I am still thinking about Jim. Not just the possibly 4 years of slot machine pulling, but the untold tries to get the Heimlich manoeuvre right, too. \n\nI’ve never had anything like a gambling addiction, but from others I’ve seen, I really think you caught the obsessive nature of it in this story. Bravo, from two weeks in the future from when you wrote it. ", ">Most people think time is like a river that flows swift and sure in one direction. But I have seen the face of time, and I can tell you: they are wrong. Time is an ocean in a storm. You may wonder who I am or why I say this. Sit down and I will tell you a tale like none you have ever heard... I am the Prince of Persia, and the King of Blades!\n\nNot griefing or trolling, but I've already seen/played the perfect story using this concept, and I doubt anyone can top such an epic tale.", "March 31, 9:24 am\n\nShe bit into the chocolate. \"By the way, are you sure you should be here? Isn't Danny getting married today?\"\n\n\"I already let him know I'm not coming, and he's totally cool with it. Plus, he's still mad about last week.\"\n\n\"Well, I would be too if you crushed me at my lifelong hobby. I've never even seen you touch a chess piece before.\"\n\n\"I got lucky, that's all. He managed to play into the one line I glanced at in his book. Anyways, it wasn't even my idea. He got me drunk just so I'd play a game with him. You know I have a rule against games.\"\n\n\"Well, I can understand how he feels. You're already soooo fantastic at everything else.\"\n\n\"Nah, just math, science, history, speaking foreign languages, dodging oncoming cars, mind reading...\" \n\nShe smiled. \"Well, there's still some time this evening. You should make sure to go see him again before he leaves for his honeymoon. It's not every day your best friend gets married.\"\n\n\"Yeah, I'll go see him tonight.\"\n\nMarch 31, 9:24 am\n\n\"Hey, you're taking that business trip to New York again soon right?\"\n\n\"Uh, yeah, in June.\"\n\n\"Make sure to eat extra for me.\"\n\n\"I'll eat tons.\"\n\n\"And I know you say you're the luckiest man in the world, but try to be safe. That car actually did almost hit us the last time. Luck doesn't last forever.\"\n\n\"I know.\"\n\nMarch 31, 9:24 am\n\nShe gazed out the window. \"It's cherry blossom season again... it's a shame we can't go there again this year.\" She sighed, \"Nothing lasts forever, just like those blossoms, right?\"\n\n\"No. You'll remember them. And I'll remember them.\" I held her hand tighter. \"Those moments will last forever.\"\n\nMarch 31, 9:01 am\n\nAs I walked through the hospital room's door, I heard a yell, \"You're late!\"\n\n\"Only by a minute. I had to pick this up on my way here,\" I replied as I presented some chocolates.\n\n\"You know, I never know how you do that. That's exactly what I was craving.\" As soon as those words left her lips, she started sobbing uncontrollably. \"I'm not ready yet. I'm dying and I'm not ready.\"\n\n\"I know.\"\n\n\"I wish... I wish I could stay here. I wish I could just stay here forever with you.\"\n", "Isaac watched the horrifying images being transmitted across his TV. Panic, screaming, explosions, guns, a coup d'etat in the night. He stood there, holding an open thank you note in his hands. It had just been a simple challenge, an afterthought, a joke.\n\nThere was a group of fuzzy figures, dressed in elegant formal attire. It had been one of those formal charity events, the kind where the wealthy compare dick sizes by spending absurd amounts of money on African safaris or Antarctic cruises. \"You can do anything Isaac,\" one of the shadowy nameless faces had said to him. He was schmoozing, looking for Isaac to invest in his latest cyber security venture. \"I'll tell you what,\" the figure said, \"if you solve this puzzle, I'll never bother you again. If you can't solve it, then you have to invest in my company.\" The small crowd gathered around them laughed at the challenge. Isaac wanted to put the man in his place. \n\nAt the time, Isaac had done everything correctly, at least once. He got his start winning the lottery. Though it took him a while to find one that had a 10 minute window from lock out to draw time. Then played around in some stocks, making quick purchases and sales. When cryptocurrencies became popular, he made a fortune. Doctors had called him to assist in surgery. He'd been known walk into a tragic fire and save every life. Physicists asked him to review their models for inaccuracies. Speed chess? He was the reigning world champion, he even beat one of those AI computers after rewinding 4 or 6 thousand times. He could do anything, he could win anything. That's what they all told him. And they were right, if he failed, he could just turn back the clock 10 minutes and try again. He always got it right, there was no mistake he couldn't rewind and redo. \n\nOf course, he hadn't considered the consequence of success. That other people had noticed how he always got it right. It hadn't occurred to him that he might one day regret it. He solved the puzzle to the amazement of the crowd around him. It was a complicated formula, Isaac still might invest in the company even after he solved the puzzle. It could easily be sold as military grade encryption. It took him the better part of a million rewinds, but he solved it. The women wood, the men were wowed. He left the party with three individuals, comforted in his own ego. \n\nWhen he woke up the next day, the strangers who had been in his bed that night were gone already. The simple thank you note sat on the night stand next to a copy of the puzzle he solved and a bottle of iced champagne:\n\nIsaac,\n\nAs always, you got it right. Thank you for your help in ushering in this new era. ", "Jim was the best, ever, period. He made sure everyone knew it, too. Any time there was a writing assignment during class, he’d stalk from desk to desk, paper to paper, until he found what he was looking for. With a few slashes and strokes of his red pen, he’d write in spelling, grammar, and punctuation suggestions as they were writing it. He’d find sore spots in the plot, add character development suggestions, you name it. Jim spent probably more than an hour doing the good work for every two minutes of class. Jim didn’t take aging into account and, by the end of the year, was middle aged, balding, paunchy, and alcoholic. \n\nJim was a dick, the biggest ever, period, and he deserved what he got.", "It can be hard to imagine, because of human design, that by a small margin you can control the time.\n\nI would love, my dear reader, to teach you to control, but only the creator knows the special word. Even if I wrote it, I would have to write again, even if I told it, I would have to tell again. So behold! my dear reader, I will show you how a tide can make you a new creator, one, who feels the time.\n\nI was standing near the ocean, enjoying summer breeze, when a tide, without caution, has swallowed me in a caprice. In the water, there were many, combining in a work of art, shining specks ― but not like fairies! ― like the stars in cloudless night. (That distinction is important: magic, as you know, has no interest for art, only nature, mathematics can tell disorder: \"No! There's patterns, here's the list!\")\nTime is beauty, time is right, time can only be controlled by one, who has the sight that recognizes the reward of living in a loop that happens only once, for it would be a pain to see the order go... You cannot be ideal, but time still finds the way, it can remove the seal and wash away the pain. Once seal is removed, you will find the order, with every single movement it destroys disorder. Now I, my dear reader, can remove your doubt: the scene in the beginning was at an ocean, without flow, there is no time, but it was not at the Pacific, not Atlantic, not in sight were Arctic and Antarctic, Indian was far away. The ocean that remains unheard, it has a lovely name, but only the creator knows this special word.", "There was this one kid in my school called Alexander. Now Alexander was a transfer student, he was handsome, flirty, and above all the most intelligent person I’ve had the pleasure to meet. I talked with him the first day since he was in 5 of my classes and familiarized him with the building and the other students. The first week passes and he is a fucking celebrity in the school. He was the star player in basketball, despite not being that fit or athletic, he still manages to score 50 points each game. He was popular with all the girls as he was silver tongued, never seemed to say a single wrong word or stutter. He was also in the debate team, he won every single debate even one where he was advocating for slavery and hangings! He could predict everything that is going to happen in the next 10 minutes with incredible accuracy. When I asked him about it, he would chuckle and say “fortune favors the bold, and I’m the boldest person on this planet.” One fateful day there was a school shooting.... nobody died that day.... Alexander ran straight at the school shooter like Snake from metal-fucking-gear, disarmed him with sleight of hand the likes of which were never seen on the planet, then proceeded to batista bomb the fucker. Alexander got suspended for the next 2 weeks for “violence on the school campus”", "You bet I am the sweetest girl you have ever met. I wouldn't hurt a fly! I will always get you the right present, say the right thing, and do the right thing. That time you thought you got away with sleeping with my best friend. That time you thought you got away by winking at that waitress, and that time when I smiled at you warmly when you insulted me with in front of all your friends. I wish I could tell you why I stay. No everyone has the privilege to stab the shit out of the person they hate the most in the world, every single day. Every.Day!\n", "Jim was either great at everything or the luckiest man alive. \n\nThat's what everyone always said anyway. There was nothing Jim couldn't do. Jim took beginners luck to a whole new level. When Jim tried something, no matter how complex, he just made it work somehow, almost perfectly, without fail.\n\nOne time Jim's coworker was choking on a lozenge and Jim just popped over and gave her the heimlich maneuver. That lozenge popped right out of her throat and, would you believe it, Jim had never even heard of the Heimlich maneuver before! He just intuited that it was the right thing to do.\n\nStories of Jim jumping into a situation and completely acing it abounded among everyone who knew him.\n\nMultiple people had stories of Jim pulling over to help with a broken down car, lifting the car hood, finding the problem immediately and fixing it, and then swearing he'd never seen a spark plug before in his life.\n\nAs a kid, Jim was the same way. He was locally famous for the most amazing song and dance routine he performed at his High School prom, completely improvised. \n\nWhen he got older, his incredible abilities as a lover were renowned across the county. No one left Jim's bed dissatisfied, ever.\n\nTo the folks who knew him, it was like Jim had an instruction manual for all the difficulties life presented, hidden away inside his brain. He was uncanny.\n\nThe only problem with Jim was that he had a compulsive streak. He was something of a perfectionist, even a little OCD. With Jim, things always had to be just so and he would not abide corners being cut.\n\nEventually Jim turned 30 and Jim's buddies brought him to the local casino for the first time. Jim had gotten pretty excited, as if the idea of going to a casino had never occurred to him before.\n\nFrom his friend's perspective, Jim had just arrived at the casino floor a few seconds ago and bee-lined it for one of the slot machines, feeding in quarters from a little bucket.\n\nBut from Jim's perspective it had been several months since he sat down, repeating the same first pull again and again and again, waiting for that one perfect moment, unwilling to be satisfied with anything less. \n\nPart of him was miserable, desperate to leave - but he just couldn't stop himself.\n\nOn the front of the machine, as required by Nevada law, the odds of each outcome were clearly stated. The lowest possibilities were 5 to 1 or 10 to 1. Jim had seen countless, thousands of those. He'd also seen almost every other possible payout.\n\nBut what Jim wanted, what he refused to leave without, was the 230 million dollar jackpot. The odds were listed at 30,000,000 to 1, spread across thousands of machines, in casinos around the United States. \n\nAt 1 pull about every 5 seconds, Jim estimated it would take him just over four years. A lucky man might have gotten it on the first pull, but Jim was not a lucky man.\n\n*****\n\n##### For More Legends From The Multiverse\n\n##### r/LFTM\n" ]	[ 1, 1, 1, 5, 11, 20, 25, 35, 44, 219, 1697 ]	[ "1522459339", "1522482032", "1522482949", "1522471327", "1522479553", "1522474592", "1522468185", "1522469588", "1522473382", "1522473146", "1522464043" ]
	[WP]Your best friend died, you didn't know, instead you have been unknowingly hanging out with your friends twin.	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", "I sat beside Conley, my best friend, in front of his brother’s grave. The wind was spurring the grass to dance, as the raining rays of the sun slowly turned into orange-red.\n\nWe were talking. Catching up. We’ve grown apart since college started a year ago, and we were reminiscing about us and Sydney’s, Conley’s twin.\n\n“It’s been two years, huh? My condolence,” I said with a forced smile. \n\nTwins, they were always a strange bunch to work with, especially, Identical Twins. One minute you were talking with a twin, the other, you found out he was not the intended person. It was always foretold that twins has a sort of, connection. Telepathy? Maybe. The sad part was, that connection got the better of them, the worse of them actually.\n\n“Thanks,” Conley said with also, a forced smile.\n\n“Enough about this sad bullshit. I wanna know,” A wide smile spanning from ear to ear was seen on my face, “Did you lost it already?”\n\nHis brows locked, with a confused tone he said, “Lost what?”\n\n“Ugggghhhh,” I raised my hand in surrender, “Your VIRGINITY! It’s COLLEGE! And a whole year of it, I wanna know what babe took your first!” I said while figuring my hands on curves.\n\n“What the hell man! Give the dead some respect,” he said with a red face.\n\nI laughed, “He’ll be happier, hehehehehe,” I moaned, “To know when and whom his twin brother got the taste of it, going all ah ah ah,” acting the moment when he finally got it in.\n\nA bit angry, he covered my mouth from the embarrassment, “Shhhhh, what the hell are you saying in a cemetery?!” \n\nHis hand slowly released, “You know, I wish my brother was here.” \n\nSad smiles were being exchanged, “Me too man. Me too…”\n\n“Remember the time at high school? When me and Veronica was being all lovey dovey, we were ALWAYS together.” I tried to change the topic, my heart couldn’t withstand a twin’s genuine misfelt of his diseased other.\n\nSeeing my effort, he roared, “OH YEAH! Veronica… You were a couple that was REALLY annoying.”\n\n“Psshhhh, you’re overreacting.”\n\nHe counted the instances of annoyance, “You went to school together, you signed up for classes together, foregoing bros before hoes you little shit, you ride the bus on the way to school together, you walked to class together, you even live in same DORM together. You were hip and hip, I don’t even know who you were at those times, you were a different MAN when you were with her. ”\n\nI was flabbergasted, “Were we really THAT into together? DAMN, I gotta text her man. This is golden!” I pulled out my cellphone and send the recorded voice to her in messenger. \n\nWith a face filled with disappointment, he croaked, “Even NOW! What would Sydney think if he saw you right now?”\n\nThe smile I was holding slowly melt into a frown, I was staring at Conley, “Yeah, what would Sydney think? What would you think?”\n\nHis eyes shooked, he was visibly shaken. He tried to laugh it off, he bump my shoulder and chortled, “What do you mean by that? I’m Conley! C-O-N-L-E-Y, CONLEY!” \n\nHe was thumping his chest, desperate. I was still staring at him. A whole year of college gave me a lot of time thinking about the year ‘Sydney’ died. \n\n“You know, the funny thing about all this, me and Veronica broke up a year and a half ago, and Conley knew it,” I let out a hollow laugh.\n\nCheckmate.\n\nHis eyes were wide open, “I know that! I thought you were playing it off! I just went with your shenanigans again!” He was waving his hands, hoping for a last-ditched effort of retaining the current situation.\n\nI held both of his shoulders, “Conley DIED that day! I was with him! Both of my eyes witnessed his end!” \n\nBoth of us were shaking. Tears were already being drawn and small whimpers of regret and sadness bellowed around the surroundings.\n\n“What are you doing Sydney!? Do you think Conley would be happy to see you living HIS life, instead of YOURS!?”\n\nHe pushed me off of him, causing me to fall, “WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW!? YOU’RE NOT HIS TWIN! HECK, YOU’RE NOT EVEN FAMILY!!!”\n\nI stood up, and punched him squarely in the face, I spoke with a calm tone that even surprised myself, “I would know. He’s my best friend, even now.”\n\nI went near him. He backed off, guards up. I inched my way towards him and hugged him.\n\nI was caressing his back. He finally let out all the frustrations and anger he suppressed from the past two years. \n\nAfter a long while, his sobbing finally went to soft whimpering.\n\nI held his shoulders and gazed at him, “Live your life… Don’t let the past shackle your future.” \n\nAt that point, I was also crying. I felt the pain and suffering when I still thought Sydney had died. I don’t even know how much Sydney has suffered, fighting this battle alone.\n\n I apologized, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry because I let myself dwell in the illusion that Conley is still alive, pressuring you to be the person you’re not.”\n\nI hugged him hard. I wanted him to feel my heartfelt emotions about this matter, “Live. Live not for your brother, but for yourself. You don’t have to be selfless anymore. Be free, Sydney.”\n" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1522484626", "1522484658" ]
	[WP] A poacher gets reincarnated as an elephant.	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", "As I drew my final gasps of air, I thought back on my life. I was an infamous poacher who had traveled far and wide in search of the much prized ivory tusks. The pay was simply too good to pass up. I had slaughtered many of the large creatures that roamed Africa. Years passed, with the continual killing and harvesting of tusks until I was too old to withstand the fairly harsh climate of Africa. I settled down in a small town in America. In my time there, I had made some friends but they had come and gone. Most of them left me because of my disturbing past. And now, I am here. Sitting alone on my deathbed, realizing that no one had come to see my last moments on Earth. My heart was flooded with regret at the many years wasted in the pursuit of ivory. I shed one last tear before the darkness settled in over my eyes, robbing them of light. \n\nI opened my eyes. I saw that I was... back in Africa? Was this heaven? Was this the afterlife? I then realized that my view had shifted... upward. I felt taller, no, much taller. I then realized that instead of a nose, I now had a large trunk that I could move at will, like another limb. I looked around, and saw a few elephants close to me. No... this cannot be. This has to be a dream. I tried blinking my eyes a few times, but the image remained the same. What cruel irony was this? A seasoned poacher, now an elephant? There must some godlike deity up in the sky having a good laugh right now. Then suddenly, gunshots. I was all too familiar with the sound. I glanced over at my fellow comrades, who were now trotting away in fear away from the gunshots, and I heard the desperate cries of a wounded elephant. I looked behind myself, or tried to anyway, and through my peripheral vision I saw a familiar sight. A toppled elephant, fallen from grace, lying wounded on the ground as poachers began to cut the tusks from the elephant. Before I could react, there was another gunshot. I felt an intense pain in my side, and promptly fell over. As I drew my final gasps of air, I could hear the frantic yelling of the poachers, and felt the saws on my tusks before the darkness settled in over my eyes once more. " ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1522508418", "1522515205" ]
	[WP] You fall asleep Wednesday. You wake up, arrive to work, and your co-workers begin to talk about their weekend plans. You look at your computer and the calendar reads Friday. You have no idea where Thursday went.	52	[ "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", "Entering the office, I overheard some people talking about what they were going to do for the weekend. Now, this is usually normal on a Friday where everyone would talk about the weekend. That was until the new boss thought it would be a great time to have Saturday work for people who had slacked off for not doing their work during the week. They did want at least some pay for Saturday work with 1.5x pay to cover the fact that they had to work on a weekend. \n\nFor me, that was a good rule except for the fact that I didn’t remember a single thing that I did on Thursday. That could be because of the repeated nature of going to work then coming home to do random stuff at home before going to bed. Yesterday, was one of those days but wasn’t quite sure. But days merge into one another with the repeat of this job every day.\n\nHeading to my desk, I look over to my work colleague who was twiddling his thumbs, thinking of what he might do for the day. This wasn’t anything new as sometimes I usually do the same thing. Especially if I am waiting for something that needs to get done and I can’t do anything about that. But that wasn’t what was needed, so I looked at the date on my mini calendar and someone seemed to already have changed it to Friday instead of Wednesday that I had at. That wasn’t much a problem.\n\n“Hey Jerry, how is life?” said one of my co-workers as he came over to me.\n\n“A little bit confused as I thought today was Thursday but some people were talking about the weekend which is only heard on Friday,” I responded back.\n\n“I don’t know what you are talking about, as today is Friday, not Thursday,” said the co-worker.\n\n“It’s Thursday, not Friday like you are saying that it is Timothy.”\n\nTimothy got his phone out of his pocket and with the phone unlocked from putting in his password. He showed the phone to me to show that it was Friday the 6th of April, not Thursday as I thought before. This made my thoughts even fuzzier as I didn’t understand where the Thursday had suddenly gone off to.\n\nAfter about five minutes of thinking how I possibly missing Thursday from my schedule, I got distracted by our boss walking into our office. Now, this isn’t a problem that we usually have as he sometimes comes in to see if we are actually doing our jobs and not be lazy like some people have been in the past which had led them to be forced to work on the Saturday shift because of their actions. I haven’t been sent to that shift yet and I don’t really want to do that shift as I was busy tomorrow.\n\nThe boss came over to my desk space and with the whispers of fellow colleagues, he tapped me on the shoulder and said to me, “Jerry come to my office in my five minutes as I want to talk to you about something.”\n\nI didn’t think that it would be anything bad as he knows that I was a good worker for this company. Heck, it might be a promotion to avoid these people and this area of a job altogether. The problem though lies in the fact that I can’t remember what happened yesterday and it could be about that day. Wait, oh no, whatever did happen yesterday, I must have made a big mistake to get called into the boss office.", "\"What about you, Larry? Any plans for the three day weekend?\" Lou leaned over my cubicle, his coffee cup tilted enough to spill some drops on my desk. \n\n\n\n\"What?\" I asked, glancing at the date in the corner of the monitor. The date seemed right, but Lou didn't normally start yapping about his weekend plans till Friday. \n\n\n\n\"Me, I'm gonna sleep late tomorrow. Get up around noon and light the pit. You should totally come by,\" he said. \n\n\n\n\"Don't you have work to do? Wait, tomorrow?\" I looked up at him to start my reprimand, but he waved me off and turned away. \n\n\n\n\"Yeah, you're right. See ya tomorrow!\" He waved backward at me. I clicked the date in the corner of the screen. It said Friday. \n\n\n\n\"Computer's wrong,\" I thought to myself, but didn't believe it. \n\n\n\n\"Hey, Caroline?\" I asked the cubicle next to me. A chestnut next of curls popped up. \n\n\n\n\"Yeah, Lar?\" She asked. \n\n\n\n\"What's today?\" \n\n\n\n\"Friday. You going to Lou's Barbecue tomorrow?\" She asked. Her phone rang. \n\n\n\n\"But yesterday was Wednesday,\" I said. I liked Caroline. She was infinitely more personable than Lou, and one of the few I trusted in the office. \n\n\n\n\"You're funny, Lar. I got work to do.\" Caroline's head sunk down in her cubicle and I heard her answer the phone. I sat down in my chair and decided to ask Google what day it was. Google agreed that the day was Friday. \n\n\n\n\"What the hell happened to Thursday?\" I sat in my chair and tried to remember anything I could. But I found no memories between going to sleep last night, Wednesday, and this morning, Friday. I caught sight of Lou walking towards the copier and jumped up to walk with him. \n\n\n\n\"Hey Lou, I was here yesterday, right?\" He chuckled. \n\n\n\n\"You're asking the wrong guy. I wasn't.\" Of course, I should have known better. Lou only had a 50% chance of showing up to work on any given day. Nepotism ran strong in his father's company. It could have been worse; most of us were thankful that he did actually do his job well when he bothered to show. \"What's the matter?\" I almost told him, but the last thing I needed was him telling his old man I was having issues. \n\n\n\n\"Nothing. Just, you know, making conversation,\" I said. We reached the copier and I left him there. I headed towards Caroline's desk, but she still held the phone to her ear while rolling her eyes at me. That conversation was not going to be over anytime soon. I thought about who else I trusted on the floor, then headed to Johnny's cubicle. I remembered he took Fridays off the moment I saw his empty seat. Johnny enjoyed his three day weekends, and opted to do the 4/10 work week. \n\n\n\n\"Three day weekend,\" I mumbled to myself. Lou mentioned a three day weekend, but I didn't remember hearing about having Monday off. I headed back to Caroline's desk. If she wasn't off the phone yet, it was a harmless question I could ask Lou. Thankfully she was off the phone. I grabbed a nearby chair and sat next to her. \n\n\n\n\"I'm starting to think Lou is a bad influence on you,\" she said. \n\n\n\n\"I got something going on, I need your help,\" I said, wringing my hands in my lap. She looked up from her computer and gave me her full attention.\n\n\n\n\"Lou said we got a three day weekend,\" I said, unsure where to start. She nodded.\n\n\n\n\"Yeah, you going to the barbecue tomorrow?\" I shook my head, realizing I started off in the wrong spot. \n\n\n\n\"I didn't know we had Monday off,\" I said. \n\n\n\n\"Lar,\" Caroline leaned in closer and hushed her voice to a whisper. \"Did you drop acid this morning?\" I realized I needed to ask questions instead of starting off with statements. I decided to pick up the original line of questioning. \n\n\n\n\"What's today?\" Her eyes narrowed. \"Please, humor me.\" \n\n\n\n\"Friday.\" She said with a trace of disappointment. I knew she thought I was tripping. \n\n\n\n\"Three day weekend starting tomorrow?\" She nodded. Her phone rang, but I grabbed her hands to keep her attention on me. \n\n\n\n\"So we have Monday off?\" She shook her head. \n\n\n\n\"No idiot, we have Thursday off. Three day weekend, Saturday, Sunday, Thursday.\" \n\n\n\n\"What? Yesterday was Wednesday! Thursday comes after Wednesday,\" \n\n\n\n\"Damnit Larry, you too?\" Caroline hissed at me. \"That's some crappy luck working here.\" She spread her arms wide to gesture at the entire office. \"Look, just take the day off, and I'll explain it to you later. But don't let Lou hear you say that, he'll turn you in.\" \n\n\n\n\"What's wrong with working for the Border Patrol? Wait, turn me in for what?\" I asked, having enough sense to whisper. \n\n\n\n\"For entering our universe illegally. I don't know why you damn immigrants don't follow the proper channels.\" I heard Lou's voice behind me and felt a firm hand on my shoulder. \n\n\n\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\n\n**\n\nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day in 2018, you can find them collected on my [blog](http://hserratafun.blogspot.com/2017/10/front-page.html).", "Another long night, another refreshing, but short shower, maybe it’s time for some laundry, no not tonight. You just want sleep. \n\nYou wake up and roll out of bed after the five minutes. You sniff yesterday's uniform, then you look at the time. You wonder if you have enough time to eat, then you \"think well maybe I can sneak something at work\". \n\nFinishing up your morning routine, you get going. You arrive at work, and you keep sitting down in your car. You don't even notice the dirt, the trash, and the clothes inside. You take a minute to get yourself mentally prepared to walk in and clock in. Then finally with a groan you start walking, you wonder what and who you have to deal with today. You get clocked in, and you start your job. \n\n\nAfter the greetings and the usual, you hear your coworkers talking about getting shitfaced tomorrow on Saturday for their lucky day off. You realize it can't be Friday! Where did Thursday go? You ask your coworkers it is actually Friday today and they have to remind yes it is and what you did yesterday. You laugh it off by saying \"yeah the days are just rolling into each other.\"\n", "I stared at the monitor and blinked. \n\nNo wonder the local talk show was doing their Friday prank calls, I thought, because it is Friday.* \n\nI silently laughed at myself and clicked out of the calendar at the bottom left of my monitor. \n\nI continued thinking: Of course today is Friday. On Wednesday all I did was stay home and watch Twitch and on Thursday.... on Thursday I.... \n\nThe room seemed to blur and my head throbbed. I was supposed to meet some buddies on Thursday. I wouldn’t have missed it, I never miss our gatherings... My head pounded suddenly and I doubled over in pain. I spat out saliva in the trash can below my desk and a co-worker looked over at me, concerned. The lights seemed to be flashing...\n\n“Are you ok?” The co-worker asked urgently, getting out of her chair. \n\nI gasped, nodding. “I’m fine. Sorry. I just....” Seeing the look on her face I quickly changed tactics. “How was... Thursday, yesterday, how was it?”\n\nI was blundering through my words, but what else is new? She seemed to believe that I was ok and smiled. \n\n“Oh, it was nice. I caught up on some TV shows with my husbands because the kids went to bed early. It felt like Friday yesterday, actually.” She laughed.\n\nI nodded. It felt like Friday yesterday? Yesterday was actually Wednesday! For me at least....\n\n“Good to hear. I gotta go... real quick... to the bathroom.” I stood up and pushed out of the office, ignoring the amused expression on my co-worker’s face. I moved down the hall-way, passing empty boardrooms and offices. As I began to start thinking about yesterday once more, my head began to get cloudy. \n\n“You might want to sit here,” a lady’s voice rang out from a couch. My vision was cloudy and I couldn’t see anything. I wasn’t sure where I was in the building. I felt a drop of blood fall from my nose as I collapsed onto the couch next to the mysterious women that seemed to understand the pain I was in. The world flashed, and I saw things, not the future or the present, but the past. Last Thursday. Images from this last Thursday. There were tall buildings, crumbling, a city I don’t recognize. Another was some kind of plane but before I got a good luck I remembered a river and I remembered.... \n\n“It will be okay,” the lady on the couch assured me as the world went black. “It always hurts when you lose a Thursday.” \n\n—————\n\nSo that’s it so far, hmu if u want more. \n\nThanks. ", "''You guys...''\n\nMy coworkers halt their conversation and turn towards me.\n\n''Yeah?''\n\n''I was here yesterday, right?''\n\nDana shot me a confused look. ''Yeah'', she finally responded. ''Is something wrong, Dale?''\n\n''Well, it's just, you're all talking about your weekend plans, right?''\n\nNow she looked even more bewildered. ''...yes. As is usual, on Fridays.''\n\n''That's the whole point! Yesterday was only Wednesday!'' \n\nDana breathed a sigh of relief. ''Oh thank goodness, I was starting to believe something was up with you.'' \n\nNow it was my turn to be confused. ''But...where did Thursday go?''\n\nShe laughed. ''Oh Dale, always forgetful! It's Daylight Saving Time, remember?''\n\n''What?!''\n\nShe sighed. ''Don't play stupid with me. You know, Daylight Saving Time. Where once a year we skip a day in order to save daylight?''\n\n''That doesn't make any sense!'' \n\n''Yeah, I think so too. Especially since they just re-add the day in six months. But oh well, what can we do? At least we have an early weekend now.''\n\n''But that's not how-''\n\n''Oh, it's 5 o'clock already! Gotta go pick up the kids. See you on Monday!''\n\n''But...''\n\n''Bye Dale!''" ]	[ 1, 1, 3, 5, 5, 25 ]	[ "1522519879", "1522563767", "1522545742", "1522521797", "1522527038", "1522522206" ]
	[WP] "The means justify the ends"	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", "An evil dictator? A cruel leader? An crazed torturer?\n\nThe fight for the enrichment of music had started over a year ago. A terrorist organisation, calling themselves 'Da Musicbois', has gained control of major parts of the world.\n\nTheir sole aim? To enrich the music of our current generation.\n\nWhy? As their leader, 'Ho ho Mothafooka', as he so likes to call himself, is convinced that the same repetetive bullshit ain't gonna fly no more. He wishes to wake up the innermost critic in each human to the sounds of beaty and elegance, rather than to let them revel in monotonous beats and sounds.\n\nHow? Good question.\n\nThis is where Ho Ho thinks he has got down the perfect plan down.\n\nHe's built a playlist of the 1000 most boring popular songs, and he plays the playlist on repeat for months in his prisions.\n\nThen, he would slip in a 'quality' song. It was made so that everyday the prisoners heard at least one good song everyday.\n\nSome go mad. Some insane. Some can't do anything other than tap to the beat non-stop.\n\nMr Mothafooka claims that, indeed, the means justify the ends.\n\n" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1522530619", "1522535562" ]
Reposted with permission from u/iduker12.	[WP] You are in charge of creating propaganda for your totalitarian country. You think the current stuff is lame, so you try to make it funnier.	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", "\"Citizen Sad-I-MAN, you are to report to briefing room 36a and receive your task from briefing officer Pile-O-Books, good luck TroubleShooter!\" \n\n Friend Computer's docile tones vibrated my brain in a warm and vaguely unpleasant way. I ate my standard meal of Yum Yum brand algae paste on stale burnt toast. The toaster had been broken for at least three cycles already, producing what was closer to plasma cooled charcoal than bread. Hand-I-MAN tried to repair it yesterday, but only managed to toast his last clone and half of the common room.\n\nWith the allotted amount of calories ingested I proceeded down to the briefing room via the up escalator. Sometimes they are stairs, which is nice. The added benefit from the exercise being the strange man offering flyers and comics, the kind heavily featuring a hammer and scycle, was not idling on the bannister pushing his treasonous wares. Another brief hallway and the door was standing before me, like a monolith to some dark god. BRIEFING ROOM 36a the letters read in thick black lettering embossed on the frosted glass. \n\nAs I reached for the handle the door opened. The man from the stairs smiled looking up from his large treacherously oaken desk, the star pin on his lapel gleaming like his poisonous words. \"Aaah... come in COMRADE... we have been expecting you.\" \n\n\n\n\n" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1522635978", "1522637253" ]
	[WP] You walk into your friend’s apartment, it’s dark and there is furniture scattered across the floor. You find your friend curled up on the bed. You ask them what happened, and they slowly point up...	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", "I had been knocking on Trent's apartment door for a full minute. _He typically opens up by the third round of knocking. Unless he's on the WC. Yeah, he's on the WC, something just plunked,_ I told myself. _Don't consider the alternative._ He hadn't texted me since about nine that morning when I got a garbled pocket text-- let's hope that was the case.\n\nI jiggled the knob. No answer. _Well, this is why he gave me that spare key._ I pulled my keys out of my pocket, made sure no one was walking down the hall, and unlocked the door.\n\nI froze. The apartment was almost completely dark, and it stunk of rotting corpses. A liquid that looked like a mix of oil and acrylic paint coated the floor. There was the odd steak knife on the floor, the blades partly corroded where they touched the slick and the handles ashes. There were ...nine of them. _Damn, what went down here? And what is his toaster doing on the floor?_\nMy stomach soured-- his table was flipped, its legs snapped and the tabletop cracked. His desk was in smithereens, his PC was sparking on the floor, and his chair was taking up a bit more space than normal. It looked like there were a few bullets in the wall-- didn't know he kept a gun.\n\n_Well, I'd best find him._\n\nI picked my way across the sludge, shoes sizzling on contact. _Good thing I wore my work boots today._ I nearly slipped twice but only singed my fingers once, trying to catch my balance.\n\nI came to his bedroom door. It was dented, like something had been thrown against it repeatedly. I took a deep breath, drew my pistol, and shot the lock off.\n\nThe bedroom was more wrecked than the rest of the apartment, if such a state of disarray was possible. Clothes, sheets, and furniture were strewn about, and there were splatters of human blood in this room as well. At the centre of the carnage lay a roughly Trent-shaped humanoid form.\n\n\"Trent?\"\n\nHe groaned in affirmation. I walked as quickly as I could to his side, narrowly avoiding a drip of the black sludge on the way.\n\n\"Trent, what happened?\"\n\n\"Adam.... oh he he he he he, he he he...\" He dissolved into giggles and pointed at the ceiling.\n\nIt was spattered with what could only be human guts and blood. I looked down at Trent in shock, only to find that the entity on the bed was some otherworldly horror. I let loose a scream and a stream of eighteen bullets at the _thing_ that killed Trent. All the bullets missed or bounced off the thing's carapace. I had one bullet left.\n\n_Me or you, bud._\n\nIt rose to its full height, I backed up against the wall in fear. _Hold on..._\n\nThe monstrosity toppled, black blood gushing from its stomach.\n\nMy face never looked quite the same.\n\n----\n\nFirst WP response, feedback welcome!\n\nr/tyris776_writes" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1522688420", "1522721439" ]
	[WP] You are the angelic guardian of a button you are told will bring the end of Earth’s existence when it’s pressed. You guard it from demons and curious adventurers for centuries and centuries, but one day, curiosity gets the better of you.	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", "Angel:\n\"No no no no, Alastar. You must'nt press the device. Remember the Lord commanded us to protect it from others\"\n\n\nAlastar:\n\n\"Ah yes. It was eons ago since that command was givens. I can still feel his voice, but the meaning of it leaves me sometimes\"\n\nAngel:\n\n“Well it's a good thing you have me!”\n\n\nAlastar;\n\n“Have I told you about the times before you appeared.”\n\nAngel:\n\n“No, but will you please!”\n\n\nAlastar:\n\n“When God first created me and gave my duty I had always wondered what I protected this device from. I was so anxious to find out. what seemed like eons then, but was compared to now is such a short time I was sitting there coming up with ideas at what was coming. It was hard. I never seen another creature before. If I had to describe it. It was like trying to come up with a new color! I say so long I started to doubt my ability He could have had the decency to tell me what I had to face!In the end I could come up with is twisted mutations of myself. Sorry I must be rambling.\n\nAngel:\n\n“Please ramble on we have nothing but time”!\n\n\nAlastar:\n\nWell finally something finally decided to show up. It was very small. It had 8 legs, 8 eyes, and it was very hairy. Worst of all crawling over the walls and coming to the device! I couldn't trust it for didn't know what it was. So I burnt it! Then I started imaging all sort of creatures just like it but much much bigger. Later after many such creatures and creatures like then I learnt to leave little creatures like these alone. For They didn't have the mind or ability to use the device.\n\nAngel:\n\nWhat was its name?\n\nAlastar;\n\n“I heard a human once scream spider when dealing with a creature very similar to it. That reminds me! The very first human i had met. At first I was confused, its presence reminded me of the creator, but I would not be fooled. When I went up to it to smite it! It started to bow down and scream words I could understand! It was words of praise and apology to God directed at me. I was going to smite him for making me a God, but I got an ominous feeling and choose to converse with him. I told him I was not in fact the Creator and asked who he was. I think he told me his name was cain? I command him to leave, and he did. No other humans gave me this feeling and many more humans followed after him. It was just few humans that would visit at a time ar first. i could usually convince to leave, bit eventually I learned it's better just to kill them. I learnt this because eventually Armies of them came. They all claimed different reasons. Kill the devil, destroy the fake God, and others. It was easy they stood little chance. It wasn't much later in their time till they could finally hurt me and hurt me they did, but they never came close. It wasn't till I killed an unimaginable amount of them they sealed up the entrance and finally stopped coming. They could never understand that I was protecting their species from demise, but from then on I could only waited”\n\nAngel:\n\n“Humans must be nasty if they could try so hard to end the everything. Good thing you protected it”.\n\nAlastar:\n\n“You say that but Everything is gone”. \n\nAngel:\n\nWhat do you mean? How could his creation be gone. \n\nAlastar:\n\nRelatively just before you showed up. I experienced a great shaking. I no longer had to protect the device from creatures but the earth. I found that I was no longer in a cave deep in the earth, but exposed the orange sky, that would turn black for no reason. I could sense nothing around me. after a long time of that, I finally got curious and slowly explored the land. I found nothing, but molten slag and awful rain. There was no little creatures. There was no big ones. There was no humans. It was just empty land. \nThis world was empty. I had nothing to protect the device from. It was after this realization and my final return to the the device that you appeared Lucifer.\n\n\nLucifer:\n\nThen what is the point of you protecting the device. If there is nothing to protect it from. He never said you can't use the device right.\n\nAlastar:\n\n“That's true…”\n\nLucifer:\n\nWhy don't you use it!\n\nAlastar;\n\nAre you sure I mean is it alright?\n\nLucifer:\n\nThink about it. Your job is done! Maybe the creator would have wanted this.\n\n\n\n\nAlastar then reached for the device, when he finally touched it everything went dark. Then there was light.\n" ]	[ 1, 4 ]	[ "1522773619", "1522785765" ]
[removed]	[WP] On a fantasy Earth, everyone either manipulates matter using Dust or conjures thoughts using Dreams (one or the other, see text) and in the last few years, the world has been trying to kill all mankind.	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/89x9tl/wp_on_a_fantasy_earth_everyone_either_manipulates/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1522907658", "1522908117" ]
	[WP] Orcs, Elves, Humans and Dwarves have shared these lands for millennia. Now, 1914, the war to end all wars rages, and new alliances are forged.	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", "The President proclaimed “This war is the war to end all wars,” and like sheep, we believed her. \n\nI breathe. The target aligns with the shot. I pray silently to the gods; pulling the trigger is automatic. Beautiful silver blonde hair explodes in red bursts, shattering like broken glass, and the body falls noiselessly, effortlessly onto the ground. \n\nStorm clouds darken the skies, but do not hide the quick slicing motion directed to my squad. Two dwarves, two orcs, and an elf scurry like mice into the collapsing fort. They survey the area, nod, and direct for me to follow. \n\nThis is my fifth kill. The elf lies dead underneath us. Silver, blonde hair, snow driven snow, if not for the blood, one would expect this to be a fairy tale. A chaste kiss to the lips would awaken him, but smoke lifts to the skies, explosions suffocate the screams of the citizens and soldiers alike. This is unlike any fairy tale I have ever heard.\n\n“Ah’d make sure eets the real deal.” Brunnhilde lays her war hammer to the ground as she crouches near the body, “Ah heard he’d be here, son of one of de’ generals, but ye’ know elves.”\n\nAya narrows her eyes, tenderly plucking the crest off of the dead elf’s chest, “This is a Skyward,” disgust fills her eyes before she spits on it, “they hail from the mountains, of course they’d work for the enemy.”\n\nSkyward, Fireheart, Waterlung, Earthbound, these races comprised of the elves, and it is the Skywards from the mountains whom have laid waste to the majority of our shared land. The orcs and dwarves, eternal rivals, have sparked an alliance so unusual -- so contrary to their very nature that is still a marvel to behold when I stand in their presence, but it is nothing in comparison to the Dvalinn Kingdom and the Waterlung elves. \n\nIt was mutual hate, not rivalry, that brought them together. A chance for both sides to reap vengeance upon the Skyward elves, but I cannot fathom why. I am just a human. \n\nAya sneers, “We’ll take the body with us,” she returns to the path in which the others waited, “Aulay, take the body.”\n\nHe wraps the body tenderly, with care reserved for an infant, and I move ahead, uncaring of the method my orc companion will go about preserving the body. As long as there is no decay for the colonel, we will be well.\n" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1522930757", "1522964066" ]
	[WP] Elaborate a tragedy in a satirical way.	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", "The four-car motorcade rumbled over the sun-scorched crag and heat twisted the road ahead. Everyone wore spec sunglasses and protected their mouths from the infectious dust the tires kicked up in their wake. \n\nSitting in the front was the seasoned Corporal, skin leathered by the years of war like natural camoflage. Out here they said the longer you stayed the more you came to look like the enemy, but none ever risked saying it in front of the Corporal. His near perpetual silence deafened every other order from commanding officers and it was said that he could talk anyone into or out of anything without opening his mouth.\n\nIn the back of the same car, two Privates with 4 and a half battles under their belts (Houmal really didn't count because their wasn't really an enemy, but it boasted their KS ratio so they were allowed to keep the half) and eager for another. Today their mission was just to wait. \n\nThe four cars reached a point on the road where trenches had been dug to hide the cars and prepare for the ambush of retreating enemy combatants from the nearby hot zone. Somewhere deep into their forth hour of watch, one private asked the other if she was looking forward to going home. She shook her head and occupied herself by cleaning her weapon. \n\n\"Why the hell not? Dontcha have someone nice waiting for ya? Or a family or something? What about Taco Bell, heard they changed?\"\n\"Naw, I got people. But I'd not be here if they were folks I wanna see. Birthdays, holidays, weddings... for sure, so long as I'm black out drunk for half of it.\"\nThe Corporal popped his bubblegum. When he resumed chewing, the private thought he had to dig deeper.\n\n\"Yah, but, uh. What if somethin' bad happens? Like your mamma dies or somethin'?\"\n\"You're right, I forgot funerals. I love a good funeral.\"\n\"Somethin's wrong in your brain.\"\n\"Really?\" she looked up from her busy-work and said, \"You know what they're saying back home nowadays? They're saying girls are the same as boys and all them half-way folks are basically people. You know that?\" \n\"I heard that your woman from that there TV show now gets naked on the News! They say she has a penis, but I didn't get a chance to see it.\"\nThe Corporal knocked on the windshield, that was the signal. \n\n\"Let's get this over with.\" She said, climbing aboard the mounted turret on the back of the van. Almost thirty black trucks sped towards them fleeing the burning city, far more than anyone had predicted. Still out of range, she continued, \"Folks back home are so stupid, they talk about shit they don't even understand.\nI read somewhere that more shootings been happening lately and everybody gets all fired up. You know what they say? They say 'gun's don't kill people. People kill people'.\"\n\nLooking through the scope she saw the oncoming truck barreling towards them, letting out small fire-cracker pops. They were finally in range, so the Corporal put his feet up while the two privates squeezed their triggers and let a flurry of bullets melt the air between them. Soon the other three cars in the motorcade followed suit\n\"How stupid is that? You know?\" She continued, \"I mean it's so goddamn obvious! I haven't killed a single person.\"\n\"I did, 'member Hezzbo?\"\n\"Oh yeah, I ain't never seen an ass used so efficiently.\" Something stung her thigh, caught by a bullet... it felt like an M-16. She mumbled \"Dammit, cover me will you?\" \nWhile the private wrapped up her wound she rattled off, \"Walter P9 - 17, Semi-Autos - 35, AK47 - 108, Explosives - 2 ('cause they're for pussies) and...\"\n\nThe other private's gun stopped firing and he collapsed, blood bursting over the back of the truck. She stood, returned fire, all the while continuing, \"Mounted Machine-Guns- 88, 89, 90. Jesus, alone, this would be impossible and those idiots back home What an age to be alive.\" A smile crept across her face. \nOnce the enemy trucks had been subdued, The Corporal made a phone call. After twelve seconds of silence he hung up. Twelve seconds later, an army of drones blotted the sky and leveled the city. The remaining private looked on and said to herself with the same crooked smile, \"5 and a half\".\n\n\n" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1522948398", "1522953146" ]
	[WP] You've awaken in a shallow grave in the middle of the medieval age. You only remember one thing, the face of your killer	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", "Darkness. \n\nSuffocation.\n\nSilence. \n\nThose 3 feelings are things that would terrify normal people out of their minds, and yet you only have one thing on yours. A face. Brown eyes, chiseled jaw, hair in a very ragged, unkempt fashion, and dark as soot. A mole just below the left nostril, breaking up the light... the light!\n\nYou're torn from your vengeful memory by sunlight coming in from above, and noise, and wonderful air. Oxygen, that sweet nectar of life, floods in to your lungs, as you're hauled out of the grave by a concerned looking farmer. Both of you sit there for a few seconds, neither party really sure what to say to the other. You, savouring the feeling of life once again, and the farmer, unsure why you were even buried in the first place. They weren't too abnormal for the time, a green shirt red trousers, and no shoes. All topped off by a black scarf. Not that you have any idea why that's your attire. Come to think of it, you don't remember anything. At all. Except the face. \n\nBreaking the silence, the farmer speaks, handing you a leather canteen. \"Water?\"\n\nRelieved, mostly for the fact he seems to speak a similar language, you take a swig, and the farmer motions towards a small hut nearby. \"Let's go inside, you can tell me what happened there, when you're safe.\"\n\nAgreeing, you follow the man down the winding path next to the field, and idle chatter follows. He's the only man you know, so you may as well speak to him. \"How did you find me?\"\n\n\"I was about to plough my field, need to try and start early now my son's gone. Blasted war.\" He pauses, stopping walking to look up at the sun, setting behind a church on the hill, and also to let you catch up. Being buried seems to sap the strength somewhat.\n\n\"So, do you have any Idea why you were in there? You don't seem injured. Robbed, maybe, but you're handling yourself fine.\"\n\nRobbed. Maybe that was it? That may explain you having no shoes... but why not just take all the clothes off your back? It's not as if dead men need them. The scarf was actually rather nice. \n\n\"No, I don't remember anything... at all. I don't know where I am... I don't even remember my name.\" You stop walking, as the sudden realisation of the scenario starts to set in, and the farmer, hearing your footsteps cease, turns around.\n\n\"Perhaps it'll come back with time. I tell you what, provided you're healthy tomorrow morning, you can help me get my land in order. Over the next few days, maybe getting your mind off of things may help you remember.\"\n\nTake your mind off things. Maybe a few days honest work in the countryside might go some way towards that you think to yourself... but it won't remove that face. That image. \n\nRegardless, you decide to give it a try and wander after the farmer. Maybe even food would solve the issue, and you'd started to get a slight smell of soup from the small hut as you got closer.\n\n-------------------------\n\nSeveral days labour. Nothing. No memories. No solutions. Just the face. Only the face. Those brown eyes staring straight at you. Annoyingly, there was no anger in those eyes. Only shock. A sense of surprise, a sense that what was happening was not what they had foreseen or intended. \n\nOn the plus side, the parish priest has agreed to help you today, the farmer had mentioned your predicament while bringing some milk to the church, and thankfully the priest was the kind of person not to let a soul wander without at least trying to help. Perhaps god could help. Right now, you only knew of the farmer and his wife, and even though you trusted them to make a damn nice stew, mysteries of the mind were most likely to be beyond them.\n\n\"You there, Rock, I've come to fetch you\". You turn, having become used to being called Rock. A fitting name for someone found in the ground, perhaps the farmer did have some poetic capability too. The voice belonged to a short fat monk, wearing the typical robe. \"The path is a bit winding, so I was told to come and get you.\" \n\n\"Thanks.\" You really don't want to get lost. While you've learned the way around the few fields the farmer has, you don't trust yourself on your own elsewhere. What if you forget everything again?\n\n\"It's also probably quite useful I came to pick you up, you really do look like you were dug out of the ground.\" The monk said, walking slightly behind you, his short legs unable to keep pace. \"We can stop off at the priory to get you cleaned up, then you may have a better chance of receiving spiritual guidance.\"\n\n\"Sure, why not.\" Can't hurt, you reason to yourself. Would be nice to feel well kept again.\n\n\"You've got quite the beard there too, we'll deal with that. I bet you can't remember the last time you shaved.\" You run your hand over your chin, can't even feel your well shaped jaw through this beard. Was clearly about time you shaved. \n\n\"You have no idea how true that is.\" Chuckling at the unintentional joke, you enter the priory, and the monk points to a room to the side. \n\n\"If you go in there, you'll find some warm water, a razor, and something to get a lather going. Hopefully that'll do, I'll try and find a mirror for you, but I can't promise anything.\"\n\nSitting down, and pouring out some water, you let the steam rise over your face. Finally, you can have a small moment of peace. Taking the scarf off, allowing yourself clear view of your neck and chin, you start shaving. Doing as best as you can, without an actual clear view, you move along the jawline, carefully revealing the rest of your face to the world. Farmer will hardly recognise you think.\n\nThe Monk returns with a mirror a short while later. \"Sorry about that, the Priest is dealing with some woman who's having bad visions. I was calming the family. Looks like you don't really need the mirror after all.\"\n\nTaking it anyway, you gaze in to it, originally wanting to perfect the shave, but then realising you weren't even sure what you really looked like. What your face looked like. What the face looked like. \n\nYou stare in to the mirror, unable to look away. Frozen, razor still in hand near your throat, you struggle to comprehend what you're seeing. Your hair, black as soot and unkempt, gave way to brown eyes, breaking up the light skin with the help of a mole just below your left nostril... lowering your gaze further still, you see a scar, below where the scarf would have been. Clean, like it was made by something incredibly sharp, and across all of the neck you could see. The rest was hidden behind your hand. With the Razor still in it.\n" ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1522949538", "1522952116" ]
[removed]	[WP] Society has become tired of criminals getting away with light punishments for heinous crimes, so now the government has created a televised event of punishing criminals in inhumane ways, all at a pay per view premium.	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\nThe mods reserve the right to remove anything we feel is harmful to the community. This includes, but is not limited to any forms of hate speech, racism, politics, necrophilia, pedophilia, bestiality, incest, abuse, torture, rape, or suicide. We will not tolerate 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/8ad1hd/wp_society_has_become_tired_of_criminals_getting/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1523048359", "1523049020" ]
	[WP] Everyone has a spirit animal which is determined at birth. On your 18th birthday you’re expected to go out and find yours and bring it home with you. Turns out, yours is the legendary animal, the Unicorn.	22	[ "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 sat at my desk and looked out over the street, my dirty single pained window casting shadows over my empty sketchbook. A woman walked briskly down the sidewalk, a dog on a leash and an opaque angelfish, the size of a dinner plate and the glowing form of a snake following behind. I sighed, it was the day before I'd be turning 18, the day humans could connect with another, their spirits bound together in an inter-species marriage. Each species would get the powers of the other, and an image of them would follow the other around. Cats got theirs on their second birthday, dogs when they turned 1.5. The 26 year old elephant at the zoo still hadn't gotten hers and one could even sometimes see the ghosts of large creatures gliding after butterflies. I had read that the early humans didn't believe the animals could have the spirit animals, because they could only ever see their own. In the modern times however people had learned to see past themselves, and so, visualistics was taught from an early age. \nI scribbled a lion, my fathers spirit animal, he had met the great beast on a trip in the African savannah when he was 21. I scribbled a shark, large, with a gaping mouth. My mother had gone out to sea at 25.. studying the microbiology when a whale shark had swam up. My brother had found his at the animal shelter on his 18th birthday, a husky, howling madly, he promptly adopted the dog and the double image of the two where seen running along the trails. It was weird for people to see a human spirit animal, as the double images where but echos of the individual. Living as long as the other. My sister had taken years to find hers, she was 27 when on a trip to Canada a raven had flown past, the beady eye glinting as a ghost rippled off it and a mirror image of herself seteped out of her and leaped after the black bird. \nI scribbled out what i imagined mine to be. A peacock, a bear, a bee, the sky darkened and I pushed myself away from the desk to head to sleep. \nMy family was going to Scotland for my birthday, we where to go on hikes and visit the coast.\nMy 18th birthday came and the celebrations where great, we left at noon and headed north in our large family car. We arrived later that afternoon and left the suitcases we brought in the hotel room heading out to grab dinner. \nA full English for me a steak for my brother and mother, and noodles for my sister, father was out on a business trip.\nWe returned to the hotel room and settled down in front of the tv, the family turned to their usual favorite, some talk show about dogs and I left to take a walk in the forest behind the hotel. It took me an hour to get away from the drone of the road, but I found a clearing and settled in the grass under a wide leaved tree. The rain drizzled softly and I closed my eyes. \nA thump made me open them suddenly. 1 was looking into a mirror next to 2 unicorns, my reflection, a silvery blue and one of the unicorns, coming in and out of focus \n" ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1523057358", "1523064973" ]
	[WP] You can share-shift into anything if equal mass that you have observed; the more accurate and detailed you observe it with your senses, the more exact you can mimic it.	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", "It is time to slip again.\n\nThis is what we call it in my tribe. Like a slipskin grape, the easy and soft peeling of outer tissue, revealing the hearty fruit within.\n\nBut it hurts. It is agony beyond comparison, truth be told. This is why slipskin are revered as the strongest of warriors, for their fortitude must be that of ten men.\n\n\"Hurry!\" Akante hisses, sweat dripping from the end of his long, hooked nose. As I study him carefully, I realize everything about my brother is long. His eyelashes, fine and black as feather down; his ostrich-like neck; his torso. His arms, too. They will be trouble, as both are covered in intricate tattoos. Here, a skull with roses for eyes -- the sign of the Skully Fallows, our homeland. Here a set of three thick bands. Creeping vines, a roaring bear on its hindquarters, a shield bearing the sun and moon...\n\n\"It's not something you can rush,\" I say. My voice is meditative, calm. I must ignore the whistle of arrows overhead, the soft thwap of their penetration into earth. I must not smell the heat and blood, or mind the thundering of hooves approaching us. \"Just breathe,\" I tell my brother.\n\nHis eyes are wet with pain. His bloody fingers press hard against the seeping, dark wound in his gut, the arrow shaft wobbling with each panicked breath. The fletching is a raven's feather -- the telltale mark of the Hoods. They who have been banished from other tribes. Men without honor, without remorse. The very same who burned our village to cinders and ash those many moons ago, when Akante was just a stripling of a boy. And the same men who took him, raped him, broke him, turned him out into one of their own.\n\n\"Shot dead by my own kind!\" Akante says, laughing dryly, then coughing blood.\n\n\"They are not your kind. They would shoot their own mothers.\"\n\nAkante grows quiet. He stares wistfully up at the clouds, does not flinch when a raindrop sprays his forehead. \"Rowan?\" he says suddenly, hoarse.\n\n\"Shh. You must'nt speak. Save your strength.\" \n\nI can feel it starting. I have the image of him firmly in mind, and the burning under my skin has begun. I do not fight the pain as it grows, but welcome it.\n\nAkante licks his lips, struggling to get saliva into his dry mouth. His face has turned the pallid shade of death. \"Can you forgive me?\" A drop of liquid tumbles down his cheek, but whether it is rain or sweat or tears, I cannot tell.\n\nMy heart wrenches in my chest. I try to respond but find the words choke in my throat. I nod, softly. The Hoods were aiming for me, but Akante leapt out to take the arrow and spare me. How many seasons had we hunted one another? How long had I thirsted for vengeance against him? And now here he is, and he's saved my life. \n\nAnd now I must take his, if I want any chance of survival.\n\n\"Someday,\" Akante says, his voice difficult to make out against the war cries, \"we will meet again as kin.\"\n\nWanting to scream, or cry, or both -- I let go.\n\nMy skin melts away. Like an old leaf put to flame, dissolving, curling in on itself. I am muscle, tendon, bone, and fat. I am inside out. Beneath my transparent eyelids, my irises flicker and change color to Akante's soulful, brooding shade of brown. My bones creak and snap as they shift into his slender frame. Even my organs--the viscera and lungs and speeding heart--become jelly-like as they morph, growing or shrinking or taking new shape.\n\nThe pain becomes enormous, god-like, a giant wave that swallows me whole and wipes away my personhood clean, until there is nothing left of me but the white hot core of suffering. I forget my name. I forget everything. Haven't I always been here? In this place of torment, and fire, and fear?\n\nMake it stop. Please, oh Spirit Mother. Make it stop. Just kill me.\n\n-------------------------------------------\n\nAt last, the Hoods fall upon the clearing, their faces crouched in shadow beneath their black cowls, their mares likewise black as soot.\n\n\"Akante!\" their leader calls.\n\nI stand up. Where my brother has lain, there is nothing but ashes. I look at my hands, their long fingers. My legs, which have grown instantly like a sprouting fig. My new tattoos.\n\nAnd--much like the rain puttering into my brother's ashes and washing them away--the pain has vanished. Like it never was.\n\nI turn to address the warlord. \"Yes, Chief?\"\n\n\n\n\n", "Tay was... well, heavenly. It wasn't usually this good. Usually there was a distant part, a separation, a wall that observed and jotted down every detail. But Tay's scent, sweat and dirt and lavender soap, made xem more real. Xir calloused hands, arthritic from a young age, were gentle if not agile, and unmistakable to the skin.\n\nI had gotten an eyeful already, sketching xem over these past few weeks in Charles' apartment. Tay looked soft and plump, but underneath the gentle layers of fat had muscles that made my heart hum. Not short, not tall. Xe had stubble all over, from xir shaved head to their shaved pubes. It was a treat, feeling xir scalp under my fingers.\n\nXe was smaller than me, at least the me that existed in Charles' apartment. This me was fairly muscular, though, and if there was an imbalance... I'd done it before. The trick was body fat and hair. I once became a girl so petite I had to grow her breasts another cup size and her hair six feet long. It was harder the other way around. \n\nI breathed in through my nose, holding Tay's scent in my memory. I let my hands drift over xir body slowly, exploring. Xe did the same, moving in rhythm with the music from the apartment next door.\n\nI love big cities like this. There are so many people, so many sights. I once spent hours sitting on a rock, in the sun, in a park, running my hands over every crevice, sketching out the little details until I had it. That night I sat and thought myself into the change. It took hours, a whole night of me sitting naked with my clothes folded up under my notebook, but it felt like I was stretching muscles that had gotten frozen. Kind of an ache, but good.\n\nMother told me it was painful for her, especially inanimate stuff, but I think that's because she didn't pay attention. She didn't have the artist's eye for detail. She really is more of a broad strokes sort of woman.\n\nMy sibling was working as a model these days. Several, actually. A good living, even if it made Mother click her tongue about the impossible standards for beauty. \n\nI don't think either of them ever had the hunger that I do. I don't change because it gets me something. I change because it feels amazing, like slipping into a new cotton shirt after taking a shower, or plunging into a bubbling hot springs in the middle of winter. And when my selves die, or are bulldozed over, or break, I still have them. I can remember them all.\n\nIn all honestly, I don't remember which me I started out with. Mother can always tell who it is when a stranger visits, but I haven't seen her for almost fifty years. She may have forgotten. She was a tree in Central Park for a few years, and I think getting leafy for that long makes her a bit dozy after. She likes being plants, especially when she gets tired of farming. She never becomes a man, though. I think she's a bit old-fashioned that way.\n\nTay sighed deeply. I smiled and kissed xem on xir nose. \"Not so bad, right?\" I said. \n\n\"Mm. No, not bad at all,\" xe smiled. \"Is that really all you need to do?\"\n\nI grinned and changed. I took it slow -I'd rehearsed xir face, but knowing xem inside and out meant I could change from the tips of my fingers down to my toes. Tay watched in fascination as my features slowly shifted, the high cheekbones moving downwards, soft chin sharpening, my weight redistributing itself.\n\nI could feel my organs shifting and gurgling. Most of the time I didn't even notice, but with Tay... There was something wrong on the inside.\n\nXe must have noticed my discomfort, because xe reached out to touch my face. Brave thing, I thought. It wasn't exactly pleasant to watch the change, much less touch me while I did it.\n\n\"Don't worry,\" I said. \"Pretty sure it's just the cancer.\"\n\nXe raised xir eyebrows. \"Just?\"\"\n\nA wave of nausea hit me. I clenched my teeth. \"Yup. Just some good old-fashioned leukemia.\" Xe felt awful.\n\nI held it as long as I could before I let my organs snap back to another self. I kept my outer shell Tay-shaped; I wanted to share this with xem, but I didn't want to vomit on the carpet. I looked into xir eyes, trembling.\n\n\"Weird, very weird,\" Tay murmured. \"You've been doing this how long?\"\n\n\"My entire life!\" Tay smiled back at Tay. \"So, like, a century, more or less.\"\n\n\"Weird,\" xe repeated.\n\nWe sat, naked and silent, for some time. Tay broke the silence first.\n\n\"It's... I know I'm going to die, eventually, right? But I'm hoping it's not this round. But I'm going to change. All the... all the fast-growing parts of me are going to change. And die. I'm not going to look like this for long.\" \n\nI nodded.\n\n\"Just...\" xe hesitated. \"Visit me, as me? Not as I will be but as I am, as I feel like I should be.\"\n\nI nodded again. I'd seen it happen lots of times. They shrink into themselves, they wither. Sometimes, like perennials in Mothers' garden, they grow back. Sometimes not. I have to make sure I don't use their face for a while after that.\n\nI smile Tay's warm smile back at xem and squeeze their hand. \"I promise.\" Maybe seeing themselves, as they could be, maybe it'll help.\n" ]	[ 1, 2, 2 ]	[ "1523086822", "1523108793", "1523139983" ]
[removed]	[WP] Every human is born knowing their passion, yours is cleaning feces. Made fun of by peers and disowned by your parents you ended up over compensating by a huge margin.	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\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/8ak03g/wp_every_human_is_born_knowing_their_passion/%0A%0A)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1523125757", "1523126181" ]

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